Speaking about previous talks between Belgrade and Pristina, which started in Vienna in February, Rohan said that it was only the fifth round of talks that had resulted in minimum progress, focusing on the protection of the Serb cultural and religious heritage.
The talks first tackled practical issues such as decentralisation, protection of religious and cultural monuments, and economic development as issues that must be settled before the province's final status is defined, which is an issue on which Belgrade's and Pristina's positions are completely opposed, Rohan said.
The Ljubljana conference, entitled "Social and Economic Development in Kosovo - A Challenge for the Political Stabilisation of the Region", was opened by Slovene Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, who said that Slovenia was ready to participate in Kosovo's development.
Kosovo will progress only if the talks on its final status are completed successfully, with economic and social progress in the province and prospects of its integration with Europe, Rupel stressed.
Speaking about the situation in Serbia, Rupel said that the international community too was concerned about the country's lagging behind other countries, which he said was due to Serbia's inflexibility as well as the need for greater international assistance.
Rupel proposed that Serbia be offered economic assistance, the transfer of knowledge to its public sector, and a less strict visa regime.
The Ljubljana conference was organised by the Vienna-based Austrian-French Centre for Rapprochement in Europe, the Slovene Centre for European Perspective and the French Institute for International Relations from Paris.
The conference was attended by experts from Austria, France, Albania, Croatia, Kosovo, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia, representatives of international organisations and institutions and the Special Coordinator of the Stability Pact for Southeast Europe, Erhard Busek.