Kosovo Albanians and Serb leaders have failed to reach a deal on the final day of negotiations about Kosovo's status. This is the last attempt for the two sides to reach a deal before the UN-set deadline expires on December 10.
The first two days of talks in Austria were also fruitless, with both sides refusing to compromise. The Troika of international mediators, which comprises the European Union, Russia and the United States, have held a press conference in the Foreign Affairs ministry in Vienna. Serbia is desperate not to lose a piece of is diminished territory. Backed by Russia, it’s trying to put up a robust diplomatic fight. And the Albanians of Kosovo are backed up by the United States. The European Union is the compromise mediator, although it has made it clear that it supports the eventual independence of the province if the two sides can manage to agree. Meanwhile, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said that the only way forward for these negotiations is “the way they started” – at the United Nations. The Russian Troika envoy Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko has said that there was no expectation that there would be a breakthrough at the talks in Austria, but regardless of that, negotiations need to continue beyond the December 10 deadline.