Serbia says Kosovo 'puppet state' would be illegal

Serbia said yesterday that any unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo was illegal, after Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said the nation would not be humiliated by a "puppet state" on its territory. It also made clear there would be no cooperation with the European Union, whose mission is due to oversee post-independence life, law and order in the province.

Mr Kostunica went on national television yesterday to tell Serbia to brace for the imminent secession of Kosovo province, which their government would never accept. The coalition had adopted a document to annul in advance "an event which will become reality in a few days, about illegal violence and an act of declaring independence of Kosovo", Mr Kostunica said.

The ethnic Albanian majority of Kosovo plans to declare independence on Sunday and is expected to win swift recognition from major Western powers despite fierce opposition from Serbia and Russia.

"There would be no greater humiliation for Serbia if it, in any way, signed or agreed in some indirect way to this puppet state," Kostunica told the daily Glas Javnosti in an interview.

His divided coalition closed ranks yesterday to make clear no major Serbian political party accepts Kosovo's secession.

"All acts and activities of provisional authorities in Kosovo unilaterally declaring independence will be declared null and void for breaching the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, guaranteed... by the UN Charter," the document says. "These acts represent the brutal and unilateral secession of part of Serbia's territory and therefore are invalid and void," it said. The document said Serbia "annulled" any declaration of independence, but it was not clear what legal significance that would have.

The daily Vecernje Novosti said Serbia's announcement sought to ensure "that there is no illusion, not for a split second, that the phantom state can live in Serbia".

The government was also reviewing its secret list of security, diplomatic, legal, economic and social measures to counter the Kosovo proclamation.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, Serbia's ally, said Moscow also had a plan ready in case the West recognised Kosovo's independence and would act to safeguard Russia's security, but gave no details.

Kosovo's declaration comes almost nine years after Nato bombs drove out Serb forces to halt a wave of killings by Serb forces in a two year-war against separatist rebels.

Mr Putin yesterday accused Europe of double standards in pushing for Kosovo's independence from Serbia but not recognising other states' separatist bids.

"We consider that the one-sided support of a declaration of independence by Kosovo is not moral and not right," Mr Putin said at his annual news conference at the Kremlin. "It's shameful to approach these problems with double standards."

Ninety per cent of Kosovo's two million people are ethnic Albanians, but around 120,000 Serbs remain. The EU mission is intended to ensure promises of an equitable, multi-ethnic state under the rule of law are kept.

In a bid to stop the declaration of independence, Serbia, with the backing of Russia, has asked for an extraordinary session of the UN Security Council yesterday.