Kosovo Albanian youths rally for independence
Agence France Presse (English) - October 10, 2007 Wednesday 2:27 PM GMT

PRISTINA, Serbia, Oct. 10, 2007 - Some 300 Kosovo Albanian youths staged a peaceful rally Wednesday to demand independence for the disputed Serbian territory.

The group of students marched through the centre of the provincial capital Pristina chanting "Independence" as they waved flags of neighbouring Albania and banners that warned about Kosovo becoming another "Palestine."

"We gathered to express our unease about the permanent postponement of international recognition of the new reality in Kosovo after the war, that is the de facto independence of Kosovo," student union leader Petrit Nimani said.

"It's time to show to everybody that this is a critical moment for Kosovo," he said of the protest, which was closely monitored by local and United Nations police.

Internationally mediated talks between Pristina and Belgrade on whether Kosovo should be granted "supervised independence" are due to end on Decmeber 10.

Formally still a Serbian province, Kosovo has been run by the UN since a NATO bombing campaign in 1999 ended a crackdown by Serb forces on ethnic Albanian separatists.

Ethnic Albanians, who comprise 90 percent of the province's two million population, are eager for the independence of Kosovo, which most Serbs consider the cradle of their history, culture and religion.

The discussions have so far yielded little. All sides are to return to the negotiating table on Sunday in Brussels.

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