Rice says US committed to Kosovo independence

LISBON, July 19 (Reuters) Kosovo will get its independence from Serbia ''one way or another'' despite Russia's objections at the United Nations, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said today.

The United States is getting increasingly frustrated with Moscow's refusal to reach agreement on a U.N. resolution that would lead to Kosovo's independence from Russian ally Serbia.

Rice told reporters travelling with her to Lisbon for a meeting of the quartet of Middle East mediators that US President George W Bush had made it very clear that Kosovo should have its independence from Serbia, ''The United States is absolutely committed to that,'' said Rice, who will see Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Lisbon at the meeting of the quartet, which comprises the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations.

Asked whether the United States was prepared to move on Kosovo's path to independence outside of the United Nations, Rice said: ''We are committed to an independent Kosovo and we will get there one way or another.'' Rice is set to discuss Kosovo, among other issues, when she meets the foreign minister of Portugal, which holds the rotating presidency of the European Union, during her one-day trip to Lisbon.

Moscow, which has veto power in the U.N. Security Council, has rejected any move that would lead to Kosovo's independence and has said a draft European/US text has ''zero'' chance of being adopted.

Russia's refusal to budge on the issue has led to suggestions that the West could move ahead on a route towards independence for Kosovo outside of the 15-member UN Security council.

Last Friday, US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad threatened to act outside the Security Council whether Russia agreed or not to the resolution.

Kosovo, where 90 percent of the 2 million people are ethnic Albanians, has been run by the United Nations since NATO intervened in 1999 to halt the killing and expulsion of Albanians by Serb forces.

REUTERS ARB KP1648