Balkans: April 15, 2005

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: Discussions continue on the big question regarding Kosovo: will it become independent or remain part of Serbia?  Germany believes that Kosovo would not be partitioned. Whatever its "final status" (independent or an autonomous region of Serbia) the province would not be split (presumably into Albanian and Serb areas) and there would not be any "border shifts." A border shift option would be to extend Serbia's southern border to take in some of the Serb enclaves, then make the rest of Kosovo an independent country. Germany is one of the six nations in the "international contact group" that is playing the central role in the Kosovo decision. The other five members are Great Britain, the US, France, Italy, and Russia.