Final status talks today in Vienna between Serbian representatives and ethnic Albanian leaders from Kosovo failed to produce any breakthroughs on the future of the province.
UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari emerged saying that "Belgrade was willing to give everything but independence, and Pristina wanted nothing but independence."
Contentious Agenda
Today's talks mark the first time since the UN-led mediation process began in February that the Kosovo Albanian population's demand for full independence has been placed formally on the agenda.
Participants in the one-day talks included Serbia's President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, and Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister Agim Ceku.
The presidents and prime ministers of entered the meeting room in a Vienna palace separately and did not shake hands.
An estimated 90 percent of the Serbian province's 2 million people are ethnic Albanian. The population includes 100,000 Serbs.
Serbia says it will only agree to autonomy.
The United Nations has administered the province since 1999, when a NATO bombing campaign drove out Serbian forces.
PHOTO CAPTION
An ethnic Albanian boy stands in front of a giant flag during a protest held in Kosovo capital Pristina, against the UN sponsored talks on the province's future status, which resumed on the highest level in Vienna. (AFP)