Thaci refuses to apologize for KLA crimes

Of course, there's no real need to apologize to Serbs as they are always guilty by default. Perhaps they committed a couple of collective suicides and now everyone asks Mr. Tachi as if he'd knew anything about it. Everyone knows an Albanian could never hurt a Serb, especially when they are elderly and unprotected (heavy sarcasm is intentional).

That's probably true A92, plus he'd lose a huge deal of support from ordinary Albanians. He may be little more than a well-dressed thug in my eyes, but he's certainly not stupid by any stretch of the imagination. Still, how he expects Serbs to trust his word is beyond me.

But I can see why he wouldn't apologize, the very next day he would be gunned down by his KLA goons for doing so.

He used to say he will be PM to both Albanians and Serbs, does anyone believe in this itention of his? Who can believe former soldier who ordered massacre of Serbs. How the one who ordered the massacre and was personaly involved can have any feelings for other ethnic group that he sees as his enemy. The truth is that nothing has changed and Serbs cannot have any bright future under Albanian rule. This is already proven fact. However, Serbia should not ask for any appology neither should appologize for anything. Serbia was runing defence war against islamic Albanian terrosrists who cowardly attacked police officers and civilians. My Godness the world must go crazy when persons like Hashim Thachi can become someone's PM.

The so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which the Serbian state considered terrorist, was involved in attacks on Serb police and civilians before and during the 1999 war in Kosovo.

Not only Serbia/Yugoslavia considered the KLA a terrorist organization. Only after the US, Germany and NATO saw an opportunity to continue dismantling Yugoslavia more the KLA was suddenly removed from the terrorist list and supplied and trained.

But Thaci was not the subject of investigation by the Hague Tribunal prosecutors, who raised indictments against three former KLA leaders, Ramush Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj, and Lahi Brahimaj, for their actions in 1998.

That shows that The Hague is a political farce and no more Serb should and will appear there.

The new Kosovo prime minister was taking part in a news conference in Čaglavica's media center today, when reporters asked whether he felt guilty for the crimes committed against the Serbs in the province.

What a stupid question of that journalist.

Journalists also wanted to know if Thaci would apologize to the victims, now that he has assumed the duties of the province's prime minister.

And what will be the answer?

"I am very proud of my past and the past of my people who, along with NATO, arrived at the goal," he answered, in reference to the NATO bombing of Serbia in the spring of 1999, which ended after 78 days with the withdrawal of Serbian securty forces from the province, and its placement under UN administration, regulated by the Security Council Resolution 1244.

So no one single Serb has ever feel guilty about nay Albanian that was killed and Serbia will never have to apologize. That is not mean. That is playing by the same rules.

"We need to turn to the future, not to the past," said Thaci, and then added, "everyone knows who should be apologizing."

You make me sick.

Speaking about the Kosovo government's plans, he said it will "guarantee all minorities their rights as envisaged in the Ahtisaari plan."

The Ahtisaari plan has been dead for a while and as long as the 200000+ Serbs, Roma, and other monorities have not returned to their homes these words mean absolutely nothing (a bag of hot air).

Thaci explained that a new office for minorities will soon open with his cabinet, and called on all those driven out of their homes in the province to return to Kosovo, adding that his government would guarantee them security.

So in that case NATO will not be necessary anyore, but who would believe him anyway.

Official data shows that nearly 190,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians left the province after the war in 1999. Almost all of them now live in other parts of Serbia as IDPs, or internally displaced persons.

Did Serbia and other countries ever get some serious help from the UN to deal with all those refugees?

Thaci said today that the resolution of Kosovo's status should not bring fear, but rather a better future for all residents, and stressed that "there has been no ethnically motivated violence for the past two years."

That may change very soon.

"The patriotism of the Albanians is today seen in their respect for the minority communities," the Kosovo prime minister said, adding that those Serbs who entered his cabinet as ministers "will not be merely decoration."

This is prove that if the US, the EU and NATO put pressure of the Kosovo Albanians things can be done. The fact that not much has been accomplished is a clear sign that no real pressure has been put onto them since 1999.

Thaci did not wish to speculate on the date Kosovo Albanians might decide to unilaterally declare the province's independence, but said this would happen "in the near future and in coordination with Washington and Brussels."

It will not happen for a while and he knows it too. Maybe the Kosovo Albanian maffia will get rid of him if it keeps taking too long.

"Serbs in Kosova have to realize that Independence is good for them as well."

DD

Please give us five good and realistic reasons to support your claim. If you cannot, stop making these kinds of silly comments.

"Official data shows that nearly 190,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians left the province after the war in 1999."

- what official statsitics are B92 reporters basing this upon ? Dont they know the real figures recently updated by IDMC using UNHCR sources
http://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/(httpEnvelopes)/E2928D405B865F3D802570B8005AAF37?OpenDocument

"There are 221,000 IDPs in Serbia, 21,000 within Kosovo and 16,000 in Montenegro "

Beyond that it is hardly surpriseing that Thaci fails to atone for his transgressions and suggests only others are to blame and I guess that is a clear signal of the wasted confidence & trust that the US and "few" EU states have placed - reminds me of a time when the US placed a great deal of trust and confidence in another bunch of merciless so called "freedom" fighters - the muhajedin and we all know what they became - Taleban!!!

"everyone knows who should be apologizing."

THIS SAYS IT ALL!!

it´s not really that important, what the guy has to say...

what is quite more interesting that we can wish Mr.Burns some farewell-wishes as he is going to leave office "for private reasons"...

very good, indeed.

I am already interested to see how the K-albanians will try to belittle this again...
:)

maybe he was "not important anyway", right?

Thaci certainly should be questioned about the gunmen who killed six young Kosovo Serbs in the Panda Bar in Pec in December 1998 and the Gracko massacre July 1999.

ToniUK - the OCSE is monitoring the Serbian presidential election, even if the UK and US governments have been not allowed to monitor them.

It is ridiculous that Serbs expect their victims to apologize. Simply ridiculous.

Serbia's war of aggression has yet to apoligize to hundreds of thousands of victims who suffered during the 1990's. Anyone even thinking of submitting such an outrageous question does need serious psychological help. The Nazi's committed Genocide and am sure there must of been some resistance. What would be the Jewish reaction to such a sick minded question??Any people as threatened as the Jewish, Bosnians,Kosovars etc...have a God given right to life and must use any means at their disposal to preserve their existance and self preservation.Eliminating that danger from themselves and their children shouldn't be a cuase for apoligizing. Mr Thaci doesn't need to apoligize for trying to defend the Kosovar civilians.

