Serbia's Parliament Calls For Peace In Kosovo

Serbia's President Boris Tadic has ruled out the use of force in Kosovo in response to last week's ethnic violence.

After a heated 10-hour debate, Serbia's parliament has passed a resolution calling for a peaceful resolution of the nation's worst crisis with Kosovo since the province declared independence three years ago.

A majority of legislators from Serbia's governing pro-Western coalition agreed with Serbian President Boris Tadic, who told parliament he had ruled out the use of force in Kosovo in response to last week's ethnic violence.

The violence killed one ethnic Albanian police officer and forced NATO peacekeepers to intervene.

Tadic spoke after nationalist Serbian lawmakers lashed out at NATO, European Union officials in Kosovo, and local ethnic Albanian authorities -- blaming them for last week's violence.

Some nationalist hard-liners called for Serbia to intervene militarily to protect minority Serbs in Kosovo.

The violence began when Kosovo's special police took control of two border crossing points with Serbia.

Serbs in Kosovo responded by blocking roads and setting a border post on fire.

Kosovo Serbs today continued to blockade roads leading to the two border posts, demanding that they be reopened and manned by Kosovo Serb customs officials.

compiled from agency reports