(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-02-09 10:26

MUNICH - Serbian President Boris Tadic on Friday called for immediate negotiations on Kosovo as the Serbian province might plan to declare independence as early as next Sunday.

Serbian President Boris Tadic [file photo]

"Serious negotiations are needed now," Tadic, who was reelected on Sunday, told a group of high-profile diplomats at the opening of a key security conference in the southern German city of Munich.

The only way to solve problems is through negotiations and a rush to any decisions should be avoided to prevent dire consequences, he said.

The president stressed that any move to solve the Kosovo status must observe international rules, noting that the "ultimate legitimacy" of the UN resolutions must not be neglected.

Any move to solve the status of Kosovo must pass the UN Security Council, said Tadic.

According to Slobodan Samardzic, Serbia's minister for Kosovo, the ethnic Albanians of Kosovo are expected to declare independence as early as Feb. 10, which Serbia deems as "illegal."

The southern Serbian province has been run by the United Nations and NATO since the months-long bombing in the region in 1999. The United States and many European countries have claimed their willingness to recognize Kosovo once it declares independence.

Meanwhile, the Serbian president pledged to continue to seek full membership of the European Union, saying that Serbia is ready to contribute to peace and stability to Europe and the world at large.

However, the signing of a new pact between the EU and Serbia, which foresees better trade and cultural ties, has recently been postponed due to the differences between the two sides on Kosovo.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica refused to call a cabinet meeting to approve the deal in protest against the EU decision to send troops to monitor the security situation in Kosovo once the southern province claims independence.

The annual three-day security meeting, attended by high-profile diplomats including NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer and US Defense Secretary Robert Gates this year, is scheduled to discuss a range of the world's most thorny security issues.