The new round of talks is a good opportunity for dialogue and rapprochement between the two sides, the Finnish diplomat said during a break in the talks. He added that a distinction should be made between the status issue and other elements of his plan on Kosovo.
The issue of Kosovo's status remains as proposed in the plan, because I am confident that the positions of the two sides on that issue are diametrically opposed, Ahtisaari said.
The plan contains important elements for building a society that offers a better future for Kosovo and stability in the region, Ahtisaari said. If somebody is saying that my plan offers a bad future for Kosovo, they either have not read the plan or don't understand it, the diplomat said.
He added that every agreement was just a framework and that his plan offered a basis for something better, for creating sustainable economic and other development in Kosovo.
We will see in which areas positions can be brought closer to one another. Both sides have been participating in the process from the very beginning and it cannot be said that there had not been any dialogue, and this is an additional opportunity and I hope that both sides will use it, Ahtisaari said.
Asked about Russia's position on the matter, Ahtisaari said that Russia was playing a constructive role also as a member of the Contact Group and that he would not be surprised at Russia having persuaded Belgrade and Pristina to be constructive at the meeting.
An advisor for Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and member of the Serbian team at the Vienna talks, Aleksandar Simic, said that Belgrade rejected all parts of Ahtisaari's plan that questioned Serbia's territorial integrity and sovereignty.
The head of the Kosovo team, Veton Surroi, said he believed that Kosovo would win independence.