The three-day new round close-door talks on the future status of
Kosovo under the auspices of the Troika comprising the European
Union, the United States and Russia launched at Baden, Austria on
Monday.
The Troika would end on Dec. 10 and this round talks could be
the last round under the auspices of the Troika, which still had
not much chance to make breakthrough considering the serious
disagreement between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians.
During the talks, the Troika would together and respectively
meet with the Serbian and Kosovo Albanian delegations, in order to
mediate the disagreement between the two sides.
As scheduled, Wolfgang Ischinger, special envoy from the
European Union, Frank Wisner, special envoy from the United States
and Alexander Bozan-Chartschenko, special envoy from Russia would
jointly hold a press conference at the Austrian foreign ministry on
Wednesday in Vienna.
Top political delegation from Serbs headed by President Boris
Tadic and premier Vojislav Kostunica, and Kosovo Albanians,
headedby President Fatmir Sejdiu and Premier Agim Ceku and his
possible successor Hashim Thaci, would attend the talks.
Ischinger said during the last round talks that the Troika would
exert itself to find a possible settlement through negotiation
until the Troika would refer a report to the general secretary of
the United Nations Ban Ki-moon on Dec. 10.
However, he also acknowledged that it is very difficult to find
common points between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians.
Kosovo is an autonomy province of Serbia and has been under
United Nations administration since the Kosovo war ended in June,
1999. Serbia insists on its sovereignty over Kosovo, while Kosovo
Albanians want full independence.
(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2007)
