On March 6, the Serb National Council of northern Kosovo and Metohija demanded that the upcoming talks between Belgrade and Pristina include representatives of the U.N. and Russia as equal participants.

"President Boris Tadic and the Serbian government must insist on their presence at all cost, as only the participation of U.N. and Russian representatives can thwart the antiSerb plans of Washington, Brussels and Pristina for the talks" between "two neighboring countries," the Council said in a statement.

The Council added that giving the U.N. and Russia a more active role in the talks would also stop the U.S., EU and interim Pristina authorities from taking the dialogue outside of the framework of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244, which defines Kosovo and Metohija as an integral part of Serbia.