This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/europe/7112535.stm

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Final bid for Kosovo compromise Final bid for Kosovo compromise
(about 9 hours later)
Last-ditch talks on the future of Kosovo, currently part of Serbia, are set to begin in the town of Baden close to the capital of Austria, Vienna. Serbia and ethnic Albanian leaders have restated their entrenched positions over Kosovo's future status at last-ditch talks in Austria.
Talks will be attended by diplomats from the European Union, the United States and Russia together with delegations from Belgrade and Pristina. Ethnic Albanian leaders said they would not back down from their demand for full independence from Serbia.
They will attempt to break the deadlock over the long-term status of Kosovo. Belgrade said it would not give up "an inch" of the province.
The envoys from the US, the EU and Russia have to report back to the UN secretary general on 10 December. The two sides, with mediation from the European Union, Russia and the United States, have until the UN deadline of 10 December to clinch a deal.
Time is running out for the negotiations. Kosovo - currently part of Serbia - has been administered by the UN since 1999, when a Nato assault drove out Serb security forces accused of repressing the ethnic Albanian majority.
But earlier rounds of talks have failed to reach agreement, and there is little hope of a breakthrough now. 'No compromise'
The Kosovo Albanians are demanding independence - something the Serbs vehemently oppose. "Serbia will not let an inch of its territory be taken away," Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica told reporters before the talks began in Austria's spa town of Baden.
Belgrade says it will never accept an independent Kosovo - saying such a state would be illegal. He added that Serbia was "a sovereign, free, democratic and internationally recognised state".
The Americans have backed the idea of independence for Kosovo, the Russians support the Serbs, and the Europeans are still trying to agree on a common line. Meanwhile, Kosovo's Prime Minister-designate Hashim Thaci told Reuters that the Baden talks would be "the last meeting, after two years of talks".
"We can negotiate for 100 years more with Serbia but for the independence of Kosovo we can have no compromise," Mr Thaci, a former ethnic Albanian rebel leader, added.
Earlier rounds of talks have failed to reach agreement, and there is little hope of a breakthrough now, the BBC's Bethany Bell in Austria says.
Kosovo's attempts to break away have the backing of the US, while the EU is split on the issue.
Russia supports Serbia, saying an independent Kosovo would be illegal.
Some countries fear independence for Kosovo could encourage ethnic separatism in other regions.Some countries fear independence for Kosovo could encourage ethnic separatism in other regions.