Daily Survey

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian President Boris Tadic on Friday strongly condemned Thursday's riots in Belgrade and demanded reports from the corresponding institutions, also calling a session of the National Security Council. "I condemn in the strongest possible terms the violence, plunder and torching that took place in the streets of Belgrade on Thursday and which took a human life," Tadic said in a statement sent to the Tanjug news agency. Tadic said that he has demanded reports from all corresponding institutions about yesterday's riots, which will also be in the focus of a session of the National Security Council. "There is no justification for violence, no one should justify what happened yesterday with even a single word," Tadic stated. "That was not Serbia, and such a Serbia will not exist. Peace and order must reign in the state, and the violence that took place in Belgrade should never and nowhere happen again," Tadic underscored.

JEREMIC: PEACEFUL MASS PROTEST, ISOLATED ACTS OF VANDALISM

NEW YORK, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic told Thursday evening U.S. TV network CNN that the protest in Belgrade at which, as he said, gathered half a million people, was peaceful and that the demonstrations were peaceful, while the incidents that occurred were isolated acts of vandalism and violence. Expressing regret over the incidents, which occurred after the peaceful demonstrations against the independence of Kosovo, Jeremic described them as isolated acts of vandalism and violence, the Voice of America reported. "Unfortunately, a number of extremists started ransacking the city," he said, which, he underlined, is "very sad." Jeremic underscored that the Serbian authorities do not expect any further violence, even though the situation is still tense, and pointed out that Serbia had reiterated on several occasion that any solution for Kosovo, which is not peaceful, a compromise and mutually acceptable, would threaten stability. Asked about the possibility that the violence expands to Kosovo, the Serbian foreign minister pointed out that Serbia "is a responsible participant in peace and stability in the region" and that it wants to cooperate with the international community in ensuring full stability.

JEREMIC CONFERS WITH LAVROV

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic conferred on the telephone Friday with Russian Federation Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the situation that arose following the unilateral illegal declaration of independence of Kosovo and Metohija. Ministers Jeremic and Lavrov asserted that this illegal move constitutes a flagrant violation of international and that this precedent could significantly affect stability in the region, and in the world as well, the Serbian Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Minister Lavrov was interested in the security situation in Serbia following Thursday's incidents during the protest of citizens in Belgrade and expressed regret that they occurred, because such events influence negatively the diplomatic efforts of Serbia and Russia in all international organisations. During the telephone conversation, the ministers confirmed the readiness of Serbia and Russia to cooperate closely in the future in all world forums so that the illegal act of unilateral declaration of independence of KiM does not get international legitimacy, and so that the so-called state of Kosovo and Metohija is not given membership in international organizations. Minister Jeremic underlined that Serbia greatly appreciated the strong and principled support of the Russian Federation in the defence of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia. In the telephone conversation, Minister Lavrov confirmed he planned to visit Belgrade soon, the statement said.

LONCAR: LEGAL VIOLENCE SHOULD BE OPPOSED BY PEACEFUL RALLY

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian Education Minister Zoran Loncar said on Friday that Serbia should protest against the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo-Metohija by staging peaceful rallies, because any violence and destruction harmed the state and national interests. "Serbia should oppose legal violence through such magnificent gatherings and that is why any violence and destruction at our cities only causes serious damage to our state and national interests," Loncar told Tanjug on the occasion of the unrest that had broken out after the Kosovo is Serbia protest late on Thursday.

PROSECUTOR: PARTICIPANTS IN UNREST TO BE IDENTIFIED

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian Public Prosecutor Slobodan Radovanovic has said that the Prosecutor's Office has taken all measures aimed at identifying the perpetrators of the Thursday unrest in Belgrade and added that he expected the initial results of the investigation very soon. Radovanovic told the B92 television that the Prosecutor's Office and police were taking all measures to identify and arrest the perpetrators of the Thursday unrest. "I have a report from the Interior Ministry that a large number of people are engaged on this work," he said. He explained that these were crimes against public order and peace and against property as well as crimes of ruining the reputation of foreign states.

