UN prods Kosovo-Serbia talks

A top United Nations diplomat called on the Security Council to urge Serbia and Kosovo to be more aggressive in ironing out their political differences. Farid Zarif, who personally represents Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in the Balkans, told the council this week its influence was needed to spur progress in the disputes between the two states. "A more active and deliberate international political engagement with the parties is needed very soon," said Zarif, who presented the council with the latest official report from the U.N. mission in Kosovo. "The costs of missed opportunities can be high," Zarif added. The U.N. said in a written statement Wednesday the first and most important step would be the resumption of the European Union's Belgrade-Pristina talks, which were aimed at reaching agreements on border crossings and other issues but were suspended in May for the Serbian national elections. "I hope that at those involved will have used the period of the recent hiatus in order to focus upon further enhancements to this process," Zarif said.