"everyone knows who should be apologizing."

That was very clever answer,very short and sensible.Thaci is trying his best to convince everyone that Kosovo is and will be place for everyone who want to live there.

190 < 220 - 230


Or is Serbia also counting Montenegro's refugees as it's own?

Reality Check: Montenegro isn't part of Serbia!!

"We already have given in to international pressure, and a disproportionate, more than 20% of seats in the parliament have been reserved for you. You cannot lose if you participate in the system.
(albi, 19 January 2008 23:13)"


Are Serbs supposed to be enticed by that offer?

How about this proposal:

Serbs get 50% of the seats plus a veto, and,

Kosovo remains a province within Serbia!

Now that is fair.

When did any Serbian PM addressed Albanians in their own tongue on anything?
(Mospyt,

Serbian politicans cannot waste time by learning the language of ecah imigrant entering this country. They have better things to do and imigrants are obliged to learn the language of the country they are planning to live in in order to socialize and intagrate better. However, Albanians hardly can intagrate where ever they live and Serbia is not the only country having problem with this ethnic minority. That Serbia is no troublemaker can be proved if anyone is interested to see the truth. In my opinion the truth will soon come to the surface and that won't be any longer Serbia's problem but only yours by rejecting the country that you live in. Non imigrant was ever anywhere in this planet granted the independence nor will you.

The patriotism of the Albanians is today seen in their respect for the minority communities"
which minority community is it again that the Albanians respect.Because it is not to Serbs whose churches they fire rockets at and terrorize.It is not the Roma or Croats or Gorani or any other non Albanians.Is he maybe talking about minority the only minority in Kosovo that are allowed to defend themselves I think they are called NATO and the UN and they are safe becuase they are helping Albanians to disarm the the people whose land they take SERBS SERBS SERBS.

Thaci did not wish to speculate on the date Kosovo Albanians might decide to unilaterally declare the province's independence, but said this would happen "in the near future and in coordination with Washington and Brussels."
See this syas alot.They are waiting for the signal from Washington and Washington is not making eye contact.Too bad for our Albanian friends.They are over nad over told any day now to keep spirits up but the fact is Thaci cannot move without an OK from the empire.How long can Albanian leaders keep their people going before they realize it is not going to be as easy as they thought to just drive Serbs out of their land and make it official.That will never happen.Here is a part of a article Viseslav Simic wrote called Person of the year 7515 that sums it up well."Even if they have never officially or publicly stated it, the US pro-Albanian officials know that sovereignty cannot be acquired by the simple fact of conquest. The sovereign must cede it to the conqueror–otherwise it will forever be illegal. Certain of the fact that memory endures longer than defeat or fear, the US itself created a long list of reminders–hundreds of treaties with Indian nations testify to the need to ensure that the land conquered is the legal property of the new owner.

That's probably true A92, plus he'd lose a huge deal of support from ordinary Albanians. He may be little more than a well-dressed thug in my eyes, but he's certainly not stupid by any stretch of the imagination. Still, how he expects Serbs to trust his word after making this statement is beyond me.

So nice. Nicolas Burns is gone. Perhaps now Thaci would have to travel to Hagu?

Dear prosecutor! He is proud of what? Just take a look to old american papers.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E4D61E3CF937A35755C0A9669C8B63

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F07E2DF153AF936A15755C0A96F958260

To all of KAlbanians who so many times said that Russia is NOTHING, ZERO, PAPER TIGER.
Mr. Thaci, you better appologize.

http://www.neurope.eu/articles/82040.php

"Gheit said. “Energy now is the weapon of the day. It is no longer missiles; it is energy. Those who have energy resources are in the driver’s seat. Energy is scarce; energy is precious; energy is the backbone of the global economy; and obviously the countries that have more control of energy resources enjoy an envious type of position. It goes hand in hand with policies and politics, and so Russia is playing the energy part.”

azir: you speak of nazis. read your history and determine for yourself who sided with the nazis during ww2.

Ten thousand Kosova Albanians were killed by Serbian troops and paramilitary thugs in 1999. A million more were driven out of their homes, either towards Albania or Macedonia. The Serbian troops at the border, after taking away all valuables away also tore their documents to make sure they could not return. Mospyt said

-When the Albanians going to syop falsifaying the history? Firstly the numbers of the victims are higly exaggerated and makes me sick, so sick that I cannot symhpathise with the real victims. Just to tell you that I was the on of the thousands of expeled Serbs. I was expeled from the rented flat which was soon after me occupied by the Albanians from Albania.

Why didn't you, or any other Serb, protest against the expulsion of Albanians? Was it because you believed Milosevic's cynical lies that they were escaping NATO bombing? Or it is because you believed they deserved it?-Mospyt said

-No, Serbs could not possibly demonstrate for the things they did not do. Besides we were bombed that time and were taking care of our own lives. You can be greatful to them for bombing you Albanians as well and calling you colateral damage.

What national or international law gives any country the right to kill, plunder, and expel a whole population because of its ethnicity? -Mospyt said

-And what kind of right do you Albanians have to do the same against the Serbs. You bit the hand that used to fed you. Serbia gave you everything, homes, jobes, freedom from Enver Hohxa and you organised attacks on police and civilians. You begun with terror much earlier.

Well, Bmrusila, the politicians in Belgrade should have bothered to learn the language of the people they were professing to rule. That way they would have understood their history, culture and their problems. Consequently hundreds of thousand of people would still have been alive and the Balkans would been spared the bloodshed and tears.Mospyt said

-Perhaps Albanians were supposed to learn the history of the country they came as immigrants. If they did that the bloodshead would never happen at first place. Go to another place in this world and ask the country's high officials to learn Albanian and their history, start to throw the bombes on them, start to shoot them, start kidnapping the civilians and very soon you will get the answer back .You started you got it.

Elections in kosovo few month ago were democratic, hope Serbian elections are just as fair and democratic.
Not started just as well though, considering RIK behaviour not allowing western modern and democratic countries to monitor elections.
Thaqi has been considered as unexpirienced, this far he has shown to be the right man for the job.
Well done Thaqi.

