The German foreign minister, Klaus Kinkel, has urged Serbia to grant a special status to its province of Kosovo, where about ninety per cent of the people are ethnic Albanians.

In a statement issued in Bonn, Mr Kinkel said increasing violence in anti-Serbian protests in Kosovo showed how urgent a speedy solution was.

He said the current status of Kosovo provided no basis for a peacful solution, but he also rejected the idea of independence for the province, as demanded by many of its inhabitants.

Mr Kinkel said new status granted to Kosovo should comply with basis democratic standards.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service
 

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