Foreign affairs by Claudia Sonea

After eight years Kosovo's situation is still unsolved. According to Wolfgang Ischinger, a German diplomat and EU Kosovo envoy, the deadline is December 10. The fate of the breakaway province was blocked by Serbian ally Moscow, convincing that new talks should be held under the supervision of the Contact Group -- the United States, Germany, Britain, France, Italy and Russia. Very debated the Martti Ahtisaari offers to 90 percent of Albanians the independence under EU supervision. Despite the fact that Russia insists on extending the deadline, Ischinger refused to change it and said their duty as troika it is not to make new proposals. The talks between Serbia and Albania have lasted 13 months without any results. The West plans a shuttle diplomacy and the onus will be laid especially on Belgrade. A senior European diplomat said that a possible face-to-face meeting might lead to a "Rambouillet-type showdown" (the failed peace conference of February 1999) and that is why it is not taken in count by the Contact Group. NATO powers leading 16,000 troops in the territory believe that Albanians might become restless if they will be denied the independence. The West hopes will be a final envoy of diplomacy and talks on the majority Albanian territory, a solution must be found. Kosovo is urging the United States and EU to make possible their independence and support a unilateral declaration this year. Until now the 27-member EU is insisting in recognizing the province as a state and taking it on their supervision. None of the two sides, Belgrade or Kosovo, has come to an agreement and apparently none would make a compromise. There are still months ahead and until December a lot of things may happen. Stay connected and watch what's spinning at your border.

related story: http://uk.news.yahoo.com/rtrs/20070809/twl-uk-serbia-kosovo-troika-bd5ae06_1.html

by Claudia Sonea for PocketNews (http://pocketnews.tv)

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