Posted on 11/07/2009 8:51:55 AM PST by kronos77
Wary of a Kosovo-type fate, Colombo wants to adopt a cautious approach to the issue of political settlement of Tamils, a senior Sri Lankan official told The Hindu here.
“We need to move forward on the process of empowerment. But one problem with federalism in a small country is that it is more subject to splitting. Take Kosovo. They [The West] said give autonomy and we will guarantee unity. But two years later they supported independence. Clearly a promise should be a promise. We have to be careful,” said Secretary to the Ministry of Disaster Management and Human Rights Rajiva Wijesinha.
Conceding the need to concentrate on the political question because the first few actions of Colombo since Independence were discriminatory, Mr. Wijesinha said that with a new crop of Tamil leaders coming up, it was time to strengthen grass-roots democracy to ensure that the issues agreed upon in 1987 began to be implemented.
“There is clearly need for a new beginning in the body politic. Unfortunately, there was discrimination and violence against the Tamils in the 1970s and early 1980s. The 1983 riots were appalling and had the government support as they were not quelled immediately. Some Tamils had very bitter experiences,” he acknowledged.
(Excerpt) Read more at beta.thehindu.com ...
ping
Take Kosovo. They [The West] said give autonomy and we will guarantee unity. But two years later they supported independence. Clearly a promise should be a promise. We have to be careful.
They are reluctant to give Tamil region autonomy because it could lead to succession like Kosovo.
And they do not trust West over the issue. West is pressing Sri Lanka to “Stop persecuting tamils”
thanks for the info. i didn´t know that
Sri Lanka is not getting credit for a smart and effective military campaign that essentially wiped out the Tamil Tigers.
They are getting heat from America and the EU over their human rights issues in the war.
Hence, they may feel defeat being snatched from the jaws of their victory, enabled by the West.
China backs them 110% and doesnt give a damn about human rights so Sri Lanka will just tilt towards Beijing...
Clinton began it with the 1999 NATO Bombing, that's true. But Bush finished it, when after UN Resolution 1299 that guaranteed Kosovo would remain a part of Serbia, the Bush Administration instead pushed for Kosovo Independence.
Although the news loves to say that the phony Racak Massacre was the impetus for the NATO Bombing of Yugoslavia, the designs for planting Camp Bondsteel in Kosovo were drawn up years before Racak..
In short we wanted a NATO Base in Kosovo, on Serbia's sovereign territory and then came up with propaganda to justify planting one there without Serbia's permission and in violation of international law. So far, that action has caused much of the world not to trust us and has directly affected outcomes as far afield as Georgia and Sri Lanka.
Right now, the illegality of Kosovo Independence is before the World Court and they expect a decision in the next couple of months. If the World Court says Kosovo Independence is illegal, all those countries who we pushed to recognize Kosovo are going to look like idiots, like "US lackeys" to their own people.
US recognition of Kosovo Independence and our push to make others recognize it, may go down in history as one of the most arrogant and stupid decisions the US has ever made.
Right now, the illegality of Kosovo Independence is before the World Court and they expect a decision in the next couple of months. If the World Court says Kosovo Independence is illegal, all those countries who we pushed to recognize Kosovo are going to look like idiots, like “US lackeys” to their own people.
No, of course not. But, I do think that many recognitions of Kosovo independence would be withdrawn by countries who the US strong-armed to recognize it, and the whole scenario would make us look like complete idiots.
Meanwhile, Kosovo would remain in limbo, unable to get new investments. It would be reliant on aid for the rest of its miserable, bastardly little life.
Ultimately, there would be a war against the internationals, as the Albanians get restless for real "independence" -- or their version of it (get the hell out of here Westerners but keep sending us aid checks). And sooner or later, Albanians would be forced back to the bargaining table with Serbia, only this time the Western gun would be pointed at their heads, not Serbia's. They'll bitch and moan, but will resentfully give something up to get a partial version of what they want.
You've got to understand that even European and US bureaucrats who've spent time in the region are are sick of the Albanians. They want Kosovo off their plate ASAP, as they discover that things were not as they seemed when they started backing them. The only group still enamored with Kosovo Albanians are US politicians, and they've got too much on their own plates at home to put much effort into them anymore.
That said, the big wildcard would be Hillary Clinton whose career had a big investment in the Kosovo Albanians, as she was the one who orignially pushed Bill for the 1999 NATO Bombing in the first place. How long or short a leash Obama would keep her on, on this issue, would be a question mark.
He also joined a host of others in and outside of the United States in double crossing/selling out the Serb peoples.
Democrats and FDR/Truman unnecessarily abandoned Slavic allies to Stalin for political publicity purposes at the end of WWII. Carter coddled the communists AND the Mohammedans, and ignored the Slavs. The entire west tiptoed around the rogue Tito like little girls, and Western European nations used NATO and assisted the US to impede and destroy the talented and industrious Slavic peoples emergence into a competing economic force in Europe, and control their natural resources. Everybody got a piece of the Serbs except maybe the Serbs themselves.
I can't see reason for the Serbs to trust anyone at all.
Now Putin has shown that two can play using US tactics in Eastern Europe, showing the US as impotent as well as untrustworthy. While the Serbia tragedy remains, Russia punishes NATO and NATO wannabes.
World Court? No prediction from me, all of this should be to bizarre to be real, but it's not.
Bingo, and the Georgia debacle exemplifies this in a most grandiose way. One does not piss into the wind then blames the wind.
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