January 9, 2007 (LPAC)--Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said in an interview with Japan's Asahi Shimbun daily published on Wednesday that he believes Kosovo would unilaterally announce its independence in the first half of February. "We cannot drag feet with independence any longer," he explained. "The U.S. and the EU member-states will immediately recognize our independence. The number of such states is likely to be considerable," Thaci said.