Kosovo's Ceku meets Slovak foreign minister, demands independence

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian prime minister Agim Ceku said on Monday that his U.N.-run province will soon become independent from Serbia."Kosovo's virtual independence is a fact ... we would however, prefer a U.N. resolution about that," said Ceku, a former rebel commander, after meeting Slovak Foreign Minister Jan Kubis.Ceku asked Slovakia to back Kosovo's independence. "Kosovo's independence must be achieved as soon as possible," he said. Ceku offered guarantees for the rights of ethnic minorities, including Serbs.Kubis has said that Slovakia will not take a view until Maarti Ahtisaari, the United Nations-appointed mediator for the Kosovo talks, presents his proposals on Kosovo's status.The talks are deadlocked but Ahtisaari must submit his recommendations on Kosovo's future to the U.N. Security Council before the end of 2006.Kosovo's majority Albanians want the province to become an independent state while the minority Serbs want it to remain part of Serbia. Last month, voters in Serbia endorsed a new constitution that reasserts that the province is an integral part of the country.Last week, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he was against Kosovo's independence as it could spark regional tension and serve as a bad example for countries which might want to solve their problems in a similar way.Kosovo has been under U.N. administration an NATO protection since U.S.-led bombing halted a Serb crackdown on the ethnic Albanian separatists in 1999.