Kosova, a new state

PRISHTINA, Feb. 17 – Parliament proclaimed in defiance of Serbia and Russia, which condemned the declaration of the world’s newest nation and jubilant Albanians fired guns, waved red-and-black Albanian flags and set off fireworks over Kosova Sunday.
Kosova President Fatmir Sejdiu sought to allay Serbs’ concerns, telling them: “I understand today is a fearful day for you all, but your rights and your property will be protected today as it will be always.”
At a special session of parliament boycotted by 10 minority Serb lawmakers and televised live nationwide, sustained applause erupted after the rest of the chamber unanimously adopted the declaration of independence, which was scripted on parchment. They also unveiled a new national crest and a flag: a bright blue banner featuring a golden map of Kosova and six stars, one for each of its main ethnic groups. Few of the new flags were seen Sunday on Kosova’s streets, where the old Albanian banner still dominated.
“We, the democratically elected leaders of our people, hereby declare Kosova to be an independent and sovereign state,” the proclamation read.
“From today onwards, Kosova is proud, independent and free,” said Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, a former KLA leader. “We never lost faith in the dream that one day we would stand among the free nations of the world, and today we do.”
“Our hopes have never been higher,” he said. “Dreams are infinite, our challenges loom large, but nothing can deter us from moving forward to the greatness that history has reserved for us.”
Like Sejdiu, Thaci reached out to ordinary Serbs, but he had stern words for the Serbian government.
“Kosova will never be ruled by Belgrade again,” he warned.
A decade after a bloody separatist war with Serbian forces that claimed 10,000 lives, lawmakers pronounced the territory the Republic of Kosova and pledged to make it a “democratic, multiethnic state.” Its leaders looked for swift recognition from the U.S. and key European powers _ but also braced for a bitter showdown.
Serbia called the declaration illegal and its ally Russia denounced it, saying it threatened to touch off a new conflict in the Balkans. Russia and Serbia called for an emergency session of the U.N. Security Council, which met later Sunday.
Thousands of ethnic Albanians braved subfreezing temperatures to ride on the roofs of their cars, singing patriotic songs and chanting: “KLA! KLA!” the acronym for the now-disbanded rebel Kosova Liberation Army. They waved American flags alongside the red Albanian banner imprinted with a black, double-headed eagle.
By contrast, police in the Serbian capital Belgrade fired tear gas and rubber bullets in skirmishes with protesters who opposed the declaration. Groups of masked thugs ran through downtown Belgrade smashing windows and ransacking tobacco stands. At least 30 people were injured, about half of them police officers, hospital officials said.
In Switzerland, which hosts many immigrants from Kosova, police estimated about 10,000 people gathered in Lausanne. Crowds also cheered in Bern, where Bundesplatz square quickly filled with a happy crowd, champagne corks popping. In the U.S., crowds in New York’s Times Square also celebrated the declaration.
Thousands of Albanians gathered at Tirana’s main Skanderbeg Square celebrating Kosova’s independence and following a concert expected to last all night long.
Albanians were called onto the streets for a ‘Freedom Walk’ day, while restaurants and bars offered free glasses of wine.
Kosova had formally remained a part of Serbia even though it has been administered by the U.N. and NATO since 1999, when NATO airstrikes ended former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic’s crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists.
Ninety percent of Kosova’s 2 million people are ethnic Albanian _ most of them secular Muslims _ and they see no reason to stay joined to the rest of Christian Orthodox Serbia. Kosova 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.
Sunday’s declaration was carefully orchestrated with the U.S. and key European powers, and Kosova was counting on international recognition that could come as early as Monday, when EU foreign ministers meet in Brussels, Belgium.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that independence without U.N. approval would set a dangerous precedent for “frozen conflicts” across the former Soviet Union, where separatists in Chechnya and Georgia are agitating for independence.
Thaci also signed 192 separate letters to nations around the world _ including Serbia _ asking them to recognize Kosova as a state.
Kosova’s leaders signed their names on a giant iron sculpture spelling out “NEWBORN” before heading to a sports hall for a performance of Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” by the Kosova Philharmonic Orchestra.