UNITED NATIONS, June 10 (Xinhua) -- China supports the settlement of the Kosovo issue through dialogue between the parties concerned, said a Chinese envoy on Monday.
UN Security Council Resolution 1244 sets an important legal basis for the settlement of the Kosovo issue. China's position on the Kosovo issue is consistent and clear, said Wu Haitao, China's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations.
"We believe that parties concerned reaching a mutually acceptable solution through dialogue within the framework of relevant Security Council resolutions is the best way to resolve the Kosovo issue," he told the Security Council.
China respects Serbia's sovereignty and territory integrity, understands its legitimate concerns with regard to the Kosovo issue, and commends its efforts to find a political solution, said Wu.
Achieving tolerance, reconciliation and harmonious coexistence across all ethnicities in Kosovo is in the fundamental interests of people from all ethnic backgrounds and is in line with their development needs, he said. "We hope that all parties concerned will put the well-being of their people first, refrain from any rhetoric or action that could complicate or escalate the situation, and build up conditions for a proper solution so as to jointly maintain peace, stability and development in the Balkans."
He asked the Security Council to remain seized of the Kosovo issue and bring the two parties to genuine dialogue toward a proper solution.
At the end of the Kosovo War in 1999, Kosovo, a Serbian province dominated by ethnic Albanians, was placed under transitional UN administration by the Security Council. It declared independence from Serbia in February 2008. Kosovo's independence is partially recognized by the international community.
