Fried: Serbia should leave past behind

Kate,

EU is never united on anything, nobody expects them to be united.
The delay of EU decision brought the Srebrenica massacre, remember?
US and most of the rich EU countries are untied, that is what matters.
Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania Slovakia and Czechia, are just a burden for the EU. If you knew Yugoslav Federation (the above mantioned EU countries fall in the same group as underdeveloped parts of Yugoslavia)...so they are not that important. After all the decison remains with the one who has invested here in Kosovo, and we all know that they are US and the pro independence EU countries... so ;-)

"For the U.S., it is clear that the final outcome will be an independent Kosovo, supervised initially, but again in line with UN Envoy Martti Ahtisaari's plan," he said.

As far as US is concerned the bottom line is Independence.
So why even bother comenting on every article, it is a done deal just patching up some loose ends(technicalities).

IOWE,

Russian representative in the trijka said 2-3 days ago that Ahtisari plan is still on the table...what is being done with these negotiations is a plus in the Ahtisari plan, which is very very thorogh for my opinion, and it is wonderful fro the Serb minority here in Kosovo ... I am totally schocked that people dont even read it or consider it, just becouse it gives the power to the people of Kosovo (albanian and Serb and others alike)
really weird ???

"However, the US is involved in the negotiations and wishes to see how they develop and whether a mutually acceptable solution is possible..."

Not when you've already inferred to the Kosovo Albanians that your preferred outcome is independence. Why would they even try and compromise knowing that?!

This is clearly pressure from the US to the rest of the international community to climb on board with their plan to 'award' independence as a solution.

It's not going to happen. The EU will never be united over this, thank goodness.

Times have changed since all of these countries agreed to attacking a sovereign state without a UN Security Council Resolution.

"For the U.S., it is clear that the final outcome will be an independent Kosovo, supervised initially, but again in line with UN Envoy Martti Ahtisaari's plan," he said."
Wishful thinking, yet again. The Russians already declared Ahtisaari's proposals dead. Might as well wish for the moon.

Thanks to "maturity" of previous and current Serbian politicians there are no Albanians going to live within the borders of the next Serbian state. During their rule they have managed to turn all of the Albanians to work against Serbia by, killing old and young, rape, torture etc. I don’t think that there is a single person that would make any of the K-Albanians live again under the Serbia boot. Kosovar delegation in NY is really representing the will of Kosova while Serbian delegation represents the will of 50% or less of the Serbian population not K-Serbs .

What is happening now is the final phase of the liberation. This must be seen as a very positive development for the region since form the day that Kosova will be Independent the entire region will turn towards the prosperity. Many of you are in this site would like to see unstable region by wishing for the status to remain as it is. I would like to ask you all to stop encouraging any destabilizing factors in order for Kosova to build its future. Stop supporting current Serbian politicians since they are just working for their seat and truing to shift the attention form the real problems in Serbia.

I know that the time will come when the Serbs in Serbia proper will rise and ask for better life from these failed and corrupt politicians. Whether they can offer them that it the question.

Fratko - Northern Kosovo is waving bye bye to the Albanina Kosovo, whether the Albaninas like it or not. there is nothing they can do about it, just like in reality if Kosovo declares independence, Serbia can do nothing.

We'll keep Trepca, you keep the hills, job's a good one.

And before you reply and say that you'll invade the north - forget about. The US would never allow it. How would it look to the whole world when the "oppressed Albanains" start a new war and tried to impose their will on the Serbs in the north. You'll lose all that goodwill you've been trying to develop.

Whichever way you look at it, Serbia, economically at least, come out on top.

Have a nice day.

"However, the U.S. is involved in the negotiations and wishes to see how they develop and whether a mutually acceptable solution is possible, after which the international community will be able to decide how to move forward," Casey said.

The US should focus on taking care of the problems/situations in their own backyard before they stick their foot in their mouth once again as they are losing credibility very quickly. They've already shown how predjudicial they are in various fronts and have shown it once again as KosovO is an integral part of Serbia.

