Bulgarian foreign minister Ivailo Kalfin told journalists "I would personally not recommend that Kosovo rushes to unilateral independence" and "it is not productive to brandish [this] threat".

It is "very important" that Kosovo's political class acts responsibly and Hashim Thaci, whose Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) won Saturday's (17 November) parliamentarian elections and who is tipped to be the province's next prime minister, is expected to be reasonable, Mr Kalfin said.

After it became clear his party had won the elections, Mr Thaci, a former leader of the political wing of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) which fought Serbian forces in the 1998-1999 war, stated that "Kosovo is ready (for) independence" which would be proclaimed "immediately" after 10 December - the deadline for the international negotiations on the province's future.

Referring to the statements, Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt pointed out that "Mr Thaci has to understand there is a difference between being a politician in opposition and a responsible prime minister".

He added: "we need on this issue a soft landing rather than a big bang. The Balkans is a rather fragile place".

At the end of their meeting however, the bloc's foreign ministers adopted more cautious joint conclusions simply stressing that they "looked forward to the intensification of the negotiations" and urging Belgrade and Pristina "to show greater flexibility, to respond positively and constructively to the Troika's [the EU, the US and Russia] initiatives, making every effort to secure a negotiated settlement of the status of Kosovo".

Fears for the region

Serbian and Kosovar leaders are to meet three more times before the 10 December deadline, including on Tuesday (20 November).

It is "theoretically" still possible to reach a negotiated solution within this timeframe, which is going to be a real "test" for both Belgrade and Pristina politicians, Mr Kalfin said.

So far, no progress has been made however, prompting fears about possible consequences in the region if the negotiations fail.

One of the possibilities then would be to have a "frozen conflict" where Kosovo is now, according to Mr Kalfin.

"This would risk bringing back violence to the Balkans", as "the longer a conflict remains frozen, the harder it becomes to defrost it", the Bulgarian minister said.

In addition, if Kosovo proclaims unilateral independence, there are concerns that there might be in fact "two unilateral declarations of independence - one in Pristina, one in [the ethnic Serb area of] Mitrovica", according to Sweden's foreign minister.

This point appeared to be highlighted at the weekend when Kosovo's Serbs boycotted the elections, following the advice of Belgrade.

International community still split on the issue

Monday's meeting, meanwhile, reaffirmed that the EU remains divided on the prospect of an independent Kosovo.

"A substantial majority [of EU countries] want to recognise [an independent] Kosovo ... certainly well above 20, but we haven't got to 27 yet", Britain's Europe minister was quoted as saying by Deutsche Welle.

Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia oppose the move, fearing that it could boost some secessionist minorities in their own territories.

Meanwhile, Serbian media have quoted high level national officials as saying that the country would withdraw its ambassadors from any states that recognise an independent Kosovo.

This would be "the minimal reaction [to such a recognition] from Serbia's side".