Empty apologies are worthless, just as his self proclaimed position as Kosovo official.

If he was truly worried about what would KLA terrorist do to him, he would have come up with a more diplomatic answer, keen to keep both sides at bay. Saying that you're 'proud' oversteps the mare concern for what the KLA will think.

Last time I checked, he wasn't charged with crimes against Serbs. He shouldn't apologize, and his comment was the right one. All Albanians are proud of what he did and will do. However, changes have to be done from both sides. Serbs in Kosova have to realize that Independence is good for them as well.

Zoran, you will be better off in an independent Kosovo because we will have peace, once and for all. Serbia can only have Kosovo if it kills its population, if it keeps them alive but represses them, or if it expels them. In such a Kosovo, as a Serb you can only be a policeman, or a soldier, or an Arkan thug, and in all the above positions your role will be to beat Albanians. That's how it was under Milosevic, and that time is gone for good.

We instead propose a peaceful Kosovo, a Kosovo of its citizens. You can help us out or you can get in the way, in either case you will reap the benefits or suffer the consequences.

We already have given in to international pressure, and a disproportionate, more than 20% of seats in the parliament have been reserved for you. You cannot lose if you participate in the system.

Why should premier Thaci apologize for liberating his land? Serbs can think what ever they want, but during 90' its was impossible to kick Serbian-Milosevic regime by buying them present's.

B92 are you following the comments of "bmrusila" much these days or are you just preoccupied by banning pro-independence comments?

Bmrusila wrote,

'Serbian politicans cannot waste time by learning the language of ecah imigrant entering this country. They have better things to do'.

Of course they do. Signing peace treaties with NATO and sending their former leaders to the Hague to be tried for genocide.

It's attitudes such as yours, Bmrusila, which have set the Balkans alight in the 1990s.

Ten thousand Kosova Albanians were killed by Serbian troops and paramilitary thugs in 1999. A million more were driven out of their homes, either towards Albania or Macedonia. The Serbian troops at the border, after taking away all valuables away also tore their documents to make sure they could not return.

Why didn't you, or any other Serb, protest against the expulsion of Albanians? Was it because you believed Milosevic's cynical lies that they were escaping NATO bombing? Or it is because you believed they deserved it?

What national or international law gives any country the right to kill, plunder, and expel a whole population because of its ethnicity?


Well, Bmrusila, the politicians in Belgrade should have bothered to learn the language of the people they were professing to rule. That way they would have understood their history, culture and their problems. Consequently hundreds of thousand of people would still have been alive and the Balkans would been spared the bloodshed and tears.

This sounds like nothing more than a rehearsed interview. Looks like those puppet strings are working well.

KLA did no crimes so therefore Primeminister Thaci has nothing to apologize for.
The whole democratic world knows that crimes were done by the serb occupation, there is nothing to hide

His answer in Caglavica was very clear when he said: " I am very proud of my past"
Why should he appoligize when the Serbs should be the one to do just that that they have failed so far for crimes committed in former Yugoslavia.

Albanians are not immigrants to Kosovo, they are native inhabitants. We can argue about medieval times or even about earlier times, but there is no question that when the Serbian army invaded Kosovo in 1912, Kosovo was full of Albanians. Subsequently, various Serbian and Yugoslav governments have attempted to change the demographics. Poor Serb and Montenegrin settlers were brought in and were armed and incited against Albanians. Cities in Albania and Turkey have "Kosovar" neighborhoods that correspond to several waves of Albanian immigrants from Kosovo. The reason why Albanians continue to be a majority is twofold: they started out as a majority and their natality is high.

If anybody has any data on any immigration from Albania to Kosovo please enlighten all of us, but I doubt it.

We already have given in to international pressure, and a disproportionate, more than 20% of seats in the parliament have been reserved for you. You cannot lose if you participate in the system.
(albi, 19 January 2008 23:13)

Not true. Only 10 out of the 120 seats are reserved for Serbs - or 8.3333%

My Godness the world must go crazy when persons like Hashim Thachi can become someone's PM.
(bmrusila, 19 January 2008 20:35)

I bet that hes better then milosevic that you elected wich orderd the murder people in the balkans...

Mr Thaqi is mother teresa compare to him..

what an absolute blunder of an interview. In the eyes of the world, he just declared himself guilty of every KLA crime committed.

This is a setback that may be hard to come back from. Watch this space.

Imagine the Slavs demanding the Jews apoligize to the Germans. Sounds outrageous, doesn't it?

Very dumb question by the reporter. That report should be recalled by the media it represents, for being so stupid.
The reporter in question should ask Kostunica for an apology for war crimes Serbian thugs committed.
I hope the Serbs of Kosova realize that they belong in Kosova, and stop asking the premier provocative questions orchestrated by Belgrade.

B92 is wobbling again. 'The so-called KLA', it says. Why 'the so-called'. It was the KLA. It defended its people from the barbarisms of Milosevic's thugs. It liberated its people and HAS NOTHING TO APOLOGISE for.

In his opening speech as the new prime minister to KosovA's parliament, Thaci addressed KosovA Serbs IN SERBIAN telling them they had nothing to fear and urging them to work with Albanians for a better KosovA. When did Kostunica do that? When did any Serbian PM addressed Albanians in their own tongue on anything?

Soon after Serbia's presidential elections, Thaci will declare independence. Belgrade's reaction will be irrelevant, and the content of many Serbian posters here reinforces the argument why KosovA is going alone. What they are left with is a severe case of sour grapes. Well, I don't mind that.

I am not a fan of Thaci.

Thaci is right here the world knows who should be appoligasing!

He also is right when he says He is proud of his past. Most Kosoavrs are!

For many rights reasons.

I truly beileive clever Serbs should thank him and be grateful to Kosovars and the KLA/NATO, for making the conditions of liberating serbia from dictatorship.

Serbia today has fallen back thanks to nationalisit forces, but they do not have the power Millosh had.

With EU/US help they will be eliminated soon.

"it´s not really that important, what the guy has to say...

what is quite more interesting that we can wish Mr.Burns some farewell-wishes as he is going to leave office "for private reasons"...

very good, indeed.

