Political Director at the Serbian Foreign Affairs Ministry Borko Stefanovic on May 21 accused Albania of trying to present the Kosovo issue as a religious, not an ethic issue, at a conference of the Organization of Islamic Conference.

Stefanovic told the press in Belgrade that the Albanian delegation at the conference held in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, proposed a draft resolution on Kosovo affirming its independence, calling on members to recognize Kosovo and asking the Organization to "support Kosovo citizens and Muslims in the Balkans."

"One could clearly note a perfidious attempt to present the Kosovo problem in the light of religion, not ethnicity," Stefanovic said.

According to him, the draft resolution also calls for affirmation of Kosovo in the international arena, welcomes membership in the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, and confirms the determination to set up diplomatic relations with Kosovo.

"With this document, the Albanian delegation had attempted to affirm Kosovo's independence and call on new recognitions, and to present in an utterly unfair way the Kosovo issue as a religious affair, which, of course, is not the case," he added.

The resolution was passed at the ministerial conference of the Organization, which finished on May 21. Albania welcomed this act, considering it to be "of a great importance for the further recognition of Kosovo."