Troika to hold separate meetings in Vienna

“Serbia should pay far more attention to the complexity of the issue in question. There are politicians that behave in the manner characteristic of late Serbian President Slobodan Milošević.”

This is very true. Serbia has a Prime Minister that is an offshoot of Milosevic.

If they don start behaving rationaly they may lose much more then Kosovo.

Talk is cheap, but reality is very harsh for these guys.

I found you Victor, you can run from post to post but you can’t hide. Victor states “that his view is the same as that of Antic” and Antic according to Victor is an intelligent Serb so by deduction Victor is as intelligent as an intelligent Serb since he agrees with Antic. “It is a shame to notice that the 200 000 Serbs living in 'camps' inside Serbia are not taken into account.” See how our intelligent Victor turns things around. As he states “These people have to return to their home and Serbia is doing nothing to help them.” The problem Victor is not Serbia but the Kosovo Albanians who are not doing anything to facilitate their return. Somewhat similar to Croatia Victor, and I suppose it’s the Serbian fault the Croatia is not facilitating the return of 300, 000 ethnically cleansed Serbs. And what about an independent Krajina after the Serbs return Victor you will agree its viable as a state since San Marino, Andorra, Malta and Monaco are viable entities. Or what do you think Victor the refugee Serbs are not intelligent like you and Antic so they should return to Krajina and Kosovo to Camps like the ones Croats had for Muslims and Serbs in railway tunnels, and oil storage tanks or better yet as they arrive they can be welcomed by the KLA and the Ustashi with grenades and roadside bombs.

"I am surprised to notice that Mr Antic's views on Kosovo are exactly as mine. So it means that there are intelligent Serbs who can elevate themselves over nationalism and patriotism and analyse a situation in a very positive manner."

Victor,
Are you saying that you are surprised to have found a Serb who is just as intelligent as you, objective as you and unbiased in opinion as you?
This must be another person named Victor?

«Kosovo Serbs should be our greatest concern at the moment, rather than the political elite that benefits if the Kosovo issue »

I am surprised to notice that Mr Antic's views on Kosovo are exactly as mine. So it means that there are intelligent Serbs who can elevate themselves over nationalism and patriotism and analyse a situation in a very positive manner.

I agree that the Kostunica and Tadic are pursuing in Milosevic's steps, regarding Kosovo, and cannot envisage a solution that would benefit all the Serbs inside a united and strong Kosovo. It is a shame to notice that the 200 000 Serbs living in 'camps' inside Serbia are not taken into account. These people have to return to their home and Serbia is doing nothing to help them.

As Milosevic used the Serbian nationalism to remain in power, So are Kostunica and Tadic doing by showing a radical attitude eu regard to Kosovo.

They don't want to envisage the independence of Kosovo as a positive a viable option for all Kosovars, Serbs included, and they don't want to admit that it is the only option.

The following post has nothing to do with the article and I hope b92 will posted because this will b enews for them as well.
I want all pro serb camp, such as: Kate, jovan, Lazar, cvele and amny others to know that tomorrow morning about 11:00 am, the Minister of Interior from Montenegro is coming to Kosova to inaguarte the new border post in Kulla+to open e new border post in QAKOR and we are talking about International cross border checkpoint. serbia is alging behind on the events that are taking place right in the front of their eyes and yet they can not see it. Kosova is moving forward along with their neigbors without serbia even knowing it. I wonder where their MUP agents are.My information will proove right and thsi will tell you for the past information that is all true and not fiction as most of serb camp writes here.

Thank you for the article Mike. I must confess that the first thing that I did was to check his credentials. The professor clearly is an immaculate researcher. Article is very interesting and tries to address our biggest dilemma of coexistence or separation.
I have to say I did not agree with him on many things.
He talks a great deal of political autonomy but I am not sure what he exactly means. If I am correct in thinking that he means a separate mini-assembly for 200, 000 inhabitants I think he is going the wrong way in advocating a people’s republic with direct citizen participation.
I do not understand functional need of another assembly in such a tiny place as Kosova. The legitimate concerns of the Serbs can be addressed easily by a tailor made constitution, veto powers, cultural and educational autonomy and of course by normal political parliamentary life.
I believe that a more federated construct of Kosova would put into jeopardy the viability of the new fragile state. It would give Serbia a free range into interfering and obstructing the fragile equilibrium anytime it wishes.
I do not share the optimism of some of my compatriot here that Kosova can function as a normal sovereign entity without taking into account the views of Kosova Serbs but additionally that of BG. A great deal would depend on the good will of immediate neighbours and Serbia’s in particular. Nonetheless, the minorities on both sides can be bridge of cooperation rather than clusters of separation as the professor is suggesting.
All Mr. Kuperman is proposing is an imposed division in all but name.
You cannot have two police forces for the same state. By all mean have only Serb servicemen for Serb areas but ultimately they have to be Kosova’s police force. In the end K- Serbs need to make a choice when it comes to political legitimacy and sovereign command.