I am already interested to see how the K-albanians will try to belittle this again...
:)

maybe he was "not important anyway", right?
(Jovan, 19 January 2008 21:16) "

He's leaving in March Jovan. Who knows what will happen till then.

He was not liberating Albanian land, Tachi is a criminal seperatist who started all of the violence. There was no violence against Albanians until KLA started the gurella warfare.

Those are the facts. In fact KLA was terrorizing Serbs in Kosovo before the 1990's and cleansing them from their land.

Either way I think Serbs should be thankful that Albanians want indepnedence and they should give it to them along with all of the debt. Let the EU deal with the Albanians , and get them off your hands.

I am a Serb and if you look at the statistics Kosovo is not Serbian anymore. When you have majority of the population (90percent) who hate you then there is nothing you can do to satisfy them. Unless Serbs want to be subject of attack for the rest of their history.

Next, 50 percent of the Albanian population is under 30 where as the number is completely opposite for the Serbs whos population even in Serbia proper is aging. Meaning that in 50 yrs the problem that Serbs have in Kosovo will spread into Serbia Proper. At that point no part of Serbia will be Serbian but rather Albanian. Serbs should think about 50 yrs from now and let go of the past, think of what will happed for our children and their children. Do you want your kids terrorized by the KLA? NO. Let Kosovars go, protect your poeple for the future so that Serbs can prosper and live well in your own country. Serbian pride will create a Serbia where Serbs will be a total minority not just in Kosovo.

Don't be so happy for Mr N.Burns' resignation, guys! Another Burns is coming (W.Burns). Nick Burns will leave the office in March 1st, two weeks after USA would've recognised Kosovo's independence.

B92, please. You either post my comment in its entirety or do not post it at all.
The comment i made was edited, i do not see any reason why, it just does not make any sense.
Anyway thank you.

It is hard to imagine a criminal and thug who was the leader of a terrorist organisation admit to his crimes. He should be in the dock at the Hague with the other leaders of the so-called KLA. I suppose his personal friendship with Albright and Holbrooke have given him immunity for now, but his day in court will come.

Jason Parker
Liverpool, England UK

I got to hand it to the serbs. Really!!!
You are a force to be reckon with.
A not very significant country like serbia,manages to hold SC hostage.I really got to hand it to you...I am glad that it was serbia we hat to learn from.Cuz we used same adgitators taktics on you,and they worked,now us albanians are on top and forgiving but not apologizing.Cuz you are the best on this kind of taktics,and now we become better than the teacher.

PJD this is for you

Numerical representation of the Kosovo Assembly

120 seats of the Assembly of Kosovo:

* 100 seats for all the political subjects directly voted
* 10 seats set aside for the representatives of the Serb community
* 10 seats set aside for the representatives of other communities:
o 4 seats for the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities (RAE)
o 3 seats for the Bosniak community
o 2 seats for the Turkish community
o 1 seat for the Goran community

20 seats for minorities or 1/6 (17%) plus seats in Ministers and the latest government even offered a high position as deputy prime minister.

The minorities in Kosova aren't just decoration as the Serbianna propaganda would like to make you believe.

to apologize? are you joking me .....seems like serbs for all crimes still there are thinking they are innocent oh boy!!!so hipo..

KS

I recently read about these Egyptians in the Balkans, where exactly do they originate from? I know they have nothing to do with the Egyptians from Egypt, are they related more to Albanians, Roma or Slavs?

My respect for Croatia and its people increased tremendously when I received the great news that Ante Gotovina was imprisoned. I will never forget the images of convoys of refugees from Krajina

I will expect of a sivilized country like Serbia to imprison Karadzić, Mladić wihout any more delay

It should not be tolerated by anyone that those responsible for war crimes and atrocities, like Thaçi are accending to high places

I call upon international community to issue an arrest order and bring him to court

I can never forget the images of convoys of Albanian Kosovar refugees mass-expelled out from province in 1999 nor can I forget sufferings of Serbian Kosovars and other minority groups

Bringing in war criminals to the top political scene and even expressing support to them makes talk about independence just a farçe

“Of course, there's no real need to apologize to Serbs as they are always guilty by default. Perhaps they committed a couple of collective suicides and now everyone asks Mr. Tachi as if he'd knew anything about it. Everyone knows an Albanian could never hurt a Serb, especially when they are elderly and unprotected”

Change “Albanian” for “Serb” and vice-versa in the sentence above and we will got exactly the same plain old Serb nationalist propaganda.

“Serbian politicans cannot waste time by learning the language of ecah imigrant entering this country. They have better things to do and imigrants are obliged to learn the language of the country they are planning to live in in order to socialize and intagrate better.”

Kosovars who speak Albanian language are not immigrants. They were majority in Kosovo even before Serbia annexed it to its territory in the Balkan War of 1913.

There is no reason to Serbian claims over Kosovo. For people like me who never believed in Orthodoxy, the assumption that a lost battle in 1389 give some country a perpetual property over a land is simply… RIDICULOUS.

“…..Egyptians in the Balkans, where….originate from? ….nothing to do with the…. Egypt…”

According to some theories, their ancestors really came from Egypt during the fourth century. Other theories are that they are Roma people, mistakenly thought to originate from Egypt.

Maybe idea that some Egyptians emigrated to Balkan seems strange, but who knows? Many cultures came to this parts over the centuries, especially Mediterian people. North African pirates settled in the few places in the Adriatic, there were slave markets where slaves from Africa were sold, Jews from Spain and Portugal came to Bosnia, there are Italian villages in the Bosnia and West Slavonia, and Romas came all the way from Penjub.

"There was no violence against Albanians until KLA started the gurella warfare"
(Igor, 20 January 2008 02:35)

I'm sure Igor you learned your history in the Serb education system just like I did in the Albanian one but what you just said can not be farther from the truth.

Violence against Albanians by the Serb regime began the moment Serbs gained independence from the Ottomans. In Albania there are thousands of Kosovars who moved there before WWII.

But even if we don't go back that far one can't forget the 1981 uprising in Kosova or the events of 1989 which were the catatlyst for the disintegration of Yugoslavia.

The Kosovar Albanians, led by the peaceful Ibrahim Rugova, in fact were the most patient of the other ethnicities who wanted nothing to do with the Serbs once communism fell.

After 8 years of futility the Albanians decided to take up arms once they realized that the Serbs would never give an inch without a fight.

