"There will be no delays after December 10. It should be possible to find a negotiated settlement, but if its not possible, then December 10 is the decisive date," Stanzel said after meeting Kosovo senior officials in Pristina on Thursday.

He added that once the talks have ended, the European Union would determine what the next step in the status process would be, most likely, the submission of a proposal for Kosovo's future status to the United Nations Security Council for approval.

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu told the German diplomat that Pristina is ready to participate in the negotiations, but added that the independence of Kosovo is non-negotiable.

"We will continue with our active and serious participation in the talks," Sejdiu said, adding that Kosovo would wait only a few more days after December 10 before proclaiming Kosovo independence unilaterally.

Very little progress has been made in the ongoing talks between Belgrade and Pristina, mediated by officials representing the United States, EU and Russia.

Serbian officials insist on retaining sovereignty over the province and offer widespread autonomy, while Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanian population demands independence.

US and EU officials support a proposal drafted earlier this year by UN Kosovo envoy Martti Ahtisaari, which outlines an internationally-supervised independence for Kosovo with the EU assuming a majority of the responsibility.


DPA

Güncelleme Tarihi: 01 Kasım 2007, 18:07