Both USA and the EU KNOW that Kosovo must be independent. They do so because they are present in Kosovo, every single day since 1999. They know what Serbian troops did there, they know how do people feel and how much suffering Serbia brought to them, they know that the complete propaganda about Kosovo comming from Belgrade is bull....! Belgrade has support only from undemocratic regimes who are not present in today's Kosovo and who only repeat lies from Belgrade. Even countries who have seperatist movements in their own territory ARE NOT supporting Serbia. They are just cautious. At the end they will support an independent Kosovo, because they know the difference: they never tried to ethnically cleanse, kill and destroy their own population, like Serbia did to Kosovars. That's it.

"IOWE,

Russian representative in the trijka said 2-3 days ago that Ahtisari plan is still on the table...what is being done with these negotiations is a plus in the Ahtisari plan, which is very very thorogh for my opinion, and it is wonderful fro the Serb minority here in Kosovo ... I am totally schocked that people dont even read it or consider it, just becouse it gives the power to the people of Kosovo (albanian and Serb and others alike)
really weird ???
(fratko, 27. September 2007 13:49) "

fratko,

you conveniently omitted the Russian proviso that anything is possible (ie. including Ahtissari, partition, etc) BUT ONLY IF BOTH SIDES AGREE. And since Belgrade will not agree, Ahtisaari is still a no go area.

The Russians want a negotiated solution, that is all. The Russians declared Ahtisaari's plans dead AS AN IMPOSED SOLUTION. These negotiations are NOT, an addition to the AhtisAari plans as wrongly implied by you. Instead of professing to be "totally shocked" with others, you should soul search at the way you conveniently misinterpret articles and statements.

IOWE and PB,

Both of you are just proving to the readers of this wonderful site, why we cant continue to live under one ombrella.

What is black for you, its white for us and vice versa

Peace

China should leave past behind: Taiwan?

Iraq should leave past behind: Kurdistan?

Who is this Daniel Freid? He is so Anti-Serb that he sounds like he was raised in Drenica instead of the US.

Oh albanian camp,

You are too blind to see that , as one Serb poster says, "you are being duped."

your buddies have been saying this for eight years now, and still you believe them. Unbelievable...

«Serbia has to find its own path and leave the past behind.»

That's the only way to achieve peace and reconciliation. Second, Serbia has to make sure to RECOGNIZE and ADMIT all its crimes and bring to justice all those who perpetrated crimes and atrocities against helpless civilians.

Fried is being ridiculous. Kosovo is a part of Serbia. It was a part of Serbia in Yugoslavia. It was not like Croatia or Bosnia. It was part of Serbia. Serbia having rights as a country is not an issue of the past but of the present and future. If Serbia can be dismembered it is not a country.

Yea lets put the past behind us. . . albanians, lets forget about the war you started and the terror you brought to Serbs and albanians. We are willing to let you stay in KosovO and prosper in our great nation. In a few years we will be in the EU and think of the opportunities that will be available to your families. But if you decide to pursue this ridiculous & illegal push for independence, then your families will live in poverty and fear for generations. Think about it!!Lets live the good life, i mean we are all citizens of Srbija, lets embrace it. CCCC

There can be no compromise when it comes to Sovereignity. I hope we all agree with that. It would be immoral to ask the more than 2 million Kosovar Albanians to be called Serbian citizen after all they have been through. That is a fact. It might be a simple example but I hope it would make sense to some people in here why the issue "Sovereignity" is so important.

as far as I can see it, Serbia has left Mr.Fried behind.

so much for him.

"...the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State added that "things should be viewed realistically and that Serbia should leave the past behind.""

But the Kosovo Albanians are not only frequently referring back to the Kosovo War but to what was supposed to have happened 100 years ago!

""Serbia, however, does not have to choose between Europe and Kosovo, but decide whether it would accept a European future," Fried concluded."

Mr Fried - Serbia is already IN Europe, unlike the US. You are right they don't have to choose between the two because they currently have both.

I wonder if you know your 20th Century history Mr Fried? Power and spondulicks are probably far more important than such sentiment.

While the US continues to cannibalize sovereign nations I will work for the future where the US is equal to other nations of the world.

What plans does Belgrade have to intergrate the Albanian Kosovans in Serbia? None that I have heard of. Are Serbia leaders really that stupid that they think the Albanians will forget the past and want to be part of Serbia again? Independence for Kosovo is the only viable option, autonomy will never work as both the Serbian and Albanian sides in Kosovo are against it.