This is where we are today.

Serbia's war of aggression has yet to apoligize to hundreds of thousands of victims who suffered during the 1990's. Anyone even thinking of submitting such an outrageous question does need serious psychological help. The Nazi's committed Genocide and am sure there must of been some resistance. What would be the Jewish reaction to such a sick minded question??Any people as threatened as the Jewish, Bosnians,Kosovars etc...have a God given right to life and must use any means at their disposal to preserve their existance and self preservation.Eliminating that danger from themselves and their children shouldn't be a cuase for apoligizing. Mr Thaci doesn't need to apoligize for trying to defend the Kosovar civilians.

It is ridiculous that Serbs expect their victims to apologize. Simply ridiculous.

"everyone knows who should be apologizing."

THIS SAYS IT ALL!!

"everyone knows who should be apologizing."

That was very clever answer,very short and sensible.Thaci is trying his best to convince everyone that Kosovo is and will be place for everyone who want to live there.

Elections in kosovo few month ago were democratic, hope Serbian elections are just as fair and democratic.
Not started just as well though, considering RIK behaviour not allowing western modern and democratic countries to monitor elections.
Thaqi has been considered as unexpirienced, this far he has shown to be the right man for the job.
Well done Thaqi.

Last time I checked, he wasn't charged with crimes against Serbs. He shouldn't apologize, and his comment was the right one. All Albanians are proud of what he did and will do. However, changes have to be done from both sides. Serbs in Kosova have to realize that Independence is good for them as well.

Why should premier Thaci apologize for liberating his land? Serbs can think what ever they want, but during 90' its was impossible to kick Serbian-Milosevic regime by buying them present's.

190 < 220 - 230


Or is Serbia also counting Montenegro's refugees as it's own?

Reality Check: Montenegro isn't part of Serbia!!

Zoran, you will be better off in an independent Kosovo because we will have peace, once and for all. Serbia can only have Kosovo if it kills its population, if it keeps them alive but represses them, or if it expels them. In such a Kosovo, as a Serb you can only be a policeman, or a soldier, or an Arkan thug, and in all the above positions your role will be to beat Albanians. That's how it was under Milosevic, and that time is gone for good.

We instead propose a peaceful Kosovo, a Kosovo of its citizens. You can help us out or you can get in the way, in either case you will reap the benefits or suffer the consequences.

We already have given in to international pressure, and a disproportionate, more than 20% of seats in the parliament have been reserved for you. You cannot lose if you participate in the system.

His answer in Caglavica was very clear when he said: " I am very proud of my past"
Why should he appoligize when the Serbs should be the one to do just that that they have failed so far for crimes committed in former Yugoslavia.

B92 is wobbling again. 'The so-called KLA', it says. Why 'the so-called'. It was the KLA. It defended its people from the barbarisms of Milosevic's thugs. It liberated its people and HAS NOTHING TO APOLOGISE for.

In his opening speech as the new prime minister to KosovA's parliament, Thaci addressed KosovA Serbs IN SERBIAN telling them they had nothing to fear and urging them to work with Albanians for a better KosovA. When did Kostunica do that? When did any Serbian PM addressed Albanians in their own tongue on anything?

Soon after Serbia's presidential elections, Thaci will declare independence. Belgrade's reaction will be irrelevant, and the content of many Serbian posters here reinforces the argument why KosovA is going alone. What they are left with is a severe case of sour grapes. Well, I don't mind that.

I am not a fan of Thaci.

Thaci is right here the world knows who should be appoligasing!

He also is right when he says He is proud of his past. Most Kosoavrs are!

For many rights reasons.

I truly beileive clever Serbs should thank him and be grateful to Kosovars and the KLA/NATO, for making the conditions of liberating serbia from dictatorship.

Serbia today has fallen back thanks to nationalisit forces, but they do not have the power Millosh had.

With EU/US help they will be eliminated soon.

Bmrusila wrote,

'Serbian politicans cannot waste time by learning the language of ecah imigrant entering this country. They have better things to do'.

Of course they do. Signing peace treaties with NATO and sending their former leaders to the Hague to be tried for genocide.

It's attitudes such as yours, Bmrusila, which have set the Balkans alight in the 1990s.

Ten thousand Kosova Albanians were killed by Serbian troops and paramilitary thugs in 1999. A million more were driven out of their homes, either towards Albania or Macedonia. The Serbian troops at the border, after taking away all valuables away also tore their documents to make sure they could not return.

Why didn't you, or any other Serb, protest against the expulsion of Albanians? Was it because you believed Milosevic's cynical lies that they were escaping NATO bombing? Or it is because you believed they deserved it?

What national or international law gives any country the right to kill, plunder, and expel a whole population because of its ethnicity?


Well, Bmrusila, the politicians in Belgrade should have bothered to learn the language of the people they were professing to rule. That way they would have understood their history, culture and their problems. Consequently hundreds of thousand of people would still have been alive and the Balkans would been spared the bloodshed and tears.

That's probably true A92, plus he'd lose a huge deal of support from ordinary Albanians. He may be little more than a well-dressed thug in my eyes, but he's certainly not stupid by any stretch of the imagination. Still, how he expects Serbs to trust his word is beyond me.

Imagine the Slavs demanding the Jews apoligize to the Germans. Sounds outrageous, doesn't it?

My Godness the world must go crazy when persons like Hashim Thachi can become someone's PM.
(bmrusila, 19 January 2008 20:35)

I bet that hes better then milosevic that you elected wich orderd the murder people in the balkans...

Mr Thaqi is mother teresa compare to him..

KLA did no crimes so therefore Primeminister Thaci has nothing to apologize for.
The whole democratic world knows that crimes were done by the serb occupation, there is nothing to hide

But I can see why he wouldn't apologize, the very next day he would be gunned down by his KLA goons for doing so.

Of course, there's no real need to apologize to Serbs as they are always guilty by default. Perhaps they committed a couple of collective suicides and now everyone asks Mr. Tachi as if he'd knew anything about it. Everyone knows an Albanian could never hurt a Serb, especially when they are elderly and unprotected (heavy sarcasm is intentional).

Very dumb question by the reporter. That report should be recalled by the media it represents, for being so stupid.
The reporter in question should ask Kostunica for an apology for war crimes Serbian thugs committed.
I hope the Serbs of Kosova realize that they belong in Kosova, and stop asking the premier provocative questions orchestrated by Belgrade.

