Serbs and Albanians clash over future of Kosovo

RIVAL Serbian and ethnic Albanian leaders clashed yesterday in their first face-to-face talks on Kosovo since the 1999 war that led to NATO intervention.

The largely symbolic launch of the UN-sponsored talks was intended to avoid the contentious issue of Kosovo’s future: independence, as demanded by the ethnic Albanians, or status as part of Serbia, as called for by the Belgrade leadership.

But Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian president, Ibrahim Rugova, insisted on Kosovo’s independence. “Kosovo” wants to become a part of the EU and NATO, Rugova told the gathering. “This means a democratic, peaceful and independent Kosovo,” he said.