Heated Kosovo exchange at OSCE summit

Recognizing Kosovo independence will basically set the world order in disarray..The UN will serve no purpose whatsoever and the Helsinki Charter can be tossed through the window, the West doesnt fully understand the implications of their actions. Republika Srpska will surely demand independence and will certainly go to war to achieve it.
The muslim world doesnt care about Kosovo or albanians, so if the US is doing this to get some "browney points" then it is making a big mistake. Who is the US to take pieces of a nation and divide it as it pleases? Serbs will not take this aggression anymore and i wouldnt be suprised if violence breaks out soon, and not started by Serbs. CCCC

It is not true we are against serbians. 90% of (informed)Americans, support Serbian efforts to keep their country democratic and peaceful. Mr Nicholas Burns is just a well paid accident. Albanian violence will never be welcomed in the USA!

I would just like to say I am against any and all illegal actions regarding the Kosovo settlement. After closely examining the situation in the Balkans from a non biased point of view it is clear that the US is pushing for unilateral secession in clear violation of international law.

I hope that all parties return to the negotiating table and settle their disputes like civilized people based law & goodwill.

- Good luck & Godspeed to all

This is kind of amusing if you take away the fact that this is about real people, real lives.

I mean its funny reading about how OSCE members will be put in a position of having to support contradicting their founding principles in supporting Kosovo independence ie the Helsinki Charter and renewing their mandate in Kosovo etc etc.

And you know what? They deserve this difficult ride. The dice of negotiations was loaded against Serbia from the beginning. So much for goodwill and negotiations, it turned out that the Albanians were not interested in negotiating and the internationals were not interested in making them do so. And now Serbia is supposed to shrug its collective shoulders and shake hands?..

And now a little hardball comes back their way. Evil Russia no doubt, rather than an international community devoid of principles or consistency.

Maybe the current, corrupt international system wont collapse tomorrow but with these kinds of (double) standards it can only be a matter of time.

So it's Burns and Kouchner, versus Jeremic and Lavrov? Too bad Putin was not there to take them down with one of his judo moves. Burns and Kouchner need to be put on their place.

This is an extremely difficult situation. No matter what anyone does, the K-albanians will be the big losers (if not UNSC agree to make Kosovo independent). They just scream about independence like they think this would bring anything to them. On the contrary, when the party is over, they will wake up with a big hang-over and realize that no money, no investments, no seat in UN, no OSCE (money), no embassies, no nothing has come. What has come is a big wall towards a great part of their border to Serbia, heavily guarded by well trained and well equipped soldiers. Is this a life to live ? No, believe me, in 10 years from now, nothing has changed. Thats a promise.

EA yes Jugoslavia is dead, but Kosovo was always thought of as a part of Serbia...Kosovo shares nothing with Slovenia or Croatia...Its forever been associated with the Serb people, not "Jugoslavian". Kosovo was never a nation by itself, only in this dream world that the albanians live in. There have been plenty of wars in countries throughout the world where millions have died (not a made up number that albanians clame) Those nations did not lose a inch of soil. The Kurds deserve a country more than you people. You already have a nation.
Dont forget, Milosevic is gone (r.i.p.) so the excuse that Serbs cannot be trusted doesnt fly anymore. Serbs cannot trust albanians, they have been cleansing Serbs out of KosMet for decades

The FACT is EA that Serbia has done nothing to K-Albanians besides offer them a comfortable life as opposed to their brothers in Albania the last 60 years.

Remember it was the KLA who fired the first shot and created the problem which we have today. Shockingly enough their insolence was tolerated of the government at the time so as not to cause more tension in the region.

There was no policy of ethnic cleansing made by the government or military. The VJ 4th army consisted of 10 000 soldiers, I doubt they could force a million albanians over the border especially since they didn't not have total control of Kosovo at the time.

10 000 albanians deaths? please don't make me laugh the actually number comes only to 2000 from urban classes staged by your heroes the KLA using you as propaganda ammunition. Sacrifice a couple albanians to make a point...ya great heroes there. Ethnic cleansing of the Serbs in Kosovo right under the KFORS nose I think is far more offensive to forget.

