Serbia Must Accept Kosovo To Join EU - Thaci

Thaci said Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia last February, wanted "good neighbourly relations" with Belgrade.

He said Kosovo's authorities were prepared to sit down with Serbia to discuss issues of common interest, as long as any talks took place under the clear understanding of mutual respect for the sovereignty of the other.

"We know that the recognition from Belgrade will take a lot more time," Thaci said, noting that Serbia was reacting "very negatively" and trying to undermine Kosovo's sovereignty. Pristina has accused Serbia of fomenting unrest in Mitrovica, a divided town in north Kosovo that has seen frequent clashes between majority Albanians and minority Serbs, and pushing for a partition of Kosovo.

"Kosovo's territorial integrity is inviolable," Thaci said. "It is time that Belgrade understands that it will not have a European future if it threatened the independence of an independent state."

Reminded that a similar argument was used by Serbia to oppose Kosovo's secession, Thaci claimed that the policies of late strongman Slobodan Milosevic led to an armed rebellion by the guerrilla Kosovo Liberation Army and to an invervention of NATO, which expelled Serb forces and placed the Serbian province under international supervision.