23

Sunday, 24.06.2007.

14:24

U.S., Russian lawmakers debate Kosovo

Washington hosted a joint U.S. House of Representatives and Russian State Duma foreign policy committees meeting last week.

Izvor: RFE/RL

U.S., Russian lawmakers debate Kosovo IMAGE SOURCE
IMAGE DESCRIPTION

23 Komentari

Sortiraj po:

laki bani

pre 16 godina

A query, to the Serbian commentators?

How’s possible an unable nation (read: Kosovars) who will be most probably starving in the future, are so efficient in bribing all relevant international factors? Where they get that money from? What is wrong with a new Islamic state wherever it is established? What do you guys know about Islam religion? Why don’t you ever talk about war criminals like Milosevic, Mladic etc who had terrorized all neighbors around for more then 10 years? Memories are so fresh and documented. They did so on your behalf, remember that.
Don’t allow pseudo-friends (no matter who they are) to manipulate Serbian being. It is impossible to erase very recent history with recalculating the figures; it is against each low, either international or national. Just to remind you: the law is human creature established to make life better. It is subject to change whenever is considered inefficient.
So instead, crying for the future of the two million Albanians who will (according to you) be a heavy burden to America, you better think rationally and get to work for a bright future.

Mikel

pre 16 godina

Canadien said:
Kosovo will be recognized by maybe 1 or 2 G8 Countries, about 2 or 3 countries from the 15 member security council and 3 or 4 countries in the 27 member EU, finally less then 20% of the rest of the 193 countries in the world, at best this is the recognition they will get and this is hardly half of the world.

Kosovo will be recognized by:
USA
Canada
UK
France
Germany
Italy (and here we have 7 out of G7 most powerful countries of the world)

Kosovo will be recognized by
US, UK, France, China, Belgium, South Africa, Slovakia, China (Im not kiddin), Ghana, Indonesia (and all other UNSC countries except Russia, which will do it later.

And Kosovo will be recognized by the whole EU, so it is no need to be recognized by all the countries one by one, even if I am sure that if such a thing would happen, the only EU member not to recognize an independent Kosovo immediately would be Greece.
So, dear canadien, correct your data.

Afrim Hoxha

pre 16 godina

Thanks to Mr. Lantos and Mr. Engel for supporting the truth. Whoever did not see this in video, should really see it. It shows how Russians completely froze in front of the strong and true arguments made by Mr. Lantos and Mr. Engel.
I would like to remind to some closed minded serbs here who accuse us as islamic terrorists... Israel is the country who suffers the most from the islamists in the middle east. If we the albanians were islamic terrorists then the Jews like Mr. Lantos would not support us. Please serbs, do yourselves a favor, start living in the world of reality, stop accusing us of terrorism, because our president is not apologizing to other countries for crimes but it is YOUR OWN PRESIDENT TADIC who is apologizing for the crimes and this tells the truth about who is a terrorist and who is not. Start accepting the truth as your president Tadic is.

Thank you.

Destan Belaxhia

pre 16 godina

Salahadin
Funny what you claim not to be and then use a name of a middle eastern medieval terrorist. Written by Cvele

Dear B92 Staff,

I don't know who this genleman Saladin may be, but how do you allow insulting comments of personal nature by Cvele.

Should we start insulting everyone that possesses the name SLobodan by telling such individuals that they carry the name of a war criminal.

Personal names do not carry or share any blames of the past historic criminals.

Pijetro

pre 16 godina

I just love listening to lobbyists debating law....

Seriously Mr. Lantos..

If you're looking from a perspective of legalities..Let's start with the illegal bombing of Serbia..
Secondly, as far as legalities go, Serbia's stance is bulletproof..
Law is unemotional, and weighs in on facts, not on opinion and concensus..

Whatever this meeting achieves (or tries to achieve), is simply a waste of time..

More money was spent on "after dinner cocktails", rather than the whole budget of some needed municipality somewhere in Kosovo. I'm sure of that..

Rather than going to bat for Albanians or Serbians, i would really ask myself if any of these law experts genuinely care for the people on the ground, or do they have their OWN interests involved?!

Real Canadian

pre 16 godina

well lets see now...
Bush said it,Rice said it and now Lantos and Engels(probably the most Influential US Lawmakers)said it...Time is in question not the outcome.
Love and Peace

lowe

pre 16 godina

"So Russia can either be with Europe and the United States on the basis of a United Nations resolution of a brutal ethnic cleansing at long last being rectified, or it can stand on its own"

What about the ethnic cleansing of K-Serbs since 1999? Lantos conveniently glossed over this shameful fact -- that the cleansing was done under the noses of UNMIK and Nato!

