GENEVA, Switzerland, Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Georgia should have been on the minds of Western intelligence services -- and not least on the mind of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, whose expertise is in Soviet affairs. Yet neither she nor the combined Western intelligence agencies were able to foresee Georgia's move into Abkhazia and South Ossetia, nor were they able to predict Russia's response, nor could they foresee that the former Cold War foes are on the brink of a new Cold War. Then again, neither did they predict the sudden collapse of the Soviet Empire.

BRUSSELS, Feb. 29 (UPI) -- Is Europe divided over Kosovo or not? Most people would not even stop to think of this. Of course Europe's divided. While France and Germany have recognized Kosovo's independence, other EU countries like Spain, Romania and Cyprus have held back. The Scandinavians took the plunge, but only hesitantly. The headlines wrote themselves. "European disunity" blared the newspapers. "What consequences will the divide have?" asked the concerned-looking anchormen.

BERLIN, Dec. 20 (UPI) -- The EU representative to the Kosovo Troika says Russia -- not the United States -- carries the main responsibility for the failure of the Kosovo negotiations.

MUNICH, Germany, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Serbian and Kosovar leaders Monday began a final attempt to resolve the status of the Serbian breakaway province, but there is little hope for a breakthrough.

BRUSSELS, Sept. 6 (UPI) -- European Union foreign ministers are to meet in Portugal to try to reach a common stand on the status of Serbia’s mainly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo province.

VIENNA, Aug. 30 (UPI) -- International envoys held fresh rounds of separate talks with Serbian officials and leaders of Kosovo’s ethnic-Albanians in Austria Thursday, Serbian media said.

BELGRADE, Serbia, Aug. 10 (UPI) -- The United States, Russia and the European Union began talks with Serbian leaders in Belgrade Friday on the mainly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo province.

WASHINGTON, Feb. 20 (UPI) -- The British, French and German ambassadors to Washington called for the closing of the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay in a joint TV appearance.