I'll do a bit of an Ahmet and suggest nothing completly connected but in the Slovak news service it is clear that the ethnic-Albanians of FYR Macedonia are stiring up seperatist unrest again for an Ilyrian state;

"Hnutie Ilyrida vo svojom najnovšom vyhlásení žiada rozdelenie krajiny na dva rovnocenné federálne štáty- macedónsky a albánsky. "
http://spravy.pravda.sk/albanci-chcu-svoj-stat-uz-aj-v-macedonsku-ffo-/sk_svet.asp?c=A070816_193057_sk_svet_p12

Rough translation the movement Ilyrida is stating its expression for confederation of the republic of makedonia split between a western ethnic-Albanian and a Eastern Makedonia slav federation. Where next?

"According to Antić, it is hypocritical to say that Kosovo should not be divided since two thirds of Kosovo Serbs lived in the enclaves to the south of the Ibar River.

“Two thirds of Kosovo Serbs are actually living in refuge in Serbia proper, and they should be the first to say that circumstances in Kosovo need to change."

If these K-Serbs currently outside Kosovo are made to return, I will bet my last dollar that most if not all of them will choose to go to the north. I agree therefore that partition makes sense.

Whatever the future of Kosovo will be, the only possibility to avoid new violent confrontations between Serbs and Albanians is to approach both sides with a clear framework for the European Union membership. It has become clear that the international community is not capable of resolving the problem in the province. The EU may be a competent player to keep peace on the continent (the EU optimistically announced at the Thessaloniki summit in June 2003 that the Western Balkans would definitely be offered membership into the EU at some unspecified point in the future). If talking about independence for the province, it is still only the EU that can facilitate that process and bring Serbs and Albanians closer. This means that Serbian territory will be forever lost and Kosovo Serbs will have to content themselves with a compromise solution of some kind, not the one the Serbian political elite optimistically expects. Moreover, no formal status will work if the inhabitants continue to hate and see no development opportunities. If we ignore human needs for fear reduction, deep reconciliation and economic recovery, independent Kosovo will become another failed state.
Branislav Radeljic

what next? i will tell you:if serbs of north mitrovica have the right to choose to join serbia,why the hungarians of serbia would not have the right to join hungaria ,and the bulgarian of serbia to join bulgaria,and the albanian of serbia to join kosova,and so on...don't forget that ,you must be ready to give to others what you want for yourselves¨!

Ahmet
You don't make any sense what is all the talk of spies

Vienna were the world can come together! Good article! I hope the Serb camp in here wont scrutinize the troika decision at the end, even thou it wont be a suggested on but an enforced one! Independence is Coming. Serb camp enjoy bragging about that 1244 that you claim Kosovo because after that is ripped apart and memory's is all that remain.

Just to correct myself guys, I used the word inaguration but it is not because I meant to say they will decide for the right and just spot according to International borders where to build new border chechpoints with mutual agreemant of course, and Iam talking about both areas that I mentioned in my previous article. I am suprised that serb spies dont know what is going on, right in their back yard.

lili
and the mexicans in california can join Mexico, and the chinese in british columbia can join china, and the little havana in miami can join officialy cuba and kurds could go their own way. Dont forget whats good enough for the balkans is good enough for the rest of the world.

Come on now lili
When have the albans ever achived any success. Tell me honestly in history what was the great alban contribution to the world? Im waiting.

I mean where u get off thinking that since these countries that u tried to kill and slaughter and have still let u live on their territory will ever allow albania to expand? Not even US wants that. All that matters is that if there is another balkan conflict it will be christians vs muslims and it will not be pretty. But ultimately u have no support other then other islam nations. U r doomed to failure.

Village-Bey, I understand your concern for fragmentation of Kosovo, and I wouldn't go so far as to carve a smaller state out of an aleady seceding state. Nevertheless, I think both you and I agree that the fundamental problem with Kosovo, and the reason for the secession movement, is a question of sovereignty. Simply put, Albanians no longer recognize the sovereign authority of Belgrade in Kosovo. Unfortunately, the Serb do not recognize the sovereingty of Albanians either. So in the end we have two people not wanting to give recognition to the other. This has been mainly the result of a fundamental lack of trust. Albanians do not trust the Serbs, and with good reason. Yet Serbs likewise do not trust Albanians, equally with good reason.

I also think we both would agree with Branislav's statement above yours: "no formal status will work if the inhabitants continue to hate and see no development opportunities. If we ignore human needs for fear reduction, deep reconciliation and economic recovery, independent Kosovo will become another failed state."

It seems therefore that the best (albeit not the most efficient) solution in moving forward (and you clearly have shown a desire to move forward) is to first start out with both communities having respectively separate local political institutions until trust is built up. With any optimism, if Serbs realize that an independent Kosovo truly guarantees their rights to movement, work, and raises their standards of living, they may be more amicable to sharing power and internal borders over time may be reduced. Sometimes taking the first crucial steps involves tangible security guarantees, hence the federated model.

