“Controlled negotiations” unacceptable for Belgrade

Discussions to show that every avenue has been explored, but only if the result is as dicatated - independence. Russia and Serbia are obviously NOT going to go for further talks with this caveat.
I suspect that there will be further talks, but only if they are aimed at a genuine compromise without a set end point.

Once again, I'm not sure what the Albanians think. They think they can just show up at the negotiations and sit there, with their hands folded, and wait a few weeks or months without really engaging in the talks. So what's the point? The Serbs can do the same and in the end, we can be back to where we started.

This is all starting to seem like some comedy. It reminds me of that film Dr. Strangelove where the Americans are acting like children in the war room.

This is all nonsense. The Albanians will eventually get tired of it and turn to violence. Don't be surprised if Al'Queda is currently approaching the Albanians with offers to carry out attacks aimed at the UN with a promise that it would get them what they want. Don't be surprised if that starts to happen towards the end of the year because I highly doubt this further talks will lead to anything other than being back to where we began.

To B92 reporter who wrote this article!

...part of the declaration of Mr.Ylber Hysa:

"Negotiation team member Ilber Hisa said that all the possibilities for discussions had been drained and that a continuation would bring Ahtisaari’s plan into question"

We see that you can write the name Blacky or whatever with Y on it. This means you can do it in Mr. Ylber Hysa's name and surname as well so learn that you have to write names originaly as they are not translating into serbian just becuase they are albanian!
Don't replace Y with I and TH with T (Thaqi to Taqi)just becuase you do not have these letter in your alphabet.

We should not forget all the atrocities that Serbian army did last few decades (never mind last centuries), that no human being can imagine, never mind do it. Still Serbians get away with becoming EU member, by just handing over very few leaders of this army and giving away a territory that never belonged to them (they occupied it in the first place).

We were told no more talks, negotiations are spent and the decision must be NOW "I did not say deadline, did I say deadline, I did, ok I meant it" !!!

But it looks like the message is coming through that only by reviewing all alternatives with no timescale and real and open dialogue not pinned on pre-determined outcomes (as Ahtisaari envisaged he could slip through the UN) can one find a solution that is agreeable to both.

Compromise is the new framework for these new talks. There are many alternatives that can be looked into and many that have not even been thought of nor discussed - here are just 14 http://www.kosovocompromise.com/pages/kosovo_tommorow/sub_links/1/1.htm

Note how the resolution will be on the 'basis' of Ahtisaari but no longer is it specfically 'the plan' - the obligation to 1244, UN, and international law meant that the words of Bush ring hollow - huff and puff as he might but it is clear that the reality is that the dismemberment of the State of Serbia and it's partition will NEVER happen. Within just a few days Bush's words are already nothing more than the words "mission accomplished" some years ago - meaningless and devoid of reality!!!

Surely the time has come to realise that Ceku is no longer credible just like his predecessor Kosumi who publically said Independence in June 2006 only to resign. Ceku had December 2006 come and go, then early 2007, then May 2007 and we are now into June and nothing - surely the penny has dropped it will NEVER be. The Serbians of Albanian ethnicity can carry on placing their trust in the US as they have in 1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006 and now 2007 and can keep on going .... but would it not be better to realise the opportunity of working together in a new sense of a better future for ALL in Serbia.

Lets not waste time and start working on a future that is better for all which puts the hate behind and is built on reconcilation and trust! It will be difficult but it is now clear that the US can not implement what was not theirs to promise - if that really was the case then it would have been delivered in June 1999 in 1244. Putin has said

“Our position on Kosovo is based on international law and on the decisions adopted by the UN Security Council. This resolution states black on white that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia,”
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9340985

Accept the state your in and start helping to make it a better place for all concerned and using Blair's words "Conform to it" - don't languish fo another 8 years - the next generation deserve a better future for all in Serbia!!!

Of course they won't refuse the talks. These "talks" have a predetermined outcome, why would they refuse?

If there were real talks, with an outcome to be determined by these talks, they would never accept them. This just goes to show what a sham the whole Kosovo & Metohia process is.

first of all it was amusing to read that somebody called the Ahtisaari-plan a compromise. no further explanation needed I guess.

but once again some Albanians seems not to know about his own history..

Thanks to our poster Vega for bringing up this issue,

The name in question - Ylber Hysa - was originally misspelled as a result of a mistake rather than intention to transliterate Albanian names into Serbian and cause offense to our visitors, or Mr. Hysa.

