Kosovo prepares for declaration of independence

Kosovo’s prime minister today announced a special afternoon session of parliament where lawmakers planned to declare independence – a bold and historic bid for statehood in defiance of Serbia and Russia.

Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said the extraordinary session would convene at noon (2pm Irish time), when the breakaway province’s ethnic Albanian leadership would proclaim the Republic of Kosovo and unveil the new country’s flag and national crest.

“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,” Thaci said.

By side-stepping the UN and appealing directly to the US and other nations for recognition, Kosovo's independence set 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.

But Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian leadership made clear it was determined to shake off centuries of Serbian dominance and carve a country out of this long-bloodied corner of Europe.

“It’s a historic moment for all of us. This is the will of the people,” said Thaci – a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army whose ethnic Albanian guerrillas clashed with Serb troops in a 1998-99 conflict that claimed 10,000 lives.

Underscoring Serb anger, about 1,000 people staged a protest in Belgrade yesterday, waving Serbian flags and chanting “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia.”

Kosovo has formally remained a part of Serbia even though it has been administered by the UN and Nato since the war ended in 1999. The province is still protected by 16,000 Nato-led peacekeepers, and the alliance boosted its patrols over the weekend in hopes of discouraging violence. International police, meanwhile, 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 today’s ceremony, parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi was to read out the independence declaration in the chamber, where the proceedings were to be broadcast live on television, and lawmakers would be asked to adopt it.

Krasniqi would then proclaim Kosovo independent from Serbia, and lawmakers would vote on the new nation’s flag and crest.

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. They then planned to sign their names on giant iron letters spelling out “NEWBORN” to be displayed in downtown Pristina, the capital.

Fireworks and an outdoor concert were scheduled for later.

Spontaneous street celebrations broke out for a second straight night last night with giddy Kosovars waving Albanian and American flags and sounding car horns.

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

Ninety per cent of Kosovo’s two million people are ethnic Albanian – most moderate or non-practising Muslims, the rest Roman Catholics – and they see no reason to stay joined to the rest of Christian Orthodox Serbia.

With Russia, a staunch Serbian ally, determined to block the bid, Kosovo looked to the US and key European powers for swift recognition of its status as the continent’s newest nation. That recognition was likely to come tomorrow at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, arguing that independence without UN approval would set a dangerous precedent for “frozen conflicts” across the former Soviet Union and around the world, pressured the Security Council to intervene.

Serbia’s government ruled out any military response as part of its secret “action plan” drafted earlier this week as a response, but warned that it would downgrade relations with any foreign government that recognises Kosovo’s independence.