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UN tries to break Kosovo deadlock UN fails to break Kosovo impasse
(about 3 hours later)
The future of Kosovo is being debated behind closed doors by the UN Security Council in New York with Serbian and Kosovan Albanian envoys taking part. The US and EU have said the potential for further negotiations over the future of Kosovo has been exhausted.
International mediators reported earlier this month that four months of talks between the two sides had failed to reach a breakthrough. A joint statement made after a meeting of the UN Security Council in New York said "negotiations in this or any other format would not make a difference".
Negotiations between Serbs and ethnic Albanians were meant to be concluded by 10 December, but ended in stalemate. Serbia, and its traditional ally, Russia, said they wanted further talks with the Kosovo Albanians.
Kosovo is expected to declare independence from Serbia within months. Backed by the US and EU members, the breakaway province is expected to declare independence from Serbia.
This debate on Kosovo's future is expected to show how wide the gulf is between Russia and the West over what happens to the last remaining piece of the jigsaw that is the former Yugoslavia. Following a closed debate described as tense, in which the Security Council heard from Serbia's prime minister and Kosovo's president, representatives from the US and EU stood together as a joint statement was read out.
The US, Britain and France will argue that since four extra months of talks between Serbia and Kosovo's Albanians did not get anywhere, it is time to move towards independence for Kosovo supervised by the European Union and Nato. "It's clear in our view that more negotiations in this or any other format will not make a difference," the statement said.
Kosovo's President, Fatmir Sejdiu, has told the BBC major decisions will take place very soon. "The potential for a negotiated solution is now exhausted."
The European Union has already announced it is prepared to send police officers and administrators to Kosovo. But the Russian representative, Vitaly Churkin, said there was still room for negotiation.
But Kosovo's Serbs are opposed to this. Russia, an ally of Serbia's, says that for Kosovo to declare independence would be against international law. "Any move towards unilateral independence would clearly be outside the limits of international law," he told reporters after the meeting.
Such a move, says Russia, could lead to an uncontrolled crisis - Moscow wants more talks between Belgrade and Pristina.