Kosovo to become independent by end of month: US
ZAGREB - Kosovo could be granted independence from Serbia by the end of the month, US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns said here Friday.
"We will be circulating today with our European allies a resolution in the Security Council that we believe will lead to the independence of Kosovo by the end of this month," Burns told journalists in the Croatian capital Zagreb.
"The United States is strongly supporting the independence of Kosovo."
The UN Security Council is set to begin debate soon on two competing texts -- one Western and one Russian -- that will form the basis of a draft resolution on Kosovo's future status.
Burns, speaking after meeting with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader, also warned against Serbian ultra-nationalists entering a new government.
"As Kosovo becomes independent we Americans want to remain friend with Serbia and we want to have good relationship with Serbia hopefully without the presence of the Radical party in the Serbian government and Serbian parliament," he stressed.
He was referring to ultra-nationalist leader Tomislav Nikolic's election as the country's parliament speaker last week.
"We were very disappointed by the election of mister Nikolic as the speaker of the parliament, we hope it can be reversed. We believe the Radicals are the party of the past, the party of war and war criminals. There is no place for that in modern Europe," Burns said.
He added that the US message to Belgrade is to "form a government that will be fully democratic, fully oriented towards Europe and to a democratic future of Serbia."
Pro-European Serbian President Boris Tadic and outgoing nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica have so far failed to agree on forming a governing coalition, three months after elections.
Serbian parties have until Tuesday to agree on a government or Tadic, as the president, will be forced to call new elections.
Media reports on Friday cited sources as saying that Serbia's reformist parties have indeed agreed to form a government.
The deal was reached overnight between leaders of Tadic's pro-European Democratic Party (DS), Kostunica's moderate nationalist Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and the neo-liberal G17 Plus party, the reports said.
05/11/2007 09:49 GMT
