The Future of Kosovo from a Serbian-American Perspective

I first visited Kosovo in 1988 with a group of Serbian-American students who toured some of the many historic monasteries and churches of Serbia and Montenegro. Even then, it was obvious to me that there were ethnic tensions in the Serbian province as ancient Churches were desecrated with Albanian graffiti, a car with Belgrade license plates was overturned, and we had to always walk with a guard during our stay at the Patriarchate of Pec. For me, this visit was critical in solidifying my cultural awareness and pride as a Serbian-American.

In that spirit, I strongly encourage the government of Serbia not to allow the West to bully it into granting Kosovo independence. Though there have been many innuendos about Serbia's difficulty in joining the EC if Kosovo is not "let go," and talk of "lost incentives" for Serbia, we should be very wary of any "promises" coming from the West as they have always been reneged. Serbia has a long tradition of self-sufficiency and independence. Joining the EC will not be a panacea.

In Kosovo, Serbs and Albanians have coexisted there for over 1300 years and must relearn how to coexist in the future. Granting independence to this Serbian province would set a dangerous precedent that terrorists who slaughter, ethnically cleanse, and terrorize innocent civilians can successfully alter the borders of nations and would encourage terrorists the world over in conflict-ridden places such as Chechnya, Canada, Spain, Turkey, Iraq, China, etc. From a Serbian-American perspective, Kosovo is part of Serbia, a sovereign nation. Though the ethnic demographics have shifted so that Albanians are currently in the majority, this has been due chiefly to illegal immigration of Albanians (encouraged by Tito) into the province. Granting Kosovo independence would be a dangerous harbinger of what might happen to America due to massive illegal immigration across its' Southern border with Mexico as many of these immigrants wish to reclaim "Azatlan" for Mexico. Kosovo is now the "black hole" of Europe and is becoming a fifth-column and training ground for terrorists who will attack Western interests.

The West has no legal basis to steal Kosovo from Serbia. The UN (of which Yugoslavia was a founding member) has no business interfering in Serbia's internal/domestic affairs. NATO was established to counter the no longer existent Soviet threat and should be out of Kosovo. Countries such as Germany that participated in the Holocaust of Serbs during WWII and helped catalyze the destruction of the former Yugoslavia for their own national interests should never have been allowed to station their troops in Kosovo. Serbia must regain Kosovo so that she can restore law and order because the UN and NATO are not doing the job. Serbia must also reclaim the businesses that were illegally pilfered by "philanthropists" such as George Soros. The Serbian Orthodox Church was the largest landowner in Kosovo before Tito. Lands that were illegally confiscated from The Church must be returned to their rightful owner.

During the summer of 2005, I met with two members of Congress, Shelley Berkeley and Jon Porter (my Nevada representatives). They agreed that Kosovo should remain with Serbia. I believe the US government is beginning to realize that major errors were made regarding Kosovo - especially in the post-9/11 climate - and my feeling is that with enough activism and steadfast resistance from the Serbian government, there is a good chance that the independence effort will not succeed. The Serbian government should work to restore ties with the United States and partner with it in the war on terrorism. We Serbian-Americans stand ready to aid the Serbian government in liaising with our elected officials and offering advice if requested. We must all jointly overcome lack of Serbian unity, lack of communication between the diaspora and Serbia, and lack of vision for the future.

No nation gives away land for nothing. The West may illegally recognize Kosovo's independence but no self-respecting Serb should ever accept it. Defeat occurs only when one accepts fate instead of trying to change it.

The elite of the NWO are way ahead of this and now you know at least one of the many reasons why we fabricated an excuse to enter the Balkans........Follows:

Balkans experiencing black gold rush

30/05/2006

Balkan countries could potentially become players in the world oil market. With the building of one of three planned oil pipelines, the region could finally start cashing in on its geo-strategic position between the thirsty West and the oil rich East.

By Georgi Mitev-Shantek for Southeast European Times in Belgrade – 30/05/06

The interest in running pipelines through the Balkans is global. [File]

Oil transit from the Caspian Sea Region through the Balkans and into Europe and the United States is so significant that there are plans to build a total of three oil pipelines. However, experts agree that there is room for only two players. That was the message at a recent summit in Belgrade, attended by 150 representatives of governments and energy companies from the region, the EU, the US and Russia, as well as international institutions such as the IFC and the European Bank of Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The interest in running pipelines through the Balkans is global. Countries in the region would be getting cheaper oil and would charge duties and taxes and other services, while tankers that currently wait up to 20 days to pass these straits would reach the US that much sooner. Russian interests are clear, according to analyst Dejan Stojadinoviæ: a reduction in dependence on Turkey, which controls the Bosphorus Straits.

"The Balkan pipelines and associated natural gas pipelines could also be an opportunity for Europe to reduce its dependence on Russia," Sijka Pištolova, an energy analyst and editor of the Energyobserver Web site, indicated. The Energyobserver, together with Miroljub Labus, who stepped down recently as deputy prime minister of Serbia, organised the Belgrade summit.

