Pristina's lead negotiator in the dialogue with Belgrade Edita Tahiri stated on Monday that Pristina finds it acceptable to be represented in regional initiatives with its name and a footnote saying “without prejudice to the status”.

In a statement for Tanjug, Tahiri said that would be a balanced solution, as it would respect the stands of both sides, and that as regards Pristina it could be an acceptable solution for the key issue of the next round of the talks.

I must say that the views of the two sides are at the moment far apart, as Serbia is insisting on adding the reference “1244” to the name of Kosovo, which is unacceptable for us, Tahiri said, explaining that UN SC Resolution 1244 has become too narrow both in political and legal sense.

As regards the continuation of Belgrade-Pristina talks, Tahiri said that the exact date would probably be known following the visits by EU facilitator to the dialogue Robert Cooper to Belgrade and Pristina, sćeduled for later this week.

I think that the visit will bring the views of the two sides closer, and contribute to resolving the key išue, Tahiri said.

She said that Pristina is ready to endorse the option which would envisage that the name of Kosovo be coupled with the footnote saying “without prejudice to the status”.

Such phrasing would acknowledge the fact that Serbia has not recognised Kosovo, and this is how Serbia would interpret it.

At the same time, it would strike a balance between the sides (to the dialogue), since Pristina and the countries which have recognised Kosovo's independence would interpret it as reading 'independent Kosovo', Tahiri said.

At first, Tahiri claimed this to be Pristina's proposal, but when asked to comment on the EU stand regarding it, she said that it was Robert Cooper who brought the proposal forward.