Kosovo Serbs Form New Parliament Defying Government

June 28, 2008 5:15 p.m. EST

Mitrovica, Kosovo (AHN) - After the imposition of new constitution early this month, Serbs in Kosovo has launched their own parliament on Saturday.

Serbian hardline leaders inaugurate an assembly in defiance of the majority ethnic Albanian Government in Kosovo.

At the assembly, which took place in the ethnically divided city of Kosovska Mitrovica, the delegates adopted a declaration, proclaiming Kosovo a part of a whole, Republic of Serbia.

Albanian community is Kosovo's ethnic majority that had declared independence from Serbia in February this year, a move which was recognized by 43 states including the U.S., Japan, Britain and other nations.

Around 90 percent of two million people residing in Kosovo are Albanians, where as the northern region of the state is dominated by 50,000 Serbs.

But Belgrade along with Russia have denied to officially recognizing the newly independent Kosovo, considering the step as illegal under U.N.'s international law.

As per the new constitution, which was effective at midnight on June 15, Kosovo's government will have most of its powers undertaken from the UN administration, but it didn't mention about managing Kosovo's Serb-run areas.

The U.N. administration, which has been ruling the region for nine years, handed over the powers to the newly independent nation's ethnic Albanian government.

The authorities indicated that the U.N. will some presence in the new region along with NATO's Kosovo Force-KFOR, the EU's police and rule of law mission, which is the largest deployment.

The EU will also have 2,200-strong Law and Justice Mission (Eulex).

Meanwhile, thousands of supporters converged in Kosovo's divided city of Mitrovica from across Serbia to show their backing for the new assembly.

Fifty three assembly members were elected last month as part of Serbia's general and municipal elections, which was officially termed as illegal by Kosovo and the U.N.

The inaugural session was held on St Vitus day, which is marked by Serbs as a day when they were defeated by Ottoman forces in 1389, an event considered to be behind the Serbian claim to Kosovo.

The new constitution, which grants autonomy to the minority Serbs in Kosovo, was implemented just four months after it declared independence from Serbia, following the termination of United Nations' rule.