Madrid  - Spain remains opposed to the independence of Kosovo by "political conviction" and in line with international law, Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said Monday.

Zapatero spoke at a joint press conference with Serbian President Boris Tadic, who was on his first state visit to Spain.

Spain is one of the few countries not to have recognized the independence Kosovo declared in 2008, allegedly for fear that it could encourage separatist tendencies in Spanish regions.

Vitoria/Santiago de Compostela, Spain  - A mainstream Spanish party defending the country's unity could oust Basque nationalists from power for the first time in 30 years, preliminary results showed after Sunday's regional elections.

Basque Prime Minister Juan Jose Ibarretxe's Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) won the elections, taking 30 seats in the 75-member regional parliament.

However, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero's socialists increased their support from 18 to 24 seats.

Madrid - Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero on Monday warned Israel that its actions in its conflict with the Palestinians were not the way to peace and security.

Spain rejected "irresponsible and provocative" ruptures of the ceasefire, as well as "disproportionate" reactions which violated international law, Zapatero said at a press conference.

Zapatero has agreed with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to seek international pressure for an immediate ceasefire, according to government sources.