Mark my words their will be dark days for the albanians in Serbia (kosovo) and not by our hands but by yours....that is if you are even connected to Kosovo in anyway at all...

"if Kosovo Albanians unilaterally declare independence and if this was recognized by even one state, UN Security Council Resolution 1244, on which the OSCE mission's mandate in Kosovo is based, would no longer be in effect. "

- Do the US, UK and France really want to bring things back to 9th June 1999 - such an aggressive action by them in illegally recognising an illegal declaration removes the validity of their NATO soldiers prsecence - they immediatly will become occupying forces on Serbian territory and any actions their troops take against Serbia protecting its Sovereignity and territorial integrity can only be interpreted as violence and a declaration of war.

NATO don't have troops to send to Afghanistan do they have sufficient reserves to enact this occupation of the Serbian province?

Kate and all other UK commentators who are against such an agressive and violent attack on international law I urge you to write letters to you MP, MEP's the PM and opposition leaders to remind them of the obligation (especially as a UN Perm. member) that the UK has to uphold UN resolutions and the Helsinki act. This is not a matter of bypassing the UN it is an attack on its very foundations and as such carries very predictable and dangerous consequences destabilising world order.

The problem with Serbian and Russia is they both would like to treat the Kosova issue as nothing has happened there in the last decades. In other words "forgeting" about the ethnic cleansing, the war started by the Serbian regime of Slobodan Milosevic and offering solutions that are unrealistic and too late in time.
The paradox is the both Serbia and Russia speak about the internation law and European charter etc etc "forgetting" that Yugoslavia doesn't exist any more, it is dead as well as Kosova used to have the so-called autonomy few dacades ago which was stripped off by the Serbian regime. No we have a practically independent Kosova and Serbia has no influence whatsoever as a sovereign country over Kosova. These are real FACTS. Serbia has nothing to offer especially now that Kosova is not in its possession since 1999. When it comes to compromise there would be no compromise when it comes to and independent and soverign Kosova. That is why I kept on saying here that these "negotiations" are a waste of time. Everyone with a little bit of intellegence understands why Serbia is willing to "offer" 99.99 per cent of independence just for Kosovar Albanians to accept to be again Serbian citizens. Then this can be sold to Serbian people "Look our argument to keep Kosova within Serbia prevails" as well as we are "giving the Kosovar Albanians the highest autonomy in the world"...Who is going to buy these arguments?....Even kids will not buy these.....

One has to wonder, what The Unites States is doing in an European organisation if U.S. does not respect the charter of that organisation?

By supporting violent secession of Kosovo,
Unites States violates OSCE Final Helsinki agreeement as well as Paris charter, the same way illegal agression on Serbia violated NATO and UN Charters.

For The United States Government, the charters of international organisations signed by the Untited States mean nothing. Very much like The U.S. Constitution.

The future historians will note that the end of The American Century came before it even started, on March 24 1999.

Wow Jim, 90% of well informed Americans. Now that is a very nice and round figure. My question to you is how you managed to distinguish between well-informed and not so well informed Americans.

Jim,

Maybe you can speak in the name of the Serbian Americans but not in the name of all Americans. As a non-Albanian and US citizen I fully agree with my government policy of an independent Kosovo. A lot of my friends and collegues feel the same.

do you know the difference between USA and Russia??
Russia cannot recognize any break-away region they want to, because they have in their country.
USA can recognize whatever country they want, and it will not affect them at all.
So, in the end what Russia can do is only not recognize anything, because they will loose. do you understand

Serbia is offering Kosovo "substantial autonomy" yet it is Serbia proper that stripped Kosovo of its autonomy not too long ago. The two people cannot live together and its best they go their separate ways. The sooner the better for both sides. The problem however rests with the Serb political class. No Serb politician in his right mind will ever agree to Kosovo's independence as that will mean the death of his political career or even his own death.
Unilateral independence is tha answer and it appears that the Europeasn have finally gotten the message.

I cannot believe that Serbia opposes prolonging the OSCE Mission to Kosovo! This is another suicide attempt of Serbian politicians. They could not care less for the interests of minority Serbs in Kosovo who can only be protected there by international missions.

