U.S. wants "fresh, positive relations"

"Mr. Biden is saving the best for last stop, which is Kosova".
Kosova-USA

Didn't you write that Biden was coming to Kosovo before he was going to Serbia because Kosovo was more important?

I wonder if he had to dodge sniper fire like Hillary did?

What's so special about Bosnia's sovereignty and territorial integrity that the US should support it? Meanwhile they have chosen to destroy Serbia's sovereignty & territorial integrity. A state's (any state) territory and sovereignty should not be subject to the whims of the rich and powerful.

Dragan,

Like Hillary, Biden intentionally misleads the public.
VP Biden did not have to dodge sniper fire but rather the weather...

-Quoting Joe Biden, addressing the National Guard, Baltimore 9-22-08 about the time his helicopter had to make a landing due to a sudden snowstorm...

“If you want to know where Al Qaeda lives, you want to know where Bin Laden is, come back to Afghanistan with me. Come back to the area where my helicopter was forced down, with a three-star general and three senators at 10,500 feet in the middle of those mountains. I can tell you where they are.”

"Biden said that he will convey to Serbian President Boris Tadić that the United State wants to build "fresh and positive relations with Serbia"".

-- That would then call for an immediate cessation of ethnic stereotyping of Serbs as the big bad Slavs of the Balkans who made everyone else's lives miserable. That would mean replacing hardline asinine statements from people like Holbrook with more pragmatic and objective approaches from a new generation of American diplomats.

"The U.S. "does not expect Serbia to recognize Kosovo any time soon","

-- How about ever? I wouldn't.

"The United States remains committed to a "democratic, independent and multi-ethnic Kosovo"

-- Then don't expect to cultivate "fresh and positive relations" with Serbia. Kosovo is neither of the first two, and a thin facade of the last. Without international legalization, it remains a glorified protectorate and Serbia will continue to regard it as such.

"As he arrived in Bosnia last night, Biden was met at Sarajevo airport by Bosnian Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj."

-- And is he going to meet with officials from RS? Because if he isn't he's only meeting with officials from half of Bosnia. Federacija has no power or authority over RS, and vice versa. Don't just visit your allies; work with your detractors. If he wants to bring Bosnia together, Dodik is a major component.

Just my two cents. What do I know about Realpolitik thinly disguised as Wilsonian Liberalism?

""What is unique about this visit are the arrests that were made prior to his arrival, as there’s a list of around 40-50 people from predominantly Arab-Asian countries, though those arrests didn’t take place until the start of May this year, and, in public, those arrests have been linked with this visit,“ Hećimović told B92""

That is alarming...

Mr. Biden is saving the best for last stop, which is Kosova.

A state's (any state) territory and sovereignty should not be subject to the whims of the rich and powerful.
(PS, 19 May 2009 19:57)

Exactly, some think that's how Serbia got Kosovo, through Rusian and other allies influence.

Further, if you are not a responsible patron of your territorial integrity, than you do not deserve it. Territorial integrity does not give you the right to digg mass graves for Albanians as the ones found in Belgrade.

I think that the right to life of 2 million albanians in this case, is a lot more important than Serbian right to territorial integrity. Simple as that.

"The United States remains committed to a "democratic, independent and multi-ethnic Kosovo, and expects Kosovo in turn to remain committed to protecting all communities, including the Serbs", Biden said."

It's funny how they've established the circus called Badinter's Commision to put legality to Yugoslavia's break-up. This commision declared Yugoslavia dissolved and declared Republics legal successor to it. They even named them: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia. Badinter and the guys then called for all of those republics to remain democratic, independent and multi-ethnic.
But they also added that republics are INDIVISABLE and that no ethnicity should be given a right to leave the Republics named above.
Article 5, point 2 stipulates:

"A republic’s territory cannot be altered without the consent of that republic..."
(so many times used by US State Deparment to explain why Bosnia or Croatia cannot be divided).
There was a need to keep them
democratic, independent and multi-ethnic.
Now, if he could only explain why is it that Serbia shouldn't be kept democratic, independent and multi-ethnic...
Well, some so-called rules have done their job, and now new rules were needed.
Some are surprised now why EU isn't following it's own legal experts?
After all, Badinter Arbitration Committee was a commission set up by the Council of Ministers of the European Economic Community (EEC) and all 5 members of the commision were Presidents of Constitutional Courts in the EEC.

