No Kosovo breakthrough likely -- envoy

VIENNA, Feb 21 (Reuters) Serbia and the Albanians of its breakaway Kosovo province are unlikely to agree on the future of the territory, United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari said as the two sides began a final series of talks today.

''On the status issue ... nothing has indicated that the parties will be moving in a different direction,'' he said during a break in the proceedings in Vienna.

Serbia, backed by Russia, strongly opposes independence for Kosovo, which has been the key demand of the region's 90 percent Albanian majority since before NATO and the United Nations took control of the province from Serb forces in June 1999.

Ahtisaari has proposed that Kosovo be granted a path to independence, supervised by the European Union. The former Finnish president says it would take ''a miracle'' to persuade Serbia to agree to that, or convince the Albanians to settle for the Serb offer of ''substantial autonomy''.

Security in Kosovo could deteriorate if a decision is delayed again, the UN envoy said.

''I have already delayed my plan too much,'' he told a news conference. ''If there's eternal delay in this process then the security situation becomes problematic.'' Serbia says Albanian ''extremists'' threatening violence if independence does not come very soon must not be permitted to blackmail the international community.

It has said it would engage in the two weeks of final talks in good faith. ''We are not rejecting the entire plan. We reject only the provisions violating the territorial integrity of Serbia,'' said Serbian negotiator Slobodan Samardzic.

SOVEREIGNTY But sovereignty is the crunch issue.

''We believe Kosovo will be independent and we will go back with that conviction,'' said Veton Surroi, speaking for the Albanians who make up 90 percent of Kosovo's population of 2 million.

''Belgrade has gone through the whole year talking about territory and not about people,'' he added. ''What we want from our people is to have patience in the last few laps of this marathon.'' Kosovo was the cause of NATO's first ''humanitarian'' war in 1999 to remove Serb forces who killed 10,000 Albanians and drove out almost 1 million in a two-year conflict with rebels.

The United Nations took control, but left Kosovo's status open.

The West sees no prospect of reimposing Serb rule.

Serbia vows to reject all elements implying the amputation of 15 per cent of its territory, and removal of its ancient religious heartland, an impoverished territory the size of Qatar or Connecticut.

A year of direct talks has produced little but disagreement.

Ahtisaari made public his blueprint on Feb. 2 and said he expected the UN Security Council to impose a settlement within months.

He hopes to wrap up talks by March 10 and send his finished plan to the Security Council later in the month.

The bargaining looks certain to continue in New York, where UN veto holder Russia has warned repeatedly it will not support an imposed solution that Serbia does not accept.

Serbia is banking on a Russian veto.

REUTERS PDM RN1828