Kosovo leaders proclaim independent state based on Ahtisaari plan

18/02/2008

Sunday's decision triggered mass festivities across Kosovo, but optimism is tempered with realism, as most sense the challenges that lie ahead.

By Artan Mustafa for Southeast European Times in Pristina --18/02/08

Celebrations took place in Pristina late Sunday (February 17th) after the declaration. [Laura Hasani]

Kosovo was a scene of mass celebrations Sunday (February 17th) as lawmakers endorsed a unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia. The move followed an almost two-year process of internationally-sponsored negotiations, which failed to yield an agreement, and came amid a continuing deadlock in the UN Security Council.

Thousands of people took to the streets, waving Albanian flags as well as those of Western nations perceived as supporting the bid for independence. Albanians flew in from countries all over the world to participate in the festivities, which culminated at 11pm on Sunday with an official fireworks display. More than 1,000 foreign journalists were there for the event, with top world broadcasters covering it live.

With the proclamation, Kosovo's leaders hope to close the last major chapter stemming from the breakup of Yugoslavia. For decades, the province's ethnic Albanian majority has aspired to independence. Those aspirations were dealt with ruthlessly by former Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, with ethnic conflict and eventual NATO intervention as a result.

The document approved on Sunday is based on a plan put forward by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, whom the UN appointed to oversee the process of negotiating a settlement to the Kosovo issue. The Ahtisaari plan provides for a multiethnic Kosovo with six constitutive communities -- Albanians, Serbs, Roma, Turks, Bosnian and Egyptians.

The MP's also approved a national flag that features the blue of the EU as well as a map of Kosovo with six stars representing the communities that make up the state.

"We declare Kosovo to be a democratic, secular and multiethnic republic, guided by the principles of non-discrimination and equal protection under the law. We shall protect and promote the rights of all communities in Kosovo and create the conditions necessary for their effective participation in political and decision-making processes," the declaration reads.

Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said hopes have never been higher in Kosovo. "We pledge that the implementation of the Ahtisaari proposal will be our national priority," he told parliament.

President Fatmir Sejdiu said independence marked the end of the former Yugoslavia's disintegration, a process that sparked protracted conflicts in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia, as well as in Kosovo. "It's now time to work for an environment of reconciliation and forgiveness," he said.

"For the first time in our history, we have a framework that allows as to build freely and with no fear of brutal force by our neighbour [Serbia]," said well-known Kosovar journalist Veton Surroi.

The optimism, however, is tempered with realism as most Kosovars realise big challenges lie ahead. The economy is in disarray and the fledgling state does not enjoy the legitimacy that an agreement in the UN Security Council would have provided. Russia has already condemned the move by Pristina, and even the EU is split, with several members indicating they will either delay recognition or refuse it altogether.

Former US envoy for the Balkans Richard Holbrooke said leaders must work to prevent the situation from becoming a stalemate. "It's up to the Serbs to accept the reality of the new state. But Albanians and the government in Pristina have to guarantee that the Serbs are not abused, that their historical and religious monuments are protected and that they live in peace with their Albanian neighbours," he said.

The EU on Saturday approved sending a 1,800-strong mission to Kosovo to help the judicial system and the police. It will also staff a political office tasked with monitoring implementation of the Ahtisaari plan.

According to political analyst Arben Xhaferi Europe can help turn Kosovo into a modern state. "If we understand that and work with them skillfully, Kosovo could be a model of success in the future," he said.