Prishtinë, 25 October 2006 - KosovoNews - US envoy for Kosovo status talks Frank Wisner dismissed claims Wednesday that Serbia's weekend vote on a new constitution could impact the province's political future.

According to Associated Press and RTK (Kosovo's Public Television) Frank Wisner said that events in Kosovo were a matter for the province's population and the international community to resolve.

"It is not a matter of Serbia's sovereignty..." Wisner said. The American met with the province's five-member delegation which is seeking to define Kosovo's future political status in U.N.-sponsored talks with Serbia's officials. The talks that Wisner called "long and complicated are to be completed by the end of the year, according to a schedule drafted by the Contact Group which includes the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and Italy.

So far however little progress has been made between the sides in bridging the differences. Kosovo's majority Albanians insist on full independence while Belgrade seeks to retain some sort of control over the province's affairs.