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The first round of negotiations over possible independence for Kosovo ended on Tuesday, as expected without significant progress. The early stage of talks has been viewed by U.N. moderators more as a forum for Serbs and Kosovar Albanians to air opinions and discuss options than to make any real headway. That said, the talks will be watched carefully by a number of groups. If the Kosovar Albanians, who sense independence close at hand and have international support, manage to secede from Serbia, parts of Montenegro, Bosnia and Macedonia also might strike out on their own.
At issue is the fate of the ethnic Albanian majority and the Serb minority in Kosovo. Though technically a province within the Federation of Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo has been under U.N. control since 1999, when NATO operations against Serbia ceased. Belgrade wants to maintain some political authority over the province, or at least ensure the safety of its Serb minority, while Albanians want complete independence for the province.
Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari has been named lead negotiator in the talks. Ahtisaari is no stranger to Balkan politics. He helped to convince former Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic to sign the accord that formally ended the Kosovo war in 1999. Since that time, international powers, not Belgrade, have been in control of Kosovo, and now they are in charge of the talks as well.
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