UN urged to postpone decision on Kosovo

SERBIA:Serb president Boris Tadic has urged the United Nations to delay a decision on Kosovo's bid for independence until after the formation of a new government in Belgrade, rather than immediately after general elections a fortnight tomorrow.

The UN planned to make its ruling - which is expected to grant some form of independence to Kosovo - at the end of last year, but postponed it to avoid angering Serb voters and potentially boosting election support for ultra-nationalist parties.

But Mr Tadic, whose moderate pro-Western party is expected to come first or second in the polls and lead the formation of a government, said it would be much harder to forge a coalition if the UN's envoy to Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, had already recommended sovereignty for the region.

"I cannot guess what Ahtisaari's proposal holds, but based on the principle of probability I do not believe it will be most favourable for the Serb side," Mr Tadic said.

"In that respect it would be better if we get Ahtisaari's proposal after forming a government."

Rémi Durlot, a spokesman for Mr Ahtisaari, ruled out any further delay however, saying the former Finnish president was "in the final stage" of preparing a proposal that would be unveiled "immediately after" the January 21st vote.

Western governments fear another postponement could spark violence in overwhelmingly Albanian Kosovo, which has been run by the UN since Nato bombing ended a bloody Serb crackdown on separatists in 1999.

Diplomats expect Mr Ahtisaari to present his proposals to the six-nation Kosovo Contact Group in late January, then show it to leaders in Belgrade and Kosovo, before presenting it to the UN in March; he is expected to recommend independence for Kosovo under the supervision of EU and Nato troops.

But Russia, a traditional Serb ally that is fighting Muslim separatists in its own North Caucasus region, could use its UN Security Council veto to block independence for Kosovo, which many Serbs see as the historical heartland of their nation.

Mr Tadic has told Serbs that the UN could impose a final decision on Kosovo, and he has urged them to prepare for the loss of the region.

But his stance has been fiercely criticised by the ultra-nationalist Radical Party, which surveys suggest could be the most popular single party in the election, and which wants Serbia to sever ties with any state that recognises a sovereign Kosovo.