The talks, held with the mediation of the international community, were dedicated to solving economic issues between Belgrade and Pristina. Albert Rohan, deputy to the UN envoy for the Kosovo talks, said at a news conference in Vienna that so far this was the most complex issue the negotiators had addressed.
The European Union representative at the talks, Stefan Lehne, said that better results could not have been expected because the settlement of economic issues was connected with the definition of the future status of Kosovo. Since this was the first meeting on this issue, it is not surprising that the results were not better, Lehne said.
The two sides discussed the division of the foreign debt and the privatisation of Kosovo companies. The Kosovo side wants to complete privatisation by the end of the year, while Belgrade does not recognise privatisation carried out over the past seven years.
Rohan said that for the time being no further talks were being planned and announced that international representatives would hold separate talks with the two sides in coming days to discuss the establishment of new municipalities in Kosovo.
He also said that a task force was being set up to deal with the protection of religious and cultural heritage. The task force would include representatives of the Council of Europe and UNESCO and it is expected to hold its first meeting on June 12.