EU expects Kosovo decision to be delayed until spring

"Kosovo's final solution will be postponed to early spring [2008]", the commissioner told Finnish daily Utispaiva Demari on Thursday (13 December), adding that he is certain the talks on the future status of the Serbian breakaway province would continue and that the EU is prepared to work for an agreed solution.

The statement comes only a day after it was confirmed the Serbian presidential elections would take place on 20 January and 3 February next year. It is the clearest indication so far that the bloc will delay a decision on the future status of Kosovo until after these elections.

It had already been speculated that the EU would not take a decision before the elections fearing that it could have an impact on the results.

The enlargement commissioner did not give reason for the delay.

But EU diplomats, quoted by Serbian news agency TANJUG, said that during a meeting on Monday (10 December), EU foreign ministers informally agreed to avoid any action that could potentially lead to a nationalist backlash in Serbia.

On top of that, Mr Rehn told leaders of conservative parties in Europe meeting on Thursday evening that he had been assured by Kosovo's prime minister-designate Hashim Thaci that the province would not make a declaration of independence before April and before coordinating with Western countries.

Serbia, for its part, welcomed the commissioner's statement saying it was very important and backed the country's calls for further negotiations.

"It presents support to the initiative of Serbia and Russia that the United Nations Security Council should adopt a decision on 19 December on the continuation of the negotiation process", a spokesman for the prime minister said in a statement.

The current Serbian president – the pro-European Boris Tadic - is hoping to get re-elected in 2008. One of his opponents is Tomislav Nikolic, the deputy leader of the hard-line nationalist Serbian Radical Party, whose leader Vojislav Seselj is currently on trial at the Hague-based UN war crimes tribunal and is accused of war crimes and crimes against humanity.

Delaying the decision until "early spring" means that a meeting of EU leaders on 28-29 March next year in Slovenia may turn into a key event regarding Kosovo's future status.