Serbian parliament approved a resolution on Kosovo, proposed by the ruling coalition.

The resolution read that Serbia would continue its struggle for territorial integrity with peaceful means. The Kosovo status matter should not be related to the European integration of the country, the resolution said.

Serbia’s Stabilisation and Association Agreement with the European Union, which was to be signed in the beginning of 2008, should be used to preserve Serbian sovereignty over Kosovo, according to the resolution.

Only 14 members of the parliament (MP) voted against the resolution, three abstained from voting, while 220 MPs voted in favour of the resolution, after an eight-hour-long discussion in parliament, Bulgarian National Radio (BNR) said.

The resolution threatened that Serbia would stop EU integration processes and break off its relations with west European countries if they would recognise Kosovo’s independence, Associated Press said.

ITAR-TASS said that the resolution practically tied the agreement with the EU to Serbian national interests.

The agreement between the EU and Serbia was endorsed in November 2007 and could be signed in the beginning of January 2008 as the EU wanted to speed up the European integration of Serbia, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said. Thus, the EU was hoping to prevent a strengthening of positions of the Serbian nationalists when Kosovo would pronounce its independence. Kosovo was expected to declare independence in the beginning of 2008, AFP said.