Serbian President Tadic visits Kosovo

PRISTINA, Kosovo, April 17 (UPI) -- Serbian President Boris Tadic visited Kosovo Friday to send a message of peace to both Kosovo's Serbs and ethnic Albanians, Serbian Television said.

This was Tadic's second visit to Kosovo since it unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008.

Tadic flew from Pristina by a NATO helicopter 60 miles west to the 14th century Orthodox Serb monastery of Visoki Decani, where he attended a mass.

He said he carries a "message of peace for Serbs and Albanians, for all people living in Kosovo, in our Serbia," the Serbian news agency Beta said.

Serbia has opposed Kosovo's independence declaration, which has been recognized by 57 countries, including the United States, Japan and all major European Union nations.

Serbia, Russia, China, India, Greece and Spain have refused to recognize Kosovo.

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said he allowed Tadic to visit Kosovo as his government considered the visit as private and of religious character. The visit fell on Good Friday of the Orthodox Serb Easter.