UNMIK is ready to support talks between Pristina and Belgrade and to mediate, spokesman for the U.N. Mission in Kosovo, Russell Geekie, said on Aug. 16.

According to Geekie, UNMIK supports and encourages depoliticized talks on technical issues, but it is up to Pristina and Belgrade to decide how the talks will go, KiM Radio reported.

Geekie reminded that U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and European Union High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Catherine Ashton had exchanged letters expressing willingness to play a joint role in the process of Belgrade-Pristina talks.

The U.N. supports the importance of the role that the EU must play in talks on the region's European perspective, he stated.