Kosovo’s president said today Nato’s promise to secure his new nation’s borders against Serbia was vital.

Kosovo’s prime minister today vowed to declare independence if internationally brokered talks fail to “open a way for us,” staking out a tough position at last-ditch negotiations on the province’s future status.

President Ibrahim Rugova died of lung cancer today, leaving a leadership vacuum in Kosovo’s fraction-ridden political scene before crucial talks on whether the province should gain the independence that was his lifelong dream. He was 61.