George,
“I do hope that Bruxelles will learn not to ask us, EU people, to jump always when US says so”
(PS: I am posting my comment here as I really want to rech you George - hope to be published by B-92)
“(after all, we joined US in the Iraq adventure...)”

If I am correct these are your word, right? I am quoting you because you are coming in contradiction with your own thoughts, right? (first one from your first comment, second one is from your last replica)

I would really like to hear from you, as one that is working in Kosova (I presume in an international org), what does mean your first “line” and does say the second one?

Regarding the Rumania, I am not talking about communist Romania, but about present Romania as EU member! Living in the High Tech era, we can everyday see the life in Romania, excluding (maybe) Bucharest, it is extremely bad, we can see villages and towns in Romania that looks very bad, with very poor and helpless people living in.

As regards to your rhetorical question “Who is responsible for YU collapse?”, I can actually start the whole history telling you, but I will be very short:
Even thought I didn’t like that, firstly meaning on the “way” that collapsed (meaning war in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosova), you must admit that events in 1981 are one that seriously destabilized, at that time, very stabile YU. After that, year 1989 is the one when Milosevic forcibly took control over Kosova. Other federal units, took this as a serious threat from Serbia, as well, and rapidly started preparations for splitting from YU.

If you know different story, you are more than welcomed to tell me. Just, please, when you say something, remember what you say, as you could say something else, that comes in contradiction to your previous comment.

My favorite part is that he is unhappy Yugoslavia fell apart. Ask albans if they are as unhappy as you about that?

Just tell me who is the US to judge us? You bombed us now u tell us to leave past behind? After killing Serbian children and helping KLA slaughter innocent civilians (ours and theirs)?

Fratko:

You say: "Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania Slovakia and Czechia, are just a burden for the EU (...) the above mentioned EU countries fall in the same group as underdeveloped parts of Yugoslavia...so they are not that important".

It is sadly to see that Albanians in Kosovo, who were considered "not so important" by Belgrade before 1999, are very rapidly embracing a similar attitude, this time toward entire countries who are doing much better then most of ex-Yugoslav ones (or Albania!) and whose support should be sought.

I will not speak about my country (Romania), out of respect for Spain, which I have recently visited and I was amazed by it!
But to consider Spain (and for that matter Greece and Czech Republic) "a burden for EU" is clearly an abuse, a lie and an insult! Especially coming from a Kosovo citizen, a place which is and will be a real burden for EU, US and everybody else in this world for the next decades, economically and not only! (see the recent criminal Mafia-style bombing of a restaurant in Pristina, two dead and 15 wounded).

As one who has extensively visited Greece and Czech Republic, I say that there can be NO COMPARISON between such countries and the "underdeveloped parts of Yugoslavia" (by the way, you mean Kosovo, isn't?). Not even a metaphorical one.

It seems to me that you, fratko, cannot grasp the idea of equality among members of a group of countries like European Union! Your rationale simply shows that you see around only big countries (meaning free to decide for the rest) and small ones (which should obey the big ones).
The paradox is that the independent Kosovo you desire will fall under the category of small countries -but probably this is not a problem right now, as long as US is very friendly...

Well, a friendly advice: when you sing the Albanian national anthem, remember that it was composed by a Romanian (Ciprian Porumbesco, 18553-1883); and hope that at least some of the countries you insult today will show sympathy toward Kosovo tomorrow, when it will seek EU help, understanding and, sooner or later, membership!

EA,

Can you ask from the Kurds to go back under Iraqi/Turkish law?
What about Darfur?

Can't you see you are HURTING the interest of other peoples around the world.
Sudan now will never accept a deal with the UN. Because if Sudan does, after 5 or 10 years UN will say: Darfur is almost indepedent. It can't go back to Sudanese control.

No government with minorities will ever trust the UN, US or EU.

Sorry but Kosovo is not worth that!

A done deal in America means it will never happens. America promised independance to Hungry and Chechoslovakia and then watched as Russian tanks rolled in.

US promised independance to Kurds and then went back on theit word under pressure from Turkey.

Nothing will happen on Dec. 10. KLA proclaims independance and everybody will ignore them.

"IOWE and PB,

Both of you are just proving to the readers of this wonderful site, why we cant continue to live under one ombrella.

