EU ministers set to talk Kosovo Monday

"But officials also said that the Security Council would have the final word, with a resolution needed for the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to be phased out and the EU operation to move in. "

can it get any clearer than this?

I think that the Contact Group with make a resolutin outside the UN SC to replace UNMIK with EU mission, just like they did in 99 when NATO started bombing YUG. US and other western countries said that in case they can not find a resolution in the UN SC they are going to find other ways to do it.
In my opinion this would be a better way than leaving Kosovo at status quo which can result into violence.

Eagle said > "US and other western countries said that in case they can not find a resolution in the UN SC they are going to find other ways to do it."

Yes other ways but not unilateral recognition that way is diffenatly off the table the EU has made that very clear in the past couple of months.

European

I agree with you. The US never seem to learn that it does not own the UNSC, much less the entire world. With the greatest balance of payment deficit in the world, it is no longer the economic stud that it still believes itself to be. It also forgot the bitter lesson from its Vietnam debacle and as a result is in a mess today in Iraq and Afghanistan. And it is desperately armtwisting its Nato allies privately to help bail it out of these countries.

Yes other ways but not unilateral recognition that way is diffenatly off the table the EU has made that very clear in the past couple of months.
(Canadien, 22. July 2007 15:57) "

If serbia has any desire to 'prosper' as a nation they will have set their egos aside and let Kosova go. Otherwise, stagnation will include serbia too. Serbs need to wise up and stop listening to those lazar nihilists.

That’s the right way. Europe can handle it’s own affairs without US direct involvement. Hopefully Serbians and Albanians will find common ground for economical prosperity within Serbia and its province of Kosovo and Metohija. Albanians from Kosovo and Metohija should abandon the utopia and work hard to provide their children with brighter future. Kosovo and Metohija is multi-ethnic province of the Serbia, similar to USA, Australia and Canada. Albanians should be proud on their own ethnicity but in same time should work for the prosperity of the society in whole. I live in multi-ethnic society but in same time I didn’t abandon my background.
What will happen if each ethnic group within multi-ethnic societies starts to request its own peace of lend to be recognised as a new country?
I am sorry, but as much as I try to be neutral I can’t find any logic in your fight for separation. For somebody looking from outside the main reason for the fight for separation is religious beliefs – ie. distractions of old monasteries and churches that does not belong to Albanians and Serbians but to whole world as a heritage from the past. Whoever initiated its destruction should be severely punished.

New talks would be waste of money and time!
Unless both sides offer something more serious to talk about,like Partition for instance.
We all know that both Albanians and Serbs won't agree on anything so I don't know why more time has been given when nothing will be agreed.
UN invested billions in Kosova/o.They are still administrating Kosova/o and they will have a final say about the future of Kosova/o.
It will be another failure if they let this go.I don't mind if Kosova/o stays supervised for many years or if won't have a UN seat,the main thing is to be "divorced" from Serbia.There is no life together,we can talk whole day and try to find a solution,but we would be kidding ourselves.
Partition,separate ways,good economic relations,thats the only way.

Finaly there is opportunity for the right approach. The mightiest countries, indeed, have to prepare to SC proposal acceptable for all. It is not possible it's impossible. Hope US will not spoil this opportunity.

Many commentators here seem to be living in 1999 and have not come out of the bubble to understand that 2007 is an entirely different world. the Bush doctrine of unilateral action is dead and buried.The EU will not do anything outside of UNSC authority and the US is going into an election mentality with Kosovo not even being a minor issue.Having said this,it is high time for the 1 million Serbian-Americans to go into high overdrive to influence the media war where the Kosovo issue will be fought and lobby their representatives in the US Senate and House with money and votes.

The US owns the UN. The UN is funded through US money.
Europe cannot do anything without the leadership of the US. It has never done anything important towards prosperity and peace without the leadership of the US since WWI. If it were not for the US we would have dozens of North Coreas, Cubas, and Burmas all over the world. God Bless the United States of America.

Lilly
Good one! You almost convinced me there.

Now the talks begin. Dont be surprised if Russia in the end calls this group useless and quits. UN has the end say. US, England, Russia, Pristina and Belgrade know this.

