U.S. envoy urges stop to Kosovo violence

PRISTINA, Serbia, Sept. 27 (UPI) -- A senior U.S. envoy said Wednesday in Pristina any kind of violence should be stopped in Serbia's predominantly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo province.

After his talks with Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu, Daniel Fried, U.S. assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian affairs, said Kosovo's future should be multi-ethnic and democratic, RTS Serbian radio-television reported.

Fried said those who use violence are not patriots and will achieve nothing.

Conflicts between ethnic-Albanians and Serbs, ranging from street brawls to armed attacks have been flaring up recently in Kosovo.

U.N.-led talks between the Serbian government in Belgrade and Kosovo ethnic-Albanians have been under way in Vienna since February, to decide who will govern the province once the U.N. administration and NATO protection troops leave.

No major breakthrough has been achieved in the talks as Albanians insist on independence from Belgrade, while Serbs want to retain Kosovo as an autonomous province.

Fried reiterated the U.S. and U.N. stand the talks should be completed by the end of the year.

Kosovo's population of 1.8 million is made up of 90 percent ethnic-Albanians and about 100,000 Serbs.