We know now what Jeremic and Lavrov said,but we don't know what USA,Germany and France told jeremic about Kosovos' future.That's what counts the moust.!!!

look who will loose:

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10225052

Very "smart and brave" moves from Jeremic.

Jim Bason,

I live not far from you and I am from the Kosova region. Most people (90-98%) don't know where Kosovo is. Secondly, what on GOD's GREEN EARTH are you talking about?
You're making us Americans look like morons.

Toodles from KC, Missouri!

Joe,

if you´re not an Albanian...as you repeatedly want to tell us...

why are you so eagerly trying to "unveil" Jim Bason from Chicago, Illinois as an serbian american?

why don´t you be at least here more honest???

Dear Jim Bason,
what a non democratic wishful thinking you are expressing! I think that you are the badly informed.

'You're making us Americans look like morons'

Anybody watching US foreign policy around the world believes this anyway...
Those nut cases that come out shouting 'fry, fry, fry' when somebody is due to be gassed or the crazy abortion protests etc.

Sure the States looks like a crazy place.

Jim, if you say "Albanian violence will not be acceptable in USA", does it mean that other's (like American)wil be? I am from Serbia and we do not accept any violence, wheather Albanian, Serbian Russian or at least AMerican. We just pray to have peaceful life, which (mainly) thanking to USA we don't. Anyway I am glad to hear at least one American using head for getting oppinion. I was thinking that majority of USA citizen uses TV for getting oppinion.

This article pretty much explains what will happen rather objectively and realistically.

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10225052

Why keep bringing up the past, poster talk about the ethnic cleansing the Serbs did and who was actually cleanse from Kosovo. Both sides committed crimes but seems one side continues to inflate the actual casualties count. If you continue to live in the past and status quo of the past will remain. Leave it to the historians to write the history not those who don't have a say. Out of all the 2 million in kosovo less than half who were eligible to vote voted. No one is interested in independence only how to feed the family. The interested ones are those who seek power and not the poor who still live in tents since 99 or in a home which power is delieverd 35 percent of the time.

The problem with Serbian and Russia is they both would like to treat the Kosova issue as nothing has happened there in the last decades. In other words "forgeting" about the ethnic cleansing, the war started by the Serbian regime of Slobodan Milosevic and offering solutions that are unrealistic and too late in time.
The paradox is the both Serbia and Russia speak about the internation law and European charter etc etc "forgetting" that Yugoslavia doesn't exist any more, it is dead as well as Kosova used to have the so-called autonomy few dacades ago which was stripped off by the Serbian regime. No we have a practically independent Kosova and Serbia has no influence whatsoever as a sovereign country over Kosova. These are real FACTS. Serbia has nothing to offer especially now that Kosova is not in its possession since 1999. When it comes to compromise there would be no compromise when it comes to and independent and soverign Kosova. That is why I kept on saying here that these "negotiations" are a waste of time. Everyone with a little bit of intellegence understands why Serbia is willing to "offer" 99.99 per cent of independence just for Kosovar Albanians to accept to be again Serbian citizens. Then this can be sold to Serbian people "Look our argument to keep Kosova within Serbia prevails" as well as we are "giving the Kosovar Albanians the highest autonomy in the world"...Who is going to buy these arguments?....Even kids will not buy these.....

I would just like to say I am against any and all illegal actions regarding the Kosovo settlement. After closely examining the situation in the Balkans from a non biased point of view it is clear that the US is pushing for unilateral secession in clear violation of international law.

I hope that all parties return to the negotiating table and settle their disputes like civilized people based law & goodwill.

- Good luck & Godspeed to all

do you know the difference between USA and Russia??
Russia cannot recognize any break-away region they want to, because they have in their country.
USA can recognize whatever country they want, and it will not affect them at all.
So, in the end what Russia can do is only not recognize anything, because they will loose. do you understand

Jim,

Maybe you can speak in the name of the Serbian Americans but not in the name of all Americans. As a non-Albanian and US citizen I fully agree with my government policy of an independent Kosovo. A lot of my friends and collegues feel the same.

This is kind of amusing if you take away the fact that this is about real people, real lives.

