Hamburg, Feb 16, SPA -- The situation in Kosovo was calm on Saturday, DPA quoted aGerman general serving with NATO in the southern Serbian provinceas saying ahead of Sunday's expected declaration of independence. General Robert Bund, head of the German contingent in the UN-mandated Kosovo force KFOR, told German radio there was "no sign oftension in any form." Bund said he expected the NATO-led multinational force to remainin Kosovo for a long period because of the time it would take for theterritory to support itself. The people of Kosovo have great trust in the 15,000-strong force,he said. "KFOR is the primary stability factor for Kosovo," he added. The predominantly Albanian province is expected to declare itsindependence from Serbia on Sunday, despite strong opposition fromBelgrade and its ally, Russia. Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci told the German news magazineFocus he was ready to hold discussions "with the legitimateleadership" of Serbia. "The time is ripe to talk about normalizing relations and leavethe past behind us," he said, indicating the province would go aheadwith declaring independence. The European Union on Saturday launched a 2,000-member mission ofpolice and justice officials intended to help the Kosovo authoritiestrain and develop a multi-ethnic legal system. But Serbia and Russia say the mission will only be legal if itreceives a fresh mandate from the United Nations Security Council- an argument which EU diplomats reject.--SPA www.spa.gov.sa/527409