코소보, 17일 일방적인 독립을 선언하겠다고

*코소보, 17일 일방적인 독립을 선언하겠다고
	구유고슬라비아, 세르비아의 코소보자치주의 타치 수상은 17일에 세르비아로부터 일방적인 독립을 선언하겠다고 밝혔습니다. 코소보자치주에서 인구의 90퍼센트를 점하고 있는 알바니아계주민의 자치정부를 이끌고 있는 타치 수상은 16일 기자단에게 내일은 코소보인들의 의지를 실현하는 날이 될 것이라고 말해 17일에 세르비아로부터 일방적인 독립을 선언하겠다고 밝혔습니다. 코소보자치주에서는 알바니아계 주민들이 오랜 세월에 걸쳐 세르비아로부터 독립을 요구해 이를 저지하려는 세르비아정부와 마찰을 빚어왔습니다. 세르비아 정부는 여전히 코소보자치주의 독립을 저지하려는 입장이기 때문에 앞으로 양측의 긴장이 더욱 고조될 것으로 보입니다. 또 구미 각국이 독립을 지지하고 있는 한편 세르비아측에 가까운 러시아가 독립에 강력히 반대하고 있어 국제사회의 대립도 악화될 것으로 보입니다.

*코소보 독립에 대비해 EU사절단 파견
	이에 앞서 EU유럽연합은 16일 가입국의 경찰관과 문민 등으로 구성된 1800명 규모의 사절단을 코소보에 파견하기기로 정식 결정했습니다. 사절단은 독립 후의 치안의 혼란을 방지하는 한편 코소보 정부에 대해 민주주의의 확립과 소수민족 보호 등의 정책지원을 하게 됩니다. 코소보의 독립을 둘러싸고는 세르비아와 함께 세르비아를 지지하는 러시아도 강력히 반대하는 입장을 굳히지 않고 있어 독립 후의 안정을 위해서는 EU의 긴밀한 지원이 불가결한 것으로 보고 있습니다. 독립이 선언될 경우는 다수의 EU가입국이 이른 단계에서 국가로 승인할 것으로 보여 18일에 브뤼셀에서 열리는 EU외상회의에서 앞으로의 대응책 등을 협의할 예정입니다.   * Kosovo gears up for independence The independence party has already started in Pristina Celebrations have begun in Kosovo's capital, Pristina, ahead of an expected declaration of independence. Tens of thousands of Kosovans have been dancing in the streets, setting off fireworks and waving Albanian flags. The festivities follow a statement by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci that Sunday would be a big day for "implementing the will of the citizens of Kosovo". But correspondents say the potential for trouble between Kosovo's Serbs and ethnic Albanians is enormous. Flashpoint town As the expected day for the proclamation of independence drew closer, scores of drivers took to the streets of Pristina on Saturday, honking their horns. See a map of Kosovo's ethnic breakdown Strains of Albanian music blared from car stereos as distinctive red and black Albanian flags fluttered in the winter breeze. Posters have been stuck on the walls of buildings expressing thanks to the US, Britain and the EU for supporting Kosovan independence. KOSOVO PROFILE Population about two million Majority ethnic Albanian; 10% Serb Under UN control since Nato drove out Serb forces in 1999 2,000-strong EU staff to take over from UN after independence Nato to stay to provide security Legal furore over recognition Kosovo youths eye future UK soldiers on standby In Belgrade, meanwhile, about 1,000 Serb demonstrators protested against the loss of territory they consider their heartland. In the flashpoint town of Mitrovica, in northern Kosovo, Nato peacekeeping troops have laid concrete and razor-wire barriers to separate Serbs from Albanians. Lieutenant-General Xavier de Marnhac, the French commander of the Nato peacekeepers, said his troops would react swiftly to any provocation from the Albanian or Serbian side of the divided town. The BBC's Nick Thorpe in Mitrovica says local and UN police, as well as the Nato troops, are maintaining a high profile to reassure all the citizens of Kosovo that they have nothing to fear. Sensitive areas On Saturday, the EU approved sending a police and justice mission to Kosovo. The 2,000-strong mission, known as Eulex, will begin deploying from next week and is expected to take over from the United Nations by early June. Ethnic Albanians have been making their feelings clear with graffiti It is tasked with helping to prevent human rights abuses and ensure that Kosovo's fragile institutions are free from political interference. Serbia and Russia fiercely oppose Kosovo's independence and insist the presence of the EU there will be illegal. Serbia has threatened to use diplomatic and economic measures against Kosovo, though it has ruled out using force. Russia's foreign ministry has indicated that Western recognition of an independent Kosovo could have implications for the Georgian breakaway provinces of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The UN has administered Kosovo since a Nato bombing campaign in 1999 drove out Serb forces. A UN plan for Kosovo drawn up by special envoy Martti Ahtisaari, an experienced Finnish diplomat and politician, would give Kosovo independence - but with limits, and under international supervision. It would open the way for Kosovo to join the UN and have its own flag and national anthem - but it would prevent Kosovo from amalgamating with Albania, or having its Serb areas split off and be part of Serbia. Faced with a veto threat from Russia, the UN Security Council has failed to endorse the blueprint. Show distribution of Albanians outside Kosovo

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7249034.stm