Nick

pre 16 godina

B92

Please allow me to post this comment on all the relevant articles for clarification.

----

Hello everybody,

Someone has used my name "Nick" in the following article on the 22 of June:

"EU warns Kosovo against declaring independence"

I would just like to clarify that this is not me (the usual Nick that posts here) but a new poster.

I would also like to ask this new poster if he could please change his name so as not to create unnecesary confusion.

jerseyshore

pre 16 godina

http://opinionleaders.htmlplanet.com/alblobby.html
Check out the link. Do any of the names, as recipients from the Albanian lobby, seem familiar? Good old American politicians.

Eagles

pre 16 godina

I have read all your comments and I don't disrespect your opinions about my country Albania. I'm proud 4 my country,
like you're all 4 your country. So we belong 2 our
land and we don't own any one1s land or
space, but what others has taken from us.
WE all can see the reality
in front of our eyes.

jerseyshore

pre 16 godina

http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=l8350&PHPSESSID=dhivfg3nqb1s475kc77o4s4475
Just do a google search on Albanian lobby in USA, and the same American political names keep popping up. And for some reason they are loudest voices for an independent A_Kosovo. Wonder what that reason could be?

Lilly

pre 16 godina

Lily dont lie to urself

KLA, until 99 was on the US list for terrorist organizations at number 3 in the world. Therefore, the current regime in Kosovo is a muslim terrorist regime and that would make it an islamic mini-state if it were to be granted independence. Thank God that will never happen."

Then, please explain to us 'self liars' why the US and Europe/Nato would unanimously bomb Serbia/Belgrade/Montenegro if what you say is true? And, why did milosevic agree to give Kosova's administration and security to the UN ?? Also, please explain to us why it is a fact that only a SERB (Krstic) was convicted and sentenced to 35 yrs detention for the crime of genocide? No other ethnic group was charged or convicted of this charge but plenty of Serbs still have a standing charge of genocide against them. Why is that? We'd like to hear your side of this story.

Whatever your concern is with my statement, my intent was to set the record straight and give readers a chance to view this congressional session in its totality and see how some news services 'slant' the information by diambiguating parts of the story they're trying to transmit to the public. thank you.

Lilly

pre 16 godina

Speaking for the Russian delegation, lawmaker Natalia Narochnitskaya made a stark warning about the threat inherent in granting independence to Kosovo.

"I will be frank," she said. "What you would be creating [by giving Kosovo independence] is a militant Islamic state with pronounced geographic expansionism in the center of Europe."

B92 has done a disservice by mischaracterizing who answered this 'professor' after she spoke. Lantos deferred to Elliot Engles and he said that Ms. Narochnitskaya..may be a professor of history but she does not have the right to rewrite history." He, being a Jew, who knows and is against terrorism, has met and lived near Albanians and they are the most secular people in Europe . "

Your readers might like to view the whole session with the Russian Duma members at this link...at the CSPAN site, for Thursday 21, June schedule.

rtsp://video.c-span.org/15days/e062107_russia.rm?mode=compact
thank you.

Cvele

pre 16 godina

Lily dont lie to urself

KLA, until 99 was on the US list for terrorist organizations at number 3 in the world. Therefore, the current regime in Kosovo is a muslim terrorist regime and that would make it an islamic mini-state if it were to be granted independence. Thank God that will never happen.

Canadien

pre 16 godina

Lantos said it best, that UN or no UN Kosova will be independent and it will be recognized by more than half the civilized world. No one needs Russia.
(Salahadin, Sunday, 24 June, 2007, 14:55)

Kosovo will be recognized by maybe 1 or 2 G8 Countries, about 2 or 3 countries from the 15 member security council and 3 or 4 countries in the 27 member EU, finally less then 20% of the rest of the 193 countries in the world, at best this is the recognition they will get and this is hardly half of the world. -- No UN seat, no economic trading, no world bank account, no respect from the world. No heating and energy from Russia, and yes in this part of the world it is the Russians that mainly provide the energy, the reason Kosovo is getting 7 to 8 hours of Energy blackouts now is because they are getting it from a source that cannot meet Kosovo's demand for Energy. There will be no progress for a better standard of living. Sounds like a future I would want for my children! Lantos is not too bright if he thinks this is a better alternative then autonomy in a recognized country.

