Posted on 03/27/2014 6:24:46 PM PDT by Ravnagora
President Barack Obama on Wednesday sought to debunk criticism that America has acted hypocritically in condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine, dismissing any comparison to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, MSNBC reported.
The president also argued that the comparison between Crimea and Kosovo makes no sense.
“Russian leaders have further claimed Kosovo as a precedent, an example, they say of the West interfering in the affairs of a smaller country … But NATO only intervened after the people of Kosovo were systematically brutalized and killed for years.”
“And Kosovo only left Serbia after a referendum was organized not outside the boundaries of international law, but in careful cooperation with the United Nations with Kosovo’s neighbors,” Obama added. “None of that even came close to happening in Crimea,” MSNBC reported.
Office for Kosovo and Metohija recalled in tonight’s statement that a referendum on the subject of independence was not conducted on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, as well as that Albanians, Serbs or any other ethnic group that lives in Kosovo and Metohija did not participate in it, TANJUG reported.
The office points out in its statement that the unilateral independence of Kosovo and Metohija was proclaimed on February 17 2008 at the meeting of the so-called Kosovo Assembly, “which was not preceeded by any referendum of the citizens of Kosovo and Metohija, whether on a part or on the whole territory of Kosovo and Metohija”.
“The Office for Kosovo and Metohija, without intent to engage in the debate of great powers of the nature of the international law, wants to eliminate the confusion caused by certain statements about Kosovo and Metohija, in the context of the Crimea. The statement that could have been heard at the EU-US summit in Brussels ‘Kosovo has left Serbia after a referendum was organized which was not outside international law, but with careful collaboration with the United Nations and Kosovo’s neighbbours’, in our opinion, is unintended mistake or a consequence of error in the translation,” says the statement.
It also says that the UN, OEBS, “or any other international organization did not participate in the declaration of independence, niether with advice or confirmation”.
Earlier, Serbian historian Nebojsa Malic told RT that it could be the case that Obama’s speechwriter just “mistook the non-existent referendum in Kosovo with the referendum in Montenegro that took place in 2006.”
“If that is the referendum they were referring to, first of all, it is just baffling that they can’t tell apart Kosovo and Montenegro. Secondly, that is not exactly a paragon of democracy in international laws either,” Malic said.
“I am really not sure what sort of point they were trying to make, but you can’t just make up your own facts to boost your own argument. That is ridiculous,” he concluded.
There was one independence referendum in Kosovo in 1991. Its results were recognized by just one UN member, Albania.
*****
How were you brainwashed? HS Social Studies?
Serbs to Obama, “You Lie!”
Don’t forget that McCain was the biggest cheerleader for bombing Serbia.
More important than ANYTHING else, Clinton (Hillary!) NEEDED Bosnia/Kosovo/Serbian (ex-Nazi-white-evil-bad-guys-Christians!) immediatey after the impeachment was over to flush the news cycle with “we are good guys” propaganda.
The Sebian/Kosovo bombing was never about doing anything good or valid. Nor “justice” or “peace” or “right”. ANd not even about fixing problems that have festered in wounds created in 700 AD.
ALWAYS was bout Clinton’s propaganda and publicity.
“As far as being a “Serb apologist,” so be it. They have a case.”
The only case the Serbs made were viewed by satellites, showing Serbs slaughtering thousands in mass executions and mass burial sites.
If they wish to imagine themselves the great Christian saviors of Europe, they must act like Christians, not the savages they claim to wish to eradicate by Nazi Holocaust methods.
“How were you brainwashed? HS Social Studies?”
Says the idiot spewing RT BS all over FR. Take your Russian/Serb sensibilities and shove them.
Absolutely agree. Might we also not require the same from the Bosnians, and especially the Albanians?
There are no angels in the Balkans. The United States taking one side or the other does not change that side into angels.
Imagine this scenario: illegal and quite legal aliens become the dominant demographic in a sovereign state. After a period of autonomy, and then independence supported by foreign powers, they wish, vote, or fight to annex that state to their own neighboring country, dominating, confiscating the property, exiling, or worse all those not of their particular demographic.
Texas/Mexico? Kosovo/Albania>
“Might we also not require the same from the Bosnians, and especially the Albanians?”
Absolutely. But, let’s not equivocate the mass murder of thousands by decree of Serbian government officials with acts by non-sanctioned individuals.
“Imagine this scenario: illegal and quite legal aliens become the dominant demographic in a sovereign state. After a period of autonomy, and then independence supported by foreign powers, they wish, vote, or fight to annex that state to their own neighboring country, dominating, confiscating the property, exiling, or worse all those not of their particular demographic.”
