“Kosovo independent by summer”

There is no need to punish the current Serbia leadership and all of Serbia and all the Serbs for what Milosevic did.

Yes. The Serbian people knows that the lost of Kosova is Milosevics fault.

Welcome to Prishtina to celebrate the independence for Kosova.

Impartial mediator, huh?
As a finn i'm deeply ashamed of Ahtisaaris action. Comments that say in essence that if independence doesn't materialize, there will be violence, are just the reasons to keep negotiating in order get a result that wasn't imposed at gunpoint. In my opinion Ahtisaari has failed to mediate between these two sides, unless his job was only to create another albanian state in balkans. In that case, he surely did all he could...

I agree with him 100%. But that is all I am going to say, because myself and my fellow Albanians on here, will NEVER come to terms or agree with anything that the Serbs on here think/say. And that goes the other way around as well. Princip will cut and paste as usual, raso & Jovan will call for the military to go in, Tatjana and kate will talk about Osama Bin Laden being from Kosovo, etc. etc. etc. Needless to say we hate each other a lot, and let's leave it at that. Props to Rohan for speaking the truth.

'Rohan told the newspaper he agreed the situation in Kosovo, although currently stable, was so volatile any incident could spark off more serious violence.

“The sooner we have a decision, the better. We oppose unreasonable delays,” Rohan said.'

This is the latest of a string of statements which aim to justify Ahtissari's proposal that the UN commits an illegal act by threatening, in effect, that the political leadership of the Serbian Albanians will push the population under their control to commit acts of violence if the UN doesn't accede to their demands.

Doesn't sound much like a well reasoned argument to me. Let alone like a legally sound one.

Sounds more like poor parenting practice than international diplomacy.

Marti should have retired some time ago and applied his approach to mediation to his grandchildren.

and Kosova will become independent whether Serbia like or not
and I have a message for my motherland Kosova: Be Not Afraid, for You Have Sons in America .

brian,
no reason to punish Albanians either to be stuck with serbia after all they've been through.

adam

Brian,

The president (Milosevic) is the chief executive of a country who is elected by the majority of the PEOPLE (Serbs) of that country (Serbia). I’m not trying make Milosevic look good, but I’m trying to tell all of the activists here that at least 51% of what happened in Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo is citizen’s fault. After the war in Croatia they had a chance to END the cruelty brought by Milosevic’s administration, but they didn’t. No president in Serbia has been in power more than Slobodan Milosevic; no one even comes close to his 11 years on “duty”. They still support his views even though he is dead.

Brian, DO NOT come to a conclusion without a solid base. You should be embarrassed for posting this comment. It doesn’t only hurt Kosovar-Albanians, Croatians, Bosnians, but it also damages Serbia’s reputation.
The independence is undeniable, let’s not forget about that. We want Serbians to have a better life from now on, but it is a little hard to accept it. It is hard to wish someone well when they tried to kill you only 8 years ago. THEY DIDN’T APOLOGIZE TO THE PEOPLE OF KOSOVO!

Rohan's comments set a bad precedent.

It tells any minority that if you simply incite violence or create a volitile situation that could lead to more violence, you'll get your way.

If Milosevic was in power then sure independance would be logical, but the new Serbian goverment is obviously negotiating.

"Needless to say we hate each other a lot, and let's leave it at that"

Rarely if ever do I agree with Sidi, but I think he pointed out the 800 pound gorilla sitting in the chat room for a long time. There are enough people on both sides that will never agree on anything the opposing side says. On one side we have Princip, Jovan, Raso, Zoran, Kate, Brian, Jack, Lowe, and Tatjana. On the other we have Sidi, Nick, Adi, Albo, Albion, Ahmet, Arben, Afrim, and Sebastian. Matthew and I are clearly on the Serb side, but I like to think we occasionally try to see the other side's point of view, and I've gotten kudos from Albanians on this site at least a few times. A third side, the side we rarely see, are Jeton, Rovanna, and Boris, who have given some great comments and are clearly looking at both sides of the debate.

The problem here is twofold: what are we to do to come to some meeting of the mind? And second, are we here to discuss common problems, or are we here simply to bash the other side's points of views, values, and ideas? There are times I come across an article that already has over 10 comments posted, all of which are just more of the ongoing shouting matches seen daily here, and I just roll my eyes and don't even bother to write. In actuality, I think such ways of communication actually further the distrust and vehemence between the opposing sides due to the disrespect each side has for the other. The self-righteous posturing seen on both sides glorifies one's own side while completely making the other side look like idiots, brutes, and uncivilized savages. Collective lumping of any group belies prejudice, a distortion of history, and a reliance on half-truths, questionable facts, and faulty information.

But the main point, and this is something I keep coming back to every day, is that in the end, when all is said and done, Serbs and Albanians are going to have to live with each other, or at the very least, next to each other. Both have claims to the same land, both have important historic ties to the land, and both have suffered greatly under Milosevic and have stagnated for 8 years under UNMIK. What is to be done, and how can both sides begin to cooperate? Would joint trips of Serbs and Albanians to Pristina and Belgrade help? I think many here have had no exposure to the other side (apart from the opposite end of a gun or bomb) and knowing each other more might help salve the wounds.

So rather than taking Sidi's realism at face value and leaving it at that, what can we do to make things better?

Hey Mike,

I don't hate Serbs, if that's what you meant by including my name in there. I don't hate anyone. I just don't agree with most of what the Serb commenters say here. They usually make racist comments. And, if I don't agree with them it doesn't mean I hate them.

milosevic did not loose KosMet! KosMet will never be lost. Think twice before you speculate what Russia is going to do ...Ha.......we know what is going to happen and it will be sweet Slobodan!!!
...and this is coming from the mouth of a anti-milosevic as well..me.

I have just a correction for Mister Mike
You deliberately put Serbs and Albanians in the same Plainfield both victims of Milosevic regime when in same time everybody knows that the Serbs were the perpetrators of the terrible crimes and were the oppressor especially in Kosovo after 1990 it was stripped of the autonomous status closed schools and fired everybody from their jobs. Were any of those things happening to the Serbs? Not even close Mike nest time please bring better argument to the table just for the sake of not insulting our intelligence.
The Serbian problem lies beneath the cover up of their “self victimization”. In my opinion until people of Serbia not just their politicians, address an issue, which is eating them alive and consuming their positive energies nobody is going to take them seriously.
“Treat others like you like yourself to be treated” should be their motto then things maybe better as easier for them.
I think Albanian train is moving in much faster pace than Serbian is one regarding mentality and objectives. Albanians are much closed to Europe than Serbs regarding to their thinking and they know exactly what they want. They want to be free which is the most powerful notion there is
I have read about the Great Serbian kingdom and I know that Serbs are nostalgic of the past history but in same time human history have seen many civilization come and go starting from Egyptians to Greeks to Romans to Ottoman and to today’s superpowers. It gives you a sense of pride but is a mistake to wrap around those times and be struck in the past.
I wish the Serbian commentators to be more open to better ideas to understand the issue not how they like to be but how it is and hope they are the voices of moderation and they will work in their respective communities for a better understanding of these issues.
I wish to the Albanian commentators to be more courteous to the other side because that have much more to loss and nothing to gain. Losing is not a fun game.
I wish to everybody a good day and especially to the moderator

Mike,

Although I agree with some of the general statements in your post above and your other posts in B92 that attempt to promote tolerance and cooperation, I believe you do not fully understand some of the basic principles that surround the conflict between our two nations that has lasted millennia.