We always try to use proper spelling for all names that appear in our articles, including those of ethnic Kosovo Albanian officials, as our archives amply demonstrate.

Once again, we appreciate your contribution very much and call on everyone to conduct a constructive debate.

B92

Blacky,

The KosovA Albanians were never religious fanatics and to claim that we would cooperate with Al Qaeda is ludicrous. The vast majority of the KosovA population are basicly agnostic.

Despite offers of assistance from various Islamic groups, the KLA or any other Kosovo Albanian group never cooperated nor asked for help from the Islamic world.

It is foolhardy to give the Serb-Albanian dispute a religious direction. We have been living as neighbors Serbs and Albanians for centuries and Serbs more than anyone know exactly "how" religious the KosovA Albanians are.

Most people in KosovA have never even been to a Mosque and even if they have it was once or twice for Bajram.

The KosovA Albanians consider themselves Albanian first and European second and religion matters very little to us. The catholic community in Kosovo is kept in high regard and considered a very important part of our society.

to blacky, i think your comment about al qaeda going to kosovo is very remote. if ever they are interested to go it will be because albanians are friends of america and america is their enemy. so in this case it is the albanians who should think twice.

I think they are trying to make Russia realize that there is no possible solution that would be both acceptable to Serbia and Kosovo/a. As you can see in this article itself it shows that there should not be any further talks because the only offer Serbia will make is ‘Autonomy’. I also think that they are making some effort to allow the Serbian leaders offer something more on the table by predicting to them the end result is Independence!

Late in 1980s when Milosevic stripped down Kosovo/a from its status that’s when they made the biggest mistake!!!! If they were not to do that I’m sure you would have had happy Serbians and Albanian neighbors still living together. To what I’ve seen I really believe that Kosovo/a will never be within Serbia ever again after all what has happened.

I’ve been reading a lot of the discussions here on the articles and it seems to me that most of people here only look to the past. Don’t you see that you’ve lost ‘Yugoslavia’ and it is not working for you???? Every war you caused you’ve lost each of these countries are became and becoming independent? I really believe that there are kids in Mitrovica, Kosovo/a who are Serbian and Albanian who play together; shouldn’t you make a future for them now?!

Sure we can negotiate...

Perhaps negotiate to have real proportional representation in Kosova's parliament instead of giving Serbs tens of free seats according to Ahtisaari's proposal...

Or maybe giving the other minorities same rights as the Serb minority...

Or perhaps negotiating to remove the word "conditional" from the creature that they are about to create.

What a circus. Serbia is pressing UN's buttons so skillfully, it is not even funny.

UN should be disbanded. Period!

It seems that there will be a new UNSC resolution calling for continuation of talks (most probably led by Ahtisaari). The limitation of the validity of 1244 to not more than 120 days is crucial. After that western countries (US and EU) will have an open door to recognize the independence of Kosovo (that will be proclaimed by the Kosovo Parliament the very same day of the expiration of 1244). This seems the most probable route to the internationally recognized independence. This is the last chance for Russia to become constructive, otherwise Bush is going to say that famous "enough is enough. Kosovo is independent". By the end of the day Kosovo will have enough votes (so far they have support of close to 100 member countries of UN) to be officially accepted as UN member (they need 2/3 of the votes in the General Assembly). Serbia will keep the eternal right to claim Kosovo as its part, while Kosovo will have the right to dream that one day it will win the World Cup in Football. The latter is a bit more realistic though!

The reason why talks have never yielded anything constructive is because no one has ever been able to get past Point #1: The official status of Kosovo.

Everything else ranging from Serb municipalities, the status of the SPC and its property, education curriculum, privatization, and even resettlement have all never been major points of contention between Serbs and Albanians. In fact, I'd even go so far as to hypothesize that both sides would agree to compromise on most of the issues, and Pristina would even acquiece to expanding the number of Serb municipalities and the number of seats reserved for the Serb minority in parliament if it meant granting independence under the Ahtisaari Plan.

Looking at it from a more rational way, the Serbs, and Belgrade in particular, can actually come out of this deal with a better control over its own interests in Kosovo than they have had over the past 8 years. The problem is that both sides want it all with the other side left with nothing. This is both unreasonable and unrealistic. I'd even say that if Kosovo goes under EU mandate for a period of 3-5 years, with Serbia having control or at least strong influence in its own areas of interest, there might be a more willing committment on the part of Belgrade come to a solution.

