VIENNA - Kosovo's incoming prime minister said in an interview to be published Saturday that he was sure the Serbian province would be independent soon after a deadline on status talks passes next month.
In an interview with Austrian daily Kurier, Hashim Thaci said he was "convinced Kosovo would be independent very soon after December 10," the deadline set by the UN for negotiations on Kosovo's future status to end.
Kosovo, which has been under UN administration since 1999 following a Serbian crackdown on the province's ethnic Albanian majority, has threatened to declare independence unilaterally, fuelling fears of a flare-up in violence.
But Thaci, an ethnic Albanian former rebel leader whose party came out on top in recent legislative elections, told Kurier that Pristina "would not do anything without the approval" of its US and European supporters.
Russia, the European Union and the United States are sending envoys to oversee last-ditch negotiations near Vienna ahead of a December 10 deadline set by the international community to reach a deal.
If a solution is not found, the issue will be handed back to the UN Security Council where Russia has threatened to block any decision giving Kosovo independence by using its veto.
When asked about the minority Serbs in Kosovo, Thaci said that his government "would work hard to enable the Serb minority to remain in Kosovo," after independence.
"I will do my best to maintain good contacts with all Serbs," he added.
"Our government's programme, our economy and our development must be for the benefit of all Kosovars not only the Albanians; Kosovo must be a country for all its citizens," Thaci said.
The UN Security Council will be informed on December 10 about the state of negotiations between Kosovo Serb and ethnic Albanian leaders. Since August the talks have been overseen by a troika of diplomats from Russia, the United States and the European Union.
A last-ditch round of talks sponsored by the troika is set to open Monday in Baden, outside Vienna.
Kosovo has been under UN administration since 1999 following a NATO bombing campaign to stop a Serbian crackdown on the province's 90-percent majority of ethnic Albanians.
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11/23/2007 20:18 GMT