LAVROV: BREAKING IN EMBASSIES UNACCEPTABLE, US HAS DOUBLE STANDARDS

MOSCOW, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Friday that breaking into foreign diplomatic representative offices in Belgrade was "unacceptable," but also pointed at the double standards applied by the United States which in this case quoted international law. "Breaking into foreign diplomatic representative offices by young rebels is unacceptable, but it is interesting that, when this situation was reviewed at the UN SC, the US colleagues persistently requested that this attack be condemned as a gross violation of international law, which brings us back to double standards," Lavrov said. "International legality either exists or not, it cannot be used arbitrarily for political goals," Lavrov said in an interview for the state channel Rossia, part of which was broadcast on Friday. The UN SC late on Thursday condemned the attacks at foreign embassies in Belgrade that followed the peaceful protest against the independence of Kosovo-Metohija. The UN SC reviewed attacks at the embassies in Belgrade, especially the US Embassy, at the request of US Ambassador to the United Nations Zalmay Khalilzad, whose country was one of the first to recognise the independence of Serbia's southern province.

FITZGERALD: PROTESTS IN BELGRADE TO DESTABILISE REGION

TIRANA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - NATO Allied Joint Force Commander Mark Fitzgerald said in Tirana on Friday that Belgrade protests against the declaration of independence of Kosovo destabilised the region. We appeal at authorities in Belgrade to take into account the destabilising character of the protest, Fitzgerald told a news conference after a meeting with Albanian PM Sali Berisha. Speaking about KFOR's role in Serbia's southern province, he said that KFOR had the authority to ensure security, the Albanian news agency ATA reported.

US EMBASSY TEMPORARILY TO WITHDRAW STAFF FROM BELGRADE

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - The US State Department on Friday instructed the US Embassy to withdraw temporarily the support staff and diplomats' families, a US Embassy official said. He said that this was a temporary measure and that it should last for seven days. The ambassador and core diplomatic staff will remain in Belgrade, he said. He also said that the Consular Section of the US Embassy had been seriously damaged during the unrest late on Thursday and was therefore unable to issue visas until further notice. The official voiced his expectation that the building could be reopened on Tuesday, following repairs.

FRANCE CONDEMNS VIOLENCE AGAINST EMBASSIES IN BELGRADE

PARIS, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - France strongly condemns the incidents of violence Thursday in Belgrade against the embassies of the US and several other countries and against reporters covering the demonstrations organized by Serbian authorities, the F Ministry said. France reminds Serbia's authorities that they must protect foreign missions in keeping with the Vienna Convention and urges them to take the necessary measures to restore order and protect the missions, their personnel and all foreign nationals, the release says.

RUSSIA REJECTS ALLEGATIONS

MOSCOW, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Russia on Friday rejected as incorrect allegations that it is behind the unrests that broke out in Belgrade on Thursday evening, following peaceful demonstrations against the unilateral proclamation of the independence of Kosovo and Metohija province. Russia's Permanent Representative to NATO Dmitri Rogozin rejected as a blatant lie the statement by former United States (US) envoy for the Balkans Richard Holbrooke, who said that Russia is connected to last night's unrests in Belgrade, when the US Embassy was torched. "That is a blatant lie. It is an attempt to place on Russia the burden of responsibility for an obviously spontaneous reaction by Serb people," Rogozin said for Russian television, speaking from Brussels. "When its heart is ripped out of a country, it will not calmy watch its lifeblood drain away. We would not look on calmly if the Vladimirsky Region were being torn away from us. Kosovo is the land where the Serbian Orthodox civilization was born," Rogozin said. Holbrooke's allegations were also rejected by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Mikhail Kamynin and Russian Parliament Council of the Federation Chairman Sergey Mironov.

