BIA: Unilateral moves may spark conflict in Kosovo

Victor says today...My advice is simple: DON'T BE SCARED, my dear Albanians, and celebrate your independence on Dec. the 10th!

Victor also said...
I completely agree with Kostunica on this conclusion that Kosovo is part of Serbia. The USA should not intervene and mind its own business. They act as if they were the 'Gendarme de la planète'.
(Victor, 9. September 2007 15:31)
"Exaactly, and I do not understand why the Serbs on this board believe that the Serbs should have been recognized In Croatia as a nation: they were simply a minority."
Victor, 20 January 2007, 15:08)
"we all know that Croats do not want to live with Serbs; and the 70 000 Serbs who left knew this also. And I say they took the best decision. If I could not live with my neighbours, I would do the same.
(Victor, 20 January 2007, 19:18)

My dear Victor, to use your own words...my advice is simple...the Albanians are simply a minority.
If you believe that the Serbs should have moved out of Croatia then the Albanians should move out of Serbia.

Your generalized hatred of the Serbs motivates you to contradict yourself time and again.

lenrad,

Your comments are way too biased. Look at what albanians are doing in KiM. They are trying to ethnically clense all non-albanians. Judging by your comments you seem to condone these crimes.

The whole report looks more like an exercise in propaganda than a proper security assessment. First of all by completely ignoring the Serb element in all of this they show how serious - and biased - they are. Because the Albanians would be expected to make problems if they don't get independence, and the Serbs will make trouble if Kosova gets independence. Given the fact that independence in some shape or form is a foregone conclusion, it follows that the Serbs represent the bigger threat to security. What about the RS Serbs on the other hand?
And then they are playing up the ANA way too much: it's just a small underground group, that yes, has the potential of growing if Serbia intervenes militarily in Kosova but at the moment it's insignificant. If that's the main threat Serbia is facing I would say it is pretty safe as long as its leaders don't do anything stupid.
And by the way has anyone else noticed how minorities are always called in Serbia: extremists. Because in Serbia if you ask for more rights that's what you are.

«...but that risks were present.»

What risks? This is the will of a population, over one million persons have decided that the independence is the best answer following to avoid racial unrest.

These words are simply rhetorical, And all Albanians should not listen to such 'scary scenario!. These are words to create fear in the mind of the people. My advice is simple: DON'T BE SCARED, my dear Albanians, and celebrate your independence on Dec. the 10th!

first of all,
tom,

they are not nuts...

what they are doing is a standard action, a precaution if you want... but it is a standard action of interior security not to disclose all what is known.
the reasons for that should be clear.

and to Victor:

sorry, but those words are certainly not meant or directed towards the Albanians...it is what it is, a general information, not more.

smart Albanians should know that the Serbs are well prepared for all possible situations, anyway. so there is no need to frighten anyone here...
actually, that´s an albanian method as we have seen...trying to scare poeple by appearing in black uniforms and masks, so, that´s the albanian way of PR as far as we have seen, trying to accuse, and to scare ...that all they are capable of, let´s be honest.

it´s understandable that you are trying to downplay that as propaganda aimed to scare the Albanians...but, I think every intelligent reader will easily see that your accusation is mere nonsense.

I don´t think that there will be any "turmoil" or other kinds of violence, since I think that the Albanians are not that stupid.
they clearly know that they wouldn´t have much of a chance against the serbian military. they count on the USA, but that is, at least in my opinion, a lousy guarantee, given the situation of the Kurds in Iraq who trusted the USA and paid for that, and there could be named more examples, but that is not my point.

don´t worry, all will be fine, without violence and in accordance with UNSC 1244.

Rade mentioned every other nationality ,religious groups as trouble. Except the good righteous orthodox Serbs and that is debatable. Is he making the same kind of plans as Slobodan M. to deal with those pesky people. How want there human rights and have the same opportunities for them selfs and there children as Serbs. To be treated as equals and not as 2nd ,3rd ,4th class people. Also not to be looked down on in Serbian society. Or is Rade trying to fall fill a self prophesying prophecy. You never know ?

Victor

International law is being bypassed in order to create a state based on ethnic division and the impatience and threats of violence of the majority of the population and you are asking what risks are involved?

There are international laws that are designed to protect sovereignty and stability of states across the world, what makes the Albanians so special that they think they can just bypass all that?

We know the history leading up to that, but how can you have stability in the region if Kosovo gets their independence and Serbia left with nothing?

And by the way has anyone else noticed how minorities are always called in Serbia: extremists. Because in Serbia if you ask for more rights that's what you are.
(teni,

When you make such statemnents at least what I expect you is to name those rights that are not granted to the minorities. It is really irresponsible to claim so without any evidence. So, please, name those rights. Another thing, what kind of human rights Serbs have it Kosovo? To be barbed-wired, or in best case to be escorted by KFOR to some school,shop...The least you could do is to be ashamed on giving such comment on human rights without at first place criticizing your own place of living. What the report say it is very true and there is nothing unfamiliar to us. Unfortanately, there are some groups of people that threat the stability of Serbia and sorry that Albanians take part in such actions. But they always did and they always will. And for the end, why anyone of you complain that there are no Ortodox Serbs in that report, the answer is -simply becuse Serbs are not extremists and terrorists and certenly do not work against the own country. Have anyone of you overhere heard of any Serb being a terrorist? If yes, please name him/her and some more relevant facts.

We know the history leading up to that, but how can you have stability in the region if Kosovo gets their independence and Serbia left with nothing?
(Peter Sudyka, 2. November 2007 15:13)

O so now we have to comfort Serbia for killing children, women and elders, for ethnically cleansing 1 million people? What strange ideas of peacemaking you have Peter.
Also this report failed to mention the Guard of King Lazar as a terrorist group. If that is not considered a terrorist group by the Serbs then in no way can their Albanian counterparts be considered terrorist.

Victor...Albanian Independence Day (Dita e Pavarësisë) is November 28!

Lenard,

(By the way. . .if you want to fool people into thinking that you're not from the Balkans. . .it's spelled "Leonard")

The agency submitted a report summarizing the status of the security in the country. The country is Serbia. Now how can Serbians be a threat to their own country?

"Protests, and possibly riots can be expected at that time, including a possible armed confrontation between the Serb and Albanian side, especially in case of a unilateral declaration of independence," he explained.

Considering how Serb commenter's make Kosovar - Serbs as sitting ducks, living in ghettos or enclaves with no food, water, or weapons what battle between Albanians and Serbs? Kosova and Serbia? Or is he referring to the fact that Serbia is sending weapons to local Serbs to incite a conflict to produce the argument that Albanians are mistreating their minorities?

This report is beyond questionable.

