PRAGUE (AFP)--Czech President Vaclav Klaus said Friday he fears snowballing separatist tendencies following Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence. 

"I worry about the consequences of the separation of Kosovo from Serbia for other countries across Europe and the world," said Klaus, who was re-elected last week for a second term in office, in a letter to opposition communist leader Vojtech Filip. 

According to Klaus, who was quick to anticipate as then prime minister the "velvet divorce" separation of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, which came into effect on Jan. 1, 1993, events of the past week demand an "international" response. 

"I understand the frustration and the disillusionment experienced by Serbs in Kosovo as well as in Serbia (itself)," he added of a nation he said was a "traditional friend" of the Czechs. 

The Czech Republic has yet to recognize Kosovo, a foreign ministry spokesman saying only that the country would adopt a decision "which conforms to the majority view among European Union members."