ALEXEYEV: RALLY DEMONSTRATES SERB UNITY ON KOSOVO

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Alexeyev said Friday that the protest rally held Thursday in Belgrade against the unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence demonstrated the unity of the Serb people on Kosovo. The great and peaceful rally attended by people from all walks of life and from all over Serbia was a very important event which demonstrated the unity of the Serb people on Kosovo, he told the press at the Russian embassy. Alexeyev condemned the incidents of violence on the margins of the rally as unjustified and unjustifiable. Expressing his solidarity with officials of foreign missions in Belgrade which were attacked Thursday evening, he noted that the UN Security Council condemned those acts with Russia's full support. These incidents, unfortunately, demonstrate that Russia was and is right in calling for the greatest possible caution in resolving the Kosovo issue, he said, noting that the unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence does not solve the problem but rather creates many more problems. After the latest developments, Moscow believes that the process of resolving the Kosovo issue must immediately be returned to the international legal order and that serious negotiations must start, he said. Alexeyev and Military Envoy Victor Avdeyev gave a reception at the embassy on the day of remembrance of defenders of the homeland.

BOSNIA PROTESTS ATTACK ON ITS EMBASSY IN BELGRADE

SARAJEVO, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Bosnia-Herzegovina Foreign Ministry expressed concern over the attack Thursday on its embassy in Belgrade and demanded full protection for its diplomatic mission in Serbia. In keeping with set security measures, the embassy personnel were not present in the premises at the time of the attack, the ministry said.

SERBIA-GOVERNMENT REACTIONS AND STATEMENTS

PROTEST NOTES TO GOVERNMENTS OF DENMARK, GERMANY AND LUXEMBOURG

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Serbia's Foreign Ministry sent protest notes on Friday to the governments of Denmark, Germany and Luxembourg over the recognition of the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo and Metohija. Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic instructed on Friday the urgent withdrawal of Serbia's ambassador to Germany Ognjen Pribicevic, which is in line with the Foreign Ministry Action Plan adopted at a Serbian government session, the statement said. Ambassador Pribicevic is expected to leave Germany within 48 hours of the delivery of the Foreign Ministry's protest note and to return to Serbia for consultations until further notice.

SERBIA WILL BLOCK KOSOVO MEMBERSHIP IN OSCE

VIENNA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Head of the Serbian parliamentary delegation to the winter session of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe Parliamentary Assembly in Vienna Suzana Grubjesic said Friday during its debate on Kosovo-Metohija that Serbia will never recognize the illegal declaration of independence of the province. Serbia can block Kosovo's membership in the OSCE as all decisions in this organization are taken by consensus, she said. The OSCE PA session ended Friday with a debate on key issues, mainly Kosovo. Presenting Serbia's stand to the OSCE MP's, Grubjesic of the G17 Plus party, said that the unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence violated international law and that Belgrade has the right to defend it. MP's of the countries which have already recognized Kosovo independence or intend to do so said that there is no alternative to Kosovo independence. Opponents of Kosovo secession, above all Spain, pointed to the violation of international law, which will certainly have negative effects in other regions.

