Posted on 02/21/2008 11:04:42 AM PST by 11th_VA
BELGRADE, Serbia - Serb rioters broke into the U.S. Embassy Thursday and set fire to an office after a massive protest against Kosovo's independence that drew an estimated 150,000 people.
Masked attackers broke into the building, which has been closed this week, and tried to throw furniture from an office. A blaze broke out inside one of the offices and parts of the facade also caught fire.
Authorities drove armored jeeps down the street and fired tear gas to clear the crowd. The protesters dispersed into side streets where they continued clashing with authorities.
The neighboring Croatian Embassy also was attacked by the same group of protesters.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack strongly urged the Serbian government to protect the U.S. Embassy. He said the U.S. ambassador was at his home and was in contact with U.S. officials.
More than a dozen nations have recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence on Sunday, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany.
But the declaration by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership has been rejected by Serbia's government and the ethnic Serbians who populate northern Kosovo. Russia, China and numerous other nations have also condemned the declaration, saying it sets a precedent that separatist groups around the world will seek to emulate.
Kosovo, which is 90 percent ethnic Albanian, has not been under Belgrade's control since 1999, when NATO launched airstrikes to halt a Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. A U.N. mission has governed Kosovo since, with more than 16,000 NATO troops and KFOR, a multiethnic force, policing the province.
But Serbia — and Kosovo's Serbs, who make up less than 10 percent of Kosovo's population — refuse to give up Kosovo, a territory considered the ancient cradle of Serbs' state and religion.
Earlier Thursday, police estimated that about 150,000 people had attended a rally in the Serbian capital. The crowd waved Serbian flags and carried signs reading "Stop USA terror." One group set fire to a red-and-black Albanian flag.
The U.S. embassy in Belgrade burns after masked attackers broke into the building and set an office on fire at the end of a massive protest against Western-backed Kosovo independence, in the Serbian capital, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008. More than 150,000 Serbs gathered at the rally vowing to retake the territory which is viewed as Serbia's religious and national heartland. (AP Photo)
We’ll be signing our checks over directly to them, cut out the middleman, the US government. lol
If this mess gets worse, it may become necessary to slap some draconian trade sanctions on Serbia - again.
not heard much from code pink and the other wack jobs from the left on this
why is that, yes we know
I just hope the serbs know that it’s not all Americans who support this but a president who has left me speechless in his second term and a cigar poker who wanted to appease muslims
How on earth can Bush ever say we are at war with radical islam when he has gone against an old ally and helped radical islam.
mind boggles
Thanks for the response.
I hate that our embassy was attacked and imo, protect it at all costs. However, I side with the serbs on this and understand. No apologies necessary. This is so screwed up. It doesn’t make the demo on our embasssy right by any means. we’re a scapegoat again! Bomb or attack the mosques, make a real statement. I’ll have much respect for the serbs if they start burning down mosques or burning the Koran.
Thank you for understanding. Serbia is not 5% like being portrayed in the mass media. We consider American people our friends throughout the history! We know that bigger interest is at stake. We only blame your administration!
For those who didn’t know, the Operation Halyard in 1944 was the Largest Rescue in Airforce History!
Quotation: Operation Halyard is a little known episode which took place over about a week in June 1944 from Pranjani, Serbia. At that time, Serbian Chetnik guerrillas, led by Gen. Draza Mihailovich, with the assistence of American OSS liasion officers on the ground, organized and carried out the largest rescue of downed American airmen in U.S. Air Force history.
According to official accounts, more than 500 U.S., British and a handful of Canadian airmen were rescued after being gathered from all parts of Serbia for the operation.
I had the honor of meeting the late Maj. Richard Felman, who was one of the young rescued airmen, and who to his dying day, felt he had a debt of honor that remained upaid to his Serb rescuers.
What I find astounding, is that such an amazing episode of courage and sacrifice has received such scant attention in the U.S., and especially from the U.S Air Force in particular.
I’ve researched a lot of documents and gathered pictures of U.S. officers, such as Col. Robert McDowell, who were on the ground in Serbia working hand-in-hand with their Serb Chetnik allies. Quite remarkable.
In 1946, Harry Truman posthumously awarded Gen. Mihailovich the Legion of Merit medal - the highest decoration available to a non-U.S citizen for his “material contribution to the final Allied victory in Europe...”
Who wants to know more, I think that there’s a book called “The forgotten 500”.
It would be crazy to give Russia an excuse for flexing their muscles.
My Dad died in 1999 but thanks. I’m sure he’s spinning in his grave now and he couldn’t stand McCain back in the 90s from what I recall. I’m thinking he’d vote for him against hillary or obama, though.
