The United Nations envoy for Kosovo has expressed satisfaction with his discussions in the contested province and in Serbia.
Former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari said he has gained an enormous amount of information, which will form a good basis for the upcoming talks on the future of Kosovo.
Speaking after meetings in Belgrade with Serbian President Boris Tadic and other officials, Mr. Ahtisaari refused to speculate on a timeline for the talks. But he expressed hope to be able to bring the sides together for direct negotiations early next year.
Mr. Tadic has suggested dividing Kosovo along ethnic lines into Serb and Albanian-inhabited regions. He and other Serbian leaders have also reaffirmed strong opposition to ethnic Albanian demands for Kosovo independence and insisted that the province must remain part of Serbia.
Mr. Ahtisaari next travels to Montenegro, then Albania and Macedonia.
Some information for this story provided by AFP and AP.