REACTIONS ON ILLEGAL DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

ROGOZIN: NATO SHOULD NOT BE ENGAGED IN POLITICS

MOSCOW, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Russia's Permanent Representative to NATO Dmitri Rogozin on Friday did not rule out the possibility that Russia might start using armed force, to secure respect, if NATO oversteps its mandate in Kosovo and Metohija, at the same time warning the Alliance not to be engaged in politics in Kosovo. In a direct TV link from Brussels, Rogozin said that the recognition of Kosovo and Metohija is a strategic mistake of the west. The Russian representative also warned NATO not to overstep its authority in that southern Serbian province, and not to be engaged in politics. The responsibility for a possible escalation will rest on those who were in favor of the recognition of the unilateral independence of the southern Serbian province, he said. "If the European Union formulates a united stand, or if NATO steps outside the frameworks of its mandate in Kosovo, then these two organizations will enter into conflict with the UN, and then we will proceed from the need to apply crude force, which is called armed force, in order to secure respect," Rogozin warned. Russia does not like the reports, that require verification, that certain Alliance troops and commanders are "raising the issue that Serbian officials should not be permitted to enter the territory of Kosovo," and that KFOR forces are attempting to close the border, "separating Serbs from Serbia." "That was not our agreement. Should that report be proven correct, we will have a complicated dialogue with our partners here in Brussels and dramatic developments are possible within a discussion between Russia and NATO," Rogozin said. "Now, that is serious. These are not only relations between Russia and NATO, that is a conflict with the system of international security," Rogozin said, adding that this would then become "a major political issue, a question of the future, a question of whether there are codes of behaviour among states, or whether one should proceed from the assumption that those who have the power are in the right," he said. "Then we too would have to proceed from the point that we would also need crude physical force, named armed force, in order to secure respect, understanding and recognition of our right to a point of view," the Russian representative to NATO explained.

ROGOZIN: DRUG MAFIA BEHIND RECOGNITION OF KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE

MOSCOW, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - The process of the recognition of the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo province is possibly financed by the money of the Kosovo drug mafia, Russia's Permanent Representative to NATO Dmitri Rogozin said during a video conference organized by RIA Novosti on a link between Brussels and Moscow. "Kosovo long ago became not just a base for drug trafficking to Europe, but also a massive laboratory. These huge sums could be used for political aims by Kosovo's drug mafia to boost Kosovo's declaration of independence," Rogozin said. "Certain European politicians simply could have been bought," RIA Novosti quoted Rogozin as saying. Should this information be proved correct, it is not ruled out that there will be a political scandal involving the buying of certain politicians with drug money, Rogozin said. When extremist forces are coming to power, one should always be looking for dirty money, Rogozin was adamant. And that dirty money appears in Europe mostly from narcotics, Rogozin stressed.

SOLANA: EU AND NATO WILL NOT OVERSTEP AUTHORITY IN KOSOVO

BRDO PRI KRANJU, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - European Union (EU) High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana said on Friday that the EU and NATO in Kosovo province will not step outside the frameworks of the mandate given to them under United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolution 1244. Solana was commenting on a statement by Russia's Permanent Representative to NATO Dmitri Rogozin, who said that Russia might resort to armed force if the EU in Kosovo acted unilaterally, or if NATO overstepped its authority and became engaged in politics. Serbia has its place in European society, Solana said, and called on Belgrade to be responsible, reasonable and calm. The people in Serbia know that they have a future in Europe, Solana underscored. The EU official is in the Slovenian resort of Brdo Pri Kranju, attending a meeting of EU defense ministers. The political agreement that the EU offered to Serbia in January is still on the table, he said. The violence that was seen in Belgrade last night does not lead anywhere, Solana was also quoted as saying by the Slovenian news agency STA.

BURNS: SERBIA SHOULD THINK ABOUT OWN RESPONSIBILITY

WASHINGTON/BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - US Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns warned Serbia on Friday to think about its own responsibility for peace and stability in the region and advised Moscow to be more responsible in its statements on Kosovo. Asked how an imposed solution, which violates international law, UN Security Council decisions and Serbian people's will, can contribute to lasting peace and stability in the Balkans and how would the US react in case of another pogrom of Kosovo Serbs, Burns said that Serbs should think about their own responsibility for peace and stability. The Thursday attacks at the US and many other embassies were carried out by an unrestrained crowd and are only to be condemned. Serbia should think about its own responsibility and ensure the security of diplomats on its soil, Burns said during an internet discussion on the independence of Kosovo and way to lasting stability and prosperity in the Balkans, organised by the US State Department. Burns also said that Serbia's withdrawal of its ambassador from Washington was wrong. This is a time when we must keep open clear communication between the governments. US Ambassador Cameron Munter will remain in Belgrade. Americans have a friendly attitude towards Serbs. We respect the Serbian nation, but Serbia must adjust to changed reality and commit to life in peace with the people of Kosovo, Burns said.