Oh and by the way is this the Serbia you would like Kosova to be a part of? I wonder where the K-Albanians would fit in all of this.

"The professor reiterated that former Education Minister Ljiljana Čolić had wanted the Theory of Evolution to be withdrawn from textbooks, that former Faith Minister Milan Radulović, in the draft Law on Religious Freedoms, had envisaged immunity for priests, while Interior Minister Dragan Jočić had linked the murders in Novi Banovci to sects. Finally, he pointed to the fact that insults of a racial nature were regularly voiced during parliamentary sessions"

Disclaimer:This is not Albanian propaganda. If you don't like it went your anger at B92 for publishing it.

are they nuts?
if they have such info about weapons and danger from ana and wahabists, why don't they forward those details to the police and the courts to make the arrests and let them sentenced

if they have the info, they have the obligation to act

''Nothing new in the east "" would be the best comment to this article . Things seems to change very slow in Serbia , reminding me of politic biro meetings finding dangerouse groups and ''disturbing '' elements all over your belowed Serbia , and for big surprise mayority of those elements come from Muslims in Sandžak and of course from '' southern serbian province '' Kosovo .Serbia is unique case among modern states , where minorities have that kind of power to destabilate or to ruin state image and even her existence ? What happened with everybody being antiserbian , when Serbia itself is probably the most democratic state of the world ? Is it possible everyone in this world is blind to see it ? Do they realise that Serbia is a shelter for entire west civilization , without which fight for democracy and fight over islamic terrorists would be impossible , saving christian Europe from AQ terrorists ?
Another dream of my dearest neighbors , that is becoming my everyday nightmare , the dream that reminds me of war and destructions and a hunt on witches . Every time my dearest neighbors dreams an dream , i see dark visions of Nostradamus becoming true .

Since when BIA is offering credible information especially for Kosova.
Good article for Serbian propaganda machine. However, K-Albanians are ready to take their future into their own hands and declare independence.
Serbs, don’t listen to failed and corrupt politicians. They are just doing this in order to isolate Serbia for few more years and make more money for themselves.

Peter
You are twice bias as you consider both, humanitarian intervention and possible independence outcome in Kosova (using your precise term), punishments for Serbia. Your object and subject of the topic seems to be solely Serbia and nothing beyond that. I understand you are making normative judgments as all of us in here but it will be hard to not to notice where your alliances lie. As for me it goes without saying as I am an Albanian and as such I am by definition bias.
Getting back to your practical point in how will an independent Kosova bring stability to the Balkans. You seem not to realise that the proposed independence is foremost a pragmatic solution of the western powers to bring into close all the same security matters in western Balkans. The nucleus of that is the determination of Albanians not to be ruled by Serbia again. To even contemplate to have Kosova in Serbia again will be in itself an recipe for instability.
I do accept that recognition will be neither total nor instant but a majority of important states will recognise the independence.
I would like to remind you that the process of acquiring international legitimacy will be from then onwards a one way street. A state can remain unrecognised by some other states but it cannot be unrecognised but only recognised as an independent entity. Eventually even Serbia will be obliged to do so in due time.
The road to UN has not been plain sailing even for major powers like China let alone tiny Kosova. We are prepared to play the long game and that would be nothing compared to what Albanians have endured and what you’re proposing.

Who are these guys referring to? K-Albanians and K-Serbs don't want to fight, or anything like that whatsoever. Violence is a taboo in Kosova. What everyone in Kosova wants is for these politicians to leave their offices and go hiding like their previous colleagues. We all had enough of these small groups of people who control lives of entire nations for the sole purpose of fulfilling their sadomasochistic needs.

Kosova is de facto independent. It will be de jure very soon, sooner than anyone even expected.

Peter Sydyka
Stability in the region would have been a strong rationale if Kosova was searching the path to self determination on an evolutionary path, (that’s if you agree that Kosova has a clear case for self determination). I do agree that stability and peace are the main counterarguments for the right to self determination. But things have evolved my friend. The matter has been resolved once by force in 1999 by NATO intervention and establishment of civil administration. Even by admission of Serbian politicians there cannot be a military solution to the Kosova status issue. This is a political process so stop bringing war into it. The stability argument does not stand even if we take into account your bias but I’m sure u’ll come up with something else.

Peter Sudyka:
“We know the history leading up to that, but how can you have stability in the region if Kosovo gets their independence and Serbia left with nothing?
“Again, what Yugoslavia did in 1999 was wrong, but Yugoslavia was punished for it (in the form of heavy NATO bombings and loss of control over the province), and now to further punish Serbia and leave a lack of compromise between the two sides, you think this will bring stability to the region?”

Though I disagree with Peter I much appreciate that he is one of those who brings intelligent debate into this forum, as opposed to the sloganeering we get a lot of.

Peter the problem is that “Serbia left with nothing” is only true from a particular perspective. And this is related to your view that it was merely Serbia’s actions in 1999 that bring into question its rule over Kosova, which as you say it has already been punished for.

The problem is that the Albanian majority in Kosova, and many political scientists around the world, including some Serbs, disagree that “Kosovo is merely a province of Serbia” and it only risks losing it due to 1999. The Albanian majority of Kosova never accepted forced incorporation into Serbia in 1913, and never have all century either under total suppression in the first Yugoslavia, or in the somewhat better conditions of second Yugoslavia (and even those ‘better conditions’ were only after 1965).

There was never any sense in a federation of south Slavic nations including a region which was overwhelmingly Albanian; even worse when each south Slavic nation had its own republic within (second) Yugoslavia, but the non-Slavic Albanians did not, even though they were the 3rd biggest nation in Yugoslavia. Therefore, at the *very, very minimum*, if the Albanians were not to have their own republic (let alone independence or unity with Albania), then the Tito compromise after 1967, symbolized by the 1974 constitution, would be the *very minimum* for the Albanians to stay within Yugoslavia. That ‘high level autonomy’ they got gave the Albanians everything but a republic, it was a republic in all but name. Kosova may still have been called a ‘province’ of Serbia, but it had its own direct representation in the federal Yugoslav government, with veto powers to boot, plus a central bank, a territorial defense etc.

This was the minimum constitutional arrangement under which Albanians would accept to remain in Yugoslavia, and many did not accept that, because absence of being an actual republic still signified inequality. But when Milosevic organised the suppression of this constitutional arrangement for Kosova, effectively abrogating the Yugoslav constitution and setting in train the destruction of Yugoslavia, the Albanians had the right to reject this abrogation of the minimum status acceptable to them. As the Yugoslav constitution had been overturned, they voted in their referendum for independence in 1990, by a margin of over 99%.

