Kosovo frees itself from Serbia

Kosovo's parliament declared the territory a nation on Sunday, mounting a historic bid to become an “independent and democratic state...

Kosovo’s parliament declared the territory a nation on Sunday, mounting a historic bid to become an “independent and democratic state” backed by the US and European allies but bitterly contested by Serbia and Russia.

Serbia immediately denounced the declaration as illegal, and Russia also rejected it, demanding an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. US President George W. Bush said the US would work to prevent violence after the declaration and the European Union also appealed for calm.

“Kosovo is a republic — an independent, democratic and sovereign state,” parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi said as the chamber burst into applause. Across the capital, Pristina, revellers danced in the streets, fired guns into the air and waved red and black Albanian flags in jubilation at the birth of the world’s newest country.

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Sunday’s declaration was carefully orchestrated with the US and key European powers, and Kosovo was counting on recognition that could come as early as Monday, when EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels.

But by sidestepping the UN and appealing directly to the US and other nations for recognition, Kosovo set up a showdown with Serbia, and Russia, which warned that it would set a dangerous precedent for separatist groups worldwide.

Krasniqi, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and President Fatmir Sejdiu signed the declaration, scripted on parchment, and unveiled a new national crest and a flag: a bright blue banner with a map of Kosovo and six stars, one for each ethnic group.

“From today onwards, Kosovo is proud, independent and free,” said Thaci, a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army, which battled Serbian troops in a 1998-99 separatist war. “We never lost faith in the dream that one day we would stand among the free nations of the world, and today we do.