Members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) Tuesday condemned violence in the Kosovo north and called for resuming the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

The Russian proposal for a presidential statement was today dropped by UNSC members, who nevertheless showed differences in attitude towards the self-proclaimed independence of Kosovo. Russia's representative expressed regret over the blocking of the draft presidential statement that would have called both sides to refrain from the use of force.

Russia reiterated that its position regarding the independence of Kosovo remained unchanged and that Moscow supported the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia and considered Resolution 1244 relevant in that regard. The Chinese ambassador reiterated that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia must be respected, and that resolution 1244 should be a framework for resolving problems in Kosovo.

He said that the situation in northern Kosovo and Metohija (KiM) was particularly complex and pointed to China's grave concern over the recent tensions in the north of the province. The representative of the United States said that Kosovo, "as an independent and sovereign country," had the right to strengthen the rule of law in its entire territory, including the northern part.

She said that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina with the EU facilitation was already yielding results. She welcomed the beginning of an investigation into allegations about organ trafficking in Kosovo contained in a report last year by Council of Europe Rapporteur Dick Marty.

The British ambassador expressed the concern of the London government over the situation in northern KiM, where a Kosovo police officer got killed recently, and urged Belgrade and Pristina to negotiate constructively.

The representative of France said that the tensions in the north had eased, but that recurring incidents showed that everyone had to remain vigilant.

The representative of Germany said that the security situation in Kosovo and Metohija was calm and expressed regret for some minor incidents that affected minority communities and pointed to issues such as organized crime. He said that independence and territorial integrity of Kosovo and Metohija was something that needed no change whatsoever.

The representative of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) expressed concern over the allegations contained in Marty's report on illegal trade in human organs in Kosovo and said that there was no doubt that an independent investigation into the allegations and the full cooperation between all sides was absolutely necessary.

India, which chairs the UNSC this month, expressed regret over the fact that the SC had failed to adopt a presidential statement on the recent situation in Kosovo proposed by Russia. When it comes to Marty's accusations, India believes that the investigation should be entrusted to an international mechanism that would be formed so as to be acceptable to all parties.

The representative of Colombia also expressed regret over the Security Council's not adopting the draft presidential statement and said it was very important that the current crisis in Kosovo be overcome and the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina strengthened.

Brazil said that dialogue was the only way to establish security, stability and prosperity in the region and called on all sides for restraint and avoidance of the use of force. South Africa called on Belgrade and Pristina to resume dialogue in September and expressed its support for an independent and credible investigation into the allegations about the organ trafficking.

The representative of Portugal said that initiatives to change the situation on the ground by force were unacceptable and expressed concern over the increasing number of incidents directed against minority communities in KiM. The recent violence in Kosovo was also condemned by the representatives of Gabon, Nigeria and Lebanon, who also called for restraint and solving problems through dialogue.