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)
Wow, you really want to start world war III don’t you. How would you feel if Russia recognized a new country in part of Canada bombed Canada when they tried to retake part of their country, built bases in Canada and then told the United States not to do anything about it. What we we are doing in Kosovo is in Russia’s back yard just like it would be in our back yard if they started messing around in Canada. We can’t go aggressively into their backyard and then get upset if they react. Also, we can’t really occupy part of a country and then set up a seperate government on its sovereign territory and then be upset when the citizens of the country we have occupied, bombed, and now split up hate our guts.
Well the problem is that the Albanian lobby in the US did a darn good job in 1997-9. You can’t just ‘try harder to win support’ when you were bombed only a few years ago. The other side that was bombing you needs to be receptive. Recognizing seccession is saying ‘our position from when we bombed you is unchanged today’.
Well - can’t give up on the birthplace of your nation, what do you do ? Go to the next big player with a stake in the game. And - Russians have far more at stake here than the EU or US. That makes for motivated players. The Embassy thing is just buncha pissed off drunk guys getting out hand. When the other set of pissed off vodka drinking drunk guys get out of hand it’ll be something more valuable that’ll be burned.
The guy in charge of it was once listed as a terrorist by us. Hacim et all run heroin and prostitution as well as the best of them.
Kosovo is a failed state and will remain one under the current leadership. Why our leaders would have close ties with the likes of the scum running Kosovo today is something I probably don't even want to know.
Serbia will not be rolling tanks. Their government has already apologized for the shameful violence against the U.S. embassy, the event that became the topic of this discussion.
I don’t think diplomatic relations equal close ties, but simply give us some leverage in their affairs.
O man that’s a rather uninformed statement.
Lesseee here. Afghanistan, 80s ? Chechnya, going on right now ? Islamists murdering Russian school children ? Bombings in Moscow theaters ? Subways ? The reason why Russians have such a stake in the game is because this only emboldens other islamist groups to try to carve out their chunks of Russian territory. Just as Chinese have ton of theirs.
Russians play the ME game for their own purposes. Certainly not to enable Islamists that are coming after them as well as us.
Right, and, if the government falls and a new one comes to power on the wave of public anger ?
Never the less, I don’t believe that will happen. But things are quite fluid.
If NATO is in place to enforce German dreams and punish Germany's old enemies, let it go.
Don't worry, they'll drop a dime next time they get in trouble.
Yep, Congratulations to Kosovo, now run by a snake mafia leader. Ought to be one heck of a great addition to Europe.
Well, do they hate islamists as much as they hate Jews?
Do they not have full diplomatic ties and business dealings with Iran?
Yep, maybe I am uninformed, please inform me.
The United States has made itself Serbia’s enemy for the last decade. Russia has been its only friend on an international level. Sure, they would be better off to be our friend but we have chosen to ally with their Albanian enemies. We are forcibly taking the spiritual and historical heart of their country and giving it to the Albanians so of course they are going to ally with the Russians (who have been their allies for the last several hundred years) rather than with us.
Ah you can think what you like. I was quoting Condi Rice when I used the words "close ties". She herself made that statement just the other day.
That is the most intelligent post you've made so far.
Oh look, I have my own personal lurker, P-Marlowe.
That's a tough question. Consider what would happen if in 50 years or so Texas, New Mexico, or Arizona were 90% Mexican nationals, and the population there decided to declare independence. Would the United States "be better incorporating" those states? Bear in mind that, until this declaration, Kosovo was just as much part of Serbia (more so, in fact) as Arizona is part of the United States.
Isn’t rioting and burning the U.S. embassy like shooting yourself in the foot when you should be making smart moves against your real enemy, the Albanian terrorists?
Obviously. Unfortunately, when people feel powerless they act irrationally. They can't really act against the terrorists, since NATO forces (including, sadly, US forces) are protecting those terrorists.
Shouldn’t Serbia be trying harder to win the support of the U.S. and other free world allies? Allegedly, they have instead tied themselves to Russia. How wise is this?
Not very, but they don't really have any choice. The US state department tends to be dominated by pro-arab and pro-muslim career bureaucrats. Serbia doesn't stand much of a chance of getting any fair treatment from them regardless of how "pro-american" they act. Russia is a poor second choice (and let us hope for the sake of peace that they fail to act), but it is the only ally the Serbian people have with any significant power who might occasionally act in their interests.
I believe that Tito, a Croat, actually started the trend of moving non-serbs into kosovo as a means of managing the majority ethnic group in Yugoslavia.
Need to look at demographics over a period of about 100 years to see the shift.
“In short, ain’t gonna happen. Even Russia and Putin aren’t THAT stupid.”
Famous last words. And, could be exactly what’s going on. Russians have a fundamental national issue at stake, while EU and US don’t and don’t believe Russiand do either. However, it *is* perceived by Russians as another arrogant backslap by the West, and, they can’t afford to look weak this time. It’s misjudgemnts of other players commitment/stakes in the game that the crises are born.
Tho, I’ll agree with you. There won’t be a WWIII. It’ll just mean EU and or US is seriously embarassed somewhere else. And we really don’t need that either considering the Jihadists just look for weakness.
ROFL!!! I love you.
“Well, do they hate islamists as much as they hate Jews?”
Huh ? Since when Russians ‘hate’ the Jews ? There’s a TON of Russian Jewry in Russia and Israel.
“Do they not have full diplomatic ties and business dealings with Iran?”
Yea, as well as a host of other European nations. Hello. The US contacts with Iran are handled through the British embassy in Tehran.
Do you feel informed ?
Lay you bets that this newbie is either an Albanian or some kind of Muslim who just wants to use the US as "their Air Force"!
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