The status of Kosovo can only be settled on the basis of compromises, Serbia's Foreign Minister VukJeremic said Monday during talks on Kosovo's future in Baden, Austria.
Only compromises can bring peace, stability and prosperity to the Balkan region, Jeremic said after the first day of the three-day talks under the auspices of the Troika comprising the European Union (EU), the United States and Russia.
The future of the people in the Balkan region should be the key consideration, Jeremic said, adding that certain forms of talks on Kosovo's future should continue if the two sides fail to reach agreements before Dec. 10, when the Troika is to report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon about the talks in Baden.
Serbia's President Boris Tadic also urged compromises between the two sides.
Tadic said Serbia will defend its legal rights, territory integrity and sovereignty, and will not allow the independence of Kosovo.
Kosovo, which is Serbia's southern breakaway province, has been run by the UN since mid-1999, when NATO troops drove out Serbian forces fighting ethnic Albanian separatists.
Serbia has insisted that Kosovo is an integral part of its territory while the ethnic Albanians, who account for 90 percent of the province's 2 million population, insisted on complete independence instead of broad autonomy offered by Serbia.
Both sides have held several rounds of talks under the mediation of the Troika since August this year, but failed to reach any agreement.
Source:Xinhua
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