If you're interested, there's a fascinating book by Juan Linz and Alfred Stepan, two political scientists, called "Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation" http://www.amazon.com/Problems-Democratic-Transition-Consolidation-Post-Communist/dp/0801851580/ref=ed_oe_p/102-3174684-5181742?ie=UTF8&qid=1187327337&sr=1-1

Chapter 2 deals very nicely with the issue of "stateness" and sovereignty. While Serbia/Kosovo is not included in the work, and while the work largely places cultural preferences in a secondary role, it's an interesting read to apply to the current situation. I think you're someone who would like it!

PS - Branislav, I totaly agree with the last parts of your comments.

@ Lili, but of course it is OK for the Albanians to break away from Serbia, but not for the Serbs of Kosovo to stay a part of Serbia. Either you except multi-ethnic states and argue for autonomy in Serbia, or you don't. Your argument does not make sense.

@ Village Bey, you obviously have little experience of other conflicts! The Annan Plan for Cyprus, which has a total population of less than 1 million proposed separate Greek and Turkish states with their own assemblies (as it happens, the Turkish Cypriots number 200,000) and no one thought that this was too 'democratic'. Likewise, there would have been separate police forces there. In any case, your argument about separate police forces makes little sense in general terms? There are plenty of cases where separate forces operate in a single country. The United Kingdom, for instance, has over thirty different forces with different uniforms and insignias. You are just trying to use the situation in Bosnia - where police reform is being used as a cover for centralisation - to argue against somethign that would make perfect sense in Kosovo.

I was drawn to a rather interesting article yesterday in the Wall Street Journal about Kosovo. Apparently, I'm not the only one thinking of a confederation in Kosovo.

You can find the article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118652656827990962.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The one divergence I have is rather than make northern Kosovo an autonomous Serbian Republic, we should also include all the Serb enclaves in the south as well. This would essentially be taking the provisions and guarantees of protection of Serbs as codified in the Ahtisaari Plan, and increasing its potency to inter-republic status along the model of RS in Bosnia. This avoids any potential dangers of Pristina overriding and eliminating the rights of Serbs down the road. It also avoids the nightmare scenario of ethnic conflict and war as a response. It's messy, it's far from unifying, but it covers all Serb concerns, gives Belgrade a "victory" of some sorts, let's Russia capitalize on halting unplanned US strategies, fulfills US goals of Albanian self determination, and gives the Albanians the independence they want.

I hope the link works. The WSJ sometimes requires one to sign in. I'd be interested in hearing comments from the more moderate Albanians on this site: Nick, Village-bey, Teni...

As unfortunately predicted, one needs a subscription. Here is the full article for those interested in reading:

The U.N.'s Flawed Kosovo Plan
By ALAN J. KUPERMAN
August 16, 2007; Page A11
Twice in the early 1990s, the international community prematurely supported the independence of a former Yugoslav territory before
addressing the concerns of its Serb minority. In both cases, Croatia and Bosnia, this failure triggered a bloody ethnic war between secessionists and fearful local Serbs, who perpetrated inexcusable war crimes. Fighting ended only when Serbs were either granted autonomous regions and police forces to patrol them, or when they were ethnically cleansed from the territory.
Today, the United States is poised to repeat the mistake by recognizing the independence of Kosovo before
Serb concerns are addressed.
Admittedly, the arguments for
Kosovo's independence are
powerful. Ninety percent of the province is now ethnically
Albanian. Serbia abused its
sovereignty under former leader Slobodan Milosevic, first by revoking Kosovo's autonomy and then -- in response to NATO bombing in 1999 -- by launching attacks
that temporarily expelled half the ethnic Albanian population and claimed 10,000 lives. Most important, the U.S. has for years raised expectations that it would
recognize the independence of Kosovo. Failing to make good on those expectations could spur militant Kosovo Albanians to attack Serbs and
even international peacekeepers.

As in the earlier Balkan cases, however, the question is not whether to grant independence, but how to do it in a way that avoids war. In 1991, Germany supported the secession of Croatia, even though its government
overtly discriminated against Serbs, virtually guaranteeing violence. Likewise, in 1992, the U.S. recognized the independence of Bosnia,
despite pleas by its Serbs (supported by Europe's top mediator) to first guarantee their security via ethnic autonomy. By ignoring these pleas, Washington triggered years of fighting that ended only when the Dayton Accords belatedly awarded the Serbs the autonomy that could have
averted war in the first place.

The current plan for Kosovo's independence, drafted by United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari, makes some concessions to the province's Serbs. It grants them protection of cultural sites and redraws internal boundaries so most Serbs can live in municipalities where they have a local majority. These municipalities also would enjoy limited autonomy on issues such as education and permission to receive outside funding from
Serbia. The ethnic makeup of police in each municipality would mirror local demographics.

