Russia and U.S. at odds over Kosovo

The poor American political classes. How they must dream of the good old days when you could just call up Yeltsin (probably drunk as a skunk) and get him to agree to anything, including...

...saving the West's and NATO's bacon in 1999.

If Russia had not withdrawn its support for Serbia (what did they promise/threaten Yeltsin?), then NATO would have come apart or even have been forced to send in ground troops (which guaranteed 'casualties', something which they weren't willing to do even though they were claiming that they wanted to stop 'genocide' happening. The strategy did not match the propaganda...

gooooood moooooooooorning Dardania...

or ...are you still dreaming?



when you wake up, don´t read the newspapers...
bad news for you!

just another country is against kosovo-albanian independence, namely Poland.

remember...Ahtissarisaid that his final word is depending on what the EU says...

To everybody,

Could one of you explain what Russians are looking for? I just don't get it - a solution that will be accepted by both parts? well I think Putin is drunk as a skunk because there's no solution accepted by Kosovars that will suit Belgrade, so:

1. If Russia uses its veto, thats fine but = another conflict on Balkans

2. Serbia has no vision or given any vision to Albanians in Kosova as how would they integrate 2 mil Albanians if Kosova remains part of Serbia.

All included, I would highly recommend my dear Serbian friends, that you are the one who started the mess and you are the one who should apologize and not talk rubbish.

Please, more constructive comments, give us something that your country, Serbia, believes that nothing will ever happen again to Albanians (there's no guarantee for that) and we will have a bright future. But, Jovan you keep dreaming because Serbia, Kostunica had nothing to offer but another mystical rhetorical offer.

to genc:

I am honestly sorry for you if you really fear serbian oppression in the future.

the whole region is gonna be part of the EU, in Belgrade there is a democratically elected government but all you, I mean the albanian commentators here, are capable of, is spreading myths and allegations.
wake up guy!
there is also no guarantee that there is not going to fall an asteroid on KiM and crush you ...

you live in an illusion. by discrediting others, you won´t be respected, you should learn that for your personal future!

my last comment was meant ironically ( you certainly have not seen "good morning vietnam" ) ...

after a veto in the SC you will still have the possibility to create a greater Albania in "second life" something I would recommend to all you daydreamers.

there is no consensus in the SC, in europe more and more countries are saying NO to your phantasies and you still call me and others who argue with the law, and on the basis of facts, rapists and terorist?
you must be kidding!

let´s see what the next weeks and months will bring.
I am confident, but I do not have to cheer only because of a proposal although nothing is sure at the moment, in order to convince myself that everything will be fine...

think it over!

yeah, I share that view.

it´s quite obvious that Albanians insulting Serbs is tolerated, ( just read the comments of the albanian commentators here, and you know what I am talking about )

on the other side, calling them daydreamers, phantasts, and so on, seems to be such a heavy insult, that certain passages are simply being deleted before appearing on the site... not really a sign of freedom of thought, speech and so on..

probably that´s the reason why those Albanians are spreading their propaganda here...because they are allowed to do so...

Dear genc,

"1. If Russia uses its veto, thats fine but = another conflict on Balkans "

Do I take this to mean that the kosovo albanians will start another terrorist campaign/war? Why don't you say so CLEARLY, rather than alluding to a war 'just happening'. Are you afraid of saying this as it might cast your comments in a negative light???

Further to point 1. the EU will accept no state into the EU as long as there are territorial disputes. This means that if the kosovo albanians start a war, the EU won't adopt them and feed them milk and honey. Is this so hard to understand? EU recognition has to be unanimous. Figure that one out.

The threat of war is so one dimensional and so totally useless as a response to not getting what you want. It speaks little of democracy, negotiation nor diplomacy. Have you heard the story of the Boy who Cried 'Wolf'?

Do you honestly think that the EU and the US will back the Kosovo Albanians as unreservedly as they did in 1999? The old propaganda won't work any more. The romanticism about Kosovo Albanians has long gone. Go ask EUROPOL/INTERPOL and the FBI (in fact, you can read it in their reports on the web).

2. Serbia doesn't expect to 'integrate' 2 million kosovo albanians because they recognize that they don't want to integrate (they never really did). That's realpolitik, not delusion. They do offer self-rule, but not an army, a seat on the UN etc. or anything that undermines Serbian sovereignty. What is so difficult to understand about that?

P.S. The Serbs will never forget which side the Kosovo Albanians sided during that little known conflict of no consequence from 1939 to 1945. Funny how some history is relevant for one side, but not the other.

