New cracks became evident on Saturday, Dec. 5, in the fragile Serbian ruling coalition when Deputy Prime Minister Djelic negated Prime Minister Kostunica's warning to the EU that it must choose between Serbia and Kosovo.

Kostunica on Thursday said that Belgrade would not sign a Stabilization and Association Agreement with the EU if Brussels sends its civil mission to Serbia's breakaway province Kosovo.

But daily Blic in its Saturday edition quoted Djelic, who was on a visit to Israel, as saying that Serbia would certainly sign the agreement if the offer is made.

"Yes, we will sign if EU invites us," said Djelic, a top official of the pro-European Democratic Party (DS).

Kosovo, backed by the United States and most EU countries, is preparing to declare independence from Serbia within months. The EU plans to send a law-enforcing mission of 1,800 police, customs and judicial officials to help Kosovo's first steps as an independent state.

"The EU will ... have to choose whether it would sign a Stabilization and Association Agreement with Serbia or send its civil mission to Kosovo," said Kostunica, who heads the nationalist Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS).

Election tactics

DS and DSS are also at odds over the upcoming presidential election, in which Kostunica has refused to back the DS chief and incumbent Boris Tadic, who is strongly challenged by the ultra-nationalist leader Tomislav Nikolic.

The first round of the election is on Jan. 20, while the certain run-off between Tadic and Nikolic is expected on Feb. 3.

Brussels, which so far did not react to Kostunica's statement, may invite Serbia to sign the Stabilization and Association Agreement -- a significant step towards membership of the EU -- on January 28.

It is also expected that Kosovo may declare independence shortly after the Serbian presidential run-off and that the move would be followed by a series of recognitions from Western powers in spite of vehement opposition from Russia.

Parliament for independence

Meanwhile, the new Kosovo parliament met on Friday for its first session after Nov. 17 elections, meeting a legal deadline but still without an agreement on a ruling coalition which would lead the breakaway Serbian province to independence.

The new legislators were sworn in and administrative committees appointed, averting a crisis, but parliament adjourned until Jan. 9 without naming a speaker.

That signals that the anticipated alliance of the two largest parties remains elusive, despite the paramount agenda of declaring Kosovo's secession from Serbia.

Designated prime minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) won the most seats, 37, in the assembly of 120. He had been widely expected to ally with the late independence icon Ibrahim Rugova's Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), which has 25 seats.

Thaci, however, promised a government "by next Wednesday" and a proclamation of independence by the new assembly.

"We have now the new parliament for the independence o Kosovo," Thaci said. "It's a joint commitment of ours and of our Western partners to cooperate closely ... finish as soon as possible the status process and make our country independent and sovereign."

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