By Ivana Sekularac
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia braced itself on Wednesday forthe loss of Kosovo province, with its ally Russia apparentlyresigned to the territory's independence proclamation.
Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica called on Serbsin Kosovo not to leave the breakaway province after its 90percent ethnic Albanian majority declares independence.
"Our people in Kosovo should stay in their homes, in theirprovince, in their Serbia," he said. "For the Serbiangovernment, every individual in Kosovo is considered an equaland rightful citizen of the state."
The statement followed a call by a prominent Kosovo Serburging Serbian leaders not to sow panic with hardline rhetoricagainst independence, but to call on Serbs to stay in theirhomes, despite some fear of possible unrest.
Kosovo Albanians are to declare independence from Serbia onSunday, almost nine years after NATO bombs drove out Serbforces to halt a wave of killings and ethnic cleansing by Serbforces in a two-year war against separatist rebels.
The major Western powers are expected to recognize the newstate quickly, over the fierce objections of Serbia and itsally, Russia.
The European Union and Russia failed to narrow theirdifferences at talks in Slovenia, but Moscow said it did notplan sanctions against Kosovo or its supporters.
The U.N. Security Council will hold an extraordinarysession on Thursday to discuss Kosovo. Russia called themeeting at Serbia's request but said Moscow had little hope thecouncil, which is deadlocked on Kosovo, can resolve the issue.
"I do not feel great optimism about tomorrow's session,"Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told a news conference.Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic is expected to address theclosed-door meeting of the council, diplomats said.
NO SANCTIONS
He repeated Moscow's view that secession would be a mistakebut insisted that Russia would not impose any sanctions againstthe tiny, economically backward province, or against the EU.
"Russia is not resorting to any punitive measures againstanyone ... This suggestion sounds wild. We are sure that ifthere will be recognition... that will be a mistake," he said.
Ninety percent of Kosovo's 2 million people are ethnicAlbanians. Around 120,000 Serbs remain, half in scatteredenclaves protected by NATO's 16,000-strong peace force, KFOR,which has stepped up security ahead of Sunday's proclamation.
"We are intensifying our state of alert and activities tomonitor the situation, using intelligence means, more patrolsand greater visibility," said Colonel Bertrand Bonneau.
In Belgrade, Serbian Defense Minister Dragan Sutanovac saidan escalation of violence might follow the declaration ofindependence. "Personally I don't believe it will happen, butwe are ready for the worst possible scenario," he said.
Kosovo's imminent secession has driven a wedge intoSerbia's uneasy governing coalition, split over whether topursue closer ties with the EU if the bloc takes oversupervision of Kosovo in a 4-month transition from the UnitedNations.
Taking a softer line than his coalition partner Kostunica,Serbian President Boris Tadic said late Tuesday that only inthe EU could Serbia best defend its claim to Kosovo.
"Serbia's place is in Europe," he said in a statement. "Iwill never give up the struggle for the interests of ourpeople, nor the struggle for Kosovo."
Opinion polls suggest 75 percent of Serbs are in favour ofjoining the EU. But that figure drops to 50 percent when askedif the country should join despite losing Kosovo.
(Additional reporting by Marja Novak, Zoran Radosavljevicand Manca Ulcar in Brdo, Dmitry Solovyov in Moscow and LouisCharbonneau at the United Nations; Writing by Douglas Hamilton;editing by )