What is black for you, its white for us and vice versa

Peace
(fratko, 27. September 2007 16:18) "

fratko,

I am not trying to prove anything to anybody. I just want you to be truthful in your posts.

Mr. Fried, why don't you tell the Albanians to leave the past behind? You have been chirpping the same tune of so many months now. Surely there is something new you can come up with? Please earn your pay, I am paying your salary, afterall.

Aca, Brian,

This must be stopped. Please mail/write the US government that this must stop NOW!

Dear Predictor,

You wrote: "...events in 1981 are one that seriously destabilized, at that time, very stabile YU. [...] If you know different story, you are more than welcomed to tell me."

According to my experience the knowledge of YU political history among ex-YU citizens is rather poor (as yours is -proved by your writing).

Partly this has to do with the education offered in schools and universities, partly with biased newsmedia and journalists of the past (not to speak of today's...), partly with overall socialist propaganda and the accepted double reality -but to very large amount is has to do with the tactics that the elite in power (from 1970s on, but especially in the 80s and 90s) used in fooling the people to think that main bulk of problems are of ethnic origin.

This trick and message was digested easily by many people, since there truly was uncleared ethnic tensions that the YU system never was able or willing to deal with.

But as the ruling elite needed a tool to cement their position in power (it was afraid of demands of progressive changes in politics and in economics), they saw ethnic tensions as that tool, a God given tool.

With that tool the elite was able to bring to barricades the conservative, anti-progressive element of the society. And with the same punch the elite silenced the progressive element, made it impotent and despised by common people -and especially by the ethnic mob.

There are existing ethnic tensions in many countries or areas in the world. But these tensions are not enough to give start to large scale violence or wars. Something else is needed. Somewhere the spark is overall unjustice in a society. Most often it is the tension between those who have and those who don't have.

In Yu those who didn't have were tricked to support the politics and power of those who had. They were tricked to believe that now they have, something.

Dear Predictor,

I think I forgot my main comment to your writing "...events in 1981 are one that seriously destabilized, at that time, very stabile YU."

My comment: YU wasn't "very stabile".

Olli

"However, the US is involved in the negotiations and wishes to see how they develop and whether a mutually acceptable solution is possible..."

Not when you've already inferred to the Kosovo Albanians that your preferred outcome is independence. Why would they even try and compromise knowing that?!

This is clearly pressure from the US to the rest of the international community to climb on board with their plan to 'award' independence as a solution.

It's not going to happen. The EU will never be united over this, thank goodness.

Times have changed since all of these countries agreed to attacking a sovereign state without a UN Security Council Resolution.

Oh albanian camp,

You are too blind to see that , as one Serb poster says, "you are being duped."

your buddies have been saying this for eight years now, and still you believe them. Unbelievable...

"However, the U.S. is involved in the negotiations and wishes to see how they develop and whether a mutually acceptable solution is possible, after which the international community will be able to decide how to move forward," Casey said.

The US should focus on taking care of the problems/situations in their own backyard before they stick their foot in their mouth once again as they are losing credibility very quickly. They've already shown how predjudicial they are in various fronts and have shown it once again as KosovO is an integral part of Serbia.

"For the U.S., it is clear that the final outcome will be an independent Kosovo, supervised initially, but again in line with UN Envoy Martti Ahtisaari's plan," he said."
Wishful thinking, yet again. The Russians already declared Ahtisaari's proposals dead. Might as well wish for the moon.

Fratko - Northern Kosovo is waving bye bye to the Albanina Kosovo, whether the Albaninas like it or not. there is nothing they can do about it, just like in reality if Kosovo declares independence, Serbia can do nothing.

We'll keep Trepca, you keep the hills, job's a good one.

And before you reply and say that you'll invade the north - forget about. The US would never allow it. How would it look to the whole world when the "oppressed Albanains" start a new war and tried to impose their will on the Serbs in the north. You'll lose all that goodwill you've been trying to develop.

Whichever way you look at it, Serbia, economically at least, come out on top.

Have a nice day.

