The three-day new round close-door talks on the future status of Kosovo under the auspices of the Troika comprising the European Union, the United States and Russia launched at Baden, Austria on Monday.

The Troika would end on Dec. 10 and this round talks could be the last round under the auspices of the Troika, which still had not much chance to make breakthrough considering the serious disagreement between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians.

During the talks, the Troika would together and respectively meet with the Serbian and Kosovo Albanian delegations, in order to mediate the disagreement between the two sides.

As scheduled, Wolfgang Ischinger, special envoy from the European Union, Frank Wisner, special envoy from the United States and Alexander Bozan-Chartschenko, special envoy from Russia would jointly hold a press conference at the Austrian foreign ministry on Wednesday in Vienna.

Top political delegation from Serbs headed by President Boris Tadic and premier Vojislav Kostunica, and Kosovo Albanians, headedby President Fatmir Sejdiu and Premier Agim Ceku and his possible successor Hashim Thaci, would attend the talks.

Ischinger said during the last round talks that the Troika would exert itself to find a possible settlement through negotiation until the Troika would refer a report to the general secretary of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon on Dec. 10.

However, he also acknowledged that it is very difficult to find common points between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians.

Kosovo is an autonomy province of Serbia and has been under United Nations administration since the Kosovo war ended in June, 1999. Serbia insists on its sovereignty over Kosovo, while Kosovo Albanians want full independence.

(Xinhua News Agency November 27, 2007)