Robert Badinter, president of the Constitutional Council of France
Roman Herzog, president of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
Aldo Corasaniti, president of the Constitutional Court of Italy
Francisco Tomas y Valiente, president of the Constitutional Court of Spain,
and
Irene Petru, president of the Constitutional Court of Belgium.


Some explanation would be due, don't you think? Why don't you support democratic, independent and multi-ethnic Serbia if you did so in case of all other republics?

But, let's put legality aside, there is a bigger problem here.

"...and expects Kosovo in turn to remain committed to protecting all communities, including the Serbs"

And what if they don't?
You expected the same in Croatia, and used these same words. Then "Operation Storm" came...
According to the UN report 80% of the houses in UN protected zones (Krajina) were destroyed. Given that each Croatian Army unit had a local Croat that was with them, pointing out which houses belonged to Croats and which are Serbian, I think it's safe to say that nearly 100 % of Serb homes were destroyed there.
And what did you do, exactly?

It's not hard to see where I'm going with all this.
There is a big CREDIBILITY problem.
So, US supports multi-ethnic Kosovo? Well, maybe this time you do. I can't tell. But, nobody believes that.

This remainds me of a well-known story about the boy who cried wolf, playing pranks on the people. When wolves really came, he cried again, but nobody believed him anymore, although this time he was telling the truth...
Moral of the story is obvious

We don't trust liars, even when they tell the truth.

Mr. Biden, how do you make a new start when you don't bring anything new to the table?

Take you old and unworkable ideas back to Obama. They have proven unworkable then and still are now.

I thought I heard Obama say he is for change. Change of what exactly? Certainly not the foreign policy or even players. What exactly is he going to change?

Mr. Biden is saving the best for last stop, which is Kosova.

A state's (any state) territory and sovereignty should not be subject to the whims of the rich and powerful.
(PS, 19 May 2009 19:57)

Exactly, some think that's how Serbia got Kosovo, through Rusian and other allies influence.

Further, if you are not a responsible patron of your territorial integrity, than you do not deserve it. Territorial integrity does not give you the right to digg mass graves for Albanians as the ones found in Belgrade.

I think that the right to life of 2 million albanians in this case, is a lot more important than Serbian right to territorial integrity. Simple as that.

"Mr. Biden is saving the best for last stop, which is Kosova".
Kosova-USA

Didn't you write that Biden was coming to Kosovo before he was going to Serbia because Kosovo was more important?

I wonder if he had to dodge sniper fire like Hillary did?

What's so special about Bosnia's sovereignty and territorial integrity that the US should support it? Meanwhile they have chosen to destroy Serbia's sovereignty & territorial integrity. A state's (any state) territory and sovereignty should not be subject to the whims of the rich and powerful.

""What is unique about this visit are the arrests that were made prior to his arrival, as there’s a list of around 40-50 people from predominantly Arab-Asian countries, though those arrests didn’t take place until the start of May this year, and, in public, those arrests have been linked with this visit,“ Hećimović told B92""

That is alarming...

Dragan,

Like Hillary, Biden intentionally misleads the public.
VP Biden did not have to dodge sniper fire but rather the weather...

-Quoting Joe Biden, addressing the National Guard, Baltimore 9-22-08 about the time his helicopter had to make a landing due to a sudden snowstorm...

“If you want to know where Al Qaeda lives, you want to know where Bin Laden is, come back to Afghanistan with me. Come back to the area where my helicopter was forced down, with a three-star general and three senators at 10,500 feet in the middle of those mountains. I can tell you where they are.”

"Biden said that he will convey to Serbian President Boris Tadić that the United State wants to build "fresh and positive relations with Serbia"".