Yea lets put the past behind us. . . albanians, lets forget about the war you started and the terror you brought to Serbs and albanians. We are willing to let you stay in KosovO and prosper in our great nation. In a few years we will be in the EU and think of the opportunities that will be available to your families. But if you decide to pursue this ridiculous & illegal push for independence, then your families will live in poverty and fear for generations. Think about it!!Lets live the good life, i mean we are all citizens of Srbija, lets embrace it. CCCC

Kate,

EU is never united on anything, nobody expects them to be united.
The delay of EU decision brought the Srebrenica massacre, remember?
US and most of the rich EU countries are untied, that is what matters.
Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania Slovakia and Czechia, are just a burden for the EU. If you knew Yugoslav Federation (the above mantioned EU countries fall in the same group as underdeveloped parts of Yugoslavia)...so they are not that important. After all the decison remains with the one who has invested here in Kosovo, and we all know that they are US and the pro independence EU countries... so ;-)

"For the U.S., it is clear that the final outcome will be an independent Kosovo, supervised initially, but again in line with UN Envoy Martti Ahtisaari's plan," he said.

As far as US is concerned the bottom line is Independence.
So why even bother comenting on every article, it is a done deal just patching up some loose ends(technicalities).

IOWE,

Russian representative in the trijka said 2-3 days ago that Ahtisari plan is still on the table...what is being done with these negotiations is a plus in the Ahtisari plan, which is very very thorogh for my opinion, and it is wonderful fro the Serb minority here in Kosovo ... I am totally schocked that people dont even read it or consider it, just becouse it gives the power to the people of Kosovo (albanian and Serb and others alike)
really weird ???

Both USA and the EU KNOW that Kosovo must be independent. They do so because they are present in Kosovo, every single day since 1999. They know what Serbian troops did there, they know how do people feel and how much suffering Serbia brought to them, they know that the complete propaganda about Kosovo comming from Belgrade is bull....! Belgrade has support only from undemocratic regimes who are not present in today's Kosovo and who only repeat lies from Belgrade. Even countries who have seperatist movements in their own territory ARE NOT supporting Serbia. They are just cautious. At the end they will support an independent Kosovo, because they know the difference: they never tried to ethnically cleanse, kill and destroy their own population, like Serbia did to Kosovars. That's it.

"IOWE,

Russian representative in the trijka said 2-3 days ago that Ahtisari plan is still on the table...what is being done with these negotiations is a plus in the Ahtisari plan, which is very very thorogh for my opinion, and it is wonderful fro the Serb minority here in Kosovo ... I am totally schocked that people dont even read it or consider it, just becouse it gives the power to the people of Kosovo (albanian and Serb and others alike)
really weird ???
(fratko, 27. September 2007 13:49) "

fratko,

you conveniently omitted the Russian proviso that anything is possible (ie. including Ahtissari, partition, etc) BUT ONLY IF BOTH SIDES AGREE. And since Belgrade will not agree, Ahtisaari is still a no go area.

The Russians want a negotiated solution, that is all. The Russians declared Ahtisaari's plans dead AS AN IMPOSED SOLUTION. These negotiations are NOT, an addition to the AhtisAari plans as wrongly implied by you. Instead of professing to be "totally shocked" with others, you should soul search at the way you conveniently misinterpret articles and statements.

Thanks to "maturity" of previous and current Serbian politicians there are no Albanians going to live within the borders of the next Serbian state. During their rule they have managed to turn all of the Albanians to work against Serbia by, killing old and young, rape, torture etc. I don’t think that there is a single person that would make any of the K-Albanians live again under the Serbia boot. Kosovar delegation in NY is really representing the will of Kosova while Serbian delegation represents the will of 50% or less of the Serbian population not K-Serbs .

What is happening now is the final phase of the liberation. This must be seen as a very positive development for the region since form the day that Kosova will be Independent the entire region will turn towards the prosperity. Many of you are in this site would like to see unstable region by wishing for the status to remain as it is. I would like to ask you all to stop encouraging any destabilizing factors in order for Kosova to build its future. Stop supporting current Serbian politicians since they are just working for their seat and truing to shift the attention form the real problems in Serbia.

I know that the time will come when the Serbs in Serbia proper will rise and ask for better life from these failed and corrupt politicians. Whether they can offer them that it the question.

"...the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State added that "things should be viewed realistically and that Serbia should leave the past behind.""

