Serbia has requested an urgent UN Security Council session under the UN Charter item that refers to the direct threat to peace and stability in the world, Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić said ahead of the session late on Thursday.

"We believe that the announcement of Priština institutions that they might declare independence in the next few days represents a serious threat to international peace and stability in the world," Jeremić told the Serbian state television and added that Serbia urged a compromise solution.

"If independence is declared, despite a warning which Serbia, Russia and many other countries will make this evening, I will present to the Security Council Serbia's firm stand that such a decision will be completely null and void, illegitimate and without any legal effect for us. It will seriously threaten peace and stability in the Western Balkans and most likely in other parts of the world," Jeremić said.

"I expect that we will get support for such a stand, for efforts to find a compromise solution that can never be the fruit of any unilateral moves," Jeremić said, and added that Serbia would request from the Security Council to adopt a conclusion condemning and preventing the declaration of independence.

In the meantime, Russia's ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, said his country will continue to offer to Serbia the necessary political and diplomatic support and intends to express its strong warning at the UN Security Council session dedicated to the Kosovo crisis, "in case of any act of repression against Kosovo Serbs who might disagree with possible unilateral declaration of the province's independence."

This is one of Russia's basic tasks at the forthcoming UN SC session, he said.

"Serbia is continuing to fight bravely for preserving its territorial integrity, and Russia never abandons its friends in need," Churkin said.

He emphasized that resumption of negotiations in Kosovo status is possible provided the right political decisions are taken, adding that Russia will make it clear that the UN SC continues to play a key role in resolving the Kosovo issue.

Russia will continue to advocate the search for a negotiated, political and legal solution, he noted.

A special session was called on Wednesday, Beta news agency reported, at the request of Russia and Serbia, in connection with announcements regarding the province's ethnic Albanians unilateral declaration of independence, expected "in the near future."

Jeremić will take part in the meeting and voice Serbia's fierce opposition to the possible declaration of Kosovo independence, saying that it would represent a violation of international law, Resolution 1244, and the Serbian Constitution, and would destabilize the region.

"I will ask the Security Council to do everything they can to prevent this," Jeremić said in Belgrade yesterday ahead of his trip to New York.

"We want peace, compromise, a prosperous European future for the whole west Balkan region," explained the foreign minister.

Security Council President Ricardo Arias explained the form the meeting will take. "The UN Security Council has agreed for the session to take the form of a private debate where the Serbian foreign minister will take part, at his own request. Only Council members will be able to address the meeting."

The session was called after the Serbian ambassador to the UN, Pavle Jevremović, on Feb. 12 lodged an official request for a Security Council meeting to be held to discuss Kosovo, and the request was supported by Russia.

In a letter to the chairman of the UN Security Council, Jevremović requested this body to consider "the exceedingly dangerous situation in the Serbian province of Kosovo, where we are witnessing the final preparations for a unilateral declaration of independence."

Jevremović stated that this declaration of independence would represent a violation of Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council, which installed a UN administration in Kosovo and allowed the arrival of NATO troops, but guaranteed the territorial integrity of Serbia.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated yesterday in Slovenia that he was not optimistic regarding the Security Council's session on Kosovo.

Lavrov added that it would be "a serious mistake" not to "use this opportunity before the body, which laid the foundations for a peaceful solution in Kosovo through Resolution 1244."

According to reports by foreign news agencies, diplomats in New York do not expect the meeting to result in anyone changing their position regarding this issue, Beta said.