By David Brunnstrom
The two sides were to have signed the deal on trade, visas and education on Thursday but Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica denounced it as a trick on Tuesday, bringing Belgrade's ruling coalition close to collapse.
EU Commissioner Olli Rehn accused Kostunica of going back on a longstanding understanding not to link Serbia's EU ties to Kosovo, for which the EU on Monday authorised a supervisory mission ahead of an independence declaration seen this month.
"It is truly sad for Serbia that politicians continue to put power games ahead of their own citizens' interests," he added, saying that Kostunica had agreed some 18 months ago not to link Serbia's EU ties to Kosovo's fate.
Rehn and Slovenia, current holder of the EU's rotating presidency said the proposed pact with Serbia remained on the table.
Rehn said the 27-nation bloc also remained ready to sign the broader Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA), a prelude to membership, when Belgrade met the political conditions -- full cooperation with the U.N. war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
Former U.S. ambassador to Serbia, William Montgomery, said this week Kostunica seemed determined to force the EU to choose between its plans for Kosovo and its relationship with Serbia.
(Additional reporting by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Stephen Weeks)