But in a fatal flaw, the U.N. plan denies full political autonomy to the large concentration of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo's north, above the Ibar River. This region has an overwhelming Serb majority and is contiguous to the rest of Serbia. Accordingly, the Serbs in northern Kosovo view the U.N. plan as unfairly ripping them from Serbia and subordinating them to the
dominion of ethnic Albanians, who have perpetrated two ethnic cleansing campaigns in the past eight years. The U.N. plan offers the north neither a distinct political identity nor a separate police force. Instead it would leave these Serbs insecure, resentful and well-armed -- precisely the conditions that originally triggered war in Croatia and
Bosnia.

To appreciate the importance that Serbs attach to a separate political identity and police force, one need only look at neighboring Bosnia. To end war there in 1995, the Dayton Accords guaranteed full autonomy to
a "Serb Republic" within Bosnia. Some of that autonomy has since been whittled away by international administrators and diplomatic pressure, but Bosnia's Serbs stand firm on two points: their distinct political entity and police.

Indeed, when the EU recently tried to pressure them on these issues, the Serbs threatened to secede from Bosnia and sacrifice potential EU membership rather than compromise. As the interior minister of Bosnia's Serb Republic told me in a meeting last month, "We want to stay in Bosnia and join the EU, but not at any cost."

In Kosovo, where Serbs are similarly insecure, the U.N. plan threatens to unleash the following nightmare scenario: Upon independence, the Serb north declares itself separate from the newly recognized Kosovo. Ethnic Serb police in the north tear
off their existing Kosovo Police Service uniforms and revert to the insignia of Serbia. Albanian militants respond by launching attacks, not merely in the northern Serb stronghold but against vulnerable enclaves elsewhere in the province where most of Kosovo's Serbs still live. International peacekeepers -- a relatively small and incoherent group of 17,000
troops from 35 nations -- are unable to stop the large-scale violence. (Indeed, in 2004, they proved unable to stop even small-scale violence.)

As Albanians attack Serb houses and cultural sites, refugees stream northward. In Belgrade, Serb nationalists demand that the government do something to protect their brethren in Kosovo, creating irresistible political pressure to deploy forces.
Full-blown war erupts between Serbia and Kosovo as international peacekeepers and administrators watch their past eight
years of work go up in smoke.

To avert this disaster, the U.N. plan should be modified to create a fully autonomous "Serb Republic of Kosovo-Metohija" (as Belgrade calls the province) within a Kosovo that would be recognized as independent only when the Albanians accept this provision. Russia, which until now has blocked U.N. action on Serbia's behalf, could claim a major victory and then insist that Belgrade endorse the plan, paving the way for Security Council approval.
Although seemingly minor, this modification could make all the difference. At independence, the north's police still would shed their old uniforms, but now would don the insignia of Kosovo's new Serb Republic, thereby acknowledging Kosovo's
independence. Albanian leaders hardly could object since they already would have agreed to this Serb entity as a condition of independence. Even the province's Albanian militants should be deterred by the realization that if they resorted to force,
sanctions now would come down on them, not the Serbs, for violating the plan.

This compromise would not fully satisfy any party. Serbia still would bemoan the violation of its sovereignty. Kosovo's Albanians would resent the bifurcation of their new country. And Serbs in enclaves outside the north would feel abandoned.

But the proposal just might enable independence of this former Yugoslav territory without a tragic repeat of the ethnic violence of the 1990s. That would be no small feat.

Mr. Kuperman, an assistant professor at the University of Texas, Austin, is co-editor of "Gambling on Humanitarian Intervention" (Routledge, 2006).

I a 100% sure that I did not use the name of person that used mine just below(post #13).What I wrote is something of inside info that I am very suprised at serbian secret services which are not aware what is going on between two neigboring countries of serbia. I thought that spies never sleep and have no boundaries.
Guess what, I will attend that meeting today in both sites and also have lunch in restourant located in Rugova Canyon with Interior Minister from Montenegro.
This is a painful news to serbia.

Hi Ahmet how did lunch go with the interior minister from Montenegro and did you mange to attend the meeting on both sites please feed back.

Avi
Not sure about trusted worldwide actually got a bad reputation in the uk for organised crime and I haven't heard a positive word about you in Italty and Greece to name a couple. How did you get a Serb passport in the 1st place. do you really want to be a Serb??

Juliana, ask the Minister yourself even though he was unable to make it , he send his advisrr and his assistant and both locations were chekced throuroghly and when time comes for inaguration your Minister will be on his side and our Minister in our side and both will cut the ribobon at same time and than shake hands and exchange the cut ribbons. By the way, the lunch on the 12 Kilomet in RUGOVA CANYON was excelent. Just ask the Montenegrian delegetaion.

Cvele
What does it make you more superior from other nations or Albanians?
At least Albanians did not commit genocide or try to coloniese all ex YUG republics.Kosovars are trusted worldwide and yes they are known as victims.
Yes Cvele you are well known around the world with your great leaders like Milosevic,Seselj,Arkan,Kostunica etc.
I am sick of holding Serbian passport every border I cross I spend well time checking if I am one of war fugitive.

