BUCHAREST, Sept 4 (Reuters) - European Union countries must maintain a united position on the future of Serbia's breakaway province of Kosovo in the event that talks on its independence fail, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said on Tuesday. He said whatever the outcome of independence talks "it is the unity of Europe that must be maintained, because it would be a real flaw for European and common defence policies to be divided between those who recognise Kosovo's independence and those who don't." The province, part of Serbia but with a majority ethnic Albanian population, has been run by the United Nations and NATO for the past eight years. Kosovo Albanians want full independence, but Belgrade has refused to give them that. Talks on its political future are due to end in early December and Kosovo Albanians have said if there is no deal agreed on the future status, they will declare independence unilaterally. This would pose a dilemma for EU states on whether to recognise Kosovo as an independent state, an issue over which the 27-nation bloc remains split. "The unity must be maintained, it is more precious than Kosovo's fate in relation to Serbia or not," Kouchner said, speaking to reporters at a meeting in Bucharest. He also criticised Monday's comments from Moscow, which has blocked a Western-backed plan to grant Kosovo independence. "All 27 of us will meet to support a European position, which is not necessarily that of Russia, which spoke a little strongly yesterday, or that of the United States ... which seems too determined. It will be a European position." Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Moscow, which has good relations with Serbia, was not prepared to bargain over Kosovo. France is a member of the six-nation Contact Group -- a non-executive body steering Balkan diplomacy that includes the United States, Germany, Britain, Italy and Russia.
