The US and the European Union have rightly decided to bite the bullet and press ahead with resolving the Kosovo question - the last unsettled territorial argument left by the Yugoslav wars. They plan, in effect, to allow Kosovo to declare independence in defiance of Serbia and Russia, its chief backer.

The approach is risky but it is right to make the attempt. Leaving Kosovo as it is condemns the province and the surrounding region to an unacceptable state of permanent uncertainty.