No new conditions, says German ambassador

Dear Micheal,

I am not Serb. I am not Albanian. I am just a human being who likes international law.

If we allow Kosovo to split you really think we can say 'no' to the Kurds when Iraq will implode?

Or Darfur?
Or Northern Cyprus?

The thing is: play the game by the rules. Like Slovakia did!
At the moment there is no agreement on Kosovo. And would you write the same things you write now if the situation was opposite: if only Russia was in favour of independent Kososov and UK, France, EU and USA were not...

Would you then say: hey, fine, if the EU and USA are against it, I will forget it...

Can't you see that your double standards will destroy the whole system of international law?

(again, I am not pro-Serbian, I am fully neutral)

As Kosovo is a Serbian province why should we ask Serbia to recognize Kosovo?

By the way: why don't we aks Georgia to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia before it can enter the EU?
Maybe the same for Turkey and Kurdistan?
China and Tibet (when dealing with international organizations)?

Why we ask things from Serbia we don't aks from China and Turkey?

By the way:

A lot of people in Germany, Holland, UK and France want a referendum on Turkey joining the EU.
I can see the same happening on Kosovo (would it become an independent state, as it is not now). I am against such a referendum. But a lot of people in the West really want no islamic states in the EU... Sad but true...

For sure most people in the West don't want enlargement of the EU for the coming 10 years. And as the Lisbon treaty has been blocked by the Irish 'no' there can be no enlargement the coming time...

This means the EU plan of 'absorbing Kosovo in EU as soon as possible' won't happen the coming years. So Kosovo will stay the very poor area it is for years and years... (which is a sad thing).

More meaningless twaddle from the Germans. Officially the 'EU' cannot make it a condition on Serbia to 'recognize' Kosovo in order to join the EU.

Serbia has to fulfill the acquis communautaire (EU body of law).

Actually the above is not true. The EU allowed both Romania and Bulgaria in to the EU dispite badly failing to fulfil the EU chapter on Justice and Home Affairs.

So, the EU makes 'exceptions' for certain states, Bg & Ro no doubt in part because they are important new strategic additions to NATO (direct NATO access to the Black Sea).

And the two faced EU still demands 'respect' for rule of law...

Micheal Johnson,

(1) Serbia signed the Dayton treaty. Yes. But Kosovo is obliged to 1244. You agreed on autonomy, and not independence.
I know people who were in more or less there in 1999 and they assured me back then: autonomy, not independence.
But instead of reintegrating in Serbia, Albanians did everything to stay apart. That is CREATING realities on the ground...

(2) Kosovo will remain poor. Well, I hope not, but let's face the sad facts.
And for sure, we in Western Europe are fed up with EU enlargement for the coming years.

(3) Russia and Serbia are breaking international law? Then act on that. But don't start breaking international law yourself.

(4) What is so different on Darfur and Tibet?
Tibt *was* an independent state crushed by China! Kosovo was never indepdendent.

(5) Why didn't you take the offcial route, like Slovakia!

Peace to all, and learn to love your country Serbia.
If you are a Kosovar: you are Serbian citizen. If you like it or not!

Greetings from Holland. An independent state. Not a pseudo-state like the EU colonoy Kosovo!

Ron,

I feel your pain. If only the Albanians had your pristine "logic", everything that is "wrong" with Kosova would be set right. However, there are those pesky intellectuals that disagree with you. These UN, EU and US diplomats, including UN Sec. Gen. Ban, have different ideas. They say that the reality on the ground is an Independent Kosova, backed up by 17,000 NATO troops stationed in Kosova in addition to the 3,300 (and growing) NATO trained and US equipped Kosova Army.

Ron,

your notion of following International Law to the letter is fine with you when it is to your advantage, but you seem to ignore those instants where Int'l. Law is trampled on by the Russians and Serbs.

Furthermore, your argument on so-called "Double Standards" is bogus since no two situations are the same. e.g. Allowing Kosova independence is quite different than allowing Republik Srbska (which you avoided mentioning) to do so, for which there are a litany of reasons, not the least being the Dayton Accords. Remember Slobo signed off on D.A., if you need a reminder.

As far as Darfur, Northern Cypress and the Kurds are concerned, they are not even remotely similar to Kosova.

One last thing, something you've mentioned more than once, is your apparent glee at the prospect of Kosova remaining poor for years and years is proof enough that you are neither neutral nor non-Serbian!

