Shtypi i huaj mbi shpalljen e pavarësisë së Kosovës

[RaPSouL]

U.S. Recognizes Kosovo as Independent State

Secretary Condoleezza Rice
Washington, DC
February 18, 2008

The United States has today formally recognized Kosovo as a sovereign and independent state. We congratulate the people of Kosovo on this historic occasion.

President Bush has responded affirmatively to a request from Kosovo to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries. The establishment of these relations will reaffirm the special ties of friendship that have linked together the people of the United States and Kosovo.

Nine years ago, the international community, led by NATO, acted to end brutal attacks on the Kosovar Albanian population. This timely international intervention ended the violence, leading to a United Nations Security Council decision to suspend Belgrade’s governance and place Kosovo under interim UN administration. Since that time Kosovo has built its own democratic institutions separate from Belgrade’s control. Last year, UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari developed a plan to build a democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo and recommended Kosovo be independent, subject to a period of international supervision. In light of the conflicts of the 1990s, independence is the only viable option to promote stability in the region. The United States supports the Ahtisaari Plan and will work with its international partners to help implement it.

We welcome the commitments Kosovo made in its declaration of independence to implement the Ahtisaari Plan, to embrace multi-ethnicity as a fundamental principle of good governance, and to welcome a period of international supervision.

The unusual combination of factors found in the Kosovo situation -- including the context of Yugoslavia's breakup, the history of ethnic cleansing and crimes against civilians in Kosovo, and the extended period of UN administration -- are not found elsewhere and therefore make Kosovo a special case. Kosovo cannot be seen as a precedent for any other situation in the world today.

The United States takes this opportunity to reaffirm our friendship with Serbia, an ally during two world wars. We invite Serbia's leaders to work together with the United States and our partners to accomplish shared goals, such as the protection of the rights, security, culture and livelihood of the Serb community in Kosovo.

As Kosovo today begins its life as an independent state, the United States pledges to continue to be its close friend and partner.

2008/117

[Albo]

"Uashington. Post": Deklarata e pavarësisë së Kosovës ka qenë e pashmangshme dhe shumëpritur

Uashington, 18 shkurt - Deklarata e pavarësisë së Kosovës ka qenë e pashmangshme dhe shumëpritur... Qeveria e zgjedhur në mënyrë demokratke do të jetë e ndihmuar dhe e mbikqyrur nga afër nga një misioni i Bashkimit Evrppian, ndërkohë që 16,000 forcat e NATO s, përfshirë këtu edhe 1,400 amerikanë, do të ofrojnë siguri, shkruan në numrin e sotëm gazeta amerikane "Uashington Post". Sipas gazetës, nëse gjithëçka shkon si duhet, Kosova dhe pjesët tjera të pavarura të ish Jugosllavisë, përfshirë këtu edhe Serbinë, në fund do të ribashkohen në kuadër të Bashkimit Evropian. "Uashington Post" konstaton se ky hap i logjikshëm drejt kompletimit të një Evrope demokratike dhe të bashkuar do të ndodhte vite më parë po të mos ishte nacionalizmi i helmueshëm dhe i vazhdueshëm i Serbisë, i trimëruar nga Rusia e Vladimir Putinit. Deri më tash, shkruan më tej gazeta, duket se reagimi kundër shtetit të ri do të mund të izolohen dhe frika, e cila është shprehur nga disa konzervativë amerikanë, duken të ekzagjeruara. Rusia dhe Serbia, që të dyja, janë tërhequr prapa pak, në kërcënimet për njohjen e shpërbërjes së shteteve apo përdorimin e dhunës. Më shumë se 100 vende pritet ta njohin Kosovën, përfshirë këtu Shtetet e Bashkuara, Britaninë, Francën, Gjermaninë dhe shumicën e vendeve tjera të Bashkimit Evropian, shkruan "Uashington Post".

