Ahtisaari statement to reduce Russia's UN role inappropriate:Lavrov

Moscow, July 13 (UNI) Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov today dismissed remarks by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari to reduce Russia's status in the United Nations as "inappropriate".

"Such statements lower someone else's status, but not Russia's" Lavrov told reporters after talks with his visiting Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

Ahtisaari made a statement to the Finnish newspaper Lansi Savo to the effect that Russia's blocking the talks on Kosovo would impair its status.

"I did not hear this statement, but I consider it inappropriate," Itar-Tass quoed Lavrov as saying.

"The status of Mr Ahtisaari is defined by his mandate as a special envoy of the UN General Assembly that was also approved by the Contact Group and the UN Security Council and that envisages the preparation of proposals for a review," he said.

"If one of the sides cannot accept these proposals, the negotiations should be continued and assistance to these negotiations secured," he added.

Referring to a new draft resolution on Kosovo, Lavrov said there was the "need to continue the negotiations on Kosovo's status without predetermining their results".

"The problem of predetermination of Kosovo's independence has not been lifted. We can support only a resolution that will be acceptable for both sides. No consensus is seen as yet," Lavrov stressed.

"A conclusion shows through the tricky intricacies of the diplomatic language that Ahtisaari's plan in fact comes into force in 120 days regardless of the sides' coming to agreement or not," he pointed out.

"It is necessary to continue the negotiations without predetermining their results, in whatever fine wording it is apparelled. The main thing is to give an answer to the question as to how to lead the sides to the negotiation process aimed at achieving results," Lavrov said.

He said the period set by the UN Security Council's resolution on Kosovo for the negotiations of Belgrade and Pristina was small.

However, he stated assets of the new draft resolution, in particular the fact that it "calls for the continuation of the negotiations of the sides and does not mention the automatic advent of the province's independence".

"The draft resolution is voluminous. Besides, there are a couple of supplements to it. We will rapidly examine everything. The problem is too serious. There must be no ambiguities," Lavrov noted.

UNI