Kosovo to form minority protection council

PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro, June 2 (UPI) -- Kosovo's prime minister announced Friday he will lead a council for national minorities' protection in Serbia's mainly ethnic-Albanian province.

Prime Minister Agim Ceku, an ethnic-Albanian, said the council will include local and international security experts to protect Serbian and other non-ethnic Albanian minorities. The head of government will be the ex-officio leader of the council.

Also, Soren Jessen-Petersen, the chief of the U.N. mission in Kosovo, said his team will withdraw once Kosovo's future status is approved by the United Nations, Belgrade's B92 radio reported.

Jessen-Petersen said he will decide next week on a date for Kosovo municipal elections.

A Belgrade government delegation, which wants Kosovo to remain a Serbian province, and ethnic-Albanians, who advocate Kosovo independent from the Serbian government in Belgrade, have been meeting to decide who will govern Kosovo, once the U.N. administration and NATO troops leave.

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