Kosovo, Slovenia establish diplomatic relations

Kosovo, which declared independence in February, established on Tuesday diplomatic relations with Slovenia at the level of embassies, the Kosovo government said in a statement.

Diplomatic relations were established in order to strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two countries on an equal footing, on the principles of mutual acknowledgment, respect of independence and territorial integrity and non-interference in internal affairs, said the statement.

The protocol on the establishment of diplomatic relations was signed by Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel.

The Slovenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that Slovenia established on Tuesday diplomatic relations with Kosovo in a written statement exchanged by mail.

Slovenia is not yet considering the option of opening an embassy in Kosovo, according to the ministry.

Slovenia recognized Kosovo's independence on March 5, more than two weeks after Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Feb. 17 this year. Kosovo has been formally recognized by 36 countries, of which Albania, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland and the United States have opened their embassies in Pristina.

U.S. opens embassy in Kosovo

Tina Kaidanow, former head of the U.S. office and incumbent charge d'affaires, said the opening of the U.S. embassy in Pristina was the result of Kosovo's new status as "an independent country" which had been recognized by the strongest and most progressive countries in the world.

Kaidanow said the opening of the embassy had been officially approved by the U.S. Congress and that it marked a new stage in U.S.-Kosovo relations.

Since Kosovo proclaimed independence on Feb. 17, it has been formally recognized by 36 countries, of which Albania, Great Britain, Germany, Switzerland, and now the United States, have opened their embassies in Pristina. The United States is one of the first countries to recognize Kosovo's independence and the first country to open its office in Kosovo in the 1990s.

Serb foreign minister says May election 'crucial' to country's relations with Europe

Serbia's parliamentary election will be crucial for the country's relationship with the rest of Europe, and voters angered by Kosovo's secession could turn to politicians hostile to the EU, Serbia's foreign minister said Wednesday.

Nationalists have gained strength from growing frustration over several countries' recognition of the independence of Kosovo, a predominantly ethnic Albanian province that split from Serbia in February despite Belgrade's vociferous objections.

Serbia considers Kosovo its historic and religious heartland and has says Pristina acted illegally. The secession has led to tension in the region, and Belgrade has vowed never to allow Kosovo to join international institutions such as the United Nations.

The results of the May 11 election "will be very close, and the discourse will be animated and polarizing," Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said during a conference near Athens.

"For these are dramatic times in Serbia — times in which confusion abounds, populism is resurfacing and aspirations are being reformulated."

Serbia called parliamentary and local elections after the coalition government collapsed over disagreements about how the country should respond to Kosovo's declared independence. Nationalists demand that Belgrade abandon its bid to join the European Union unless the bloc acknowledges Kosovo as a part of Serbia. The pro-Western camp argues that Serbia must strive for EU membership regardless of Kosovo.

Jeremic described the upcoming vote as the most important since 2000, when an uprising toppled former President Slobodan Milosevic. Jeremic said it will "produce radical consequences for the coming development of my country and the Western Balkans."

The election's main issue will be whether Serbia should grow closer to the rest of Europe, the foreign minister stressed.

"This election will be about choosing the future course of Serbia. ... Yes, I believe that the critical battle for the European soul of the Western Balkans is upon us, and that it will be fought at polling stations across my country," he said.

Jeremic said many Serbs turned against the EU after some if its members recognized Kosovo as an independent country.

For the first time since Milosevic's ouster, "the European idea in Serbia is on the defensive," Jeremic said. "It is no longer seen as our destiny, but as a decision for us to make."

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana said on Tuesday that the bloc should sign a pre-membership agreement with Serbia quickly to strengthen pro-Western opinion in the country before the election.

Serbia has not been allowed to sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement — the first step toward EU membership — because it has failed to arrest two suspected war criminals and hand them over to the U.N. tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands.

But Solana said closer EU cooperation with Serbia would help supporters of the EU in Serbia in the election.

Jeremic said Belgrade was prepared to sign the agreement immediately, adding that this "would go a long way to secure regional stability."

In Belgrade, however, nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica insisted that signing the agreement would amount to "a signature for independent Kosovo."

Kostunica described the upcoming election as a vote "for the defense of our country and the defense of Kosovo."

Speaking in Greece, Jeremic said joining the EU "would bring us together in democracy as never before."

Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis echoed the sentiment, saying the issue over Kosovo will only be resolved once Serbia joins the EU.