That's probably true A92, plus he'd lose a huge deal of support from ordinary Albanians. He may be little more than a well-dressed thug in my eyes, but he's certainly not stupid by any stretch of the imagination. Still, how he expects Serbs to trust his word after making this statement is beyond me.

The so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which the Serbian state considered terrorist, was involved in attacks on Serb police and civilians before and during the 1999 war in Kosovo.

Not only Serbia/Yugoslavia considered the KLA a terrorist organization. Only after the US, Germany and NATO saw an opportunity to continue dismantling Yugoslavia more the KLA was suddenly removed from the terrorist list and supplied and trained.

But Thaci was not the subject of investigation by the Hague Tribunal prosecutors, who raised indictments against three former KLA leaders, Ramush Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj, and Lahi Brahimaj, for their actions in 1998.

That shows that The Hague is a political farce and no more Serb should and will appear there.

The new Kosovo prime minister was taking part in a news conference in Čaglavica's media center today, when reporters asked whether he felt guilty for the crimes committed against the Serbs in the province.

What a stupid question of that journalist.

Journalists also wanted to know if Thaci would apologize to the victims, now that he has assumed the duties of the province's prime minister.

And what will be the answer?

"I am very proud of my past and the past of my people who, along with NATO, arrived at the goal," he answered, in reference to the NATO bombing of Serbia in the spring of 1999, which ended after 78 days with the withdrawal of Serbian securty forces from the province, and its placement under UN administration, regulated by the Security Council Resolution 1244.

So no one single Serb has ever feel guilty about nay Albanian that was killed and Serbia will never have to apologize. That is not mean. That is playing by the same rules.

"We need to turn to the future, not to the past," said Thaci, and then added, "everyone knows who should be apologizing."

You make me sick.

Speaking about the Kosovo government's plans, he said it will "guarantee all minorities their rights as envisaged in the Ahtisaari plan."

The Ahtisaari plan has been dead for a while and as long as the 200000+ Serbs, Roma, and other monorities have not returned to their homes these words mean absolutely nothing (a bag of hot air).

Thaci explained that a new office for minorities will soon open with his cabinet, and called on all those driven out of their homes in the province to return to Kosovo, adding that his government would guarantee them security.

So in that case NATO will not be necessary anyore, but who would believe him anyway.

Official data shows that nearly 190,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians left the province after the war in 1999. Almost all of them now live in other parts of Serbia as IDPs, or internally displaced persons.

Did Serbia and other countries ever get some serious help from the UN to deal with all those refugees?

Thaci said today that the resolution of Kosovo's status should not bring fear, but rather a better future for all residents, and stressed that "there has been no ethnically motivated violence for the past two years."

That may change very soon.

"The patriotism of the Albanians is today seen in their respect for the minority communities," the Kosovo prime minister said, adding that those Serbs who entered his cabinet as ministers "will not be merely decoration."

This is prove that if the US, the EU and NATO put pressure of the Kosovo Albanians things can be done. The fact that not much has been accomplished is a clear sign that no real pressure has been put onto them since 1999.

Thaci did not wish to speculate on the date Kosovo Albanians might decide to unilaterally declare the province's independence, but said this would happen "in the near future and in coordination with Washington and Brussels."

It will not happen for a while and he knows it too. Maybe the Kosovo Albanian maffia will get rid of him if it keeps taking too long.

He used to say he will be PM to both Albanians and Serbs, does anyone believe in this itention of his? Who can believe former soldier who ordered massacre of Serbs. How the one who ordered the massacre and was personaly involved can have any feelings for other ethnic group that he sees as his enemy. The truth is that nothing has changed and Serbs cannot have any bright future under Albanian rule. This is already proven fact. However, Serbia should not ask for any appology neither should appologize for anything. Serbia was runing defence war against islamic Albanian terrosrists who cowardly attacked police officers and civilians. My Godness the world must go crazy when persons like Hashim Thachi can become someone's PM.

"Serbs in Kosova have to realize that Independence is good for them as well."

DD

Please give us five good and realistic reasons to support your claim. If you cannot, stop making these kinds of silly comments.

"it´s not really that important, what the guy has to say...

what is quite more interesting that we can wish Mr.Burns some farewell-wishes as he is going to leave office "for private reasons"...

very good, indeed.

I am already interested to see how the K-albanians will try to belittle this again...
:)

maybe he was "not important anyway", right?
(Jovan, 19 January 2008 21:16) "

He's leaving in March Jovan. Who knows what will happen till then.

Don't be so happy for Mr N.Burns' resignation, guys! Another Burns is coming (W.Burns). Nick Burns will leave the office in March 1st, two weeks after USA would've recognised Kosovo's independence.

B92, please. You either post my comment in its entirety or do not post it at all.
The comment i made was edited, i do not see any reason why, it just does not make any sense.
Anyway thank you.

"Official data shows that nearly 190,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians left the province after the war in 1999."

- what official statsitics are B92 reporters basing this upon ? Dont they know the real figures recently updated by IDMC using UNHCR sources
http://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/(httpEnvelopes)/E2928D405B865F3D802570B8005AAF37?OpenDocument

"There are 221,000 IDPs in Serbia, 21,000 within Kosovo and 16,000 in Montenegro "

Beyond that it is hardly surpriseing that Thaci fails to atone for his transgressions and suggests only others are to blame and I guess that is a clear signal of the wasted confidence & trust that the US and "few" EU states have placed - reminds me of a time when the US placed a great deal of trust and confidence in another bunch of merciless so called "freedom" fighters - the muhajedin and we all know what they became - Taleban!!!

Thaci certainly should be questioned about the gunmen who killed six young Kosovo Serbs in the Panda Bar in Pec in December 1998 and the Gracko massacre July 1999.

ToniUK - the OCSE is monitoring the Serbian presidential election, even if the UK and US governments have been not allowed to monitor them.

To all of KAlbanians who so many times said that Russia is NOTHING, ZERO, PAPER TIGER.
Mr. Thaci, you better appologize.

http://www.neurope.eu/articles/82040.php

"Gheit said. “Energy now is the weapon of the day. It is no longer missiles; it is energy. Those who have energy resources are in the driver’s seat. Energy is scarce; energy is precious; energy is the backbone of the global economy; and obviously the countries that have more control of energy resources enjoy an envious type of position. It goes hand in hand with policies and politics, and so Russia is playing the energy part.”

