Bashing NATO

Kostunica is a patriot, I beleive that is the politically correct word for nationalist. Americans like to call their enemies 'nationalists' and those who are willing to be subservient to them 'patriots' or 'freedom fighters'.
Kostunica does not do things based on poll ratings (like American politicians), he does things that are best for Serbia and her interests. That, Mr. Montgomery, is an honourable man, a patriot. Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, William Cohen, William Walker, Madeline Albright, Richard Hollbrooke.....could not hold a candle to this man, and are not fit to even be in the same room as Mr. Kostunica. Serbs could not ask for a better, more honest, leader.

Dear Ambassador

You are a perfect spin doctor. You twist facts such a way that NATO/USA looks as an guardian angel protecting Serbs in Kosovo and elsewhere. You apparently forgot what US was talking about Kostunica and why did you support him, not Dindjic. You also forgot about RTV Belgrade, hospitals, apartment buildings, power stations, passengers trains, heating centers.

All of this was not incidental. It was yours strategy to break Serbian defense, creating hardship to civilian population. All of this, including cluster bombs and DU ammunition,
are serious war crimes.

another reason Serbs don't like NATO is the blatantly false propoganda NATO spewed during the Kosovo war. Remember that self-righteous Jamie Shea? Remember the deliberately false allegation 500,000 dead or missing Albanians? It is especially ironic that Britain, an original NATO member, keeps talking about how Serbia should give up Kosovo when the nationalistic and imperialistic Brisith were willing to go half way around the world to keep frozen rocks, the Falklands, from their rightful owners, Argentinia.

"Koštunica, in contrast, was a nationalist who would remain true to his principles to the end and would not compromise. This, he added with diplomatic understatement, was a cause for real concern. It is precisely those nationalistic principles, which are now leading Serbia into totally unknown territory."

One man's nationalist is another man's patriot. In America if you believe in your nation, have principles, and believe in the indivisibility and sovereignty of your land, you are a PATRIOT. If you belong to another country, and love your country, the connotations are more negative, you are a NATIONALIST. Ever wonder why you never hear of American "nationalists" in our western dominated media? ...Simple: Media Propaganda.

Hang in there Mr. Kostunica. We are tired of Anglo/Saxon neocon apologists and see through their lies.

"While the initial military focus was on securing Kosovo from the Miloševic forces, it soon became clear that the principle task it faced - and still faces today - was protecting the Serbian and other ethnic minorities in Kosovo from retaliation by the Kosovo Albanians."

Robert, why did you not add that NATO failed miserably here. Why don't you speak the truth, what will it cost? You can end your career with a clear consinece. NATO stood by as 100's of thousands of Serbs were forcefully driven out of their ancestral homes Kosovo. Why do you not mention the pogroms of 2004, William? NATO is not a friend of Serbia. It bombed and killed innocent civilians and destroyed civilian infrastucture unnecessarily. They wanted to show their force and might at the expense of innocents. For that, they will always be seen as an evil force for Serbians. It was a cowardly and illegal action by an airpower second to none.
I, as an American citizen, is still sickened by Washington's actions in '99. NATO is disliked for good reason, please do not try and divert attention to the actions of Serbia or Russia now. Admit your guilt, apologize for your crimes, and maybe Serbia will be able to move on. I have heard not one word of condolences from the West for their criminal military acts.

Mr. Montgomery, I can see that you understand the situation in Serbia and Balcan better than most. You know that Serbs are fighting terrorism longer than anybody in the world. Look at the west fighting the terrorisam accross the world. Why then are we in the west tying Serbian hands behind their back when it comes to terrorisam on their terrotory?
Now, the Serbs are being bashed all the time for being cozy with Russia. Who may I ask you is pushing them towars Russia? US and NATO are by trying to ripp Serbia appart and take their beloved Kosovo away. The whole thing amazes me. Do Serbs have to be sacraficial lamb in order to prove to middle east that we are their friends. Did we have to use Hitler's metod of distroying Serbian people by spewing the lies with help of naive and lazy media that did not want to do its homework in order to find the truth. I worry about my country the good old USA. We are getting fat and lazy and do not question our politicians and their goals and reasons. That is why I am affraid for future of ou country and the world.

