Serbia and Kosovo discuss a split

Kosovo and Serbia are set to have their first face-to-face talks at the United Nations starting on Friday. The meeting is billed as the final attempt to forge an agreement between the two about independence for the breakaway province. The US and most EU states have said they will support Kosovo's independence; however, opponents like Spain and Russia worry that granting the restive Serbian province independence may create worldwide instability by setting a precedent for areas like the Basque region and pieces of the former Soviet empire.

The UN has administered Kosovo since 1999, when a NATO bombing campaign forced Serbian troops from the province. Both sides are approaching the talks firm in their positions, reports the British Broadcasting Corp. Though Serbia appears ready to make concessions, they may not be enough to satisfy Kosovo.

The Serbs say they plan to propose a comprehensive blueprint for autonomy and hinted they might give up control over Kosovo's borders.

But Kosovo has made clear it will accept nothing short of independence under UN supervision at the end of the negotiating process on 10 December.

In an address to the UN General Assembly on Thursday, Albania's Prime Minister Sali Berisha said that full independence for Kosovo is the only solution that will "bring durable peace and stability to the region," reports the United Nations News Wire. Mr. Berisha also denied claims that he was trying to create a "greater Albania" by urging for an independent Kosovo, where ethnic Albanians out number Serbs by roughly nine to one.

"The claim that the independence of Kosova may lead to the creation of Greater Albania cannot be farther from the truth," Mr. Berisha added, using the Albanian name for the province.

"In reality, Kosova's independence will only end the fluidity of Albanians in the Balkans, along with the idea of the creation of a single Albanian State in the territories where they are a dominant majority. The simple truth is that Kosova Albanians have decided in their project of the future to join Brussels, not Tirana."

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Using the right of reply, Serbia's representative criticized Mr. Berisha for "openly calling for the violation" of the territorial integrity of a UN Member State, particularly on the eve of such crucial direct talks.

Serbian President Boris Tadic has accused the US of "undermining" negotiations by supporting Kosovo's independence, reports the Financial Times. Mr. Tadic has charged that only the UN Security Council has the power to make a legitimate decision regarding the future of Kosovo.

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