VATICAN CITY, DEC. 7, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The need to secure peace in Kosovo was one of the central points of the audience granted by Benedict XVI to Albania's president, Bamir Topi.
The Holy Father received the head of state Thursday. The leader also met with the Pope's secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, and the secretary for the relations with states, Archbishop Dominique Mamberti.
A press release sent by the Vatican press office said, "The president wished to show gratitude to the Catholic Church for its contributions offered to the Albanian population, above all through educational and assistance institutions, and that he is also pleased by the recently reached agreements [with the Holy See] in the field of health and economy, and desires that this cooperation can continue from the cultural and spiritual points of view."
Topi informed the Pope and his collaborators "about recent steps taken by the Albanian government to resolve the larger problems of the country, to install a state of law and to advance toward European integration.""Finally, they dealt with bilateral and regional questions. Concerning the definitive juridical state of Kosovo, [the Pope] spoke of a need to take into account the fundamental petitions of the sides and to avoid recourse to violence," concluded the Vatican communiqué.
The international mediators for Kosovo -- Russia, the United States and the European Union -- in the talks between Belgrade and Pristina, are on the point of presenting a report about the statutes of this territory, at the request of the U.N. Security Council.
