Miliband Calls for Extra Kosovo Troops

The foreign secretary, David Miliband, today called on called on Europe to send more troops to the Balkans to prevent violence over Kosovo's expected declaration of independence.

His call came as it emerged that all but one of the EU foreign ministers - who are meeting to discuss the issue today - is willing to accept Kosovan independence.

Speaking ahead of the talks, Miliband warned that Europe "should not underestimate the volatility" between Kosovo and Serbia and called on it to take the lead in the Balkans to avoid a repeat of the "bloodshed and strife" of the 1990s.

Asked whether more troops were needed, he told the BBC's Today program: "The short answer is yes. We have got to make sure we got the right bodies on the ground, both militarily and civilian, to protect citizens and ensure security is maintained."

Miliband said one of the reasons for the violence in the 1990s had been that Europe "stood on the sidelines wringing its hands".

Meanwhile, the Swedish foreign minister, Carl Bildt, told Reuters there was "virtual unity on Kosovo".

He did not name the country that still wanted a UN security council resolution before accepting a declaration by ethnic Kosovo Albanian leaders, which is expected to happen within weeks.

EU foreign ministers will meet the union's envoy to the Kosovo talks, Wolfgang Ischinger, behind closed doors to discuss growing tensions as a declaration of independence moves closer.

It comes after months of internationally mediated talks on a compromise solution for its future collapsed two weeks ago. Albanian leaders have said they would not declare independence from Serbia without approval from the EU and the US.

EU nations and Washington have backed a proposal for a gradual, supervised move toward independence for Kosovo, a province of two million people in which more than 90% of the population is ethnic Albanian.

Serbia - which considers Kosovo to be its historic heartland - and Russia, a traditional ally, rejected the plan.

Russia has accused the west of encouraging Kosovo to declare independence, warning that such a move would rekindle hostilities in the province and erode global stability.

Sergey Lavrov, the foreign minister, hailed Belgrade for offering ethnic Albanians in Kosovo broad autonomy, but criticized Albanian leaders. "We haven't seen any readiness from Pristina to at least take into account Belgrade's legitimate interests," he added.

"Regrettably, by repeating a thesis about Kosovo's predetermined independence, the Albanians have been following signals from some western nations that they were ready to support a unilateral sovereignisation."

At Nato talks on Friday, Washington and its European allies agreed to maintain a strong peacekeeping force in Kosovo, which has been run by the UN, backed by NATO troops, since a 1999 bombing campaign to end a Serb crackdown on separatists.