Serbia's president said he would consider the division of Kosovo along ethnic lines if Belgrade can't stop the full recognition of it as an independent nation, Associated Press reported. It was the first time that a senior Serbian official openly discussed the division of Kosovo since ethnic Albanians, who comprise about 90 percent of Kosovo's 2 million people, declared independence from Serbia in February. Kosovo has received recognition from more than 45 countries, including the U.S. and most EU nations. But Kosovo authorities have no control over about 15 percent of its territory where about 200,000 Serbs live. Serbia has been trying to form its own leadership in those areas, despite opposition from Kosovo's U.N. and EU administrators. President Boris Tadic told national television late Monday that if Serbia's efforts to keep Kosovo within its territory fail, he would be ready to think about the option of splitting the region between majority ethnic Albanians and minority Kosovo Serbs. «I'm ready to think about that option, if we exhaust all other options,» Tadic said, adding that «all options are legitimate» when trying to find a fair solution for Kosovo.
