Member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Friday throw their weight behind a proposal by the United Nations (UN)'s envoy on Kosovo about the future status of the Serbian province.

The 26 NATO nations showed "full unity behind (UN envoy Matti) Ahtisaari and the process he has laid out today to the Contact Group (on Kosovo)," NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Brussels.

But he refused to disclose the content of the proposal, which Ahtisaari presented to members of the Contact Group - the United States, Russia and key European nations - in Vienna, Austria.

The details of the document were not made public.

"(The allies feel) a need for a resolution as quickly as possible," de Hoop Scheffer said.

After a year of mediation between Serbs and Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, Ahtisaari is expected to propose some form of provisional independence for Kosovo, which has been administered by the UN since the NATO bombing campaign in 1999.

Ethnic Albanians, who account for 90 percent of Kosovo's population, want full independence, but the Serbian minority of the province and the Serb government have vehemently opposed the idea. Belgrade only agrees to give Kosovo broad autonomy.

NATO commands a 16,000-strong KFOR forces in the province, which is responsible for preserving peace and security there.

"The NATO allies reconfirmed their full commitment that NATO's KFOR will play its part through and beyond the (Kosovo) status process," he said.

Whatever happens during the process, the KFOR stands ready to "protect every civilian" in Kosovo, majority and minority alike, the NATO chief said.

He refused to speculate what will happen after the UN proposal is made public, only saying "the KFOR is prepared for all scenarios." The foreign ministers also called for enhanced cooperation between the military alliance and the European Union (EU), at both operational and political level, the secretary general said.

The EU is expected to assume oversight over Kosovo from the UN, with a civilian mission of about 100 members. The top EU envoy would have the power to veto Kosovo government decisions and legislation.

The U.S. and some EU governments have expressed indirect support for an independent Kosovo, but Russia has indicated it would block any deal that is not acceptable to Serbia.