In the end of the comment above you question how much the conflicting parties know each other, arguing that perhaps we need to take measures that will enable us to know each other better. I fully understand your point, and I understand that for some time now the “getting to know each other” process has become a favorite principle in any attempts of the international community to get conflicting parties to agree to any negotiation or reconciliation process.

However, in Kosovo's case it is precisely because we do know each other that our positions are so far apart. Keep in mind that we have lived next to Serbs and under Serbs for a very very long period of time and there is a very good chance that we know the Serbs better than we know our own brethren in Albania and Macedonia.

We have lived together, worked together, fought together and against each other for some 1,500 years, I think that is sufficient time to get to know your neighbours, don’t you?

Perhaps I dont know Princip and some of the other Serbs here who were either born outside of the Balkans or have lived outside for a long time, but I have a fairly good knowledge primarily of the Kosovo Serbs and then of the Serbs in the Balkans in general.

Our hatred and distrust of each other, which is a direct result of being exposed to one another for a long period of time, runs deeper than you can possibly imagine as an outside observer. History has proven many hundreds of times that it is impossible for two proud and independent people such as the Albanians and the Serbs to live under one or the other.

Therefore, the only path towards true reconciliation is if we live appart from each other.

Some people here who are used to generalization and tend to use examples from other countries in world, seem to think that the Albanians are only insisting on independence because fate has somehow created the right circumstances for independence.

This is not true. Freedom and independence from any oppressor and particulately the Serbs have always been our ultimate goal and our attempts through the centuries for freedom and independence were bound to give some results sooner or later.

(Uran, Monday, 16 April, 2007, 17:45)

Slobodan Milosevic has still not been convicted guilty when he was being tried at the Hague or in absentia. Therefore, you are defaming his name by proclaiming him guilty of war crimes and ceteris paribus the Serbian people citizens.

Independance is not undeniable and the current version of the Ahitasaari Plan will not go through, a watered down version maybe depending on the political climate in the US and Europe.

The only thing hard to accept is that many of the Albanian posters on this website do not reflect the opinions of the majority of Albanians who are under pressure from KLA extremism.

The Kosovar Albanians need to apologise to the Serbian Citizens for being ethnically cleansed since 1945 by Communist Albanian e
Extremism. the proof is in the pudding. The current Serb population in Kosovo is now less than 8%, it used to be close to be between 35-40% before the start of WWII.

This is not due to the burgeoning Kosovar Albanian populution. Its the systematic expulsion of the Serbian population from Kosovo.

Abe Lincoln, you are out of touch with reality.Milosheviq not only lost Kosova but he was the one tha destroyed former Yugo. As for Russia, haven't you been watching news lately? Putin is in trouble and President Tadiq gave an interview on April 12 2007 to BBC, and is very interesting if you read that, because you will see that Tadiq does not count on Russia at all.

Independence for Kosovo says to Albanians "hate Serbs forever and kill them when you take over." Ethnic reconciliation is a joke when one side gets everything Albanians- and serbs get nothing.

Mike,

you put some good points across. Though my well founded arguments are clear for all to see and read i do not belive that division of serbia helps in the reconciliation that you ultimately point at as being neccesary. Only with real talks and real compromise can all the peoples of serbia find truth & reconcilation. I don't deny that the ethnic-Albanians do not belong in kosovo & Metohija. That the Serbian leadership retaining it's territorial integrity as does imply retaining it's people i.e. the ethnic-Albanians. Surely all ethnic-Albanians wish to co exist with fellow Serbs just like any normal multi-cultural state!!! Is this not what the US & UK suggested as the main reasoning for it's "humanitarian Intervention" - rightly or wrongly depending upon your perspective. Therefore given that this was not a occupation as has been told to us and given that Serbia retained it's sovereignity in the resolution that the Us & UK agreed too (in fact wre its main formulators) then clearly the argument for Milosevic is to blame is now defunct. It is akin to passing judgement once and then creating a new sentence without due process for further crime and blaming someone else for it!!!

It is clear that the West in Ahtisaari and Rohan have come up short on how to square the circle that they created. I guess like any other child you soon learn that as hard as you try the circle does not fit the square slot and vice-versa - hence the panic - definetly in the summer - where have we heard all this before!!! But what then when this does not happen??? It is not the Serbs or the Russians who have given this false illusion! The trap is the making of the US & UK who have never thought through the consequence of their foreign interventions and seem hell bent of closing the trap in on themselves rather then get realistic about the solution.

The solution is simple - no new borders and a jump start to EU for all the nations in the Western Balkans. I have mentioned before that this should have saddly been the solution for Yugoslavia - it was either missed or deliberatly denied but surely the EU has learnt that the best way is to internatise the problem and it that way neither Serb nor Albanian need feel their rights are harmed!!!

Surely compromise of retaining Serbia as one but with a joint emphasis for Croatia, BiH, Albania, FYR Makedonia, Montenegro & Serbia joining in some format as one say in 2012 (realistic) would give a new dimension to hopes of a new era for the Balkans!!!

Nick wrote: "History has proven many hundreds of times that it is impossible for two proud and independent people such as the Albanians and the Serbs to live under one or the other."

So much talk of being proud. Can you tell me of which of your accomplishments you are proud?

What you peoples have done to eachothers contrasts 100% to both nation's general image of itself.

You play being proud. That's a game called self-delution. A game for arrogant people.

Does dignity or nobility have any function in your feeling of pride?

Doesn't your self-respect demand not only refusal to be humiliated but also refusal to humiliate?

Laki, Shkurte Fejza made a very good point ages ago ;-)

hope that the serbs will come to terms on day and accept the inevitable, Kosovo's independence.

I regret, that for some reasons unknown to myself B92 did not publish my previous responses to the anti-independent camp.

Kosovo/a will become independent soon, can't wait to celebrate in style with some bubbly champagne.

Milosevic lost Kosovo? Says who, the guy from the side that bombed the Serbs out based on a 'Not Guilty' charge today, and with a dead Milosevic in detention on record? These guys are a real joke of democracy and forever enemy of an independent and strong Serbia, period.

