Serbs held a day of prayer and protest today on the eve of the independence of Kosovo, the southern province that is home to two million Albanians.
Kosovo's parliament will declare independence tomorrow, almost nine years since Nato went to war to save the province's 90-per cent Albanian majority from a wave of killings and ethnic cleansing by Serb forces trying to crush a rebel insurgency.
The declaration will be made during a session in the capital Pristina tomorrow afternoon.
A Kosovo Albanian woman is seen behind an Albanian national flag
A protest march was planned in Belgrade, as Serbs braced for the loss of land many consider their religious heartland, steeped in history and site of dozens of centuries-old Orthodox monasteries.
Albanian and US flags flew from cars and shops across the UN-run territory as Albanians prepared to celebrate the culmination of a decades-long drive for their own state.
Belgrade, despite the backing of its main big ally Russia, can in reality do nothing to stop independence or Kosovo's recognition by the West.
Serbia's uneasy coalition government is split over whether to reject ties with the European Union over the bloc's backing for Kosovo's independence.
Brussels today approved the launch of a 2,000-strong police and justice mission for Kosovo that will take over responsibility for supervising police, judicial and civil administration from the current UN mission after a 120-day transition period.
The commander of Nato peacekeepers in Kosovo, French Lieutenant-General Xavier de Marnhac, said the force, KFOR, "will react and oppose any provocation that may happen during these days, whether from the Albanian or the Serb side".
EU foreign ministers will discuss their response to Kosovo's decision on Monday.
Diplomats said up to 20 EU countries, including Ireland, were likely to recognize the new state rapidly but at least six - Cyprus, Greece, Slovakia, Spain, Bulgaria and Romania - have indicated they will not do so immediately.
The major EU powers involved in Balkan diplomacy - Britain, France, Germany and Italy - may announce recognition immediately after Monday's meeting, along with the United States, diplomats said.
Despite the likely absence of full international recognition, the European Commission and World Bank are already planning a donors' conference to help build Kosovo's shattered economy and tackle mass unemployment.
Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern has said the Government should recognise Kosovo when it declares independence to help bring stability to the Balkans.
In a statement issued ahead of tomorrow's expected declaration of independence by Kosovo, Mr Ahern said yesterday that Ireland had to deal with the reality on the ground.
"We are faced with a decision to recognise Kosovo. My intention is to do so," said Mr Ahern, who also expressed regret that the UN Security Council had not been able to reach agreement and pass a new resolution clarifying the legal position for independence.
Serbia rejects the secession and has told Kosovo's 120,000 remaining Serbs to do the same. Many of them live in an area close to Serbia proper and look set to cement a de facto partition that will weigh on the new state for years.
The Serb-dominated north has promised to reject the new EU mission, fuelling fears it could try to break away.