Why shouldn't the prime minister be a nationalist? Every government officer who takes an outh of office should by definition be a nationalist. Anything else is a fraud.

"At the same time, Russian performance in Kosovo has been anything but stellar. First of all, when they had military units in Kosovo as part of the KFOR effort, they were totally ineffectual against the infiltration of the GSZ by armed Albanian extremists."............Maybe all of KFOR should have put down the Albanian extremists? Yet, KFOR looked the other way as they drove thousands of minorities from Kosovo, and destroying 100's of religious sites in an effort to ethnically cleanse Kosovo and make it a pure Albanian state. You somehow overlooked that part, Mr. Montgomery. Should the Serbs trust NATO? You answer that, William.

Montgomery,

"What this means in practice is that the DSS either prefers a Radical as President rather than Boris Tadić (which would be the result of elections following any unilateral declaration of independence) or is intentionally raising this option in order to give the West one more reason to prevent any unilateral steps by the Kosovo Albanians. And it is willing to eschew closer ties with the West in favor of an enhanced relationship with Russia if that is what it takes to maintain firm Russian support over Kosovo."

- has it not crossed your mind that DS would want to make the West (in reality just the US) reconsider it's forced imposition of a 2nd Albania? I'd have to say the Tadic-Kostunica duo are making it very difficult for you "analysts" but the reality is quite simple - no Serbian President or PM in their right mind would ever contemplate giving up on Sovereignity of the State - something I am sure US Presidents would be equally just as certain to safeguard and even deceive their electorate to think sending trrops into Iraq is part of the concept of protecting US sovereignity!

Moreover I would have thought that the following statement is actually more of a vote winner;
"Koštunica, in contrast, was a nationalist who would remain true to his principles to the end and would not compromise. This, he added with diplomatic understatement, was a cause for real concern. It is precisely those nationalistic principles, which are now leading Serbia into totally unknown territory."

- & I don't think the territory is that unknown if it protects the Serbian State! US is in the fall of it's imperialism (yes still a superpower but falling) and must realise that the harder it pushes this folly of attempts at partitioning the state of Serbia the quicker it's fall will be. Accept your earlier President was duped into this fiasco by the UK PM Bliar and advise the current lame duck President that a face saving exit given the EU (in particular UK) is no longer standing shoulder to shoulder is required. Accepting the Sovereignity of Serbia would be a good move and has been alluded to by Polt with the "what if ...." slip some months ago.

Even if I have a strong dislike for Milo Djukanovic, he was right about Milosevic. Slobodan Milosevic was NOT a nationalist, which may come as a surprise to many westerners.
Actually the Kosovo Albanians has Slobodan to thank for their support from the US.
If it wasn't for Slobodan Milosevic stupidity and stubborness against the US, the albanians would have had nothing these days.
Just look how Turkey can get away with all kind of cruelties against the kurds in eastern Turkey and the US doesn't care a bit, they are even supporting Turkey to crack down on kurdish independence movements.
If Milosevic had still been in power Kosovo would have been recognized an independent state back in 2000 already. The albanians hope for independece vanished due to Milosevic's fall, how ironical it even migh look.

Yes NATO is doing such a good job protecting Serbs that they live in fortified enclaves and can't leave them and that the only place where Serbs have any freedom is in a place where there a small numbers of Albanians. NATO has been great for Serbs in Kosovo.

Criticism of the Serbian Leadership

William has criticised the leadership of Serbia (in particular Kostunica) for being too nationalistic. Perhaps the Serbian Leadership should change, to reflect what NATO and some in the USA deem to be an appropriate leader. Who, oh who, should one pick as an example? Wait, I know. Let's pick the backbone of humanity, Strong-ally to the USA, Prime Minister of Kosovo, Agim Ceku. Let's take a look at his resume and see what Kontunica could learn.