Ridiculous, not worth 5 minutes of my comment time. Next...

Wow, Uran why is it that you just cant wake up and stop dreaming. If you seriously believe that MIlosevic wasnt guilty of war crimes then something is wrong with you. And you go on and on with your propaganda , FACE THE TRuth and face the facts. Your boy Milosevic lost Kosova and Kosova is on its road to independence. Now knowing the serbs, im sure they will try everything they can to make that impossible, i wouldnt be surprised if they start violence in kosova and blame it on the Kosovars. WE Kosovars (not under the pressure of KLA) cannot coexist with the same people that killed our people and in return are ignorant people like yourself who think we owe a apology to Serbs. Kosova is not serbia and instead of trying to make matters worst, think of way to apologize and ways to coexist.

I have to say it's very interesting to see the parallel world of news online. People write what they think and their comments don’t get filtered by the media (like on tv and papers etc.). Nevertheless I think it’s important to stay realistic and not lose contact with the real world. Some comments I’ve seen are extremely patriotic, if not even racist.

In the real world out there, the EU and US have agreed that Kosovo should be independent in one way or another. Don’t get confused, this decision hasn’t been made because the West likes the Albanian people or dislikes Serbs. No it’s simply because they really really don’t want to get their hands dirty and spend billions in that area again. Especially considering the fact that there are no natural recourses ;-)

In regards to the question if Albanians and Serbs should learn to live together or apart I have not made my mind up yet to be honest. Something tells me that no matter how well you know someone or how much u like someone, if you spend too much time with that person you will most likely end up arguing about something. It’s like living in a house with your parents, brothers and sisters, eventually you get fed up!
On the other hand though there are a big number of Albanian minorities in Serbia as well so I guess there should be no problem with Serbs living in Kosovo either right?

independent KOSOVA

Sidi wrote:
"Needless to say we hate each other a lot, and let's leave it at that."

well, I wouldn´t be that sure of that. the serbian monks in Dečani are explicitly praying for those Albanians who attacked the Dečani monastery...

I think who was raised to hate others is very obvious here...

and Sebastian,

if you say Serbs are writing racist comments here, and I am following them here already for a certain time, then my conclusion is that you definitely do not know the meaning of the term "racism".

please bear that in mind: saying the truth is not racism. otherwise, you would have to call even the german intelligence report a prpduct of racism, in which they make clear that Kosmet is run by a small elite of mafia-thugs...

you can deny it, but truth has no owners, always remeber that!

Sidi,

I'm feeling awfully left out of your list of evil Serbs, at least Alban had the decency to call me a wolf in sheep's clothing the other day.

To answer Mike, I think a lot of people post here for their own reasons. I'm guessing a lot of Albanians still feel a lot of anger about what happened to them and they feel a need to express it. Its understandable and I don't take it personally. I think a lot of Serbs feel we were unjustly vilified by the Western media and feel the need to correct the inaccuracies in many of stories put out by the press. A lot of it is clearly emotional and its probably a way of people working through their anger in their own way. Its therapy basically.

Maybe I write just because I like to see my own words on paper? Ha ha…

Seriously though, for me, being raised in the West, I do want to understand the Albanian perspective, so this is a good place for that. Political Science in regards to the Balkans is probably the most fascinating in the world simply because it is so damn complex.

Of course, I also try to explain just why Kosovo is so important in my life. If I can get just one person to change their views just a little, to me that is a victory. I honestly don't expect to find that magic compromise solution we're all hoping for. However, this is as good a place as any for discussing such ideas in a somewhat rational manner.

I know a lot of Albanians don't want to compromise and they're pissed off at us, and I don't blame them really, Ahtisaari promised them everything, why compromise when you already "won"? However, in reality, that attitude isn't going to bring peace and stability to the Balkans. I personally now believe that Ahtisaari's proposal is probably dead and we will have to come up with some other solution to the problem.

"Freedom and independence from any oppressor and particulately the Serbs have always been our ultimate goal and our attempts through the centuries for freedom and independence were bound to give some results sooner or later."
Let's take Nick's statement at face value.
Nick, if this is your position, why not discuss partition in a rational manner? By discussing partition, Serbs may offer Presevo as a carrot for some other compromise by your side. Isn't it better to open discussions when its possible that you might bring that peace and freedom to more of your brothers? Wouldn't it be nice to have the opportunity to actually join with Albania as part of that country? Your side has much more to gain by engaging in discussions. Serbs feel exactly the same as you, why are we not working together on these issues in the Balkans?
I just have to comment on Uran's comment here cause its so darn funny…
"The president (Milosevic) is the chief executive of a country who is elected by the majority of the PEOPLE (Serbs) of that country (Serbia)."
I thought Serbia was some sort of dictorship? Weren't all the comments after the recent election about how undemocratic Serbia still is? I could further analyze it, but I won't at this time, I just thought it was ironic, everyone talks about how undemocratic Milosevic was, and now the argument is Serbs are guilty because they lived in a completely free and open democratic society and should be responsible for Milosevic's rise to power.
"at least 51% of what happened in Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo is citizen’s fault"
Are you claiming that 100% of the citizens voted? Doesn't Serbia have a parliamentary system? For Milosevic to be President did not take 51% of the entire Serbian population to vote for him, it could be much much less. In a direct election, like the US, it would take 51% of 50% of the population, making it actually 25% of the population of Serbia itself, that doesn't count Serbs living in Croatia or Bosnia or Montenegro. Then out of that 25% of the population in Serbia itself, how many votes went to parties that ended up in a coalition with Milosevic? Lets just say it would have to be like 50% of that, so now we're down to 12.5% of the population of Serbs in Serbia. Which represents how much of the total number of Serbs in the world?
While I do believe the citizens of a democracy bear some responsibility for the actions of their government, I think the logic you are employing is the same justification terrorists used to attack civilians in the US and elsewhere in Western Countries. There are just too many other factors to take into consideration. The Freedom of the Press, the level of education of the population, how strongly democratic institutions are entrenched, etc etc etc.

Mike,

I have read carefully what you have written. I would make one comment: I am with the Albanians because they were the victims ... and not the Serbs. Milosevic did everything to create a chaos and Kostunica is doing everything he can to continue the chaos. The Albanians only want peace and I hope they get it before the summer.

konstantin gregovic

Beautiful name. Along with a beautiful comment. Take care brother.

To my responders:

Sebastian, no I didn't imply that if one disagrees with another's point of view that they automatically hate them. But I do think there's a greater degree of mistrust and collective disrespect for the other side. You're right to point out the difference.

