Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on Sunday, ending a long chapter in the bloody breakup of Yugoslavia.

Serbia responded immediately by calling its mainly Albanian breakaway province a false state and condemning the United States for supporting it.

The proclamation was made by leaders of Kosovo's 90 percent ethnic Albanian majority, including former guerrillas who fought for independence in a 1998-99 war which claimed about 10,000 civilian lives.

"We, the leaders of our people, democratically elected, through this declaration proclaim Kosovo an independent and sovereign state," said the text read out in parliament by Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

"This declaration reflects the will of the people."

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All 109 deputies present at the session in the capital Pristina voted in favor with a show of hands. Eleven deputies from ethnic minorities, including Serbs, were absent.

Kosovo is "an independent, sovereign and democratic state", parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi announced after the vote.

Jubilant Kosovans in the snow-covered city had begun celebrating the night before in advance.

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