Gnjilane Serbs resign from local authorities

Very good, just peacefully protest over injustice, just peacefully boycott illegal institutions. It is high time for the Albanians and the EU to learn how the disobedience look likes and how does it looks like disrespect for the country that the one reside in, apart from the fact that Kosovo is not even a state but Serbian province inhabited by Albanian immigrants and occupied by foreign forces.

Beautiful. I'm very proud of the fact that Serbs are a free and independent people, and are refusing to be serfs to this fake and illegal state, this new NATO colony.

There's a huge difference between now, and last decade Miri, and that difference is Slobodan Milosevic.

Milosevic was, if anything else, a pragmatist. He never really cared for Serbs in other republics, and was only interested in maintaining power in Belgrade. If it was expedient for him to back Krajina Serbs for the time being, so be it. But when it became strategic for him to abandon those people he previously supported - all to remain in power - he readily did it. Milosevic never really cared about what happened to Kosovo. As long as he remained in power in Belgrade, that's all that mattered.

Kostunica is, for better or for worse, different. Kostunica is an actual Serb nationalist. Unlike Milosevic who told K-Serbs to run for the border, Kostunica told them to stay put. And here's the difference: Kostunica will continue to back K-Serbs no matter what. Therefore, these Serbs Gnjilane and other places that are abandoning their posts, are doing so with the full knowledge that they are backed by Belgrade (and when I say "backed" "financially backed" is also included).

This is the major difference between Milosevic, who would have left them out to dry, and Kostunica, who sees them as full citizens (you may call them pawns, and in a weaker moment, I might be inclined to agree with you). Whether this strategy pays off or not remains to be seen, but what everyone should see by now is that Serbia is hunkering down for a long struggle.

The pride of Serbia,
Well done to those who stand up and refuse to co-operate!!!!
Enormous respect to you!!!

I don't think these people have a clear goal in their mind or what are they trying to achieve.
If I am to quote many Serbs commenting here, "Serbs left en masse during past decades from Kosova, supposedly due to K-Albanian pressure to leave the province". And all this happened under the nose of Yugoslav army and thousands of Serbian police that terrorized K-Albanians for those decades.

What hope do these poor people have now to turn the tide when all they do is boycott the only institutions that could guarantee their rights.
They keep following Belgrade's directive as blind chickens without knowing where they are heading. Belgrade doesn't have any jurisdiction on these enclaves and the only chance that these communities have to survive is cooperation with Kosova's authorities. Otherwise they will not see any other way out but slowly to leave the province.

As usual Belgrade's tactics will back fire. Whoever analyzes the events of the last decades will notice that Belgrade always lost. It lost Krajina, it lost Montenegro, it lost Kosova, is loosing EU, is loosing northern part of Kosova that could have kept it, had the courage to negotiate properly.

Kosovar - Serbs have a right to resign if they want. Also, other Kosovars have a right to take those positions if you want. This Kosovar government has concentrated wayyyyy too much on the Serbs, last time I checked there were 6 stars in the flag, not 1. Time to integrate more Gorani people, Roma, Ashkali, Bosniacs, etc etc.

"This Kosovar government has concentrated wayyyyy too much on the Serbs, last time I checked there were 6 stars in the flag, not 1. Time to integrate more Gorani people, Roma, Ashkali, Bosniacs, etc etc.
(KS, 4 March 2008 15:46)"

These people (or who's left of them in 'Kosova') will not have anything to do with Pristina and why should they, you have been doing your damndest to drive them out.
It's Belgrade that these people will take their orders from now on as they know that Belgrade will protect them.

There's no Jews left in Kosmet as of 2008. I wonder why.

Miri - "...I don't think these people have a clear goal in their mind or what are they trying to achieve..." Sorry you seem so confused

Quite simple really!!!
You will find that their goal is to remain free and have the right of self determination that they deserve, not be occupied nor dictated to by others in their own land. It seems obivious that the route they have chosen through peaceful non co-operation is doing a wonderful job and the acheivements so far are more than obvious, may it continue and be fruitful!!!!

"...the only institutions that could guarantee their rights...".Please!!!
When is this planned to happen? Reality is, little has changed for K Serbs and other minorities since 1999.

"Serb justice employees in Leposavić and Zubin Potok have resumed work under the auspices of the Serbian Justice Ministry."

The Sebian action plan is alive and working well! Hopefully in the coming 6 months more and more things will happen to establish that the albanians and their american masters south of Ibar will never ever control norhtern Kosovo

K.AL. Firstly - I'm pleased that you agree that K serbs and other minorities deserve rights.

Unlike yourself I believe that this present protest by means of non co-peration will not be short lived and will be a trend that will grow, as no doubt they will have all the support they need from their fellow serbs in Belgrade and world wide, especially as it is peaceful

But I'm concerned that by what you have to say following those points -
"...Then it is up to K-Albanians to decide, let them back to held
these positions or let them go to Serbia!..."