Albano, perhaps I should have said that Serbs in Kosovo suffered as a response to Milosevic. I certainly did not mean to imply that they were persecuted in the same fashion as Albanians. I do believe that Serbs collectively suffered as a result of 1999 for simply being Serb. In every war, there are collaborators, resistors, and passive actors. Were there Serb collaborators in Kosovo? Certainly. Were there any resistors? Yes - note Father Sava of Decani, and I'm sure there were dozen of other Serbs who helped out their Albanian neighbors. Were there passive actors? Most definitely. We need to be asking whether the innocent Serb farmer from Orahovac or the Serb student in Pristina, or the Serb worker in Djakovica deserved the collective punishment after 1999 and in 2004. That's a big problem I see, in that anti-Serb reprisals seemed to target both the guilty and the innocent, in the same fashion as Milosevic's forces targetted innocents as well as perpetrators. In fact, any collaborators were probably the first to leave with the VJ in 1999, leaving the brunt of reprisals with the passive actors. So what I meant is that Kosovo Serbs have also suffered from Milosevic's actions in that even if they didn't do anything, and even wished there was no war, many Serb families caught up in the fighting ended up fleeing their homes, or were subject to mob attacks (which rarely takes the time to distinguish between guilty and innocent).

Nick, we many not agree on a lot of issues, but you're the type of person I could easily share a bottle of rakija with at a cafe and talk about all these issues in a civilized manner. You raised some very interesting points in your response. Specifically you refer to both Serbs and Albanians as "proud and independent". Both are commendable traits, but both can be interpreted in different ways. By being "proud", one could be noble, strong, and innovative. My knowledge of Serb history is far better than my knowledge of Albanian, but I have no doubt both people have enough examples in their past to prove just that. At the same time, being "proud" could also mean being stubborn, and unable or incapable of noting one's own faults, weaknesses, and falacies. Being "proud" could qualify all of one's actions with a sense of self-evident logic, and even the most heinous act could be cast within a light of morality, while any and all actions of the "other" (and you're dead on by showing how both communities living side by side with each other over the ages could become this competitive) are always seen as suspicious, underhanded, immoral, and threatening. The trouble here is when a real legitimate gesture of goodwill is deomnstrated, it is never accepted, nor appreciated. Obvoisly the last 8 years have split the two communities as far apart as they could be, and it will take at least a generation to heal the divisions, but that's what brings me back to my original question: what can we do NOW to at least disagree without shouting insults and invectives against one another?

When I arrived in Kosovo with US KFOR in September 2005, every 4 months there was a new time table in regards to 'status' resolution.

This is far more complicated than anyone cares to realize or admit and it pains me to watch as we strip and flog a former ally of ours.

Kosovo may have sons in America but this true son of America sure does not support what my government is attempting to do.

As Nebojsa Malic stated in his blog (and it is a very valid point) The reasoning of Kosovo-Metohija albanians is that Serbs have de-facto lost the region becuase of violence and persecution of the albanians but by the same albanian reasoning they too have forfeited any right to Kosovo by visting upon Serbs the same violence and terror they claim to be victims of.To be able to live in the future Serbs and albanians need to live apart in the present.And relating to this article the albanians in Kosovo-Metohija must be getting very impatient first they were told before the end of 2006 then they were told as soon as the start of 2007 now they are saying summer 2007.I find it amusing to read about these imperial powers promising them something that is not theirs to give away.If Kosovo-Metohija is taken from Srbija then I will do my part.And oh yes RS will then have to been given its freedom.How can you tell the albanians that they have the right to decide how they want to live and then tell the Serbs in Bosna they cannot do the same.

Kosovo leaders, Invited by US State Department have already started the implementation of the model covering first 120 days after the Independence . It's just a matter of days
( technicalities) when USA will proclaim her recognition of Kosovo independent state. Who else do we need to recognise us??? Big Bro already did it. Kosovars dont at all care what Serbia is thinking. Serbia is not a decision making factor anymore. Negotiations were just a justification in front of the "worlds" eyes.

It will probably happen as Rohan predicts. So, Albanians and Serbs will (perhaps) be good neighbours. Why don't we Albanians who live in Prishtina, or anywhere else Albanians live, concentrate on our future? These debates, although entertaining, are fruitless. Simply Serbia is not a threat anymore.
For Serbia, having already been a state (not talking here about its unjust borders, Kosova should have simply not been a part of a slavic country), with administration and its OWN institutions, will be easier in some aspects. However, to join the modern world takes time. First, they need to get rid of myths and perhaps separate a little bit from the church indoctrination that led them to so many wars (commiting crimes and massacres). Although it is understandable that sometimes in absence of the facts, all people create myths.
For Serbia and its people showing some resentment for what was done in their name is the first step.
To Laki NY, yes you are rights, we Albanians must rely on ourselves as the great Noli says. However, at his time, he spent more money travelling to collect it, than he managed to collect for motherland. He has though one huge merit - he will be respescted for ever for establishing the Albanian Orthodox Church, so that Albanians can pray in their own language.

2 abraham linkoln:
Keep dreamin lol .....russia!! nothing really.. has russia did anthing on 1999?.. I am sure u know the answer ....

I can't believe they're still discussing this. Everyone knew the split would happen...has anyone ever wanted to be part of Serbia?

Well, I think the everchanging Balkan map gives you great answers. :D

Brian: "There is no need to punish the current Serbia leadership and all of Serbia and all the Serbs for what Milosevic did"
Not all Brian, but only those who voted for him, and they were almost all of Kosovo Serbs. On last elections, they(K-Serbs) voted mostly for Seseljs party. Strange, both were accused for war crimes. There was no better solution to vote-elect anyone else except these two (past and present)?!

Olli,

You know, it is sometimes useful to read carefully what someone is saying before you answer. You clearly did not understand what i meant by proud and independent.

Mike,

Despite our dissagrements, i really do appreciate you taking the time to carefully read my comment, not to many people take the time to actualy understand what one is saying here. So thank you.

A nation could be noble and strong while at the same time stubborn and unable to understand its weaknesses and falacies. However, the negative will almost always overshadow the positive if the albanians and the serbs are engaged in a constant conflict which results from one party ruling or opressing the other and vice versa.

Albanians nor the serbs accept foreign rulers or opressors lightly, and conflict with almost certainly arise if one or the other side has the upper hand in given period of time.

I think the best solution is for both our peoples to live separately for a while, during which time we will have the opportunity to contemplate these issues and understand our own weaknesses and falacies before we acuse the other party.

And i could surely use some raki afer going through pages of comments sometimes :)

To Brian:

...and opposit is saying: "Start with new genocid and ethnic cleaning in Kosova!? Shame on you who couldn't do it for 20 years in '80 and '90?! We want Kosovo without Albanians..."... But reality is different. After the war it is very obvious to everybody who is considering Kosovo as their motherland and who as arena for bloody games, abduction and all possible terrible things...

