Kosovo must give up the black-on-red, double-headed eagle of the Albanian national flag and reflect the multi-ethnicity of the region. The province, most of whose population is ethnic Albanian, has used the flag since NATO drove out Serb forces in 1999. It was carried into battle by guerrillas of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and now flies from state buildings and homes across the territory. But under a Western-backed United Nations plan for a Kosovo state, the new symbols must reflect that the region is also home to 100,000 Serbs as well as Romany and Turkish minorities.
"Every bid to distance us from our Albanian identity is unacceptable," said Faik Fazliu, head of the KLA veterans' union.