PRISTINA - Kosovo`s capital Pristina burst into celebration at nightfall Saturday on the eve of the province`s declaration of independence from Serbia.
Cheerful crowds were seen filling the city centre, waving Albanian flags, as cars zipped through the surrounding streets, loudly honking their horns with Albanian, US and British flags waving in the breeze.
Firecrackers went off sporadically, competing with Albanian folk music blaring from loudspeakers outside pirate CD shops, and to the north the odd dazzling firework lit up the cloudless night sky.
Cigarette vendors did a thriving trade in Albanian flags of all sizes -- from 10 euros (nearly 15 dollars) for a full-size flag to two euros for a desk-sized model.
On sale, too, were T-shirts of all shapes and sizes. "So good to be Albanian," read the slogan on a blood-red singlet.
Down the pedestrian Mother Teresa avenue, the capital`s main street, and focal point of official celebrations Sunday, boisterous crowds swayed to the sound of drums.
The presence of police was negligible at best.
Flags and posters hailing independence filled shop windows -- from clothing shops with 50-percent-off sales to Bosnian fast-food joints and the local office of Austrian Airlines.
"`Urime Pavaresine!` Happy independence!" one clothing shop advertised. "Everything for five euros!"
Prime Minister Hashim Thaci confirmed earlier Saturday that Kosovo -- with an overwhelming ethnic Albanian majority -- would declare independence on Sunday -- a move supported by the United States and major European powers.
The declaration is expected to be made around 3:00 pm (1400 GMT) in parliament, in a move that Serbia -- supported by Russia -- has branded as illegal.
rom/eb
02/16/2008 18:59 GMT