Jovan

pre 16 godina

"Russia can either be with Europe and the United States on the basis of a United Nations resolution of a brutal ethnic cleansing at long last being rectified, or it can stand on its own"

it´s quite interesting how someone can talk about ethnic cleansing and in the same time claims others to be "historically inaccurate"...

Albanians should give this man their "citizenship", since he is displaying a frightening lack of knowledge with his remarks... if there was a brutal ethnic cleansing, Mr.Lantos, how about bringing all those Serbs back that left Kosovo in the previous six decades???
that man should really think it over once again...maybe he will finally get it and understand what "historically inaccurate" really means..

I would answer him:
the USA can either be with those countries who want the Kosovo issue to be solved the right way, namely within the UNSC on the basis of the UN-charter or step out and do something illegal what would mean that such a recognition wouldn´t be worth a lot...

smarter US-officials know that( albanians do not care of that, of course ), the only legal and therefore LASTING way is the one within the UNSC.

every other solution would only be temporary! keep that in mind my dear albanian friends...

Cvele

pre 16 godina

Salahadin
Funny what you claim not to be and then use a name of a middle eastern medieval terrorist.

What's even funnier is that all these threats yet the point remains there will be no move forward, there will be no EU integration, no UN and WB entrance, and there will be NO INDEPENDENCE with a Russian veto. All these US diplomats are like parrots and none of them will deter Russia. They know the importance of a UN veto and EU has clearly said they will have nothing to do with it without a UN resolution.

Vuk

pre 16 godina

Bravo Canadian!

Yes of course a new Islamic state created by driving all the Serbs out is ridicules and in the coming years the people will starve because Serbia, the growing regional power will have nothing to do with Kosovo as wont Russia or Montengro or Greece they will only have Albania or Macedonia to turn to both of which are facing economic problems and could not provide sufficient support. The US perhhaps? How are the US going to send power and food to 2 million people?

If i were a Serb or an Albanian in Kosovo i would be extremely worried by independance because there will be all out Chaos if it happens. Nationalist Serbs will form Militias and fight, Kosovo will have no power or way of getting money as a result of a veto.
The creation of a second Albanian state is perhaps a way the US and it's allies feel it should punish all serbs for what Milosovic did, punishment is no basis for a country especially one which has a grim future such as Kosovo.

Vlajko

pre 16 godina

'civilized world' lol are you saying that countries whitch do not support Kosovo independence are not civilized? What is albanian definition of civilized world?

Dragan

pre 16 godina

I wonder how much the albanian lobby groups paid Lantos to say these things. Everything in the US is based on money and lobby groups, and has nothing to do with truth and justice. This is why they are a declining power, because they have lost heir moral compass completely. Good thing that they don't matter that much any more. Keep talking Mr. Lantos, Russia and China don't care much about what you say. You and those of your ilk are proven liars - with your claims of 100,000 dead albanians, 200,000 deas muslims in bosnia the staged market place massacre in sarajevo....etc. There are so many examples of your lies it's not even funny any more.

Salahadin

pre 16 godina

It looks like the Russian delegation has been borrowing arguments from Milosevic's and Karadzic's "Book Of Names For Non-Serbs". Islamic Militants, Expansionists, demographic genocidal extremists....so much for being an intellectual. Lantos said it best, that UN or no UN Kosova will be independent and it will be recognized by more than half the civilized world. No one needs Russia.

Salahadin

pre 16 godina

It looks like the Russian delegation has been borrowing arguments from Milosevic's and Karadzic's "Book Of Names For Non-Serbs". Islamic Militants, Expansionists, demographic genocidal extremists....so much for being an intellectual. Lantos said it best, that UN or no UN Kosova will be independent and it will be recognized by more than half the civilized world. No one needs Russia.

Dragan

pre 16 godina

I wonder how much the albanian lobby groups paid Lantos to say these things. Everything in the US is based on money and lobby groups, and has nothing to do with truth and justice. This is why they are a declining power, because they have lost heir moral compass completely. Good thing that they don't matter that much any more. Keep talking Mr. Lantos, Russia and China don't care much about what you say. You and those of your ilk are proven liars - with your claims of 100,000 dead albanians, 200,000 deas muslims in bosnia the staged market place massacre in sarajevo....etc. There are so many examples of your lies it's not even funny any more.

Vlajko

pre 16 godina

'civilized world' lol are you saying that countries whitch do not support Kosovo independence are not civilized? What is albanian definition of civilized world?

