Top Serbian and ethnic Albanian leaders met face-to-face yesterday in unprecedented talks aimed at resolving the dispute over the breakaway province of Kosovo. But with the two sides intractable, chances of a breakthrough are slim.
At issue is whether Kosovo will become independent, as demanded by its ethnic Albanian majority, or gain broad autonomy but remain within Serbia's borders, as the Serb leadership insists.
The Serbian delegation is led by President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, while the ethnic Albanian delegation includes President Fatmir Sejdiu and the province's prime minister, Agim Ceku, as well as two opposition leaders.
The two 15-member delegations presented their positions behind closed doors but extracts were presented to the media. The mediators, led by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, were then expected to push the two sides into a discussion.
"Serbia will not accept another state to be created on 15 percent of its territory," Kostunica said. "The essential autonomy for Kosovo must be guaranteed and substantiated by a constitutional solution, which would be the result of a genuine constitutional agreement."
Sejdiu said the will of the ethnic Albanian majority "cannot be ignored, or negotiated away in talks," although he pledged to improve and protect the rights of the Serbs and other minorities living in the province.
"Independence is the alpha and omega, the beginning and end of our position," he said.
As the meeting broke for a lunch, Tadic said the Albanians had not provided any specifics and only stressed the need for independence.
"Our side came here to negotiate. We didn't hear any details from Albanians apart from their adamant demand for independence," Tadic said.
While Tadic participated in the lunch, Kostunica left for "consultations," according to a Serbian negotiator who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to talk to the the media.
Austrian Chancellor Wolfgang Schuessel and Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik were also present at the meeting and at the lunch.
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