Belgrade and Pristina finally have a chance for honest dialogue with sensible approach from Contract Group.
Albanian approach must be to stop hating to live in Serbia.
Fact is that ethnic Albanians must live side by side with Serbs and other ethnic groups.
Fact is that ethnic Albanians must live in Serbian sovereign territory.
Fact is that ethnic Albanians must accept both of above in order to move forward in progressive economic prosperity and peace for all citizens.
Division and partition can only lead to chaos, instability for Balkan region, warring factions, mafia out of control.
Too many people are tired of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija seeking reasons and looking for excuses to hate Serbs and dismember the sovereign state of Serbia.
If the mental block was to stop focusing on illegal independence, there must be a solution.

So in other words, a UN resolution was pulled, will be reshuffled and rediscussed among the Contact Group and a 27-member EU body, and then reintroduced for a UN resolution?

Seems to me that the Ahtisaari Proposal is now on its way out. It also seems to me that the fate of Kosovo, while out of the recalcitrant hands of the Americans and Russians, may now come to that needed compromise in order to get it passed. No doubt Eurocracy will water down the Kosovo bill to the degree that Russians, and maybe even Serbs, might acquiesce. With states like Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and even Italy to apply appropriate brakes and a call for a reexamination, we just may get a deal that gives the Albanians the self determination they want, while maximizing Serbian efforts to control and retain as much of their own interests and securities as needed.

Russia is standing Usa. Really? Did they stand Usa in 1999?
For all those people that are saying that Usa did crime when kicking out serbian forces out of Kosovo, they are out of their mind. Serbia did crimes in Kosovo and USA dident stand it.
Usa is the most beatiful country in the world. The most democratic country in the world. Everyone wants to go to America.
In Usa you can say anything you want, you can have as many kids as you want (disregard China) and people live together no matter where are they from. Im sure that everyone in the world would do anything to go to USA.
Anyways, democrat was Clinton when he bombed Belgrade and now Bush is republican and supports Kosovo independence so there is no dividing in the Kosovo issue. And to say that Kosovo is in Europe and Usa dosent care about Kosovo it is laughable.
Usa will have their dominance in the whole world.
Albanians wana bee protected by Usa and thanks to having a so called very strategic region in balkan they will bee.
I recall mr Kostunica that Usa is really madening their relations. Does really Usa care about Serbia.
Rice: Kosovo will bee independent one way or another.
Everyone should bee assured of that.

It's not so easy to wrench a sovereign country's integral land from it, is it? Now the Contact Group must decide how to replace UNMIK with EUMIK with Beograd's and Pristina's consent. There is no other way and the worst-case scenario is receding further and further away. The solution now is partitioned autonomy.

It is very clear that west wants independence for Kosovo. I dont see any point in having more talks between albanians and serbs. EU will want to conduct negatiations and refer to Ahtisari plans which serbs wont do it and Russia will want 100 years longer negotation which USA and albanians dont want. As much as messy it seems declaration of independence will seem the best solution. Yes there will bee some countries that will hesitate to regognise it but the powerful countries will after USA.
How many russians companys would they be in Kosovo anyways. Russia has very big economics problems theirself.
They are just having their last bark in Europe. Soon there will bee more new countries divided from Russia. They will bee soon just as poor as Romania, Bulgaria, Moldavia and some nonherd countries.
I live in USA and I see so many russians coming here as imigrants from there.
To equl thir politic powers would bee very laughabale.

I have asked the question many times, "Who will the Albanians direct their violence towards in Kosovo now?, and have never gotten a solid answer. There has been something about patrolling borders, not letting serbs in, blah blah, or what not but, where will the Albanian violence be focused? I cannot see where? It's 2007, no CIA and NATO backing of KLA insurgents anymore- there are no JNA troops in Kosovo anymore, Milosevic is gone, no Red Berets, no Arkan Tigers. Who will the Albanians fight? NATO or UN troops? Maybe? Probably not. That is why I find this entire, "There will be violence"', "We are running out of time"' etc., arguments, so ridiculous. K_Albanians can only shoot themselves in the foot. It is time for all the citizens of Serbia, Serb or Albanian, or Roma, or Greek, to join in an effort to make Kosovo a prosperous and mutually productive place for all of Serbia's citizens. Why be so concerned about borders, when you want to break them down anyway to join the EU?