Until that time, the Dialogue of the Deaf will only continue.

Am I dreaming or are we in a George Orwell novel? So let me get this straight, they want to negotiate but the outcome must be independence? 'Controlled Negotiations' is an oxymoron which would have fit in well into Orwell's novels. There is no point negotiating with people who are illegally trying to steal a piece of your land anyway.
Nick - since you like to emphasize the 'A' on the end of Kosovo, I will remind you once again that Kosovo is a Serbian word derived from 'Kos', which is a blackbird. Just like all other things in Kosovo, the word 'Kosovo' is purely Serbian, and the word 'Kosova' means nothing, neither in Serbian or albanian. At least you could have some imagination and try to invent a new word for Kosovo?

albanians sound like those guys that are coming out with the dates and predictions for the end of the world. 3rd of the 3rd of the 3rd of two thousand three. We guarantee it. well lets try 8th of the 8th... High hopes.
You have to understand... Russia vetos the resolution and there will be no independence. EVER! The only option is supervised autonomy.

Mike - while I understand your point about the 'Dialogue of the Deaf' it should be remembered that the Kosovo Albanians wish to obtain something which is not legally theirs, while Serbia is just holding on to something which is legally theirs. There is a big difference!

“Brutal use of force” is what Serbian forces made in Kosovo between 1998 and 1999. And they just stopped because the just NATO bombing of Serbia.

USA should ignore Russia. Russia, differently from the cases of Trasnsnistria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, has no soldiers in Kosovo. So, there is nothing left to lose.

USA should ignore the eventual veto at the UN and with the help of UK, France and Germany, support the cretaionb of the Kosovar state.

Prnicip:
Here is what The Independent published today about your mighty Russia:

http://www.ncb.org.uk/Page.asp?originx358mx_11582723155691g89b8353960000

http://www.ncb.org.uk/Page.asp?originx358mx_11582723155691g89b8353960000

'the usual suspects' (Princip, kate & co) have eluded about Russian democracy and condemn western imperialism where values and principles of human rights are upheld with the outmost respect for ordinary citizens not to mention the freedom of the journalists to inquire and investigate on what is considered in the best interest of public. But then again given their repeated comments in the forum nothing will convince them that Russia with his Kremlin is dangerous and unethical.

Mike the Albanians would lose nothing when Kosovo is returned to Serbian Direct control. They would be in the country they were born in with the same rights and obligations of all other citizens of Serbia.

Also I think people here under-estimate the number of Albanians who could live and work beside Serbs in peace and for prosperity. The majority of Albanians are NOT howling fanatics, why do you think the KLA had to shoot so many of them? With a gentle reintroduction of State administration and policing and a campaign of truth and reconciliation(run by a neutral foreign entity) to dispell the propaganda and myths, return of refugees and a fat dose of investment, the majority of Kosovo citizens would conform. The minority who causes trouble can be dealt with through the standard criminal systems as in any other country.

M. I suggest you read Michael Moores book 'Stupid White Men' or Seymour Hersh's 'Dark Side of Camelot' if you want to learn about American 'Democracy'. At that point you can begin to comment on democracy in Russia. Also, you must be one of the few who read the Independent, it is a marginal rag with a readership of only 200,000(and falling) in a population of 60 million. If it wrote quality articles that were well researched it may start gaining readers again.

Jack
By any means i'm not suggesting that West (EU&US) are perfect, but when you consider the human rights reports I am sure you will agree that there is an immense difference to Russian human rights record not to mention freedom of speech, movement and and reporting on the plight of the government without fear of being prosecuted or even killed.
One can safely argue that an ideal democracy simply doesn't exist, however we can argue that in the West people enjoy life without the fear of prosecution if they support, join a movement against the government or speak out fore themselves.
With regards to the newspaper, i must admit i am more of 'the guardian' reader but i enjoy reading other papers such as the independent too.

M. Send my regards to Polly Toynbee and thank her and her suburban london 'intelligentia' for spending the last thirty years destroying the woof and weave of my country(UK).

Russia under Putin have marked a fundamental shift in history. I doubt Russia will have as much influence as the USSR did, but the West's free reign is over. Power is shifting eastwards (read 'China'). The evidence of this is the americans, who are moving their most sophisticated weapons systems to asia. If this is not an implicit recognition of the shift in world power, then it is Explicit.