P.P.S. Gospodin Delvinskiy,

There's no point asking B92 such things. Follow the money/money ment (same too with the ICG (board & senior advisors stuffed with 'former' politicians), BIRN etc.), not to mention a regular space given over to the American ambassador to Belgrade and well known kitchen sink historians who have a notable & simplistic and anti-serb bias, i.e. Serbs guilty, need to be 'de-nazified' and beg for forgivness as Willy Brandt did at the Warsaw Ghetto. But enough of fantasy.

Think of it (B92) only as a space to put forward clear, logical and well argued views of the other side which have been almost totally neglected/ignored as it did not conform to the black/white views. There are many things that we do not like seeing, but if such places are popular with the wider public, then it is your duty to inform them of the other points of views in an acceptable manner. If a site such as B92 totally bans comments by one side, then it becomes little more than a pure propaganda outlet and looses its purpose. B92 wishes to 'educate', I do too, so that the outside world gets proper and clear explinations that have not been manipulated by others, i.e. the anti-serbs explaining what the serbs think/mean or claiming to speak in their name.

I also had to laugh at one of the 'journalists' here who called Serbia a 'fascist state' in her blog (where in a photo she slouches on a comfortable sofa), and especially someone with such a revealing name (I know someone of the same name too!). Funny how one has the 'freedom of speech' in a fascist state, especially one that is still the most ethnically diverse and multi-cultural out of all the fomer SFRY states! Oh, how I laughed...

Viva the internet and the Blog!

The game of realpolitic is being played.The US and the EU are debating whether 145m Russians in Europe and 11m Serbs are more important than 6m Albanians.Russia is the the second richest country in Europe(second only to Germany)with the highest population and the most land(6.6m sq.mi) and the most powerful military(10k nuclear warheads).Nobody is going to stare down Vladimir Putin.This is the reality.An armed uprising by ANY side is going to be crushed in the Balkans.I think NATO is in no mood for nonsense.Borders and symbols are a thing of the past-everybody please focus on the future.

And there goes Serbias main ally:

In an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Lavrov criticized Western powers for pursuing a line of action that puts their own interests above all else, but insisted Russia has no intention of using its veto power on the U.N. Security Council to block the province's de-facto

Alex,

no, it won't startanother war, with NATO sitting in Kosovo. Wars are over. Kosovo will be recognized by every single state, the North will not be allowed to seccede, have no doubt about it, and things will take their course. It is not to be preferred, but that will be the course of events, if Russia vetoes.
The EU has agreed over Kosovo, the problem is Russia.
Let me remind you that Milosevic thought to split NATO by opposing to it, or to put Russia against NATO. You know the story. Now Kostunica is trying exactly the same tactics. Just interesting, how blind some people can be!

If Serbia doesn't expect to reintegrate 2 milions of Albanians, what does it need Kosovo for? does it need it empty? What kind of logic is this? Not of a normal democratically legittimated state. According to Serbia's proposal, Albanians wouldn't be allowed to settle elsewhere in Serbia. Can you name a country that works like that?

Under General Nedić, Belgrade was declared to be Judenfrei in 1942. 19:32)

For ever 1 Nazi killed by either the Partisans or the remnants of the Royal Yugoslav Government, 20 Serbian civilians were hung. It was increased to 100.

General Nedic, a highly decorated soldier in the Royal Yugoslav monarchy chose to negotiate with the Germans in order to save the Serbian civilians in fear of the Germans installing the Nazi Puppet regime of Ante Pavelic who started the Genocide of Serbian Civilians. Nedic in a difficult position in fact saved many Jews and Serbs from certain death, other's he could not.

The agreement of the Nedic government with the Nazi occupiers allowed full rule of the quisling government, but Serbian soldiers and police would be under control of the Serbian Quisling Government.

Unlike the following:

Croatia had divisions which were fighting in Stalingrad.

Romania contributed divisions to the Germans.

The Hanzar Division was donated by the Bosnian Muslims.

Finally, the Skanderberg SS division was donated by the Kosovar Albanians.


His fate was sealed when Rankovic (who is a Communist not a fascist) threw him off a ten story building without a fair trial.

The only crime Nedic was guilty of was saving countless Serbian civlians from death.

How do I know the story? My grandfather was a diplomat for the Royal Yugoslav Government and personally not only knew Nedic, but Marshal Petain of France, Marchal Fosch of France and the greatest Serbian politician, Nikola Pasic.