And this is exactly what the Russians have done over time in Ukraine. They shipped off thousands to Siberia during Soviet era purges. The then sent many more thousands to replace these inhabitants from Russia proper.
Now, they wish to hold “elections”, which are entirely illegal according to the Ukraine constitution, inside of Ukraine. Using the “replacements” of Russian extraction to give the ignorant-to-history crowd of useful idiots, cheap, though invalid reasoning to declare Crimea...desiring to be part of Russia.
There is a lot more rationalization available for a Russian Crimea than there is for an Albanian Kosovo ... or a Mexican Texas. Yes, the Russians, first under the Czars and then the Communists, continually removed the Tartars to resettle more Russians in The Crimea. But our own history has the Cherokee Removal in its pages, which oddly parallels the Russian treatment of the Tartars.
You are absolutely correct about the rest of the Ukraine, and for that matter the Baltic Republics. To top it off, The Russians also partitioned Poland with the NAZIs, and permanently seized Karelia from the Finns, Finland also being a former possession of the hegemonic Czars.
At the risk of echoing Pat Buchanan, what does this lugubrious history have to do with the United States? More important, what ought we to do for those in these contested lands on the edge of Europe to insure "fairness" for their inhabitants? Does this give the Russians the moral right to redress the grievances of the Cherokee? Does it give the Mexicans the right to reclaim Aztlan, that vast area which was home to a few thousand Mexicans of European descent, and is now home to many millions of Mexican mestizos who have arrived in the last 70 years?
“There is a lot more rationalization available for a Russian Crimea”
Please explain this rationalization for Russia to simply annex Crimea from a sovereign country. I really want to hear this.
Do you agree with this? Do you support this?
Perhaps it was wrong to include Eastern Poland in the USSR and then Russia, as it was probably a mistake to annex German territory to Western Poland. However:
Perhaps it was wrong to allow the Soviet Union and then Russia to keep Karelia.
Perhaps it was wrong of the Soviets to flood Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia with Russian emigrants.
It was definitely wrong for Bosnian militias to drop artillery on their own area and blame it on Serbian Militias. It was definitely wrong for Serbians to torture and murder Bosnians.
It was definitely wrong for President Jackson to ignore the Supreme Court and exile thousands of Cherokees to Oklahoma.
Perhaps it was wrong for the Allies to give The Tyrol to Italy and in the next war to give Istria to Yugoslavia.
You may vote to spend American Blood and American Treasure to 'right any wrong' you espy in any of the above. Simply gather support and get a Declaration of War from Congress.
I'll do the opposite and perhaps the more righteous protagonist shall emerge vindicated.
All of your arguments are.....”...but this was also wrong, and this was also wrong...”
That is really no argument at all.
“You may vote to spend American Blood and American Treasure to ‘right any wrong’”
A weak straw man argument. I have never said anything about sending troops to any part of Ukraine...and further, nobody in our government has.
Now, if a NATO country is attacked, by treating we will help defend said NATO country.
...by Treaty...rather
blah blah blah....... nothing happens
Possession trumps words and claims of international law.
What seems to be is not what is
The posturing is to later claim Putin was stopped.
Meanwhile, he keeps Crimea which was his goal all along.
End result...... win win
So I take it then you were against the war against Serbia?
I have no sympathy for the Serbs due to talking to family members who saw the satellite imagery of the atrocities.
But you are correct, I did not support a war against the Serbs.
And are you against the annexation of Crimea by the Russians ?
Yes I am.
I do think that the eventual solution will be a Federation of the Ukraine within the Russian sphere of military and economic influence. The US and NATO, especially this administration, do not really impress me as contesting this.
The Russians are passed masters at drawing artificial borders, as they did in Khazakstan, so that included ethnic groups (e.g. in that case, The Armenians) will have a perpetual grievance against the central government, making it easier for Russia to control both.
OTOH, I am not impressed with the official government of the Ukraine, IMNVHO, their corruption and inefficiency has had quite as much to do with this mess as the Russians who capitalized on it.
this “satellite photo” business is often repeated. Noone has ever shown any satellite photos of the kind you describe. Madelein Albright stood at a screen after “Srebrenica” saying that satellites showed this and that. Satellites showed nothing. And if your relatives saw and interpreted them that’s one thing but the camera did not show any such thing as a massacre or atrocities. If so, show the satellite photos that are so clear that Albright could see who did what. Unfortunately, there is nobody in this discussion who has the supporting material to challenge this.
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