I think that the Contact Group with make a resolutin outside the UN SC to replace UNMIK with EU mission, just like they did in 99 when NATO started bombing YUG. US and other western countries said that in case they can not find a resolution in the UN SC they are going to find other ways to do it.
In my opinion this would be a better way than leaving Kosovo at status quo which can result into violence.

New talks would be waste of money and time!
Unless both sides offer something more serious to talk about,like Partition for instance.
We all know that both Albanians and Serbs won't agree on anything so I don't know why more time has been given when nothing will be agreed.
UN invested billions in Kosova/o.They are still administrating Kosova/o and they will have a final say about the future of Kosova/o.
It will be another failure if they let this go.I don't mind if Kosova/o stays supervised for many years or if won't have a UN seat,the main thing is to be "divorced" from Serbia.There is no life together,we can talk whole day and try to find a solution,but we would be kidding ourselves.
Partition,separate ways,good economic relations,thats the only way.

"But officials also said that the Security Council would have the final word, with a resolution needed for the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to be phased out and the EU operation to move in. "

can it get any clearer than this?

European

I agree with you. The US never seem to learn that it does not own the UNSC, much less the entire world. With the greatest balance of payment deficit in the world, it is no longer the economic stud that it still believes itself to be. It also forgot the bitter lesson from its Vietnam debacle and as a result is in a mess today in Iraq and Afghanistan. And it is desperately armtwisting its Nato allies privately to help bail it out of these countries.

Yes other ways but not unilateral recognition that way is diffenatly off the table the EU has made that very clear in the past couple of months.
(Canadien, 22. July 2007 15:57) "

If serbia has any desire to 'prosper' as a nation they will have set their egos aside and let Kosova go. Otherwise, stagnation will include serbia too. Serbs need to wise up and stop listening to those lazar nihilists.

That’s the right way. Europe can handle it’s own affairs without US direct involvement. Hopefully Serbians and Albanians will find common ground for economical prosperity within Serbia and its province of Kosovo and Metohija. Albanians from Kosovo and Metohija should abandon the utopia and work hard to provide their children with brighter future. Kosovo and Metohija is multi-ethnic province of the Serbia, similar to USA, Australia and Canada. Albanians should be proud on their own ethnicity but in same time should work for the prosperity of the society in whole. I live in multi-ethnic society but in same time I didn’t abandon my background.
What will happen if each ethnic group within multi-ethnic societies starts to request its own peace of lend to be recognised as a new country?
I am sorry, but as much as I try to be neutral I can’t find any logic in your fight for separation. For somebody looking from outside the main reason for the fight for separation is religious beliefs – ie. distractions of old monasteries and churches that does not belong to Albanians and Serbians but to whole world as a heritage from the past. Whoever initiated its destruction should be severely punished.

Finaly there is opportunity for the right approach. The mightiest countries, indeed, have to prepare to SC proposal acceptable for all. It is not possible it's impossible. Hope US will not spoil this opportunity.

Eagle said > "US and other western countries said that in case they can not find a resolution in the UN SC they are going to find other ways to do it."

Yes other ways but not unilateral recognition that way is diffenatly off the table the EU has made that very clear in the past couple of months.

Russia is standing Usa. Really? Did they stand Usa in 1999?
For all those people that are saying that Usa did crime when kicking out serbian forces out of Kosovo, they are out of their mind. Serbia did crimes in Kosovo and USA dident stand it.
Usa is the most beatiful country in the world. The most democratic country in the world. Everyone wants to go to America.
In Usa you can say anything you want, you can have as many kids as you want (disregard China) and people live together no matter where are they from. Im sure that everyone in the world would do anything to go to USA.
Anyways, democrat was Clinton when he bombed Belgrade and now Bush is republican and supports Kosovo independence so there is no dividing in the Kosovo issue. And to say that Kosovo is in Europe and Usa dosent care about Kosovo it is laughable.
Usa will have their dominance in the whole world.
Albanians wana bee protected by Usa and thanks to having a so called very strategic region in balkan they will bee.
I recall mr Kostunica that Usa is really madening their relations. Does really Usa care about Serbia.
Rice: Kosovo will bee independent one way or another.
Everyone should bee assured of that.

