Richard Boucher Parties Quotations

It is important to us to be able to keep working with the parties and try to do what we can diplomatically to calm the situation, get back to implementation of the agreements of the cease-fire.

We've looked over time for a number of things, practical steps by the parties to defuse tension. We've looked for a dialogue between them, if possible, to resolve the issues.

We are concerned about the violence and particularly regret the loss of life. But the parties themselves have committed a serious effort and are committed to a serious effort at the negotiating table.

We urge all parties to fully honor the agreements negotiated by NATO and the European Union,

Contacts between the parties continue on all the issues.

The parties agreed to hold another round of talks by the second quarter of this year and to establish a working group to address, and attempt to resolve, detailed issues in between plenary sessions.

The parties are grappling with the core issues,

The parties have not agreed on any other basis for final status talks at this point, ... So, we'll be talking to the parties, and we will consult with them. We'll have a better idea at that point how we can best assist them to achieve peace.

In our view, the parties our making serious efforts to deal with the issues.

Clearly, the continuation of the fighting creates concerns and complicates that. So alongside the movement toward deployment has been an effort to try to get the parties to abide by the cease-fire.

The determination is there, ... The effort has certainly not slackened in any way. And I think the parties wouldn't be here -- we wouldn't be here -- if we didn't think there was some potential.