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Serbia plans wholesale rejection of Kosovo state

13 February 2008 10:19 (UTC +04:00)

Its annulment will be the centerpiece of a "Thursday of rejection" ahead of Kosovo’s independence declaration on Sunday.
"We have made a decision that the Serbian government will on Thursday, in advance, annul all acts that are against the law which concern a unilateral proclamation of the independence of this fictitious state on Serbian territory," he said.
"We shall not allow such a creation to exist for a minute. It has to be legally annulled the moment it is illegally proclaimed by a leadership of convicted terrorists."
His statement was issued as Serbia’s deeply divided coalition government tried to close ranks ahead of the loss of its southern province.
The National Security Council was meeting to discuss secret "action plans" by Serbian ministries to counter the independence declaration.
"The action plan for our ministry does not include radical steps such as cutting diplomatic ties with the countries that recognize Kosovo," said a foreign ministry source.
The defence ministry ruled out military intervention and the energy ministry said electricity supplies to Kosovo would not be cut off. But there were reports in Kosovo that Serbia planned to disrupt telephone and internet service. Kosovo is under UN administration since 1999.