April 24, 2007 12:14 AM

Luxembourg, April 23 (CTK) - Slovakia requires that the decision on the future status of Kosovo is made by the U.N. Security Council, Slovak Foreign Minister Jan Kubis said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers today. 

Czech Foreign Minister Karel Schwarzenberg said this was a change in the position of Slovakia's position as that until today had only wished that the Security Council make the decision, while now they require it. 

The Security Council is discussing the plan for a limited sovereignty of Kosovo, drafted by U.N. special envoy Martti Ahtisaari. 

According to CTK information, the EU ministers were surprised by the Slovak initiative but they considered Kubis's proposal very good. The issue of Kosovo originally was not on the agenda of the meeting of the EU ministers today. 

The U.N. Security Council, whose elected member Slovakia is, agreed last week to make a final decision on Kosovo only after it sends a diplomatic mission to both Belgrade and Pristina. 

Kubis pointed out in the U.N. last week that Slovakia requires that whatever the solution will be, it should not set a precedent for other ethnic disputes. 

Slovakia's own interests are at stake here as some half a million of ethnic Hungarians live in Slovakia, forming about one-tenth of the country's population. 

The Slovak parliament passed a declaration against Kosovo's independence. Some parties argued that it could encourage radical demands by the Hungarian minority living in Slovakia.