Kosovo declares itself 'free'...Russia Denounces...USA calls for calm...War fears...

[Logan13]

Kosovo declares itself 'free'...Russia Denounces...USA calls for calm...War fears...
drudgereport.com

Kosovo's parliament has unanimously endorsed a declaration of independence from Serbia, in a historic session.

Celebrations went on into the night after Prime Minister Hashim Thaci promised a democracy that respected the rights of all ethnic communities.

Serbia's PM denounced the US for helping create a "false state".

A split later emerged at the Security Council, when Russia said there was no basis for changing a 1999 resolution which handed Kosovo to the UN.

Seven Western countries said it was quite clear the situation had moved on.

See a map of Kosovo's ethnic breakdown
Tens of thousands of people had thronged the streets of Kosovo's capital, Pristina, since the morning.

We have waited for this day for a very long time... from today, we are proud, independent and free

When news came of the declaration in parliament, the centre of the city erupted with fireworks, firecrackers and celebratory gunfire.

Crowds surrounded an independence monument which was unveiled during the evening and signed by Mr Thaci and Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu.

Ethnic Albanians staged noisy celebrations in the Macedonian capital, Skopje, and in Brussels, outside the headquarters of Nato and the European Union.

Hand grenades

The first sign of trouble in Kosovo came in the ethnic Serbian area of the flashpoint town of Mitrovica, where two hand grenades were thrown at international community buildings.

One exploded at a UN court building while the other failed to go off outside offices expected to house the new EU mission.

In Belgrade, demonstrators threw stones and broke windows at the US embassy as riot police tried to fend off a crowd of around 1,000 people.

The protesters, described as gangs of youths, also attacked a McDonald's restaurant, the Serbian government building and the embassy of Slovenia which currently holds the EU presidency.

Several Serbian ministers had travelled to Kosovo to show their support for the ethnic Serbian minority.

Kosovo's 10 Serbian MPs boycotted the assembly session in protest at the declaration.

Serbia's Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica blamed the US which he said was "ready to violate the international order for its own military interests".

"Today, this policy of force thinks that it has triumphed by establishing a false state," Mr Kostunica said.

Search for equality

The declaration was approved with a show of hands. No-one opposed it.

"We have waited for this day for a very long time," Mr Thaci told parliament before reading the text, paying tribute to those who had died on the road to independence.

From today, he said, Kosovo was "proud, independent and free".

"The independence of Kosovo marks the end of the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia," the prime minister said.

He said Kosovo would be built in accordance with the UN plan drawn up by former Finnish President, Martti Ahtisaari.

Unfortunately today Kosovo and Serbia are to become two dispensable chess-pieces of EU/NATO and Russia Mat, Ljubljana, Slovenia
The international military and civilian presence - also envisaged by the Ahtisaari plan - was welcome, the PM said.

There should be no fear of discrimination in new Kosovo, he said, vowing to eradicate any such practices.

The declaration was signed by all the MPs present.

Russian protest

The UN Security Council went into emergency session on Sunday evening after Russia called for the United Nations to declare the Kosovo declaration illegal.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called on all sides to keep to their commitments and refrain from violence.

Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters that the resolution allowing the UN to administer Kosovo since 1999 was still in force so there could be no legal basis for any change in status.

But seven Western states said the UN Security Council could not agree on Kosovo's future and all attempt to reach a negotiated outcome had been exhausted.

"We regret that the Security Council cannot agree on the way forward, but this impasse has been clear for many months," Belgium's UN ambassador Johan Verbeke said.

He gave the statement on behalf of Belgium, France, Italy, the UK, Croatia, Germany, and the United States.

Limitations of independence

The declaration approved by Kosovo's parliament contains limitations on Kosovan independence as outlined in Mr Ahtisaari's plan.

Kosovo, or part of it, cannot join any other country. It will be supervised by an international presence. Its armed forces will be limited and it will make strong provisions for Serb minority protection.

Recognition by a number of EU states, including the UK and other major countries, will come on Monday after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels, says the BBC's Paul Reynolds.

The US is also expected to announce its recognition on Monday.

Three EU states - Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia - have told other EU governments that they will not recognise Kosovo, says our correspondent.

Russia's foreign ministry has indicated that Western recognition of an independent Kosovo could have implications for the Georgian breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

[Pooks]

About time.. Good for them.

[J431S]

.. the people of Kosova and serbia should learn how to reconcilate and get a long with each for the common good of their children. they should learn how to set aside their ethnic difference and build a strong coalition government of unity with rule of law that do not discriminate others because of their religious background, creed, gender, or racial ethnicity. untill then "separation" or indepenedence will not make them live in peace side by side but rather to breed more conflict because of the cross-road nature of the part of region with serbs living in kosova and kosovans living in serbia.

[Pooks]

.. the people of Kosova and serbia should learn how to reconcilate and get a long with each for the common good of their children. they should learn how to set aside their ethnic difference and build a strong coalition government of unity with rule of law that do not discriminate others because of their religious background, creed, gender, or racial ethnicity. untill then "separation" or indepenedence will not make them live in peace side by side but rather to breed more conflict because of the cross-road nature of the part of region with serbs living in kosova and kosovans living in serbia.

Liberate those people also..

Have city states.. or village states... screw it go with complete anarchy.

It will prolly all fall under EU eventually anyways.

