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Serbs may back rebel republic in Kosovo
timesonline.co.uk ^
| February 22, 2003
| John Phillips
Posted on 02/21/2003 7:00:23 PM PST by Destro
February 22, 2003
Serbs may back rebel republic in Kosovo
By John Phillips
BELGRADE will sponsor a breakaway Serbian mini-state in Kosovo if the West prevents Serbian troops returning to the province to guarantee Serb rights, Zoran Djindjic, the Serbian Prime Minister, said yesterday.
In an interview with The Times, Dr Djindjic dismissed the American contention that it is too early to discuss Kosovo, saying that its hard-won democracy could be at risk.
This month, the United States issued a statement saying that it was concerned with developments in Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo and said that any attempt to force the pace of change could lead to instability.
Dr Djindjic said nationalist extremists could regain power in Belgrade in elections next year if the international community did not stop Kosovos ethnic Albanian majority obtaining independence, which, he argued, the UN was already fostering.
What is going on is the transfer of all sovereignty to the Kosovar institutions, he said. This didnt just happen. It was planned. International institutions are creating a fully independent Kosovo. By passing laws in Kosovos parliament they dont care what happens in Serbia.
Dr Djindjic, a formidable opponent of Slobodan Milosevic, received Western support after the former Yugoslav President was overthrown in 2000.
Recently, however, his increasingly patriotic stance has alarmed Western diplomats. But Dr Djindjic is now concerned about a nationalist backlash.
He said that the powers of Kosovos parliament, elected under the auspices of the UN interim administration, exceeded the substantial autonomy, envisaged under UN Resolution 1244.
According to Dr Djindjic, this outrages Serb refugees from Kosovo in Serbia, who make up about 15 per cent of the electorate.
They would explode if Kosovo became fully independent. People would say my Government was not defending them, he said.
It is time to put our cards on the table. The international community should say how it imagines the future. I dont think that democratic government can survive if we dont do enough now.
Next year we have elections. Kosovo will be the issue. We cant say it is not time now. We can offer a solution from Belgrades side but, if we say we are unable to do that, nationalistic forces will say: We have a solution.
Dr Djindjic said that a thousand or a few hundred Serb troops should be deployed in Kosovo to enable Serb refugees to return.
None of the promises have been implemented. All the promises to the Albanian side have been implemented but nothing on the Serbian side.
I can leave office and say: OK, I cant handle this. But what will come after this Government? In the 2002 elections, the extreme nationalists, led by (Radical Party leader Vojislav) Seselj, got 30 per cent.
Dr Djindjic denies courting nationalist votes, saying he is entrenched politically because he has outmanoeuvred his rival, Vojislav Kostunica.
Mr Kostunica became Yugoslav President after Milosevics downfall but was marginalised when Yugoslavia became the Union of Serbia and Montenegro.
Some people say this is an attempt to get support. I dont need that now. Kostunica is not competition, he said.
My proposal is to give the Kosovo Serbs constitutional rights and the institutional tools to protect their interests. As a first step it would be enough for the Serbs to be recognised like the Croats in the Bosnian federation. The Croats were 17 per cent and they got a third of representation. In 1999, Kosovos Serbs were 18 per cent.
The people say: Why do Albanians in Macedonia come into the constitution and why do Croats in Bosnia? Why South Tyrol? Why ten other situations? What should I answer? Without a Western-brokered compromise, he said Belgrade would not shrink from partition; with the Serb majority in northern Kosovo, next to Serbia proper, forming a breakaway mini-state similar to the Republic of Srpska in Bosnia.
Ethnic Albanian leaders would oppose that since the provinces mineral wealth is in the north around the city of Mitrovica and war could erupt again in Kosovo threatening Nato peacekeepers.
TOPICS: Breaking News; Foreign Affairs; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: balkans; campaignfinance; kosovo
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Comment #21 Removed by Moderator
To: seamole; bobi
sad thing is for the people of that region it is this American history of the 1990s they will remember, and the shameful thing is, bobi's statement as painful and as hurtful to read as it is, is true.
22
posted on
02/21/2003 8:45:14 PM PST
by
Destro
("The past isn't dead. In fact, it isn't even past." - William Faulkner)
Comment #23 Removed by Moderator
To: seamole; DTA
The Atta cell's logistical base was out of Bosnia. One of the 9/11 hijakers had a "war crimes" file at the Hague. The UN only "investigates" criminals and crimes that happened inside former Yugoslavia so that is pretty important info. I can link you to the sources if you wish.
