(Updates with Romanian reaction, paragraphs 9 and 10) PRISTINA, Serbia, April 17 (Reuters) - Rubber bullets that killed two Kosovo Albanian demonstrators in February were fired by Romanian U.N. police officers who could be prosecuted for murder, a U.N. report said on Tuesday. Romania recalled its entire 75-strong contingent last month despite a request by U.N. authorities in the breakaway Serbian province for 11 of them to stay on for the investigation. The deaths of the two men shocked Kosovo and fuelled Western fears of widespread unrest if the U.N. Security Council does not decide soon on a plan for its independence from Serbia. U.N. Special Prosecutor Robert Dean told a news conference the deaths of the two men were "unnecessary and avoidable". The victims were not a threat to anyone at the time either was shot, he said in a report. The report added that evidence so far suggested that the shots "were fired from one or two of the Romanian ... gunners". "Although it could be argued that these deaths were accidental, that would not detract from the reasonable suspicion that such shooting was criminal," it said. The report listed the possible charges as murder, negligent murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm. The investigation had not identified which of the officers fired the fatal shots, so criminal proceedings could not yet be initiated. One of the victims was shot behind the ear as he ran through the lobby of a hotel, away from the scene of the protest. The Romanian Interior Ministry said it took note of the report's main conclusion "which observes the lack of any individual criminal responsibility of any Romanian member of the UNMIK (U.N. Mission in Kosovo) contingent". It offered its support for the investigation "in agreement with the principles of international law and based on strict respect for the rights of Romanian citizens". Around 3,000 ethnic Albanians took part in the February demonstration, demanding full and immediate independence and rejecting a Western-backed plan offering supervised statehood. Kosovo's interior minister and the British head of the U.N. police force in the province both resigned over the violence. The province of 2 million people has been run by the United Nations since 1999, when NATO bombs drove out Serb forces accused of atrocities in a two-year war with separatist rebels. The West is anxious for the Security Council to adopt the independence plan by the summer.