Ron,

I feel your pain. If only the Albanians had your pristine "logic", everything that is "wrong" with Kosova would be set right. However, there are those pesky intellectuals that disagree with you. These UN, EU and US diplomats, including UN Sec. Gen. Ban, have different ideas. They say that the reality on the ground is an Independent Kosova, backed up by 17,000 NATO troops stationed in Kosova in addition to the 3,300 (and growing) NATO trained and US equipped Kosova Army.

Ron,

your notion of following International Law to the letter is fine with you when it is to your advantage, but you seem to ignore those instants where Int'l. Law is trampled on by the Russians and Serbs.

Furthermore, your argument on so-called "Double Standards" is bogus since no two situations are the same. e.g. Allowing Kosova independence is quite different than allowing Republik Srbska (which you avoided mentioning) to do so, for which there are a litany of reasons, not the least being the Dayton Accords. Remember Slobo signed off on D.A., if you need a reminder.

As far as Darfur, Northern Cypress and the Kurds are concerned, they are not even remotely similar to Kosova.

One last thing, something you've mentioned more than once, is your apparent glee at the prospect of Kosova remaining poor for years and years is proof enough that you are neither neutral nor non-Serbian!

As Kosovo is a Serbian province why should we ask Serbia to recognize Kosovo?

By the way: why don't we aks Georgia to recognize Abkhazia and South Ossetia before it can enter the EU?
Maybe the same for Turkey and Kurdistan?
China and Tibet (when dealing with international organizations)?

Why we ask things from Serbia we don't aks from China and Turkey?

By the way:

A lot of people in Germany, Holland, UK and France want a referendum on Turkey joining the EU.
I can see the same happening on Kosovo (would it become an independent state, as it is not now). I am against such a referendum. But a lot of people in the West really want no islamic states in the EU... Sad but true...

For sure most people in the West don't want enlargement of the EU for the coming 10 years. And as the Lisbon treaty has been blocked by the Irish 'no' there can be no enlargement the coming time...

This means the EU plan of 'absorbing Kosovo in EU as soon as possible' won't happen the coming years. So Kosovo will stay the very poor area it is for years and years... (which is a sad thing).

Dear Micheal,

I am not Serb. I am not Albanian. I am just a human being who likes international law.

If we allow Kosovo to split you really think we can say 'no' to the Kurds when Iraq will implode?

Or Darfur?
Or Northern Cyprus?

The thing is: play the game by the rules. Like Slovakia did!
At the moment there is no agreement on Kosovo. And would you write the same things you write now if the situation was opposite: if only Russia was in favour of independent Kososov and UK, France, EU and USA were not...

Would you then say: hey, fine, if the EU and USA are against it, I will forget it...

Can't you see that your double standards will destroy the whole system of international law?

(again, I am not pro-Serbian, I am fully neutral)

Micheal Johnson,

(1) Serbia signed the Dayton treaty. Yes. But Kosovo is obliged to 1244. You agreed on autonomy, and not independence.
I know people who were in more or less there in 1999 and they assured me back then: autonomy, not independence.
But instead of reintegrating in Serbia, Albanians did everything to stay apart. That is CREATING realities on the ground...

(2) Kosovo will remain poor. Well, I hope not, but let's face the sad facts.
And for sure, we in Western Europe are fed up with EU enlargement for the coming years.

(3) Russia and Serbia are breaking international law? Then act on that. But don't start breaking international law yourself.

(4) What is so different on Darfur and Tibet?
Tibt *was* an independent state crushed by China! Kosovo was never indepdendent.

(5) Why didn't you take the offcial route, like Slovakia!

Peace to all, and learn to love your country Serbia.
If you are a Kosovar: you are Serbian citizen. If you like it or not!

Greetings from Holland. An independent state. Not a pseudo-state like the EU colonoy Kosovo!

More meaningless twaddle from the Germans. Officially the 'EU' cannot make it a condition on Serbia to 'recognize' Kosovo in order to join the EU.

Serbia has to fulfill the acquis communautaire (EU body of law).

Actually the above is not true. The EU allowed both Romania and Bulgaria in to the EU dispite badly failing to fulfil the EU chapter on Justice and Home Affairs.

So, the EU makes 'exceptions' for certain states, Bg & Ro no doubt in part because they are important new strategic additions to NATO (direct NATO access to the Black Sea).

And the two faced EU still demands 'respect' for rule of law...