Serbia icy on Kosovo conference

BELGRADE, Serbia, March 18 (UPI) -- The Serbian government Thursday reiterated its refusal to attend a weekend conference on the status of Kosovo in Slovenia.

Slovenian Prime Minister Borut Pahor proposed hosting the meeting in Ljubljana between Serbia and the breakaway, predominantly Albanian province, but Serbian President Boris Tadic has repeatedly said his government doesn't recognize Kosovo as an independent state.

"Serbia neither accepts nor recognizes Kosovo's independence, and it will not do so," Tadic told the Tanjug news agency Thursday. "Therefore, it is not necessary for anyone to try to talk us into it, or blackmail us to do something like that, because that is an impossible mission."

Serbia has demanded Kosovar delegates be represented as a United Nations entity. The Slovenian leader proposed all attendees could refrain from sitting by their national flags, but Serbia opposed that as well, the report said.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and so far, 65 countries have diplomatically recognized it.