Of course it is possible that, if some arrangement had been made to stop Milosevic (which the other republic govts were gutless to do, and once they found the guts, wanted out instead), and a constitutionally legal Yugoslavia had been restored, then the Kosovar Albanians may have been willing to convert this independence declaration into the status of an equal republic within Yugoslavia. Alas, that never happened.

Therefore, once Yugoslavia was destroyed under the weight of this anti-constitutional movement for Serbian hegemony, others fleeing the sinking ship, the Albanians had every right to be recognised as an independent state. Alas, when the EU put together the Badinter commission, to decide on independence for the constituent parts of Yugoslavia, Kosova was ignored. Serbia and Montenegro then set up a new “Yugoslavia”, but as the constituent status of the Albanians had already been abrogated, they were not asked; they were simply forcibly included as “part of Serbia”, based on the *illegal* Milosevic constitution. Then when in 1995 at Dayton, the US recognised a “Serb Republic” on 50% of Bosnia’s territory, for the only 30% Serb population of Bosnia, based on recognising the results of massive ethnic cleansing and genocide, Rugova asked to be invited to Dayton, but was snubbed by the US; that would have been a chance to ask for the equivalent of what the gangster state “RS” got, namely the status of ‘Republic of Kosovo” within the new Yugoslavia. Again, ignored.

Later, Serbia and Montenegro dissolved even the fiction that they were “Yugoslavia”, and later even separated from each other. If the very minimum form of autonomy was the high level autonomy under late Titoism, this was only possible within the context of Yugoslavia; but Yugoslavia no longer exists. Therefore, calling for any level of “autonomy” now *only within Serbia* is necessarily a lower level than what existed under high level autonomy *within Yugoslavia* which was in all but name a form of *equality with Serbia* within Yugoslavia, which no longer exists. Hence the very minimum now if Kosova were not to get independence would be for it to be a republic equal to Serbia within a new confederation. However, firstly, Serbia would not accept that, precisely because it is this formal equality which it has always rejected; secondly, given tat all the other south Slav nations, and even Montenegro have gone, the idea of a Serbia-Kosova confederation has an obvious ring of absurdity about it.

The point being that “Serbia left with nothing” is a misnomer, because Kosova is another ex-federal unit, not Serbia’s property. After all, Vojvodina was also a federal unit with the same high level autonomy, perhaps unwarranted; since Milosevic undid this in 1989, Vojvodina has remained simply a part of Serbia, which it will remain given its Serb majority. So, of the 8 former federal units, Serbia completely controls one other: far from “left with nothing”, Serbia is the only of the former units that added another unit to itself. Furthermore, one other federal unit, Bosnia, was successfully dismembered by Serbian arms, and a specifically ethnic-based “Serb Republic” established on half its territory, with special links to Serbia. No-one else has this arrangement either; Croatia was forced to give up its “republic” in Bosnia, just as Serbia had to give up its “republic” in Croatia; Bosnia is not entitled to a satellite “republic of Sanjak” within Serbia, the Hungarians of north Vojvodina do not have a “republic” up there, and there is no “Albanian republic” within Serbia in the Presevo Valley. Thus in both the cases of Vojvodina and Bosnia, Serbia has been the absolute victor of the shake-up.

Thus far from being “left with nothing,” Serbia needs to stop being so greedy. Still, I have some sympathy with Serbian sensitivity, not so much because of the medievalist stuff about Kosovo and 1389 and all that, but rather because, firstly, being bombed by the world’s most powerful states was traumatic (and I’ve never defended this action btw), and so intensifies that feeling of “the world against us”, even if at the time they were trying to destroy the whole of Kosova; and secondly, because I think the Kosovar Serbs are in the end the real victims of all this sorry tale. A real compromise will be to do as much as possible to greatly extend the rights, autonomy, return and security of the minority (and other minorities) within an inevitably independent Kosova; unfortunately, I see neither side putting much emphasis on this. One might expect the Serbia side to be doing so, but still obsessed with the fiction of “losing 15% of our land”, the real human issues take a back seat, except occasionally as a bit of rhetoric to backup the Serb positon with no real content.

Sorry B92 for the length.

Potential flashpoints of conflict may only arise in areas of considerable mixed groups. If conflict does arise, and I think none of us here wants it, northern Kosovo will break off. Most of the Serb communities in Strpce will also be largely unaffected. I was surprised to recently find out that there still are a lot of Serbs living around the Prizren area and the conflicts of 1999 never really touched those areas.

Also, areas around Pec and Decani may avoid problems due to the underwhelming presence of Serbs there.

It's the central part of Kosovo that remains the most volatile: around Gracanica, Kosovo Polje, Obilic, and Ljipan.

Let's hope the diplomats we have working towards a solution actually come up with something credible for all sides to agree to, so such nightmare scenarios never manifest.

johnny

You misunderstand me johnny, when discussing politics, the question of morality (in this case who is right and who is wrong) is not the issue simply because Serbia will not accept the sovereignty of Kosovo, so what are we left with? Lack of a long term solution, that is the issue here!

By the way, I know what the Yugoslav army did in 1999, that is not in dispute here.

Regarding the finger pointing at who is a terrorist and who is not, with the amount of hatred between the two peoples at the moment, let's be serious, which people from either side are going to be genuinely objective?

village-bey

I am not talking about any form of military action here, I know that the chances of Serbian retaliation are null, what I had in mind is that I don't see how an independent Kosovo will solve anything.

Taking my supposed bias aside, please look at this objectively, how do you think the Balkans will look after Kosovo becomes independent?

I will not go into issues like EU, UN, NATO membership and other such things because it seems that the Albanians here think that the world will bend over backwards for them and it is a waste of energy to repeat them over and over again if they will not listen, the key issue is this: how do you see stability in the region when Kosovo is recognized illegally outside of the UNSC outside of Serbia's consent? How can you possibly expect stability in the region with such a history of war and hatred when no compromise is made and territorial integrity of one side is violated illegally?

Again, what Yugoslavia did in 1999 was wrong, but Yugoslavia was punished for it (in the form of heavy NATO bombings and loss of control over the province), and now to further punish Serbia and leave a lack of compromise between the two sides, you think this will bring stability to the region?

It is you who are bias village-bey, because I can see you care nothing for compromise, you only want to see Serbia punished and Kosovo Albanians rewarded. I know Albanians were victims of Serbian aggression, but for the good of stability, there needs to be a solution that can stand the test of time and not throw the Balkans back into instability.

Let's stop this now: more UN forces in. And reintegration in Serbia. PERIOD!

village-bey

OK, perhaps I shouldn't have used the term "punish" with regards to Serbia losing Kosovo (humanitarian intervention is a dubious term, due to the fact that many civilian targets were hit as well), but more to the point village-bey, my allegiances do not lie with Serbia. Hypothetically speaking, if some majority Serb province were to want independence from Albania, I would be equally in Albania's defense (of sovereignty, I mean) as I am now for Serbia's sovereignty. I will explain.

