Serbia, Kosovo fail to reach agreement in EU talks

The leaders of Serbia and Kosovo on Wednesday failed to reach an agreement in the latest round of EU-meditated talks, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said. "The gap between the two sides is very narrow but deep," Ashton said in a brief statement after more than 12 hours of talks, which were aimed at normalizing relations between Belgrade and Pristina. "This is the last time we will meet formally," she said, adding that "A number of proposals were put on the table." Ashton said that the leaders of Serbia and Kosovo would go back home for consultation and would "let me know in the next few days of their decision." "I wish them a good journey home and every possible success in reaching a conclusion," she said. Kosovo, a Serbian province, unilaterally declared independence in 2008. Serbia steadfastly refuses to recognize it as an independent country.