HIGHLIGHTS-Kosovo declaration of independence from Serbia
Feb 17 (Reuters) - Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Sunday. Serbia responded immediately by calling its mainly Albanian breakaway province a false state.
Following are highlights of the declaration adopted by the Kosovo parliament, in the official English translation:
* Answering the call of the people to build a society that honours human dignity and affirms the pride and purpose of its citizens,
* Committed to confront the painful legacy of the recent past in a spirit of reconciliation and forgiveness,
* Dedicated to protecting, promoting and honouring the diversity of our people,
* Reaffirming our wish to become fully integrated into the Euro-Atlantic family of democracies,
* Observing that Kosovo is a special case arising from Yugoslavia's non-consensual breakup and is not a precedent for any other situation,
* Recalling the years of strife and violence in Kosovo, that disturbs the conscience of all civilised people,
* Grateful that in 1999 the world intervened, thereby removing Belgrade's governance over Kosovo and placing Kosovo under United Nations interim administration,
* Determined to see our status resolved in order to give our people clarity about their future, move beyond the conflicts of the past and realise the full democratic potential of our society,
* Honouring all the men and women who made great sacrifices to build a better future for Kosovo,
- We, the democratically elected leaders of our people, hereby declare Kosovo to be an independent and sovereign state. This declaration reflects the will of our people and it is in full accordance with the recommendations of U.N. Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari and his comprehensive Proposal for the Kosovo Status Settlement.
- We declare Kosovo to be a democratic, secular and multi-ethnic republic, guided by the principles of non-discrimination and equal of all communities in Kosovo and create the conditions necessary for their effective participation in political and decision-making processes.
- We invite and welcome an international civilian presence to supervise our implementation of the Ahtisaari Plan, and a European Union-led rule of law mission. We also invite and welcome the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to retain the leadership role of the international military presence in Kosovo and to implement responsibilities assigned to it under U.N. Security Council resolution 1244 (1999) and Ahtisaari Plan, until such time as Kosovo institutions are capable of assuming these responsibilities.
- Kosovo declares its commitment to peace and stability in our region of southeast Europe. Our independence brings to an end the process of Yugoslavia's violent dissolution. While this process has been a painful one, we shall work tirelessly to contribute to a reconciliation that would allow southeast Europe to move beyond the conflicts of our past and forge new links of regional cooperation. We shall therefore work together with neighbours to advance a common European future.
- We express, in particular, our desire to establish good relations with all our neighbours, including the Republic of Serbia with whom we have deep historical, commercial and social ties that we seek to develop further in near future. We shall continue our efforts to contribute to relations of friendship and cooperation with the Republic of Serbia, while promoting reconciliation among our people.
