Agence France-Presse,
PRISTINA, Serbia: Revellers will be treated to fireworks and live music among other festivities when Kosovo declares independence, as expected, within the coming days.
Pristina, the main city in the Balkan territory, is forging ahead with detailed plans to host the main party in what is expected to be an explosion of emotions.
Like in the streets and cafes of Pristina, organisers admit their only problem is that they have to rely on rumours as they are clueless as to the date for independence day.
“Although we do not have any signal from central institutions about the date, we are preparing as though it will happen tomorrow in order to keep it under control,” said Mustafe Halili, head of the municipality's culture department.
“The programme we are trying to set up has to do … with public celebrations,” he said, adding initial plans include performances by various popular music acts, a classical orchestra and folklore groups.
“We expect some 200,000 people at least” from rural areas and some from abroad to converge on what would become the world's newest capital.
Kosovo, an Albanian-majority southern province of Serbia, appears set to declare unilateral independence just ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers on February 18, diplomatic sources in Pristina have told AFP.
Serbia, Russia and several other countries strongly oppose the move, but independence is expected to be recognised by the United States and most of the European Union's member nations.
Any foreigners visiting the capital from countries that recognise Kosovo's statehood can expect a heroes' welcome.
Already, those entering Pristina from its international airport are offered a discount at the Hotel AFA, which has advertised the deal on huge billboards lining the roadway between the air terminal and downtown.
“We didn't do this in order to get more clients because our hotel is almost always booked completely,” said AFA manager Ali Mehija.
“Our goal was to contribute somehow to our clients and to independence.”
The offer, he says, has gained won much publicity that it has even been extended to Serbs.
“We recently had journalists from Serbia and they got the discount just like those who are from America, France, Germany and other countries.”
Pristina Mayor Isa Mustafa says he has thought about splitting the celebration in two parts to ensure the partying does not get too wild.
“I would mark the day of the declaration of independence and also the day when the foreign guests and dignitaries are supposed to come to celebrate independence.”
Kosovo Finance Minister Ahmet Shala has set aside one million euros (1.45 million dollars) for the celebrations, according to local newspapers.
“It will be good if the (independence) celebrations are dispersed throughout the municipalities all over Kosovo, which means that all of them should not come to Pristina,” said Mustafa.
Authorities are concerned the merrymaking might get out of hand given the long wait that Kosovo's 90-percent Albanian population have had to endure for the arrival of 'I-Day'.
The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe issued its staff an warning this week to beware of “happy shooting.”
“The date of decision for declaration of independence of Kosovo (should) really be a day of dignified celebrations,” Kosovo Prime Minster Hashim Thaci said Thursday.
“It has to be kept in mind always that we made sacrifices and we worked more than a century as a people and as a nation for this historic and magnificent day.”
Privately run businesses are also gearing up for independence, which has boosted sales of Albanian flags and other paraphernalia.
Citizens are unsure what the flag and other symbols of their own country will look like as Kosovo authorities are still finalising a selection process from thousands of public submissions.
Rame Hashani, a 44-years-old taxi driver in Pristina, said he was expecting to make a small fortune from the occasion.
“I spent last week some 120 euros on fixing my car,” he said proudly of his recently polished taxi as he waited at a rank in front of the landmark Hotel Grand.
“It has to function perfectly in the coming days.”