There is no need to punish the current Serbia leadership and all of Serbia and all the Serbs for what Milosevic did.

Yes. The Serbian people knows that the lost of Kosova is Milosevics fault.

Welcome to Prishtina to celebrate the independence for Kosova.

Impartial mediator, huh?
As a finn i'm deeply ashamed of Ahtisaaris action. Comments that say in essence that if independence doesn't materialize, there will be violence, are just the reasons to keep negotiating in order get a result that wasn't imposed at gunpoint. In my opinion Ahtisaari has failed to mediate between these two sides, unless his job was only to create another albanian state in balkans. In that case, he surely did all he could...

I agree with him 100%. But that is all I am going to say, because myself and my fellow Albanians on here, will NEVER come to terms or agree with anything that the Serbs on here think/say. And that goes the other way around as well. Princip will cut and paste as usual, raso & Jovan will call for the military to go in, Tatjana and kate will talk about Osama Bin Laden being from Kosovo, etc. etc. etc. Needless to say we hate each other a lot, and let's leave it at that. Props to Rohan for speaking the truth.

'Rohan told the newspaper he agreed the situation in Kosovo, although currently stable, was so volatile any incident could spark off more serious violence.

“The sooner we have a decision, the better. We oppose unreasonable delays,” Rohan said.'

This is the latest of a string of statements which aim to justify Ahtissari's proposal that the UN commits an illegal act by threatening, in effect, that the political leadership of the Serbian Albanians will push the population under their control to commit acts of violence if the UN doesn't accede to their demands.

Doesn't sound much like a well reasoned argument to me. Let alone like a legally sound one.

Sounds more like poor parenting practice than international diplomacy.

Marti should have retired some time ago and applied his approach to mediation to his grandchildren.

and Kosova will become independent whether Serbia like or not
and I have a message for my motherland Kosova: Be Not Afraid, for You Have Sons in America .

brian,
no reason to punish Albanians either to be stuck with serbia after all they've been through.

adam

Brian,

The president (Milosevic) is the chief executive of a country who is elected by the majority of the PEOPLE (Serbs) of that country (Serbia). I’m not trying make Milosevic look good, but I’m trying to tell all of the activists here that at least 51% of what happened in Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo is citizen’s fault. After the war in Croatia they had a chance to END the cruelty brought by Milosevic’s administration, but they didn’t. No president in Serbia has been in power more than Slobodan Milosevic; no one even comes close to his 11 years on “duty”. They still support his views even though he is dead.

Brian, DO NOT come to a conclusion without a solid base. You should be embarrassed for posting this comment. It doesn’t only hurt Kosovar-Albanians, Croatians, Bosnians, but it also damages Serbia’s reputation.
The independence is undeniable, let’s not forget about that. We want Serbians to have a better life from now on, but it is a little hard to accept it. It is hard to wish someone well when they tried to kill you only 8 years ago. THEY DIDN’T APOLOGIZE TO THE PEOPLE OF KOSOVO!

Rohan's comments set a bad precedent.

It tells any minority that if you simply incite violence or create a volitile situation that could lead to more violence, you'll get your way.

If Milosevic was in power then sure independance would be logical, but the new Serbian goverment is obviously negotiating.

"Needless to say we hate each other a lot, and let's leave it at that"

Rarely if ever do I agree with Sidi, but I think he pointed out the 800 pound gorilla sitting in the chat room for a long time. There are enough people on both sides that will never agree on anything the opposing side says. On one side we have Princip, Jovan, Raso, Zoran, Kate, Brian, Jack, Lowe, and Tatjana. On the other we have Sidi, Nick, Adi, Albo, Albion, Ahmet, Arben, Afrim, and Sebastian. Matthew and I are clearly on the Serb side, but I like to think we occasionally try to see the other side's point of view, and I've gotten kudos from Albanians on this site at least a few times. A third side, the side we rarely see, are Jeton, Rovanna, and Boris, who have given some great comments and are clearly looking at both sides of the debate.

The problem here is twofold: what are we to do to come to some meeting of the mind? And second, are we here to discuss common problems, or are we here simply to bash the other side's points of views, values, and ideas? There are times I come across an article that already has over 10 comments posted, all of which are just more of the ongoing shouting matches seen daily here, and I just roll my eyes and don't even bother to write. In actuality, I think such ways of communication actually further the distrust and vehemence between the opposing sides due to the disrespect each side has for the other. The self-righteous posturing seen on both sides glorifies one's own side while completely making the other side look like idiots, brutes, and uncivilized savages. Collective lumping of any group belies prejudice, a distortion of history, and a reliance on half-truths, questionable facts, and faulty information.

But the main point, and this is something I keep coming back to every day, is that in the end, when all is said and done, Serbs and Albanians are going to have to live with each other, or at the very least, next to each other. Both have claims to the same land, both have important historic ties to the land, and both have suffered greatly under Milosevic and have stagnated for 8 years under UNMIK. What is to be done, and how can both sides begin to cooperate? Would joint trips of Serbs and Albanians to Pristina and Belgrade help? I think many here have had no exposure to the other side (apart from the opposite end of a gun or bomb) and knowing each other more might help salve the wounds.

So rather than taking Sidi's realism at face value and leaving it at that, what can we do to make things better?

Hey Mike,

I don't hate Serbs, if that's what you meant by including my name in there. I don't hate anyone. I just don't agree with most of what the Serb commenters say here. They usually make racist comments. And, if I don't agree with them it doesn't mean I hate them.

milosevic did not loose KosMet! KosMet will never be lost. Think twice before you speculate what Russia is going to do ...Ha.......we know what is going to happen and it will be sweet Slobodan!!!
...and this is coming from the mouth of a anti-milosevic as well..me.

I have just a correction for Mister Mike
You deliberately put Serbs and Albanians in the same Plainfield both victims of Milosevic regime when in same time everybody knows that the Serbs were the perpetrators of the terrible crimes and were the oppressor especially in Kosovo after 1990 it was stripped of the autonomous status closed schools and fired everybody from their jobs. Were any of those things happening to the Serbs? Not even close Mike nest time please bring better argument to the table just for the sake of not insulting our intelligence.
The Serbian problem lies beneath the cover up of their “self victimization”. In my opinion until people of Serbia not just their politicians, address an issue, which is eating them alive and consuming their positive energies nobody is going to take them seriously.
“Treat others like you like yourself to be treated” should be their motto then things maybe better as easier for them.
I think Albanian train is moving in much faster pace than Serbian is one regarding mentality and objectives. Albanians are much closed to Europe than Serbs regarding to their thinking and they know exactly what they want. They want to be free which is the most powerful notion there is
I have read about the Great Serbian kingdom and I know that Serbs are nostalgic of the past history but in same time human history have seen many civilization come and go starting from Egyptians to Greeks to Romans to Ottoman and to today’s superpowers. It gives you a sense of pride but is a mistake to wrap around those times and be struck in the past.
I wish the Serbian commentators to be more open to better ideas to understand the issue not how they like to be but how it is and hope they are the voices of moderation and they will work in their respective communities for a better understanding of these issues.
I wish to the Albanian commentators to be more courteous to the other side because that have much more to loss and nothing to gain. Losing is not a fun game.
I wish to everybody a good day and especially to the moderator

Mike,

Although I agree with some of the general statements in your post above and your other posts in B92 that attempt to promote tolerance and cooperation, I believe you do not fully understand some of the basic principles that surround the conflict between our two nations that has lasted millennia.

