Serbia won't accept 'rogue' Kosovo Serbia's prime minister has said the country will never recognise an "illegal and rogue" independent Kosovo, with no sign of any likely deal on the eve of a final round of deadlocked talks on the future of the province.
Serb and Albanian delegations are to meet in Baden, Austria for a three-day attempt at a compromise on the status of the disputed province. The negotiations so far have produced no agreement. Mediators from the US, EU and Russia are to report to the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon by December 10 about the process. In the past several meetings, leaders of the ethnic Albanian majority in Kosovo have rejected even considering anything short of independence, while Serbia refuses to let go of its separatist region. Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said Serbia will never recognise an independent Kosovo, calling it "an illegal and rogue creation". "Serbia will show that unilateral independence means absolutely nothing," he said. The US and its allies have backed independence for Kosovo, suggesting they might recognise the region as an independent nation if talks with Serbia fail altogether. Russia however, has backed Serbia in its efforts to keep Kosovo. Mr Kostunica said "a recognition by America or any other country cannot change anything and turn an illegal act into a normal and regular thing". Kosovo formally is part of Serbia, although Belgrade has had no authority over the region since 1999, when a Nato bombing forced Serbia to end a crackdown against the Kosovo separatists and pull its troops out. The province has been run by the United Nations and Nato since June 1999. President Boris Tadic said Belgrade believes that a compromise is possible, and will again present a proposal for what he termed "essential autonomy" for Kosovo. "We are going there fully convinced that we are right, and we will defend our position very firmly and carefully," he said. http://news.uk.msn.com/Article.aspx?cp-documentid=6802470