«Kosovo Serbs should be our greatest concern at the moment, rather than the political elite that benefits if the Kosovo issue »

I am surprised to notice that Mr Antic's views on Kosovo are exactly as mine. So it means that there are intelligent Serbs who can elevate themselves over nationalism and patriotism and analyse a situation in a very positive manner.

I agree that the Kostunica and Tadic are pursuing in Milosevic's steps, regarding Kosovo, and cannot envisage a solution that would benefit all the Serbs inside a united and strong Kosovo. It is a shame to notice that the 200 000 Serbs living in 'camps' inside Serbia are not taken into account. These people have to return to their home and Serbia is doing nothing to help them.

As Milosevic used the Serbian nationalism to remain in power, So are Kostunica and Tadic doing by showing a radical attitude eu regard to Kosovo.

They don't want to envisage the independence of Kosovo as a positive a viable option for all Kosovars, Serbs included, and they don't want to admit that it is the only option.

“Serbia should pay far more attention to the complexity of the issue in question. There are politicians that behave in the manner characteristic of late Serbian President Slobodan Milošević.”

This is very true. Serbia has a Prime Minister that is an offshoot of Milosevic.

If they don start behaving rationaly they may lose much more then Kosovo.

Talk is cheap, but reality is very harsh for these guys.

"According to Antić, it is hypocritical to say that Kosovo should not be divided since two thirds of Kosovo Serbs lived in the enclaves to the south of the Ibar River.

“Two thirds of Kosovo Serbs are actually living in refuge in Serbia proper, and they should be the first to say that circumstances in Kosovo need to change."

If these K-Serbs currently outside Kosovo are made to return, I will bet my last dollar that most if not all of them will choose to go to the north. I agree therefore that partition makes sense.

The following post has nothing to do with the article and I hope b92 will posted because this will b enews for them as well.
I want all pro serb camp, such as: Kate, jovan, Lazar, cvele and amny others to know that tomorrow morning about 11:00 am, the Minister of Interior from Montenegro is coming to Kosova to inaguarte the new border post in Kulla+to open e new border post in QAKOR and we are talking about International cross border checkpoint. serbia is alging behind on the events that are taking place right in the front of their eyes and yet they can not see it. Kosova is moving forward along with their neigbors without serbia even knowing it. I wonder where their MUP agents are.My information will proove right and thsi will tell you for the past information that is all true and not fiction as most of serb camp writes here.

what next? i will tell you:if serbs of north mitrovica have the right to choose to join serbia,why the hungarians of serbia would not have the right to join hungaria ,and the bulgarian of serbia to join bulgaria,and the albanian of serbia to join kosova,and so on...don't forget that ,you must be ready to give to others what you want for yourselves¨!

Vienna were the world can come together! Good article! I hope the Serb camp in here wont scrutinize the troika decision at the end, even thou it wont be a suggested on but an enforced one! Independence is Coming. Serb camp enjoy bragging about that 1244 that you claim Kosovo because after that is ripped apart and memory's is all that remain.

I found you Victor, you can run from post to post but you can’t hide. Victor states “that his view is the same as that of Antic” and Antic according to Victor is an intelligent Serb so by deduction Victor is as intelligent as an intelligent Serb since he agrees with Antic. “It is a shame to notice that the 200 000 Serbs living in 'camps' inside Serbia are not taken into account.” See how our intelligent Victor turns things around. As he states “These people have to return to their home and Serbia is doing nothing to help them.” The problem Victor is not Serbia but the Kosovo Albanians who are not doing anything to facilitate their return. Somewhat similar to Croatia Victor, and I suppose it’s the Serbian fault the Croatia is not facilitating the return of 300, 000 ethnically cleansed Serbs. And what about an independent Krajina after the Serbs return Victor you will agree its viable as a state since San Marino, Andorra, Malta and Monaco are viable entities. Or what do you think Victor the refugee Serbs are not intelligent like you and Antic so they should return to Krajina and Kosovo to Camps like the ones Croats had for Muslims and Serbs in railway tunnels, and oil storage tanks or better yet as they arrive they can be welcomed by the KLA and the Ustashi with grenades and roadside bombs.

As unfortunately predicted, one needs a subscription. Here is the full article for those interested in reading:

The U.N.'s Flawed Kosovo Plan
By ALAN J. KUPERMAN
August 16, 2007; Page A11
Twice in the early 1990s, the international community prematurely supported the independence of a former Yugoslav territory before
addressing the concerns of its Serb minority. In both cases, Croatia and Bosnia, this failure triggered a bloody ethnic war between secessionists and fearful local Serbs, who perpetrated inexcusable war crimes. Fighting ended only when Serbs were either granted autonomous regions and police forces to patrol them, or when they were ethnically cleansed from the territory.
Today, the United States is poised to repeat the mistake by recognizing the independence of Kosovo before
Serb concerns are addressed.
Admittedly, the arguments for
Kosovo's independence are
powerful. Ninety percent of the province is now ethnically
Albanian. Serbia abused its
sovereignty under former leader Slobodan Milosevic, first by revoking Kosovo's autonomy and then -- in response to NATO bombing in 1999 -- by launching attacks
that temporarily expelled half the ethnic Albanian population and claimed 10,000 lives. Most important, the U.S. has for years raised expectations that it would
recognize the independence of Kosovo. Failing to make good on those expectations could spur militant Kosovo Albanians to attack Serbs and
even international peacekeepers.

