Partition fear as Serbs stay away from Kosovo polls
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A Serb boycott of Kosovo&#39;s general election increased tension between ethnic communities yesterday, raising the prospect that ethnic Albanian leaders may declare unilateral independence
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The Serb parliament is expected to  adopt a resolution on Wednesday implicitly rejecting membership  of the European Union and NATO if the West recognizes the  independence of Kosovo.
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A pro-Western and a nationalist candidate faced off Sunday in a closely contested Serbian presidential race that could determine whether the troubled Balkan nation will move closer to the European Union or sink back into isolation.
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International efforts to determine Kosovo&#39;s future suffered an apparent setback today as the province&#39;s Serb minority largely boycotted parliamentary elections.
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Serbia said on Wednesday it would shun  any offer of membership of the European Union or NATO if they  recognized the breakaway province of Kosovo as an independent  state.
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European Union  foreign ministers warned on Friday against a partition of the  breakaway Serbian province of Kosovo, arguing it could reignite  conflicts across the Balkans.
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"There is a risk of the return of the old guard that led Serbia into conflicts and isolation during the 1990s and led people into turmoil and uncertainty"  By Ellie TzortziBELGRADE  - Pro-Western president Boris Tadic and hardline challenger Tomislav Nikolic vie in elections on Sunday that will decide who drives Serbia's response to the trauma of the expected breakaway of its Kosovo region.Opinion polls ahead of a first-round ballot gave Nikolic a slim lead over Tadic, but not enough for a knockout victory.The winner of the February 3 run-off will be the candidate who can attract third-party votes with promises of better living standards, jobs and the defense of Kosovo, heading for independence with Western backing within months. Read more
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Kosovo's independence sets a dangerous precedent for other states with separatist movements, says Serbia.
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"Using the policy of force, the U.S. threatens openly that it will not respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, which is an internationally recognized state and a U.N. member"  Serbia disregarded European Union calls for less provocative Serb rhetoric on Kosovo at the weekend and warned that the United States was leading the West down a path of force to make the province independent. via Reuters
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Serbian President Boris Tadic said Friday his country will never accept the independence of the mainly ethnic-Albanian Kosovo province.Comment
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PRISTINA, Serbia  - The United Nations administration in Kosovo urged Serb leaders on Tuesday to stop intimidating their ethnic kin who want to vote in the Albanian-dominated province's polls in November.
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Serbia will never recognize an  independent Kosovo but will not use violence to prevent the  country's ethnic Albanians from establishing their own state,  Serbia's president said on Wednesday.
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PRISTINA, Serbia and Montenegro  - Most Serbs  boycotted a general election in Kosovo on Saturday which the  Albanian majority hopes will lead the U.N. protectorate out of  five years of political limbo to eventual independence.
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Serbia's election body bars US and British observers from monitoring the 20 January presidential polls.
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As the U.N. nudges Kosovo toward what it calls âfinal statusâ and what Belgrade calls independence, many of northern Kosovoâs Serbs are threatening to break away.
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Serbia is telling Serbs in Kosovo to ignore an Albanian declaration of independence early next year, raising the prospect of an ethnic partition of the breakaway province that the West has long ruled out. via Reuters
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Serbia will never recognize an independent Kosovo but will not use violence to prevent the country's ethnic Albanians from establishing their own state, Serbia's president said on Wednesday.