Serbian President Boris Tadic reasserted Belgrade's sovereignty over Kosovo during a landmark visit Sunday to the southern province, vowing never to accept its independence.

"Kosovo is Serbian, not only by our laws but by international laws also," Tadic told some 2,000 Serbs gathered to greet him in the central Kosovo town of Strpce. "Independence of Kosovo is unacceptable for me."

It was the first time a Serbian president has visited Kosovo since the province became a United Nations protectorate in 1999. The two-day visit comes ahead of talks on Kosovo's final status, expected to start later this year under UN auspices.

Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians insist on independence, but Belgrade insists that the province remains part of Serbia.

At his meeting with the UN Kosovo chief Soren Jessen-Petersen in the capital of Pristina, Tadic said he had demanded "additionalguarantees" for Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo.

Tadic also called for reconciliation. "There's been a long history of hatred and destruction in all of the Balkans including Kosovo," he said. "That has to stop."

Source: Xinhua