Canadien

pre 16 godina

Lantos said it best, that UN or no UN Kosova will be independent and it will be recognized by more than half the civilized world. No one needs Russia.
(Salahadin, Sunday, 24 June, 2007, 14:55)

Kosovo will be recognized by maybe 1 or 2 G8 Countries, about 2 or 3 countries from the 15 member security council and 3 or 4 countries in the 27 member EU, finally less then 20% of the rest of the 193 countries in the world, at best this is the recognition they will get and this is hardly half of the world. -- No UN seat, no economic trading, no world bank account, no respect from the world. No heating and energy from Russia, and yes in this part of the world it is the Russians that mainly provide the energy, the reason Kosovo is getting 7 to 8 hours of Energy blackouts now is because they are getting it from a source that cannot meet Kosovo's demand for Energy. There will be no progress for a better standard of living. Sounds like a future I would want for my children! Lantos is not too bright if he thinks this is a better alternative then autonomy in a recognized country.

Jovan

pre 16 godina

"Russia can either be with Europe and the United States on the basis of a United Nations resolution of a brutal ethnic cleansing at long last being rectified, or it can stand on its own"

it´s quite interesting how someone can talk about ethnic cleansing and in the same time claims others to be "historically inaccurate"...

Albanians should give this man their "citizenship", since he is displaying a frightening lack of knowledge with his remarks... if there was a brutal ethnic cleansing, Mr.Lantos, how about bringing all those Serbs back that left Kosovo in the previous six decades???
that man should really think it over once again...maybe he will finally get it and understand what "historically inaccurate" really means..

I would answer him:
the USA can either be with those countries who want the Kosovo issue to be solved the right way, namely within the UNSC on the basis of the UN-charter or step out and do something illegal what would mean that such a recognition wouldn´t be worth a lot...

smarter US-officials know that( albanians do not care of that, of course ), the only legal and therefore LASTING way is the one within the UNSC.

every other solution would only be temporary! keep that in mind my dear albanian friends...

Cvele

pre 16 godina

Salahadin
Funny what you claim not to be and then use a name of a middle eastern medieval terrorist.

What's even funnier is that all these threats yet the point remains there will be no move forward, there will be no EU integration, no UN and WB entrance, and there will be NO INDEPENDENCE with a Russian veto. All these US diplomats are like parrots and none of them will deter Russia. They know the importance of a UN veto and EU has clearly said they will have nothing to do with it without a UN resolution.

Vuk

pre 16 godina

Bravo Canadian!

Yes of course a new Islamic state created by driving all the Serbs out is ridicules and in the coming years the people will starve because Serbia, the growing regional power will have nothing to do with Kosovo as wont Russia or Montengro or Greece they will only have Albania or Macedonia to turn to both of which are facing economic problems and could not provide sufficient support. The US perhhaps? How are the US going to send power and food to 2 million people?

If i were a Serb or an Albanian in Kosovo i would be extremely worried by independance because there will be all out Chaos if it happens. Nationalist Serbs will form Militias and fight, Kosovo will have no power or way of getting money as a result of a veto.
The creation of a second Albanian state is perhaps a way the US and it's allies feel it should punish all serbs for what Milosovic did, punishment is no basis for a country especially one which has a grim future such as Kosovo.

Lilly

pre 16 godina

Speaking for the Russian delegation, lawmaker Natalia Narochnitskaya made a stark warning about the threat inherent in granting independence to Kosovo.

"I will be frank," she said. "What you would be creating [by giving Kosovo independence] is a militant Islamic state with pronounced geographic expansionism in the center of Europe."

B92 has done a disservice by mischaracterizing who answered this 'professor' after she spoke. Lantos deferred to Elliot Engles and he said that Ms. Narochnitskaya..may be a professor of history but she does not have the right to rewrite history." He, being a Jew, who knows and is against terrorism, has met and lived near Albanians and they are the most secular people in Europe . "

Your readers might like to view the whole session with the Russian Duma members at this link...at the CSPAN site, for Thursday 21, June schedule.

rtsp://video.c-span.org/15days/e062107_russia.rm?mode=compact
thank you.

Cvele

pre 16 godina

Lily dont lie to urself

KLA, until 99 was on the US list for terrorist organizations at number 3 in the world. Therefore, the current regime in Kosovo is a muslim terrorist regime and that would make it an islamic mini-state if it were to be granted independence. Thank God that will never happen.

Lilly

pre 16 godina

Lily dont lie to urself

KLA, until 99 was on the US list for terrorist organizations at number 3 in the world. Therefore, the current regime in Kosovo is a muslim terrorist regime and that would make it an islamic mini-state if it were to be granted independence. Thank God that will never happen."