We don’t really teach history anymore. My teens get it in high school at the honors level and we discuss it at home.
Heh, Obama. He’s gonna be the next potus imo. Maybe then we’ll find out what he stands for but we do know he’s far left in everything. Thanks to all who owns guns cos we need ya more now than ever.
I am now convinced that the Bushes and Clintons are in cahoots on a lot of things. This is the main reason Hillary must be stopped. The Bush/Clinton dynasty must end.
I believe that President Bush did the right thing. I am not an expert in the history of Yugoslavia, but I have seen a lot of footage and read of what went on during the Yugoslav/Bosnian war. I don't understand how anyone can deny that the Serbs committed genocide against Albanians/Bosnian Muslims in the 90's, pretty much proving that they don't have the ability to democratically govern a diverse country. For a quick overview, Google or Youtube the Srebrenica Massacre; it is difficult not to weep at the cruelty humanity can bring upon one another and also wonder how the UN could have bundled that one so badly. If it wasn't for NATO intervention, the killings would have continued for a much longer period of time.
The Albanians came directly to the U.S. and Great Britain because they knew that the UN would not help them, and when one considers how the UN failed to protect them during the Bosnian War, you can't really blame them. Serbia will make a stink (as they are now), but in the end, they understand that they will need to back off in silence. Honestly, I don't see them becoming a part of the mainstream element in Europe anytime in the near future...to me it seems like there are too many fringe elements running the show and they still won't give up Mladic and Karadzic.
I have a sig p 229 semi automatic, I am one of the few English who actually is very conservative I think because I was raised by a foster mother who grew up in the second world war and she remebers the bombs, going out to the country, her dad fighting, her mum working in an ammunitions factory
today many don’t know how lucky they are and you sound a great parent.
I teach my kids as much as I can due to not wanting them to be brainwashed by the lib teachers.
when I lived in massachusetts before I escaped my son was told for thanksgiving that how bad we were , he was told to celebrate ramadan and told that it’s alright to dress as a girl
My reaction , move south and teach my kids as much as I can
We just violated the international agreement that we agreed to when the last war ended and partitioned the territory of Russia’s close ally Serbia. I will agree that Russia has on many occassions gone out of its way to cause trouble. However, in Kosovo we are deliberately provoking Russia and invading her sphere of influence. We humiliated Russia here in 1999 - Putin will not want to shown to be weak like Yeltsin was. If WWIII starts over Kosovo it will be our fault.
Every time the surbs damage US property we should hire Kosovars only for the repairs.
My parents grew up during the Great Depression, my dad enlisted and fought during WWII. We were raised with that knowledge. My grandparents were immigrants, legal immigrants.
Many don’t know now lucky they are to live in this country and some don’t realize the sacrifice of those who fought for their rights/this country. I remember the day I was trashing Great Britain because of Ireland, and my Dad went nuts on me (nuts meaning screaming) how GB was and will always be our ally (per WWII). And he was Irish. We’re Italian and Irish second, American first, non-hyphenated. My paternal grandfather was a deputy sheriff in philly and half my family is really involved in the republican political machine and those deceased would be appalled by what’s happening today.
Education begins at home and learning/education is all about what happens in the home, imo. My kids attend (and attended) catholic school for 9 years and two attend public high school and their sisters will attend public high school. I have no fear they’ll turn out leftist regardless of what the schools (catholic and public) teach. What is taught in the home is far more important.
My teens have survived the Day of Silence (they and their friends, as do most teens consider it a joke). They’re surviving the nonsense of Global Warming but it’s a little harder with the two younger ones. They all consider Kwanzaa (sp) a joke and Ramandan isn’t on the radar.
And surprisingly, the teens teachers know it’s all a joke too and only want to teach the facts and help the kids learn critical thinking skills.
we’re in NJ, the liberal cesspool of the Northeast, lol. Can’t wait to move once the baby graduates high school - down south.
Russia doesn’t have the right to interfere in Kosovo and Serbia anymore than it has the right to interfere in Georgia and Ukraine. Putin is intent on rebuilding the Soviet Union and he must be stopped at all costs even if that risks open hostilities between NATO and them.
Africa, didn’t he just promise them over a billion dollars, the whole continent isn’t worth what it’s costing us.
One we instigated.
We’re in the middle of a hellious lighting storm. Be back when it passes over.
I can’t blame them for being mad at the USA after what Clinton did and how we have sided with the freaking Muslims against the Christians over there.
I am on the side of Serbia.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.