Ban said the solution should be found in line with the Contact Group's principles, and warned that delaying the matter only "questions the UN work in the province and risks instability in the region."

In a report for the period between June 1 and August 31, 2007, which he will present to the UN Security Council on October. 9, Ban said that instability was still visible in Kosovo due to the continuing talks on the province's future.

According to him, the simmering tensions between ethnic Albanians and Serbs could reach boiling point unless an agreement is reached soon.

He urged the Kosovo Serbs to vote in the Nov. 17 local and parliamentary elections, and the Belgrade authorities to be constructive and ensure the Serb community's participation in the elections.

Ban Ki-moon, however, underscored that UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker, as his special envoy, reserved the right to postpone the elections if it turned out the election process could lead to a delay in the process of defining Kosovo's status or the negotiations headed by the Contact Group's mediating troika.

He also reminded that he expected a report from the Contact Group for Kosovo, comprising the U.S., Russia, Great Britain, France, Germany, and Italy, on Dec. 10.

Ban Ki-moon Kosovo Report.pdf (145.48 KB)