“Ossetia conflict missed opportunity”

Political analyst Obrad Kesic has criticized the government for staying silent over the South Ossetia conflict. In an article for Belgrade daily Politika, Kesic writes that government officials and the foreign minister had “both moral and political reasons to make themselves heard” as soon as the conflict broke out. “Ossetia conflict missed opportunity” “The silence of Serbian officials served as a sign of silent support for Russia’s punishment of Georgia,” he says. "In principle, a Serbian statement might have irritated Moscow, but would not have provoked condemnation, except unless Russia had been insincere when affirming Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the analyst states. He says that Serbian leaders and officials are “maybe too inexperienced to realize that they had an opportunity to prove that their argument was right, and that recognition of Kosovo as an independent state would destabilize other countries and regions where separatists, encouraged by the decision [to recognize Kosovo], would resolutely pursue their ambitions for independence.” "They [Serbian officials] also missed the opportunity to point out the inaccuracy of statements by the U.S. and EU that Kosovo was a sui generis case. Finally, they missed the chance to reaffirm their main argument that when international law and the UN Charter are bypassed, the law of the jungle wins,” Kesic explains. The analyst adds that Serbia would only have increased its chances of successful lobbying for support of its initiative in the UN General Assembly had it exposed the “hypocrisy of Bush’s statements on the need to preserve Georgia’s sovereignty, in the light of his policy towards Kosovo.” "I am under the impression that this is yet another case of [Serbia’s] excessive inordinate caution when it comes to upsetting anyone in the EU and risking an extension of the list of conditions Serbia has to meet to enter the Union,” Kesic writes. In his opinion, if Serbia is not consistent in its defense of international law, “how can anyone believe that this government is dedicated and determined in its fight for Kosovo?”

“Ossetia conflict missed opportunity”

“The silence of Serbian officials served as a sign of silent support for Russia’s punishment of Georgia,” he says.

"In principle, a Serbian statement might have irritated Moscow, but would not have provoked condemnation, except unless Russia had been insincere when affirming Georgia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty,” the analyst states.

He says that Serbian leaders and officials are “maybe too inexperienced to realize that they had an opportunity to prove that their argument was right, and that recognition of Kosovo as an independent state would destabilize other countries and regions where separatists, encouraged by the decision [to recognize Kosovo], would resolutely pursue their ambitions for independence.”

"They [Serbian officials] also missed the opportunity to point out the inaccuracy of statements by the U.S. and EU that Kosovo was a sui generis case. Finally, they missed the chance to reaffirm their main argument that when international law and the UN Charter are bypassed, the law of the jungle wins,” Kesić explains.

The analyst adds that Serbia would only have increased its chances of successful lobbying for support of its initiative in the UN General Assembly had it exposed the “hypocrisy of Bush’s statements on the need to preserve Georgia’s sovereignty, in the light of his policy towards Kosovo.”

"I am under the impression that this is yet another case of [Serbia’s] excessive inordinate caution when it comes to upsetting anyone in the EU and risking an extension of the list of conditions Serbia has to meet to enter the Union,” Kesić writes.

In his opinion, if Serbia is not consistent in its defense of international law, “how can anyone believe that this government is dedicated and determined in its fight for Kosovo?”