(Adds quotes, background) By Thomas Krumenacker BERLIN, Jan 19 (Reuters) - A decision on the fate of Kosovo must bring "maximum" satisfaction to the citizens of the province without stirring turbulence in Serbia, German Chancellor Angela Merkel told Reuters on Friday.U.N. Kosovo envoy Martti Ahtisaari is due to present proposals on the future of the Serbian province, one of the poorest in Europe and scarred by ethnic conflict, following Serbian elections on Sunday. "We need maximum satisfaction in Kosovo but also satisfaction, or at least no turbulence, in Serbia," Merkel said in an interview ahead of the vote. Kosovo's 90 percent Albanian majority has demanded full independence since NATO intervened in their 1990s uprising against Serbian repression while Belgrade favours no more than autonomy for what was once the heart of a medieval Serb kingdom. "First we want to see the democratic powers in Serbia strengthened after the election and then we will do everything we can to negotiate astutely while still moving ahead with political decisions," Merkel said. "What brings me hope is that Mr. Ahtisaari is also speaking to the Serbs and that, I believe, is the right way to solve the problems." Most EU members and the United States favour giving Kosovo Albanians a form of supervised independence later this year since there is no prospect of forcing them back into the arms of Belgrade after seven years under U.N. protection. Ahtisaari will present his report as the time nears for the U.N. Security Council to draft a new resolution to wind up the current U.N. mission and mandate a new envoy for Kosovo. Passage of a new U.N. resolution may be complicated by Serbia's historical ally Russia, which holds a veto right in the Security Council. As EU president, Germany will take a lead role in trying to forge a common bloc stance on the matter and broking agreement with Russia. For domestic political reasons, some EU members such as Spain also have doubts about granting Kosovo independence.
