KOSOVO OFFICIALLY INDEPENDENT

Austrian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger who presided over the meeting said ISG's activities in Kosovo were going to end in September.

Following the meeting of the Group, Austrian Minister Spindelegger, International Civilian Representative Pieter Feith and Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Taci annouced the official independence of Kosovo.

Feith said that during the four and a half years that the ISG was there, the required assistance and support had been given to the incumbent government in Kosovo for constitutional reforms to be carried out and democratic institutions to be set up and noted that Kosovo would from now on live on as an independent and democratic European country housing an ethnic plurality.

In reply to a question, Feith said the EU and NATO security forces in charge of security, both domestic and foreign, would be in place to continue their task.

The Prime Minister of Kosoco Hashim Taci qualified the day when his country's independence was official declared as a historic day and said his government was going to work for Kosovo to live on as a democratic and fully independent member of Europe from now on.