Kosovo Albanian leaders will immediately start talks with their Western backers on steps leading to a declaration of independence and subsequent international recognition, a senior official said on Monday.

Russia warned the West on Monday that recognizing a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) by Kosovo could set off a “chain reaction” of problems in the Balkans and beyond.

More NATO troops may be needed in Kosovo as the breakaway Serbian province moves towards independence, British Foreign Secretary David Miliband said on Monday.

The clock starts ticking on Monday toward a probable declaration of independence by Kosovo after extra-time negotiations failed to break a deadlock over the future of the breakaway Serbian province.

European Union nations are overcoming their internal divisions over the future of Kosovo as it heads towards independence and will help shape its future, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Monday.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- A senior Iranian military official here on Monday called on all peace movements, advocates of human rights and freedom as well as all those opposing war and terrorism to join Iran in a movement to take Bush to a war tribunal.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Commander of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said Baseeji (volunteer) troops play a decisive role in the country’s asymmetric warfare strategies.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- A senior Iranian oil ministry official said here Monday that Europe has no way out but to satisfy its energy needs by transferring Iran’s gas via Turkey’s Nabucco pipeline.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iran and a team from the UN nuclear watchdog started a fresh round of talks on Monday in Tehran to remove remaining ambiguities about Tehran’s nuclear programs.

TEHRAN (Fars News Agency)- Iraq’s National Security Advisor called on Persian Gulf states to form a regional security pact, which would include Iran.