'No Kosovo deal with Russia'

France said yesterday it did not expect to reach a deal with Russia at the UN over a draft resolution on Kosovo's future because Moscow was unwilling to back a Western compromise text.

Europeans and the US introduced the draft at the UN Security Council late on Tuesday but had not yet decided on whether to call a vote because of Russia's objections.

Moscow, which holds a veto in the Council, has rejected any move that would lead to Kosovo's independence from Russian ally Serbia, and said the draft has "zero" chance of being adopted.

"I hope there will be a compromise with the Russians on the resolution... which has been written in New York. But I very much doubt it," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said after talks with his British counterpart David Miliband.

Kosovo, where 90 per cent of the two million people are ethnic Albanians, has been run by the UN since Nato intervened in 1999 to halt the killing and expulsion of Albanians by Serb forces.

Under the draft resolution, the two sides would resume negotiations for 120 days, after which the UN would hand over administration of the province to the EU, reducing Russia's influence there. Nato troops would stay on.

Russia has said the watered-down text is still "permeated with the concept of the independence of Kosovo" and appears to pave the way for independence by the back door.

It wants more negotiations until a solution is found.

Mr Kouchner, who was UN governor in Kosovo from 1999 to 2001, said the West had given enough ground.

"Despite all the concessions that have been made, despite all the changes not only of style but of substance, despite the openness of the resolution, which does not lead to independence... it seems that the Russians are not willing to sign it," Mr Kouchner said.

"Under these conditions there will be no agreement on a resolution and under these conditions there will, no doubt, be no resolution," Mr Kouchner said.

He added that there would probably then be a negotiating period of "several months".

The US threatened on Friday to solve the Kosovo independence controversy outside of the Security Council if Russia did not go along with the current draft resolution.

European foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Tuesday that if Russia failed to accept the text soon, 120 days of shuttle diplomacy between Belgrade and Pristina would be conducted under the authority of the major power Contact Group, where Russia has a seat but not a veto.

After that period, the final status of Kosovo would be fixed, though Mr Solana added that he hoped it would be decided "in the context of a UN resolution".