Joachim Rucker, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's special representative there, briefed council members on Ban's recent report on the work of the UN Mission in Kosovo.

In the report, the secretary-general said that, while Kosovo's overall progress is encouraging, there is a real risk that the progress that has been achieved can begin to unravel if its future status remains undefined.

Speaking to reporters after the council meeting, Chinese Ambassador Wang Guangya said council members remained divided over the future status of Kosovo.

But Wang noted that the important thing was that council members in their comments talked about the possibility of resuming the negotiations between Kosovo and Serbia.

"We want to have more time to bridge the differences in the council and also to bridge the differences in the region," Wang said.

The United States and its European allies have drafted a resolution that would give Kosovo and Serbia four more months for further negotiations on the province's future status. If no agreement still can be reached, Kosovo would be granted independence under international supervision.

Serbia has vehemently opposed to any plan that would lead to independence, and Russia has been calling for more talks between the two sides, saying that no plan is acceptable without the consent of Serbia.