Kosovans elect moderate president

KOSOVO lawmakers elected a moderate new president yesterday, paving the way for the start of talks on the province’s future status.

President Fatmir Sejdiu said he would not abandon the ethnic Albanian majority’s push for independence from Serbia. But he pledged in his acceptance speech to make Kosovo a state that guarantees minority rights and is “at peace with itself and its neighbours”.

“Kosovo’s independence is non-negotiable,” he said in an interview at his home.