I believe you will find that that is exactly why they are protesting.

How can you expect more Serbs and other refugees to return in these kind of conditions instigated by Belgrade?
They have to make a choice either to recognise Kosova as sovreign state or wait until Belgrade do that.

"There's a huge difference between now, and last decade Miri, and that difference is Slobodan Milosevic. "

Mike, this statement is rather naive.

Why KFOR is still present in Kosova then? Milosevic is dead isn't it?

If you scratch just the surface of Belgrade politics, you will see the name of Milosevic carved deeply in it. The current leaders would take exactly the same action as Milosevic, had they given the opportunity to do it.

The good thing is that this is not only our opinion, which don't matter much to you, but also the opinion of the West.

Pavle: "You will find that their goal is to remain free and have the right of self determination that they deserve..."

They deserve and they will have the rights like other minorities living in Kosova, but this what they are "trying"... will end up very soon. Then it is up to K-Albanians to decide, let them back to held these positions or let them go to Serbia!

Poor people!

Niall,

reading Serbianna.com doesn't make you an expert...nor calling yourself the "Kosovo minisiter". Only 10% or so of Serbs have ever passed through Kosova wherease Kosovars LIVE there--you trying to tell me how the minorities of my countries are treated and lecture me based on some biased website that its' intent and purpose it to dehumanize all Albanians and project a "terrorist" people ties to Al Qaeda.

Thank you for the joke in the end, it made me smile. I hope B92 for once publishes my comments since if a comment is slightly controversial it gets the BAN sticker.

Weren't those justice officials not working in 1999 for the Milosevic regime?

Just great. This reaction is a correct one. I sympathise with them. Even though within 2-3 weeks they will come back to their offices. Lets say that they are just joining the latest fashion trend of Serbia politics .i.e. protest in Mitrovica, rally in Belgrade, protest in Serbia’s city’s, burning and protest at border crossings, railway closure, actions that are fading with the tine and everything comes back to normal life.

There's no Jews left in Kosmet as of 2008. I wonder why.
(Niall O'Doherty, 4 March 2008 18:26)

I'm sorry Niall before I decide to debate you on the issue can you please explain where did you pull this fact from? I'd prefer a non-biased source please.

"If you scratch just the surface of Belgrade politics, you will see the name of Milosevic carved deeply in it. The current leaders would take exactly the same action as Milosevic, had they given the opportunity to do it."

I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say here, Miri. I told you that Kostunica is very different from Milosevic in two ways:

1. He's not going to abandon Serb communities outside of Serbia's immediate control, like Milosevic did with Krajina and Bosnian Serbs.

2. He honestly believes in Serbian nationalism, whereas Milosevic saw it as a tool for his own political ends.

Neither of these are essentially "good" qualities of Kostunica, but it shows that he's a different person to deal with than Milosevic.

So saying that Belgrade politicians are still reminiscient of Milosevic is erroneous. They will defend Serbian territory, but unlike Milosevic, they won't go to war over it. Kostunica may increasingly be a anti-Western nationalist, but he's not a dictator, and he's certainly not someone that would encourage American forces to militarily intevene again. Such an action would certainly lead to wider regional conflict and maybe even warfare.

You also say "The good thing is that this is not only our opinion, which don't matter much to you, but also the opinion of the West"

Being ignorant of current Serbian politics and trends, and still thinking political life in Belgrade is like the 1990s is not a "good thing". It's a completely misunderstanding at your own expense, and the expense of your Western financiers. So yes, your outdated opinions don't really matter to me, except that it concerns me there is still this misconception by the alleged powers that be.

Mike, when a message is cut in half, it doesn't say what it wants to say. I have no control to this, as it seems B92 uses a very random algorithm (which I can't figure it out) to cut/derail/change messages.

I will repeat for the third time and hopefully it will go through this time.

If West has an outdated vision of Belgrade politics, as you claim, then it is the burden of your politicians that have failed miserably to convey the "real Belgrade's vision" to the West. In a broad vision, is precisely this failure that gave Kosova its independence and we have expressed this idea over and over again here in different shapes and forms.

You might argue endlessly in this forum why Kostunica is not Milosevic however the convincing power of Belgrade has been too weak for the task. Kostunica is a burned card, even if he proclaims himself as the protector angel of K-Albanians he will not change a thing. If I were a Serb Nationalist (in a way linked to DSS philosophy) I would probably be smart about it. I would vote for someone unknown that might think just like Kostunica, but doesn't have his image.
I don't know if you get my idea.

And B92, rarely we have a civilized discussions with each other, so don't censure this message. It's in your own benefit.

