By Ellie Tzortzi
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's parliament is likely to adopta resolution within days calling for the country to reject allformal ties with the European Union until the bloc withdrawsits support for Kosovo's independence.
The draft, submitted by the nationalist Radical Party onTuesday, is backed by the party of Prime Minister VojislavKostunica and by the Socialists of late President 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."
The Radicals asked for the resolution to go on the agendafor Wednesday, but the large number of items already scheduledfor discussion -- some of them urgent -- means it could take upto 10 days for a vote to take place.
The Democratic Party of Serbian President Boris Tadic is"categorically against" the resolution, a party official said.
Russia, which opposes independence for Kosovo, warned ofthe consequences of imposing the breakaway on Belgrade.
"It is clear that attempts to force Kosovar Serbs to cometo terms with Kosovo's independence can only trigger a furtherdeterioration of the situation in the region," Mikhail Kamynin,a Russian foreign ministry spokesman, said in a statement.
"There are still tensions in the region due to theunilateral declaration of independence by Pristina. Serbresidents have categorically refused to accept this unlawfulsovereignty."
UNITY
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.
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, Kostunicacalled for national unity in defending Serbia's claim onKosovo.
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 Matthew Jones)
