Kosovo's leaders on Monday signed the draft constitution, which determines Serbia's southern province as "an independent and sovereign state."
"Today we are giving legitimacy to our act of declaration of the independent, sovereign and democratic Republic of Kosovo," Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said during the signing ceremony.
Kosovo, which is dominated by ethnic Albanians, had been run by the U.N. mission since 1999, when NATO bombing forced the Serbian government to end its crackdown against pro-independent Albanian guerrillas and pull its troops out of Kosovo.
Kosovo unilaterally declared its independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, adopting a new national flag and national emblem. The province's statehood has so far been recognized by 36 countries including the United States and most EU members.
Following the signing, the draft constitution needs formal approval by the 120-seat parliament, which is expected to happen on Wednesday.
The constitution could enter into force on June 15 this year, when the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) of some 2,000 policemen, judges and advisers is scheduled to fulfill its deployment and take over authority from the U.N. mission in Kosovo(UNMIK) that has been in charge since the end of the war in 1999.
The draft constitution contains 40 chapters and 160 articles and defines Kosovo as "a parliamentary republic," with Albanian and Serbian as official languages.
Kosovo is "a state of free citizens that will guarantee the rights of every citizen, civil freedoms and equality of all citizens before the law," the preamble says.
The constitution says that Kosovo "will contribute to the stability of the region and entire Europe by creating good neighborly relations with all neighboring countries."
Although the draft constitution pledges protection for minority, no ethnic Serb representatives took part in neither drafting nor signing the constitution.
The signing ceremony was attended by representatives of the Kosovo institutions, the EU special representative Pieter Feith and officials of international offices in Pristina.
"This (constitution) will help Kosovo move closer to Europe," said Feith, who approved the draft constitution on April 2.
Feith, who also acts as the International Civilian Representative for Kosovo, is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the Kosovo status settlement proposal drafted byU.N. Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari.
The proposal of Ahtisaari is taken as a basis for the draft constitution. According to Ahtisaari's proposal, Kosovo should be a state but under international supervision, to ensure the protection of minority rights and respect for the rule of law.
Serbia has rejected Ahtisaari's proposal and Kosovo's independence, calling on Kosovo Serbs for a boycott of the EU mission in areas of Kosovo where they live.
Source:Xinhua
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