LAJCAK: ENTITIES DO NOT HAVE RIGHT TO SECEDE FROM BOSNIA

SARAJEVO, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Under the Dayton Accords, entities in Bosnia-Herzegovina do not have the right to secede from Bosnia-Herzegovina, international community's High Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina Miroslav Lajcak said in Sarajevo on Friday. He voiced his "deep concern" over the adoption of a resolution against Kosovo's independence by the Republika Srpska parliament accompanied by the stand that the Republika Srpska had the right to a referendum on its state and legal status, and stressed that Bosnia-Herzegovina was an internationally recognised state whose sovereignty and territorial integrity were guaranteed under the Dayton Accords.

MAINTAINING SECURITY OF K-M

FEITH: WE ARE NOT IMPRESSED WITH HOW KOSOVO SERBS LIVE

PRISTINA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - EU High Representative for Kosovo and Metohija Pieter Feith said Friday that the international community would help the popoulation of Kosovo in all spheres, undescoring the need for helping the Serbs in Kosovo, the Pristina Albanian-language electronic media have reported. We are not impressed with how the Serbs live in Kosovo, Feith said after meeting with Kosovo provisional Premier Hashim Thaci. I want to assure the people of Kosovo that they should trust the government, the international community, UN and NATO to help them in maintaining security and the territorial integrity of Kosovo, Feith stated, adding that the EU mission in Kosovo would continue its engagement, just like the international community has done so far.

KOSOVO POLICE BANS ENTRY TO STUDENS FOR SECURITY REASONS

PRISTINA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - UNMIK and Kosovo Police Service banned Friday entry to organized groups from Serbia to Kosovo UNMIK spokesman Luis Cisneros told Tanjug. He explained that UNMIK police and KFOR could not distinguish between students and demonstrators and that the ban will remain in effect as long as there is danger of violent demonstrations. Given the security situation and developments in Belgrade, the headquarters decided to ban entry to any large groups, he said.

SERBIA - EU

TARICEANU: DIALOGUE WITH EU BEST SOLUTION FOR SEBRIA

BUCHAREST, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu assured Serbian President Boris Tadic of Romania's support for Serbia on its European path and assessed that the most important thing was dialogue with EU, the Romanian government said on Friday.

Dialogue with the European Union is the best solution for Serbia, because it is important for your country to stay close to European structures, Tariceanu told Tadic during his visit to Romania on Thursday, Rompress reported. Explaining the position of the Serbian authorities on developments in Kosovo, Tadic reiterated the firm position of his country on the Kosovo issue, which also applies to its relations with states that have recognized the independence of the province.

The two officials also reviewed issues of economic cooperation of Romania and Serbia, notably joint projects such as the Constanca-Pancevo-Triest oil pipeline, European Corridor 7, projects in the energy sector. Tariceanu proposed to Tadic to hold in late March in Belgrade a joint Romanian-Serbian meeting at which are to be agreed several priorities of bilateral cooperation in the field of traffic, energy, trade and border zone cooperation projects, the statement said.

REACTIONS ON RIOTS IN BELGRADE

JEREMIC: ATTACK ON EMBASSIES UNACCEPTABLE TERRORIST ACT

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has said that the late Thursday attacks on embassies and foreign companies in Belgrade are unacceptable and regrettable, and that they were committed by extremists.

"They hurt Serbia's image abroad, they do not represent the collective feeling of the Serbian people," Vuk Jeremic told Reuters in an interview. "The Serbian government is adamant that acts of violence are not going to be permitted on the streets of Belgrade or anywhere in Serbia," Jeremic underlined.

