Russia Says Kosovo Deal Will Be 'Unbelievably' Hard

Botsan-Kharchenko (center) with the EU and U.S. envoys in Belgrade earlier this month (AFP) August 23, 2007 -- Russia acknowledged today that getting Serbs and Albanians to compromise on the future of Kosovo in a new round of talks will be "unbelievably difficult."

The comment was made by Russian diplomat Aleksandr Botsan-Kharchenko, part of a team -- with the United States, EU, and UN -- making a last-ditch bid to break the deadlock over Serbia's breakaway province.

Botsan-Kharchenko said there was no point in turning a December 10 date for a report to the UN into a deadline as the United States and the European Union favor.

Talks will start in Vienna next week. Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders insist on full independence. Belgrade and Moscow reject this.

(Reuters)