I got to hand it to the serbs. Really!!!
You are a force to be reckon with.
A not very significant country like serbia,manages to hold SC hostage.I really got to hand it to you...I am glad that it was serbia we hat to learn from.Cuz we used same adgitators taktics on you,and they worked,now us albanians are on top and forgiving but not apologizing.Cuz you are the best on this kind of taktics,and now we become better than the teacher.

When did any Serbian PM addressed Albanians in their own tongue on anything?
(Mospyt,

Serbian politicans cannot waste time by learning the language of ecah imigrant entering this country. They have better things to do and imigrants are obliged to learn the language of the country they are planning to live in in order to socialize and intagrate better. However, Albanians hardly can intagrate where ever they live and Serbia is not the only country having problem with this ethnic minority. That Serbia is no troublemaker can be proved if anyone is interested to see the truth. In my opinion the truth will soon come to the surface and that won't be any longer Serbia's problem but only yours by rejecting the country that you live in. Non imigrant was ever anywhere in this planet granted the independence nor will you.

B92 are you following the comments of "bmrusila" much these days or are you just preoccupied by banning pro-independence comments?

Albanians are not immigrants to Kosovo, they are native inhabitants. We can argue about medieval times or even about earlier times, but there is no question that when the Serbian army invaded Kosovo in 1912, Kosovo was full of Albanians. Subsequently, various Serbian and Yugoslav governments have attempted to change the demographics. Poor Serb and Montenegrin settlers were brought in and were armed and incited against Albanians. Cities in Albania and Turkey have "Kosovar" neighborhoods that correspond to several waves of Albanian immigrants from Kosovo. The reason why Albanians continue to be a majority is twofold: they started out as a majority and their natality is high.

If anybody has any data on any immigration from Albania to Kosovo please enlighten all of us, but I doubt it.

Empty apologies are worthless, just as his self proclaimed position as Kosovo official.

If he was truly worried about what would KLA terrorist do to him, he would have come up with a more diplomatic answer, keen to keep both sides at bay. Saying that you're 'proud' oversteps the mare concern for what the KLA will think.

it´s not really that important, what the guy has to say...

what is quite more interesting that we can wish Mr.Burns some farewell-wishes as he is going to leave office "for private reasons"...

very good, indeed.

I am already interested to see how the K-albanians will try to belittle this again...
:)

maybe he was "not important anyway", right?

This sounds like nothing more than a rehearsed interview. Looks like those puppet strings are working well.

The patriotism of the Albanians is today seen in their respect for the minority communities"
which minority community is it again that the Albanians respect.Because it is not to Serbs whose churches they fire rockets at and terrorize.It is not the Roma or Croats or Gorani or any other non Albanians.Is he maybe talking about minority the only minority in Kosovo that are allowed to defend themselves I think they are called NATO and the UN and they are safe becuase they are helping Albanians to disarm the the people whose land they take SERBS SERBS SERBS.

Thaci did not wish to speculate on the date Kosovo Albanians might decide to unilaterally declare the province's independence, but said this would happen "in the near future and in coordination with Washington and Brussels."
See this syas alot.They are waiting for the signal from Washington and Washington is not making eye contact.Too bad for our Albanian friends.They are over nad over told any day now to keep spirits up but the fact is Thaci cannot move without an OK from the empire.How long can Albanian leaders keep their people going before they realize it is not going to be as easy as they thought to just drive Serbs out of their land and make it official.That will never happen.Here is a part of a article Viseslav Simic wrote called Person of the year 7515 that sums it up well."Even if they have never officially or publicly stated it, the US pro-Albanian officials know that sovereignty cannot be acquired by the simple fact of conquest. The sovereign must cede it to the conqueror–otherwise it will forever be illegal. Certain of the fact that memory endures longer than defeat or fear, the US itself created a long list of reminders–hundreds of treaties with Indian nations testify to the need to ensure that the land conquered is the legal property of the new owner.

He was not liberating Albanian land, Tachi is a criminal seperatist who started all of the violence. There was no violence against Albanians until KLA started the gurella warfare.

Those are the facts. In fact KLA was terrorizing Serbs in Kosovo before the 1990's and cleansing them from their land.

Either way I think Serbs should be thankful that Albanians want indepnedence and they should give it to them along with all of the debt. Let the EU deal with the Albanians , and get them off your hands.

I am a Serb and if you look at the statistics Kosovo is not Serbian anymore. When you have majority of the population (90percent) who hate you then there is nothing you can do to satisfy them. Unless Serbs want to be subject of attack for the rest of their history.

Next, 50 percent of the Albanian population is under 30 where as the number is completely opposite for the Serbs whos population even in Serbia proper is aging. Meaning that in 50 yrs the problem that Serbs have in Kosovo will spread into Serbia Proper. At that point no part of Serbia will be Serbian but rather Albanian. Serbs should think about 50 yrs from now and let go of the past, think of what will happed for our children and their children. Do you want your kids terrorized by the KLA? NO. Let Kosovars go, protect your poeple for the future so that Serbs can prosper and live well in your own country. Serbian pride will create a Serbia where Serbs will be a total minority not just in Kosovo.

"We already have given in to international pressure, and a disproportionate, more than 20% of seats in the parliament have been reserved for you. You cannot lose if you participate in the system.
(albi, 19 January 2008 23:13)"


Are Serbs supposed to be enticed by that offer?

How about this proposal:

Serbs get 50% of the seats plus a veto, and,

Kosovo remains a province within Serbia!

Now that is fair.

Ten thousand Kosova Albanians were killed by Serbian troops and paramilitary thugs in 1999. A million more were driven out of their homes, either towards Albania or Macedonia. The Serbian troops at the border, after taking away all valuables away also tore their documents to make sure they could not return. Mospyt said

-When the Albanians going to syop falsifaying the history? Firstly the numbers of the victims are higly exaggerated and makes me sick, so sick that I cannot symhpathise with the real victims. Just to tell you that I was the on of the thousands of expeled Serbs. I was expeled from the rented flat which was soon after me occupied by the Albanians from Albania.