My point in general is that I realize that the Ahtisaari Plan is, in theory, a very practical plan and I believe it would work well for this situation, but the fact that it is not accepted by some members of the international community and most importantly, by Serbia, should be reason enough to show that the Plan will not bring stability to the region due to the fact that one side does not accept it, so how can there be any real stability?

It is obvious that after 1999 it will be impossible for Kosovo to remain under Belgrade's control, but the violation of internationally recognized sovereignty of Serbia is dangerous, I think. It does not mean necessarily that it will cause a precedent, but it is a sign that international law has not been taken seriously and has failed, which means that theoretically, it can be violated again and again.

Last thing, yes, Kosovo may come to be recognized by more and more states over time (of course governments and policies change over time, this has been proven countless times over the course of history), who knows, maybe Serbia will as well (would be great), but as long as you have a nationalist government like the one now (under Kostunica), I don't see this going smoothly at all.

Though to conclude, realistically speaking I see Kosovo becoming independent, but the fact that we have such division amidst the international community and more importantly, the two sides in question means there SHOULD BE a compromise so that there can be more of a guarantee of stability.

Peggy,

it´s quite obvious that they want to express their "rebellion" against all that is serbian by writing Kosovo in their flawed, funny way.

you don´t have to take that very serious. just remember how many ( Princip mentioned it a few days ago ) K-albanians are travelling to Niš in central Serbia to get serbian documents...

they know very well how that region is called, it´s only a childish kind of disrespect to write it that way...

so, don´t take them too serious, at least not those who are writing here... they WANT to provoke, that´s all they are reduced to.

«Your generalized hatred of the Serbs motivates you to contradict yourself time and again.»

Here we go again with the same old refrain! I have simply changed my mind, just as the USA have done, and many other political leaders in the world.

' Lenard,
(By the way. . .if you want to fool people into thinking that you're not from the Balkans. . .it's spelled "Leonard")

(My too sense. . ., 2. November 2007 15:47) '

Here's a site with Albanian names with names like: Lenard, Leonard, Lenart, Leart...

http://www.takime.de/emra/list-djem.php?letter=L

The majority of the Albanians living in southern Serbia were given as a gift a -vic at the end of their surnames in the 50's. For some reason everything we did or still do makes you hostile towards us.

Kosova is de facto independent and no Albanian wants or needs to use any kind of violence whatsoever because there is no reason to do so. The only group that wants violence is some politicians in Belgrade who need another conflict to stay in power and make more money out of ordinary people.

To the Albanian posters. If you want respect you must first give respect.

It is very disrespectful to constantly refer to Kosovo as Kosova.

If you get independence then you can call it what ever you want. Until then please respect the rightful name for the province and the country to who it belongs.

You are acting as if you have already been given a country of your own and are in the process of changing all to suit you. How do you expect to have respect from any non Albanian population there if you constantly throw Kosova in their face?

Peter,
You are becoming like a spokeperson for the Serbian panel in here.
I spend sometime chatting to you here and thought you are getting things right. I can see that it was a waste of time. Despite the fact that I have more important things to do sometimes I will pop in just to tell you and people like you that NOTHING can stop Kosova's independence. That is the will of more than two millions of people in Kosova. Secondly how can you immagine that the Kosovar Albanians can be again Serbian citizens after all they have been through? I am not talking about those Albanians whose blood might have been turned into water. It would be the same as asking you claiming to be a Polish to be German citizen. How does that sound to you? Regarding your concern that how to immagine Kosova being an independent state let me explain you and Ron that and independent Kosova will be a democratic country, monitored by the international community where the European standards regarding the respect of human rights for its minorities are a priority as well all the democratic institutions consolidated. It will be open to neighbouring countries. Kosova will have full access to the Adriatic sea in two hours time by 2009.

EA,

How can the Kurds be Iraqi citizend after everything they went through?
Where is the UNSC resolution for Kurdistan?

all the people saying they're not mentioning serbs, just READ the article, it mentions Neo-nazi elements and nationalists, obviously they are refering to Serbs there. Just read the article before you start opening your loud mouth, it's getting boring!

Peace

Mike:
"I was surprised to recently find out that there still are a lot of Serbs living around the Prizren area and the conflicts of 1999 never really touched those areas.
Also, areas around Pec and Decani may avoid problems due to the underwhelming presence of Serbs there."

Mike I would like to believe this was true. However, my understanding is that these were precisely the areas left almost without any Serbs after 1999. I would be very interested in where you found this information.

DimTuc,

You are right about Pec and Decani. These two places saw significant Serbian flight after 1999 to the point where there are very few Serbs left there, and those that are, are practically living within the walls of the two monasteries. But it is because of the small group of Serbs left there that there may be inconsequential tensions between the two sides simply due to too few numbers.

As for Strpce, it is still largely a Serbian enclave, and is mentioned in numerous UNMIK dossiers and NGO reports.

I had the pleasure of speaking with a British professor of Albanian studies who is currently a visiting Fullbright scholar at Princeton University. He deals primarily with Albanians in Macedonia and has worked extensively in Tetovo. When I asked him about the Serbs in Kosovo (of which he was there in 2002 and again in 2005), he gave me the information about Serbs around the Prizren area.

Thank you Peter,
I do agree with what you have said in your last post and I am sorry that I did prejudge you from the outset. You are obviously an open minded person prepared for real dialogue and I congratulate you for your contribution.

DimTuc

Thank You for the insight, I was aware of the general history, but I learned some interesting things from what you said, particularly:

"The point being that “Serbia left with nothing” is a misnomer, because Kosova is another ex-federal unit, not Serbia’s property. After all, Vojvodina was also a federal unit with the same high level autonomy, perhaps unwarranted; since Milosevic undid this in 1989, Vojvodina has remained simply a part of Serbia, which it will remain given its Serb majority."

I was under the impression that Kosovo and Vojvodina, whilst "federal units", were not in fact on the same level as Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, so just for my info, under what law or during what period were they recognized as a part of Serbia proper as autonomous provinces and not republics?

village-bey

Thank You.

EA

EA, I repeat that I am well aware of the fact that the Albanians in Kosovo cannot go back under Serbian rule, I have said this many times and I stand by it, I don't know why you think I think otherwise!

All I am saying is that recognizing Kosovo as independent outside of international law is dangerous, this is my opinion and this opinion I cannot change. Once again, I understand the reasons as to why Kosovo wants independence and all things considered, it would be a good solution, but the fact that Serbia is not willing to accept it leaves no compromise, hence it can easily cause more problems.