But the Kosovo Albanians are not only frequently referring back to the Kosovo War but to what was supposed to have happened 100 years ago!

""Serbia, however, does not have to choose between Europe and Kosovo, but decide whether it would accept a European future," Fried concluded."

Mr Fried - Serbia is already IN Europe, unlike the US. You are right they don't have to choose between the two because they currently have both.

I wonder if you know your 20th Century history Mr Fried? Power and spondulicks are probably far more important than such sentiment.

China should leave past behind: Taiwan?

Iraq should leave past behind: Kurdistan?

Who is this Daniel Freid? He is so Anti-Serb that he sounds like he was raised in Drenica instead of the US.

as far as I can see it, Serbia has left Mr.Fried behind.

so much for him.

Fried is being ridiculous. Kosovo is a part of Serbia. It was a part of Serbia in Yugoslavia. It was not like Croatia or Bosnia. It was part of Serbia. Serbia having rights as a country is not an issue of the past but of the present and future. If Serbia can be dismembered it is not a country.

While the US continues to cannibalize sovereign nations I will work for the future where the US is equal to other nations of the world.

There can be no compromise when it comes to Sovereignity. I hope we all agree with that. It would be immoral to ask the more than 2 million Kosovar Albanians to be called Serbian citizen after all they have been through. That is a fact. It might be a simple example but I hope it would make sense to some people in here why the issue "Sovereignity" is so important.

IOWE and PB,

Both of you are just proving to the readers of this wonderful site, why we cant continue to live under one ombrella.

What is black for you, its white for us and vice versa

Peace

«Serbia has to find its own path and leave the past behind.»

That's the only way to achieve peace and reconciliation. Second, Serbia has to make sure to RECOGNIZE and ADMIT all its crimes and bring to justice all those who perpetrated crimes and atrocities against helpless civilians.

Fratko:

You say: "Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Romania Slovakia and Czechia, are just a burden for the EU (...) the above mentioned EU countries fall in the same group as underdeveloped parts of Yugoslavia...so they are not that important".

It is sadly to see that Albanians in Kosovo, who were considered "not so important" by Belgrade before 1999, are very rapidly embracing a similar attitude, this time toward entire countries who are doing much better then most of ex-Yugoslav ones (or Albania!) and whose support should be sought.

I will not speak about my country (Romania), out of respect for Spain, which I have recently visited and I was amazed by it!
But to consider Spain (and for that matter Greece and Czech Republic) "a burden for EU" is clearly an abuse, a lie and an insult! Especially coming from a Kosovo citizen, a place which is and will be a real burden for EU, US and everybody else in this world for the next decades, economically and not only! (see the recent criminal Mafia-style bombing of a restaurant in Pristina, two dead and 15 wounded).

As one who has extensively visited Greece and Czech Republic, I say that there can be NO COMPARISON between such countries and the "underdeveloped parts of Yugoslavia" (by the way, you mean Kosovo, isn't?). Not even a metaphorical one.

It seems to me that you, fratko, cannot grasp the idea of equality among members of a group of countries like European Union! Your rationale simply shows that you see around only big countries (meaning free to decide for the rest) and small ones (which should obey the big ones).
The paradox is that the independent Kosovo you desire will fall under the category of small countries -but probably this is not a problem right now, as long as US is very friendly...

Well, a friendly advice: when you sing the Albanian national anthem, remember that it was composed by a Romanian (Ciprian Porumbesco, 18553-1883); and hope that at least some of the countries you insult today will show sympathy toward Kosovo tomorrow, when it will seek EU help, understanding and, sooner or later, membership!

Aca, Brian,

This must be stopped. Please mail/write the US government that this must stop NOW!

What plans does Belgrade have to intergrate the Albanian Kosovans in Serbia? None that I have heard of. Are Serbia leaders really that stupid that they think the Albanians will forget the past and want to be part of Serbia again? Independence for Kosovo is the only viable option, autonomy will never work as both the Serbian and Albanian sides in Kosovo are against it.

EA,

Can you ask from the Kurds to go back under Iraqi/Turkish law?
What about Darfur?

Can't you see you are HURTING the interest of other peoples around the world.
Sudan now will never accept a deal with the UN. Because if Sudan does, after 5 or 10 years UN will say: Darfur is almost indepedent. It can't go back to Sudanese control.