QIK

[Albo]

Shtypi i sotëm britanik shkruan gjerësisht për zhvillimet e djeshme në Kosovë

Londër, 18 shkurt - Shtypi i sotëm britanik shkruan gjerësisht për zhvillimet e djeshme në Kosovë, pas shpalljes së Pavarësisë, me shkrime, editoriale dhe fotografi e karikatura me këtë temë. "Fajnenshëll tajms", në shkrimin me titull "Një lindje e vështirë" ndër të tjera, thuhet se "do të ishte e papërgjegjshme për të harruar se shteti më i ri i Evropës, ka pasur një lindje të gjatë dhe të vështirë dhe se e ardhmja është e mbarsur me vështirësi. BE duhet të garantojë që rruga për anëtarësim në BE të mbetet e hapur për Kosovën dhe pjesën tjetër të Ballkanit perëndimor, përfshi edhe Serbinë. Politika duhet të mbeshtetet me ndihma, tregëti dhe lehtësim vizash. Serbia kërkon vëmendje të veçantë. Ajo nuk duhet gjykuar nga fjalët e ashpra të kësaj jave, por nga veprimet gjatë muajve të ardhshëm. Rruga për në BE duhet të jetë e hapur. Ajo ka nevojë për kohë që të kapërdijë humbjen". Në mbyllje të këtij shkrimi në FT thuhet se "sa më shpejt që Kosova të pushojë së qeni një pikë konflikti mes lindjes dhe perëndimit, aq më mirë është për Kosovën dhe tërë rajonin e trazuar". Ndërkaq në "Tajms" bie në sy një karikaturë e flamurit serb, ku shqiponja e zezë dykrenare shqiptare i ka ikur kthetrave të shqiponjës serbe. Në shkrimin "Shteti më i ri i Evropës", editoriali i "Tajmsit" thekson ndër të tjera, se "një Kosovë e pavarur përballet me sfida në vënd dhe në aspektin ndërkombëtar". Nisur nga vështirësitë legale dhe diplomatike, Hashim Thaçi duhet të dëshmojë realizëm të çeliktë. Ai duhet të riktheksojë garancitë për minoritetin sërb dhe të shtyp çdo shpresa nacionaliste për një Shqipëri të Madhe. Ai po ashtu duhet të çfryjë çdo shpresë të egzagjeruar se pavarësia do të çojë në begati të menjëhershme. Tani ata janë sovranë, por duhet të punojnë shumë që të jenë shteti i suksesshëm i 46 i Evropës", përfundon editoriali i "Tajmsit". Gazeta "Indenpendent" tërë faqen e parë ia kushton festimeve në Kosovë, ku një vajzë e mbajtur në kurriz nën një det flamujsh kuq e zi dhe ka si kryetitull: "Ka lindur shteti i Kosovës". Kjo gazetë i kushton faqen katër dhe pesë tërë zhvillimeve në Kosovë. Veçohen shkrimet me titull "Fishëkzjarrët shpërthyen, borive u ranë dhe shteti i Kosovës u krijua". Në shkrimin "Një flamur, por pa vend në OKB për një vend i cili ende nuk ka sovranitet të plotë", shkruan se "ajo që do të njihet sot nga një numër vendesh të BE së dhe Shtetet e Bashkuara është një lloj protektorati, ku BE merr rolin e mbikqyrësit të luajtur deri më sot nga Kombet e Bashkuara. "Guardian" në faqe të parë boton një foto nga festimet për shpalljen e Pavarësisë dhe si titull ka: "Dita e Pavarësisë. Kosova e shpall atë në mënyrë të njëanshme". Në një koment tjetër me titull "Flamujt nuk jane të mjaftueshëm", po "Guardian", shkruan se "në sprovë është uniteti evropian. Aftësia e saj për të përballuar qoftë ushtarakisht, ashtu dhe politikisht me shtetin e sapolindur të Kosovës, mund të vihet në dyshim". Çështja tani nuk është nëse pavarësia riadreson gabimet e së kaluarës, por nëse ajo do të adresojë të ardhmen. Pak progres është bërë në ripajtimin mes shqiptarëve dhe serbëve. Ata në një farë mënyre kanë ndërruar vendet. E ndërsa kjo ndodh, shpresat për një të ardhme të re janë të ngrira".

QIK

[Darius]

Ai duhet të riktheksojë garancitë për minoritetin sërb dhe të shtyp çdo shpresa nacionaliste për një Shqipëri të Madhe.

Pse i tremben kaq shume Shqiperise se Madhe? Mos valle ky eshte cmimi qe kane kerkuar? Njohje te pavaresise dhe ndalim absolut i bashkimit me Shqiperine?

[ZANOR]

Bushi: 'Kosovarët janë tash të pavarur.




