Autonomy vs Independence, Round 1244

The talks in Baden, due to end on Wednesday morning, are the last before a trio of mediators from the United States, Russia and the European Union reports back to the United Nations on Dec 10.

Belgrade officials said Western countries promises to back a unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence gave Albanians no incentive to negotiate in good faith.

Serbian President Boris Tadic said that the Belgrade delegation had come to Baden in search of "a mutually acceptable solution." He pointed out that "the ball is in the Kosovo Albanians' court."

"Since the beginning of the negotiating process, we have offered many solutions... the ball is now in their court," the president stressed, referring to Serbia's various proposals to define the status of Kosovo based on elements successfully applied in various other automony regions in the world, such as Hong Kong or the Finnish Aland Islands.

The president said that his team would work constructively and defend Serbia's legitimate rights until the very end of the negotiating process. "We are against independence and our sovereignty over Kosovo being undermined," he added.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, in opening remarks to the meeting, said that if compromise proved elusive, "we would have a duty to agree to resume the talks and establish a new negotiating process."

"No one should have any doubt that we will annul any unilateral act, and treat unilateral independence as a null, void and non-binding phenomenon," he said. Kostunica said Serbia  would "not let an inch of its territory be taken away."

Pristina delegation repeated their main goal of independence. Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku said that a declaration of Kosovo independence was a necessary step and the only acceptable solution, that would be beneficial for the development of the region as a whole, Serbia included.

The Belgrade team comes into the final round with the attitude that this is not the end of negotiations, and that they should continue in an attempt to ultimately come to a negotiated solution. Russia strongly backs that stand.

Russian envoy Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko said Moscow would demand more talks. "We will insist on the continuation of the status process through dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina," he told the Belgrade daily Blic.

Asked if he saw any justification for an extension as suggested by Botsan-Kharchenko, EU envoy Wolfgang Ischinger said: "My answer is 'No'."

Counting on Western support, Kosovo Albanians say they will declare independence from Serbia after the December deadline, probably in January or February.

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