Serbia would declare as invalid a unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo as Belgrade considered such a move illegal, Associated Press (AP) quoted a statement issued after a meeting between Serbian president Boris Tadic and prime minister Vojislav Kostunica  on February 11.

"All state institutions must make necessary decisions and measures to annul all illegitimate acts of unilateral independence," Bulgarian Focus news agency quoted the statement as saying.

On February 12, Tadic would meet with Serbia's council for national security. On February 14, Kostunica would hold a government session to adopt a "decision on annulment of illegal acts," the government statement said.
If adopted, the decision would be passed to Serbian parliament for approval and would "become active if this illegitimate act happens."

Meanwhile, about 2 000 demonstrators, mostly students, gathered in Belgrade on February 11 for a demonstration against Kostunica's anti-EU policies and demanded that the government sign the deal with the EU and end the political stalemate, AP said.

Protesters carried EU flags and banners reading "Down with Kostunica, Down with the new Milosevic."

"We are not getting the future that we want," AP quoted Tamara Skoric, a 19-year-old psychology student, as saying.

Dusan Nikolic, a 22-year-old law student, said "we must not let the whole of Serbia go down because of Kosovo."