I mean its funny reading about how OSCE members will be put in a position of having to support contradicting their founding principles in supporting Kosovo independence ie the Helsinki Charter and renewing their mandate in Kosovo etc etc.

And you know what? They deserve this difficult ride. The dice of negotiations was loaded against Serbia from the beginning. So much for goodwill and negotiations, it turned out that the Albanians were not interested in negotiating and the internationals were not interested in making them do so. And now Serbia is supposed to shrug its collective shoulders and shake hands?..

And now a little hardball comes back their way. Evil Russia no doubt, rather than an international community devoid of principles or consistency.

Maybe the current, corrupt international system wont collapse tomorrow but with these kinds of (double) standards it can only be a matter of time.

Recognizing Kosovo independence will basically set the world order in disarray..The UN will serve no purpose whatsoever and the Helsinki Charter can be tossed through the window, the West doesnt fully understand the implications of their actions. Republika Srpska will surely demand independence and will certainly go to war to achieve it.
The muslim world doesnt care about Kosovo or albanians, so if the US is doing this to get some "browney points" then it is making a big mistake. Who is the US to take pieces of a nation and divide it as it pleases? Serbs will not take this aggression anymore and i wouldnt be suprised if violence breaks out soon, and not started by Serbs. CCCC

This is an extremely difficult situation. No matter what anyone does, the K-albanians will be the big losers (if not UNSC agree to make Kosovo independent). They just scream about independence like they think this would bring anything to them. On the contrary, when the party is over, they will wake up with a big hang-over and realize that no money, no investments, no seat in UN, no OSCE (money), no embassies, no nothing has come. What has come is a big wall towards a great part of their border to Serbia, heavily guarded by well trained and well equipped soldiers. Is this a life to live ? No, believe me, in 10 years from now, nothing has changed. Thats a promise.

look who will loose:

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10225052

So it's Burns and Kouchner, versus Jeremic and Lavrov? Too bad Putin was not there to take them down with one of his judo moves. Burns and Kouchner need to be put on their place.

EA yes Jugoslavia is dead, but Kosovo was always thought of as a part of Serbia...Kosovo shares nothing with Slovenia or Croatia...Its forever been associated with the Serb people, not "Jugoslavian". Kosovo was never a nation by itself, only in this dream world that the albanians live in. There have been plenty of wars in countries throughout the world where millions have died (not a made up number that albanians clame) Those nations did not lose a inch of soil. The Kurds deserve a country more than you people. You already have a nation.
Dont forget, Milosevic is gone (r.i.p.) so the excuse that Serbs cannot be trusted doesnt fly anymore. Serbs cannot trust albanians, they have been cleansing Serbs out of KosMet for decades

Serbia is offering Kosovo "substantial autonomy" yet it is Serbia proper that stripped Kosovo of its autonomy not too long ago. The two people cannot live together and its best they go their separate ways. The sooner the better for both sides. The problem however rests with the Serb political class. No Serb politician in his right mind will ever agree to Kosovo's independence as that will mean the death of his political career or even his own death.
Unilateral independence is tha answer and it appears that the Europeasn have finally gotten the message.

The FACT is EA that Serbia has done nothing to K-Albanians besides offer them a comfortable life as opposed to their brothers in Albania the last 60 years.

Remember it was the KLA who fired the first shot and created the problem which we have today. Shockingly enough their insolence was tolerated of the government at the time so as not to cause more tension in the region.

There was no policy of ethnic cleansing made by the government or military. The VJ 4th army consisted of 10 000 soldiers, I doubt they could force a million albanians over the border especially since they didn't not have total control of Kosovo at the time.

10 000 albanians deaths? please don't make me laugh the actually number comes only to 2000 from urban classes staged by your heroes the KLA using you as propaganda ammunition. Sacrifice a couple albanians to make a point...ya great heroes there. Ethnic cleansing of the Serbs in Kosovo right under the KFORS nose I think is far more offensive to forget.

Mark my words their will be dark days for the albanians in Serbia (kosovo) and not by our hands but by yours....that is if you are even connected to Kosovo in anyway at all...