Superpower Divide Over Kosovo Widens Associated Press/AP Online



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By ROBERT WIELAARD
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The U.S. and the European Union's biggest powers quickly recognized Kosovo as an independent nation Monday, widening a split with Russia, China and some EU members strongly opposed to letting the territory break away from Serbia.

The rift was on view for a second day at the U.N. Security Council, which was holding an emergency session to discuss the declaration of independence issued Sunday by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.

Ethnic Serbs rallying in northern Kosovo angrily denounced the United States and urged Russia to help Serbia hold on to the territory that Serbs consider the birthplace of their civilization. Protesters also marched in Serbia's capital, and that nation recalled its ambassador to the U.S. to protest American recognition for an independent Kosovo.

Despite clamoring of Serbs to retake Kosovo, Serbia's government has ruled out a military response.

But the dispute is likely to worsen already strained relations between the West and Russia, which is a traditional ally of Serbia and seeks to restore its influence in former Soviet bloc states. The Kremlin could become less likely to help in international efforts important to the U.S. and its allies, such as pressuring Iran to rein in its nuclear program.

Still, for Washington the declaration of independence by Kosovo vindicated years of dogged effort to help a land achieve its dream of self-determination after years of ethnic conflict and repression by Serbia.

Speaking in Tanzania, President Bush declared: "The Kosovars are now independent" - and Washington formally recognized Kosovo as an independent country soon afterward. Germany, Britain and France also gave their heavyweight backing, saying they planned to issue formal recognitions.

But Russia, Serbia's key ally, and emerging global power China remained adamantly opposed to Kosovo's independence, warning of the danger of inspiring separatist movements around the world, including in their own sprawling territories.

As veto-wielding Security Council members, Russia and China both have the power to block any attempt by Kosovo to gain a seat on the international body.

Serbia vowed to fight to the end against any U.N. recognition.

"The so-called Kosovo state will never be a member of the United Nations. Serbia will use all diplomatic means at its disposal to block Kosovo's recognition," said Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic.

The Kremlin was already working diplomatic levers to help Serbia achieve that aim.

Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko, Russia's special envoy to the Balkans, was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying Moscow expected U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to abide by a Security Council resolution that recognized Kosovo as part of Serbia.

Moon opened Monday's Security Council session by citing the many peaceful celebrations that accompanied Kosovo's declaration but also noting scattered violence.

Ban said the United Nations had achieved "peace consolidation and the establishment of functional self-government" in Kosovo, including five successful elections. "Kosovo has made considerable progress through the years," he said.

Serbian President Boris Tadic, who attended the U.N. meeting, urged the council to oppose Kosovo's move. "This act annuls international law, tramples upon justice and enthrones injustice," he said.

Serbia recalled its ambassador to Washington in protest of U.S. recognition for Kosovo, but said it was not severing diplomatic ties. It was expected also to withdraw envoys to Britain, France, Germany and other nations that formally recognize Kosovo as a new state.

"America and the European Union are stealing Kosovo from us, everyone must realize that," said Tomislav Nikolic, the head of Serbia's ultra-nationalist Radical Party.

After an EU foreign ministers meeting in Brussels, Britain, Germany and France said they would quickly give recognition to Kosovo, a move that would be followed in the days ahead by most of the bloc's other 24 member states, officials said.

The EU does not recognize nations, leaving that up to its individual members, and Spain, Greece, Romania and Cyprus have criticized the effort to make Kosovo independent.

Despite that divide, the EU foreign ministers issued a joint statement citing "the conflict of the 1990s" in Kosovo as a justification for the independence declaration.

The U.S. and its NATO allies intervened with an air campaign against Serbia in 1999 to end a brutal crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists that had killed 10,000 people. The territory had been under U.N. and NATO administration since then, although formally remaining part of Serbia.

Seeking to address the concerns of Russia and others about a free Kosovo, the foreign ministers stressed that Kosovo should be an exception to the international rule that national borders can be changed only if all parties agree.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has argued that independence without U.N. approval sets a dangerous precedent for the former Soviet Union, where separatists in Russia's Chechnya region and two areas of Georgia are agitating for independence.

Russian officials hinted last week that if Kosovo declared independence it might retaliate by recognizing the independence claims of Abkhazia and South Ossetia - two Russian-supported provinces in Georgia. Russia's parliament repeated the threat Monday.