"To everybody,

Could one of you explain what Russians are looking for? I just don't get it - a solution that will be accepted by both parts? well I think Putin is drunk as a skunk because there's no solution accepted by Kosovars that will suit Belgrade, so:

1. If Russia uses its veto, thats fine but = another conflict on Balkans "

(Genc, 3 February 2007, 16:22)"

Genc

Its simple. Yes, Russian veto may be followed by conflict as you wrote. Who bears the consequences of the conflict? Not Russia which has no troops in Kosovo. It is Nato that will have to bear the brunt of Albanian and Serb fury. Nato will become bogged down even further -- remember the big hole they have already dug for themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan? Nato will sink even further and I this suits Mosocw just fine. You get the picture now?

Jovan

"the whole region is gonna be part of the EU, in Belgrade there is a democratically elected government,"

In the last elecation the most votes were won by Radicals whose leader is in Hague for commiting war crimes against albanians in Kosovo. We are all aware of the policies of the Radicals towards albanians. And Koshutnica is no better.

How can you expect albanians to want to remain within serbia?

Even you most know that what you are asking is impossible.

@genc

The EU has NOT 'agreed'. This is your opinion (or if you can provide a link that supports this, please do). Spain does not support recognition, neither does Slovakia nor Poland (there are probably others but I haven't checked).

If it wasn't for Yeltsin pulling support for Serbia, the story would be different (still, Putin is a spook and I wouldn't trust him). If Kosovo was so important, why didn't NATO send ground troops? It's extremely well documented that NATO almost collapsed due to arguments about what to do.

The logic is, and please pay attention, northern kosovo goes to serbia (serbs included (batteries probably not)), and southern kosovo get's its 'independence' to do with what it wishes. Do the Albanians want the Serbs? I think it's fair to say the answer is 'no' and their promises are meaningless (march 2004 etc. etc. etc.).

Now why would albanians want to settle further north into Serbia? It's already been posted numerous times that the albanians will 'never again' live under the serbs, so why would they accept being a 'minority' again???

Aleks,

the EU has agreed over Ahtisaari's plan (officially) and firmly support it (even Greece!). (Don't confuse it with the independence, which is its logical outcome, since there is no partition of Kosovo or reintegration into Serbia). Today they're in Moscow, bargaining with Putin. The whole question will be settled very soon. The Russian stance gets more and more similar to a typical bargaining. remeber, it's about Ahtisaari's plan (UN plan), not independence!

Many K-Albanians may not like the Serbs, but they WILL have to live with them, there is no alternative to it. The same applies to K-Serbs.

Why would Albanians settle further north to Serbia? If they are supposed, in the Serbian Constitution, to be Serbian citizens, it's their right to settle wherever in their (supposed) country. Do admit it in theory and pass the ball to them. But Kostunica's plan was so miserably short-sighted, proposing a kind of apartheid-like state, with an Albanian reserve in Serbia. Where did he think he is living?

genc,

They are not 'the EU'. They are EU bureaucrats:

"The EU delegation includes Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the foreign minister of Germany, which currently holds the EU’s rotating chairmanship."

What on earth can the EU offer Russia to make them agree with the plan?

As has already been stated several times here and elsewhere, quite a few member states do not agree with the plan or 'independence'.

Treating the EU as a monolithic, unanimous political movement just shows a serious lack of understanding about how it functions.

The Albanians themselves voted for independence a long time ago, ergo they reject their citizenship and all that is entailed. Now you are saying that they should be afforded rights as serbian citizens. That's just messed up. Either they are citizens or they are not.

Alex,
I'n not here to tell you what is EU, and what part do play the bureaucrats in it. I assume you know how the world runs today (read yesterday's statement of Lavrov: We've never threatened to veto, they S+K should try to made it between them). If you don't want to understand, it's not my problem.

As for the citizenship: you are confirming me that Serbia wants only the land, not its inhabitants. And, as you can can easily understand, such an approach is absolutely out of question for every mentally sane person, regardless its nationality (which lets me draw some conclusions about those who figured it out).

Lavrov is a politician and diplomat. They rarely give unequivocal statement. You can take his words to mean whatever you want. There's bargaining ahead.

& don't put your words in my mouth. How can Serbia 'want' the land that it owns? The Serbs there have the right to live without being intimidated and discriminated against.

It is up to the Kosovo albanian leadership has to prove that it is worth of joining the EU. That means action, not just words, especially when it comes to the saftey of Kosovo's minorities. Serbia knows this too.

