Serbia for Splitting Independent Kosovo

The fall out of the Kosovo Independence from Serbia has been significant for some reasons. Kosovo's ethnic Albanians declared independence from Serbia in February, notwithstanding the opposition from Serbs and Russians. Kosovo is moving fast towards UN recognition and the process in on and has already been recognized by 43 states, including the United States and most European Union nations - but Belgrade and Moscow have rejected this saying the move was illegal under international law.

From 1999 to 2008 February the Kosovo province was administered by the UN, after enduring a conflict fuelled by ethnic division and repression by Serbian government. The Kosovo country's constitution came into force on 15 June, granting broad autonomy to Kosovo's Serb minority. However, reconciliation between ethnic Albanians, most of whom support independence and Serbs remains elusive mainly because Serbian influence over the Kosovo Serbs.

Endorsed by Russia, a UNSC-5 member, Serbia has opposed the independence move forth right.  In order to cause more impediments to Kosovo becoming a UN member, the Serbs now living inside Kosovo have, encouraged by Serbia and Russia, decided to have their won assembly. Accordingly, Serbs in Kosovo have inaugurated their own assembly set up in defiance of the majority ethnic Albanian government and the United Nations. Forty-five members were elected in May during Serbiaʼs general and municipal elections - a ballot which the UN and Kosovo's government said was illegal.

Some 90% of Kosovo's two million population are Albanians. Northern Kosovo is dominated by about 50,000 Serbs.

Of late a lot of political activities are under way in Kosovo. Kosovo Serbs are refusing to recognize Pristina's authority. The gathering was held in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica. People from across Serbia converged on Mitrovica to show their support for the new assembly of Kosovo's Serbs. Kosovo's new constitution grants broad autonomy to the Serb minority. The opening session took place on St Vitus day, when Serbs remember their defeat by invading Ottoman forces in 1389 - an event that lies at the core of the Serb claim to Kosovo.

The assembly was formed by hard-line Serb politicians in Kosovo and was set up to help "co-ordination" with the Serb authorities in Belgrade. Slobodan Samardzic, Serbiaʼs minister for Kosovo, told delegates that the assembly would help Serbia fight to keep Kosovo. Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu has described it as "an attempt to destabilize Kosovo".

A UN spokesman called the assembly a "virtual reality". The BBC in Mitrovica says that although it will have no real powers, the assembly is a challenge to the authority of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian government. It will strengthen the parallel Serb institutions. The idea is to stop Kosovo from becoming a full-fledged nation as a member of UN. Security has been stepped up in Mitrovica - a flashpoint for recent violence. Earlier this month a gunman attacked a police station. In March, a riot left one UN policeman dead.

Of course, USA and some of the major European powers as well as UN support the cause of Kosovo. Russia might gradually soften its stiff opposition to Kosovo. It is only a question of time for Kosovo to enter the UN as its legitimate member.