The NATO allies give full support to Ahtisaari, Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said in Brussels after a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
Two meetings were held in the NATO headquarters. The first was held by the alliance's 26 foreign ministers, who were later joined by the foreign ministers of countries participating in NATO's ISAF Mission to Afghanistan. Croatia was represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and European Integration Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic.
Scheffer said the ministers had not discussed Ahtisaari's proposal for Kosovo in detail but had given him full support.
Despite insistence from the press, he declined to comment on Ahtisaari's proposal in any way. The definition of Kosovo's final status is a process led by the UN envoy, this is not a NATO job, he said, adding that the alliance had responsibilities within its Kosovo Force.
Asked if KFOR was ready for possible unrest or riots after the publication of Ahtisaari's proposal, Scheffer said he could not predict any scenario but that NATO troops were ready for any possibility and could protect the minority as well as the majority.
The discussion on Kosovo continued with a so-called Transatlantic lunch hosted by the Belgian government.
The Vienna meeting at which Ahtisaari presented his proposal for the final status of Kosovo was held behind closed doors so the document was not published. The Contact Group is comprised of Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, the United States and Russia.
Ahtisaari will officially present his proposal in Pristina and Belgrade in one week.
According to diplomatic sources, Kosovo may count on some sort of provisional independence and on remaining under international supervision also after the determination of its final status. The UN's role in the province will gradually be taken over by a European Union civil mission.
Ahtisaari has been mediating in negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo Albanians in Vienna since last February. He is expected to put his proposal to the Security Council, which has the final say in the settlement of the Kosovo issue, for adoption in March.
Citing diplomatic sources, news agencies said that Ahtisaari's proposal met with different reactions at the Contact Group meeting. Russia allegedly pushed for delaying the settlement of the Kosovo status issue until Serbia forms a new government, while all other Contact Group countries supported Ahtisaari's proposal, maintaining that Kosovo's Albanians have the right to self-determination and that there is no reason to postpone the solution.