Kosovo wants talks with Serbia but Belgrade says "no"

By Louis Charbonneau UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Kosovo's foreign minister said on Friday he was ready for direct talks with Serbia, but his Serbian counterpart said Belgrade would not talk with a "secessionist" government. Kosovo, which has an ethnic Albanian majority, declared independence from Belgrade in February. Some 43 countries, mostly Western, have recognized Europe's youngest state, although Serbia and its ally Russia say they never will. "Pristina is ready to engage in practical talks with Belgrade on a wide range of issues," Kosovo Foreign Minister Skender Hyseni told reporters after addressing the U.N. Security Council. "We are ready to talk directly to Belgrade." But he made it clear that Kosovo's status as a sovereign country was not up for negotiation. "Independence of Kosovo is not negotiable and it can never... [read full story]