China. They are at one with the russians over Kosovo, though thye are happy for Putin to be the lightning conductor. Make no mistakes, one reason that Putin can be so resolute is because of China and because the West depends on China (perceptively) far more than Russia, despite the geographical distance.

Wake up, this is a new dawn in history. Western supremacy is being steadily diminished. They will retain influence, but their best hopes remain in cooperation and not confrontation, otherwise none of us will leave this earth naturally....

Jack, of course the kla-criminals had to kill a lot of their fellow-albanians for not following their greater-albania-ideology...

I only wait to read a response of Nick, who is constantly denying, that there are Albanians who wouldn´t have a problem with living in an autonous province within Serbia, but in the very same time has not taken one single opportunity to condemn albanian crimes upon non-albanians, like the recent bestialic beating of a 74-year old woman in down-town Priština...

but that of course doesn´t fit into their wishful thinking of a greater Albania...and if you doubt their ideology, you are "cynical" or ...like some writers do not stop to write "racism"... even if no sound person will be capable of understanding what for heavens sake this has to do with "race"...

M,

what reports your links are to
Young Asylum Seekers and Refugees
- maybe this is of a personal nature relating directly to yourself but where are these so called reports on Russian news. I know there was news about Albanians masquerading as Serbian refugees from it province of Kosovo & Metohija which woul relate to your choosen links but it does not relate to Russia

Dragan,
Kosovo is for Serbian minor group mythical land and Kosova is for majority Albanian group its homeland...

Prnicip

You portray yourself as someone who has the ability to do some research for themselves.
Fact that in large numbers Kosovan-A flead KosovA due to your government oppression and brutal and indiscriminate killings. This aside, we all come from the same boat, and yes the reason you had a wrong link is that i'm researching how to improve the service provision for the unaccompanied minors regardless whether they are from KosovA, Serbia or any part of the world so they can have a second chance in life. Therefore i can safely say that i am inputing something back into the community i live in.
I don't expect you to understand that given your insulting response and your rigid views towards Kosovar-A.
Anyhow here are the articles of your glorifying Russian democracy:

http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article2669929.ece
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2669866.ece

Discussions to show that every avenue has been explored, but only if the result is as dicatated - independence. Russia and Serbia are obviously NOT going to go for further talks with this caveat.
I suspect that there will be further talks, but only if they are aimed at a genuine compromise without a set end point.

Once again, I'm not sure what the Albanians think. They think they can just show up at the negotiations and sit there, with their hands folded, and wait a few weeks or months without really engaging in the talks. So what's the point? The Serbs can do the same and in the end, we can be back to where we started.

This is all starting to seem like some comedy. It reminds me of that film Dr. Strangelove where the Americans are acting like children in the war room.

This is all nonsense. The Albanians will eventually get tired of it and turn to violence. Don't be surprised if Al'Queda is currently approaching the Albanians with offers to carry out attacks aimed at the UN with a promise that it would get them what they want. Don't be surprised if that starts to happen towards the end of the year because I highly doubt this further talks will lead to anything other than being back to where we began.

To B92 reporter who wrote this article!

...part of the declaration of Mr.Ylber Hysa:

"Negotiation team member Ilber Hisa said that all the possibilities for discussions had been drained and that a continuation would bring Ahtisaari’s plan into question"

We see that you can write the name Blacky or whatever with Y on it. This means you can do it in Mr. Ylber Hysa's name and surname as well so learn that you have to write names originaly as they are not translating into serbian just becuase they are albanian!
Don't replace Y with I and TH with T (Thaqi to Taqi)just becuase you do not have these letter in your alphabet.

We should not forget all the atrocities that Serbian army did last few decades (never mind last centuries), that no human being can imagine, never mind do it. Still Serbians get away with becoming EU member, by just handing over very few leaders of this army and giving away a territory that never belonged to them (they occupied it in the first place).

We were told no more talks, negotiations are spent and the decision must be NOW "I did not say deadline, did I say deadline, I did, ok I meant it" !!!

But it looks like the message is coming through that only by reviewing all alternatives with no timescale and real and open dialogue not pinned on pre-determined outcomes (as Ahtisaari envisaged he could slip through the UN) can one find a solution that is agreeable to both.