The US owns the UN. The UN is funded through US money.
Europe cannot do anything without the leadership of the US. It has never done anything important towards prosperity and peace without the leadership of the US since WWI. If it were not for the US we would have dozens of North Coreas, Cubas, and Burmas all over the world. God Bless the United States of America.

It is very clear that west wants independence for Kosovo. I dont see any point in having more talks between albanians and serbs. EU will want to conduct negatiations and refer to Ahtisari plans which serbs wont do it and Russia will want 100 years longer negotation which USA and albanians dont want. As much as messy it seems declaration of independence will seem the best solution. Yes there will bee some countries that will hesitate to regognise it but the powerful countries will after USA.
How many russians companys would they be in Kosovo anyways. Russia has very big economics problems theirself.
They are just having their last bark in Europe. Soon there will bee more new countries divided from Russia. They will bee soon just as poor as Romania, Bulgaria, Moldavia and some nonherd countries.
I live in USA and I see so many russians coming here as imigrants from there.
To equl thir politic powers would bee very laughabale.

Belgrade and Pristina finally have a chance for honest dialogue with sensible approach from Contract Group.
Albanian approach must be to stop hating to live in Serbia.
Fact is that ethnic Albanians must live side by side with Serbs and other ethnic groups.
Fact is that ethnic Albanians must live in Serbian sovereign territory.
Fact is that ethnic Albanians must accept both of above in order to move forward in progressive economic prosperity and peace for all citizens.
Division and partition can only lead to chaos, instability for Balkan region, warring factions, mafia out of control.
Too many people are tired of ethnic Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija seeking reasons and looking for excuses to hate Serbs and dismember the sovereign state of Serbia.
If the mental block was to stop focusing on illegal independence, there must be a solution.

So in other words, a UN resolution was pulled, will be reshuffled and rediscussed among the Contact Group and a 27-member EU body, and then reintroduced for a UN resolution?

Seems to me that the Ahtisaari Proposal is now on its way out. It also seems to me that the fate of Kosovo, while out of the recalcitrant hands of the Americans and Russians, may now come to that needed compromise in order to get it passed. No doubt Eurocracy will water down the Kosovo bill to the degree that Russians, and maybe even Serbs, might acquiesce. With states like Greece, Romania, Slovakia, Spain, and even Italy to apply appropriate brakes and a call for a reexamination, we just may get a deal that gives the Albanians the self determination they want, while maximizing Serbian efforts to control and retain as much of their own interests and securities as needed.

It's not so easy to wrench a sovereign country's integral land from it, is it? Now the Contact Group must decide how to replace UNMIK with EUMIK with Beograd's and Pristina's consent. There is no other way and the worst-case scenario is receding further and further away. The solution now is partitioned autonomy.

Lilly
Good one! You almost convinced me there.

Now the talks begin. Dont be surprised if Russia in the end calls this group useless and quits. UN has the end say. US, England, Russia, Pristina and Belgrade know this.

Many commentators here seem to be living in 1999 and have not come out of the bubble to understand that 2007 is an entirely different world. the Bush doctrine of unilateral action is dead and buried.The EU will not do anything outside of UNSC authority and the US is going into an election mentality with Kosovo not even being a minor issue.Having said this,it is high time for the 1 million Serbian-Americans to go into high overdrive to influence the media war where the Kosovo issue will be fought and lobby their representatives in the US Senate and House with money and votes.

I have asked the question many times, "Who will the Albanians direct their violence towards in Kosovo now?, and have never gotten a solid answer. There has been something about patrolling borders, not letting serbs in, blah blah, or what not but, where will the Albanian violence be focused? I cannot see where? It's 2007, no CIA and NATO backing of KLA insurgents anymore- there are no JNA troops in Kosovo anymore, Milosevic is gone, no Red Berets, no Arkan Tigers. Who will the Albanians fight? NATO or UN troops? Maybe? Probably not. That is why I find this entire, "There will be violence"', "We are running out of time"' etc., arguments, so ridiculous. K_Albanians can only shoot themselves in the foot. It is time for all the citizens of Serbia, Serb or Albanian, or Roma, or Greek, to join in an effort to make Kosovo a prosperous and mutually productive place for all of Serbia's citizens. Why be so concerned about borders, when you want to break them down anyway to join the EU?