Kosovo officially declares independence from Serbia

PRISTINA, Feb. 17 (Xinhua) -- Kosovo officially declared independence from Serbia on Sunday.

Kosovo's parliament voted to adopt a declaration of independence at an extraordinary session on the province's independence from Serbia.

Kosovo now is "an independent, sovereign and democratic state," Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi announced after lawmakers voted 109-0 through a show of hands to approve the declaration.

Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu said that "from this moment, the political position of Kosovo has changed."

"We, the democratically elected leaders of our people, hereby declare Kosovo to be an independent and sovereign state," read the declaration.

"This declaration reflects the will of our people and it is in full accordance with the recommendations of UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari," it said.

The declaration also expressed Kosovo's hope to join the European Union (EU). "For reasons of culture, geography and history, we believe our future lies with the European family."

It commits Kosovo to developing good neighborly relations with Serbia and promote national reconciliation in Kosovo.

The declaration was read out in parliament by Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

In a speech prior to the vote, Thaci promised to protect the rights of Serbs living in Kosovo.

"In this historic day I wish to reaffirm our political will to create the necessary conditions to respect and to protect diversity and to improve community relations in Kosovo," he said.

But Serbian President Boris Tadic said that Serbia will never recognize the independence of Kosovo.

He urged international organizations "to immediately annul this act, which violates the basic principles of international law."

Kosovo is a cultural heartland of Serbia. But most of Kosovo's 2 million people are ethnic Albanians, who had been impatient with delays of the proclamation of independence.

On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of ethnic Albanians took to the street for celebrations. They marched through the main streets in downtown Pristina, waving Albania's national flag as Kosovo has yet to have its own. Revelers also chanted and danced in the streets.

Kosovo has been under UN administration since mid-1999, after NATO airstrikes drove out Serbian forces from the province.

In April 2007, Ahtisaari recommended internationally supervised

independence for Kosovo.

The Ahtisaari plan is supported by the United States and the EU, but opposed by Serbia and Russia.

Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, has warned that Kosovo independence would set a dangerous precedent for regions across the world where there are ethnic tensions.