Why didn't you, or any other Serb, protest against the expulsion of Albanians? Was it because you believed Milosevic's cynical lies that they were escaping NATO bombing? Or it is because you believed they deserved it?-Mospyt said

-No, Serbs could not possibly demonstrate for the things they did not do. Besides we were bombed that time and were taking care of our own lives. You can be greatful to them for bombing you Albanians as well and calling you colateral damage.

What national or international law gives any country the right to kill, plunder, and expel a whole population because of its ethnicity? -Mospyt said

-And what kind of right do you Albanians have to do the same against the Serbs. You bit the hand that used to fed you. Serbia gave you everything, homes, jobes, freedom from Enver Hohxa and you organised attacks on police and civilians. You begun with terror much earlier.

Well, Bmrusila, the politicians in Belgrade should have bothered to learn the language of the people they were professing to rule. That way they would have understood their history, culture and their problems. Consequently hundreds of thousand of people would still have been alive and the Balkans would been spared the bloodshed and tears.Mospyt said

-Perhaps Albanians were supposed to learn the history of the country they came as immigrants. If they did that the bloodshead would never happen at first place. Go to another place in this world and ask the country's high officials to learn Albanian and their history, start to throw the bombes on them, start to shoot them, start kidnapping the civilians and very soon you will get the answer back .You started you got it.

PJD this is for you

Numerical representation of the Kosovo Assembly

120 seats of the Assembly of Kosovo:

* 100 seats for all the political subjects directly voted
* 10 seats set aside for the representatives of the Serb community
* 10 seats set aside for the representatives of other communities:
o 4 seats for the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities (RAE)
o 3 seats for the Bosniak community
o 2 seats for the Turkish community
o 1 seat for the Goran community

20 seats for minorities or 1/6 (17%) plus seats in Ministers and the latest government even offered a high position as deputy prime minister.

The minorities in Kosova aren't just decoration as the Serbianna propaganda would like to make you believe.

to apologize? are you joking me .....seems like serbs for all crimes still there are thinking they are innocent oh boy!!!so hipo..

My respect for Croatia and its people increased tremendously when I received the great news that Ante Gotovina was imprisoned. I will never forget the images of convoys of refugees from Krajina

I will expect of a sivilized country like Serbia to imprison Karadzić, Mladić wihout any more delay

It should not be tolerated by anyone that those responsible for war crimes and atrocities, like Thaçi are accending to high places

I call upon international community to issue an arrest order and bring him to court

I can never forget the images of convoys of Albanian Kosovar refugees mass-expelled out from province in 1999 nor can I forget sufferings of Serbian Kosovars and other minority groups

Bringing in war criminals to the top political scene and even expressing support to them makes talk about independence just a farçe

So nice. Nicolas Burns is gone. Perhaps now Thaci would have to travel to Hagu?

Dear prosecutor! He is proud of what? Just take a look to old american papers.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F02E4D61E3CF937A35755C0A9669C8B63

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F07E2DF153AF936A15755C0A96F958260

what an absolute blunder of an interview. In the eyes of the world, he just declared himself guilty of every KLA crime committed.

This is a setback that may be hard to come back from. Watch this space.

azir: you speak of nazis. read your history and determine for yourself who sided with the nazis during ww2.

We already have given in to international pressure, and a disproportionate, more than 20% of seats in the parliament have been reserved for you. You cannot lose if you participate in the system.
(albi, 19 January 2008 23:13)

Not true. Only 10 out of the 120 seats are reserved for Serbs - or 8.3333%

It is hard to imagine a criminal and thug who was the leader of a terrorist organisation admit to his crimes. He should be in the dock at the Hague with the other leaders of the so-called KLA. I suppose his personal friendship with Albright and Holbrooke have given him immunity for now, but his day in court will come.

Jason Parker
Liverpool, England UK

“Of course, there's no real need to apologize to Serbs as they are always guilty by default. Perhaps they committed a couple of collective suicides and now everyone asks Mr. Tachi as if he'd knew anything about it. Everyone knows an Albanian could never hurt a Serb, especially when they are elderly and unprotected”

Change “Albanian” for “Serb” and vice-versa in the sentence above and we will got exactly the same plain old Serb nationalist propaganda.

“Serbian politicans cannot waste time by learning the language of ecah imigrant entering this country. They have better things to do and imigrants are obliged to learn the language of the country they are planning to live in in order to socialize and intagrate better.”

Kosovars who speak Albanian language are not immigrants. They were majority in Kosovo even before Serbia annexed it to its territory in the Balkan War of 1913.

There is no reason to Serbian claims over Kosovo. For people like me who never believed in Orthodoxy, the assumption that a lost battle in 1389 give some country a perpetual property over a land is simply… RIDICULOUS.

KS

I recently read about these Egyptians in the Balkans, where exactly do they originate from? I know they have nothing to do with the Egyptians from Egypt, are they related more to Albanians, Roma or Slavs?

“…..Egyptians in the Balkans, where….originate from? ….nothing to do with the…. Egypt…”

According to some theories, their ancestors really came from Egypt during the fourth century. Other theories are that they are Roma people, mistakenly thought to originate from Egypt.

Maybe idea that some Egyptians emigrated to Balkan seems strange, but who knows? Many cultures came to this parts over the centuries, especially Mediterian people. North African pirates settled in the few places in the Adriatic, there were slave markets where slaves from Africa were sold, Jews from Spain and Portugal came to Bosnia, there are Italian villages in the Bosnia and West Slavonia, and Romas came all the way from Penjub.

"There was no violence against Albanians until KLA started the gurella warfare"
(Igor, 20 January 2008 02:35)

I'm sure Igor you learned your history in the Serb education system just like I did in the Albanian one but what you just said can not be farther from the truth.

Violence against Albanians by the Serb regime began the moment Serbs gained independence from the Ottomans. In Albania there are thousands of Kosovars who moved there before WWII.

But even if we don't go back that far one can't forget the 1981 uprising in Kosova or the events of 1989 which were the catatlyst for the disintegration of Yugoslavia.

The Kosovar Albanians, led by the peaceful Ibrahim Rugova, in fact were the most patient of the other ethnicities who wanted nothing to do with the Serbs once communism fell.

After 8 years of futility the Albanians decided to take up arms once they realized that the Serbs would never give an inch without a fight.

This is where we are today.