Breakthrough elusive, UN hints

International mediator for Kosovo province says opinions on both sides ‘have not moved’

MITROVICA (Reuters) - The UN mediator for Kosovo gave no hint of a breakthrough in deadlocked talks on the future status of the province yesterday after a visit to seek compromise from Albanians and Serbs opposed to independence.

“In this sort of exercise, what I normally say is: Nothing is agreed until everything is agreed,” former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari said.

He said talks on Kosovo’s final status - independent state or autonomous province - had to be differentiated from talks on practical issues involved in returning the province to self-rule after seven years of United Nations administration.

“On the status issue the parties’ opinions are very known and they haven’t moved. These (practical) discussions have been continuing all along and progress is slowly being made,” he said. He gave no details of the progress.

The talks are seen as largely cosmetic, given the gulf between the two sides.

On a visit to Mitrovica, a flashpoint town divided by the River Ibar into a Serb north and an Albanian south, Ahtisaari said it was crucial to agree on practicalities no matter what was decided on the province’s eventual status.

On the table were issues such as the protection of Kosovo’s Serb Orthodox monasteries and a decentralization plan allowing Serb enclaves to run their own local governments.

Local Serb leaders appeared dismissive.

“We want cooperation with the Albanian community but we cannot cooperate with the Kosovo government which is working purely for independence and we cannot agree with that,” said Slavisa Ristic, mayor of the Serb-majority town of Zubin Potok.

Dragisa Milovic, mayor of the Serb town of Zvecan, added, “The number of new municipalities is important but it is also important that the authority of the local governments is extended and strong authority is transferred in the areas of health, education, police and the judiciary.”

A Kosovo Albanian source close to the talks said the Albanian side agreed in principle with Ahtisaari’s proposals to give Serbs more municipalities, but not on a detailed accord.

“Ahtisaari is not asking us for the last word on this. He wants to narrow the differences or get an agreement in principle,” the source said. “His word is going to be what counts in the end anyway.”