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)
Yes. The Serbs have zero responsibility for their situation. America is the source of all the world's evil.
Sheesh. I feel like I've been kidnapped and taken to a wine tasting at some Upper West Side apartment.
I agree, and it looks like he isn't the only one on this thread. They're dhimmie's in training.
The sad thing is that no one will believe what’s going on. Hitler said no one would remember or do anything about the Armenian massacre. This is akin to the same thing. A country’s entire history and culture is being wiped out and everyone wonder who will be kicked off American Idol.
in these times we need all the allies to fight radical islam
serbs have been a good ally and a brave one before but instead we want to make muslims happy so we go against our brave allies and reward muslims with their own country
the serbs have had part of their country took from them and some are shocked that some people went on a riot, well if I was a serb I would be demonstrating too.
I wonder what we would do if the serbs sent their army into their own country.
I mean if went in not that we have much to do so but say we did then we would be iinvading a country,
the serbs have every right to do that and I personally think they should, I know I don’t like another country telling our country what to do so why would I want us to tell them and take their land away
Guarantee we will be bombing kosovo in a few years like eagle burger said because of radical islam
Yes, land certificates are saved from war, evry single land lot is registered in land books.
That blood feud is over the muslim invasion of the lands of the ethnic Serbs and has been fought out over the 800+ year period.
I ain't ready for no damned NWO. But it sure looks like we're heading in that direction, doesn't it?
Bosnia was ugly on all sides. However, the truth about what happened in Bosnia is far from what has been publicised in the mainstreem media. For example, where you aware that Srbrenica was used as a base for Nasser Oric who used his Bosniak militia to carry out raids on nearby Serbian villages where he took no prisoners and killed many civilians. He was photographed decapitating captives and his forces engaged in a brutal christmas eve massacre. This was the background which led to the brutal Serbian Reprisal when they captured Srebrenica.
After the report I heard on Fox today, I’m positive many Americans have no clue, especially if they’re going by what’s reported. The only thing they’ll focus on is that our embassy was attacked by a mob and that Serbs were responsible for ethnic cleansing in the 90s.
Exactly. It is so horribly depressing that it is almost unbelievable. This is as if someone were to come to the US and take the 13 original colonies and hand them to Canada at gunpoint. I hope Americans take a hard look at what the Bush and Clinton Administrations have done in the Balkans and push to have our policies there reversed.
Kosovo was a part of Yugoslavia. The Yugoslavian government sent troops into this province to fight the KLA a terrorist group which was attacking Serbian officials and moderate Albanians. It is impossible to invade part of your own country.
Thank God for that. But then that’s not the answer either.
>>YES, MASTER! WHAT EVER YOU SAY. Who are we to doubt the British Crown!<<
Interesting perspective. I am the only one in this “sub-thread” that is NOT trying to armchair coach this thing, yet I am the one being villified for being wrong, wrong, wrong.
But that seems to be the MO of armchair coaches.
With the embassy burned down we do not need to be there anymore.
I agree.
Yes, it is like chess.
There are lots of posssibilities out there which we will probably never know, but there is always the danger of unintended consequences that could come into play.
Imho, it’s almost like this decision was made to intentionally destablize the region and force Russia into a no win situation. But hey, I know nothing about foreign policy.
I don't see Putin doing that. Russia has always used the UN to block US action, but has never used it to approve its own actions.
He would have to get transit rights from a neighboring state to get to Serbia. He has no direct land or sea route to Serbia.
I suspect he would have no qualms about using Albanian airspace to accomplish that objective. I don't think Putin is going to be asking the surrounding countries for permission to fly over their countries. He's just going to do it.
This could get really ugly.
Let me rephrase that. If the land titles are preserved and enforced, Albanians will have almost nowhere in Kosovo to live. That’s the question. Is there anyone to enforce the law in Kosovo? How are churches burned and no one is held accountable?
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