On Monday, Kosovo independence took center stage in China's diplomatic jousting with Taiwan, which has been self-governing since the Chinese civil war in 1949 but which the Beijing regime considers to still be part of China.

China's Foreign Ministry criticized Taiwan for welcoming Kosovo's independence, saying the island's government did not meet the criteria for recognizing other countries.

"It is known to all that Taiwan, as a part of China, has no right and qualification at all to make the so-called recognition," Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement posted on the ministry's Web site.

China has good ties with Serbia and expressed "deep concern" over Kosovo's independence declaration.

For Beijing, the announcement conjures up one of its greatest fears: that Taiwan could some day make a similar declaration, something China says it would meet with military force. Chinese leaders also worry about separatist sentiments in the heavily Muslim regions of western China.

Spain, which has battled a violent Basque separatist movement for decades, was the biggest European Union nation to oppose Kosovo independence. Greece, Romania and Cyprus also are against Kosovo's new status.

In Bucharest, Romanian President Traian Basescu called Kosovo's declaration "an illegal act" - a position rooted in Romania's traditional close ties with Serbia.

British Foreign Secretary defended the move by Kosovo's Albanians, saying the EU was keen to close the book on "two decades of violence and conflict and strife" in the western Balkans.

"There is a very strong head of steam building among a wide range of (EU) countries that do see this as the piece of the Yugoslav jigsaw and don't see stability in the western Balkans being established without the aspirations of the Kosovar people being respected," he said.

---

Associated Press writer John Heilprin at the United Nations and Jovana Gec in Belgrade, Serbia contributed to this report. .

[Baptist]

UNITED NATIONS — Russia tried to block Kosovo's independence during a closed-door emergency session of the U.N. Security Council on Sunday, saying it is deeply concerned about the safety of Serbs living in the territory.

Rusia u perpoq te bllokoje pavaresine e Kosoves gjate nje sesioni urgjent te Keshillit te Sigurimit te Dielen, duke thene se eshte thellesisht e preokupuar per sigurine e Serveve qe jetojne aty.

The discussion of the 15-member council continued to expose divisions among members on the future of Kosovo. Russia backs its close ally Serbia, while the United States, Britain, France and other European Union members support Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians.

China, a veto-wielding U.N. Security Council member that had close ties with the Yugoslav government of Slobodan Milosevic, expressed its "deep concern" Monday over Kosovo's declaration and called on the province to reach a "proper solution through negotiations" with Serbia.

Kina, nje nga vendet me veto ne Keshillin e Sigurimit dhe qe kishte lidhje te forta me qevetine Jugosllave te Slobodan Miloshevicit, shprehu "shqetesim te thelle" te henen lidhur me deklaraten e Kosoves dhe i kerkoi kesaj (Kosoves) te arrije "zgjidhjen e duhur permjet negociateve me Serbine:.

The council met at the request of Serbia and Russia, which argue that Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia made earlier Sunday violates a 1999 council resolution that authorizes the U.N. to administer the territory.

Keshilli u mblodh me kerkese te Serbise dhe Rusise, te cilat argumentojne se deklarate e pavaresise nga Serbia bie ndesh me rezoluten 1999 te keshillit qe autorizon OKB te admistrje kete territor.

The session got off to a rocky start; shortly after it began, it had to be suspended for a couple hours because of a lack of interpreters.

Sesioni filloi me ngaterresa, pasi pak pasi fillou duhej te pezullohej per mungese perkthyesish.

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Serbia's president told him that Kosovo's declaration carries no legal weight, while Kosovo's prime minister assured him he was committed to "equal opportunities and no discrimination" against anyone in Kosovo.

Sekretari Pergjithshem Ban-Ki Moon tha se presidenti i Serbse i kishte thene atij se deklarat nuk ka baze ligjore, nderkohe qe Kryeministri Kosoves e kishte siguruar per dedikim ne "mundesi te barabarta dhe jo diskrimimim" ndaj cilitdo ne Kosove.

Ban urged all sides to "refrain from any actions or statements that could endanger peace, incite violence or jeopardize security in Kosovo and the region."

Ban i kerkoi gjithe paleve "qe te permbahen nga ndonje veprim ose deklarate qe do te pridhe paqen, nxise dhune dhe rrezikoje sigurine ne Kosove dhe rajon."

