Emergency.Blog

Kosovo declares independence

Kosovo declares independence

By Dan Bilefsky Published: February 17, 2008

PRISTINA, KOSOVO: As some 30,000 ethnic Albanians swarmed through the streets, Kosovo's leader on Sunday declared independence from Serbia in a ceremony intended to cap a long and bloody struggle for national self-determination.

The proclamation of what hopes to be Europe's newest country - a decade after a civil war that killed 10,000 people and after years of limbo under United Nations administration - marks the final dismemberment of the former Yugoslavia 17 years after its dissolution began.

It brings to a climax a showdown between the West, which argues that Slobodan Milosevic's brutal subjugation of Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians negated Serbia's moral and legal claim to rule the territory, and Belgrade and its ally Moscow, which counter that Kosovo's independence is a reckless breach of international law that will spur other secessionist movements across the world

Ethnic Albanians from as far away as America streamed into Pristina this weekend, braving freezing temperatures and heavy snow, to dance in frenzied jubilation. Beating drums, waving Albanian flags and throwing firecrackers, they chanted "Independence! Independence! We are free at last!"

-- Source/story continues at: http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/17/europe/17kosovo3.php

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Serbs stone U.S. embassy after Kosovo breakaway

By Ellie Tzortzi

February 17, 2008

BELGRADE: Angry Serbs stoned the U.S. embassy in Belgrade to protest at Kosovo's declaration of independence on Sunday, smashing windows before riot police appeared to regain the upper hand.

"Kosovo is the heart of Serbia," many shouted as up to 2,000 demonstrators, mostly young men, surrounded the embassy, which was guarded by more than 500 police in full riot gear.

Washington has strongly backed Kosovo's bid for independence.

Protesters chanting patriotic songs ripped up paving stones and prised concrete and tiles from nearby buildings to throw them at the police along with bottles, firecrackers and flares. The area was thick with smoke.

"Kill and hang them until there's no Albanians left!" cried some of the protesters.

Several police were taken away injured to a nearby ambulance, before police charged the demonstrators to chase them away from embassy, succeeding in dispersing most of the crowd. Several windows were smashed in the building, where no lights were on.

Police detained several people. Some protesters were seen, hurt and bleeding.

-- Source: Reuters, can be found at: http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/
articles/2008/02/17/serbs_stone_us_embassy_after_kosovo_breakaway/

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Previous Reference:

Conflict in Kosovo (series of reports)

Can be found at: http://www.emergency.com/1999/kosopage.htm