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EU leaders strive for unity on Kosovo bid

EU leaders, keen to avoid the mistakes of the past, were set to try at a summit yesterday to forge unity on how to handle Kosovo's bid for independence from Serbia without inciting new violence in the Balkans.

Memories of deep divisions over the Balkan Wars in the 1990s -- which led to the union's inability to prevent the fighting -- still haunts EU capitals.

But the union remains divided over whether to recognize Kosovo's independence, putting at risk an administrative takeover of Kosovo from the UN, a mission that needs the backing of all 27 EU states.

On the eve of the summit, Swedish Premier Fredrik Reinfeldt said it would be best to wait until after the presidential elections in Serbia before recognizing Kosovo's independence. The Serbian election is scheduled for Jan. 20, with a possible runoff on Feb. 3.

"The most important thing is to stand together and probably also wait for the Serbian presidential elections," Reinfeldt said at a meeting of Christian Democrat leaders.

Ethnic Albanians, who comprise 90 percent of Kosovo's 2 million people, insist on independence. Serbia, backed by Russia, insists it must remain Serbian territory.

"We have to have Russia as a partner" when shaping a final deal on Kosovo, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker said.

Within the EU, Cyprus is the strongest opponent of Kosovar sovereignty and of sending an 1,800-member EU police and security mission to Kosovo.

Cyprus shares an island with a Turkish community that broke away in the 1970s. Neither Cyprus nor the global community recognizes the independence of the Turkish Cypriot area.

Spain, Slovakia, Greece and Romania have expressed fears that independence for Kosovo would encourage separatist movements elsewhere.

But they are under pressure from Britain, France and Germany to act jointly on Kosovo.

"This is a European responsibility," British Prime Minister Gordon Brown told the British Parliament on Wednesday. "We hope we can move to supervised independence -- in other words, that Kosovans will have their rights met but in conditions where we do not have violence."

The EU leaders at the summit meeting were not expected to come to major decisions on Kosovo; an important UN Security Council meeting on the province's status is scheduled for Wednesday. Instead, they will discuss a paper drafted by Britain, France, Italy, Germany and the US on how the EU could recognize Kosovo after it declares independence, diplomats said.

Under the plan, according to diplomats who have seen it, EU powers like Germany, France, Italy and Britain would recognize Kosovo days after its declaration of independence, followed by other EU nations. The US and others would follow suit after that.

Slovenia, which takes over the EU's rotating presidency in January, is keen to ensure a quick transition of Balkan nations into the EU to boost stability there.
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