The Security Council resolution on Kosovo remains in force and the U.N. "will continue to implement its mandate in the light of the evolving circumstances," Ban said.

Before the session, Russia's U.N. Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said Moscow was "highly concerned" about Sunday's decision by Kosovo's parliament in Pristina "to declare unilateral independence of Kosovo."

The government said in a statement it regretted Kosovo's unilateral declaration and hoped it would not bring about fresh tension and conflict in the Balkan region. It said U.N.-backed principles of upholding the territorial integrity of developing nations must be supported.

The past Security Council resolution means the U.N. still runs Kosovo and "it is not obvious at all what could possibly be the legal basis for even considering" Kosovo's declaration of independence," Churkin said.

He specifically addressed the estimated 120,000 Serbs living in enclaves in Kosovo.

"Our concern is for the safety of the Serbs and other ethnic minorities in Kosovo," Churkin told reporters. "We'll strongly warn against any attempts at repressive measures, should Serbs in Kosovo decide not to comply with this unilateral proclamation of independence."

U.S. and other Western countries said there was little danger to the Serbs in Kosovo and that the 1999 resolution does not preclude Kosovo's independence.

"We've knocked it down over and over again. This is an unprecedented situation, it creates no precedent," Alejandro Wolff, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the U.N., told reporters before the session

Wolff said the United States is not "particularly concerned or sees no particular danger to be worried about" with regards to the safety of Serbs in Kosovo.

"We're pleased by the commitments made to respect for religious and ethnic communities in Kosovo," he told reporters. "We're very much pleased that the declaration also reflects a position of the United States that's longstanding."

Council member Indonesia, concerned about its own secessionist movements, said it was following the situation closely but was not yet prepared to recognize Kosovo's statehood.

Kosovo's 2 million population is 90 percent ethnic Albanian, mainly secular Muslims, who do not want to be part of Serbia, a predominantly Christian Orthodox nation.

Kosovo has been under U.N. and NATO administration since a NATO-led air war.

In April 2007, U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari recommended that Kosovo be granted internationally supervised independence _ a proposal strongly supported by the province's ethnic Albanians, the U.S. and most of the European Union, but vehemently opposed by Serbia and Russia, a traditional Serb ally.

Russia blocked the Ahtisaari plan. An additional period of negotiations failed to bridge the differences between the Serbs, who have offered wide autonomy, and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders, who insist on independence.

Kosovo hopes for international recognition that could come on Monday when European Union ministers meet in Brussels, Belgium. Russia, which has veto power on the council, insists Kosovo is a Security Council issue _ not an EU issue _ and argues that Kosovo's move sets a dangerous precedent for separatist groups globally.

On Tuesday afternoon, a more formal and open debate is planned by the Security Council at Serbia's request. Churkin said Russia insisted it should be an open meeting, and the president of Serbia will attend.

However, diplomats said it was unlikely the council would be able to reach agreement on a resolution or statement.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Baptist]

Serbs dismiss Albanian talk of reconciliation

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Change font size: A | A | ABy Peter Popham in Mitrovica, Kosovo
Tuesday, 19 February 2008


After a night of Albanian celebrations, Serbs made their feelings about Kosovo's self-declared independence known yesterday with co-ordinated protests in Serbian enclaves across the new-born state.


The biggest was in the divided city of Mitrovica, where the two communities face each other across the Ibar river. Singing nationalistic songs, 7,000 Serbs marched down to the bridge on the north side. The protests passed peacefully.

On Sunday in Pristina, the Kosovan Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, underlined his nation's commitment to confronting "the painful legacy of the recent past in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness". He is committed to implementing a plan by the UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari which contains provisions for protecting the "culture, language, education and symbols" of the minority communities.

But the Serbs are dubious. Pristina was home to hundreds of thousands of them until the Nato bombing campaign of 1999; today there are practically none. The Serbs of Mitrovica are also not buying the talk of reconciliation.

"A plan on paper is one thing," said a Serb in a coffee shop near the bridge, "but what happens on the ground is something else. The worst thing is not violence like that of 2004, but quiet pressure on jobs, education, health care, social policy."

