EU approves 2,000-strong Kosovo police mission

A Kosovo Albanian woman is seen behind an Albanian national flag in Kosovo, February 15, 2008. The territory's ethnic Albanian majority is expected to declare independence from Serbia at the weekend.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union approved the launch of a 2,000-strong police and justice mission for Kosovo on Saturday on the eve of the breakaway province's expected declaration of independence from Serbia.

The mission was formally endorsed at midnight (2300 GMT on Friday) after none of the EU's 27 member states objected to an operation plan for the mission before an agreed deadline.

"The decision to launch and the operation plan have been approved," an EU official said.

Once leaders of the overwhelmingly ethnic Albanian majority declare independence, the EU will take over responsibility for supervising police, judicial and civil administration from the current U.N. mission after a 120-day transition period.

Dutchman Pieter Feith will be the EU civilian administrator in Kosovo and is expected to take over from United Nations supremo Joachim Ruecker in June.

"Kosovo has been under U.N. administration for 10 years. In practice, it's a kind of EU protectorate," Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, whose country holds the EU presidency, told the Polish newspaper Dziennik on Friday.

EU foreign ministers will discuss their response to Kosovo's decision on Monday.

Diplomats said up to 20 EU countries were likely to recognize the new state rapidly but at least six -- Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, Spain, Bulgaria and Romania -- have indicated they will not do so immediately.

RECOGNITION ON MONDAY?

The major EU powers involved in Balkan diplomacy -- Britain, France, Germany and Italy -- may announce recognition immediately after Monday's meeting, along with the United States, diplomats said.

Despite the likely absence of full international recognition, the European Commission and World Bank are already planning a donors' conference to help build Kosovo's shattered economy and tackle mass unemployment.

A Commission spokeswoman confirmed the conference was in preparation and said it would probably be held in June.

A presidency source said that in the statement to be issued on Monday, ministers would recall EU leaders agreed in December that the status quo in Kosovo was unsustainable and stressed the need to move towards a settlement, vital for regional stability.

They would call for a democratic multi-ethnic Kosovo committed to the rule of law and to the protection of minorities and of cultural and religious heritage.

The declaration would underline the EU's readiness to play a leading role in strengthening stability in the region and in implementing a Kosovo settlement and pledge economic and political assistance "through a clear European perspective".

A European Commission official said U.N. Security Council resolution 1244, adopted in 1999 after NATO bombing drove Serb forces out of Kosovo to halt ethnic cleansing, provided a legal basis for the EU rule of law mission and for continuing aid after independence.

Russia has argued the EU would be in breach of that resolution if it sent a police mission to Kosovo or if its member states recognized the territory's independence without the Security Council's agreement.

(Additional reporting by Mark John; Editing by Catherine Evans)