[thegodfather]

I would like any of you people who are supporting this, to see any of the 50 states of the United States of America try to declare independence from the nation and watch how quick anyone who supports that break away state have the full power of the US arsenal come crashing down on their heads.

[J431S]

I would like any of you people who are supporting this, to see any of the 50 states of the United States of America try to declare independence from the nation and watch how quick anyone who supports that break away state have the full power of the US arsenal come crashing down on their heads.

how ironic...the US is the first nation to favor Kosovo's declaration of independence..

[thegodfather]

how ironic...the US is the first nation to favor Kosovo's declaration of independence..

Yes, exactly. Many Americans think the Civil War was about ending slavery. That was really an unintended consequence. The Civil War was about southern states seeking secession and the north attempting to bring them back into the union by force. That war killed 600,000 American citizens, fighting amongst one another. Sometimes brothers killing brothers. Yes, it would seem our country supports independent movements from government??...righttttt

[Pooks]

Yes, exactly. Many Americans think the Civil War was about ending slavery. That was really an unintended consequence. The Civil War was about southern states seeking secession and the north attempting to bring them back into the union by force. That war killed 600,000 American citizens, fighting amongst one another. Sometimes brothers killing brothers. Yes, it would seem our country supports independent movements from government??...righttttt

Its all politics .. Serbia is weak.. and stability in the region is good for business there. so... do as u wish to them.

I don't see the USA.. or any other nation.. really jumping to the defence of TIBET.. now that they are uprising a little bit, and china is cracking down on them

but china is big, and a major player.. u cant force their hand..

[kfrost06]

Its all politics .. Serbia is weak.. and stability in the region is good for business there. so... do as u wish to them.

I don't see the USA.. or any other nation.. really jumping to the defence of TIBET.. now that they are uprising a little bit, and china is cracking down on them

but china is big, and a major player.. u cant force their hand..

sad but very true. Your a smart man Pooks

[Prada]

Its all politics .. Serbia is weak.. and stability in the region is good for business there. so... do as u wish to them.

I don't see the USA.. or any other nation.. really jumping to the defence of TIBET.. now that they are uprising a little bit, and china is cracking down on them

but china is big, and a major player.. u cant force their hand..

What is scary is this creates a precedent. Will Kashmiris now declare independence from India and Pakistan? Kurds from Iran, Turkey and Iraq? Quebec from Canada? How about Spain, Ireland, Hong Kong etc.

[kfrost06]

What is scary is this creates a precedent. Will Kashmiris now declare independence from India and Pakistan? Kurds from Iran, Turkey and Iraq? Quebec from Canada? How about Spain, Ireland, Hong Kong etc.

most have already done so or tried. Quebec every now and then puts it up to a vote and they get close but never actually pass. Ireland has for years been trying to unite the country and liberate the north counties from british rule. Hong Kong is always in a state of fear over China gobbling it up and stealing their liberties since England honoured it's pledge to give it back in 1999.

[Prada]

most have already done so or tried. Quebec every now and then puts it up to a vote and they get close but never actually pass. Ireland has for years been trying to unite the country and liberate the north counties from british rule. Hong Kong is always in a state of fear over China gobbling it up and stealing their liberties since England honoured it's pledge to give it back in 1999.

Everyone wants to be your friend when things are going good. Everyone wants independence from a sinking ship. Wait for Canada's economy to go down, unemployment to go up........support for the separatists will increase.

[Pooks]

What is scary is this creates a precedent. Will Kashmiris now declare independence from India and Pakistan? Kurds from Iran, Turkey and Iraq? Quebec from Canada? How about Spain, Ireland, Hong Kong etc.

Its been happening since the dawn of time...

especially medieval europe.. with the dukes and etc.. each in charge of a province, n they pretty much choose what nation they wanna be part of, or declare indepenance... especially if a new king is declared, or there is fight for the heir and etc...

Its reseting borders to better represent the people..

do Tibetans feel represented by a government centered in Beijing.. highly doubtful. They would prolly want more autonomy, make them feel more in power of things going on in their own backyards,, or issues that need to be solved, than beijing is ignoring.

For as long as we are humans, and have emotions and fight over resources, territory and things like that, we will always be realigning and reshifting ourselves to better fit our needs..

a universal world wide government, woudl probbably only work if we're all cyborgs..
and there are movements out there ofcourse that woudl want to brand us all a number and turn us into like a giant ant colony of cyborgs working simply on instict. hopefully doesnt happen though.

[J431S]

Yes, exactly. Many Americans think the Civil War was about ending slavery. That was really an unintended consequence. The Civil War was about southern states seeking secession and the north attempting to bring them back into the union by force. That war killed 600,000 American citizens, fighting amongst one another. Sometimes brothers killing brothers. Yes, it would seem our country supports independent movements from government??...righttttt

not exactly...unlike kosovo... the southern states were aiming for session so they could maintain a slave economy...hence the reason for the separation....or because they knew a union with the north would not make their objective achieveable.... kosovo on the other hand is different story...they are fighting for self-rule whether that's a good strategy or not...it is debatable.

[soccer#3]

this is their flag

[Rider]

Kosovo my ass, these stupid Albanians declared independence with the help of U.S.Kosovo is Serbian period!

[BgMc31]

Kosovo my ass, these stupid Albanians declared independence with the help of U.S.Kosovo is Serbian period!

...not according to the Kosovars!