The poor American political classes. How they must dream of the good old days when you could just call up Yeltsin (probably drunk as a skunk) and get him to agree to anything, including...

...saving the West's and NATO's bacon in 1999.

If Russia had not withdrawn its support for Serbia (what did they promise/threaten Yeltsin?), then NATO would have come apart or even have been forced to send in ground troops (which guaranteed 'casualties', something which they weren't willing to do even though they were claiming that they wanted to stop 'genocide' happening. The strategy did not match the propaganda...

gooooood moooooooooorning Dardania...

or ...are you still dreaming?



when you wake up, don´t read the newspapers...
bad news for you!

just another country is against kosovo-albanian independence, namely Poland.

remember...Ahtissarisaid that his final word is depending on what the EU says...

To everybody,

Could one of you explain what Russians are looking for? I just don't get it - a solution that will be accepted by both parts? well I think Putin is drunk as a skunk because there's no solution accepted by Kosovars that will suit Belgrade, so:

1. If Russia uses its veto, thats fine but = another conflict on Balkans

2. Serbia has no vision or given any vision to Albanians in Kosova as how would they integrate 2 mil Albanians if Kosova remains part of Serbia.

All included, I would highly recommend my dear Serbian friends, that you are the one who started the mess and you are the one who should apologize and not talk rubbish.

Please, more constructive comments, give us something that your country, Serbia, believes that nothing will ever happen again to Albanians (there's no guarantee for that) and we will have a bright future. But, Jovan you keep dreaming because Serbia, Kostunica had nothing to offer but another mystical rhetorical offer.

to genc:

I am honestly sorry for you if you really fear serbian oppression in the future.

the whole region is gonna be part of the EU, in Belgrade there is a democratically elected government but all you, I mean the albanian commentators here, are capable of, is spreading myths and allegations.
wake up guy!
there is also no guarantee that there is not going to fall an asteroid on KiM and crush you ...

you live in an illusion. by discrediting others, you won´t be respected, you should learn that for your personal future!

my last comment was meant ironically ( you certainly have not seen "good morning vietnam" ) ...

after a veto in the SC you will still have the possibility to create a greater Albania in "second life" something I would recommend to all you daydreamers.

there is no consensus in the SC, in europe more and more countries are saying NO to your phantasies and you still call me and others who argue with the law, and on the basis of facts, rapists and terorist?
you must be kidding!

let´s see what the next weeks and months will bring.
I am confident, but I do not have to cheer only because of a proposal although nothing is sure at the moment, in order to convince myself that everything will be fine...

think it over!

yeah, I share that view.

it´s quite obvious that Albanians insulting Serbs is tolerated, ( just read the comments of the albanian commentators here, and you know what I am talking about )

on the other side, calling them daydreamers, phantasts, and so on, seems to be such a heavy insult, that certain passages are simply being deleted before appearing on the site... not really a sign of freedom of thought, speech and so on..

probably that´s the reason why those Albanians are spreading their propaganda here...because they are allowed to do so...

Dear genc,

"1. If Russia uses its veto, thats fine but = another conflict on Balkans "

Do I take this to mean that the kosovo albanians will start another terrorist campaign/war? Why don't you say so CLEARLY, rather than alluding to a war 'just happening'. Are you afraid of saying this as it might cast your comments in a negative light???

Further to point 1. the EU will accept no state into the EU as long as there are territorial disputes. This means that if the kosovo albanians start a war, the EU won't adopt them and feed them milk and honey. Is this so hard to understand? EU recognition has to be unanimous. Figure that one out.

The threat of war is so one dimensional and so totally useless as a response to not getting what you want. It speaks little of democracy, negotiation nor diplomacy. Have you heard the story of the Boy who Cried 'Wolf'?

Do you honestly think that the EU and the US will back the Kosovo Albanians as unreservedly as they did in 1999? The old propaganda won't work any more. The romanticism about Kosovo Albanians has long gone. Go ask EUROPOL/INTERPOL and the FBI (in fact, you can read it in their reports on the web).

2. Serbia doesn't expect to 'integrate' 2 million kosovo albanians because they recognize that they don't want to integrate (they never really did). That's realpolitik, not delusion. They do offer self-rule, but not an army, a seat on the UN etc. or anything that undermines Serbian sovereignty. What is so difficult to understand about that?

P.S. The Serbs will never forget which side the Kosovo Albanians sided during that little known conflict of no consequence from 1939 to 1945. Funny how some history is relevant for one side, but not the other.

