China calls for dialogue to settle Kosovo issue

UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 27 (Xinhua) -- China on Tuesday urged all relevant parties to come to a settlement of the Kosovo issue through peaceful dialogue.

Li Baodong, China's permanent representative to the United Nations, made the remarks at an open UN Security Council meeting on the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo ( UNMIK).

"Although the current situation in Kosovo is generally stable, it nevertheless continues to be vulnerable and fragile," Li said. "We express our concern about the tense relations among the ethnic communities in Kosovo, and in northern Kosovo in particular."

"We hope that the parties concerned will take a cautious approach and settle their differences through dialogue, refraining from any action that may further complicate the situation or escalate tensions," he said.

Serbia categorically refuses to recognize Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in 2008, though most leading European countries and the United States have exchanged diplomats with Kosovo.

Kosovo is currently supervised by NATO peacekeepers and the European Union. In Kosovo, ethnic Albanians make up 90 percent of the population.

Li emphasized that China has always maintained that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia should be fully respected.

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