Today another round of talks regarding the future of Kosovo ended in a deadlock and it set the grounds for fears that violence could return the region.

Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority demands independence, but Serbia refuses this and in return offers only broad autonomy under the condition that Kosovo remains as part of country’s territory.

Frank Wisner, the U.S. envoy, warned that "peace of the Balkans is very much at stake. It is a volatile region. We're going into a very difficult time. The status quo over Kosovo is not sustainable,” BBC News reports.

He urged Serbian and ethnic Albanian leaders to stick to their promise to preserve dialogue even after the formal negotiations are over.

December 10 is the U.N. deadline for a negotiated settlement on Kosovo.

According to envoys from EU, U.S. and Russia, Serbian and ethnic Albanian leaders vowed that they will avoid returning to violence, Guardian Unlimited reports.

Wolfgang Ischinger, the European Union envoy, said: "Both sides have made it clear to us that they are committed to avoiding violence.”

Fatmir Sejdiu, the Kosovan president, expressed his regret that no agreement was reached after three days of talks in Baden, Austria.

Kosovo’s leaders said that if the U.N. Security Council doesn’t sign off on statehood it would declare independence unilaterally.

On the other hand, Serbia said that it would impose an economic and travel blockade.

Kosovo has been run by the U.N. and NATO since 1999, even though is formally within Serbia. In 1999 NATO ended the crackdown on the ethnic Albanian separatists led by the former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic.

According to critics, if a unilateral declaration of independence is made it could trigger a turmoil in the Balkans and could set an example for other separatist movements worldwide.

Russia is an ally of Serbia and says that the final say on Kosovo’s future will have the U.N. Security Council.

These talks put an end to a four-month diplomatic effort that started last summer when a blueprint for an independence drawn by the U.N. envoy, Martti Ahtisaari failed.