P.P.S. Gospodin Delvinskiy,

There's no point asking B92 such things. Follow the money/money ment (same too with the ICG (board & senior advisors stuffed with 'former' politicians), BIRN etc.), not to mention a regular space given over to the American ambassador to Belgrade and well known kitchen sink historians who have a notable & simplistic and anti-serb bias, i.e. Serbs guilty, need to be 'de-nazified' and beg for forgivness as Willy Brandt did at the Warsaw Ghetto. But enough of fantasy.

Think of it (B92) only as a space to put forward clear, logical and well argued views of the other side which have been almost totally neglected/ignored as it did not conform to the black/white views. There are many things that we do not like seeing, but if such places are popular with the wider public, then it is your duty to inform them of the other points of views in an acceptable manner. If a site such as B92 totally bans comments by one side, then it becomes little more than a pure propaganda outlet and looses its purpose. B92 wishes to 'educate', I do too, so that the outside world gets proper and clear explinations that have not been manipulated by others, i.e. the anti-serbs explaining what the serbs think/mean or claiming to speak in their name.

I also had to laugh at one of the 'journalists' here who called Serbia a 'fascist state' in her blog (where in a photo she slouches on a comfortable sofa), and especially someone with such a revealing name (I know someone of the same name too!). Funny how one has the 'freedom of speech' in a fascist state, especially one that is still the most ethnically diverse and multi-cultural out of all the fomer SFRY states! Oh, how I laughed...

Viva the internet and the Blog!

The game of realpolitic is being played.The US and the EU are debating whether 145m Russians in Europe and 11m Serbs are more important than 6m Albanians.Russia is the the second richest country in Europe(second only to Germany)with the highest population and the most land(6.6m sq.mi) and the most powerful military(10k nuclear warheads).Nobody is going to stare down Vladimir Putin.This is the reality.An armed uprising by ANY side is going to be crushed in the Balkans.I think NATO is in no mood for nonsense.Borders and symbols are a thing of the past-everybody please focus on the future.

And there goes Serbias main ally:

In an interview with German magazine Der Spiegel released on Saturday, Lavrov criticized Western powers for pursuing a line of action that puts their own interests above all else, but insisted Russia has no intention of using its veto power on the U.N. Security Council to block the province's de-facto

Alex,

no, it won't startanother war, with NATO sitting in Kosovo. Wars are over. Kosovo will be recognized by every single state, the North will not be allowed to seccede, have no doubt about it, and things will take their course. It is not to be preferred, but that will be the course of events, if Russia vetoes.
The EU has agreed over Kosovo, the problem is Russia.
Let me remind you that Milosevic thought to split NATO by opposing to it, or to put Russia against NATO. You know the story. Now Kostunica is trying exactly the same tactics. Just interesting, how blind some people can be!

If Serbia doesn't expect to reintegrate 2 milions of Albanians, what does it need Kosovo for? does it need it empty? What kind of logic is this? Not of a normal democratically legittimated state. According to Serbia's proposal, Albanians wouldn't be allowed to settle elsewhere in Serbia. Can you name a country that works like that?

Under General Nedić, Belgrade was declared to be Judenfrei in 1942. 19:32)

For ever 1 Nazi killed by either the Partisans or the remnants of the Royal Yugoslav Government, 20 Serbian civilians were hung. It was increased to 100.

General Nedic, a highly decorated soldier in the Royal Yugoslav monarchy chose to negotiate with the Germans in order to save the Serbian civilians in fear of the Germans installing the Nazi Puppet regime of Ante Pavelic who started the Genocide of Serbian Civilians. Nedic in a difficult position in fact saved many Jews and Serbs from certain death, other's he could not.

The agreement of the Nedic government with the Nazi occupiers allowed full rule of the quisling government, but Serbian soldiers and police would be under control of the Serbian Quisling Government.

Unlike the following:

Croatia had divisions which were fighting in Stalingrad.

Romania contributed divisions to the Germans.

The Hanzar Division was donated by the Bosnian Muslims.

Finally, the Skanderberg SS division was donated by the Kosovar Albanians.


His fate was sealed when Rankovic (who is a Communist not a fascist) threw him off a ten story building without a fair trial.

The only crime Nedic was guilty of was saving countless Serbian civlians from death.

How do I know the story? My grandfather was a diplomat for the Royal Yugoslav Government and personally not only knew Nedic, but Marshal Petain of France, Marchal Fosch of France and the greatest Serbian politician, Nikola Pasic.

