Final talks on Kosovo status failed

dpa German Press Agency Published: Saturday March 10, 2007

Vienna- Talks between Serbia and Kosovo's ethnic Albanians
to find a compromise solution for the future of the breakaway Serbian
province ended in failure on Saturday, UN Special Envoy Martti
Ahtisaari said.
"I would have hoped and preferred a that a negotiated solution
could be found ... but there is no doubt that at the end of the day,
there is no common ground between the parties," Ahtisaari said at a
press conference in Vienna.

Leaders from Belgrade and Pristina met in the Austrian capital on
Saturday for a last round of talks before the status proposal is
presented to the UN Security Council in late March.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, who constitute more than 90 per cent of
the province's population, would not settle for anything less than
full independence from Serbia, while Belgrade was only willing to
grant far-reaching autonomy.

Ahtisaari is expected to present a proposal on the future status
of the breakaway Serbian province to the UN Security Council in late
March. The proposal, which he called a "realistic compromise,"
foresees internationally-monitored independence and far-reaching
protection for the Kosovo's Serbian minority.

The Kosovo side signalled agreement to the proposal, that was the
start for building a "modern and democratic state of Kosovo."

"The independent state of Kosovo will join in the family of free
states," Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said after the meeting,
praising the successful completion of the process and expressing
Pristina's faith in its speedy completion.

Serbia's delegation reiterated that Ahtisaari's proposal was
"fundamentally not acceptable" to Belgrade, as it violated both the
country's territorial integrity and the UN Charter.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica criticized the proposal
as biased and accused Ahtisaari of having shown animosity towards
reaching a compromise.

Serbian President Boris Tadic however said Serbia remained
committed to negotiations. "We firmly believe that in the days ahead
there is space and time to improve things that are not to our
liking," Tadic said.

Ahtisaari said that a solution was not only in the interest of the
people in Kosovo, but of vital importance for regional stability in
the Balkans.

Serbia on the other hand sees a dangerous precedent in granting
independence to Kosovo, warning that Serbia was being "humiliated."

Both the Serbian and Kosovo sides stressed they would not resort
to force to achieve their goals.

Belgrade still hopes Russia will veto any decision for
independence in the Security Council. In this case bilateral
recognition of Kosovo's independence by the EU and the United States
is a likely scenario.

© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency

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