24
posted on
02/21/2003 8:48:14 PM PST
by
Destro
("The past isn't dead. In fact, it isn't even past." - William Faulkner)
Comment #25 Removed by Moderator
To: seamole
As an American all I know is that bobi's nation of origin FYROM asked for military help from the USA/NATO as a member of NATO's Partnership for Peace program against Albanian rebels that were pourng over the Kosovo border USA/NATO were in charge of..the response? The USA provided armed escort to safety for trapped rebel terrorists.
What else would bobi's people feel?
26
posted on
02/21/2003 8:51:14 PM PST
by
Destro
("The past isn't dead. In fact, it isn't even past." - William Faulkner)
To: seamole
The article and the links attached by Freepers provide an overall picture that damns Clinton:
BIN LADEN GATE I will pull the Bosnian link which is the smoking gun in my next post.
27
posted on
02/21/2003 8:53:54 PM PST
by
Destro
("The past isn't dead. In fact, it isn't even past." - William Faulkner)
To: seamole
28
posted on
02/21/2003 9:13:28 PM PST
by
Destro
("The past isn't dead. In fact, it isn't even past." - William Faulkner)
Comment #29 Removed by Moderator
Comment #30 Removed by Moderator
To: seamole
The greatest thing about FreeRepublic was that a full year before 9/11 freepers were posting the dangers of linking our foreign policy with these Muslim groups. The Balkan posters were posting al-Qaeda articles day in and out befire they knew what this al-Qaeda was and to them we owe a dedt of gratitude and apologies.
31
posted on
02/21/2003 9:29:48 PM PST
by
Destro
("The past isn't dead. In fact, it isn't even past." - William Faulkner)
To: seamole
32
posted on
02/21/2003 9:40:46 PM PST
by
Destro
("The past isn't dead. In fact, it isn't even past." - William Faulkner)
To: seamole
That is why I am here :)
33
posted on
02/21/2003 9:41:45 PM PST
by
Destro
("The past isn't dead. In fact, it isn't even past." - William Faulkner)
To: seamole
You can add the Nazi terrorist Hitler to the list also. His passion for killing people was rooted deeply in the fact that he was a muslem.
To: Destro
You might want to add that a number of those ever-colorful "training camps" seen in the videos are still active in northern Albania and that the NLA/KLA (local al-Qaeda affiliates both, they handle the jihad in the Balkans just like their GSPC and GIA counterparts do in Algeria) are still in operation post-9/11 and continue to pump out willing fighters for the cause.
While I believe the Albanian government has signed on to support the US post-9/11, if only on paper, the country is still a major base of operations for the Egyptian Islamic Jihad, which is indistinguishable from the central command of al-Qaeda. It strikes me that after we hit Afghanistan, several hundred to several thousand al-Qaeda fled west through Iran, where they split into three groups.
A third went to Lebanon to work on rebuilding the group's infrastructure and perfecting its WMD capabilities through the assistance of its state sponsors. Another third went north to the Pankisi Gorge in Georgia, and I suspect the recent wave of Chechen attacks (shooting down Russian helicopters, the Moscow bombings and subsequent hostage seige, and the recent bombing in Grozny) is a result of these reinforcements. However, not all of them stayed in Georgia and others traveled to Albania to establish new training camps and directly tie together al-Qaeda and the Saudis' Wahhabi mi$$ionary efforts in Europe. The reports from the UK and the Netherlands of hundreds of Muslim immigrants being taken to attend "summer camps" where they are basically brainwashed is indicative of this. If I had to guess, I would say that al-Qaeda might well attempt a general uprising in Europe (a la Algeria) in several years if we allow them to capitalize on their existing safe havens.
And oh yes, the other third fleeing west headed south to Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Eritrea, and Somalia, where they are no doubt up to all sorts of nasty mischief. While the US and its allies are making good progress in rooting out the terrorists and their state sponsors, this is still quite likely to be a long war, something we all knew from the get-go.
To: Angelus Errare
36
posted on
02/21/2003 10:46:38 PM PST
by
Destro
("The past isn't dead. In fact, it isn't even past." - William Faulkner)
Comment #37 Removed by Moderator
To: seamole; allodialman
The Nazi fascination for Islam (especially Himmler's) probably confused him, but Hitler was never a Muslim.
38
posted on
02/21/2003 10:56:04 PM PST
by
Destro
("The past isn't dead. In fact, it isn't even past." - William Faulkner)
Comment #39 Removed by Moderator
To: Torie
Could you explain the differences and doublestandards the US and Britain have regarding the implementation of UN Resolutions? The US and Britain insist on Iraqs compliance with UN Resolution 1441 and threaten to wage war. At the same time they are actively breaching and preventing implementation of UN Resolution 1244 in the occupied serbian province Kosovo.
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