Posted on 05/30/2006 9:17:33 AM PDT by Bokababe
BELGRADE (Reuters) - Granting independence to Serbia's southern province of Kosovo against the will of Serbia would destabilize the Balkans, Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic warned on Tuesday. The United Nations is mediating talks on Kosovo's future status, which Western diplomats say are likely to conclude with a form of independence by the end of the year. Serbia is adamantly opposed to such an outcome. "I am very afraid of the possible imposed solution against the will of Belgrade of turning Kosovo into a state," Draskovic told a news conference. "The whole region, I think, would inevitably face turbulence." The warning comes in the wake of Montenegro's vote on May 21 to end its union with Serbia, which the European Union at one point opposed, fearing further fragmentation in the Balkans. On Monday there were signs this fear was not unjustified, as Serb nationalists seeking independence for the Bosnian Serb republic from Bosnia took the Montenegro referendum as a precedent and possible template for their own campaign. Legally, the cases of Kosovo, Montenegro, and the Bosnian Serb Republic are quite different. But Draskovic was warning that if nationalist feelings were injured, the legalities might be ignored. Kosovo has been policed by NATO's largest peacekeeping force and run by the United Nations since 1999, when a bombing war by the Western allies drove Serb forces out of the province to halt killings and ethnic cleansing by Belgrade in its war against ethnic Albanian separatist guerrillas. Kosovo's population of 2 million is 90 percent Albanian. They are impatient after years in limbo and want independence this year. Draskovic, in a speech, warned indirectly that granting independence over Belgrade's head could bring ultranationalists to power and turn Serbia against the European Union. "The European lights in Serbia may be extinguished only by a forcible decision to declare an internationally recognized state of Kosovo within ... the borders of Serbia," he said. Creating "yet another Albanian state in the Balkans" was a "dangerous scenario" that Serbia hopes will be "thwarted."
20-YEAR AGREEMENT? Belgrade is now proposing a 20-year agreement on Kosovo to be guaranteed by Serbia and the United Nations. It would have a constitution and would run its internal affairs independently. But Serbia would retain control over foreign policy, borders and customs, human rights, monetary policy and the protection of cultural and religious heritage. Western diplomats say the Serbian government is in denial, unable or unwilling to grasp the realities of the Kosovo situation and the will of 90 percent of its people. Warnings of an unpredictable Balkan domino effect were being revived after Montenegro, Serbia's junior partner in a joint state union, voted in a referendum to go its own way. Its independence dissolves what was left of Yugoslavia, which broke up in war in the 1990s. Montenegro was one of six federal republics, with a legal right to secession which it retained in the looser Serbia-Montenegro union that was formed with EU encouragement in 2003. Regardless of that legality, however, nationalist Serbs in neighboring Bosnia see Montenegro as an encouragement to push their own campaign for an independence referendum for Republika Srpska, one of Bosnia's two constituent parts. The demand was firmly rejected on Monday by Western officials, who warned the major powers would not tolerate any threat to Bosnia's sovereignty and integrity as a state.
Besides the Jews, I think the Serbs are one of the most dumped on people in all of human history.
Not to mention the "will" manifested by the EU, NATO, the West's desire to throw a bone to the Muslims, and tons and tons and tons of American bombs.
Not exactly the "finest hour" of any of those outfits.
The situation in Kosovo is a great tragedy. But I'm sure that the parties involved will find out or, maybe are finding out, in one way or another, that "payback is a b*tch."
Yes, Serbs have been called "the Christian Jews" -- even by Jews. From a Christian perspective, I actually think that this is high praise. It is not supposed to be "easy" being a Christian in this world -- but some of us have it far harder than others.
U. S. foreign policy at its worst. And the lies keep coming.
Interesting that they don't choose to mention that this "90%" number was only achieved AFTER NATO & the UN ethnically cleansing 200,000 Serbs out of Kosovo!
How cute.
Shhhhh!
The message being: Everyone can cecede from Serb lands, but Serbs can cecede from no artificially created "country" -- in spite of the fact that Serbs were always the single largest minority in all of old Yugoslavia.
As a Jew married to a Serb, I concur with your sentiments.
I'd agree with 40%.
"Nationalism" comes to power "reactively" -- when the country is weak, not strong. Nationalism is usually fueled by fighting "against" something, rather than "for" something. Even here in the US, we have seen the country go much further "right" in the wake of 9/11. The kind of virulent nationalism you are talking about requires an adversary -- or adversaries, and we have supplied them in abundance.
For the last 15 years, Serbs have been punished with sanctions, bombs, humiliation, the ICTY and the loss of Kosovo. Serbs have been punished longer and harder than Germany was post-WWII -- and it isn't bringing out the best in them. That is why Draskovic is right -- the loss of Kosovo could bring down the Kostunica government and put Serbia's worst right-wing nutsos in power. You think that Milosevic was bad? Seselje makes Milosevic look like a pansy-ass bureaucrat! And who would be to blame? The Serbs? Ultimately, yes -- but also the International community and the US who ought to know better than to keep "kicking a wounded dog and not expecting him not to turn around and bite"!
The CPC is a counter-balance to the OTPOR sellouts.
Yes, I agree Kostunica will have lost control of his power and will be forced out with a no-confidence vote.
Things will become more turbelent in Central Serbia with the Sandjak Muslims demanding more autonomy, wait and see. That is the final link in the "Follow the (yellow) Green Brick Road Theory" of mine (circa 1993 thesis).
Bookmark www.SerbianCycling.org for future referance. You can pass this along to your Serbs and friends in the Sac area. I have cousins in that area that originated from Youngstown, OH area...:) I nearly moved out there to Sac, CA. I'd have been closer to my buddy ole pal, hoppie...:)
Bookmarked, ma bell.
Have they ever mentioned this cycling challenge in the Srbobran? If not, maybe can get you and it a mention, and reach a lot more readers. Private email me.
BB
In the eight year reign of terror of the KKKlinton regime, I only saw two groups of people stand up to the beast and try to face it down, that being the Serbs and the mormons in Utah. The thing I really can't understand is the Serbs going on being shit on for this, six years into a republican administration.
Today, the main difference that not it is not OK/PC to openly attack or hate Jews. but it is a sign of distinction among the high brows to be a Serb hater.
So the leading mainstream media in the West when they depicted Serbs they used Der Sturmer inspiration.
They bombed themselves?
Not sure who you are talking about. Major Felman & the 500 American Airmen saved?
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