"A true solution to Kosovo will only be seen when Serbia and the whole region are part of the European Union," Bakoyannis said during the conference also attended by her counterparts from Albania, Bulgaria and Romania, as well as the prime minister of the Bosnian Serb republic.

Kosovo, Bakoyannis said, is "an important challenge not only for us, the countries in the region ... it is a challenge to Europe itself."

Cyprus will never recognise Kosovo

CYPRUS will never recognise Kosovo because it, like Serbia, is struggling to preserve its own territorial integrity, Foreign Minister Marcos Kyprianou said yesterday.

Kyprianou was speaking after a meeting with his Serbian counterpart Vuk Jeremic, who is on a visit to the island.

“Cyprus does not recognise Kosovo. For us, it is a question of principles, a question of preserving and safeguarding the territorial integrity of both countries. This is a principle of the United Nations, the Helsinki Final Act, a principle of international law and on the basis of these principles, we will never recognise Kosovo,” Kyprianou said.

“We are also striving to maintain the territorial integrity of our country and even though we know the position that Kosovo is a sui generis case and does not create a precedent, nevertheless it does violate the same principles of international law.”

The Foreign Minister said that although some European countries had recognised Kosovo’s recent declaration of independence from Serbia, it was not an “EU recognition” and was not an EU policy
“It is good to remember that many states in the EU have not and will not recognise Kosovo,” said Kyprianou. “There is no EU position on this, this should not become a condition for Serbia to move closer to EU or join the EU.”

He said Cyprus fully supported Belgrade’s EU process, saying Serbia belonged in Europe.

Jeremic said it was a great honour for him to be the first Serbian Foreign Minister to visit Cyprus, whose political problem was also an issue of principle and of international law, as was his country’s issue with the Kosovo declaration.

“Serbia considers the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo void and it carries no legal or political meaning for us,” Jeremic said.
“For us, the territorial integrity of Serbia remains intact, we are going to continue using our diplomatic work.”

Serbia would also continue its ambition to join the EU, said Jeermic.

“We do not expect this condition [Kosovo] to be posed in front of us”, he added.

UNMIK: Kosovo vote breaches 1244

The Kosovo Ministry claims that UNMIK itself has renounced its authority on the issue.

At a press conference for international organizations working in Kosovo, UNMIK spokesman Alexander Ivanko said that UNMIK would most probably respond to Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardžić’s letter this week, but that holding local elections in the province was in breach of Resolution 1244 and UNMIK’s powers.

“Last Friday, Minister Samardžić sent UNMIK a short letter in which he seemed to be seeking permission to hold Serbian parliamentary and local elections in Kosovo,” explained Ivanko.

According to the spokesman, UNMIK considered the organization of local elections in Kosovo to be a contravention of Resolution 1244 and the UNMIK executive authorities, and that those elections would be illegitimate.

He said that UNMIK’s position on parliamentary elections remained as before—“we don’t support them, but we won’t obstruct them.”

Ivanko said that UNMIK had contacted Contact Group representatives and the Kosovo government vis-à-vis the elections.

“The Contact Group unanimously believes that local elections should not be held in Kosovo,” explained the spokesman.

He said that UNMIK would decide on what further steps to take after it had received a reply from Belgrade to the letter they were about to send concerning the elections.

“The only authority for organizing and confirming local elections in Kosovo is UNMIK, and if the results aren’t confirmed, then they are not valid,” stressed Ivanko.

However, State Secretary at the Kosovo Ministry Dušan Proroković denies that calling local elections in the province contravenes Resolution 1244.

“The situation is absolutely clear. UNMIK has renounced its authority to organize local elections, so the Serbian government is taking over something that is no longer in the UN mission’s jurisdiction,” Prorokovic told the Wednesday issue of daily Vecernje Novosti.

According to the Kosovo Ministry official, a silent transition is under way in the province, and many powers are being transferred from UNMIK to the Kosovo government. A Foreign Ministry is being set up in Kosovo at present without any reaction from the UN mission, and this constitutes a flagrant violation of Resolution 1244.

U.S.: UNMIK to decide on Kosovo vote

A senior State Department official says that UNMIK will decide whether Serbian elections will be held in Kosovo.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Rosemary Di Carlo added that the UN mission had been responsible for organizing elections in Kosovo since 1999.

