Testimony: “Serbia: Current Issues and Future Direction”

Good solid advice, but will Serbs listen to it? Doubt it. The way I see it Serbs are too wrapped up in their past to be able to see anything from a realistic "prism", as Mr. Serwer so eloquently pust it. The reality is that 2 million people cannon be kept under a given sovreignty by force if they don't want to be there. The only option is to keep them there by force or to ethnically cleanse them. Both of these options have been excluded by the internationals (thankfully), so what's the only option left? Independence!

Serbia showed as much flexibility as possible and dont get to hopful patric this is only a personal veiw one only shared by albanians, reading it you can see how biased it really is. Serbia has no relation to milosevic as I said in another comment he is not even a Serb, he is Montenegrian nor does his past influence any one in the Serbian govermnet.

Mr. Hodonohugh ,

I don't know where you reside in the world, your ethnic origin, or how strongly you feel about certain issues. I can tell you though, that if the country that you reside in, or that you love, was bombed for no reason other than to stop a civil war (in which both sides were participating and both had equal capabilities), which in total killed less ppl than have been killed in the Iraq war to date and then following bombing you were not allowed to return for fear of your life, you would definitely understand how Serbs feel about Kosovo. Your patronizing use of the term 'ethnic cleansing' is misinformed and so representative of what your western media has fed you for so many years - it is actually the lack of investigate journalism that has happened with Iraq.

I recently returned from a trip to Kosovo and I can tell you that that the majority of Kosovor Albanians that I spoke with, some of whom are my friends, expressed no desire to separate from Serbia because they can understand the argument from both sides and understand that there is a greater possibility for a stornger economy and livelihood if they remain with Serbia. All anyone really wants at the end of the day is to be able to work and feed thier family. The cry for independence that you hear is primarily the government putting aside real responsibility and pretending that this is the most serious issue (on both sides, respectively). The only cries for independence that I heard while in Kosovo were those of a small group of radicals - the same ones that killed many serbs during the March 2004 riots and destroyed thier homes - for the second time.

Before you, or anyone else for that matter, speak so freely of the Serbs not listening to international pressure to sever thier country and lose territory that has defined them as a people, I would recommend being a bit more informed. Don't forget that whatever the final solution, it will have immense precedent for other regions of the world.
Also, don't forget that demonizing a people doesn't lead to anything positive. Don't categorize serbs as being 'too wrapped up in the past' - if you knew much about the issues surrounding kosovo you would understand why Serbs feel the way they do.

It's better to be informed than to just listen to rhetoric and believe it. I'm assuming that you must be American!...

suzi, i dont know where u were in kosova but that is not what they feel. I came back about a month a go from my trip, and everyone is pro independet and is looking forward to the independece because they feel it will improve security for investors thus helping the economy. every one in kosova , exept about 5 %, want independence.

Across the political spectrum in Serbia, there are complaints about double standards: if borders are sacrosanct, why are you willing to change Serbia’s borders? Why can’t Republika Srpska be independent? Why are criminals who committed crimes against Serbs let off easy at The Hague, or not charged at all?
Why don't we really get some answers to those questions?

Suzy my friend are you sure you were in Kosovo or mabye you were visiting Serbia but just din't know it. And when you say majority of the Albanians want to stay within Serbia are you sure you spoke to Albanians. I'm not sure what natinality you are and to be honest I don't really want to know but I'm sure you know nothing about the Serbian - Albanian conflict. I mean even Serbs know that Albanians want Independece.

For God sake Suzy where did you got that statistics about albanians whishing to stay under serbian rules,maybe Serb Coordinating Centre gaved you those informations . I am living in Kosova and,I as all Albs in Kosova would never agree to live under serbian rule again,let me tell you strait,I was refugee for three months in 1999during NATO bombardment
and I swore God I will never,NEVER be again.Better Grav than Slave or if you whish in serbian "Bolje grob nego Rob". This is oppinion of Majority Albanians in Kosova!
See you come next time in the Europes Newest State called KOSOVA.

