Picture: AFP 24 January 2012 | 18:00 | FOCUS News Agency
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Vienna. Kosovo has made such progress that an end to "supervised independence" should be possible by the end of 2012, the 25-nation International Steering Group for the territory said after a meeting Tuesday, cited by AFP.
Kosovo will "start preparations for an organised end to supervised independence and the closure of the International Civilian Office (ICO), which should be possible by the end of 2012," the ISG said after talks in Vienna.
The two-million-strong mainly ethnic Albanian territory has been under some form of international administration since a NATO bombing campaign ousted Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic's forces in 1999.
But it has slowly been building up democratic institutions and declared independence in 2008. It has been recognised by 86 countries, including most EU nations, despite opposition from Belgrade, Kosovo's ethnic Serbs and Russia.
The ISG-appointed International Civilian Representative for Kosovo, Dutch diplomat Pieter Feith, told a news conference here that the end of supervised independence "normalises Kosovo as a normal European state."
He said it gives Kosovo "a perspective of coming closer to the European Union, to be a stable, reliable partner in the region and to be able with strong institutions to care for the well-being of its citizens."
He added: "Together with my colleagues, we have given the young state of Kosovo ... a start in life. We have established the institutions, and now, from the end of this year onwards, Kosovo will be like any other European state."
The end of supervised independence is not expected to affect the presence of the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force or European rule of law mission EULEX for the time being, however.
Kosovo's prime minister Hashim Thaci hailed the announcement.
"Ending supervised independence means that Kosovo will function like any other independent state, with a clear European perspective," Thaci told reporters in Vienna through an interpreter.
An ISG statement however urged Thaci's government "to reach out actively" to its roughly 120,000 Serb citizens, particularly those in the north, and by "offering real, practical support to them."
"The government needs to demonstrate that it understands and respects their rights, their concerns (especially for security), their language and their identity," the statement said.
In November some 50 soldiers from the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force were hurt as they moved to dismantle barricades erected at border crossings by northern Kosovo's majority ethnic Serb population.
The protestors refused to recognise border guards and customs officials sent by the ethnic Albanian government in Pristina.
In recent weeks meanwhile Kosovan ethnic Albanian hardliners, who oppose all contact with Belgrade and want unification with neighbouring Albania, have also tried to blockade border crossings with Serbia.
On January 14, 52 people including 31 police officers were hurt in clashes at two border crossings, with police using tear gas and water cannon to disperse protestors after being pelted with stones and metal objects.
Progress in dialogue with Kosovo is a key condition for Serbia to move towards joining the European Union. In December, EU leaders delayed until March a decision on whether to grant Serbia candidacy status.
Members of northern Kosovo's 40,000-strong Serbian population have called a referendum for February 14-15 to underline their opposition to Belgrade's concessions to Pristina, despite opposition from Serbian President Boris Tadic.
"The north, as we know, is a formidable challenge because the international community have had little access to the north in order to reach out to the citizens there," Feith said.
"This is because of the climate of harassment, of intimidation and even of violence that continues to dominate the situation there, and this is compounded now recently by the barricading" of border crossings, he said.
"The whole process of ending supervised independence and the future of Kosovo as a modern multi-ethnic democracy should not be held hostage by leaders in the north who have a different agenda."
Kosovo will "start preparations for an organised end to supervised independence and the closure of the International Civilian Office (ICO), which should be possible by the end of 2012," the ISG said after talks in Vienna.
The two-million-strong mainly ethnic Albanian territory has been under some form of international administration since a NATO bombing campaign ousted Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic's forces in 1999.
But it has slowly been building up democratic institutions and declared independence in 2008. It has been recognised by 86 countries, including most EU nations, despite opposition from Belgrade, Kosovo's ethnic Serbs and Russia.
The ISG-appointed International Civilian Representative for Kosovo, Dutch diplomat Pieter Feith, told a news conference here that the end of supervised independence "normalises Kosovo as a normal European state."
He said it gives Kosovo "a perspective of coming closer to the European Union, to be a stable, reliable partner in the region and to be able with strong institutions to care for the well-being of its citizens."
He added: "Together with my colleagues, we have given the young state of Kosovo ... a start in life. We have established the institutions, and now, from the end of this year onwards, Kosovo will be like any other European state."
The end of supervised independence is not expected to affect the presence of the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force or European rule of law mission EULEX for the time being, however.
Kosovo's prime minister Hashim Thaci hailed the announcement.
"Ending supervised independence means that Kosovo will function like any other independent state, with a clear European perspective," Thaci told reporters in Vienna through an interpreter.
An ISG statement however urged Thaci's government "to reach out actively" to its roughly 120,000 Serb citizens, particularly those in the north, and by "offering real, practical support to them."
"The government needs to demonstrate that it understands and respects their rights, their concerns (especially for security), their language and their identity," the statement said.
In November some 50 soldiers from the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force were hurt as they moved to dismantle barricades erected at border crossings by northern Kosovo's majority ethnic Serb population.
The protestors refused to recognise border guards and customs officials sent by the ethnic Albanian government in Pristina.
In recent weeks meanwhile Kosovan ethnic Albanian hardliners, who oppose all contact with Belgrade and want unification with neighbouring Albania, have also tried to blockade border crossings with Serbia.
On January 14, 52 people including 31 police officers were hurt in clashes at two border crossings, with police using tear gas and water cannon to disperse protestors after being pelted with stones and metal objects.
Progress in dialogue with Kosovo is a key condition for Serbia to move towards joining the European Union. In December, EU leaders delayed until March a decision on whether to grant Serbia candidacy status.
Members of northern Kosovo's 40,000-strong Serbian population have called a referendum for February 14-15 to underline their opposition to Belgrade's concessions to Pristina, despite opposition from Serbian President Boris Tadic.
"The north, as we know, is a formidable challenge because the international community have had little access to the north in order to reach out to the citizens there," Feith said.
"This is because of the climate of harassment, of intimidation and even of violence that continues to dominate the situation there, and this is compounded now recently by the barricading" of border crossings, he said.
"The whole process of ending supervised independence and the future of Kosovo as a modern multi-ethnic democracy should not be held hostage by leaders in the north who have a different agenda."
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