EN
13 December 2007 - 10:15 AMT

U.S. to block Russia’s proposal to continue talks on Kosovo

U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad said Washington and the Europeans believe there was no “basis for a (statement), given that we fundamentally differ with the Russians on this issue.”

“The negotiations have been exhausted,” he told journalists. “Now is the time for the (Security) Council to decide, and if the council doesn’t decide there has to be a remedy found outside the council for the problem.”

A push by Russia for more talks over the future of Kosovo ran into immediate opposition on Wednesday in the U.N. Security Council from Western countries who say such talks would be pointless.

Russia handed its 14 Security Council partners at a meeting on Wednesday what it called “key elements” of a council statement calling for fresh talks to resolve Kosovo’s status, Reuters reports.