(Adds Russian and Austrian comments)

By Beti Bilandzic

BELGRADE, April 18 (Reuters) - Serbian President Boris Tadic said on Wednesday granting independence to Kosovo against Belgrade's wishes would bring instability to the Balkan region and the European continent.

A U.N. plan proposes supervised independence, which Serbia rejects. The United States and most European countries support the plan and want a quick U.N. Security Council resolution, but Russia -- which has veto powers -- is at odds with Washington.

Tadic told a meeting of Danube river countries that Serbia and Europe were facing a critical challenge in the coming months when the future status of the breakaway province, which has an ethnic Albanian majority, was due to be decided.

"I believe it will affect in the most profound way the stability and the future not only of the western Balkans but of the whole continent," said Tadic. He said "a real compromise over the future status" of Kosovo was required.

Serbia says it would never recognise any move to take away its territory in violation of international law, that it could set a dangerous precedent, and that Kosovo could become a lawless state.

Belgrade hopes Russia, its Orthodox Christian ally, can delay a Security Council resolution and possibly win new talks.

Kosovo has been under U.N. rule since 1999 when NATO mounted a bombing campaign to drive out Serb forces to stop them killing ethnic Albanian civilians.

IMPATIENCE

Ethnic Albanians are impatient for independence, and the West fears there could be violence if a decision is delayed.

Russia's ambassador to the United Nations, Vitaly Churkin, said on Wednesday a U.S. wish to have a Security Council resolution on Kosovo within weeks was "destructive".

"I think that this is some kind of element of psychological attack on the Security Council," Churkin told reporters by video link from New York.

He did not say if Russia would use its veto to block a resolution on Kosovo but said: "We may be sure that Russia has a very firm position."

In deference to Russia, the United Nations is sending a fact-finding mission on Kosovo to the area on April 25-27.

"The Russian Federation has its own vision on Kosovo. It's a different view to that of the United States," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov told reporters in Madrid. He was due in Belgrade later on Wednesday.

At the Danube countries' meeting, Austrian Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik said she hoped the Security Council would make a decision soon because "the time for technical manoeuvre is over, we need clarity".

Contrary to speculation in Serbia that Austria favoured further talks, she said: "(The U.N. plan) has our full confidence. Austria's position has been unchanged." (Additional reporting by Ivana Sekularac, Peter Graff in London Oleg Shchedrov in Moscow and Andrew Hay in Madrid)

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