By DPA
Pristina : With the deadline expiring for all talks on the future status of Kosovo, Albanian leaders Monday said they were planning to launch talks leading to the province’s independence and international recognition “very, very soon.”
“Dec 10 marks the end of all negotiations for the status of Kosovo. And it triggers substantial talks regarding declaration (of independence) and formal recognition,” spokesman Skender Hyseni said after the negotiating team met here.
The deadline for talks set for Kosovo and Serbia four months ago by the big powers expired without the two sides moving any way towards a mutually acceptable solution for the future status of Kosovo.
The Albanians, who make up 90 percent of Kosovo’s population, now expect independence quickly, as their leaders are counting on support from the Western powers.
“For the coming days, we plan intense talks with Washington and Brussels to coordinate the most important steps,” Hyseni told reporters in Pristina.
“The first step inevitably is the declaration of independence and the second is formal recognition … we can assure you that independence will be declared before May,” he said.
The new Kosovo government is yet to be formed after Hashim Thaci’s opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo won the most votes in the Nov 17 elections.
Serbia’s bid to block Kosovo’s independence is strongly backed by Russia, which last summer already shot down a plan to release the province to internationally supervised independence through the UN.
With the Russian veto looming over any moves for independence in the UN, Kosovo’s leaders have resigned themselves to a unilateral declaration, which would be recognised by the Western powers.
The US and most European Union (EU) countries have expressed support for Kosovan independence.
“We are prepared to follow a very clear roadmap with our Western partners, but are not ready to subjugate our interests by waiting with the declaration of independence until the Serbian presidential election,” Hyseni said.
Kosovo’s leadership “isn’t going to wait for too long,” Hyseni said, adding,”I can’t say when it will happen, because we don’t have a date yet, but pretty soon. Very, very soon.”