( dpa )- Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu confirmed Sunday that the breakaway Serbian province would declare its independence later in the day.
"We will bow to the wishes of the Albanian people today and declare independce," Sejdiu said during a visit to the grave of his predecessor, Ibrahim Rugova in the Kosovo capital, Pristina.
Rugova helped prepare the way for the Albanian-dominated province of Kosovo to declare independence.
The declaration of independence was expected at an emergency session of parliament called for later in the day.
Serbia on Thursday passed a resolution "annulling" the declaration of independence in advance.
The United States and leading European Union countries have signalled that they would recognize the new country.
Russia has backed Serbia's claim of sovereignty over Kosovo, and blocked Pristina's independence bid in the United Nations in 2007.