“UNMIK has governed Kosovo, and now—in this transitional period—is monitoring processes such as elections,” she told Voice of America, stating that it was necessary to await an UNMIK decision.

“In any case, it’s clear we believe that it would have been better if the Serbs had taken part in the Kosovo elections in November. Some of those that took part entered parliament and the government. Our aim in Kosovo is to have a multi-ethnic society that European civilization is founded on. And we hope that a solution will be found in the near future,” Di Carlo said.

She underlined the importance of respecting international institutions in Kosovo—the UN, KFOR, and the EU mission that was being established.

Di Carlo added that the situation in northern Kosovo was complex, and that dialogue and time would be required to ensure greater freedom, peace and prosperity.

Serbia outraged at Haradinaj acquittal

Serbian officials said Friday the war crimes acquittal of a former Kosovo rebel leader will increase tensions in Kosovo and diminish the chances that top Serb fugitives Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic will be arrested.

The U.N. tribunal in The Hague, Netherlands, ruled on Thursday that there was not enough evidence to convict former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj of murder, torture and rape of Serbs and non-Albanians during the Kosovo war.

The crimes were committed by his rebel Kosovo Liberation Army soldiers. Haradinaj was exonerated of responsibility and of a conspiracy to drive ethnic Serbs from Kosovo to seize complete control for ethnic Albanians.

The judges said much of the evidence was "vague, inconclusive or nonexistent," but they also acknowledged that many witnesses were too afraid to testify, even when the court indicted them for contempt. The prosecution had not yet decided whether to appeal.

Haradinaj was released from a U.N. jail and was to return to Kosovo on Friday.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Feb. 17. Belgrade says the action violated international law and has pledged to retake the territory one day.

In Serbia, pro-Western and nationalist politicians joined law experts in condemning the ruling, saying there had been sufficient evidence to convict Haradinaj, who was one of the most feared rebel leaders of Kosovo's 1998-99 war.

"The ruling is truly worrisome," Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said late Thursday on local Pink television. "It turns out that crime pays."

Kostunica's minister for Kosovo, Slobodan Samardzic, said: "The ruling is catastrophic and will have numerous political, moral and legal consequences."

Hardline nationalists cited Haradinaj's release to demand that Serbia halt any cooperation with the Netherlands-based court.

Some officials said the chances that Serbia will now hand over the two most wanted Bosnian Serb fugitives — Karadzic, the wartime political leader, and Mladic, his military commander — are now minimal because no Serbian government could make such a move against the two, who are still widely regarded as national heroes here.

"Unfortunately, after this, Radovan Karadzic and Ratko Mladic will never end up in the Hague," said Oliver Ivanovic, a moderate Serb leader from Kosovo.

Karadzic and Mladic are both wanted on genocide charges for orchestrating the 1995 massacre of 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica and other war crimes during the 1992-95 Bosnian war. The two remain at large, despite huge international pressure on Serbia to arrest them.

Serbia's pro-Western leaders have in the past pledged to capture the two. But they also criticized Haradinaj's acquittal and are considered unlikely to seek the arrest of the Serb fugitives before parliamentary elections in May, during which the reformists will face a tough challenge from the nationalists.

Pro-Western Serbian President Boris Tadic said that Haradinaj's acquittal "does not bring justice and does not encourage the Serbs and other non-Albanians to trust they will have a safe and calm life in Kosovo in the future."

Deputy Prime Minister Bozidar Djelic added that "Hardinaj's acquittal presents a huge blow to stability in the region and will have negative effect on the reconciliation process."

Serbia's war crimes prosecutor, Vladimir Vukcevic, said that the acquittal is so "outrageous" that the U.N. war crimes tribunal for former Yugoslavia "is ready for retirement."

Verdict due in war crimes case of ex-Kosovo PM

The U.N. war crimes tribunal will deliver its verdict on Thursday in the trial of Kosovo's former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, charged with torturing and murdering Serbs to drive them out of the region.

Prosecutors are seeking a prison sentence of 25 years for Haradinaj, 39, a Kosovo Albanian commander of the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), as well as for his two co-accused, also senior KLA figures during the 1998-99 war with Serb forces.

Haradinaj, his uncle Lahi Brahimaj, and Idriz Balaj, the commander of the KLA's "Black Eagles" special unit, have pleaded not guilty to charges of torture, murder, rape and deportation.