As in the earlier Balkan cases, however, the question is not whether to grant independence, but how to do it in a way that avoids war. In 1991, Germany supported the secession of Croatia, even though its government
overtly discriminated against Serbs, virtually guaranteeing violence. Likewise, in 1992, the U.S. recognized the independence of Bosnia,
despite pleas by its Serbs (supported by Europe's top mediator) to first guarantee their security via ethnic autonomy. By ignoring these pleas, Washington triggered years of fighting that ended only when the Dayton Accords belatedly awarded the Serbs the autonomy that could have
averted war in the first place.

The current plan for Kosovo's independence, drafted by United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari, makes some concessions to the province's Serbs. It grants them protection of cultural sites and redraws internal boundaries so most Serbs can live in municipalities where they have a local majority. These municipalities also would enjoy limited autonomy on issues such as education and permission to receive outside funding from
Serbia. The ethnic makeup of police in each municipality would mirror local demographics.

But in a fatal flaw, the U.N. plan denies full political autonomy to the large concentration of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo's north, above the Ibar River. This region has an overwhelming Serb majority and is contiguous to the rest of Serbia. Accordingly, the Serbs in northern Kosovo view the U.N. plan as unfairly ripping them from Serbia and subordinating them to the
dominion of ethnic Albanians, who have perpetrated two ethnic cleansing campaigns in the past eight years. The U.N. plan offers the north neither a distinct political identity nor a separate police force. Instead it would leave these Serbs insecure, resentful and well-armed -- precisely the conditions that originally triggered war in Croatia and
Bosnia.

To appreciate the importance that Serbs attach to a separate political identity and police force, one need only look at neighboring Bosnia. To end war there in 1995, the Dayton Accords guaranteed full autonomy to
a "Serb Republic" within Bosnia. Some of that autonomy has since been whittled away by international administrators and diplomatic pressure, but Bosnia's Serbs stand firm on two points: their distinct political entity and police.

Indeed, when the EU recently tried to pressure them on these issues, the Serbs threatened to secede from Bosnia and sacrifice potential EU membership rather than compromise. As the interior minister of Bosnia's Serb Republic told me in a meeting last month, "We want to stay in Bosnia and join the EU, but not at any cost."

In Kosovo, where Serbs are similarly insecure, the U.N. plan threatens to unleash the following nightmare scenario: Upon independence, the Serb north declares itself separate from the newly recognized Kosovo. Ethnic Serb police in the north tear
off their existing Kosovo Police Service uniforms and revert to the insignia of Serbia. Albanian militants respond by launching attacks, not merely in the northern Serb stronghold but against vulnerable enclaves elsewhere in the province where most of Kosovo's Serbs still live. International peacekeepers -- a relatively small and incoherent group of 17,000
troops from 35 nations -- are unable to stop the large-scale violence. (Indeed, in 2004, they proved unable to stop even small-scale violence.)

As Albanians attack Serb houses and cultural sites, refugees stream northward. In Belgrade, Serb nationalists demand that the government do something to protect their brethren in Kosovo, creating irresistible political pressure to deploy forces.
Full-blown war erupts between Serbia and Kosovo as international peacekeepers and administrators watch their past eight
years of work go up in smoke.

To avert this disaster, the U.N. plan should be modified to create a fully autonomous "Serb Republic of Kosovo-Metohija" (as Belgrade calls the province) within a Kosovo that would be recognized as independent only when the Albanians accept this provision. Russia, which until now has blocked U.N. action on Serbia's behalf, could claim a major victory and then insist that Belgrade endorse the plan, paving the way for Security Council approval.
Although seemingly minor, this modification could make all the difference. At independence, the north's police still would shed their old uniforms, but now would don the insignia of Kosovo's new Serb Republic, thereby acknowledging Kosovo's
independence. Albanian leaders hardly could object since they already would have agreed to this Serb entity as a condition of independence. Even the province's Albanian militants should be deterred by the realization that if they resorted to force,
sanctions now would come down on them, not the Serbs, for violating the plan.

This compromise would not fully satisfy any party. Serbia still would bemoan the violation of its sovereignty. Kosovo's Albanians would resent the bifurcation of their new country. And Serbs in enclaves outside the north would feel abandoned.

But the proposal just might enable independence of this former Yugoslav territory without a tragic repeat of the ethnic violence of the 1990s. That would be no small feat.

Mr. Kuperman, an assistant professor at the University of Texas, Austin, is co-editor of "Gambling on Humanitarian Intervention" (Routledge, 2006).