That is all

«...but that risks were present.»

What risks? This is the will of a population, over one million persons have decided that the independence is the best answer following to avoid racial unrest.

These words are simply rhetorical, And all Albanians should not listen to such 'scary scenario!. These are words to create fear in the mind of the people. My advice is simple: DON'T BE SCARED, my dear Albanians, and celebrate your independence on Dec. the 10th!

Rade mentioned every other nationality ,religious groups as trouble. Except the good righteous orthodox Serbs and that is debatable. Is he making the same kind of plans as Slobodan M. to deal with those pesky people. How want there human rights and have the same opportunities for them selfs and there children as Serbs. To be treated as equals and not as 2nd ,3rd ,4th class people. Also not to be looked down on in Serbian society. Or is Rade trying to fall fill a self prophesying prophecy. You never know ?

We know the history leading up to that, but how can you have stability in the region if Kosovo gets their independence and Serbia left with nothing?
(Peter Sudyka, 2. November 2007 15:13)

O so now we have to comfort Serbia for killing children, women and elders, for ethnically cleansing 1 million people? What strange ideas of peacemaking you have Peter.
Also this report failed to mention the Guard of King Lazar as a terrorist group. If that is not considered a terrorist group by the Serbs then in no way can their Albanian counterparts be considered terrorist.

The whole report looks more like an exercise in propaganda than a proper security assessment. First of all by completely ignoring the Serb element in all of this they show how serious - and biased - they are. Because the Albanians would be expected to make problems if they don't get independence, and the Serbs will make trouble if Kosova gets independence. Given the fact that independence in some shape or form is a foregone conclusion, it follows that the Serbs represent the bigger threat to security. What about the RS Serbs on the other hand?
And then they are playing up the ANA way too much: it's just a small underground group, that yes, has the potential of growing if Serbia intervenes militarily in Kosova but at the moment it's insignificant. If that's the main threat Serbia is facing I would say it is pretty safe as long as its leaders don't do anything stupid.
And by the way has anyone else noticed how minorities are always called in Serbia: extremists. Because in Serbia if you ask for more rights that's what you are.

«Your generalized hatred of the Serbs motivates you to contradict yourself time and again.»

Here we go again with the same old refrain! I have simply changed my mind, just as the USA have done, and many other political leaders in the world.

lenrad,

Your comments are way too biased. Look at what albanians are doing in KiM. They are trying to ethnically clense all non-albanians. Judging by your comments you seem to condone these crimes.

Since when BIA is offering credible information especially for Kosova.
Good article for Serbian propaganda machine. However, K-Albanians are ready to take their future into their own hands and declare independence.
Serbs, don’t listen to failed and corrupt politicians. They are just doing this in order to isolate Serbia for few more years and make more money for themselves.

Peter Sydyka
Stability in the region would have been a strong rationale if Kosova was searching the path to self determination on an evolutionary path, (that’s if you agree that Kosova has a clear case for self determination). I do agree that stability and peace are the main counterarguments for the right to self determination. But things have evolved my friend. The matter has been resolved once by force in 1999 by NATO intervention and establishment of civil administration. Even by admission of Serbian politicians there cannot be a military solution to the Kosova status issue. This is a political process so stop bringing war into it. The stability argument does not stand even if we take into account your bias but I’m sure u’ll come up with something else.

"Protests, and possibly riots can be expected at that time, including a possible armed confrontation between the Serb and Albanian side, especially in case of a unilateral declaration of independence," he explained.

Considering how Serb commenter's make Kosovar - Serbs as sitting ducks, living in ghettos or enclaves with no food, water, or weapons what battle between Albanians and Serbs? Kosova and Serbia? Or is he referring to the fact that Serbia is sending weapons to local Serbs to incite a conflict to produce the argument that Albanians are mistreating their minorities?

This report is beyond questionable.

Victor...Albanian Independence Day (Dita e Pavarësisë) is November 28!

first of all,
tom,

they are not nuts...

what they are doing is a standard action, a precaution if you want... but it is a standard action of interior security not to disclose all what is known.
the reasons for that should be clear.

and to Victor:

sorry, but those words are certainly not meant or directed towards the Albanians...it is what it is, a general information, not more.

smart Albanians should know that the Serbs are well prepared for all possible situations, anyway. so there is no need to frighten anyone here...
actually, that´s an albanian method as we have seen...trying to scare poeple by appearing in black uniforms and masks, so, that´s the albanian way of PR as far as we have seen, trying to accuse, and to scare ...that all they are capable of, let´s be honest.

it´s understandable that you are trying to downplay that as propaganda aimed to scare the Albanians...but, I think every intelligent reader will easily see that your accusation is mere nonsense.

I don´t think that there will be any "turmoil" or other kinds of violence, since I think that the Albanians are not that stupid.
they clearly know that they wouldn´t have much of a chance against the serbian military. they count on the USA, but that is, at least in my opinion, a lousy guarantee, given the situation of the Kurds in Iraq who trusted the USA and paid for that, and there could be named more examples, but that is not my point.

don´t worry, all will be fine, without violence and in accordance with UNSC 1244.

Victor

International law is being bypassed in order to create a state based on ethnic division and the impatience and threats of violence of the majority of the population and you are asking what risks are involved?

There are international laws that are designed to protect sovereignty and stability of states across the world, what makes the Albanians so special that they think they can just bypass all that?

We know the history leading up to that, but how can you have stability in the region if Kosovo gets their independence and Serbia left with nothing?

Victor says today...My advice is simple: DON'T BE SCARED, my dear Albanians, and celebrate your independence on Dec. the 10th!

Victor also said...
I completely agree with Kostunica on this conclusion that Kosovo is part of Serbia. The USA should not intervene and mind its own business. They act as if they were the 'Gendarme de la planète'.
(Victor, 9. September 2007 15:31)
"Exaactly, and I do not understand why the Serbs on this board believe that the Serbs should have been recognized In Croatia as a nation: they were simply a minority."
Victor, 20 January 2007, 15:08)
"we all know that Croats do not want to live with Serbs; and the 70 000 Serbs who left knew this also. And I say they took the best decision. If I could not live with my neighbours, I would do the same.
(Victor, 20 January 2007, 19:18)

My dear Victor, to use your own words...my advice is simple...the Albanians are simply a minority.
If you believe that the Serbs should have moved out of Croatia then the Albanians should move out of Serbia.

Your generalized hatred of the Serbs motivates you to contradict yourself time and again.