In the end of the comment above you question how much the conflicting parties know each other, arguing that perhaps we need to take measures that will enable us to know each other better. I fully understand your point, and I understand that for some time now the “getting to know each other” process has become a favorite principle in any attempts of the international community to get conflicting parties to agree to any negotiation or reconciliation process.

However, in Kosovo's case it is precisely because we do know each other that our positions are so far apart. Keep in mind that we have lived next to Serbs and under Serbs for a very very long period of time and there is a very good chance that we know the Serbs better than we know our own brethren in Albania and Macedonia.

We have lived together, worked together, fought together and against each other for some 1,500 years, I think that is sufficient time to get to know your neighbours, don’t you?

Perhaps I dont know Princip and some of the other Serbs here who were either born outside of the Balkans or have lived outside for a long time, but I have a fairly good knowledge primarily of the Kosovo Serbs and then of the Serbs in the Balkans in general.

Our hatred and distrust of each other, which is a direct result of being exposed to one another for a long period of time, runs deeper than you can possibly imagine as an outside observer. History has proven many hundreds of times that it is impossible for two proud and independent people such as the Albanians and the Serbs to live under one or the other.

Therefore, the only path towards true reconciliation is if we live appart from each other.

Some people here who are used to generalization and tend to use examples from other countries in world, seem to think that the Albanians are only insisting on independence because fate has somehow created the right circumstances for independence.

This is not true. Freedom and independence from any oppressor and particulately the Serbs have always been our ultimate goal and our attempts through the centuries for freedom and independence were bound to give some results sooner or later.

(Uran, Monday, 16 April, 2007, 17:45)

Slobodan Milosevic has still not been convicted guilty when he was being tried at the Hague or in absentia. Therefore, you are defaming his name by proclaiming him guilty of war crimes and ceteris paribus the Serbian people citizens.

Independance is not undeniable and the current version of the Ahitasaari Plan will not go through, a watered down version maybe depending on the political climate in the US and Europe.

The only thing hard to accept is that many of the Albanian posters on this website do not reflect the opinions of the majority of Albanians who are under pressure from KLA extremism.

The Kosovar Albanians need to apologise to the Serbian Citizens for being ethnically cleansed since 1945 by Communist Albanian e
Extremism. the proof is in the pudding. The current Serb population in Kosovo is now less than 8%, it used to be close to be between 35-40% before the start of WWII.

This is not due to the burgeoning Kosovar Albanian populution. Its the systematic expulsion of the Serbian population from Kosovo.

Abe Lincoln, you are out of touch with reality.Milosheviq not only lost Kosova but he was the one tha destroyed former Yugo. As for Russia, haven't you been watching news lately? Putin is in trouble and President Tadiq gave an interview on April 12 2007 to BBC, and is very interesting if you read that, because you will see that Tadiq does not count on Russia at all.

Independence for Kosovo says to Albanians "hate Serbs forever and kill them when you take over." Ethnic reconciliation is a joke when one side gets everything Albanians- and serbs get nothing.

Mike,

you put some good points across. Though my well founded arguments are clear for all to see and read i do not belive that division of serbia helps in the reconciliation that you ultimately point at as being neccesary. Only with real talks and real compromise can all the peoples of serbia find truth & reconcilation. I don't deny that the ethnic-Albanians do not belong in kosovo & Metohija. That the Serbian leadership retaining it's territorial integrity as does imply retaining it's people i.e. the ethnic-Albanians. Surely all ethnic-Albanians wish to co exist with fellow Serbs just like any normal multi-cultural state!!! Is this not what the US & UK suggested as the main reasoning for it's "humanitarian Intervention" - rightly or wrongly depending upon your perspective. Therefore given that this was not a occupation as has been told to us and given that Serbia retained it's sovereignity in the resolution that the Us & UK agreed too (in fact wre its main formulators) then clearly the argument for Milosevic is to blame is now defunct. It is akin to passing judgement once and then creating a new sentence without due process for further crime and blaming someone else for it!!!

It is clear that the West in Ahtisaari and Rohan have come up short on how to square the circle that they created. I guess like any other child you soon learn that as hard as you try the circle does not fit the square slot and vice-versa - hence the panic - definetly in the summer - where have we heard all this before!!! But what then when this does not happen??? It is not the Serbs or the Russians who have given this false illusion! The trap is the making of the US & UK who have never thought through the consequence of their foreign interventions and seem hell bent of closing the trap in on themselves rather then get realistic about the solution.

The solution is simple - no new borders and a jump start to EU for all the nations in the Western Balkans. I have mentioned before that this should have saddly been the solution for Yugoslavia - it was either missed or deliberatly denied but surely the EU has learnt that the best way is to internatise the problem and it that way neither Serb nor Albanian need feel their rights are harmed!!!

Surely compromise of retaining Serbia as one but with a joint emphasis for Croatia, BiH, Albania, FYR Makedonia, Montenegro & Serbia joining in some format as one say in 2012 (realistic) would give a new dimension to hopes of a new era for the Balkans!!!

Nick wrote: "History has proven many hundreds of times that it is impossible for two proud and independent people such as the Albanians and the Serbs to live under one or the other."

So much talk of being proud. Can you tell me of which of your accomplishments you are proud?

What you peoples have done to eachothers contrasts 100% to both nation's general image of itself.

You play being proud. That's a game called self-delution. A game for arrogant people.

Does dignity or nobility have any function in your feeling of pride?

Doesn't your self-respect demand not only refusal to be humiliated but also refusal to humiliate?

Laki, Shkurte Fejza made a very good point ages ago ;-)

hope that the serbs will come to terms on day and accept the inevitable, Kosovo's independence.

I regret, that for some reasons unknown to myself B92 did not publish my previous responses to the anti-independent camp.

Kosovo/a will become independent soon, can't wait to celebrate in style with some bubbly champagne.

Milosevic lost Kosovo? Says who, the guy from the side that bombed the Serbs out based on a 'Not Guilty' charge today, and with a dead Milosevic in detention on record? These guys are a real joke of democracy and forever enemy of an independent and strong Serbia, period.

