The Associated Press
Monday, September 25, 2006; 6:28 PM

PRISTINA, Serbia -- Serbia's foreign minister has warned of possible renewed conflict in the Balkans if the province of Kosovo becomes independent without the Serbian government's approval, according to comments published Monday.

Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic suggested Kosovo should have full autonomy but not be allowed to hold separate membership in the United Nations and NATO.

"Kosovo's independence would produce trouble in the region, in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Montenegro and Macedonia," Draskovic was quoted as saying in the Kosovo Albanian daily Epoka e Re.

"You know that no border in the Balkans has been changed with an agreement," he said. "Borders have always been changed with wars, and that (Kosovo's independence) would naturally bring such a trouble."

The United Nations has been organizing talks on the province's future and hopes to resolve its status by the end of the year, but talks have stalled with both sides unwilling to compromise on their demands.

Ethnic Albanians, who make up 90 percent of Kosovo's 2 million people, insist they should be free from Belgrade's authority. Serbia, as well as the Serb minority in Kosovo, says Kosovo is the heart of Serbia's ancient homeland and should remain within its borders.

"You know very well that Kosovo is not only a territorial issue, but also a spiritual one because Serb spirit and culture were born there," Draskovic said.

Belgrade and Serb leaders in the province worry about the safety of Kosovo's 100,000 Serbs, most of whom live in small, scattered enclaves. Few of the 200,000 Serbs who fled Kosovo during and after the 1998-99 war have returned.

Meanwhile, Daniel Fried, U.S. assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian Affairs, met with top Serbian officials to discuss Kosovo and other issues.

Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica reiterated Serbia's rejection of the possible secession of Kosovo.

Kosovo has been a U.N. protectorate since 1999 when NATO air raids forced Serbia to halt its crackdown on the separatists and pull its troops out.

"Kosovo has always been and will remain part of Serbia," Kostunica stressed in a statement. He reiterated Belgrade's proposal that Kosovo enjoy self-rule and broad autonomy, without a change of borders.

The chief U.N. envoy for Kosovo, Maarti Ahtisaari, said last week he had no "fixed deadlines" in the Kosovo status talks, though he is expected before the year's end to present the U.N. Security council with proposal for Kosovo's future.