Speaking to the press, Ahtisaari said he had hoped for and wanted that a compromise solution should be found, but that it was certain that there was no common ground between the two sides' positions.
The former Finnish president confirmed that he would put his plan for Kosovo to the Security Council by the end of this month for the final decision. He said his plan was a realistic compromise envisaging limited independence for Kosovo under the European Union's supervision and comprehensive protection for the Serb minority.
Ahtisaari said the negotiations between the two delegations had ended unsuccessfully after 17 rounds.
The Kosovo delegation applauded the envoy's plan, saying it provided for "the building of a democratic European Kosovo state". "Kosovo is entering the community of free peoples," said the province's President Fatmir Sejdiu after today's negotiations, pledging that Kosovo Albanians would "meet the highest European standards of democracy" and reiterating that they would not accept "any institutional ties with Serbia".
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica accused Ahtisaari, saying his plan contained only the positions of Kosovo Albanians, and reiterated that it was unacceptable for Serbia. "Ahtisaari showed antagonism towards compromise from the start," he said, adding that "There is no justification for seizing 15 per cent of Serbian territory".
Ahtisaari said the solution to Kosovo's status was not only in the interest of the people of Kosovo, but of vital importance for stability on the entire Balkans.
The Serbian side said that recognising Kosovo's independence was a dangerous precedent and that Serbia had been "humiliated".
President Boris Tadic said that in spite of everything, Serbia believed in negotiations. "We firmly believe that in the days ahead there is time and room to fix the things that don't suit us."
Kostunica called for resuming the negotiations after Ahtisaari said the negotiations had failed to yield a compromise solution.
If Belgrade rejects Ahtisaari's plan for Kosovo, Russia has announced that it will veto its adoption in the UN Security Council. In that case, after a unilateral declaration of independence by the Kosovo parliament, the United States and the EU are considering to recognise Kosovo on a bilateral basis as Europe's youngest state.