A decision on Kosovo's bid for independence from Serbia could be delayed until next year following Serbia's general elections, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan was quoted on Saturday as saying, according to Reuters. Annan made the comments in an interview with the Croatian daily Vjesnik, in which he spoke of his talks with the U.N. special envoy on Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, about Serbia's October constitutional referendum. "Considering the referendum, and the fact that they want elections in Serbia, we have to be cautious. Ahtisaari also has to be cautious so that the issue of the final status of Kosovo is not used for pre-electoral purposes," Annan told the paper. "A proposal on Kosovo must be presented at a right time, that's the key. So we may not stick to the deadlines we had originally planned." The Contact Group on Kosovo -- comprising the United States, Russia, France, Britain, Germany and Italy -- has insisted its aim is to resolve the issue by the end of this year, although Russia says it should not be bound by "artificial deadlines". Kosovo has been a U.N. protectorate for the past seven years.
