Serb leader unyielding on Kosovo

Mr Tadic is the first Serbian leader to visit Kosovo in years

Serb President Boris Tadic has declared he would never accept an independent Kosovo, during a visit to the province.

He told Serbs at a rally in Strpce, 25 miles south of Pristina, he would do all in his power to prevent secession.

Mr Tadic is the first Serb leader to visit the region officially since the Nato bombing campaign in 1999.

Correspondents say that the visit comes at a sensitive time, with talks on the future status of the province perhaps only months away.

"I am against the independence of Kosovo and for me, it is unacceptable," Mr Tadic told some 2,000 Serbs gathered to greet him.

"I will never accept such a solution," he added.

Mr Tadic said his trip was designed to remind the world of the plight of Serbs in Kosovo, the historic heartland of Serbian culture and religion.

Kosovo, which technically remains a part of Serbia, is in practice run by the international community.

No 'magic wand'

Mr Tadic also held talks with international officials in the capital, Pristina after beginning his tour with a visit to a local Serb village.

"I don't have a magic wand to fix all the problems," Mr Tadic told a crowd of hundreds in the village of Silovo.

But he pledged to "do everything possible to make sure that you have the right to live and survive here".

Many Kosovo Serbs who live in isolated enclaves feel their interests are being ignored and their security threatened by the majority Albanian population.

Last March, 19 people were killed in riots across Kosovo as Albanian gangs targeted Serb areas.

Many Albanians want nothing less than full independence, while most Serbs want the province to remain a part of Serbia.

The BBC's Nick Hawton, in Sarajevo, says Kosovo remains an extremely sensitive issue within Serbian politics.

As final status talks beckon, Serb politicians are already jockeying for position, he says.

Mr Tadic is likely to use the opportunity of the visit to shore up his own credentials on the issue, our correspondent adds.