EU summit on Kosovo

Bloc leaders meet to discuss approaches to province’s independence

An ethnic Serb woman, part of a group of 30 Kosovo Serb families returning to new houses built by international and local institutions, on Wednesday. Their homes had been destroyed in the 1998-99 war between Serb security forces and Albanian guerrillas.

BRUSSELS (AP) - European Union leaders, keen to avoid the mistakes of the past, will try at a summit today 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 haunt EU capitals. But the European Union remains divided over whether to recognize Kosovo's independence, putting at risk an administrative takeover of Kosovo from the United Nations, a mission that needs the backing of all 27 EU states.

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.

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.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged other heads of government to ensure the EU takes the lead on Kosovo.

«This is a European responsibility,» Brown told the British Parliament 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 decide anything on Kosovo; an important UN Security Council meeting on the province's status is scheduled for December 19. Instead, they will discuss a paper drafted by Britain, France, Italy, Germany and the United States 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 European Union nations. The US and others would follow suit after that.

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

EU leaders will declare that the status quo in Kosovo «is unsustainable,» according to a draft of a statement to be issued at the summit. It urges the UN, Serbian and Kosovar leaders to find a solution and refrain from violence.

Cyprus is demanding that Belgrade and Pristina continue negotiations to find a UN-backed solution to the crisis.

Ethnic Albanians expect swift recognition of independence from the EU and others. But Serbs have threatened to leave or to group in Kosovo's north, where most of them live, and call for the territory to be united with Serbia.

Today's summit will also focus on globalization. EU economies are under pressure to reform so they can compete with economies in Asia. EU leaders will be asked to agree to drafting a common immigration policy by 2010, which is meant to lure highly skilled migrants while keeping out illegal asylum seekers.

They will also discuss creating a panel to debate the future direction of the Union, an idea pushed by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.