http://news. <http://news.smh.com.au/eu-leaders-after-treaty-signing-seek-unity-over-koso vo/20071214-1h5b.html> smh.com.au/eu-leaders-after-treaty-signing-seek-unity-over-kosovo/20071214-1 h5b.html EU leaders, after treaty signing, seek unity over Kosovo December 14, 2007 - 4:46PM EU leaders, fresh from signing a treaty that overhauls the way the bloc runs, will strive Friday to present a united front on Kosovo as the Serbian province prepares to move to independence. At a summit in Brussels, starting at 0900 GMT, the media spotlight will also fall on British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, after he failed to attend a ceremony with his counterparts to sign the EU's reform-laden Treaty of Lisbon. It was the second major European rendezvous in Lisbon that Brown missed in a week -- after a landmark EU-Africa summit -- and the meeting, his first in Brussels as premier, comes amid doubts about his commitment to Europe. The future of Kosovo, and Iran's nuclear programme, will be thrashed out at a working lunch, with the 27 heads of state and government being joined by foreign ministers and EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana. Officials and experts expect the ethnic Albanian majority to announce next month its intention to declare independence, and then break away by May in "coordination" with its main allies, EU nations and the United States. The EU has tried to discourage Kosovo's leaders from any rash moves, so as not to anger Serbia further and allow the Union to deploy a vast police and civilian mission it has prepared over the last year. After failing to prevent the bloody breakup of former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, the EU now faces a test of its credibility over Kosovo. Serbia's main ally, Russia, which has forced Europe and the United States to act outside the UN umbrella by threatening to veto Kosovo independence at the security council, has shown it will contest the move to the end. But on the eve of the summit, Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker warned: "The opinion of Russia and the European Union diverge and we have a duty to deliver as far as Kosovo is concerned. We cannot be blocked by a kind of Russian veto." But while most European nations favour recognising an independent Kosovo at some point, Cyprus remains vehemently opposed given its problems with the Turkish-controlled north of the divided island. Greece, Slovakia and Spain are also hesitant. In a draft of conclusions from their meeting, prepared in advance by ambassadors, the leaders will say they "deeply regretted" that last-ditch talks between Serbia and Kosovo failed to produce a breakthrough. They note that the "status quo in Kosovo is unsustainable" and EU "readiness to play a leading role". The EU is ready to help Kosovo, "including by intensifying its preparations for a (police and justice) mission and for a contribution to international civilian office", as well as provide economic support. The mission of around 1,800 personnel which could be deployed, if requested by the United Nations, to help ease the transition to local rule. It was meant to be part of a solution proposed by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, who recommended that the province be granted "independence supervised by the international community", a proposal rejected by Serbia. Kosovo has been administered by a United Nations mission since 1999, after NATO bombed Belgrade to end a crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians. The leaders, many of whom flew into Brussels overnight from the treaty signing, will underscore that Serbia's future lies in Europe and that Belgrade could eventually receive EU membership "candidate status." The EU wants to encourage Serbia, particularly at this time, but nations like the Netherlands oppose making any concessions to Belgrade until all 1990s war crimes suspects have been rounded up. C 2007 AFP [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: [email protected] Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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