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INTERVIEW-Merkel says Kosovo decision must strike balance

19 Jan 2007 17:48:48 GMT
Source: Reuters

BERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A looming decision on the fate of Kosovo must bring "maximum" satisfaction to the citizens of the province without stirring turbulence in Serbia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Reuters on Friday.

"We need maximum satisfaction in Kosovo but also satisfaction, or at least no turbulence, in Serbia," Merkel said in an interview ahead of Serbian elections on Sunday.

"First we want to see the democratic powers in Serbia strengthened after the election and then we will do everything we can to negotiate astutely while still moving ahead with political decisions."

A report by U.N. Kosovo envoy Martti Ahtisaari on the future of the Serbian province, one of the poorest in Europe and scarred by ethnic conflict, is due after the elections.

Kosovo's 90 percent Albanian majority has demanded full independence since NATO intervened in their 1990s uprising against Serbian repression while Belgrade favours no more than autonomy for what was once the heart of a medieval Serb kingdom.

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Last updated:Fri Jan 19 17:50:41 2007