Good solid advice, but will Serbs listen to it? Doubt it. The way I see it Serbs are too wrapped up in their past to be able to see anything from a realistic "prism", as Mr. Serwer so eloquently pust it. The reality is that 2 million people cannon be kept under a given sovreignty by force if they don't want to be there. The only option is to keep them there by force or to ethnically cleanse them. Both of these options have been excluded by the internationals (thankfully), so what's the only option left? Independence!

Serbia showed as much flexibility as possible and dont get to hopful patric this is only a personal veiw one only shared by albanians, reading it you can see how biased it really is. Serbia has no relation to milosevic as I said in another comment he is not even a Serb, he is Montenegrian nor does his past influence any one in the Serbian govermnet.

Mr. Hodonohugh ,

I don't know where you reside in the world, your ethnic origin, or how strongly you feel about certain issues. I can tell you though, that if the country that you reside in, or that you love, was bombed for no reason other than to stop a civil war (in which both sides were participating and both had equal capabilities), which in total killed less ppl than have been killed in the Iraq war to date and then following bombing you were not allowed to return for fear of your life, you would definitely understand how Serbs feel about Kosovo. Your patronizing use of the term 'ethnic cleansing' is misinformed and so representative of what your western media has fed you for so many years - it is actually the lack of investigate journalism that has happened with Iraq.

I recently returned from a trip to Kosovo and I can tell you that that the majority of Kosovor Albanians that I spoke with, some of whom are my friends, expressed no desire to separate from Serbia because they can understand the argument from both sides and understand that there is a greater possibility for a stornger economy and livelihood if they remain with Serbia. All anyone really wants at the end of the day is to be able to work and feed thier family. The cry for independence that you hear is primarily the government putting aside real responsibility and pretending that this is the most serious issue (on both sides, respectively). The only cries for independence that I heard while in Kosovo were those of a small group of radicals - the same ones that killed many serbs during the March 2004 riots and destroyed thier homes - for the second time.

Before you, or anyone else for that matter, speak so freely of the Serbs not listening to international pressure to sever thier country and lose territory that has defined them as a people, I would recommend being a bit more informed. Don't forget that whatever the final solution, it will have immense precedent for other regions of the world.
Also, don't forget that demonizing a people doesn't lead to anything positive. Don't categorize serbs as being 'too wrapped up in the past' - if you knew much about the issues surrounding kosovo you would understand why Serbs feel the way they do.

It's better to be informed than to just listen to rhetoric and believe it. I'm assuming that you must be American!...

suzi, i dont know where u were in kosova but that is not what they feel. I came back about a month a go from my trip, and everyone is pro independet and is looking forward to the independece because they feel it will improve security for investors thus helping the economy. every one in kosova , exept about 5 %, want independence.

Across the political spectrum in Serbia, there are complaints about double standards: if borders are sacrosanct, why are you willing to change Serbia’s borders? Why can’t Republika Srpska be independent? Why are criminals who committed crimes against Serbs let off easy at The Hague, or not charged at all?
Why don't we really get some answers to those questions?

Suzy my friend are you sure you were in Kosovo or mabye you were visiting Serbia but just din't know it. And when you say majority of the Albanians want to stay within Serbia are you sure you spoke to Albanians. I'm not sure what natinality you are and to be honest I don't really want to know but I'm sure you know nothing about the Serbian - Albanian conflict. I mean even Serbs know that Albanians want Independece.

For God sake Suzy where did you got that statistics about albanians whishing to stay under serbian rules,maybe Serb Coordinating Centre gaved you those informations . I am living in Kosova and,I as all Albs in Kosova would never agree to live under serbian rule again,let me tell you strait,I was refugee for three months in 1999during NATO bombardment
and I swore God I will never,NEVER be again.Better Grav than Slave or if you whish in serbian "Bolje grob nego Rob". This is oppinion of Majority Albanians in Kosova!
See you come next time in the Europes Newest State called KOSOVA.