Then, please explain to us 'self liars' why the US and Europe/Nato would unanimously bomb Serbia/Belgrade/Montenegro if what you say is true? And, why did milosevic agree to give Kosova's administration and security to the UN ?? Also, please explain to us why it is a fact that only a SERB (Krstic) was convicted and sentenced to 35 yrs detention for the crime of genocide? No other ethnic group was charged or convicted of this charge but plenty of Serbs still have a standing charge of genocide against them. Why is that? We'd like to hear your side of this story.

Whatever your concern is with my statement, my intent was to set the record straight and give readers a chance to view this congressional session in its totality and see how some news services 'slant' the information by diambiguating parts of the story they're trying to transmit to the public. thank you.

Eagles

pre 16 godina

I have read all your comments and I don't disrespect your opinions about my country Albania. I'm proud 4 my country,
like you're all 4 your country. So we belong 2 our
land and we don't own any one1s land or
space, but what others has taken from us.
WE all can see the reality
in front of our eyes.

jerseyshore

pre 16 godina

http://opinionleaders.htmlplanet.com/alblobby.html
Check out the link. Do any of the names, as recipients from the Albanian lobby, seem familiar? Good old American politicians.

jerseyshore

pre 16 godina

http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=l8350&PHPSESSID=dhivfg3nqb1s475kc77o4s4475
Just do a google search on Albanian lobby in USA, and the same American political names keep popping up. And for some reason they are loudest voices for an independent A_Kosovo. Wonder what that reason could be?

Nick

pre 16 godina

B92

Please allow me to post this comment on all the relevant articles for clarification.

----

Hello everybody,

Someone has used my name "Nick" in the following article on the 22 of June:

"EU warns Kosovo against declaring independence"

I would just like to clarify that this is not me (the usual Nick that posts here) but a new poster.

I would also like to ask this new poster if he could please change his name so as not to create unnecesary confusion.

Real Canadian

pre 16 godina

well lets see now...
Bush said it,Rice said it and now Lantos and Engels(probably the most Influential US Lawmakers)said it...Time is in question not the outcome.
Love and Peace

lowe

pre 16 godina

"So Russia can either be with Europe and the United States on the basis of a United Nations resolution of a brutal ethnic cleansing at long last being rectified, or it can stand on its own"

What about the ethnic cleansing of K-Serbs since 1999? Lantos conveniently glossed over this shameful fact -- that the cleansing was done under the noses of UNMIK and Nato!

Pijetro

pre 16 godina

I just love listening to lobbyists debating law....

Seriously Mr. Lantos..

If you're looking from a perspective of legalities..Let's start with the illegal bombing of Serbia..
Secondly, as far as legalities go, Serbia's stance is bulletproof..
Law is unemotional, and weighs in on facts, not on opinion and concensus..

Whatever this meeting achieves (or tries to achieve), is simply a waste of time..

More money was spent on "after dinner cocktails", rather than the whole budget of some needed municipality somewhere in Kosovo. I'm sure of that..

Rather than going to bat for Albanians or Serbians, i would really ask myself if any of these law experts genuinely care for the people on the ground, or do they have their OWN interests involved?!

Destan Belaxhia

pre 16 godina

Salahadin
Funny what you claim not to be and then use a name of a middle eastern medieval terrorist. Written by Cvele

Dear B92 Staff,

I don't know who this genleman Saladin may be, but how do you allow insulting comments of personal nature by Cvele.

Should we start insulting everyone that possesses the name SLobodan by telling such individuals that they carry the name of a war criminal.

Personal names do not carry or share any blames of the past historic criminals.

Afrim Hoxha

pre 16 godina

Thanks to Mr. Lantos and Mr. Engel for supporting the truth. Whoever did not see this in video, should really see it. It shows how Russians completely froze in front of the strong and true arguments made by Mr. Lantos and Mr. Engel.
I would like to remind to some closed minded serbs here who accuse us as islamic terrorists... Israel is the country who suffers the most from the islamists in the middle east. If we the albanians were islamic terrorists then the Jews like Mr. Lantos would not support us. Please serbs, do yourselves a favor, start living in the world of reality, stop accusing us of terrorism, because our president is not apologizing to other countries for crimes but it is YOUR OWN PRESIDENT TADIC who is apologizing for the crimes and this tells the truth about who is a terrorist and who is not. Start accepting the truth as your president Tadic is.

Thank you.

