Patriarch Irinej: "Serbia Is Not Serbia without Kosovo; It is a Being without a Head"

The Serbian Patriarch Irinej said last week that the partition of Kosovo is both unacceptable and unachievable, according to the True Orthodox and Ecmenical News website.

He added that the situation in the province is very difficult and that he cannot imagine the Pec patriarchy not being a part of Serbia, but a part of another country, saying this also would be unacceptable.

"Serbia is not Serbia without Kosovo. For me, it is a being without a head. Our country cannot be beheaded and stripped of Kosovo," Patriarch Irinej said.

Kosovo -- a former province in Serbia -- illegally seceded from Serbia and declared its independence in February 2008. The United Nations and most countries of the world -- including Serbia -- do not recognize Kosovo as an independent nation. Serbia has referred the Kosovo situation to the International Court of Justice in Holland, where a ruling on Kosovo's status is expected to be made in the summer of 2010.