The European Union (EU) foreign ministers' meeting appointed here on Monday Austrian diplomat Stefan Lehne as EU representative for the Kosovo future status talks.

Lehne, who is a director at the EU Council for Balkans, east Europe and Middle Asian affairs, was nominated by EU foreign and security policy chief Javier Solana.

The appointment signals that international talks on the war- stricken Kosovo will soon be on track.

Earlier on Nov. 1, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan nominated former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari as UN Status Envoy to anchor the political process to determine Kosovo's future status, either a Serbian autonomy or a country with full independence.

Ahtisaari's appointment would become official after the UN Security Council decides about this over the next few days.

On Monday, Ahtisaari came to Brussels and gave a presentation to the EU foreign ministers on Kosovo.

The ministers welcomed Ahtisaari's readiness to cooperate closely with the EU.

"The EU representative will support the UN Status Envoy in the implementation of his mandate," said a conclusion document issued by the meeting on Monday.

The EU ministers also vowed to support the European integration of Kosovo, which has been under the UN administration since 1999, calling upon Belgrade and Pristina to "engage in good faith and constructively."

"Kosovo's future is in the European Union, whether it is to be an autonomy or to win full independence," said Solana at a press conference after the meeting.

Ahtisaari, 68, stole the international limelight this year when he organized and hosted talks between Indonesia's government and the Free Aceh Movement, which signed a peace deal in August to end 30 years of armed struggle.

Source: Xinhua