Neboosa Jovic, the chairman for Mitrovica North on the Serbian National Council, said he was pleased with the peaceful protest: "From anger and fear to aggression is a single step, but we didn't take that step." He predicted that Kosovo's independence will never be accepted by the UN Security Council because it is "illegal". He also raised the bogey of a "green line" of new Muslim-majority states like Kosovo and Bosnia, "which will become a white al-Qa'ida in the heart of Europe".

The Serbs of North Mitrovica will not readily forget the Albanian ethnic cleansing that followed the Nato bombing campaign, because many of its victims are still living among them.

Gorica, 42, originally from the southern Kosovo town of Vucitru, now runs a fruit and vegetable stall in North Mitrovica. "After the bombing campaign, KFOR arrived in our village and the Albanians came behind them, destroying everything," she said. "There were 100 Serbian homes and they were all looted and destroyed. That land was never Albanian property, but we can't even visit our ancestral graves now because the gravestones have been destroyed."

The Ahtisaari plan guarantees the right of displaced people to return, but Gorica is sceptical. "They can build houses for us, but without security, how could we return?"

[BARAT]

Pse i tremben kaq shume Shqiperise se Madhe? Mos valle ky eshte cmimi qe kane kerkuar? Njohje te pavaresise dhe ndalim absolut i bashkimit me Shqiperine?

E kur ka pasur ndonjeher Shqiperi te madhe?
Ka pasur troje etnike ose Shqiperi etnike/natyrale, por jo te ashtuquajtur "e madhe". Megalloideja bizantine i shkon per shtat Greqise, ose dyndjeve sllave. Shqiptareve i mjafton dielli qe ngroh vetem mbi tokat ku flitet shqip. Bashkohemi apo jo eshte pune e brendshme kombetare.

Drejtesia vonon por nuk harron.
Rendesi ka te shtohet popullsia...

[Qyfyre]

[shigjeta]

Kosovo's freedom is worth clash with Russia

Confrontation with Russia is a price worth paying for Kosovo's independence, a senior Western official said yesterday.
Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence on Sunday has sparked major diplomatic divisions around the world, and sporadic violence in the Balkans.

Serb nationalists destroyed two checkpoints on Kosovo's new border with Serbia yesterday, causing Nato troops to intervene for the first time since the split from Belgrade.

But a senior diplomatic source in Pristina said that "Europe has stood up and been counted" by backing Kosovo's independence.

It had done so despite "Russian muscle flexing" as Moscow sought to maintain influence in the Balkans and support its key ally in the region, Serbia. The Western official said: "We wanted to do it [work towards Kosovo's independence] with Russian co-operation. But the Russians chose not to. But it is worth sorting out Kosovo even so."

He said the risk of renewed, widespread violence in the Balkans would "indisputably" have been higher had Kosovo's status remained in limbo.

While Serbia and Kosovo could both join the European Union, he said Serbia was "adopting positions that make it difficult for them to head down that road".

He said they were "digging a hole", referring to punitive measures Serbia was taking against its former province, including charging Kosovo's leaders with treason.

Those indicted include Kosovo's prime minister, Hashim Thaci, who yesterday welcomed the EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, on an impromptu visit to Kosovo.

Mr Solana said Kosovo and the EU were "good friends" despite five EU states, including Spain, opposing Kosovo's independence.

He encouraged the nation to work to improve its feeble economy and battered infrastructure.

"The joy that has been shown on the streets of Pristina and all over Kosovo has now to be converted into constructive and positive energy, to move towards the development of society," he said.

However, Nato troops yesterday had to rush to the United Nations-controlled border posts at Banja and Jarinje on Kosovo's northern border with Serbia after Serb mobs set fire to offices and vehicles.

UN police at the posts - all ethnic Serbs themselves - were moved to safety by a police unit as the crowds moved in. "About 1,000 Serbs arrived from Kosovo and another 150 from Serbia greeted each other and broke out into huge violence," said one police officer.

Nato troops restored order after 45 minutes and there were no injuries.

For a second day, thousands of Serbs marched to a bridge that separates them from Albanian communities in Kosovo's divided town of Mitrovica, chanting slogans against the new state.

Mr Thaci described the violence as "isolated incidents".

"They will not undermine the dignified celebrations of independence," he said.

By Harry de Quetteville in Pristina
Last Updated: 2:29am GMT 20/02/2008

telegraph.co.uk