Prosecutors said Haradinaj, considered a hero by many Kosovo Albanians, kept a tight control over his guerrilla force and subjected any perceived collaborators among the local population to brutal treatment.

"There was a saying: 'God in heaven, Haradinaj on earth'," prosecutor David Re said when he summed up his case in January.

The former nightclub bouncer resigned as Prime Minister in 2005, a post he held for only a matter of months, after being indicted by the U.N. tribunal.

During the trial prosecutors said Haradinaj led a campaign to drive Serbs and Roma from their villages, with those left behind killed and tortured.

They alleged that KLA forces had used a lake and canal area as an execution ground, dumping the bodies of their civilian victims. Investigators recovered at least 31 bodies.

Others were tortured at a makeshift prison camp, where many died as a result of their injuries.

"Haradinaj, Balaj and Brahimaj participated enthusiastically in the joint criminal enterprise, and are guilty of crimes against humanity including persecution and murder" prosecutors said in a final brief to the court.

Throughout the trial prosecutors reported witness intimidation which led to two key witnesses refusing to testify.

Haradinaj's defence lawyers, who did not present a case but submitted a document to the court, said the soldier-turned-politician had fought an honourable war, targeting combatants not civilians.

"The Prosecution has not proved his personal participation in any of the crimes alleged. Nor has the prosecution proved that he ordered, authorised or condoned any of these crimes," they wrote.

Haradinaj is the most senior former KLA guerrilla to be indicted over the war and the case has been closely followed in Kosovo.

Kosovo's 90 percent Albanian majority declared independence in February. Serbia's former province has been run by the United Nations since a 1999 NATO air war to halt Serb ethnic cleansing forced the pullout of Serb forces.

EU top envoy in Kosovo approves draft constitution

The European Union Special Representative in Kosovo, Pieter Feith, on Wednesday approved the draft constitution for Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February.

"Kosovo will have a modern Constitution guaranteeing full respect of individual and community rights, including those of Kosovo Serbs, under the rule of law. The right to local self-government is firmly anchored in the Draft Constitution," Feith said in a statement.

Feith, who also acts as the International Civilian Representative for Kosovo, is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Kosovo status settlement proposal drafted by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.

The proposal of Ahtisaari is the framework for the draft constitution. According to Ahtisaari's proposal, Kosovo should be a state but under international supervision, to ensure the protection of minority rights and respect for the rule of law.

Feith said in the statement that the constitution provides comprehensive rights for members of communities as well as effective guarantees for the protection of the national, linguistic and religious identity of all communities.

"On this basis, I believe the government and all the citizens of Kosovo can move ahead to build a sustainable, multi-ethnic society that is a home for all," said Feith.

Feith's approval opens the door for the 120-seat Kosovo parliament to formally approve the constitution by mid April.

The constitution is expected to come into effect on June 15 this year, when the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) of some 2,000 policemen, judges and advisers is scheduled to take over authority from the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) that has been in charge since the end of the war in 1999.

However, without a new UN Security Council resolution in sight, it is far from certain there will be smooth transition from the UNMIK to EULEX.

Russia opposes Ahtisaari's proposal and threatens to block it at the UN Security Council. But the United States and most EU member countries recognized Kosovo as a state and agreed to deploy the EULEX to implement Ahtisaari's proposal under EU leadership.

The EU mission has veto power over decisions of the Kosovo authorities that affect the implementation of the Ahtisaari settlement.

Serbia has rejected Ahtisaari's proposal and Kosovo's independence, calling on Kosovo Serbs for a boycott of the EU mission in areas of Kosovo where they live.

Police Officer 'Shot At' In Kosovo Town

A Kosovo Police Officer is reported to have been targeted in gunfire, during a series of incidents around the Kosovo flashpoint of Mitrovica.

Besim Hoti, the regional spokesperson of Kosovo Police Service, KPS told Balkan Insight that “according to a Serb officer of KPS, a group of Albanian youngsters fired in his direction.”

“This is believed to have happened during a fight between Albanian and Serbian youths, to which police were responding,” Hoti explained.

This incident occurred in the multi-ethnic village of Suhadoll/Suvi Dol on the outskirts of Mitrovica.

“There were reports that gunfire was heard coming from a group of men,” a police statement reads.

Hoti added that “KFOR intervened and avoided any further escalation by calming the situation.”

“It is suspected that the shootings were directed towards the KPS officer who was at the scene,” police said.

