Serbia not giving up Kosovo for EU bid - Tadic
BELGRADE, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Serbian President Boris Tadic said on Sunday his country would not drop its opposition to Kosovo's secession in order to become a European Union member.
Tadic nevertheless made clear Serbia would continue to pursue war crimes suspects after its arrest and extradition of Bosnian Serb wartime President Radovan Karadzic, an important step towards EU membership.
"Serbia's EU membership is the supreme national interest and this government will not give up on it," Tadic told a news conference in his first public comment since the arrest of Karadzic last month.
But he stressed Serbia would not abandon its claim to Kosovo and would pursue a diplomatic and political battle.
"Serbia will never give up on its territorial integrity and sovereignty," he said.
Kosovo Albanians declared independence unilaterally in February in a move recognised by many EU countries, although not by the European Union itself. Serbia, backed by Russia, rejects the secession and wants more negotiations on Kosovo's status.
Tadic said Serbia would seek a ruling from the International Court of Justice on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence and on the recognition of its independence.
Such an approach would annoy the European Union, Britain's ambassador to Serbia said earlier on Sunday, and that could make joining the bloc more difficult.
The European Union has proposed a police mission to Kosovo and any international court ruling in favour of Serbia might badly undermine its potential mandate. It has already been delayed by Russian opposition at the United Nations.
Tadic said the Eulex force could come as long as it won approval from the U.N. Security Council -- which Russia's veto power in practice makes impossible.
WAR CRIMES SUSPECTS
Tadic dismissed criticism and threats from hardline Serb nationalists over the arrest of Karadzic and said cooperation with the U.N. war crimes tribunal was high on the agenda. Karadzic's army chief Ratko Mladic is still on the run.
"I am ready to take any risk for my policies, which open up the perspective for the citizens of Serbia," Tadic said.
Financial markets welcomed the arrest of Karadzic as a signal that Serbia was ready to do what it takes to join the European Union and renewed foreign investor interest helped push the dinar to a record high of 76.70 against the euro on Friday. Continued...
