Kosovo ruled out on Tuesday re-uniting with Serbia or resuming talks on its status, as a top UN court heard arguments about whether Pristina's declaration of independence broke international law.
"Kosovo's independence is irreversible and that will remain the case, not only for Kosovo, but also for the sake of regional peace and security," the territory's foreign minister, Skender Hyseni, said.
Ethnic Albanian majority Kosovo broke away from Serbia on February 17, 2008, after UN-brokered talks between them stalled, deeply frustrating international backers, but Belgrade wants the negotiations to resume.
Kosovo was put under UN supervision following a NATO bombing campaign in 1999 against former Serb strongman Slobodan Milosevic to stop his crackdown on the rebel Albanians.
Hyseni told the International Court of Justice in The Hague that any return to the negotiations could undermine regional stability, but said that Pristina was prepared to talk to Belgrade on equal terms.
"It is inconceivable that we would accede to Serbia's call to turn the clock back -- to pursue further negotiations on whether Serbia will or will not accept Kosovo as an independent state," he said.
"That would be highly disruptive, and could even spark new conflict in the region.
He added: "We would welcome talks with Serbia on practical issues of mutual concern."
"But any such talks must be held on an equal basis, between two sovereign states. We would not enter into negotiations that would bring into question our status as a sovereign and independent state. There can be no going back."
The hearings in The Hague, which began Tuesday, run until December 11 and include testimony from 29 nations. The court will give a non-binding advisory opinion on the move which could come in a few months.
Judges will address the "accordance with international law of the unilateral declaration of independence by the provisional institutions of self-government of Kosovo."