During Croatia's war of succession and extermination of Serbs, the Croatian army received a Kosovo Albanian volunteer, Agim Ceku, who was appointed as a Colonel. In 1993 he led the Croatian Army into an area called Medak Pocket, where Serbian civilians lived. Canadian UN peacekeepers quickly become familiar with the Leadership qualities of Ceku. Over 200 Serbian civilians were butchered in the most repulsive fashion. Canada's horrified troops, who buried the gruesome remains, were promised that perpetrators would not get away this!

Today, Ceku is (and remains) Prime Minister of Kosovo. He is depicted as a staunch US ally. He has been included in NATO briefings, spending time with finest US generals, such as Wesley Clark. He received a friendly welcome from the Secretary of State, Condolezza Rice, when they met to agree on how to illegally achieve independence for Kosovo that this war criminal governs, without the rule of law and who is forever grateful to al Qaeda. The monumental 'bin Laden Mosque' that was built in 2001 (appropriately), stands magnanimously in Kosovo, where Bill Cliton murals and Wesley Clark Streets are nearly as widespread as bin Laden keyrings.

Vote Ceku – the better choice for regional stability - with full endorsement of NATO and the USA

well,
first of all, it´s the US of A that are leading us all, the whole world into unknown territory by disrespecting the United Nations, which were founded in the remembrance of the results of World War II...

not respecting decisions made by the UNSC is illegal and quite dangerous, and the US are placing themselves outside the family of civilized nations.

describing Mr.Koštunica as a nationalist who is standing to his principles "to the end", sounds like the usual cheap anti-serbian propaganda so often promoted by the Albanians...

what makes this impression complete is the total lack of any remark on WHO the author of those lines is.

bravo B92 for once again presenting a milestone of journalism! ...you´re not even saying who has written it...

certainly a sign of professionalism!

NATO and the west never intended that Kosovo remain part of Serbia when they signed 1244.

The humanitarian argument was strong in justifying the bombing - many Serbs like to blame NATO, but after what happened in Bosnia the west had to intervene. Milosevic was stupid enough not to avoid the bombing (which he could easily have done) and then at the end he signed a bad deal for Serbia in order to stop the bombing. However, in signing that he successfully insisted on the territorial integrity of Serbia being documented. It was a humiliation for NATO to have that clause, but they were desperate to stop the bombing, because it had become pointless and the ground war was something they didn't want. It now appears to be their view that they have to stand up against that humiliation that Milosevic succeeded in having included. Russia does well to make use of the western attitude by talking of a 'NATO state' - what do you expect when that is exactly what is happening?

I am strongly of the view that the bombing was justified in order to stop an anticipated blood-bath. However, I am also strongly of the view that the credibility of NATO's humanitarian justification is totally undermined by the way in which the political poison against Serbia is being turned into a justification for Kosovo independence.

Kostunica may be a nationalist of sorts, but he is an upholder of law and he is a democrat. He is not a war criminal, and would not necessarily become one even if he decided to 'do a faulklands' should independence be declared. Serbia has a right to its territorial integrity and is trying to negotiate on a proper political basis. I would advocate a more serious respect for Serbia's aims and urge the US to put its energy behind getting the sides to find successful cooperation rather that continuing to be provocative by insisting on a split.

Every Serb should read the articles that Montgomery has published thus far.
Taking the slippery Russian slope is dangerous. Serbia is a nation of huge potential to become a regional leader. What happend last time this amount of hyped up nationalism took place? What where the results again?

