Kosovo status likely settled by end 2006 - UN official

Excerpt from report by German Deutschlandfunk radio on 7 September

Mr Ruecker, the new head of UNMIK, the interim administration mission in Kosovo, assumes that the issue of the status of the Serbian province will be settled by the end of the year. Ruecker said on Deutschlandradio Kultur that the UN administration can be disbanded after a transition period of several months. International aid, including military support, will, however, be necessary also in the future, he added. [Passage omitted]

Source: Deutschlandfunk radio, Cologne, in German 1100 gmt 7 Sep 06