European Union states raised fears on Monday that a unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo would shatter fragile EU unity on the fate of the Serb province, and urged both Belgrade and Pristina to compromise.
Efforts to clinch a UN resolution on its status reached an impasse this month after Russian resistance in the UN Security Council, raising the prospect of Kosovo declaring independence without a UN mandate.
Envoys of the Contact Group on Kosovo - the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Russia - are due to meet on Wednesday to discuss launching another 120 days of shuttle diplomacy between Belgrade and Pristina to break the deadlock.
"Our Kosovar friends have to understand they are not alone in the picture. There are also the Serbs. And our Serbian friends have to understand also that they have to make concessions," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said after a meeting of his EU counterparts in Brussels. "Of course, if the Kosovars declared independence on their own, some countries would support them and that has to be avoided," he added.
While few countries have revealed their stance on any move by Kosovo to declare independence, diplomats say Spain and a handful of countries in south-east Europe are seen as most worried by a step that could unsettle the Balkans region.
British Foreign Secretary David Miliband insisted on the need for the EU to maintain a common policy on Kosovo when asked about Pristina's calls to set November 28 as the date for a unilateral declaration of independence. "It's probably important to establish our own position and (that we) are clear about the need for strong European leadership and strong European unity," he told reporters.