Compromise is the new framework for these new talks. There are many alternatives that can be looked into and many that have not even been thought of nor discussed - here are just 14 http://www.kosovocompromise.com/pages/kosovo_tommorow/sub_links/1/1.htm

Note how the resolution will be on the 'basis' of Ahtisaari but no longer is it specfically 'the plan' - the obligation to 1244, UN, and international law meant that the words of Bush ring hollow - huff and puff as he might but it is clear that the reality is that the dismemberment of the State of Serbia and it's partition will NEVER happen. Within just a few days Bush's words are already nothing more than the words "mission accomplished" some years ago - meaningless and devoid of reality!!!

Surely the time has come to realise that Ceku is no longer credible just like his predecessor Kosumi who publically said Independence in June 2006 only to resign. Ceku had December 2006 come and go, then early 2007, then May 2007 and we are now into June and nothing - surely the penny has dropped it will NEVER be. The Serbians of Albanian ethnicity can carry on placing their trust in the US as they have in 1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006 and now 2007 and can keep on going .... but would it not be better to realise the opportunity of working together in a new sense of a better future for ALL in Serbia.

Lets not waste time and start working on a future that is better for all which puts the hate behind and is built on reconcilation and trust! It will be difficult but it is now clear that the US can not implement what was not theirs to promise - if that really was the case then it would have been delivered in June 1999 in 1244. Putin has said

“Our position on Kosovo is based on international law and on the decisions adopted by the UN Security Council. This resolution states black on white that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia,”
http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9340985

Accept the state your in and start helping to make it a better place for all concerned and using Blair's words "Conform to it" - don't languish fo another 8 years - the next generation deserve a better future for all in Serbia!!!

Of course they won't refuse the talks. These "talks" have a predetermined outcome, why would they refuse?

If there were real talks, with an outcome to be determined by these talks, they would never accept them. This just goes to show what a sham the whole Kosovo & Metohia process is.

first of all it was amusing to read that somebody called the Ahtisaari-plan a compromise. no further explanation needed I guess.

but once again some Albanians seems not to know about his own history..

Thanks to our poster Vega for bringing up this issue,

The name in question - Ylber Hysa - was originally misspelled as a result of a mistake rather than intention to transliterate Albanian names into Serbian and cause offense to our visitors, or Mr. Hysa.

We always try to use proper spelling for all names that appear in our articles, including those of ethnic Kosovo Albanian officials, as our archives amply demonstrate.

Once again, we appreciate your contribution very much and call on everyone to conduct a constructive debate.

B92

Blacky,

The KosovA Albanians were never religious fanatics and to claim that we would cooperate with Al Qaeda is ludicrous. The vast majority of the KosovA population are basicly agnostic.

Despite offers of assistance from various Islamic groups, the KLA or any other Kosovo Albanian group never cooperated nor asked for help from the Islamic world.

It is foolhardy to give the Serb-Albanian dispute a religious direction. We have been living as neighbors Serbs and Albanians for centuries and Serbs more than anyone know exactly "how" religious the KosovA Albanians are.

Most people in KosovA have never even been to a Mosque and even if they have it was once or twice for Bajram.

The KosovA Albanians consider themselves Albanian first and European second and religion matters very little to us. The catholic community in Kosovo is kept in high regard and considered a very important part of our society.

to blacky, i think your comment about al qaeda going to kosovo is very remote. if ever they are interested to go it will be because albanians are friends of america and america is their enemy. so in this case it is the albanians who should think twice.

I think they are trying to make Russia realize that there is no possible solution that would be both acceptable to Serbia and Kosovo/a. As you can see in this article itself it shows that there should not be any further talks because the only offer Serbia will make is ‘Autonomy’. I also think that they are making some effort to allow the Serbian leaders offer something more on the table by predicting to them the end result is Independence!

Late in 1980s when Milosevic stripped down Kosovo/a from its status that’s when they made the biggest mistake!!!! If they were not to do that I’m sure you would have had happy Serbians and Albanian neighbors still living together. To what I’ve seen I really believe that Kosovo/a will never be within Serbia ever again after all what has happened.

I’ve been reading a lot of the discussions here on the articles and it seems to me that most of people here only look to the past. Don’t you see that you’ve lost ‘Yugoslavia’ and it is not working for you???? Every war you caused you’ve lost each of these countries are became and becoming independent? I really believe that there are kids in Mitrovica, Kosovo/a who are Serbian and Albanian who play together; shouldn’t you make a future for them now?!