And by the way has anyone else noticed how minorities are always called in Serbia: extremists. Because in Serbia if you ask for more rights that's what you are.
(teni,

When you make such statemnents at least what I expect you is to name those rights that are not granted to the minorities. It is really irresponsible to claim so without any evidence. So, please, name those rights. Another thing, what kind of human rights Serbs have it Kosovo? To be barbed-wired, or in best case to be escorted by KFOR to some school,shop...The least you could do is to be ashamed on giving such comment on human rights without at first place criticizing your own place of living. What the report say it is very true and there is nothing unfamiliar to us. Unfortanately, there are some groups of people that threat the stability of Serbia and sorry that Albanians take part in such actions. But they always did and they always will. And for the end, why anyone of you complain that there are no Ortodox Serbs in that report, the answer is -simply becuse Serbs are not extremists and terrorists and certenly do not work against the own country. Have anyone of you overhere heard of any Serb being a terrorist? If yes, please name him/her and some more relevant facts.

Oh and by the way is this the Serbia you would like Kosova to be a part of? I wonder where the K-Albanians would fit in all of this.

"The professor reiterated that former Education Minister Ljiljana Čolić had wanted the Theory of Evolution to be withdrawn from textbooks, that former Faith Minister Milan Radulović, in the draft Law on Religious Freedoms, had envisaged immunity for priests, while Interior Minister Dragan Jočić had linked the murders in Novi Banovci to sects. Finally, he pointed to the fact that insults of a racial nature were regularly voiced during parliamentary sessions"

Disclaimer:This is not Albanian propaganda. If you don't like it went your anger at B92 for publishing it.

Who are these guys referring to? K-Albanians and K-Serbs don't want to fight, or anything like that whatsoever. Violence is a taboo in Kosova. What everyone in Kosova wants is for these politicians to leave their offices and go hiding like their previous colleagues. We all had enough of these small groups of people who control lives of entire nations for the sole purpose of fulfilling their sadomasochistic needs.

Kosova is de facto independent. It will be de jure very soon, sooner than anyone even expected.

' Lenard,
(By the way. . .if you want to fool people into thinking that you're not from the Balkans. . .it's spelled "Leonard")

(My too sense. . ., 2. November 2007 15:47) '

Here's a site with Albanian names with names like: Lenard, Leonard, Lenart, Leart...

http://www.takime.de/emra/list-djem.php?letter=L

The majority of the Albanians living in southern Serbia were given as a gift a -vic at the end of their surnames in the 50's. For some reason everything we did or still do makes you hostile towards us.

johnny

You misunderstand me johnny, when discussing politics, the question of morality (in this case who is right and who is wrong) is not the issue simply because Serbia will not accept the sovereignty of Kosovo, so what are we left with? Lack of a long term solution, that is the issue here!

By the way, I know what the Yugoslav army did in 1999, that is not in dispute here.

Regarding the finger pointing at who is a terrorist and who is not, with the amount of hatred between the two peoples at the moment, let's be serious, which people from either side are going to be genuinely objective?

village-bey

I am not talking about any form of military action here, I know that the chances of Serbian retaliation are null, what I had in mind is that I don't see how an independent Kosovo will solve anything.

Taking my supposed bias aside, please look at this objectively, how do you think the Balkans will look after Kosovo becomes independent?

I will not go into issues like EU, UN, NATO membership and other such things because it seems that the Albanians here think that the world will bend over backwards for them and it is a waste of energy to repeat them over and over again if they will not listen, the key issue is this: how do you see stability in the region when Kosovo is recognized illegally outside of the UNSC outside of Serbia's consent? How can you possibly expect stability in the region with such a history of war and hatred when no compromise is made and territorial integrity of one side is violated illegally?

Again, what Yugoslavia did in 1999 was wrong, but Yugoslavia was punished for it (in the form of heavy NATO bombings and loss of control over the province), and now to further punish Serbia and leave a lack of compromise between the two sides, you think this will bring stability to the region?

It is you who are bias village-bey, because I can see you care nothing for compromise, you only want to see Serbia punished and Kosovo Albanians rewarded. I know Albanians were victims of Serbian aggression, but for the good of stability, there needs to be a solution that can stand the test of time and not throw the Balkans back into instability.

Let's stop this now: more UN forces in. And reintegration in Serbia. PERIOD!

are they nuts?
if they have such info about weapons and danger from ana and wahabists, why don't they forward those details to the police and the courts to make the arrests and let them sentenced

if they have the info, they have the obligation to act

''Nothing new in the east "" would be the best comment to this article . Things seems to change very slow in Serbia , reminding me of politic biro meetings finding dangerouse groups and ''disturbing '' elements all over your belowed Serbia , and for big surprise mayority of those elements come from Muslims in Sandžak and of course from '' southern serbian province '' Kosovo .Serbia is unique case among modern states , where minorities have that kind of power to destabilate or to ruin state image and even her existence ? What happened with everybody being antiserbian , when Serbia itself is probably the most democratic state of the world ? Is it possible everyone in this world is blind to see it ? Do they realise that Serbia is a shelter for entire west civilization , without which fight for democracy and fight over islamic terrorists would be impossible , saving christian Europe from AQ terrorists ?
Another dream of my dearest neighbors , that is becoming my everyday nightmare , the dream that reminds me of war and destructions and a hunt on witches . Every time my dearest neighbors dreams an dream , i see dark visions of Nostradamus becoming true .

Lenard,

(By the way. . .if you want to fool people into thinking that you're not from the Balkans. . .it's spelled "Leonard")

The agency submitted a report summarizing the status of the security in the country. The country is Serbia. Now how can Serbians be a threat to their own country?

Potential flashpoints of conflict may only arise in areas of considerable mixed groups. If conflict does arise, and I think none of us here wants it, northern Kosovo will break off. Most of the Serb communities in Strpce will also be largely unaffected. I was surprised to recently find out that there still are a lot of Serbs living around the Prizren area and the conflicts of 1999 never really touched those areas.

Also, areas around Pec and Decani may avoid problems due to the underwhelming presence of Serbs there.

It's the central part of Kosovo that remains the most volatile: around Gracanica, Kosovo Polje, Obilic, and Ljipan.

Let's hope the diplomats we have working towards a solution actually come up with something credible for all sides to agree to, so such nightmare scenarios never manifest.

Peter
You are twice bias as you consider both, humanitarian intervention and possible independence outcome in Kosova (using your precise term), punishments for Serbia. Your object and subject of the topic seems to be solely Serbia and nothing beyond that. I understand you are making normative judgments as all of us in here but it will be hard to not to notice where your alliances lie. As for me it goes without saying as I am an Albanian and as such I am by definition bias.
Getting back to your practical point in how will an independent Kosova bring stability to the Balkans. You seem not to realise that the proposed independence is foremost a pragmatic solution of the western powers to bring into close all the same security matters in western Balkans. The nucleus of that is the determination of Albanians not to be ruled by Serbia again. To even contemplate to have Kosova in Serbia again will be in itself an recipe for instability.
I do accept that recognition will be neither total nor instant but a majority of important states will recognise the independence.
I would like to remind you that the process of acquiring international legitimacy will be from then onwards a one way street. A state can remain unrecognised by some other states but it cannot be unrecognised but only recognised as an independent entity. Eventually even Serbia will be obliged to do so in due time.
The road to UN has not been plain sailing even for major powers like China let alone tiny Kosova. We are prepared to play the long game and that would be nothing compared to what Albanians have endured and what you’re proposing.

