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Milosevic Rally
Slobodan rallies Serbs from Kosovo who are protesting against alleged harassment by the Albanian community there. -
Period: to
Kosovo
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Declaring Independence
Ethnic Albanian leaders delcare independence from Serbia and Belgrade dissolves the Kosovo government. -
Other countries break away.
Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia break away from Yugoslavia and declare their independence. -
War Breaks out
War begins in the Balkans. -
President.
Ibrahim Rugova is elected president of the self proclaimed republic, Kosovo. -
Serb Police vs. KLA
Open conflict between the Serb Police and the KLA occurs and civilians are driven from their homes. -
NATO
Nato gives an ultimatum to President Milosevic to halt the crackdown on Kosovo Albanians. -
NATO begins bombing
The peace talk fails, Nato launches airstrikes on Yugoslavia that last 78 days before Belgrade yields. -
Milosevic agrees to withdraw troops from Kosovo
Nato calls off air strikes. The UN sets up a Kosovo Peace Implementation Force and Nato forces arrive in the province. The KLA agrees to disarm. Serb civilians flee revenge attacks. -
Election
Ibrahim Rugova is elected as president by the Kosovan parliament after ethnic Albanian parties reach a power-sharing deal. Bajram Rexhepi becomes prime minister. -
Direct talk
First direct talks between Serbian and Kosovo Albanian leaders since 1999. -
Mitrovica
19 people are killed in the worst clashes between Serbs and ethnic Albanians since 1999. The violence started in the divided town of Mitrovica. -
Boris Tadic visits
Serbian President Boris Tadic visits, promises to defend rights of Serbs in Kosovo. -
Blasts near UN, OSCE and Kosovo parliaments
Nearly-simultaneous blasts go off near UN, OSCE and Kosovo parliament buildings in Pristina and no one was hurt. -
2 Serbs shot dead.
Two Serbs shot dead and two injured when their car is fired at. -
Rugova dies.
President Rugova dies in Pristina after losing his battle with lung cancer. He is succeeded in February by Fatmir Sejdiu. -
Prime Minister resigns.
Prime Minister Kosumi resigns following criticism of his performance from within his own party. He is succeeded by former KLA commander Agim Ceku. -
Boycott.
Voters in a referendum in Serbia approve a new constitution which declares that Kosovo is an integral part of the country. Kosovo's Albanian majority boycotts the ballot and UN sponsored talks on the future of the disputed province continue. -
On the path to independence
United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari unveils a plan to set Kosovo on a path to independence, which is immediately welcomed by Kosovo Albanians and rejected by Serbia. -
Russian insistence
US and European Union redraft UN resolution to drop promise of independence at Russian insistence, replacing it with pledge to review situation if there is no breakthrough after four proposed months of talks with Serbia -
Kosovo declares independence.
Kosovo declares independence. Serbia says declaration illegal. Europe's major powers and the United States recognise independence. -
Serb opponents seize UN courthouse.
Serb opponents of independence seize a UN courthouse in Mitrovica, and more than 100 people are injured in subsequent clashes with UN and NATO forces. A UN police officer is killed. -
Power is transferred to majority ethnic albanian government.
New constitution transfers power to majority ethnic Albanian government after nine years of UN rule. Kosovo Serbs set up their own rival assembly in Mitrovica. -
New Constitution
Parliament adopts new constitution -
Eulex
European Union mission (Eulex) takes over police, justice and customs services from UN. Serbia accepts EU mission. -
Milan Milutinovic charged for campaign of terror
UN war crimes tribunal in the Hague acquits former Serbian President Milan Milutinovic of charges that he ordered a campaign of terror against Kosovo Albanians in the 1990s. -
Boris tadic visits Kosovo
Serbian President Boris Tadic makes rare visit to Kosovo, coinciding with the deadline for parties to submit arguments to the International Court of Justice on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence. -
New security force for Kosovo
New multi-ethnic Kosovo Security Force launched under NATO supervision, replacing a unit dominated by veterans of independence campaign against Serbia. -
Serbs vote in Serbian parts of Kosovo
Serbs hold local elections in two Serb-controlled districts in northern Kosovo. The vote sparks violent protests in the divided town of Mitrovica. -
New trial for Haradinaj
The Hague War Crimes Tribunal orders new trial for former PM Ramush Haradinaj and two other ex-members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) on charges of war crimes, saying that an earlier trial was marred by witness intimidation. The International Court of Justice rules that Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in 2008 was not illegal under international law, in response to Serbian a complaint that it had violated its territorial integrity. -
Sejdiu resigns
President Fatmir Sejdiu resigns after court rules that he breached the constitution by staying in a party post while in office. -
Jakup Krasniqi calls early general election for 2011
Caretaker president Jakup Krasniqi calls early general election for February 2011. Fatmir Sejdiu's Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) pulls out of governing coalition.
