Tomislav Nikolic says Serbs in Kosovo face threat of genocide and refuses to rule out partition along ethnic lines.

The Serbian president has claimed Serbs in Kosovo are living under the threat of genocide and would not rule out a partition between ethnic Serb and Albanian regions of the former province. Tomislav Nikolic, a former ultra-nationalist, was elected in May under a more moderate platform. But in a Guardian interview he criticised Kosovo, whose independence Serbia and its allies refuse to recognise.

He signalled his intention to take a tougher stance than his predecessor in EU-brokered negotiations, arguing that, until now, only Serbia had been asked to make concessions in efforts to defuse the dispute and would now demand more concessions from Pristina. “What compromise has been done by Pristina up to now? None. All the talks has been on things Serbia will accept. Serbia hasn’t set any conditions,” he said. “It’s not a compromise if Serbia is always backtracking step by step. It’s not a compromise if Pristina says its independence is recognised and that it will realise its independence on our territory.”

A Serb enclave around the northern half of the divided city of Mitrovica refuses to accept rule from the ethnic Albanian government in Pristina, the focus of tension since Kosovo declared its independence in 2008. Its independence has been recognised by the UK, US and most western states, but not by Russia, China and a majority of the UN general assembly.

Kosovo’s leadership has repeatedly called for the international community to help it extend its authority into the Mitrovica enclave and has been increasingly assertive in its efforts to force the issue.

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