Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has tasked Kosovo foreign minister-elect Skender Hyseni to start work on setting up embassies in Washington, New York and Brussels, Kosovo news agency KosovaLive reported on April 10.

The embassies should be operational already in June, when Kosovo's constitution comes into effect. Also in mid-June, the United Nations is expected to hand over the administration of the province to a European Union mission.

A host of countries have already declared their intentions to send ambassadors to the fledgling country, which declared unilateral independence from Belgrade on February 17 2008. Among those are the current EU president Slovenia and the UK.

The United States opened its embassy in Pristina on April 8, headed by Tina Kaidanow as charge d’affaires. She said that the embassy had been opened on the recommendation of US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice.

So far, 37 countries have officially or inofficially recognised the former break-away Serbian province, while Lithuania is about to recognise the state, according to kosovothanksyou.com.

Of the 27 European Union states, 18 had recognised Kosovo as independent.