BBC News Online: World: Europe

Kosovo Albanians given blunt warning

He and the alliance's military chief General Wesley Clark were visiting Kosovo on the first anniversary of the beginning of Nato's air war against the Serbs.

They landed amid heavy security in the provincial capital Pristina more than five hours late after changing their schedule to avoid the divided town of Mitrovica.

Officials said the change of plan was for "operational reasons", and denied security fears were a factor.

"You have a responsibility to promote a new vision and not to play on old nightmares," Lord Robertson told the ethnic Albanian politicians, including former rebel guerrilla chief Hashim Thaci.
"If you don't, you risk seeing the backing of the international community fade away."

Lord Robertson said he was proud of the bombing, declaring that it was the international community's only way to stop Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic's repression of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.

No Serb representatives attended the talks.

Revenge attacks have driven the vast majority of the remaining Kosovo Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo into enclaves guarded by K-For troops.

Half the remaining estimated Serbs, 50,000 out of some 100,000, live in northern Mitrovica and traditionally Serbian majority land in the north of Kosovo.

In Belgrade, the anniversary of the Nato bombing campaign is being marked by the Yugoslav authorities with a series of anti-war rallies.

Correspondents say there has been a cool public response to the events.

Task force

The European Union has created a new Balkans task force to co-ordinate its policy towards the former Yugoslavia, and ensure the efficient delivery of aid to the region.

EU heads of government - meeting in Lisbon - mandated Chris Patten, commissioner for external affairs and Javier Solana, foreign policy and security chief to head the task force.

Its aim will be to ensure the international community delivers its promises to Kosovo.