The plan for the 300km pipeline from the Bulgarian port of Burgas to the Greek port Aleksandropolis was approved in 1997. Investment in the project was rubber stamped by several partners -- Greece's Hellenic Petroleum, Latsis Group and Prometheu gas, Bulgaria's Bulgargaz and Univerzalni terminali Burgas, and Russia's TNK-BP, Rosneft and Gazprom. Moscow is urging companies to open these channels as soon as possible.

Bulgaria is also working on another project, a pipeline west from Burgas -- through Macedonia -- to the Albanian port of Valona. Though in principle, Washington supports all projects that could assure better access to Caspian "gold", this pipeline is proving the most interesting. The US government financed a feasibility study for a 900km pipeline, while the AMBO Corporation was founded in the States with exclusive rights to select partners for implementing the $1.24 billion project. Shortly after the Belgrade summit, Macedonia's Economy Ministry indicated that companies managing and exploiting the pipeline will be "entitled to all rights".

Countries in the northern Balkans want a piece of the action too. Romania, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and Italy are trying to find common language regarding the Pan European pipeline. It would run from Konstance, through the Serbian oil refinery in Pancevo, to the Italian port of Trieste on the Adriatic. Though this project has enormous advantages over its competitors -- at least twice the capacity, refineries and consumers along its route, partial construction under way, and an existing "pipe-to-pipe" connection to a line that crosses the Alps in Trieste -- its far less advanced than others.

In this race, likely to start bearing fruit at the beginning of the next decade, the winner could take all.

-Caspian crude is of different type than Persian gulf crude or North Sea crude. It requres different refining technlogy, like one used in former USSR.

-there is much less oil in Caspian basin then generally thought.

-The name of the game is not Caspian oil, but Caspian natural gas. When sold to Pakistan and India, it can be sold at higher prices than on world market. It can also keep them in check.

-China is desperate to get hold of this natural gas via Afgan pipeline. That is what Afgan war prevented.

I found it curious that Milosevic death was for several days the top rated news worldwide, as if nothing more important was going on at that time. Experience tells me it was a merely a filler, to detract attention from the real top story, one related to Iran I guess.

Caspian pipeline unites nations
Two sections of an important pipeline due to bring Caspian oil to Western markets have been connected at a ceremony on the Azeri-Georgian border.
Azeri President Ilham Aliyev said the project, due to be completed next year, would bring great financial wealth and boost regional security.
The multi-billion dollar pipeline from Baku in Azerbaijan to the Turkish port of Ceyhan is backed by Washington.
Russia has proposed an alternative route through its own territory.
'A start'
"The oil pipeline has united two brotherly nations," Mr Aliyev said at the opening ceremony on Saturday.
"The whole region needs this pipeline."
Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili said that some forces had tried to stop the project but had failed.
"I have no false illusions that this one pipe will be able to solve all our problems, but this is a start," he said.
"This pipeline marks a major step toward the independence of both Georgia and Azerbaijan," he added.
The Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline will run through Georgia to the Turkish port of Ceyhan on the Mediterranean coast.
The project, led by British oil giant BP with the support of the US government, covers 1,760 km (1,094 miles).
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/3749616.stm

Published: 2004/10/16 16:23:45 GMT

© BBC MMVI
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3749616.stm

Go ahead for Balkan oil pipeline
Albania, Bulgaria and Macedonia have given the go ahead for the construction of a $1.2bn oil pipeline that will pass through the Balkan peninsula.
The project aims to allow alternative ports for the shipping of Russian and Caspian oil, that normally goes through the Bosphorus straits.
It aims to transport 750,000 daily barrels of oil.
The pipeline will be built by the US-registered Albanian Macedonian Bulgarian Oil Corporation (AMBO).
The pipeline will run for nearly 900 kilometres from the Bulgarian port of Burgas, over the Black Sea to the Albanian city of Vlore on the Adriatic coast, crossing Macedonia.
Delayed project
The project was first conceived in 1994 but has suffered delays due to uncertainties about whether there was sufficient demand.
By signing the agreement on Tuesday, the prime ministers of Bulgaria, Albania and Macedonia have overcome the problem.
"This is one of the most important infrastructure projects for regional, EU, and Euro-Atlantic integration for the western Balkans," said Albanian Prime Minister Fatos Nano.
According to AMBO president Edward Ferguson, work on the pipeline will begin in 2005 and it is expected to be ready in three or four years.
He added that the company had already raised about $900m from the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC) - a US development agency - the Eximbank and Credit Suisse First Boston, among others.
The project has also the support of the European Union.
Analysts have said that oil companies like ChevronTexaco, Exxon Mobil and British Petroleum would be happy to find alternative routes to the Bosphorus and Dardanelles Straits.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4130271.stm
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/business/4130271.stm

Published: 2004/12/28 16:19:23 GMT

© BBC MMVI

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