"To everybody,

Could one of you explain what Russians are looking for? I just don't get it - a solution that will be accepted by both parts? well I think Putin is drunk as a skunk because there's no solution accepted by Kosovars that will suit Belgrade, so:

1. If Russia uses its veto, thats fine but = another conflict on Balkans "

(Genc, 3 February 2007, 16:22)"

Genc

Its simple. Yes, Russian veto may be followed by conflict as you wrote. Who bears the consequences of the conflict? Not Russia which has no troops in Kosovo. It is Nato that will have to bear the brunt of Albanian and Serb fury. Nato will become bogged down even further -- remember the big hole they have already dug for themselves in Iraq and Afghanistan? Nato will sink even further and I this suits Mosocw just fine. You get the picture now?

Jovan

"the whole region is gonna be part of the EU, in Belgrade there is a democratically elected government,"

In the last elecation the most votes were won by Radicals whose leader is in Hague for commiting war crimes against albanians in Kosovo. We are all aware of the policies of the Radicals towards albanians. And Koshutnica is no better.

How can you expect albanians to want to remain within serbia?

Even you most know that what you are asking is impossible.

@genc

The EU has NOT 'agreed'. This is your opinion (or if you can provide a link that supports this, please do). Spain does not support recognition, neither does Slovakia nor Poland (there are probably others but I haven't checked).

If it wasn't for Yeltsin pulling support for Serbia, the story would be different (still, Putin is a spook and I wouldn't trust him). If Kosovo was so important, why didn't NATO send ground troops? It's extremely well documented that NATO almost collapsed due to arguments about what to do.

The logic is, and please pay attention, northern kosovo goes to serbia (serbs included (batteries probably not)), and southern kosovo get's its 'independence' to do with what it wishes. Do the Albanians want the Serbs? I think it's fair to say the answer is 'no' and their promises are meaningless (march 2004 etc. etc. etc.).

Now why would albanians want to settle further north into Serbia? It's already been posted numerous times that the albanians will 'never again' live under the serbs, so why would they accept being a 'minority' again???

Aleks,

the EU has agreed over Ahtisaari's plan (officially) and firmly support it (even Greece!). (Don't confuse it with the independence, which is its logical outcome, since there is no partition of Kosovo or reintegration into Serbia). Today they're in Moscow, bargaining with Putin. The whole question will be settled very soon. The Russian stance gets more and more similar to a typical bargaining. remeber, it's about Ahtisaari's plan (UN plan), not independence!

Many K-Albanians may not like the Serbs, but they WILL have to live with them, there is no alternative to it. The same applies to K-Serbs.

Why would Albanians settle further north to Serbia? If they are supposed, in the Serbian Constitution, to be Serbian citizens, it's their right to settle wherever in their (supposed) country. Do admit it in theory and pass the ball to them. But Kostunica's plan was so miserably short-sighted, proposing a kind of apartheid-like state, with an Albanian reserve in Serbia. Where did he think he is living?

genc,

They are not 'the EU'. They are EU bureaucrats:

"The EU delegation includes Commissioner for External Relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner, foreign policy chief Javier Solana and Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the foreign minister of Germany, which currently holds the EU’s rotating chairmanship."

What on earth can the EU offer Russia to make them agree with the plan?

As has already been stated several times here and elsewhere, quite a few member states do not agree with the plan or 'independence'.

Treating the EU as a monolithic, unanimous political movement just shows a serious lack of understanding about how it functions.

The Albanians themselves voted for independence a long time ago, ergo they reject their citizenship and all that is entailed. Now you are saying that they should be afforded rights as serbian citizens. That's just messed up. Either they are citizens or they are not.

Alex,
I'n not here to tell you what is EU, and what part do play the bureaucrats in it. I assume you know how the world runs today (read yesterday's statement of Lavrov: We've never threatened to veto, they S+K should try to made it between them). If you don't want to understand, it's not my problem.

As for the citizenship: you are confirming me that Serbia wants only the land, not its inhabitants. And, as you can can easily understand, such an approach is absolutely out of question for every mentally sane person, regardless its nationality (which lets me draw some conclusions about those who figured it out).

Lavrov is a politician and diplomat. They rarely give unequivocal statement. You can take his words to mean whatever you want. There's bargaining ahead.

& don't put your words in my mouth. How can Serbia 'want' the land that it owns? The Serbs there have the right to live without being intimidated and discriminated against.

It is up to the Kosovo albanian leadership has to prove that it is worth of joining the EU. That means action, not just words, especially when it comes to the saftey of Kosovo's minorities. Serbia knows this too.