Most EU countries are also against the notion of prolonged negotiations, echoing UN special envoy on Kosovo Martti Ahtisaari's opinion that the already extensive negotiations have not resulted in a solution.

But Moscow has continually said that any solution must also be acceptable to both Belgrade and Pristina, prompting the Europeans and Americans to support a time extension.

"The draft that is now in the Security Council talks about not an open-ended process, but a process that is limited on time... I can tell you that we are not thinking about an open-ended process," Mr Solana todl journalists.

Although they had difficulty reaching unity on Kosovo because of fears it could inspire internal EU regions to independence, most member states supported the final solution suggested by Mr Ahtisaari offering de-facto independence to the province.

Meanwhile, Mr Ban in Brussels repeated his earlier warning that a further delay in the final resolution of the Kosovo breakaway problem "will not be beneficial not only to the Balkans but for all unity of the European Union."

He also called on all the parties involved to avoid any "prematurely unilateral" actions as it would "further complicate the already complicated issue," while also stressing his full backing for Mr Ahtisaari's proposal.

According to observers of the region, the delay in reaching a decision at the security council is causing rising tension among Kosovo Albanians, and prompting calls for a unilateral declaration of independence.