LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Kosovo: Kosovo Albanian
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Kosovo was an autonomous federal unit of Yugoslavia until 1989. In 1989, the Serbian government stripped away the basic rights of the Albanians (hereafter Kosovars) and suspended the Kosovo parliament. Initially, the Kosovars responded with peaceful and passive resistance. In 1992, the Kosovars continued to hold elections, chose their leaders, and utilize the Albanian language, education, and health-care. Later a guerrilla movement called the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was formed after peaceful attempts were ineffective. In 1998, the Serbian (former Yugoslavian) government began a campaign of violence ("ethnic cleansing") against civilians, including women and children, causing over a quarter of a million Kosovars to flee the country.
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It's done: As of yesterday, the Serbian province of Kosovo, which has long been dominated by a mostly Muslim, ethnic-Albanian population, is a new, independent country. At a special session of Kosovo's parliament in the provincial-turned-national capital, Pristina, the new state's prime minister, Hashim Thaci, read aloud a statement declaring its independence from Serbia, "prompting celebrations in...Pristina but outrage in Belgrade and Moscow," for the emergence of the world's newest country is being seen in some places "as a test case for separatist conflicts across the world." Thus, even as Kosovo's independence news was "cautiously welcomed by major European powers, [it] was instantly denounced [by] Serbia and [by] its staunch ally[,] Russia." Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said: "For the citizens of Serbia, for Serbia, there is no and [there] will never be a fake state of Kosovo on its territory." (Telegraph)
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Kosovo had a population of 1,956,196 in 1991. However, subsequent events have made this figure largely irrelevant. Major cities are Priština (the capital), Prizren, and Pec, the latter once serving (1557-1766) as the patriarchal seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Priština is a commercial and transport centre for the surrounding mining region. It is ... home to the University of Kosovo. The majority of the population of Kosovo is ethnic Albanian.
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Unlike the rest of the former Yugoslavia, the Kosovo conflict had both ethnic and religious components. Before the recent exterminations and forced "ethnic cleansing," 90% of the population of Kosovo were ethnic Albanians. These are descendants of the ancient Illyrian tribes who occupied this area since before the Roman Empire. Their language is unrelated to all other languages in the area; they are now mainly Muslim.
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Reuters 4/12/99 "...NATO aims to play a "core" role in an international peace force in Kosovo but is ready to share the mission with the United Nations or the OSCE, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said Monday. She said "some kind of international protective status" for the ethnic Albanian majority in the Serbian province was among ideas being discussed by the NATO allies. The change of emphasis in Albright's remarks, at a news conference following a meeting of NATO foreign ministers, signaled that the alliance was adapting its policy following the failure of the Rambouillet peace talks. NATO previously insisted that a Kosovo peace implementation mission be led by alliance commanders, although it welcomed participation by Russia and other non-NATO states. But President Slobodan Milosevic has said he will not permit a NATO-led force on Yugoslav territory, and some NATO allies have suggested compromising on a U.N. flag.
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Should Kosovo gain independence from Serbia as a result of the UN-sponsored talks, the new state would require national symbols including a new flag. A competition was held in June 2007 which received 993 entries for a design for any new flag. Under the terms of UN talks, all such symbols would have to reflect the multi-ethnic nature of Kosovo, avoiding the use of the Albanian or Serbian double-headed eagles or the use of solely red and black or red, blue and white colour schemes. Additionally, all entries have to be rectangular and have a 2:3 proportion. A total of 700 proposals met these criteria. A group of Kosovo politicians and experts known as the “Unity Team” will select three designs which would go forward for a vote by the Assembly of Kosovo (with a two-thirds majority required for approval), should independence result from the status talks.
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