The six-nation Kosovo Contact Group on Tuesday finished its two-day talks with delegates from southeastern European countries on the future status of Kosovo.

According to reports, the meeting discussed possible solutions for the future status of the breakaway region. Representatives hoped the Serbian and Albanian parties could make compromises and reach a deal soon so that southeastern European countries and regions, including Kosovo, could fully participate as members of greater Europe.

Bulgarian Foreign Minister Ivailo Kalfin said on Monday, while hosting the meeting, that it was important to create opportunities for more talks on the Kosovo issue. He hoped all concerned parties could reach an agreement on the status of Kosovo in the coming months.

According to Kalfin, the agreement should contain several key elements: a guarantee of the stability of the Kosovo region; the plans for setting up a stable government; the protection of the rights of local minorities and also of the region's historical and cultural heritage.
 
Kosovo has been under UN administration since 1999 following a NATO bombing campaign that drove out Serb forces accused of ethnic cleansing. Ninety percent of the southern Serb province's two million people are ethnic Albanians.

UN-brokered talks are underway to determine whether Kosovo will remain part of Serbia, as sought by the government in Belgrade, or become independent, as the vast majority of Kosovo's residents want.

(Xinhua News Agency September 13, 2006)