Mr. President,

I wish to thank the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, Mr. Farid Zarif, for his briefing. I welcome the presence of the Prime Minister of Serbia, His Excellency Mr. Ivica Dačić, at today’s meeting. I have also listened carefully to the statement made by Mr. Thaçi.

China has always held that resolution 1244 is an important legal basis for resolving the question of Kosovo. Efforts to resolve that issue should be carried out within the framework of that resolution. It is up to the parties to find a mutually acceptable settlement through dialogue and negotiation. The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia should be fully respected.

China welcomes the recent rounds of the high-level political dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, at which positive results have been achieved. We encourage both parties to continue to move the pragmatic and constructive dialogue forward in an effort to find a long-term solution to the question of Kosovo so as to maintain the peace and stability of the Balkans and Europe at large.

The security situation in Kosovo remains calm, but the northern part of Kosovo remains tense. In that connection, we express our concern. The parties concerned must take action to effectively protect the legitimate rights of the different ethnic groups of Kosovo, to adopt a prudent approach and to adhere to dialogue to resolve their differences. It is important to avoid any actions that might complicate and escalate the current situation.

China commends the work carried out by the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) under the leadership of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General. We support UNMIK’s continued efforts to implement the Council’s mandate. We hope that UNMIK, the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo and the Kosovo Force will strengthen their cooperation and coordination and work in synergy so as to play an active and constructive role in facilitating a solution to the Kosovo question.

Thank you, Mr. President.