Top Serbian officials called on ethnic Albanians from the breakaway province of Kosovo for a dialogue on all open issues Friday in a move widely seen as setting the stage for talks on Kosovo's final status late this year. Serbian President Boris Tadic; Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica; and Belgrade's chief coordinator for Kosovo, Nebojsa Covic, described the opening of direct talks between the two bitterly opposed peoples as a major step toward the lasting stability of the troubled Balkans. Representatives of the six-member international Contact Group earlier urged leaders of both Serbia and Kosovo to begin direct talks as a condition for negotiations of Kosovo's final status. However, the call for meetings between Tadic and Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova was not likely to materialize because Kosovo's president has rejected the possibility until the internationally administrated Serb province gets full independence. Previously, three efforts to hold direct talks also foundered with ethnic Albanians saying they could upset the fragile political balance in the region. Kosovo has been run by a United Nations administration since 1999. The status of the province remains unresolved with Albanians in the Albanian-majority province wanting full independence and Serbs hoping to preserve at least ceremonial control over the region. ---SP 2315 Local Time 2015 GMT
