Kosovo Serbs form own parliament, ignoring independence declaration and defying U.N. - International Herald Tribune

IHT:

Kosovo's hardline Serb leaders formed their own parliament on Saturday, ignoring Kosovo's declaration of independence and defying its United Nations administrators.

The action in the Serb-controlled half of the divided town of Mitrovica represents an attempt by the Serbs to split the disputed territory, which they claim as their own despite the Kosovo Albanian majority's Western-backed secession in February.

The assembly consists of 45 Serb representatives elected in Serb local elections in Kosovo, held in May. Serbs control about 15 percent of Kosovo's territory in the southeastern corner of Europe.

«The assembly is the foundation of the Serb protection of Kosovo, said Marko Jakšić, one of the hardline Serb leaders. «We will not allow the formation of another Albanian state in this part of Europe.»