Most of the Kosovo Police officers in the northern half of the ethnically-divided town of Mitrovica are ethnic Serbs.

According to a police statement around “15 cartridge-cells of the automatic weapon believed to be involved in this case, were recovered and seized by police as material evidence.”

“Nobody was injured and after the collection of cartridge-cells, the investigation is ongoing,” the statement reads.

Serbs have reportedly asked the NATO-led peacekeepers, KFOR to remain and keep the situation under control.

The incidents come just weeks after the violent unrest that engulfed Mitrovica, when one UN police officer was killed and more than 100 people injured.

Mitrovica’s Mayor, Bajram Rexhepi, in the meantime, said “both communities are urged to remain calm and avoid any provocation.”

Serbs in Kosovo have been protesting against the February 17 declaration of independence by ethnic Albanian leaders on a near daily basis and tensions are running high.

Koštunica: Kosovo cannot be traded

The Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) leader told a crowd of some 100 supporters that he had come to Topola to confirm “what we all carry in our hearts, and that is that we have no other fatherland.”

Stating that Serbia required a state-building and nationally responsible government, he called on citizens to vote for the DSS-New Serbia(NS) list, called “Support Serbia”, on May 11.

Koštunica said that the job of the new government would be to continue the fight for Kosovo, for which “we’re encouraged by the fact that 150 countries worldwide think that Kosovo is Serbia.”

“Law and justice will out,” he proclaimed.

The DSS leader said that another task of the new government would be to continue the path to the EU, though, as he put it, Serbia should enter the Union with inviolable borders.

“Serbia and Šumadija know fine well that Serbia is in Europe, and that the Serbian people are a European people. If that’s so, no-one can take us into or lead us out of Europe,” he stressed.

Serbia’s economic development was also a key priority, Koštunica said, “but not increasing the foreign currency balances of certain ministers,” as was tackling crime.

The DSS leader said that these jobs had not been done because the DSS and New Serbia had “had differences” with their former coalition partners, not just over Kosovo, but over the country’s economic development, which was shown by the fact that “they don’t want the Horgoš-Požega highway” and their objections to the Russian energy deal.

“Serbia deserves better than Čanak, the Democratic Party (DS) and G17 Plus,” he reiterated.

NS leader Velimir Ilić called on citizens to vote for things to go “full speed ahead,” so that everyone’s life could improve. He said that Serbia needed to regain its dignity.

Welcoming his guests, Topola Municipal President Dragan Jovanović (NS) said that “these people” would help Serbia move forward, and called on citizens to vote for the DSS-NS list.

Some hundred people gathered in the center of Topola carrying party and national flags and banners with the message, “Kosovo is Serbia.”

To the accompaniment of national and folk songs in the background, the DSS-NS leaders were served a traditional welcome of “pogača” bread and salt.

Prior to the meeting, they laid wreaths at the Karađorđe Monument at Oplenac, and afterwards, they spoke to Bishop of Šumadija Jovan.

After Topola, the DSS-NS coalition leaders will take their campaign on to Aranđelovac and Mledenovac.

Kosovo Serbs hold large demonstration against independence

Thousands of ethnic Serbs held a large-scale demonstration in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica on Tuesday, vowing never to recognize Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia.

Addressing the rally, held under the slogan "Serbia - Yes, Independent Kosovo - Never," protest leaders said they would organize protests until Kosovo's declaration of independence was nullified by the United Nations.

Local Serb leader Dragisa Milovic said that the Serbs respect UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and want to continue cooperation with NATO-led peace-keepers and the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) so that this resolution could be implemented in Kosovo.

"The Kosovo Serbs are for peace and stability in our municipalities and in the region and all problems that arise, such as the courts, railways, police, can be resolved peacefully and through talks, and a dialogue between Belgrade and UNMIK," Milovic said.

Milovic said May 11 Serbian general and local elections must be organized in Kosovo, so Serbs here can elect their legitimate representatives.

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu is against the elections, saying Kosovo can not serve any more as an election zone for Serbia.

The demonstration was organized by the Serb National Council of Northern Kosovo. The next protest rally was announced for April 8.

Serbs also held a peaceful protest in the Gracanica enclave near the Kosovo capital Pristina. The protesters reiterated their support for the demand of more than 200 Serb members of the Kosovo Police Service that they are returned under UNMIK command.

