U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Slovakia on Sunday for two days of talks with the country's leaders, AP reported. Ban had an informal meeting with Slovak Foreign Minister Jan Kubis on Sunday at an informal meeting in the spa of Piestany, Foreign Ministry spokesman Jan Skoda said. Skoda said the two were expected to discuss a range of issues, including the U.N.'s Millennium program to eliminate poverty and assist developing nations, U.N. reforms, Slovakia's involvement in U.N. missions and the situation in Sudan's Darfur area and Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo. Ban said Friday he could not yet give his blessing to a planned 1,800-strong European Union policing mission in Kosovo because of the international dispute over the province's future. The EU mission _ the launch of which is proving difficult because of Serbia's opposition _ would replace the current U.N. mission, which took control alongside NATO peacekeepers in 1999 after war between Serbian troops and separatist ethnic Albanians ended. A deep rift has developed between the EU and Russia, an ally of Serbia, over the province. Kosovo's independence is supported by the United States and most European Union members, including Britain and France. Russia opposes it. Slovakia is one of the EU members that has expressed reservations about Kosovo's independence. Prime Minister Robert Fico said last month it was «hard to imagine» that his country would recognize Kosovo if the province declares independence unilaterally. That is expected to happen in February or March. Skoda had no details about Sunday's talks. EU foreign ministers meet Monday in Brussels to discuss Kosovo's future. Later Sunday, Ban visited the regional center of the U.N. Development Program in Bratislava. He was scheduled to dine with Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic. On Monday, Ban's official program includes talks with Gasparovic, Fico and the speaker of the Parliament, Pavol Paska.
