THE UNITED NATIONS' MEDIATOR FOR KOSOVO ON SUNDAY INVITED THE LEADERS OF SERBIA AND KOSOVO FOR TALKS TO DIRECTLY TACKLE THE FUTURE STATUS OF THE DISPUTED PROVINCE, A U.N. SPOKESWOMAN SAID, ACCORDING TO AP. UP UNTIL NOW, SERBIAN AND ETHNIC ALBANIAN REPRESENTATIVES HAVE HELD SIX ROUNDS OF DISCUSSIONS _ MOST OF WHICH HAVE FAILED _ DEALING WITH DETAILS OF THE STATUS OF KOSOVO. THE INVITATION FOR HIGH-LEVEL TALKS IN THE AUSTRIAN CAPITAL, VIENNA WAS SENT TO BOTH DELEGATIONS AND THE MEETING IS DUE TO TAKE PLACE ON THE WEEK OF JULY 24, SAID HUA JIANG, THE U.N. SPOKESWOMAN. SHE DID NOT PROVIDE A PRECISE DATE. «WE ARE WAITING FOR A FORMAL RESPONSE FROM BOTH PARTIES AND THEN WE WILL FINALIZE THE DETAILS,» JIANG ADDED. THE GATHERING, WHICH WILL BE CHAIRED BY THE FORMER FINNISH PRESIDENT MARTTI AHTISAARI, WOULD FOR THE FIRST TIME BRING OFFICIALS FROM EITHER SIDE TO DISCUSS FACE TO FACE KOSOVO'S FUTURE STATUS, WITH ETHNIC ALBANIAN AND SERBIAN LEADERS PRESENTING THEIR PROPOSALS.
