“Hope for better U.S.-Serbia relations”

The only change Serbs want to hear about is a change of attitude towards Serbia and Serbian territorial integrity.

If you can't deliver that then you are wasting your breath talking about all the other nice things we have already heard.

A lot of the reason that the bombing took place was because Albright was able to mess things up while President Clinton was otherwise involved dealing with the flack from the Lewinsky affair.

I don't see that Mrs Clinton has any particular reason to side with the politics that came out of the US at that time - she was a victim of it too.

I hope that she can see that the US was taken for a ride over Kosovo. Yes Milosevic was a baddy, but most of the reason there was problem in the first place was because of the ethnic cleansing of Serbs by Albanians. It wasn't as one-sided as the goodie-baddie view implies. There were lots of peaceful and decent Serbs evicted from Kosovo while (under Yugoslavia) Serbs specifically contributed taxes to support Kosovo in aid of 'brotherhood and unity'. The fact is that the term 'ethnic cleansing' is established as having first been used to describe the ethnic cleansing of Serbs, from Kosovo, by the Albanian Communist party.

Solutions for the future will more-or-less by-pass Pristina; they will be told what to do and will continue to hang on the coat-tails of others. The US may not suddenly change policy, but they will change the way in which they negotiate and the attitude they project.

RE: Hilary Clinton, Secretary of State

Barack Obama reasons for placing Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State is purely political, keep your enemies close and serves him better to have her in his cabinet than the Senate.

It is clear that her foreign policy experience is limited, and evident by her grandstanding during the democratic leadership-IE Avoiding bullets in Sarajevo, a clear lie and picked up by the media.

Her incompetence will be mitigated as Ohio senator George Voinovich still sits in the US foreign relations commitee who she reports to.

Ya ok, everyone knows how much clinton loves Serbia and now that she is their top diplomat I'm sure she will show just how much she does...

obama says the kosovo issue is a done deal... clinton praises an independent kosovo... how can you say she was a victim of anything besides a husband who enjoys the ladies? she had and still has a million things to say on the issue, none lead me to think any better relations are happening....

obama says the kosovo issue is a done deal... clinton praises an independent kosovo... how can you say she was a victim of anything besides a husband who enjoys the ladies? she had and still has a million things to say on the issue, none lead me to think any better relations are happening....
(nick d, 21 January 2009 17:39)

Actually she just outlined her foreign policy priorities and Kosovo wans't mentioned. Doesn't seem like she will be devoting too much time to that.

But then again, she does have a tendency to misspeak sometimes.

Bush administration condemned the Russian response in Georgei but didn't do anything about it, so praising independent Kosovo doesn't metan forcing it on anyone.

Don't try to read too much into what she says.

U.S. a true friend of Kosovo...

Peggy,
don't understand why you would think that Clinton would need to mention Kosovo as a priority in her speech. From a state dept standpoint it is not much of an issue anymore.
Kosovo is independent so not a lot of work to do there. It is more getting private investments and developing the country, not necessarily state dept functions unless Serbia starts to cause problems and we need re intervene.
(pss, 22 January 2009 15:25)

Funny, if it's a done deal as you point out then how come the US is still trying to force more countries to recognize you?
Why bother with something that is not needed?

Kosovo is far from over. Clinton sees that it's not going to be that easy so I suspect she will let Europe deal with it.

About that intervention you hope would come your way, keep dreaming. It was a once only thing. Russia was in no position to cross the US then, but we've seen Russia being very willing to cross US now.
This history will not repeat itself.

>> "And how have those two recognitions helped you? Has Thaci been able to cross into Mitrovica yet? Has Pristina been able to counter the EULEX compromise?"

North? EULEX is enforcing Kosova laws there, the customs are per Kosova laws and NATO has the border secured. Little by little what Serbs gained there for 10 years is going away. Serbian officials need permission to get in Kosova, how's that for a slap?

What EULEX compromise are you talking? One law, one police force, one customs system. Any 'compromises' are part of Ahtisaari plan agreed to by the Albanians

>>>"Actually she just outlined her foreign policy priorities and Kosovo wans't mentioned. Doesn't seem like she will be devoting too much time to that. "


That's because it's OVER. EU at US's urging will block you and Tadic Inc will cave in like they did with EULEX. They were told: accept EULEX or shut the EU office down. We know what they did.

Now Hillary will convince the Muslim nations as a block (unlike Bush, Obama has a fresh start) and then pressure your Russian masters to sell you out. It's not a priority because they know it's over. Maybe Tadic already sold you out for all you know

Hope v Reality

Hope is that the depression and financial crisis is the start of swirling black hole that will suck you up and spit you out the other end as a single point entity that proves cosmologists correct.

Reality is when you observe it......

Peggy,
don't understand why you would think that Clinton would need to mention Kosovo as a priority in her speech. From a state dept standpoint it is not much of an issue anymore.
Kosovo is independent so not a lot of work to do there. It is more getting private investments and developing the country, not necessarily state dept functions unless Serbia starts to cause problems and we need re intervene.