Kosova is de facto independent and no Albanian wants or needs to use any kind of violence whatsoever because there is no reason to do so. The only group that wants violence is some politicians in Belgrade who need another conflict to stay in power and make more money out of ordinary people.

To the Albanian posters. If you want respect you must first give respect.

It is very disrespectful to constantly refer to Kosovo as Kosova.

If you get independence then you can call it what ever you want. Until then please respect the rightful name for the province and the country to who it belongs.

You are acting as if you have already been given a country of your own and are in the process of changing all to suit you. How do you expect to have respect from any non Albanian population there if you constantly throw Kosova in their face?

Mike:
"I was surprised to recently find out that there still are a lot of Serbs living around the Prizren area and the conflicts of 1999 never really touched those areas.
Also, areas around Pec and Decani may avoid problems due to the underwhelming presence of Serbs there."

Mike I would like to believe this was true. However, my understanding is that these were precisely the areas left almost without any Serbs after 1999. I would be very interested in where you found this information.

village-bey

OK, perhaps I shouldn't have used the term "punish" with regards to Serbia losing Kosovo (humanitarian intervention is a dubious term, due to the fact that many civilian targets were hit as well), but more to the point village-bey, my allegiances do not lie with Serbia. Hypothetically speaking, if some majority Serb province were to want independence from Albania, I would be equally in Albania's defense (of sovereignty, I mean) as I am now for Serbia's sovereignty. I will explain.

My point in general is that I realize that the Ahtisaari Plan is, in theory, a very practical plan and I believe it would work well for this situation, but the fact that it is not accepted by some members of the international community and most importantly, by Serbia, should be reason enough to show that the Plan will not bring stability to the region due to the fact that one side does not accept it, so how can there be any real stability?

It is obvious that after 1999 it will be impossible for Kosovo to remain under Belgrade's control, but the violation of internationally recognized sovereignty of Serbia is dangerous, I think. It does not mean necessarily that it will cause a precedent, but it is a sign that international law has not been taken seriously and has failed, which means that theoretically, it can be violated again and again.

Last thing, yes, Kosovo may come to be recognized by more and more states over time (of course governments and policies change over time, this has been proven countless times over the course of history), who knows, maybe Serbia will as well (would be great), but as long as you have a nationalist government like the one now (under Kostunica), I don't see this going smoothly at all.

Though to conclude, realistically speaking I see Kosovo becoming independent, but the fact that we have such division amidst the international community and more importantly, the two sides in question means there SHOULD BE a compromise so that there can be more of a guarantee of stability.

Peter Sudyka:
“We know the history leading up to that, but how can you have stability in the region if Kosovo gets their independence and Serbia left with nothing?
“Again, what Yugoslavia did in 1999 was wrong, but Yugoslavia was punished for it (in the form of heavy NATO bombings and loss of control over the province), and now to further punish Serbia and leave a lack of compromise between the two sides, you think this will bring stability to the region?”

Though I disagree with Peter I much appreciate that he is one of those who brings intelligent debate into this forum, as opposed to the sloganeering we get a lot of.

Peter the problem is that “Serbia left with nothing” is only true from a particular perspective. And this is related to your view that it was merely Serbia’s actions in 1999 that bring into question its rule over Kosova, which as you say it has already been punished for.

The problem is that the Albanian majority in Kosova, and many political scientists around the world, including some Serbs, disagree that “Kosovo is merely a province of Serbia” and it only risks losing it due to 1999. The Albanian majority of Kosova never accepted forced incorporation into Serbia in 1913, and never have all century either under total suppression in the first Yugoslavia, or in the somewhat better conditions of second Yugoslavia (and even those ‘better conditions’ were only after 1965).

There was never any sense in a federation of south Slavic nations including a region which was overwhelmingly Albanian; even worse when each south Slavic nation had its own republic within (second) Yugoslavia, but the non-Slavic Albanians did not, even though they were the 3rd biggest nation in Yugoslavia. Therefore, at the *very, very minimum*, if the Albanians were not to have their own republic (let alone independence or unity with Albania), then the Tito compromise after 1967, symbolized by the 1974 constitution, would be the *very minimum* for the Albanians to stay within Yugoslavia. That ‘high level autonomy’ they got gave the Albanians everything but a republic, it was a republic in all but name. Kosova may still have been called a ‘province’ of Serbia, but it had its own direct representation in the federal Yugoslav government, with veto powers to boot, plus a central bank, a territorial defense etc.

This was the minimum constitutional arrangement under which Albanians would accept to remain in Yugoslavia, and many did not accept that, because absence of being an actual republic still signified inequality. But when Milosevic organised the suppression of this constitutional arrangement for Kosova, effectively abrogating the Yugoslav constitution and setting in train the destruction of Yugoslavia, the Albanians had the right to reject this abrogation of the minimum status acceptable to them. As the Yugoslav constitution had been overturned, they voted in their referendum for independence in 1990, by a margin of over 99%.

Of course it is possible that, if some arrangement had been made to stop Milosevic (which the other republic govts were gutless to do, and once they found the guts, wanted out instead), and a constitutionally legal Yugoslavia had been restored, then the Kosovar Albanians may have been willing to convert this independence declaration into the status of an equal republic within Yugoslavia. Alas, that never happened.

Therefore, once Yugoslavia was destroyed under the weight of this anti-constitutional movement for Serbian hegemony, others fleeing the sinking ship, the Albanians had every right to be recognised as an independent state. Alas, when the EU put together the Badinter commission, to decide on independence for the constituent parts of Yugoslavia, Kosova was ignored. Serbia and Montenegro then set up a new “Yugoslavia”, but as the constituent status of the Albanians had already been abrogated, they were not asked; they were simply forcibly included as “part of Serbia”, based on the *illegal* Milosevic constitution. Then when in 1995 at Dayton, the US recognised a “Serb Republic” on 50% of Bosnia’s territory, for the only 30% Serb population of Bosnia, based on recognising the results of massive ethnic cleansing and genocide, Rugova asked to be invited to Dayton, but was snubbed by the US; that would have been a chance to ask for the equivalent of what the gangster state “RS” got, namely the status of ‘Republic of Kosovo” within the new Yugoslavia. Again, ignored.