I don't think these people have a clear goal in their mind or what are they trying to achieve.
If I am to quote many Serbs commenting here, "Serbs left en masse during past decades from Kosova, supposedly due to K-Albanian pressure to leave the province". And all this happened under the nose of Yugoslav army and thousands of Serbian police that terrorized K-Albanians for those decades.

What hope do these poor people have now to turn the tide when all they do is boycott the only institutions that could guarantee their rights.
They keep following Belgrade's directive as blind chickens without knowing where they are heading. Belgrade doesn't have any jurisdiction on these enclaves and the only chance that these communities have to survive is cooperation with Kosova's authorities. Otherwise they will not see any other way out but slowly to leave the province.

As usual Belgrade's tactics will back fire. Whoever analyzes the events of the last decades will notice that Belgrade always lost. It lost Krajina, it lost Montenegro, it lost Kosova, is loosing EU, is loosing northern part of Kosova that could have kept it, had the courage to negotiate properly.

Kosovar - Serbs have a right to resign if they want. Also, other Kosovars have a right to take those positions if you want. This Kosovar government has concentrated wayyyyy too much on the Serbs, last time I checked there were 6 stars in the flag, not 1. Time to integrate more Gorani people, Roma, Ashkali, Bosniacs, etc etc.

Just great. This reaction is a correct one. I sympathise with them. Even though within 2-3 weeks they will come back to their offices. Lets say that they are just joining the latest fashion trend of Serbia politics .i.e. protest in Mitrovica, rally in Belgrade, protest in Serbia’s city’s, burning and protest at border crossings, railway closure, actions that are fading with the tine and everything comes back to normal life.

Pavle: "You will find that their goal is to remain free and have the right of self determination that they deserve..."

They deserve and they will have the rights like other minorities living in Kosova, but this what they are "trying"... will end up very soon. Then it is up to K-Albanians to decide, let them back to held these positions or let them go to Serbia!

Poor people!

How can you expect more Serbs and other refugees to return in these kind of conditions instigated by Belgrade?
They have to make a choice either to recognise Kosova as sovreign state or wait until Belgrade do that.

There's a huge difference between now, and last decade Miri, and that difference is Slobodan Milosevic.

Milosevic was, if anything else, a pragmatist. He never really cared for Serbs in other republics, and was only interested in maintaining power in Belgrade. If it was expedient for him to back Krajina Serbs for the time being, so be it. But when it became strategic for him to abandon those people he previously supported - all to remain in power - he readily did it. Milosevic never really cared about what happened to Kosovo. As long as he remained in power in Belgrade, that's all that mattered.

Kostunica is, for better or for worse, different. Kostunica is an actual Serb nationalist. Unlike Milosevic who told K-Serbs to run for the border, Kostunica told them to stay put. And here's the difference: Kostunica will continue to back K-Serbs no matter what. Therefore, these Serbs Gnjilane and other places that are abandoning their posts, are doing so with the full knowledge that they are backed by Belgrade (and when I say "backed" "financially backed" is also included).

This is the major difference between Milosevic, who would have left them out to dry, and Kostunica, who sees them as full citizens (you may call them pawns, and in a weaker moment, I might be inclined to agree with you). Whether this strategy pays off or not remains to be seen, but what everyone should see by now is that Serbia is hunkering down for a long struggle.

Niall,

reading Serbianna.com doesn't make you an expert...nor calling yourself the "Kosovo minisiter". Only 10% or so of Serbs have ever passed through Kosova wherease Kosovars LIVE there--you trying to tell me how the minorities of my countries are treated and lecture me based on some biased website that its' intent and purpose it to dehumanize all Albanians and project a "terrorist" people ties to Al Qaeda.

Thank you for the joke in the end, it made me smile. I hope B92 for once publishes my comments since if a comment is slightly controversial it gets the BAN sticker.

Beautiful. I'm very proud of the fact that Serbs are a free and independent people, and are refusing to be serfs to this fake and illegal state, this new NATO colony.

The pride of Serbia,
Well done to those who stand up and refuse to co-operate!!!!
Enormous respect to you!!!

There's no Jews left in Kosmet as of 2008. I wonder why.
(Niall O'Doherty, 4 March 2008 18:26)

I'm sorry Niall before I decide to debate you on the issue can you please explain where did you pull this fact from? I'd prefer a non-biased source please.

"There's a huge difference between now, and last decade Miri, and that difference is Slobodan Milosevic. "

Mike, this statement is rather naive.

Why KFOR is still present in Kosova then? Milosevic is dead isn't it?

If you scratch just the surface of Belgrade politics, you will see the name of Milosevic carved deeply in it. The current leaders would take exactly the same action as Milosevic, had they given the opportunity to do it.