BURNS WARNS KOSTUNICA AND JEREMIC

WASHINGTON, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - U.S.- Under Secretary Nicholas Burns warned Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic in a telephone conversation late on Thursday that the Serbian government will be responsible if protesters hurt Americans in their attack on the U.S. embassy in Belgrade, State Department spokesman said late on Thursday.

The message was very clear - the situation is impermissible, they have to urgently act to stop assaults on U.S. diplomatic facilities and staff, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said at a press briefing in Washington on Thursday. He also said that Burns had made it clear to Minister Jeremic that Washington would hold the Serbian government personally responsible for the safety and health of the U.S. embassy in Belgrade. He underscored that the United States had received Kostunica's assurances that something similar would not get repeated in the future.

SOLANA: RIOTS IN SERBIA LEAD NOWHERE

BRDO KOD KRANJA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - European Union (EU) High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana condemned on Friday the late Thursday violence in Belgrade and underlined that it led nowhere and helped no one.

The decision on Kosovo status has to be observed, and because of this all should denounce the riots in Serbia that took place after the proclamation of Kosovo independence, said Solana, who is taking part in a meeting of the defence ministers of the EU member states in Brdo kod Kranja, Slovenia.

Urging that the hooligans be punished, he welcomed the late Thursday appeal of Serbian President Boris Tadic for the pacification of the situation, adding that the statements by some other Serbian politicians had not been aimed to that end, the Slovenian press Agency STA reported. Asked in what way the unpleasant events would affect the relations between Belgrade and the EU, Solana answered that they would not have an effect on the signing of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with Serbia, adding, however, that right now, the SAA issue was not on the agenda of the two sides.

REHN STRONGLY CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON EMBASSIES

BRUSSES, Jan 22 (Tanjug) - European Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn has condemned the attacks on foreign embassies and companies in Belgrade, and called on the Serbian politicians to refrain from any statements that might further aggravate the situation.

I strongly condemn yesterday's attacks on foreign embassies and buildings in Belgrade that have caused significant material damage and endangered human lives, Rehn said. We respect the democratic right of the Serbian people to express their opinion on the development of the situation in Kosovo, but any use of violence to express that opinion is unacceptable, the European commissioner added. He called on the Serbian authorities to provide protection for diplomatic missions.

HARRIS: CHARRED BODY APPEARS TO BE THAT OF A RIOTER

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - U.S. embassy spokeswoman in Belgrade Rian Harris has confirmed to Tanjug that a charred body was found inside the U.S. Embassy Thursday after Serb rioters protesting Kosovo's declaration of independence set fire to offices there, adding that it was most likely one of the rioters.

The police will establish the cause of death, but we know that the persons was not killed in contact with our security, said Harris, underscoring that the body was found at the front part of the building, which was set on fire. She underscored that all embassy staffers were accounted for;, and that it is believed that the body appeared to be that of a rioter. Harris also said that the damage had not been estimated yet, but that the rioters entered only the front part of the embassy "near the entrance."

SWC TO ORGANISE PROTESTS IN OVER 50 TOWNS OVER WEEKEND

BELGRADE, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - The Serb World Congress (SWC) has announced that over the weekend, it will stage peaceful demonstrations in more than 50 cities across the world against the unilateral proclamation of Kosovo independence. SWC President Zoran Jovic said that the participants of the protest would demand that the negotiations on Kosovo be continued until such a solution was found for Kosovo that would be acceptable for both Belgrade and Pristina.

In a statement which he issued on the behalf of the three-million Serb diaspora and presented to Tanjug, Jovic expressed belief that violence would never repeat itself again, since, as he assessed, it only made Serbia's diplomatic efforts more difficult. The SWC, an association which gathers all organizations of the Serb diaspora, called on the Serbian police to provide better protection for the foreign embassies in Belgrade and the UNMIK police to boost the protection of Serbs in Kosovo, so that the March 2004 pogrom did not repeat itself.