Ridiculous, not worth 5 minutes of my comment time. Next...

Wow, Uran why is it that you just cant wake up and stop dreaming. If you seriously believe that MIlosevic wasnt guilty of war crimes then something is wrong with you. And you go on and on with your propaganda , FACE THE TRuth and face the facts. Your boy Milosevic lost Kosova and Kosova is on its road to independence. Now knowing the serbs, im sure they will try everything they can to make that impossible, i wouldnt be surprised if they start violence in kosova and blame it on the Kosovars. WE Kosovars (not under the pressure of KLA) cannot coexist with the same people that killed our people and in return are ignorant people like yourself who think we owe a apology to Serbs. Kosova is not serbia and instead of trying to make matters worst, think of way to apologize and ways to coexist.

I have to say it's very interesting to see the parallel world of news online. People write what they think and their comments don’t get filtered by the media (like on tv and papers etc.). Nevertheless I think it’s important to stay realistic and not lose contact with the real world. Some comments I’ve seen are extremely patriotic, if not even racist.

In the real world out there, the EU and US have agreed that Kosovo should be independent in one way or another. Don’t get confused, this decision hasn’t been made because the West likes the Albanian people or dislikes Serbs. No it’s simply because they really really don’t want to get their hands dirty and spend billions in that area again. Especially considering the fact that there are no natural recourses ;-)

In regards to the question if Albanians and Serbs should learn to live together or apart I have not made my mind up yet to be honest. Something tells me that no matter how well you know someone or how much u like someone, if you spend too much time with that person you will most likely end up arguing about something. It’s like living in a house with your parents, brothers and sisters, eventually you get fed up!
On the other hand though there are a big number of Albanian minorities in Serbia as well so I guess there should be no problem with Serbs living in Kosovo either right?

independent KOSOVA

Sidi wrote:
"Needless to say we hate each other a lot, and let's leave it at that."

well, I wouldn´t be that sure of that. the serbian monks in Dečani are explicitly praying for those Albanians who attacked the Dečani monastery...

I think who was raised to hate others is very obvious here...

and Sebastian,

if you say Serbs are writing racist comments here, and I am following them here already for a certain time, then my conclusion is that you definitely do not know the meaning of the term "racism".

please bear that in mind: saying the truth is not racism. otherwise, you would have to call even the german intelligence report a prpduct of racism, in which they make clear that Kosmet is run by a small elite of mafia-thugs...

you can deny it, but truth has no owners, always remeber that!

Sidi,

I'm feeling awfully left out of your list of evil Serbs, at least Alban had the decency to call me a wolf in sheep's clothing the other day.

To answer Mike, I think a lot of people post here for their own reasons. I'm guessing a lot of Albanians still feel a lot of anger about what happened to them and they feel a need to express it. Its understandable and I don't take it personally. I think a lot of Serbs feel we were unjustly vilified by the Western media and feel the need to correct the inaccuracies in many of stories put out by the press. A lot of it is clearly emotional and its probably a way of people working through their anger in their own way. Its therapy basically.

Maybe I write just because I like to see my own words on paper? Ha ha…

Seriously though, for me, being raised in the West, I do want to understand the Albanian perspective, so this is a good place for that. Political Science in regards to the Balkans is probably the most fascinating in the world simply because it is so damn complex.

Of course, I also try to explain just why Kosovo is so important in my life. If I can get just one person to change their views just a little, to me that is a victory. I honestly don't expect to find that magic compromise solution we're all hoping for. However, this is as good a place as any for discussing such ideas in a somewhat rational manner.

I know a lot of Albanians don't want to compromise and they're pissed off at us, and I don't blame them really, Ahtisaari promised them everything, why compromise when you already "won"? However, in reality, that attitude isn't going to bring peace and stability to the Balkans. I personally now believe that Ahtisaari's proposal is probably dead and we will have to come up with some other solution to the problem.

"Freedom and independence from any oppressor and particulately the Serbs have always been our ultimate goal and our attempts through the centuries for freedom and independence were bound to give some results sooner or later."
Let's take Nick's statement at face value.
Nick, if this is your position, why not discuss partition in a rational manner? By discussing partition, Serbs may offer Presevo as a carrot for some other compromise by your side. Isn't it better to open discussions when its possible that you might bring that peace and freedom to more of your brothers? Wouldn't it be nice to have the opportunity to actually join with Albania as part of that country? Your side has much more to gain by engaging in discussions. Serbs feel exactly the same as you, why are we not working together on these issues in the Balkans?
I just have to comment on Uran's comment here cause its so darn funny…
"The president (Milosevic) is the chief executive of a country who is elected by the majority of the PEOPLE (Serbs) of that country (Serbia)."
I thought Serbia was some sort of dictorship? Weren't all the comments after the recent election about how undemocratic Serbia still is? I could further analyze it, but I won't at this time, I just thought it was ironic, everyone talks about how undemocratic Milosevic was, and now the argument is Serbs are guilty because they lived in a completely free and open democratic society and should be responsible for Milosevic's rise to power.
"at least 51% of what happened in Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Kosovo is citizen’s fault"
Are you claiming that 100% of the citizens voted? Doesn't Serbia have a parliamentary system? For Milosevic to be President did not take 51% of the entire Serbian population to vote for him, it could be much much less. In a direct election, like the US, it would take 51% of 50% of the population, making it actually 25% of the population of Serbia itself, that doesn't count Serbs living in Croatia or Bosnia or Montenegro. Then out of that 25% of the population in Serbia itself, how many votes went to parties that ended up in a coalition with Milosevic? Lets just say it would have to be like 50% of that, so now we're down to 12.5% of the population of Serbs in Serbia. Which represents how much of the total number of Serbs in the world?
While I do believe the citizens of a democracy bear some responsibility for the actions of their government, I think the logic you are employing is the same justification terrorists used to attack civilians in the US and elsewhere in Western Countries. There are just too many other factors to take into consideration. The Freedom of the Press, the level of education of the population, how strongly democratic institutions are entrenched, etc etc etc.

Mike,

I have read carefully what you have written. I would make one comment: I am with the Albanians because they were the victims ... and not the Serbs. Milosevic did everything to create a chaos and Kostunica is doing everything he can to continue the chaos. The Albanians only want peace and I hope they get it before the summer.

konstantin gregovic

Beautiful name. Along with a beautiful comment. Take care brother.

To my responders:

Sebastian, no I didn't imply that if one disagrees with another's point of view that they automatically hate them. But I do think there's a greater degree of mistrust and collective disrespect for the other side. You're right to point out the difference.

