Serb nationalists seek anti-EU vote over Kosovo

BELGRADE (Reuters) - A resolution likely to be adopted bySerbia's parliament this week calls for the country to rejectall formal ties with the European Union until the blocwithdraws its support for the independence of Kosovo.

The draft, submitted by the nationalist Radical Party onTuesday, is backed by the party of Prime Minister VojislavKostunica and by the Socialists of late autocrat SlobodanMilosevic. Altogether they hold 144 of the assembly's 250seats.

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

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

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

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

Serbia has initialled a pre-membership Stabilisation andAssociation Agreement, but the EU has blocked the signing ofthe accord until Belgrade delivers remaining war crimessuspects from the Yugoslav wars of the 1990s to the Haguetribunal.

The Democratic Party of Serbia's President Boris Tadic is"categorically against" the resolution, a senior party officialsaid, as it would violate one of the founding principles of itsruling coalition with Kostunica's party and a smaller party.

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A lesser so-called "political agreement" offered by the EUin late January in the hope of pre-empting a nationalistbacklash over Kosovo was turned down by Kostunica over theobjections of Tadic and liberals in the fragmented coalition.

In a statement to state news agency Tanjug shortly afterthe draft resolution was submitted on Tuesday, Kostunica calledfor national unity in defending Serbia's claim on Kosovo.

Belgrade lost control of the Albanian-majority province in1999, when NATO intervened to expel Serb forces accused ofethnic cleansing while fighting a two-year guerrillainsurgency.

"Instead of division ... over the European Union, Serbianeeds a united stance, that we want to resume Europeanintegration as a whole country," Kostunica said.

"I'm calling on all ... to clearly say that Serbia is goinginto the EU only with its Kosovo."

His intransigence has caused a rift in the coalition andseveral ministers from pro-Western and technocratic partieshave vowed in recent days to push for closer ties with the EUas the only way towards stability and economic development.

Serbian media have speculated for weeks that a snapelection is inevitable to decide the country's future courseand may be called in late spring and held in September.

(Editing by Richard Meares)