Kosovo Declares Independence, Serbia and Russia Oppose Act

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci announced on Sunday that his country had officially broken away from Serbia and become an “independent and free” state.

The move, heavily favored by the large Albanian population inhabiting Kosovo, was quickly criticized by Serbia and Russia as a step towards further unsettlement in the Balkans.

Despite the opposition of Serbia and Russia most western governments favored the decision. U.S. president George Bush said he favored a plan for supervised independence for Kosovo in hopes that it will continue to bring stability to the region.

Albanians were the target of former Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic’s plan to “cleanse” the region. In 1999 the United Nations stepped in to bring peace to the region and have held a presence in Kosovo since.

On Saturday the European Union announced they would support Kosovo’s transition into an independent state by providing international police, judges, prosecutors, customs officials and more as the country develops those services on their own.

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