Later, Serbia and Montenegro dissolved even the fiction that they were “Yugoslavia”, and later even separated from each other. If the very minimum form of autonomy was the high level autonomy under late Titoism, this was only possible within the context of Yugoslavia; but Yugoslavia no longer exists. Therefore, calling for any level of “autonomy” now *only within Serbia* is necessarily a lower level than what existed under high level autonomy *within Yugoslavia* which was in all but name a form of *equality with Serbia* within Yugoslavia, which no longer exists. Hence the very minimum now if Kosova were not to get independence would be for it to be a republic equal to Serbia within a new confederation. However, firstly, Serbia would not accept that, precisely because it is this formal equality which it has always rejected; secondly, given tat all the other south Slav nations, and even Montenegro have gone, the idea of a Serbia-Kosova confederation has an obvious ring of absurdity about it.

The point being that “Serbia left with nothing” is a misnomer, because Kosova is another ex-federal unit, not Serbia’s property. After all, Vojvodina was also a federal unit with the same high level autonomy, perhaps unwarranted; since Milosevic undid this in 1989, Vojvodina has remained simply a part of Serbia, which it will remain given its Serb majority. So, of the 8 former federal units, Serbia completely controls one other: far from “left with nothing”, Serbia is the only of the former units that added another unit to itself. Furthermore, one other federal unit, Bosnia, was successfully dismembered by Serbian arms, and a specifically ethnic-based “Serb Republic” established on half its territory, with special links to Serbia. No-one else has this arrangement either; Croatia was forced to give up its “republic” in Bosnia, just as Serbia had to give up its “republic” in Croatia; Bosnia is not entitled to a satellite “republic of Sanjak” within Serbia, the Hungarians of north Vojvodina do not have a “republic” up there, and there is no “Albanian republic” within Serbia in the Presevo Valley. Thus in both the cases of Vojvodina and Bosnia, Serbia has been the absolute victor of the shake-up.

Thus far from being “left with nothing,” Serbia needs to stop being so greedy. Still, I have some sympathy with Serbian sensitivity, not so much because of the medievalist stuff about Kosovo and 1389 and all that, but rather because, firstly, being bombed by the world’s most powerful states was traumatic (and I’ve never defended this action btw), and so intensifies that feeling of “the world against us”, even if at the time they were trying to destroy the whole of Kosova; and secondly, because I think the Kosovar Serbs are in the end the real victims of all this sorry tale. A real compromise will be to do as much as possible to greatly extend the rights, autonomy, return and security of the minority (and other minorities) within an inevitably independent Kosova; unfortunately, I see neither side putting much emphasis on this. One might expect the Serbia side to be doing so, but still obsessed with the fiction of “losing 15% of our land”, the real human issues take a back seat, except occasionally as a bit of rhetoric to backup the Serb positon with no real content.

Sorry B92 for the length.

DimTuc,

You are right about Pec and Decani. These two places saw significant Serbian flight after 1999 to the point where there are very few Serbs left there, and those that are, are practically living within the walls of the two monasteries. But it is because of the small group of Serbs left there that there may be inconsequential tensions between the two sides simply due to too few numbers.

As for Strpce, it is still largely a Serbian enclave, and is mentioned in numerous UNMIK dossiers and NGO reports.

I had the pleasure of speaking with a British professor of Albanian studies who is currently a visiting Fullbright scholar at Princeton University. He deals primarily with Albanians in Macedonia and has worked extensively in Tetovo. When I asked him about the Serbs in Kosovo (of which he was there in 2002 and again in 2005), he gave me the information about Serbs around the Prizren area.

Thank you Peter,
I do agree with what you have said in your last post and I am sorry that I did prejudge you from the outset. You are obviously an open minded person prepared for real dialogue and I congratulate you for your contribution.

Peggy,

it´s quite obvious that they want to express their "rebellion" against all that is serbian by writing Kosovo in their flawed, funny way.

you don´t have to take that very serious. just remember how many ( Princip mentioned it a few days ago ) K-albanians are travelling to Niš in central Serbia to get serbian documents...

they know very well how that region is called, it´s only a childish kind of disrespect to write it that way...

so, don´t take them too serious, at least not those who are writing here... they WANT to provoke, that´s all they are reduced to.

Peter,
You are becoming like a spokeperson for the Serbian panel in here.
I spend sometime chatting to you here and thought you are getting things right. I can see that it was a waste of time. Despite the fact that I have more important things to do sometimes I will pop in just to tell you and people like you that NOTHING can stop Kosova's independence. That is the will of more than two millions of people in Kosova. Secondly how can you immagine that the Kosovar Albanians can be again Serbian citizens after all they have been through? I am not talking about those Albanians whose blood might have been turned into water. It would be the same as asking you claiming to be a Polish to be German citizen. How does that sound to you? Regarding your concern that how to immagine Kosova being an independent state let me explain you and Ron that and independent Kosova will be a democratic country, monitored by the international community where the European standards regarding the respect of human rights for its minorities are a priority as well all the democratic institutions consolidated. It will be open to neighbouring countries. Kosova will have full access to the Adriatic sea in two hours time by 2009.

EA,

How can the Kurds be Iraqi citizend after everything they went through?
Where is the UNSC resolution for Kurdistan?

all the people saying they're not mentioning serbs, just READ the article, it mentions Neo-nazi elements and nationalists, obviously they are refering to Serbs there. Just read the article before you start opening your loud mouth, it's getting boring!

Peace

DimTuc

Thank You for the insight, I was aware of the general history, but I learned some interesting things from what you said, particularly:

"The point being that “Serbia left with nothing” is a misnomer, because Kosova is another ex-federal unit, not Serbia’s property. After all, Vojvodina was also a federal unit with the same high level autonomy, perhaps unwarranted; since Milosevic undid this in 1989, Vojvodina has remained simply a part of Serbia, which it will remain given its Serb majority."

I was under the impression that Kosovo and Vojvodina, whilst "federal units", were not in fact on the same level as Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, so just for my info, under what law or during what period were they recognized as a part of Serbia proper as autonomous provinces and not republics?

village-bey

Thank You.

EA

EA, I repeat that I am well aware of the fact that the Albanians in Kosovo cannot go back under Serbian rule, I have said this many times and I stand by it, I don't know why you think I think otherwise!

All I am saying is that recognizing Kosovo as independent outside of international law is dangerous, this is my opinion and this opinion I cannot change. Once again, I understand the reasons as to why Kosovo wants independence and all things considered, it would be a good solution, but the fact that Serbia is not willing to accept it leaves no compromise, hence it can easily cause more problems.

That is all