The good thing is that this is not only our opinion, which don't matter much to you, but also the opinion of the West.

Very good, just peacefully protest over injustice, just peacefully boycott illegal institutions. It is high time for the Albanians and the EU to learn how the disobedience look likes and how does it looks like disrespect for the country that the one reside in, apart from the fact that Kosovo is not even a state but Serbian province inhabited by Albanian immigrants and occupied by foreign forces.

Miri - "...I don't think these people have a clear goal in their mind or what are they trying to achieve..." Sorry you seem so confused

Quite simple really!!!
You will find that their goal is to remain free and have the right of self determination that they deserve, not be occupied nor dictated to by others in their own land. It seems obivious that the route they have chosen through peaceful non co-operation is doing a wonderful job and the acheivements so far are more than obvious, may it continue and be fruitful!!!!

"...the only institutions that could guarantee their rights...".Please!!!
When is this planned to happen? Reality is, little has changed for K Serbs and other minorities since 1999.

"This Kosovar government has concentrated wayyyyy too much on the Serbs, last time I checked there were 6 stars in the flag, not 1. Time to integrate more Gorani people, Roma, Ashkali, Bosniacs, etc etc.
(KS, 4 March 2008 15:46)"

These people (or who's left of them in 'Kosova') will not have anything to do with Pristina and why should they, you have been doing your damndest to drive them out.
It's Belgrade that these people will take their orders from now on as they know that Belgrade will protect them.

There's no Jews left in Kosmet as of 2008. I wonder why.

Weren't those justice officials not working in 1999 for the Milosevic regime?

K.AL. Firstly - I'm pleased that you agree that K serbs and other minorities deserve rights.

Unlike yourself I believe that this present protest by means of non co-peration will not be short lived and will be a trend that will grow, as no doubt they will have all the support they need from their fellow serbs in Belgrade and world wide, especially as it is peaceful

But I'm concerned that by what you have to say following those points -
"...Then it is up to K-Albanians to decide, let them back to held
these positions or let them go to Serbia!..."

I believe you will find that that is exactly why they are protesting.

"Serb justice employees in Leposavić and Zubin Potok have resumed work under the auspices of the Serbian Justice Ministry."

The Sebian action plan is alive and working well! Hopefully in the coming 6 months more and more things will happen to establish that the albanians and their american masters south of Ibar will never ever control norhtern Kosovo

"If you scratch just the surface of Belgrade politics, you will see the name of Milosevic carved deeply in it. The current leaders would take exactly the same action as Milosevic, had they given the opportunity to do it."

I'm not exactly sure what you're trying to say here, Miri. I told you that Kostunica is very different from Milosevic in two ways:

1. He's not going to abandon Serb communities outside of Serbia's immediate control, like Milosevic did with Krajina and Bosnian Serbs.

2. He honestly believes in Serbian nationalism, whereas Milosevic saw it as a tool for his own political ends.

Neither of these are essentially "good" qualities of Kostunica, but it shows that he's a different person to deal with than Milosevic.

So saying that Belgrade politicians are still reminiscient of Milosevic is erroneous. They will defend Serbian territory, but unlike Milosevic, they won't go to war over it. Kostunica may increasingly be a anti-Western nationalist, but he's not a dictator, and he's certainly not someone that would encourage American forces to militarily intevene again. Such an action would certainly lead to wider regional conflict and maybe even warfare.

You also say "The good thing is that this is not only our opinion, which don't matter much to you, but also the opinion of the West"

Being ignorant of current Serbian politics and trends, and still thinking political life in Belgrade is like the 1990s is not a "good thing". It's a completely misunderstanding at your own expense, and the expense of your Western financiers. So yes, your outdated opinions don't really matter to me, except that it concerns me there is still this misconception by the alleged powers that be.

Mike, when a message is cut in half, it doesn't say what it wants to say. I have no control to this, as it seems B92 uses a very random algorithm (which I can't figure it out) to cut/derail/change messages.

I will repeat for the third time and hopefully it will go through this time.

If West has an outdated vision of Belgrade politics, as you claim, then it is the burden of your politicians that have failed miserably to convey the "real Belgrade's vision" to the West. In a broad vision, is precisely this failure that gave Kosova its independence and we have expressed this idea over and over again here in different shapes and forms.

You might argue endlessly in this forum why Kostunica is not Milosevic however the convincing power of Belgrade has been too weak for the task. Kostunica is a burned card, even if he proclaims himself as the protector angel of K-Albanians he will not change a thing. If I were a Serb Nationalist (in a way linked to DSS philosophy) I would probably be smart about it. I would vote for someone unknown that might think just like Kostunica, but doesn't have his image.
I don't know if you get my idea.

And B92, rarely we have a civilized discussions with each other, so don't censure this message. It's in your own benefit.