Serbian officials expected Kosovo to declare independence by February 17 2008, based on intelligence data, Agence France Presse (AFP) reported on February 8 2008.

The agency quoted Serbia's minister for Kosovo, Slobodan Samardzic, who said that Kosovo prime minister planned to "illegally declare the unilateral independence of Kosovo on February 17."

On the same day, Thaci said the runaway province would be ecognised by around 100 countries, regardless of the opposition from Serbia and Russia, AFP said.

"It is a done (deal). Everybody knows it. None of the authorities from Belgrade can affect the positive development of a declaration and recognition of the independence of Kosovo," the agency quoted Thaci as saying.

Last month, the International Herald Tribune claimed US and Germany had agreed to recognise Kosovo and get the rest of Europe to do so, quoting unnamed senior European Union diplomats.

The timing of the declaration was picked carefully, with European Union foreign ministers scheduled to meet the following day, AFP said, quoting diplomatic sources in Pristina. Several countries from the bloc have already expressed their reservations for such a scenario, eager to avoid similar complications at home.

Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia are among them, according to AFP, while Bulgaria has also stressed out repeatedly that a consensus solution needs to be reached.