Ceku said only independence could guarantee stability in the region and vowed to make respect for the province's Serb minority a priority of his government.
Ceku, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, became prime minister on March 10 amid claims by Serbia that his election would be detrimental to ongoing, UN-led talks on the province's future.
Addressing a European Union meeting in Austria, Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic warned on March 11 that granting independence to Kosovo would be "a disaster" for the region.
British Foreign Minister Jack Straw has said that independence for Kosovo is "almost inevitable." But EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said today in Salzburg that "nothing has been decided yet" on the province's status.
(AP, AFP, dpa)
RFE/RL Balkan Report
