London ? Kosovo will unilaterally declare independence within days of a December deadline to wrap up talks if international negotiators fail to reach a deal on the status of the disputed province, its ethnic Albanian leaders said Tuesday.

Envoys from the United States, the European Union, and Russia are trying to broker a deal between Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians – who want full independence from Serbia – and Serbian officials, who oppose any such move. With time running out for agreement before the Dec. 10 deadline to end talks, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Prime Minister Agim Ceku said independence was inevitable.

“It has to happen. It has to happen very soon after the 10th of December,” Ceku said. “We are talking about a couple of days, not weeks, not months.”

Serbian leaders have repeatedly rejected Kosovo’s moves toward independence, and have promised everything short of military action to keep the province as part of Serbia. Kosovo’s leaders, meanwhile, have refused to moderate their demands for full independence.