Mikel

pre 16 godina

Canadien said:
Kosovo will be recognized by maybe 1 or 2 G8 Countries, about 2 or 3 countries from the 15 member security council and 3 or 4 countries in the 27 member EU, finally less then 20% of the rest of the 193 countries in the world, at best this is the recognition they will get and this is hardly half of the world.

Kosovo will be recognized by:
USA
Canada
UK
France
Germany
Italy (and here we have 7 out of G7 most powerful countries of the world)

Kosovo will be recognized by
US, UK, France, China, Belgium, South Africa, Slovakia, China (Im not kiddin), Ghana, Indonesia (and all other UNSC countries except Russia, which will do it later.

And Kosovo will be recognized by the whole EU, so it is no need to be recognized by all the countries one by one, even if I am sure that if such a thing would happen, the only EU member not to recognize an independent Kosovo immediately would be Greece.
So, dear canadien, correct your data.

laki bani

pre 16 godina

A query, to the Serbian commentators?

How’s possible an unable nation (read: Kosovars) who will be most probably starving in the future, are so efficient in bribing all relevant international factors? Where they get that money from? What is wrong with a new Islamic state wherever it is established? What do you guys know about Islam religion? Why don’t you ever talk about war criminals like Milosevic, Mladic etc who had terrorized all neighbors around for more then 10 years? Memories are so fresh and documented. They did so on your behalf, remember that.
Don’t allow pseudo-friends (no matter who they are) to manipulate Serbian being. It is impossible to erase very recent history with recalculating the figures; it is against each low, either international or national. Just to remind you: the law is human creature established to make life better. It is subject to change whenever is considered inefficient.
So instead, crying for the future of the two million Albanians who will (according to you) be a heavy burden to America, you better think rationally and get to work for a bright future.

Salahadin

pre 16 godina

It looks like the Russian delegation has been borrowing arguments from Milosevic's and Karadzic's "Book Of Names For Non-Serbs". Islamic Militants, Expansionists, demographic genocidal extremists....so much for being an intellectual. Lantos said it best, that UN or no UN Kosova will be independent and it will be recognized by more than half the civilized world. No one needs Russia.

Dragan

pre 16 godina

I wonder how much the albanian lobby groups paid Lantos to say these things. Everything in the US is based on money and lobby groups, and has nothing to do with truth and justice. This is why they are a declining power, because they have lost heir moral compass completely. Good thing that they don't matter that much any more. Keep talking Mr. Lantos, Russia and China don't care much about what you say. You and those of your ilk are proven liars - with your claims of 100,000 dead albanians, 200,000 deas muslims in bosnia the staged market place massacre in sarajevo....etc. There are so many examples of your lies it's not even funny any more.

Vlajko

pre 16 godina

'civilized world' lol are you saying that countries whitch do not support Kosovo independence are not civilized? What is albanian definition of civilized world?

Canadien

pre 16 godina

Lantos said it best, that UN or no UN Kosova will be independent and it will be recognized by more than half the civilized world. No one needs Russia.
(Salahadin, Sunday, 24 June, 2007, 14:55)

Kosovo will be recognized by maybe 1 or 2 G8 Countries, about 2 or 3 countries from the 15 member security council and 3 or 4 countries in the 27 member EU, finally less then 20% of the rest of the 193 countries in the world, at best this is the recognition they will get and this is hardly half of the world. -- No UN seat, no economic trading, no world bank account, no respect from the world. No heating and energy from Russia, and yes in this part of the world it is the Russians that mainly provide the energy, the reason Kosovo is getting 7 to 8 hours of Energy blackouts now is because they are getting it from a source that cannot meet Kosovo's demand for Energy. There will be no progress for a better standard of living. Sounds like a future I would want for my children! Lantos is not too bright if he thinks this is a better alternative then autonomy in a recognized country.

Jovan

pre 16 godina

"Russia can either be with Europe and the United States on the basis of a United Nations resolution of a brutal ethnic cleansing at long last being rectified, or it can stand on its own"

it´s quite interesting how someone can talk about ethnic cleansing and in the same time claims others to be "historically inaccurate"...

Albanians should give this man their "citizenship", since he is displaying a frightening lack of knowledge with his remarks... if there was a brutal ethnic cleansing, Mr.Lantos, how about bringing all those Serbs back that left Kosovo in the previous six decades???
that man should really think it over once again...maybe he will finally get it and understand what "historically inaccurate" really means..

I would answer him:
the USA can either be with those countries who want the Kosovo issue to be solved the right way, namely within the UNSC on the basis of the UN-charter or step out and do something illegal what would mean that such a recognition wouldn´t be worth a lot...

smarter US-officials know that( albanians do not care of that, of course ), the only legal and therefore LASTING way is the one within the UNSC.

every other solution would only be temporary! keep that in mind my dear albanian friends...

