Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic refused Wednesday the invitation of his Montenegrin counterpart Milan Rocen to take part in the U.S.- Adriatic Charter conference of foreign ministers due to the presence of a Kosovo representative, Tanjug learned at the minister's cabinet.

On Wednesday, Jeremic participated in a meeting of South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) foreign ministers in the coastal town of Becici (Montenegro), which also hosted this conference. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, one of the participants of this U.S.-Adriatic Charter meeting, said after it that NATO has a vision to include all the Western Balkan countries into the Euro-Atlantic family.

Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hodzaj took part in this meeting as a representative of an independent state. The official stand of Serbia, which does not recognize the unilaterally declared independence of Kosovo-Metohija, is to refuse to participate in the meetings which are not organized in conformity with the principle that Kosovo shall take part as Kosovo/ UNMIK.