[JURIST] The UN Security Council announced [presidential statement text] Monday that it would implement UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan's recommendations and organize international discussions on whether Kosovo [UN Interim Administration website] should be independent or remain a province of Serbia. Annan said [text] last week that he was likely to appoint former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari [Wikipedia profile] as a special envoy to the UN in charge of the status talks. The Council also repeated their goals for the talks, which include protecting minorities, decentralizing the government, reforming local governments, implementing democratic reforms, and creating safe and secure conditions within Kosovo that would encourage a significant amount of Serbs to return to the war-torn area. Reuters has more.