Just to correct myself guys, I used the word inaguration but it is not because I meant to say they will decide for the right and just spot according to International borders where to build new border chechpoints with mutual agreemant of course, and Iam talking about both areas that I mentioned in my previous article. I am suprised that serb spies dont know what is going on, right in their back yard.

Thank you for the article Mike. I must confess that the first thing that I did was to check his credentials. The professor clearly is an immaculate researcher. Article is very interesting and tries to address our biggest dilemma of coexistence or separation.
I have to say I did not agree with him on many things.
He talks a great deal of political autonomy but I am not sure what he exactly means. If I am correct in thinking that he means a separate mini-assembly for 200, 000 inhabitants I think he is going the wrong way in advocating a people’s republic with direct citizen participation.
I do not understand functional need of another assembly in such a tiny place as Kosova. The legitimate concerns of the Serbs can be addressed easily by a tailor made constitution, veto powers, cultural and educational autonomy and of course by normal political parliamentary life.
I believe that a more federated construct of Kosova would put into jeopardy the viability of the new fragile state. It would give Serbia a free range into interfering and obstructing the fragile equilibrium anytime it wishes.
I do not share the optimism of some of my compatriot here that Kosova can function as a normal sovereign entity without taking into account the views of Kosova Serbs but additionally that of BG. A great deal would depend on the good will of immediate neighbours and Serbia’s in particular. Nonetheless, the minorities on both sides can be bridge of cooperation rather than clusters of separation as the professor is suggesting.
All Mr. Kuperman is proposing is an imposed division in all but name.
You cannot have two police forces for the same state. By all mean have only Serb servicemen for Serb areas but ultimately they have to be Kosova’s police force. In the end K- Serbs need to make a choice when it comes to political legitimacy and sovereign command.

I'll do a bit of an Ahmet and suggest nothing completly connected but in the Slovak news service it is clear that the ethnic-Albanians of FYR Macedonia are stiring up seperatist unrest again for an Ilyrian state;

"Hnutie Ilyrida vo svojom najnovšom vyhlásení žiada rozdelenie krajiny na dva rovnocenné federálne štáty- macedónsky a albánsky. "
http://spravy.pravda.sk/albanci-chcu-svoj-stat-uz-aj-v-macedonsku-ffo-/sk_svet.asp?c=A070816_193057_sk_svet_p12

Rough translation the movement Ilyrida is stating its expression for confederation of the republic of makedonia split between a western ethnic-Albanian and a Eastern Makedonia slav federation. Where next?

I a 100% sure that I did not use the name of person that used mine just below(post #13).What I wrote is something of inside info that I am very suprised at serbian secret services which are not aware what is going on between two neigboring countries of serbia. I thought that spies never sleep and have no boundaries.
Guess what, I will attend that meeting today in both sites and also have lunch in restourant located in Rugova Canyon with Interior Minister from Montenegro.
This is a painful news to serbia.

Cvele
What does it make you more superior from other nations or Albanians?
At least Albanians did not commit genocide or try to coloniese all ex YUG republics.Kosovars are trusted worldwide and yes they are known as victims.
Yes Cvele you are well known around the world with your great leaders like Milosevic,Seselj,Arkan,Kostunica etc.
I am sick of holding Serbian passport every border I cross I spend well time checking if I am one of war fugitive.

"I am surprised to notice that Mr Antic's views on Kosovo are exactly as mine. So it means that there are intelligent Serbs who can elevate themselves over nationalism and patriotism and analyse a situation in a very positive manner."

Victor,
Are you saying that you are surprised to have found a Serb who is just as intelligent as you, objective as you and unbiased in opinion as you?
This must be another person named Victor?

I was drawn to a rather interesting article yesterday in the Wall Street Journal about Kosovo. Apparently, I'm not the only one thinking of a confederation in Kosovo.

You can find the article here: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB118652656827990962.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

The one divergence I have is rather than make northern Kosovo an autonomous Serbian Republic, we should also include all the Serb enclaves in the south as well. This would essentially be taking the provisions and guarantees of protection of Serbs as codified in the Ahtisaari Plan, and increasing its potency to inter-republic status along the model of RS in Bosnia. This avoids any potential dangers of Pristina overriding and eliminating the rights of Serbs down the road. It also avoids the nightmare scenario of ethnic conflict and war as a response. It's messy, it's far from unifying, but it covers all Serb concerns, gives Belgrade a "victory" of some sorts, let's Russia capitalize on halting unplanned US strategies, fulfills US goals of Albanian self determination, and gives the Albanians the independence they want.

I hope the link works. The WSJ sometimes requires one to sign in. I'd be interested in hearing comments from the more moderate Albanians on this site: Nick, Village-bey, Teni...