-- That would then call for an immediate cessation of ethnic stereotyping of Serbs as the big bad Slavs of the Balkans who made everyone else's lives miserable. That would mean replacing hardline asinine statements from people like Holbrook with more pragmatic and objective approaches from a new generation of American diplomats.

"The U.S. "does not expect Serbia to recognize Kosovo any time soon","

-- How about ever? I wouldn't.

"The United States remains committed to a "democratic, independent and multi-ethnic Kosovo"

-- Then don't expect to cultivate "fresh and positive relations" with Serbia. Kosovo is neither of the first two, and a thin facade of the last. Without international legalization, it remains a glorified protectorate and Serbia will continue to regard it as such.

"As he arrived in Bosnia last night, Biden was met at Sarajevo airport by Bosnian Foreign Minister Sven Alkalaj."

-- And is he going to meet with officials from RS? Because if he isn't he's only meeting with officials from half of Bosnia. Federacija has no power or authority over RS, and vice versa. Don't just visit your allies; work with your detractors. If he wants to bring Bosnia together, Dodik is a major component.

Just my two cents. What do I know about Realpolitik thinly disguised as Wilsonian Liberalism?

Mr. Biden, how do you make a new start when you don't bring anything new to the table?

Take you old and unworkable ideas back to Obama. They have proven unworkable then and still are now.

I thought I heard Obama say he is for change. Change of what exactly? Certainly not the foreign policy or even players. What exactly is he going to change?

"The United States remains committed to a "democratic, independent and multi-ethnic Kosovo, and expects Kosovo in turn to remain committed to protecting all communities, including the Serbs", Biden said."

It's funny how they've established the circus called Badinter's Commision to put legality to Yugoslavia's break-up. This commision declared Yugoslavia dissolved and declared Republics legal successor to it. They even named them: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia. Badinter and the guys then called for all of those republics to remain democratic, independent and multi-ethnic.
But they also added that republics are INDIVISABLE and that no ethnicity should be given a right to leave the Republics named above.
Article 5, point 2 stipulates:

"A republic’s territory cannot be altered without the consent of that republic..."
(so many times used by US State Deparment to explain why Bosnia or Croatia cannot be divided).
There was a need to keep them
democratic, independent and multi-ethnic.
Now, if he could only explain why is it that Serbia shouldn't be kept democratic, independent and multi-ethnic...
Well, some so-called rules have done their job, and now new rules were needed.
Some are surprised now why EU isn't following it's own legal experts?
After all, Badinter Arbitration Committee was a commission set up by the Council of Ministers of the European Economic Community (EEC) and all 5 members of the commision were Presidents of Constitutional Courts in the EEC.

Robert Badinter, president of the Constitutional Council of France
Roman Herzog, president of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
Aldo Corasaniti, president of the Constitutional Court of Italy
Francisco Tomas y Valiente, president of the Constitutional Court of Spain,
and
Irene Petru, president of the Constitutional Court of Belgium.


Some explanation would be due, don't you think? Why don't you support democratic, independent and multi-ethnic Serbia if you did so in case of all other republics?

But, let's put legality aside, there is a bigger problem here.

"...and expects Kosovo in turn to remain committed to protecting all communities, including the Serbs"

And what if they don't?
You expected the same in Croatia, and used these same words. Then "Operation Storm" came...
According to the UN report 80% of the houses in UN protected zones (Krajina) were destroyed. Given that each Croatian Army unit had a local Croat that was with them, pointing out which houses belonged to Croats and which are Serbian, I think it's safe to say that nearly 100 % of Serb homes were destroyed there.
And what did you do, exactly?

It's not hard to see where I'm going with all this.
There is a big CREDIBILITY problem.
So, US supports multi-ethnic Kosovo? Well, maybe this time you do. I can't tell. But, nobody believes that.

This remainds me of a well-known story about the boy who cried wolf, playing pranks on the people. When wolves really came, he cried again, but nobody believed him anymore, although this time he was telling the truth...
Moral of the story is obvious

We don't trust liars, even when they tell the truth.