“Best way to help Serbs is to recognize Kosovo”

Former Kosovo official Azem Vllasi has stated that the best way for Serbia to help Kosovo Serbs was to recognize Kosovo’s independence. He added that the current Serbian government was continuing Milosevic’s policy toward Kosovo. “Best way to help Serbs is to recognize Kosovo” According to Vllasi, Belgrade has “stirred up” a certain number of Serbs in northern Kosovo to use barricades and other “rebel methods” to stand up to normal integration and Kosovo’s constitutional order. “This policy is absurd, even tragicomic. Milosevic, violent, rough without a vision and wisdom really thought that he could keep Kosovo in Serbia that way. And he ended up in The Hague. But those who are in power in Serbia now, when it comes to Kosovo, neither know what they are saying not what they are doing,” he wrote in an article published in Novi Sad-based daily Dnevnik. Vllasi added that the Belgrade authorities “lied” to the northern Kosovo Serbs “that this part of Kosovo would be given to Serbia”. “Milosevic also lied to Kosovo Serbs like than about 20 years ago and he incited them to demand at the rallies that Kosovo be in Serbia. The result of such policy is that it pushed Kosovo into independence,” he explained. He repeated that there was about 40 percent of Serbs north of the Ibar River, while about 60 percent of Serbs lived in other parts of Kosovo, and asked whether the Belgrade authorities were aware that they were opening Pandora’s box by giving false hope to Serbs. “Do they know that that way they will cause a chain reaction and make Albanians in Presevo Valley, and there is twice more of them there than Serbs in northern Kosovo, to ask for annexation with Kosovo? And how all this would affect the situations in Sandzak and Vojvodina,” Vllasi stressed. He noted that fortunately there were more politicians in Belgrade who were sober-minded and had different positions regarding new reality in Kosovo. “There is no doubt that Serbia should support and help Kosovo Serbs and it should not turn its back on them. But a comfortable framework for that is the Ahtisaari plan and European conventions on minorities’ rights,” he concluded, adding that the Kosovo Constitution provided maximum protection of ethnic minorities’ rights, especially Serbs. Azem Vllasi (FoNet, file)

“Best way to help Serbs is to recognize Kosovo”

According to Vllasi, Belgrade has “stirred up” a certain number of Serbs in northern Kosovo to use barricades and other “rebel methods” to stand up to normal integration and Kosovo’s constitutional order.

“This policy is absurd, even tragicomic. Milošević, violent, rough without a vision and wisdom really thought that he could keep Kosovo in Serbia that way. And he ended up in The Hague. But those who are in power in Serbia now, when it comes to Kosovo, neither know what they are saying not what they are doing,” he wrote in an article published in Novi Sad-based daily Dnevnik.

Vllasi added that the Belgrade authorities “lied” to the northern Kosovo Serbs “that this part of Kosovo would be given to Serbia”.

“Milošević also lied to Kosovo Serbs like than about 20 years ago and he incited them to demand at the rallies that Kosovo be in Serbia. The result of such policy is that it pushed Kosovo into independence,” he explained.

He repeated that there was about 40 percent of Serbs north of the Ibar River, while about 60 percent of Serbs lived in other parts of Kosovo, and asked whether the Belgrade authorities were aware that they were opening Pandora’s box by giving false hope to Serbs.

“Do they know that that way they will cause a chain reaction and make Albanians in Preševo Valley, and there is twice more of them there than Serbs in northern Kosovo, to ask for annexation with Kosovo? And how all this would affect the situations in Sandžak and Vojvodina,” Vllasi stressed.

He noted that fortunately there were more politicians in Belgrade who were sober-minded and had different positions regarding new reality in Kosovo.

“There is no doubt that Serbia should support and help Kosovo Serbs and it should not turn its back on them. But a comfortable framework for that is the Ahtisaari plan and European conventions on minorities’ rights,” he concluded, adding that the Kosovo Constitution provided maximum protection of ethnic minorities’ rights, especially Serbs.