PROKLAMATION OF K AND M-INDEPENDENCE - REACTIONS

PUTIN,ALIYEV ON NEGATIVE CONSEQUENCES OF KOSOVO INDEPENDENCE

MOSCOW, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Presidents of Russia and Azerbaijan, Vladimir Putin and Ilham Aliyev, respectively, have pointed out during talks in Moscow that the decision of interim Kosovo authorities on the unilateral proclamation of independence is outside the legal frame, Assistant to the Russian president Sergei Prikhodko has said.

Both presidents spoke about the extremely negative consequences Kosovo's illegitimate decision and the activities of some countries would have on international law, Prikhodko said.

LAVROV: PRECEDENT WAS SET

MOSCOW, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Thursday once again urged for a renewal of the talks on the future status of Kosovo and Metohija, whose provisional authorities unilaterally declared independence on February 17, adding that in regards to the policy in practice, Russia had taken into account that a precedent had been set.

The talks on the future status of Kosovo and Metohija have to be renewed, Lavrov told reporters in Moscow, adding that Russia had warned on several occasions of consequences of a unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo. It seems that our predictions are coming true, said Lavrov, adding that Abkhazia and South Osetia are not the only ones that had said they want to work the same way (as Kosovo), and that such statements had also been made in some parts of Europe.

RS DOES NOT RECOGNIZE OR ACCEPT KOSOVO'S INDEPENDENCE

BANJA LUKA, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - The National Assembly of the Republic of Srpska (RS) on Thursday adopted a resolution with which it does not recognize or accept the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo and Metohija, underscoring that if a number of U.N. member states and the EU recognize Kosovo, the RS parliament will have the right to call a referendum on its state and legal status.

The RS parliament requests all RS representatives in the Bosnia-Herzegovina institutions to prevent the BiH organs from recognizing the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo-Metohija and establishing any kind of institutional links with the illegally proclaimed independence of Serbia's southern province, evaluating the act of the break up of the territorial integrity of the sovereignty and internationally recognized state of Serbia as unacceptable. It is said in the resolution that if the Dayton status and authorizations of the RS are not accepted by the BiH institutions, if the pressure against the RS continues, if its status is changed against its will, and if BiH joins the process of international recognition of Kosmet, the RS will start a procedure for the establishment of its state status based on the democratic and peaceful resolution of the relations in the BiH.

HUNGARY, CROATIA WILL WAIT WITH RECOGNITION

BUDAPEST, Feb 22 (Tanjug) - Hungary and Croatia will wait with the recognition of unilateral Kosovo independence, the foreign ministers of Hungary and Croatia, Kinga Goncz and Gordan Jandrokovic, respectively, have said after their Thursday meeting in Budapest. Croatia will wait until most of the EU member states recognise Kosovo independence, the Croatian foreign minister said, and added that Zagreb was closely following the events in Kosovo.

It will not be easy for Hungary to recognise Kosovo because of the fact that Serbia is its neighbor and that a numerous Hungarian minority lives in Serbia, Goncz assessed. It is important for us to maintain good relations with Serbia, she said and underlined that because of all that, Hungary would not be among the first countries to acknowledge Kosovo, adding, however, that her country would do that in the next couple of weeks, the Hungarian news agency MTI reported.

SELECTIVE ENTRY INTO KOSOVO-METOHIJA

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Feb 21 (Tanjug) - UNMIK police, Kfor and Kosovo police service representatives as of Friday morning at 6.00 are allowing entry into Kosovo and Metohija only to residents and to people who in their assessment do not pose a threat to public peace and order.

KPS spokesman Veton Elshni told Tanjug that at Jarinje near Raska, Brnjak near Zubin Potok, Merdare near Kursumlija and at the crossing near Gnjilane entry into Kosovo is not allowed to persons from Serbia who intend to protest. Elshani said the move was decided following the events Thursday evening in Belgrade and entry into Kosovo is strictly banned for buses carrying demonstrators, while those carrying citizens will be allowed to enter into Kosovo.