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Kosovo declares independence

An ethnic Albanian gestures as he celebrates in the center of Pristina on Saturday, a day before Kosovo was expected to declare independence. EU nations agreed on Saturday to send a 1,800-strong mission to Kosovo to help the fledgling state build its police force and judiciary. PHOTO: AP

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership held a special session of parliament at 3pm yesterday to declare independence -- a bold and historic bid for statehood in defiance of Serbia and Russia.

Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci asked lawmakers to vote on a declaration proclaiming the formation of the Republic of Kosovo as "an independent, sovereign and democratic state."

"This is the will of the people," the former guerrilla leader said as the breakaway province prepared to shake off centuries of Serbian dominance as Europe's newest nation. "We are on the brink of a very crucial moment -- an important decision that will make us one of the free nations of the world."

By sidestepping the UN and appealing directly to the US and other nations for recognition, Kosovo's independence sets up a showdown with Serbia -- outraged at the imminent loss of its territory -- and Russia, which warned that it would set a dangerous precedent for separatist groups worldwide.

Thaci yesterday signed 192 separate letters to nations around the world -- including Serbia -- asking them to recognize Kosovo as a state.

But Serbia, which considers Kosovo the heart of its ancestral homeland, declared the secession "invalid and illegal." Underscoring Serb anger, about 1,000 people staged a noisy protest in Belgrade on Saturday, waving Serbian flags and chanting: "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia."

"It would be best for the Americans to take the Albanians to America and give them a part of their territory, so that they could have a small republic there," Ljubinko Stefanovic, a resident of the ethnically divided northern town of Kosovska Mitrovica, said.

Kosovo has formally remained a part of Serbia even though it has been administered by the UN and NATO since 1999, when NATO airstrikes ended former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. The war claimed about 10,000 lives and drove nearly 1 million people from their homes.

The province is still protected by 16,000 NATO-led peacekeepers and the alliance boosted its patrols over the weekend in the hope it would discourage violence. International police, meanwhile, were deployed to back up local forces in the tense north.

US President George W. Bush said on a visit to Africa that the US "will continue to work with our allies to the very best we can to make sure there's no violence."

"We are heartened by the fact that the Kosovo government has clearly proclaimed its willingness and its desire to support Serbian rights in Kosovo," Bush said. "We also believe it's in Serbia's interest to be aligned with Europe and the Serbian people can know that they have a friend in America."

At yesterday's ceremony, parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi read out the independence declaration in the chamber, where the proceedings were broadcast live on television and lawmakers were asked to adopt it.

Krasniqi then proclaimed Kosovo independent and lawmakers went on to vote on the new nation's flag and crest.

Later yesterday, the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra planned to play Beethoven's Ode to Joy at a sports hall, where top leaders would gather for speeches and toasts.

"This will be a joyful day," said Besnik Berisha, a Pristina resident. "The town looks great and the party should start."
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