Cvele

pre 16 godina

Salahadin
Funny what you claim not to be and then use a name of a middle eastern medieval terrorist.

What's even funnier is that all these threats yet the point remains there will be no move forward, there will be no EU integration, no UN and WB entrance, and there will be NO INDEPENDENCE with a Russian veto. All these US diplomats are like parrots and none of them will deter Russia. They know the importance of a UN veto and EU has clearly said they will have nothing to do with it without a UN resolution.

Vuk

pre 16 godina

Bravo Canadian!

Yes of course a new Islamic state created by driving all the Serbs out is ridicules and in the coming years the people will starve because Serbia, the growing regional power will have nothing to do with Kosovo as wont Russia or Montengro or Greece they will only have Albania or Macedonia to turn to both of which are facing economic problems and could not provide sufficient support. The US perhhaps? How are the US going to send power and food to 2 million people?

If i were a Serb or an Albanian in Kosovo i would be extremely worried by independance because there will be all out Chaos if it happens. Nationalist Serbs will form Militias and fight, Kosovo will have no power or way of getting money as a result of a veto.
The creation of a second Albanian state is perhaps a way the US and it's allies feel it should punish all serbs for what Milosovic did, punishment is no basis for a country especially one which has a grim future such as Kosovo.

Lilly

pre 16 godina

Speaking for the Russian delegation, lawmaker Natalia Narochnitskaya made a stark warning about the threat inherent in granting independence to Kosovo.

"I will be frank," she said. "What you would be creating [by giving Kosovo independence] is a militant Islamic state with pronounced geographic expansionism in the center of Europe."

B92 has done a disservice by mischaracterizing who answered this 'professor' after she spoke. Lantos deferred to Elliot Engles and he said that Ms. Narochnitskaya..may be a professor of history but she does not have the right to rewrite history." He, being a Jew, who knows and is against terrorism, has met and lived near Albanians and they are the most secular people in Europe . "

Your readers might like to view the whole session with the Russian Duma members at this link...at the CSPAN site, for Thursday 21, June schedule.

rtsp://video.c-span.org/15days/e062107_russia.rm?mode=compact
thank you.

Cvele

pre 16 godina

Lily dont lie to urself

KLA, until 99 was on the US list for terrorist organizations at number 3 in the world. Therefore, the current regime in Kosovo is a muslim terrorist regime and that would make it an islamic mini-state if it were to be granted independence. Thank God that will never happen.

Lilly

pre 16 godina

Lily dont lie to urself

KLA, until 99 was on the US list for terrorist organizations at number 3 in the world. Therefore, the current regime in Kosovo is a muslim terrorist regime and that would make it an islamic mini-state if it were to be granted independence. Thank God that will never happen."

Then, please explain to us 'self liars' why the US and Europe/Nato would unanimously bomb Serbia/Belgrade/Montenegro if what you say is true? And, why did milosevic agree to give Kosova's administration and security to the UN ?? Also, please explain to us why it is a fact that only a SERB (Krstic) was convicted and sentenced to 35 yrs detention for the crime of genocide? No other ethnic group was charged or convicted of this charge but plenty of Serbs still have a standing charge of genocide against them. Why is that? We'd like to hear your side of this story.

Whatever your concern is with my statement, my intent was to set the record straight and give readers a chance to view this congressional session in its totality and see how some news services 'slant' the information by diambiguating parts of the story they're trying to transmit to the public. thank you.

Eagles

pre 16 godina

I have read all your comments and I don't disrespect your opinions about my country Albania. I'm proud 4 my country,
like you're all 4 your country. So we belong 2 our
land and we don't own any one1s land or
space, but what others has taken from us.
WE all can see the reality
in front of our eyes.

jerseyshore

pre 16 godina

http://opinionleaders.htmlplanet.com/alblobby.html
Check out the link. Do any of the names, as recipients from the Albanian lobby, seem familiar? Good old American politicians.

jerseyshore

pre 16 godina

http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=l8350&PHPSESSID=dhivfg3nqb1s475kc77o4s4475
Just do a google search on Albanian lobby in USA, and the same American political names keep popping up. And for some reason they are loudest voices for an independent A_Kosovo. Wonder what that reason could be?

Nick

pre 16 godina

B92

Please allow me to post this comment on all the relevant articles for clarification.

