http://www.smh.com.au/news/world/kosovo-pm-agrees-independence-date/2008/01/23/1201024931397.html
Kosovo PM agrees independence date January 23, 2008 - 6:29AM Ethnic Albanian leaders and Western governments have agreed on a date for Kosovo to declare independence from Serbia, the province's prime minister said. Hashim Thaci said the date had been coordinated with both Washington and Brussels, the seat of the European Union, and would be revealed shortly. "It will be a good surprise, made fast in the coming days," Thaci told reporters before departing for Brussels. "The date is coordinated, and it will be made public very soon." Thaci planned to meet EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and Dutch diplomat Peter Feith, who has been chosen to lead a proposed EU mission in Kosovo. Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders had been expected to declare independence in February or March. Serbia strongly opposes independence for the province, and the issue has caused friction between the West and Serbian ally Russia - a veto-wielding permanent member of the UN Security Council. Today, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice added urgency to resolving Kosovo's status, saying that putting off resolutions "doesn't make tough decisions easier." Kosovo's independence is supported by the United States and most European Union members, including Britain and France. Some EU nations, however, have voiced misgivings about recognising Kosovo outside the framework of the United Nations. The EU has proposed sending an 1,800-strong police and justice mission to replace the UN administration that has run Kosovo since 1999, but a final decision as not likely before EU foreign ministers meet on Feb 18. Belgrade opposes the EU mission, fearing it would be a prelude to Kosovo's independence. The UN and a NATO peacekeeping mission took control in 1999 after 78 days of NATO bombing, which forced Serbian troops to end their brutal crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
