Britain ready to recognise Kosovo

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Kosovan capital Pristina is filled with ethnic Albanians celebrating the declaration of independence, which has now been formally declared, in the latest stage of the slow fragmentation of the former Yugoslavia.

But there are concerns that Kosovo's unilateral secession from the Serb Republic may cause a flare-up in tension, and some 600 British troops are on stand-by to fly there in the event of violence breaking out.

The Foreign Office said it was clear that the status quo in Kosovo was "unsustainable" and restated Britain's support for a "supervised independence" plan put forward last year by United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari.

Foreign Secretary David Miliband will attend a meeting of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels at which some EU nations - expected to include Britain, France and Germany - will recognise Kosovo's sovereignty.

About 60 British police officers and judicial experts will be among a 1,800-strong EU mission to help Kosovo's leadership with security, legal and customs issues after the breakaway from Serbia.

The EU's decision to send the mission was denounced by Belgrade as "shameful". Cabinet minister Slobodan Samardzic insisted that Kosovo - regarded by Serbs as the historic heartland of their nation - remained "an inalienable part of Serbia".

The US is also expected to recognise an independent Kosovo. But it will be opposed by Serbia's traditional ally Russia, along with EU states Spain, Romania and Greece.

Kosovo's prime minister Hashim Thaci said earlier this month that about 100 countries were ready to recognise the province's independence as soon as it was declared. But Moscow's veto at the UN Security Council, which meets in New York on Tuesday, stands in the way of general international acceptance of the new state for the foreseeable future.

Kosovo has been under UN administration since the 1999 Nato bombing campaign drove out Serbian troops. While Serbia's formal sovereignty is internationally recognised, Belgrade has little or no practical involvement in the governance of the province.