Serb nationalists seek anti-EU vote over Kosovo

Serbia's Parliament is likely to adopt a resolution within days calling for the country to reject all formal ties with the European Union until the bloc withdraws its support for Kosovo's independence.

The draft, submitted by the nationalist Radical Party yesterday, is backed by the party of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and by the Socialists of late President Slobodan Milosevic. Altogether they hold 144 of the assembly's 250 seats.

The resolution condemns the EU's deployment of an "illegal" supervisory mission to Kosovo after the former Serbian province seceded last month, and calls on the EU to withdraw it.

It also asks all EU countries that have recognised Kosovo as independent - Britain, France and Germany among others - to annul their decision.

"We, the representatives of the people of Serbia warn the EU that only a whole, not a fragmented Serbia can and wants to negotiate on European integration," the resolution states.

"Parliament calls on the EU to clearly and unequivocally affirm the entirety of Serbia's territory as a condition for the resumption of talks on Serbia's association with the EU."

The Radicals asked for the resolution to go on the agenda for today, but the large number of items already scheduled for discussion - some of them urgent - means it could take up to 10 days for a vote to take place.

The Democratic Party of Serbian President Boris Tadic is "categorically against" the resolution, a senior party official said, as it would violate one of the founding principles of its ruling coalition with Mr Kostunica's party and a smaller party.

Serbia has initialled a pre-membership Stabilisation and Association Agreement, but the EU has blocked the signing of the accord until Belgrade delivers remaining war crimes suspects from the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s to the Hague tribunal.

A lesser so-called "political agreement" offered by the EU in late January in the hope of pre-empting a nationalist backlash over Kosovo was turned down by Mr Kostunica over the objections of Mr Tadic and liberals in the fragmented coalition.

In a statement to state news agency Tanjug, Mr Kostunica called for national unity in defending Serbia's claim on Kosovo.