Kosovo ‘final status’ talks a cause for concern

Synoeca ^

[Alex Marko]

Concern within the UN has been growing over anticipated trouble in Kosovo's 'final status' talks. The threat of inter-ethnic violence has been growing with the recent allegations of Ramush Haradinaj (ex-PM indicted on war crimes) support for a new rebel group called the "Kosovo Independence Army" (UPK) who have sprouted up searching cars in the lawless regions of the province. The international body has already ruled out partition along ethnic lines, union with Albania, and autonomy under Serbian rule. This effectively leaves one option only: conditional independence with international peacekeepers enforcing the province's status. Both parties will most likely object to the outcome with 90% of Kosovo demanding full independence and Serbia-Montenegro's leaders outright rejecting separation from its historical birthplace to what it calls ‘Islamic terrorists’.

Tensions within the Albanian community might rise to the point of targeted attacks on NATO officials with the likelihood of spreading violence further into western Macedonia. Similar incidents, like that of the violence in March of 2004, are inevitable with the negotiations looking to run for an extended period of time and Kosovo's inhabitants running short on patience.

Critics argue an independent Kosovo will set a new precedent around the world concerning armed struggles by violent extremists with all eyes on the Russia’s Chechnya province, France’s Corsican island and Turkey’s Kurdish rebel groups. Supporters state that Serbia’s rule was unacceptable and drastic intervention was necessary for the stability of the region.

[3dognight]

quagmire

[farlander]

Thank you Clinton and Albanian lobby.

[Crim]

Liberism is a mental disorder...

[Crim]

Er...liberalism too...*grin*

[GSlob]

When two or more peoples cannot stand one another, strict separation appears to be the only solution short of genocide. The most humane way to conduct it would indeed be a partition carried out in such a way that both the number of people to be displaced and the property claims are minimized. Vaclav Havel has shown everybody how the civilized people approach such problems. West Bank wall gives another good example.

[funkywbr]

An ethnically cleansed Muslim Hell Hole is it's status already.

People just won't admit it is all.

[mark502inf]

The international body has already ruled out partition along ethnic lines, union with Albania, and autonomy under Serbian rule.

Not quite correct--a heightened autonomy has not been ruled out and that, in fact, is Serbia's position. They call it "more than autonomy, less than independence." Of course the Kosovars want independence and the most likely compromise is "conditional independence"; independence in name, but with international supervison and the promise of steps toward future de facto independence.

However, if both Belgrade & Pristina both agreed on something else, such as a partition, I suspect the U.S. and the rest of the international community would be more than happy to agree as well.

About the only thing that really seems impossible is a return to the pre-1999 status of direct rule by Serbia over Kosovo. Not even Belgrade is asking for that anymore.