Kosovo Albanians celebrate their country's declaration of independence in front of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, eastern France, yesterday. - AP

PRISTINA (AP):

Kosovo declared itself a nation yesterday, mounting a brash and historic bid to become an "independent and democratic state" backed by the United States and key European allies, but bitterly contested by Serbia and Russia.

"Kosovo is a republic - an independent, democratic and sovereign state," Parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi said as the chamber burst into applause after a unanimous vote to approve the document. Kosovo's 10 minority Serb lawmakers boycotted the session in protest.

Revellers' celebration

Across the capital, Pristina, revellers fired guns into the air, waved red and black Albanian flags and honked car horns in jubilation at the birth of the world's newest country.

Krasniqi, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and President Fatmir Sejdiu signed the declaration, which was scripted on parchment, before the unveiling of a new national crest and a flag: a bright blue banner featuring a golden map of Kosovo and six stars, one for each of its main ethnic groups.

Sunday's declaration was carefully orchestrated with the US and key European powers, and Kosovo was counting on swift international recognition that could come as early as today when European Union (EU) foreign ministers meet in Brussels, Belgium.

But by sidestepping the United Nation (UN) and appealing directly to the US and other nations for recognition, Kosovo's indepen-dence set up a showdown with Serbia - outraged at the imminent loss of its territory - and Russia, which warned that it would set a dangerous precedent for separatist groups worldwide.

Rejected declaration

Serbia's top leaders immediately rejected Kosovo's declaration of independence as 'illegal' yesterday, but said they would not use force to reclaim the breakaway province.

Reacting to the declaration by the ethnic Albanian-dominated assembly in the breakaway province, President Boris Tadic urged international organisations "to immediately annul this act, which violates the basic principles of international law".

"Serbia will ... do everything in its power to revoke the unilateral and illegal declaration of independence," Tadic said in a statement.

And Russia's foreign ministry, in a tersely worded statement, said it supports Serbia's "just demands to restore the country's territorial integrity" and wants the UN Security Council to renew efforts to reach a settlement on the issue of Kosovo's status.

Kosovo's independence declaration violates Serbia's sovereignty and the UN Charter and threatens "the escalation of tension and ethnic violence in the region, a new conflict in the Balkans", the ministry said. It warned other nations against "supporting separatism" by recognising Kosovo.

Kosovo has formally remained a part of Serbia even though it has been administered by the UN and NATO since 1999 when NATO air strikes ended former Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists.

16,000 peacemakers

The province is still protected by 16,000 NATO-led peacekeepers, and the alliance boosted its patrols over the weekend in hopes of discouraging violence. International police, meanwhile, deployed to back up local forces in the tense north.

But Prime Minister Thaci also had stern words for the Serbian government, which last week declared secession illegal and invalid, saying in the Serbian language: "Kosovo will never be ruled by Belgrade again."

Ninety per cent of Kosovo's two million people are ethnic Albanian - mostly nominal Muslims who are secular and eschew radical Islam - and they see no reason to stay joined to the rest of Christian Orthodox Serbia.