U.S. a true friend of Kosovo...

The only change Serbs want to hear about is a change of attitude towards Serbia and Serbian territorial integrity.

If you can't deliver that then you are wasting your breath talking about all the other nice things we have already heard.

>>>"Actually she just outlined her foreign policy priorities and Kosovo wans't mentioned. Doesn't seem like she will be devoting too much time to that. "


That's because it's OVER. EU at US's urging will block you and Tadic Inc will cave in like they did with EULEX. They were told: accept EULEX or shut the EU office down. We know what they did.

Now Hillary will convince the Muslim nations as a block (unlike Bush, Obama has a fresh start) and then pressure your Russian masters to sell you out. It's not a priority because they know it's over. Maybe Tadic already sold you out for all you know

Peggy,
don't understand why you would think that Clinton would need to mention Kosovo as a priority in her speech. From a state dept standpoint it is not much of an issue anymore.
Kosovo is independent so not a lot of work to do there. It is more getting private investments and developing the country, not necessarily state dept functions unless Serbia starts to cause problems and we need re intervene.

Ya ok, everyone knows how much clinton loves Serbia and now that she is their top diplomat I'm sure she will show just how much she does...

A lot of the reason that the bombing took place was because Albright was able to mess things up while President Clinton was otherwise involved dealing with the flack from the Lewinsky affair.

I don't see that Mrs Clinton has any particular reason to side with the politics that came out of the US at that time - she was a victim of it too.

I hope that she can see that the US was taken for a ride over Kosovo. Yes Milosevic was a baddy, but most of the reason there was problem in the first place was because of the ethnic cleansing of Serbs by Albanians. It wasn't as one-sided as the goodie-baddie view implies. There were lots of peaceful and decent Serbs evicted from Kosovo while (under Yugoslavia) Serbs specifically contributed taxes to support Kosovo in aid of 'brotherhood and unity'. The fact is that the term 'ethnic cleansing' is established as having first been used to describe the ethnic cleansing of Serbs, from Kosovo, by the Albanian Communist party.

Solutions for the future will more-or-less by-pass Pristina; they will be told what to do and will continue to hang on the coat-tails of others. The US may not suddenly change policy, but they will change the way in which they negotiate and the attitude they project.

obama says the kosovo issue is a done deal... clinton praises an independent kosovo... how can you say she was a victim of anything besides a husband who enjoys the ladies? she had and still has a million things to say on the issue, none lead me to think any better relations are happening....

>> "And how have those two recognitions helped you? Has Thaci been able to cross into Mitrovica yet? Has Pristina been able to counter the EULEX compromise?"

North? EULEX is enforcing Kosova laws there, the customs are per Kosova laws and NATO has the border secured. Little by little what Serbs gained there for 10 years is going away. Serbian officials need permission to get in Kosova, how's that for a slap?

What EULEX compromise are you talking? One law, one police force, one customs system. Any 'compromises' are part of Ahtisaari plan agreed to by the Albanians

RE: Hilary Clinton, Secretary of State

Barack Obama reasons for placing Hilary Clinton as Secretary of State is purely political, keep your enemies close and serves him better to have her in his cabinet than the Senate.

It is clear that her foreign policy experience is limited, and evident by her grandstanding during the democratic leadership-IE Avoiding bullets in Sarajevo, a clear lie and picked up by the media.

Her incompetence will be mitigated as Ohio senator George Voinovich still sits in the US foreign relations commitee who she reports to.

Hope v Reality

Hope is that the depression and financial crisis is the start of swirling black hole that will suck you up and spit you out the other end as a single point entity that proves cosmologists correct.

Reality is when you observe it......

obama says the kosovo issue is a done deal... clinton praises an independent kosovo... how can you say she was a victim of anything besides a husband who enjoys the ladies? she had and still has a million things to say on the issue, none lead me to think any better relations are happening....
(nick d, 21 January 2009 17:39)

Actually she just outlined her foreign policy priorities and Kosovo wans't mentioned. Doesn't seem like she will be devoting too much time to that.

But then again, she does have a tendency to misspeak sometimes.

Bush administration condemned the Russian response in Georgei but didn't do anything about it, so praising independent Kosovo doesn't metan forcing it on anyone.

Don't try to read too much into what she says.

Peggy,
don't understand why you would think that Clinton would need to mention Kosovo as a priority in her speech. From a state dept standpoint it is not much of an issue anymore.
Kosovo is independent so not a lot of work to do there. It is more getting private investments and developing the country, not necessarily state dept functions unless Serbia starts to cause problems and we need re intervene.
(pss, 22 January 2009 15:25)

Funny, if it's a done deal as you point out then how come the US is still trying to force more countries to recognize you?
Why bother with something that is not needed?

Kosovo is far from over. Clinton sees that it's not going to be that easy so I suspect she will let Europe deal with it.

About that intervention you hope would come your way, keep dreaming. It was a once only thing. Russia was in no position to cross the US then, but we've seen Russia being very willing to cross US now.
This history will not repeat itself.