UN Special Envoy for Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari said Thursday he expected to present his final proposal to the UN Security Council by the end of March.

Ahtisaari, who unveiled on Friday a draft status proposal which opens the way for Kosovo's eventual independence, told reporters at the UN headquarters in New York that he was willing to give Serbia more time to consider his complex scheme.

"In the coming weeks we intend to invite the parties to further consultations," he said. "As I have said in Belgrade and Pristina, I'm prepared to consider constructive amendments and I am willing to integrate compromise solutions that parties might reach."

Ahtisaari, who visited the organization to brief UN Secretary- General Ban Ki-moon and the Security Council on the Kosovo status process and discuss way ahead, said he wants to give both parties the chance once again to make their points.

He agreed in principle to a 7-10-day delay after Belgrade reportedly demanded the talks with Pristina, which had been set for next Tuesday in Vienna, to be moved back for about 10 days, to allow the Balkan country to convene a new parliament elected on Jan. 21.

"I am willing to integrate compromise solutions that the parties might reach," the UN envoy said, adding that he wants to give both parties the chance once again to make their points.

He stressed that any suggestion implying that the provisional plan he presented meant independence for the Albanian-majority Serbian province came from the parties.

"I will then finalize my Settlement proposal for submission to the Security Council," Ahtisaari, the former Finnish president, noted, adding he intended to finalize his package and turn it over to the UN Security Council by the end of March.

The final plan will be clarified in the proposal to the Security Council, he said, pointing out that it will be a very clear statement of what the status will be.

Kosovo has been run by the UN mission since 1999 when NATO bombings forced the late Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his forces, who was accused of killing 10,000 ethnic Albanians during a counter-insurgency war. Serbia offers "substantial autonomy" to the ethnic Albanian majority, who accept only outright independence.

According to the draft plan, the province would have the right to govern itself and conclude international agreements, including membership in international bodies, with an international civilian and military presence supervising the new arrangements and helping to ensure peace and stability.

Source: Xinhua