A Kosovo government minister, Slobodan Samardzic, says the rules were designed to prevent the kind of negotiations conducted under the mediation of United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari, which ended without agreement.

No specific details of the proposed rules were revealed.

On Wednesday, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said Belgrade is prepared to offer Kosovo the broadest possible autonomy, including some characteristics of sovereignty.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders are insisting on complete independence from Serbia.

The two sides will hold a new round of talks over the next four months with the aid of the Contact Group (Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States).

Kosovo has been under U.N. administration for the past eight years.

A draft resolution on the Kosovo's status was dismissed from the U.N. Security Council's agenda last month in the face of Russia's opposition. - VOA News