PRISTINA, Kosovo — The breakaway province of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Sunday, sending tens of thousan
ds of ethnic Albanians streaming through the streets to celebrate what they hoped was the end of a long and bloody strug
gle for national self-determination.  Kosovo’s claim to be recognized as Europe’s newest country — after a civil war tha
t killed 10,000 people a decade ago then years of limbo under United Nations rule — was the latest episode in the dismem
berment of the former Yugoslavia, 17 years after its dissolution began.  It brings to a climax a showdown between the We
st, which argues that Serbia’s brutal subjugation of Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority cost it any right to rule the ter
ritory, and the Serbian government and its allies in the Kremlin, which counter that Kosovo’s independence is a reckless
 breach of international law that will spur other secessionist movements across the world.  As Albanians danced in the s
treets and fired guns in the air in the capital, Pristina, international reaction was sharply divided, suggesting that t
he clash between the principles of sovereignty and self-determination was far from resolved.  Britain, France and German
y were expected to be the first recognize the new nation as early as Monday while other nations, fearing separatist move
ments within their own borders, have said they would refuse. Russia demanded an emergency meeting of the United Nations
Security Council to proclaim the declaration “null and void,” but the meeting produced no resolution.  In declaring inde
pendence, Kosovo’s prime minister, Hashim Thaci, a former leader of the guerrilla force that just over 10 years ago bega
n an armed rebellion against Serbian domination, struck a note of reconciliation. Addressing Parliament in both Albanian
 and SePRISTINA, Kosovo — The breakaway province of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Sunday, sending tens of
thousands of ethnic Albanians streaming through the streets to celebrate what they hoped was the end of a long and blood
y struggle for national self-determination.  Kosovo’s claim to be recognized as Europe’s newest country — after a civil
war that killed 10,000 people a decade ago then years of limbo under United Nations rule — was the latest episode in the
 dismemberment of the former Yugoslavia, 17 years after its dissolution began.  It brings to a climax a showdown between
 the West, which argues that Serbia’s brutal subjugation of Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority cost it any right to rule
the territory, and the Serbian government and its allies in the Kremlin, which counter that Kosovo’s independence is a r
eckless breach of international law that will spur other secessionist movements across the world.  As Albanians danced i
n the streets and fired guns in the air in the capital, Pristina, international reaction was sharply divided, suggesting
 that the clash between the principles of sovereignty and self-determination was far from resolved.  Britain, France and
 Germany were expected to be the first recognize the new nation as early as Monday while other nations, fearing separati
st movements within their own borders, have said they would refuse. Russia demanded an emergency meeting of the United N
ations Security Council to proclaim the declaration “null and void,” but the meeting produced no resolution.  In declari
ng independence, Kosovo’s prime minister, Hashim Thaci, a former leader of the guerrilla force that just over 10 years a
go began an armed rebellion against Serbian domination, struck a note of reconciliation. Addressing Parliament in both A
lbanian and SePRISTINA, Kosovo — The breakaway province of Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Sunday, sending t
ens of thousands of ethnic Albanians streaming through the streets to celebrate what they hoped was the end of a long an
d bloody struggle for national self-determination.  Kosovo’s claim to be recognized as Europe’s newest country — after a
 civil war that killed 10,000 people a decade ago then years of limbo under United Nations rule — was the latest episode
 in the dismemberment of the former Yugoslavia, 17 years after its dissolution began.  It brings to a climax a showdown
between the West, which argues that Serbia’s brutal subjugation of Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority cost it any right t
o rule the territory, and the Serbian government and its allies in the Kremlin, which counter that Kosovo’s independence
 is a reckless breach of international law that will spur other secessionist movements across the world.  As Albanians d
anced in the streets and fired guns in the air in the capital, Pristina, international reaction was sharply divided, sug
gesting that the clash between the principles of sovereignty and self-determination was far from resolved.  Britain, Fra