Serbia denies plan to partition Kosovo

SERBIA:PRESIDENT BORIS Tadic has denied that Serbia wants to partition Kosovo along ethnic lines and has denounced a senior ally of nationalist prime minister Vojislav Kostunica for conducting dangerous policies in Kosovo without government approval.

Mr Tadic, whose party will face Mr Kostunica's in a snap general election in May, said that the minister with responsibility for Kosovo, Slobodan Samardzic, had not told him in advance about a plan for the disputed territory's future which he handed to UN officials.

Western diplomats said that the proposals amounted to partition between areas dominated by ethnic Albanians and Serbs.

The president accused Mr Samardzic of pursing policies which were not approved by the entire acting government and which harmed Serbia's interests.

The coalition between Mr Tadic's allies and supporters of Mr Kostunica collapsed after Kosovo declared independence last month, prompting fresh elections.

While both men refuse to accept Kosovo's sovereignty, the president opposes the premier's view that Belgrade should halt membership talks with the EU until it rejects Kosovo's independence, which has been recognised by 18 of the bloc's 27 members.

Mr Kostunica's hardline policy on Kosovo has been spearheaded recently by Mr Samardzic, who blamed this week's fatal riots in the town of Mitrovica on UN police who clashed with gun-and-grenade-wielding Serbs.

He also vowed that Belgrade would protect the 100,000 Serbs who live in 90 per cent Albanian Kosovo.

The plan he handed to UN officials last Sunday was only shown to Mr Tadic and to the foreign ministry, which his party controls, three days later.

While criticising Mr Samardzic, Mr Tadic maintained that there was "no secret plan to divide Kosovo".