Sure we can negotiate...

Perhaps negotiate to have real proportional representation in Kosova's parliament instead of giving Serbs tens of free seats according to Ahtisaari's proposal...

Or maybe giving the other minorities same rights as the Serb minority...

Or perhaps negotiating to remove the word "conditional" from the creature that they are about to create.

What a circus. Serbia is pressing UN's buttons so skillfully, it is not even funny.

UN should be disbanded. Period!

It seems that there will be a new UNSC resolution calling for continuation of talks (most probably led by Ahtisaari). The limitation of the validity of 1244 to not more than 120 days is crucial. After that western countries (US and EU) will have an open door to recognize the independence of Kosovo (that will be proclaimed by the Kosovo Parliament the very same day of the expiration of 1244). This seems the most probable route to the internationally recognized independence. This is the last chance for Russia to become constructive, otherwise Bush is going to say that famous "enough is enough. Kosovo is independent". By the end of the day Kosovo will have enough votes (so far they have support of close to 100 member countries of UN) to be officially accepted as UN member (they need 2/3 of the votes in the General Assembly). Serbia will keep the eternal right to claim Kosovo as its part, while Kosovo will have the right to dream that one day it will win the World Cup in Football. The latter is a bit more realistic though!

The reason why talks have never yielded anything constructive is because no one has ever been able to get past Point #1: The official status of Kosovo.

Everything else ranging from Serb municipalities, the status of the SPC and its property, education curriculum, privatization, and even resettlement have all never been major points of contention between Serbs and Albanians. In fact, I'd even go so far as to hypothesize that both sides would agree to compromise on most of the issues, and Pristina would even acquiece to expanding the number of Serb municipalities and the number of seats reserved for the Serb minority in parliament if it meant granting independence under the Ahtisaari Plan.

Looking at it from a more rational way, the Serbs, and Belgrade in particular, can actually come out of this deal with a better control over its own interests in Kosovo than they have had over the past 8 years. The problem is that both sides want it all with the other side left with nothing. This is both unreasonable and unrealistic. I'd even say that if Kosovo goes under EU mandate for a period of 3-5 years, with Serbia having control or at least strong influence in its own areas of interest, there might be a more willing committment on the part of Belgrade come to a solution.

Until that time, the Dialogue of the Deaf will only continue.

Am I dreaming or are we in a George Orwell novel? So let me get this straight, they want to negotiate but the outcome must be independence? 'Controlled Negotiations' is an oxymoron which would have fit in well into Orwell's novels. There is no point negotiating with people who are illegally trying to steal a piece of your land anyway.
Nick - since you like to emphasize the 'A' on the end of Kosovo, I will remind you once again that Kosovo is a Serbian word derived from 'Kos', which is a blackbird. Just like all other things in Kosovo, the word 'Kosovo' is purely Serbian, and the word 'Kosova' means nothing, neither in Serbian or albanian. At least you could have some imagination and try to invent a new word for Kosovo?

albanians sound like those guys that are coming out with the dates and predictions for the end of the world. 3rd of the 3rd of the 3rd of two thousand three. We guarantee it. well lets try 8th of the 8th... High hopes.
You have to understand... Russia vetos the resolution and there will be no independence. EVER! The only option is supervised autonomy.

Mike - while I understand your point about the 'Dialogue of the Deaf' it should be remembered that the Kosovo Albanians wish to obtain something which is not legally theirs, while Serbia is just holding on to something which is legally theirs. There is a big difference!

“Brutal use of force” is what Serbian forces made in Kosovo between 1998 and 1999. And they just stopped because the just NATO bombing of Serbia.

USA should ignore Russia. Russia, differently from the cases of Trasnsnistria, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, has no soldiers in Kosovo. So, there is nothing left to lose.

USA should ignore the eventual veto at the UN and with the help of UK, France and Germany, support the cretaionb of the Kosovar state.

Prnicip:
Here is what The Independent published today about your mighty Russia:

http://www.ncb.org.uk/Page.asp?originx358mx_11582723155691g89b8353960000

http://www.ncb.org.uk/Page.asp?originx358mx_11582723155691g89b8353960000

'the usual suspects' (Princip, kate & co) have eluded about Russian democracy and condemn western imperialism where values and principles of human rights are upheld with the outmost respect for ordinary citizens not to mention the freedom of the journalists to inquire and investigate on what is considered in the best interest of public. But then again given their repeated comments in the forum nothing will convince them that Russia with his Kremlin is dangerous and unethical.

