The UN Security Council on Wednesday unanimously approved a plan by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for the deployment of the EU police and justice mission (EULEX) in Kosovo.

The 15-member body held an open debate on Kososo, during which representatives of Serbia and Kosovo voiced different opinions on future operations of the EU mission, but both gave consent to its deployment.

The Security Council "welcomes their intentions to cooperate with the international community," the council said in a presidential statement.

"The Security Council ... welcomes the continuing efforts of the European Union to advance the European perspective of the whole of the Western Balkans, thereby making a decisive contribution to regional stability and prosperity," the statement said.

In his latest report on UNMIK, Ban said his special representative and head of UNMIK, Lamberto Zannier, is now facilitating the EU's preparations for an enhanced role in the rule of law area.

EULEX will fully respect Resolution 1244 and operate under the overall authority and within the status-neutral framework of the United Nations, Ban said.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) will remain a central element of a reconfigured UNMIK and play a crucial role in building and monitoring Kosovo's institutions and supporting Kosovo's minority communities, Ban said.

(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2008)