The protesters also said that the ethnic Albanian police officers should leave the local police station and all sub-stations in Serb areas and that they are replaced by the UNMIK police.

Police in Kosovo arrest Serb suspected of war crimes

International prosecutors in Kosovo are questioning a Serb suspected of committing war crimes in the 1998-99 Kosovo war.

Officials say the 48-year old, identified by authorities as M. Jovanovic, was recognized on the streets of Pec, the city where he is believed to have murdered and kidnapped ethnic Albanians. Police did not give details.

Some 10,000 ethnic Albanians were killed by Serbia's forces during a crackdown on separatist Albanians in the war.

International judges and prosecutors deal with sensitive cases regarding war crimes or serious crimes committed during the conflict.

US Official: Kosovo Not a Precedent

Challenged by Congress, a State Department official said Wednesday that U.S. support for Kosovo's independence was an exception to the general rule of discouraging secession.

"Kosovo in our view does not constitute a precedent," Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Fried told the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The United States was among the first countries to recognize Kosovo after its Feb. 17 declaration of independence from Serbia.

Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, questioned the Bush administration's authority to choose whether or not a group is entitled to a country of its own. Fried, defending the decision, acknowledged that "supporting separatism is generally not a good idea. This is very much an exception."

Siding with Poe, Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., said U.S. recognition of Kosovo "will lead to further conflict down the road" and "more heartbreak."

But the committee chairman, Rep. Howard L. Berman, D-Calif., complimented President Bush for helping to launch the new country. "I believe this step will shore up the security and stability of the Balkans."

The administration's position also won the backing of Rep. Eliot L. Engel, D-N.Y., who said there were no good alternatives, including maintaining Serbia's control of its former territory. Neither U.N. nor Serbian control was a workable alternative, he said.

Fried agreed, saying Serbia lost control of Kosovo in 1999 and the question now is whether Belgrade casts its lot with Europe or pursues self-isolation.

"Our efforts in the Balkans are based on one overarching objective: the integration of the region into Euro-Atlantic institutions," he said.

"Many things can go wrong and some things probably will," he added. "But leaving Kosovo in limbo under U.N. administration could not continue indefinitely."

Fried said the United States would participate in a European Union mission to promote the rule of law in Kosovo. He said the administration is committed to providing about 80 police, two judges and four to six prosecutors to an overall international staff of 1,900. The EU will bear the brunt of the mission's cost, he said.

The independence has stirred anger in Serbia. But Fried said he met with Kosovo Serbs on a trip last Friday and they told him they reject any violence.

Also at the hearing, Fried said "there is a developing consensus" in support of NATO membership for Albania, Croatia and Macedonia. The military alliance is expected to take up the matter at a summit next month in Bucharest, Romania.

Serbia will not punish Kosovo with embargo

Serbia promised on Tuesday not to undermine Kosovo's fragile economy with an embargo, despite its strong opposition to the ethnic Albanian region's declaration of independence last month.

"It is in our vital interest that all of Kosovo's communities prosper, and prosper together in peace, security and reconciliation as neighbors in a progressive society of hope and forgiveness," Vuk Jeremic, Serbia's foreign minister, told the U.N. Security Council.

"This is why Serbia does not intend to impose an embargo, and why we have a clear policy of not resorting to the force of arms," he said.

Before Kosovo declared independence, Belgrade had warned it would use all economic, political and diplomatic means at its disposal to prevent the secession.

The 15-nation Security Council has been deadlocked for months on Kosovo with Serbia's ally Russia disagreeing with fellow permanent council members Britain, France and the United States, which support Kosovan independence.

Not all of the 27 European Union members have recognized Kosovo, but Brussels is deploying a supervisory mission that will monitor the territory's progress as an independent state.

The loss of Kosovo by Belgrade undermined Serbia's coalition government. It dissolved on March 10, opening the door for parliamentary elections in May.

Russia, the current president of the Security Council, circulated a draft statement that would have condemned Kosovo's independence. It received only polite acknowledgment from Britain and the United States who said there was no real change on the council, leaving the situation in deadlock.

"I think we are all conscious that there are political events going on in Serbia at the moment and I don't think there is going to be any rapid or marked change in the position in the Security Council that you have seen for some months now," British U.N. Ambassador John Sawers said after the meeting.

Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said the government could not stay in office faced with the conflicting goals of defending Kosovo and joining the European Union.

