Kosovo Declares Independence

Thousands of Kosovar Albanians gathered outside the parliament to hear the declaration of independence.

Pristina is awash with flags, draped from buildings and waved out of car windows. Hundreds of ethnic Albanian emigres streamed back to Kosovo for the independence weekend.

In the capital, a Kosovar Albanian man wears a T-shirt reading "Bye Bye Serbia." The authorities are offering a 72-hour cultural program and many bars are laying on free drinks.

But there have also been security fears. In the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica, French soldiers reinforce their checkpoint with concrete blocks. Kosovo's security remains dependent on the 16,000 NATO troops stationed there, known as KFOR.

In Pristina, posters with British and U.S. flags read "Thank You." The United States and major European Union countries are expected to recognize the new state.