Serbia's parliament began a special debate on July 16 2008 to affirm continuity of the country's policy opposing Kosovo's independence, and on the Stabilisation and Association Agreement (SAA) with the European Union and the energy deal with Russia.

Serbian news services B92 and Beta agency said that a draft resolution tabled by prime minister Mirko Cvetkovic's government said that "in the defence of sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order, the Serbian government will use all legal, political and diplomatic means at its disposal", meaning that Belgrade would continue the policy of its predecessor government in rejecting Kosovo's February 17 2008 unilateral declaration of independence.

The draft resolution said that Serbia would ratify the SAA with the EU only with Kosovo as a constituent part of Serbian territory.

The Serb Radical Party, the Democratic Party of Serbia, and New Serbia submitted their own joint counter proposal rejecting the deployment of the EU's EULEX mission in Kosovo.

Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanovic said on July 15 that the adoption of the resolution on the continuity of state policy on Kosovo would send a message that Serbia was not ready to abandon its sovereignty, regardless of any potential pressure.

Bogdanovic said that EULEX could not be Serbia's partner in solving the Kosovo problem, because it was not approved by the UN Security Council. He said that for Serbia, UNMIK is the only legitimate body with which it would co-operate in Kosovo.

UNMIK is the interim civilian administration in Kosovo, established by a UN resolution in 1999. EULEX is an EU police and civilian body foreseen under the Ahtisaari plan.

The energy agreement with Russia that is up for ratification by Serbia's parliament envisages the sale of a 51 per cent stake in the Serbian Oil Industry to Russian Gazprom or its daughter company.

Ahead of a visit to Russia, Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremic said in an interview with Russian daily Rossiiskaya Gazeta that he expected Belgrade and Moscow to work together on the Kosovo issue, and on further negotiations over the energy agreement between Serbia and Russia.

Asked whether the priorities in Serbia's foreign policy would be the US and the EU, and only then Russia, Jeremic said: "No. The absolute priority of the new government will be to preserve Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and in that context Russia is definitely Serbia's closest ally. The other foreign policy priority is the country's European integration, and I can happily say that on that issue, we have Moscow's full support."