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.

Ethnic Albanian and Serbian officials today discussed how to protect the rights of Kosovo’s minorities, putting the issue on the agenda for the first time during their UN-brokered talks on the province’s future status.

Ethnic Albanians and Serbian officials will discuss how to protect the rights of Kosovo’s minorities today, putting the issue on the agenda for the first time during their United Nations-brokered talks on the province’s future status.

THE troubled UN-administerd province of Kosovo is facing an uncertain future following the death of President Ibrahim Rugova.

Kosovo’s largest ethnic Albanian party won general elections in the UN-run province, but failed to gain the absolute majority needed to govern alone and will have to form a coalition government, according to final results released today.