Serbia discussed retaliatory measures on Tuesday against Kosovo and Western countries planning to recognize the province's expected declaration of independence.
The measures were expected to be adopted on Tuesday at a meeting of Serbia's National Security Council, a top security body that includes the president, prime minister and other senior officials. They will be kept secret until Kosovo declares independence, possibly next weekend.
If the council adopts them, the government would approve the measures and they then could go to the parliament over the weekend for final endorsement.
The so-called "Action Plan" is believed to include the downgrading of diplomatic ties with countries that recognize the province's statehood and legal action against them at international courts.
Some Serbian officials have said the retaliatory steps could also include an economic blockade of the province and a ban to prevent ethnic Albanians from Kosovo from entering Serbia.
They said the measures would also encourage Kosovo's Serb minority, concentrated mostly in the north of the province, to shun the declaration of independence and formally keep their territories under Belgrade's control -- de facto partitioning of the province.
Serbia's leadership hopes the measures would legally annul the declaration, which is expected to be pronounced by Kosovo's parliament in the provincial capital, Pristina, possibly on Sunday or on Monday.
Serbian Prime Minister Voji-slav Kostunica said in a statement on Tuesday that Serbia "will in advance cancel out the illegal unilateral creation of a fake state on its territory."
Asked whether he thought the expected declaration of independence by Kosovo in a few days was good, bad or untimely, French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said "there is no decision for the time being."
After more 16 months, and no agreement between the Serbs and Kosovars, Kouchner said: "I believe now they are going to have to take a decision and we'll take it, all the nations together, the 25."
Serbia wants to keep hold of Kosovo -- considered the cradle of its medieval statehood and religion -- although it has had no control over the province since a 1999 NATO bombing campaign ended a crackdown against ethnic Albanian rebels and forced Belgrade to pull out.
The US and most EU nations support statehood for the province.
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