Mike the Albanians would lose nothing when Kosovo is returned to Serbian Direct control. They would be in the country they were born in with the same rights and obligations of all other citizens of Serbia.

Also I think people here under-estimate the number of Albanians who could live and work beside Serbs in peace and for prosperity. The majority of Albanians are NOT howling fanatics, why do you think the KLA had to shoot so many of them? With a gentle reintroduction of State administration and policing and a campaign of truth and reconciliation(run by a neutral foreign entity) to dispell the propaganda and myths, return of refugees and a fat dose of investment, the majority of Kosovo citizens would conform. The minority who causes trouble can be dealt with through the standard criminal systems as in any other country.

M. I suggest you read Michael Moores book 'Stupid White Men' or Seymour Hersh's 'Dark Side of Camelot' if you want to learn about American 'Democracy'. At that point you can begin to comment on democracy in Russia. Also, you must be one of the few who read the Independent, it is a marginal rag with a readership of only 200,000(and falling) in a population of 60 million. If it wrote quality articles that were well researched it may start gaining readers again.

Jack
By any means i'm not suggesting that West (EU&US) are perfect, but when you consider the human rights reports I am sure you will agree that there is an immense difference to Russian human rights record not to mention freedom of speech, movement and and reporting on the plight of the government without fear of being prosecuted or even killed.
One can safely argue that an ideal democracy simply doesn't exist, however we can argue that in the West people enjoy life without the fear of prosecution if they support, join a movement against the government or speak out fore themselves.
With regards to the newspaper, i must admit i am more of 'the guardian' reader but i enjoy reading other papers such as the independent too.

M. Send my regards to Polly Toynbee and thank her and her suburban london 'intelligentia' for spending the last thirty years destroying the woof and weave of my country(UK).

Russia under Putin have marked a fundamental shift in history. I doubt Russia will have as much influence as the USSR did, but the West's free reign is over. Power is shifting eastwards (read 'China'). The evidence of this is the americans, who are moving their most sophisticated weapons systems to asia. If this is not an implicit recognition of the shift in world power, then it is Explicit.

China. They are at one with the russians over Kosovo, though thye are happy for Putin to be the lightning conductor. Make no mistakes, one reason that Putin can be so resolute is because of China and because the West depends on China (perceptively) far more than Russia, despite the geographical distance.

Wake up, this is a new dawn in history. Western supremacy is being steadily diminished. They will retain influence, but their best hopes remain in cooperation and not confrontation, otherwise none of us will leave this earth naturally....

Jack, of course the kla-criminals had to kill a lot of their fellow-albanians for not following their greater-albania-ideology...

I only wait to read a response of Nick, who is constantly denying, that there are Albanians who wouldn´t have a problem with living in an autonous province within Serbia, but in the very same time has not taken one single opportunity to condemn albanian crimes upon non-albanians, like the recent bestialic beating of a 74-year old woman in down-town Priština...

but that of course doesn´t fit into their wishful thinking of a greater Albania...and if you doubt their ideology, you are "cynical" or ...like some writers do not stop to write "racism"... even if no sound person will be capable of understanding what for heavens sake this has to do with "race"...

M,

what reports your links are to
Young Asylum Seekers and Refugees
- maybe this is of a personal nature relating directly to yourself but where are these so called reports on Russian news. I know there was news about Albanians masquerading as Serbian refugees from it province of Kosovo & Metohija which woul relate to your choosen links but it does not relate to Russia

Dragan,
Kosovo is for Serbian minor group mythical land and Kosova is for majority Albanian group its homeland...

Prnicip

You portray yourself as someone who has the ability to do some research for themselves.
Fact that in large numbers Kosovan-A flead KosovA due to your government oppression and brutal and indiscriminate killings. This aside, we all come from the same boat, and yes the reason you had a wrong link is that i'm researching how to improve the service provision for the unaccompanied minors regardless whether they are from KosovA, Serbia or any part of the world so they can have a second chance in life. Therefore i can safely say that i am inputing something back into the community i live in.
I don't expect you to understand that given your insulting response and your rigid views towards Kosovar-A.
Anyhow here are the articles of your glorifying Russian democracy:

http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article2669929.ece
http://news.independent.co.uk/europe/article2669866.ece