Whatever the future of Kosovo will be, the only possibility to avoid new violent confrontations between Serbs and Albanians is to approach both sides with a clear framework for the European Union membership. It has become clear that the international community is not capable of resolving the problem in the province. The EU may be a competent player to keep peace on the continent (the EU optimistically announced at the Thessaloniki summit in June 2003 that the Western Balkans would definitely be offered membership into the EU at some unspecified point in the future). If talking about independence for the province, it is still only the EU that can facilitate that process and bring Serbs and Albanians closer. This means that Serbian territory will be forever lost and Kosovo Serbs will have to content themselves with a compromise solution of some kind, not the one the Serbian political elite optimistically expects. Moreover, no formal status will work if the inhabitants continue to hate and see no development opportunities. If we ignore human needs for fear reduction, deep reconciliation and economic recovery, independent Kosovo will become another failed state.
Branislav Radeljic

lili
and the mexicans in california can join Mexico, and the chinese in british columbia can join china, and the little havana in miami can join officialy cuba and kurds could go their own way. Dont forget whats good enough for the balkans is good enough for the rest of the world.

Come on now lili
When have the albans ever achived any success. Tell me honestly in history what was the great alban contribution to the world? Im waiting.

I mean where u get off thinking that since these countries that u tried to kill and slaughter and have still let u live on their territory will ever allow albania to expand? Not even US wants that. All that matters is that if there is another balkan conflict it will be christians vs muslims and it will not be pretty. But ultimately u have no support other then other islam nations. U r doomed to failure.

Village-Bey, I understand your concern for fragmentation of Kosovo, and I wouldn't go so far as to carve a smaller state out of an aleady seceding state. Nevertheless, I think both you and I agree that the fundamental problem with Kosovo, and the reason for the secession movement, is a question of sovereignty. Simply put, Albanians no longer recognize the sovereign authority of Belgrade in Kosovo. Unfortunately, the Serb do not recognize the sovereingty of Albanians either. So in the end we have two people not wanting to give recognition to the other. This has been mainly the result of a fundamental lack of trust. Albanians do not trust the Serbs, and with good reason. Yet Serbs likewise do not trust Albanians, equally with good reason.

I also think we both would agree with Branislav's statement above yours: "no formal status will work if the inhabitants continue to hate and see no development opportunities. If we ignore human needs for fear reduction, deep reconciliation and economic recovery, independent Kosovo will become another failed state."

It seems therefore that the best (albeit not the most efficient) solution in moving forward (and you clearly have shown a desire to move forward) is to first start out with both communities having respectively separate local political institutions until trust is built up. With any optimism, if Serbs realize that an independent Kosovo truly guarantees their rights to movement, work, and raises their standards of living, they may be more amicable to sharing power and internal borders over time may be reduced. Sometimes taking the first crucial steps involves tangible security guarantees, hence the federated model.

If you're interested, there's a fascinating book by Juan Linz and Alfred Stepan, two political scientists, called "Problems of Democratic Transition and Consolidation" http://www.amazon.com/Problems-Democratic-Transition-Consolidation-Post-Communist/dp/0801851580/ref=ed_oe_p/102-3174684-5181742?ie=UTF8&qid=1187327337&sr=1-1

Chapter 2 deals very nicely with the issue of "stateness" and sovereignty. While Serbia/Kosovo is not included in the work, and while the work largely places cultural preferences in a secondary role, it's an interesting read to apply to the current situation. I think you're someone who would like it!

PS - Branislav, I totaly agree with the last parts of your comments.

@ Lili, but of course it is OK for the Albanians to break away from Serbia, but not for the Serbs of Kosovo to stay a part of Serbia. Either you except multi-ethnic states and argue for autonomy in Serbia, or you don't. Your argument does not make sense.

@ Village Bey, you obviously have little experience of other conflicts! The Annan Plan for Cyprus, which has a total population of less than 1 million proposed separate Greek and Turkish states with their own assemblies (as it happens, the Turkish Cypriots number 200,000) and no one thought that this was too 'democratic'. Likewise, there would have been separate police forces there. In any case, your argument about separate police forces makes little sense in general terms? There are plenty of cases where separate forces operate in a single country. The United Kingdom, for instance, has over thirty different forces with different uniforms and insignias. You are just trying to use the situation in Bosnia - where police reform is being used as a cover for centralisation - to argue against somethign that would make perfect sense in Kosovo.

Ahmet
You don't make any sense what is all the talk of spies

Hi Ahmet how did lunch go with the interior minister from Montenegro and did you mange to attend the meeting on both sites please feed back.

Avi
Not sure about trusted worldwide actually got a bad reputation in the uk for organised crime and I haven't heard a positive word about you in Italty and Greece to name a couple. How did you get a Serb passport in the 1st place. do you really want to be a Serb??

Juliana, ask the Minister yourself even though he was unable to make it , he send his advisrr and his assistant and both locations were chekced throuroghly and when time comes for inaguration your Minister will be on his side and our Minister in our side and both will cut the ribobon at same time and than shake hands and exchange the cut ribbons. By the way, the lunch on the 12 Kilomet in RUGOVA CANYON was excelent. Just ask the Montenegrian delegetaion.