Protesters holding a banner march through the city centre during a rally in Belgrade, Serbia, Feb. 16, 2008. More than 1,000 people gathered in Belgrade on Saturday with banners, flags and religious icons to protest against Kosovo's declaration of independence. [Photo: Xinhua/Reuters]

Serbia will never recognise the independence of Kosovo, President Boris Tadic said in a statement after the breakaway province declared independence Sunday.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica also rejected the independence of Kosovo as illegal, and condemned the United States for backing the independence-seeking province in a televised address to the nation.

"Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo. Serbia has reacted and will react with all peaceful, diplomatic and legal means to annul this act committed by Kosovo's institutions," Tadic said.

"I appeal to all our citizens in Serbia and in Kosovo to be led by reason," he said.

The state of Serbia will take responsible moves and will do everything in its power to annul this arbitrary and illegally proclaimed independence of Kosovo, he said.

"Serbia will not resort to violence and that is the only approach which can enable us to continue our legitimate fight to preserve the integrity of our country," Tadic added.

Meanwhile, Kostunica labeled the breakaway province as "a false state," saying "the government will annul all documents that relate to the creation of a false state on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Serbia."

He also slashed U.S. President George W. Bush and NATO for backing Kosovo's independence, accusing the United States of placing "the policy of force above the UN Charter" to "further its own military interests."

"The president of the United States, who is responsible for this violence, as well as his European followers, will be inscribed in the history of Serbia with black letters, and also in the history of international law on which the world's order is based," Kostunica said.

Kosovo, an ethnic Albanian-dominated Serb province of 2 million people, officially declared independence from Serbia on Sunday despite strong opposition from Serbia.

The independence-seeking province has been run by the UN mission since NATO drove the Serbian troops out of it in 1999. Top U.S. officials have vigorously backed Kosovo's independence.

Kosovo's parliament voted to adopt a declaration of independence read by Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci at an extraordinary session.

On Thursday, the Serbian government adopted a resolution, declaring any unilateral move to be null and void as Kosovo's independence violates Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Serbia has reiterated its adherence to the two principles to solve Kosovo's future status: one is to recognize Kosovo as part of Serbia in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution 1244; the other is that Serbia rejects the unilateral declaration of independence of its breakaway province of Kosovo or similar activities.