MOSCOW, March 16 (Reuters) - Russia on Friday called for more talks to settle the final status of Kosovo after the U.N. mediator called a halt to talks on giving the Serbian province supervised independence.

Russia is unhappy that Martti Ahtisaari was sending his proposal to the United Nations for consideration on Thursday without prolonging efforts to win approval from Serbia.

"The Russian side confirmed its position on the necessity of continuing efforts to find a negotiated solution based on ... the guiding principles agreed at the launch of the process on (Kosovo's) status," the Russian foreign ministry said in a statement.

Ahtisaari on Saturday declared an end to over a year of fruitless Serb-Albanian talks and said it was now up to the U.N. Security Council to decide whether to give the province independence.

Western analysts and diplomats say that Russia was determined to delay and dilute, but not necessarily block, the Western-backed proposal.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has said granting independence to Kosovo, a province of Serbia where ethnic Albanians are in a majority, will set a dangerous precedent.

The Ahtisaari plan is backed by the United States and European countries but Serbia has not given its approval.

Russia says it cannot support any proposal on Kosovo unless it has Belgrade's agreement. Russia has not though said if it will use its U.N. Security Council veto to block the plan.

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