Albano, perhaps I should have said that Serbs in Kosovo suffered as a response to Milosevic. I certainly did not mean to imply that they were persecuted in the same fashion as Albanians. I do believe that Serbs collectively suffered as a result of 1999 for simply being Serb. In every war, there are collaborators, resistors, and passive actors. Were there Serb collaborators in Kosovo? Certainly. Were there any resistors? Yes - note Father Sava of Decani, and I'm sure there were dozen of other Serbs who helped out their Albanian neighbors. Were there passive actors? Most definitely. We need to be asking whether the innocent Serb farmer from Orahovac or the Serb student in Pristina, or the Serb worker in Djakovica deserved the collective punishment after 1999 and in 2004. That's a big problem I see, in that anti-Serb reprisals seemed to target both the guilty and the innocent, in the same fashion as Milosevic's forces targetted innocents as well as perpetrators. In fact, any collaborators were probably the first to leave with the VJ in 1999, leaving the brunt of reprisals with the passive actors. So what I meant is that Kosovo Serbs have also suffered from Milosevic's actions in that even if they didn't do anything, and even wished there was no war, many Serb families caught up in the fighting ended up fleeing their homes, or were subject to mob attacks (which rarely takes the time to distinguish between guilty and innocent).

Nick, we many not agree on a lot of issues, but you're the type of person I could easily share a bottle of rakija with at a cafe and talk about all these issues in a civilized manner. You raised some very interesting points in your response. Specifically you refer to both Serbs and Albanians as "proud and independent". Both are commendable traits, but both can be interpreted in different ways. By being "proud", one could be noble, strong, and innovative. My knowledge of Serb history is far better than my knowledge of Albanian, but I have no doubt both people have enough examples in their past to prove just that. At the same time, being "proud" could also mean being stubborn, and unable or incapable of noting one's own faults, weaknesses, and falacies. Being "proud" could qualify all of one's actions with a sense of self-evident logic, and even the most heinous act could be cast within a light of morality, while any and all actions of the "other" (and you're dead on by showing how both communities living side by side with each other over the ages could become this competitive) are always seen as suspicious, underhanded, immoral, and threatening. The trouble here is when a real legitimate gesture of goodwill is deomnstrated, it is never accepted, nor appreciated. Obvoisly the last 8 years have split the two communities as far apart as they could be, and it will take at least a generation to heal the divisions, but that's what brings me back to my original question: what can we do NOW to at least disagree without shouting insults and invectives against one another?

When I arrived in Kosovo with US KFOR in September 2005, every 4 months there was a new time table in regards to 'status' resolution.

This is far more complicated than anyone cares to realize or admit and it pains me to watch as we strip and flog a former ally of ours.

Kosovo may have sons in America but this true son of America sure does not support what my government is attempting to do.

As Nebojsa Malic stated in his blog (and it is a very valid point) The reasoning of Kosovo-Metohija albanians is that Serbs have de-facto lost the region becuase of violence and persecution of the albanians but by the same albanian reasoning they too have forfeited any right to Kosovo by visting upon Serbs the same violence and terror they claim to be victims of.To be able to live in the future Serbs and albanians need to live apart in the present.And relating to this article the albanians in Kosovo-Metohija must be getting very impatient first they were told before the end of 2006 then they were told as soon as the start of 2007 now they are saying summer 2007.I find it amusing to read about these imperial powers promising them something that is not theirs to give away.If Kosovo-Metohija is taken from Srbija then I will do my part.And oh yes RS will then have to been given its freedom.How can you tell the albanians that they have the right to decide how they want to live and then tell the Serbs in Bosna they cannot do the same.

Kosovo leaders, Invited by US State Department have already started the implementation of the model covering first 120 days after the Independence . It's just a matter of days
( technicalities) when USA will proclaim her recognition of Kosovo independent state. Who else do we need to recognise us??? Big Bro already did it. Kosovars dont at all care what Serbia is thinking. Serbia is not a decision making factor anymore. Negotiations were just a justification in front of the "worlds" eyes.

It will probably happen as Rohan predicts. So, Albanians and Serbs will (perhaps) be good neighbours. Why don't we Albanians who live in Prishtina, or anywhere else Albanians live, concentrate on our future? These debates, although entertaining, are fruitless. Simply Serbia is not a threat anymore.
For Serbia, having already been a state (not talking here about its unjust borders, Kosova should have simply not been a part of a slavic country), with administration and its OWN institutions, will be easier in some aspects. However, to join the modern world takes time. First, they need to get rid of myths and perhaps separate a little bit from the church indoctrination that led them to so many wars (commiting crimes and massacres). Although it is understandable that sometimes in absence of the facts, all people create myths.
For Serbia and its people showing some resentment for what was done in their name is the first step.
To Laki NY, yes you are rights, we Albanians must rely on ourselves as the great Noli says. However, at his time, he spent more money travelling to collect it, than he managed to collect for motherland. He has though one huge merit - he will be respescted for ever for establishing the Albanian Orthodox Church, so that Albanians can pray in their own language.

2 abraham linkoln:
Keep dreamin lol .....russia!! nothing really.. has russia did anthing on 1999?.. I am sure u know the answer ....

I can't believe they're still discussing this. Everyone knew the split would happen...has anyone ever wanted to be part of Serbia?

Well, I think the everchanging Balkan map gives you great answers. :D

Brian: "There is no need to punish the current Serbia leadership and all of Serbia and all the Serbs for what Milosevic did"
Not all Brian, but only those who voted for him, and they were almost all of Kosovo Serbs. On last elections, they(K-Serbs) voted mostly for Seseljs party. Strange, both were accused for war crimes. There was no better solution to vote-elect anyone else except these two (past and present)?!

Olli,

You know, it is sometimes useful to read carefully what someone is saying before you answer. You clearly did not understand what i meant by proud and independent.

Mike,

Despite our dissagrements, i really do appreciate you taking the time to carefully read my comment, not to many people take the time to actualy understand what one is saying here. So thank you.

A nation could be noble and strong while at the same time stubborn and unable to understand its weaknesses and falacies. However, the negative will almost always overshadow the positive if the albanians and the serbs are engaged in a constant conflict which results from one party ruling or opressing the other and vice versa.

Albanians nor the serbs accept foreign rulers or opressors lightly, and conflict with almost certainly arise if one or the other side has the upper hand in given period of time.

I think the best solution is for both our peoples to live separately for a while, during which time we will have the opportunity to contemplate these issues and understand our own weaknesses and falacies before we acuse the other party.

And i could surely use some raki afer going through pages of comments sometimes :)

To Brian:

...and opposit is saying: "Start with new genocid and ethnic cleaning in Kosova!? Shame on you who couldn't do it for 20 years in '80 and '90?! We want Kosovo without Albanians..."... But reality is different. After the war it is very obvious to everybody who is considering Kosovo as their motherland and who as arena for bloody games, abduction and all possible terrible things...