No government with minorities will ever trust the UN, US or EU.

Sorry but Kosovo is not worth that!

George,
“I do hope that Bruxelles will learn not to ask us, EU people, to jump always when US says so”
(PS: I am posting my comment here as I really want to rech you George - hope to be published by B-92)
“(after all, we joined US in the Iraq adventure...)”

If I am correct these are your word, right? I am quoting you because you are coming in contradiction with your own thoughts, right? (first one from your first comment, second one is from your last replica)

I would really like to hear from you, as one that is working in Kosova (I presume in an international org), what does mean your first “line” and does say the second one?

Regarding the Rumania, I am not talking about communist Romania, but about present Romania as EU member! Living in the High Tech era, we can everyday see the life in Romania, excluding (maybe) Bucharest, it is extremely bad, we can see villages and towns in Romania that looks very bad, with very poor and helpless people living in.

As regards to your rhetorical question “Who is responsible for YU collapse?”, I can actually start the whole history telling you, but I will be very short:
Even thought I didn’t like that, firstly meaning on the “way” that collapsed (meaning war in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Kosova), you must admit that events in 1981 are one that seriously destabilized, at that time, very stabile YU. After that, year 1989 is the one when Milosevic forcibly took control over Kosova. Other federal units, took this as a serious threat from Serbia, as well, and rapidly started preparations for splitting from YU.

If you know different story, you are more than welcomed to tell me. Just, please, when you say something, remember what you say, as you could say something else, that comes in contradiction to your previous comment.

A done deal in America means it will never happens. America promised independance to Hungry and Chechoslovakia and then watched as Russian tanks rolled in.

US promised independance to Kurds and then went back on theit word under pressure from Turkey.

Nothing will happen on Dec. 10. KLA proclaims independance and everybody will ignore them.

"IOWE and PB,

Both of you are just proving to the readers of this wonderful site, why we cant continue to live under one ombrella.

What is black for you, its white for us and vice versa

Peace
(fratko, 27. September 2007 16:18) "

fratko,

I am not trying to prove anything to anybody. I just want you to be truthful in your posts.

Mr. Fried, why don't you tell the Albanians to leave the past behind? You have been chirpping the same tune of so many months now. Surely there is something new you can come up with? Please earn your pay, I am paying your salary, afterall.

My favorite part is that he is unhappy Yugoslavia fell apart. Ask albans if they are as unhappy as you about that?

Just tell me who is the US to judge us? You bombed us now u tell us to leave past behind? After killing Serbian children and helping KLA slaughter innocent civilians (ours and theirs)?

Dear Predictor,

You wrote: "...events in 1981 are one that seriously destabilized, at that time, very stabile YU. [...] If you know different story, you are more than welcomed to tell me."

According to my experience the knowledge of YU political history among ex-YU citizens is rather poor (as yours is -proved by your writing).

Partly this has to do with the education offered in schools and universities, partly with biased newsmedia and journalists of the past (not to speak of today's...), partly with overall socialist propaganda and the accepted double reality -but to very large amount is has to do with the tactics that the elite in power (from 1970s on, but especially in the 80s and 90s) used in fooling the people to think that main bulk of problems are of ethnic origin.

This trick and message was digested easily by many people, since there truly was uncleared ethnic tensions that the YU system never was able or willing to deal with.

But as the ruling elite needed a tool to cement their position in power (it was afraid of demands of progressive changes in politics and in economics), they saw ethnic tensions as that tool, a God given tool.

With that tool the elite was able to bring to barricades the conservative, anti-progressive element of the society. And with the same punch the elite silenced the progressive element, made it impotent and despised by common people -and especially by the ethnic mob.

There are existing ethnic tensions in many countries or areas in the world. But these tensions are not enough to give start to large scale violence or wars. Something else is needed. Somewhere the spark is overall unjustice in a society. Most often it is the tension between those who have and those who don't have.

In Yu those who didn't have were tricked to support the politics and power of those who had. They were tricked to believe that now they have, something.

Dear Predictor,

I think I forgot my main comment to your writing "...events in 1981 are one that seriously destabilized, at that time, very stabile YU."

My comment: YU wasn't "very stabile".

Olli