----

Hello everybody,

Someone has used my name "Nick" in the following article on the 22 of June:

"EU warns Kosovo against declaring independence"

I would just like to clarify that this is not me (the usual Nick that posts here) but a new poster.

I would also like to ask this new poster if he could please change his name so as not to create unnecesary confusion.

Real Canadian

pre 16 godina

well lets see now...
Bush said it,Rice said it and now Lantos and Engels(probably the most Influential US Lawmakers)said it...Time is in question not the outcome.
Love and Peace

lowe

pre 16 godina

"So Russia can either be with Europe and the United States on the basis of a United Nations resolution of a brutal ethnic cleansing at long last being rectified, or it can stand on its own"

What about the ethnic cleansing of K-Serbs since 1999? Lantos conveniently glossed over this shameful fact -- that the cleansing was done under the noses of UNMIK and Nato!

Pijetro

pre 16 godina

I just love listening to lobbyists debating law....

Seriously Mr. Lantos..

If you're looking from a perspective of legalities..Let's start with the illegal bombing of Serbia..
Secondly, as far as legalities go, Serbia's stance is bulletproof..
Law is unemotional, and weighs in on facts, not on opinion and concensus..

Whatever this meeting achieves (or tries to achieve), is simply a waste of time..

More money was spent on "after dinner cocktails", rather than the whole budget of some needed municipality somewhere in Kosovo. I'm sure of that..

Rather than going to bat for Albanians or Serbians, i would really ask myself if any of these law experts genuinely care for the people on the ground, or do they have their OWN interests involved?!

Destan Belaxhia

pre 16 godina

Salahadin
Funny what you claim not to be and then use a name of a middle eastern medieval terrorist. Written by Cvele

Dear B92 Staff,

I don't know who this genleman Saladin may be, but how do you allow insulting comments of personal nature by Cvele.

Should we start insulting everyone that possesses the name SLobodan by telling such individuals that they carry the name of a war criminal.

Personal names do not carry or share any blames of the past historic criminals.

Afrim Hoxha

pre 16 godina

Thanks to Mr. Lantos and Mr. Engel for supporting the truth. Whoever did not see this in video, should really see it. It shows how Russians completely froze in front of the strong and true arguments made by Mr. Lantos and Mr. Engel.
I would like to remind to some closed minded serbs here who accuse us as islamic terrorists... Israel is the country who suffers the most from the islamists in the middle east. If we the albanians were islamic terrorists then the Jews like Mr. Lantos would not support us. Please serbs, do yourselves a favor, start living in the world of reality, stop accusing us of terrorism, because our president is not apologizing to other countries for crimes but it is YOUR OWN PRESIDENT TADIC who is apologizing for the crimes and this tells the truth about who is a terrorist and who is not. Start accepting the truth as your president Tadic is.

Thank you.

Mikel

pre 16 godina

Canadien said:
Kosovo will be recognized by maybe 1 or 2 G8 Countries, about 2 or 3 countries from the 15 member security council and 3 or 4 countries in the 27 member EU, finally less then 20% of the rest of the 193 countries in the world, at best this is the recognition they will get and this is hardly half of the world.

Kosovo will be recognized by:
USA
Canada
UK
France
Germany
Italy (and here we have 7 out of G7 most powerful countries of the world)

Kosovo will be recognized by
US, UK, France, China, Belgium, South Africa, Slovakia, China (Im not kiddin), Ghana, Indonesia (and all other UNSC countries except Russia, which will do it later.

And Kosovo will be recognized by the whole EU, so it is no need to be recognized by all the countries one by one, even if I am sure that if such a thing would happen, the only EU member not to recognize an independent Kosovo immediately would be Greece.
So, dear canadien, correct your data.

laki bani

pre 16 godina

A query, to the Serbian commentators?

How’s possible an unable nation (read: Kosovars) who will be most probably starving in the future, are so efficient in bribing all relevant international factors? Where they get that money from? What is wrong with a new Islamic state wherever it is established? What do you guys know about Islam religion? Why don’t you ever talk about war criminals like Milosevic, Mladic etc who had terrorized all neighbors around for more then 10 years? Memories are so fresh and documented. They did so on your behalf, remember that.
Don’t allow pseudo-friends (no matter who they are) to manipulate Serbian being. It is impossible to erase very recent history with recalculating the figures; it is against each low, either international or national. Just to remind you: the law is human creature established to make life better. It is subject to change whenever is considered inefficient.
So instead, crying for the future of the two million Albanians who will (according to you) be a heavy burden to America, you better think rationally and get to work for a bright future.