Brussels, 11/12/2007 (Agence Europe) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov informed the EU on Monday 10 December that Russia was still not ready to agree to Kosovo's independence, or to the sending of a European civilian police mission with Security Council Resolution 1244 as its legal base. Speaking in Brussels after the EU/Russia Permanent Partnership Council, Lavrov called for talks to continue between Albanian Kosovars and Serbs on the “basis of the good work accomplished by the troika”. The EU, on the other hand, no longer believes in a negotiated solution after the failure of the troika and is moving towards recognition of “controlled and concerted” independence of Kosovo (EUROPE 9561). It is more than likely that the European Council on Friday 14 December will confirm the EU27's commitment to send 1,800 police officers and lawyers to the province to support the Kosovar administration and take over from the UN mission there, should the United Nations secretary general and the government of Pristina so request. If these conditions are met, the police mission may be carried out on the basis of Resolution 1244, i.e. without a new resolution of the Security Council, the EU explains. As Moscow sees it, this is a “dangerous interpretation” of the resolution as such a “unilateral approach could be extended to other questions of international law”, Lavrov added. He also sounded a note of caution against the involvement of the UN secretary general in this European strategy that would “run counter to international law and the principles of the United Nations”. The Security Council will meet on 19 December to speak of Kosovo. On Tuesday, Russia announced that it would turn to the UN for “cancellation” of any unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo. (H.B.)