Kosovo PM on visit to Albania to discuss province's future status

The prime minister of the U.N.-administered Kosovo was visiting Albania on Monday for talks on bilateral relations and upcoming talks on the province's status, the Albanian premier's office said. Kosovo's Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi planned to meet his Albanian counterpart Sali Berisha, while the United Nation's Security Council discussed details on starting the talks on Kosovo's future.

Kosovo's top U.N. official, Soren Jessen-Petersen, also visited for talks with Albania's top leaders, many of whom have voiced support for Kosovo gaining full independence.

Kosovo, formally part of Serbia-Montenegro, became an international protectorate in 1999, after NATO bombed Serbia for 78 days to stop a crackdown against ethnic Albanian separatist rebels.

Its ethnic Albanian leadership and majority favor full independence from Serbia-Montenegro, while Belgrade and the province's Serb minority want it to remain part of the country that replaced the former Yugoslavia, according to the AP.

The United Nations is hoping to start negotiations on Kosovo's future by the end of the year.

T.E.