It is not true we are against serbians. 90% of (informed)Americans, support Serbian efforts to keep their country democratic and peaceful. Mr Nicholas Burns is just a well paid accident. Albanian violence will never be welcomed in the USA!

Wow Jim, 90% of well informed Americans. Now that is a very nice and round figure. My question to you is how you managed to distinguish between well-informed and not so well informed Americans.

I cannot believe that Serbia opposes prolonging the OSCE Mission to Kosovo! This is another suicide attempt of Serbian politicians. They could not care less for the interests of minority Serbs in Kosovo who can only be protected there by international missions.

Jim Bason,

I live not far from you and I am from the Kosova region. Most people (90-98%) don't know where Kosovo is. Secondly, what on GOD's GREEN EARTH are you talking about?
You're making us Americans look like morons.

Toodles from KC, Missouri!

"if Kosovo Albanians unilaterally declare independence and if this was recognized by even one state, UN Security Council Resolution 1244, on which the OSCE mission's mandate in Kosovo is based, would no longer be in effect. "

- Do the US, UK and France really want to bring things back to 9th June 1999 - such an aggressive action by them in illegally recognising an illegal declaration removes the validity of their NATO soldiers prsecence - they immediatly will become occupying forces on Serbian territory and any actions their troops take against Serbia protecting its Sovereignity and territorial integrity can only be interpreted as violence and a declaration of war.

NATO don't have troops to send to Afghanistan do they have sufficient reserves to enact this occupation of the Serbian province?

Kate and all other UK commentators who are against such an agressive and violent attack on international law I urge you to write letters to you MP, MEP's the PM and opposition leaders to remind them of the obligation (especially as a UN Perm. member) that the UK has to uphold UN resolutions and the Helsinki act. This is not a matter of bypassing the UN it is an attack on its very foundations and as such carries very predictable and dangerous consequences destabilising world order.

One has to wonder, what The Unites States is doing in an European organisation if U.S. does not respect the charter of that organisation?

By supporting violent secession of Kosovo,
Unites States violates OSCE Final Helsinki agreeement as well as Paris charter, the same way illegal agression on Serbia violated NATO and UN Charters.

For The United States Government, the charters of international organisations signed by the Untited States mean nothing. Very much like The U.S. Constitution.

The future historians will note that the end of The American Century came before it even started, on March 24 1999.

We know now what Jeremic and Lavrov said,but we don't know what USA,Germany and France told jeremic about Kosovos' future.That's what counts the moust.!!!

This article pretty much explains what will happen rather objectively and realistically.

http://www.economist.com/world/europe/displaystory.cfm?story_id=10225052

Why keep bringing up the past, poster talk about the ethnic cleansing the Serbs did and who was actually cleanse from Kosovo. Both sides committed crimes but seems one side continues to inflate the actual casualties count. If you continue to live in the past and status quo of the past will remain. Leave it to the historians to write the history not those who don't have a say. Out of all the 2 million in kosovo less than half who were eligible to vote voted. No one is interested in independence only how to feed the family. The interested ones are those who seek power and not the poor who still live in tents since 99 or in a home which power is delieverd 35 percent of the time.

Joe,

if you´re not an Albanian...as you repeatedly want to tell us...

why are you so eagerly trying to "unveil" Jim Bason from Chicago, Illinois as an serbian american?

why don´t you be at least here more honest???

Very "smart and brave" moves from Jeremic.

Dear Jim Bason,
what a non democratic wishful thinking you are expressing! I think that you are the badly informed.

'You're making us Americans look like morons'

Anybody watching US foreign policy around the world believes this anyway...
Those nut cases that come out shouting 'fry, fry, fry' when somebody is due to be gassed or the crazy abortion protests etc.

Sure the States looks like a crazy place.

Jim, if you say "Albanian violence will not be acceptable in USA", does it mean that other's (like American)wil be? I am from Serbia and we do not accept any violence, wheather Albanian, Serbian Russian or at least AMerican. We just pray to have peaceful life, which (mainly) thanking to USA we don't. Anyway I am glad to hear at least one American using head for getting oppinion. I was thinking that majority of USA citizen uses TV for getting oppinion.