Jeremic said these the elections would be a watershed for Serbia. "Real concrete differences exist on economic and social issues and on the crucial issue of Serbia's future in Europe."

But he said the election would not primarily be about Kosovo because there was broad agreement the former province belonged to Serbia.

Polls suggest the election may not produce a clear winner and could lead to long negotiations to form a new coalition. Such a delay could stall urgent legislation and the arrest of war crimes suspects -- a condition for EU membership.

Kosovo's population is roughly 2 million, 90 percent of whom are ethnic Albanian. Belgrade is instructing Kosovo's 120,000 remaining Serbs to sever ties with the government and ignore a new EU mission.

Kostunica: only a Serbia including Kosovo will join EU

Serbia's caretaker prime minister insisted on Tuesday that only a Serbia including Kosovo would join the European Union, days after his government collapsed amid disagreement over Kosovo's independence and its consequences.

Vojislav Kostunica said early elections in Serbia should send a message to the EU that ``only with Kosovo'' Serbia can join the bloc. Serbia has rejected Kosovo's Feb. 17 declaration of independence, but Serb politicians disagree over how to handle it.

Kostunica's statement on Tuesday was seen as a rejection of an EU appeal that Serbia avoid isolationism and stay on course for membership in the bloc.

Kostunica on Monday asked Serbia's pro-Western President Boris Tadic to call early elections in May, after his government collapsed in an impasse between Kostunica and Tadic over how to react to Kosovo's independence and the support it has been given by many EU countries.

Kostunica had said on Saturday that his conservatives could not function alongside the president's Democrats because of their insistence on pursuing EU membership. Serbia considers Kosovo its historic and religious heartland, and rejects Kosovo's statehood as illegal under international law.

``Serbia must respect its own sovereignty and territorial integrity in order to get EU's respect,'' Kostunica told state Tanjug news agency on Tuesday.

He has insisted EU nations rescind their recognition of Kosovo's statehood before Serbia resumes pre-membership talks. Tadic opposes tying Serbia's EU membership to the Kosovo issue, and says Serbia has a better chance of fighting for its territorial rights if it is not isolated.

Early elections were seen as a test of whether Serbia would pursue the EU membership path or revert to the international isolation of the 1990s under the late strongman Slobodan Milosevic.

``In the elections, Serbia must send a clear message that Kosovo is Serbia and that Serbia can enter the EU only with Kosovo,'' Kostunica said Tuesday.

Tadic said he would call elections for May 11, and has until Thursday to make a formal announcement.

EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn said Serbia should accept its European future, earning that the other option ``is a road to nowhere.''

``Serbia has a crucial choice to make. They can either turn to the European future or risk self-imposed isolation,'' Rehn reporters in Brussels, Belgium, after a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

Kosovo was put under U.N. control in 1999, after a NATO air war halted Milosevic's crackdown on Kosovo's ethnic Albanian separatists.

Serbia Calls for UN to Keep Administering Kosovo

Serbia's foreign minister says the responsibilities of the U.N. mission in Kosovo must not be transferred to any other organization, such as the European Union. He also told the U.N. Security Council Tuesday that Belgrade would not accept Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence and urged countries that have recognized the breakaway province to reconsider their decision. From United Nations headquarters in New York, VOA's Margaret Besheer has more.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic told the Security Council that resolution 1,244, which placed Kosovo under U.N. administration in 1999, must be respected. He also insisted that there be no change to the mandate of the U.N. mission in Kosovo, known as UNMIK.

"Resolution 1,244 must be observed in full. This is the only way to prevent a further deterioration of the situation on the ground. There must be no erosion of UNMIK's clearly defined mandate by the Security Council. Therefore, we strongly demand that no further transfer of competencies from UNMIK to any other body take place," he said.

Serbia is concerned about the European Union's decision last month to authorize the deployment of a 2,000 strong force to Kosovo to train local police, justice and border officials, saying its activities would be outside the parameters of resolution 1,244. So far, only about 20 members of the force have been sent to Kosovo.

Jeremic also called on the countries that have recognized Kosovo's independence to reconsider their decision. But the ambassadors of both the United States and Britain said their governments would not change their positions.

Serbia's ally Russia, says it would not accept Kosovo's independence as a new reality. Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin says the situation on the ground could not be recognized as a legal reality until and unless there is agreement between the Serbs and Kosovars, and until there is a new decision from the Security Council on something that would replace resolution 1,244.