International Crisis Group

A majority of the 15 member states of the UN Security Council favor opening talks on the final status of Kosovo this year

http://www.tol.cz/look/TOL/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue=104&NrSection=1&NrArticle=13647

Radio Nederland http://www2.rnw.nl/rnw/en/

The ICG (International Crisis Group) and Nicholas Whyte, the director of the ICG's Europe programme says its clear independence is the only viable option. Further delays in implementing this option will prove increasingly dangerous, according to the group

Misa Stojiljkovic, from B92 Radio in Belgrade, says:"I don't think it will come to war because we now have a democratic government in Serbia and a lot of people here are going along with the European Union and the United States. But on the other hand both the Serbian president and the Serbian prime minister are saying that the independence of Kosovo is absolutely unacceptable."

http://antiwar.com/malic/

Nicholas Whyte's rather blunt argument was that "Kosovo has been moving toward independence since 1999, and it is time for the international community to say so." As for Serbia, it "needs to accept that Kosovo is lost, and that the role of Belgrade is to make the best case they can for the Serbs of Kosovo, rather than fantasize that they will get all, or part, of the province back."