Berlin - The German government said Thursday it would pledge 100 million euros (157 million dollars) in development aid for Kosovo this year and next when it attends a donors' conference in Brussels on Friday.

In Berlin, the Foreign Ministry said Germany was the second biggest source of foreign aid for Kosovo after the United States, with a focus on energy generation, water supplies and sewage, reforms to public administration and improving vocational training.

It said German officials would tell Prime Minister Hashim Thaci at the meeting, which is being organized by the European Union, that it was vital to concentrate on good government, to make development the priority, and to protect minorities.

The ministry noted that on top of the aid, Berlin was also bearing part of the costs of the UN mission in Kosovo UNMIK, NATO's Kosovo peacekeeping force KFOR and other international programmes. (dpa)