I've always admired you Mr. Montgomery for your knowledge and insight of the Balkan situation, however, your presentation depicting NATO as a defender of Serbs in Kosovo is a bit off the mark. While it's true that Serbs living in Kosovo could not exist there without the protection of NATO, it's also true that NATO has made possible the desire of ethnic Albanians to separate from Serbia. Those who claim that this situation is a Milosevic creation are delusional. I have copies of National Geographic from the '80's showing ethnic Albanians flying the ALBANIAN flag in Kosovo. This was long before Milosevic. Besim, who has posted commentary here, claims that this is an issue that is 7 or 8 years old, Besim, you're simply wrong. Why should the Serbs trust the USA when we (NATO) bombed them into submission. Does anyone believe that we, the USA, would tolerate separatist in Los Angeles or in Miami from declaring themselves "independent territory"? I don't think so. How can these two parties negotiate their diffences when we, the USA, have declared that we are going to declare recognition of an "independent Kosovo" What is there to negotiate? The ethnic Albanians have absolutely no incentive to reach an agreement, all they have to do is wait for the USA's "fait d'accompli" Have you forgotten, Mr. Ambassador, that the Serbs have been lovers of freedom and have been supporters of the west in previous wars (WW-1&WW-2) without mentioning that they were the first to defy the "Warsaw Pact"? Serbia has been and is, the most ethnically diverse of ALL of the former states of the FRY.
I needn't remind you, sir, that there are more displaced people from the civil wars in the former FRY in Serbia than in any other state of the FYR.
The DP's total 600,000 human beings driven out of Croatia, Kosovo and Bosnia Hercegovina, all with the help of NATO.
Here in the USA we have the mandate to speak "truth to power". As one who is of Montenegrin ancestry, I value resistance to domination and I have no animosity towards others be they of any other nationality, but as an American, I must speak the truth as I see it. The USA has a great friend in the Serbs who have a cultural dispostion towards western values of "Eqalite,Fraternite, Liberte" but they must cultivate it.

The contribution of NATO that Serbia should be appreciative for:
Since 1999, NATO (with the help of Kosovo Albanians and Agim Ceku, Kosovo’s Prime Minister) has successfully provided Serbia with 200,000 refugees of Serbian persuasion, along with Jews, Croats, Gorani, gypies, and other non-Albania's from Kosovo.
As for the 100,000 Serbs who remain in Kosovo (for the time being); half of them live in barbed-wire-circled confines, that NATO guards, beyond which they dare not venture, without risk of being killed by Albanians. The Albanian Muslims have also destroyed a minimum of 150 churches and monasteries under the nose of NATO.
(Interesting, William Montgomery justifies the 8-year-long rampant killing and ethnic cleansing of Serbs and non-Albania's from Kosovo as “retaliation”)
Yet, those folk in Serbia, seem to think they can somehow criticise NATO, despite all the 'help' it's provided thus far. Where, oh where is the gratitude William?

Whoever wrotte this, knows his stuff. Exellent piece!!!
You see the problem is the nationalism and radicalism in Serbia, that is pulling Serbia back into a dark age.
If Kalashnikov Koshtunica thinks he can get away with this, he is dead wrong.
That is one more reason to have Kosovo/a INDEPENDENT.
Albanians will then get their own passports instead of going to Serbia and try to find their documents stolen from them when they were being thrown out of their own homes.
Serbian people should realize that their are in dire straights with this man (K.K.) and his backwords party DSS.
Just look who his ministers or deputies are, and its clear to anyone what they're all about.
It does NOT surprize me that most Serbian posters here writte what they writte.
These guys are pro DSS and Radical solutions as far as Serbia. Thank GOD there is US of A that IGNORES characters like that and their policy, no matter what, it prevails at the end.
I know all you Princip=Kates, Bob's, Jovan's, Cveles, Walter's of the Serbian world will diagree, but that just the way it is.
I personally like Serbs of the other sides of DSS and Seselj's ultra-nationalists.
Respectfuly, Tadic, Jovanovic, Svilanovic, and most of all Zoran Djindjic who was a victim of madness, crime and paramilitary gangs that helped Koshtunica come to power.
History will show ...

To all who have writen comment in here.........

How come you serbs seems to forget things so so fast....

you people talk about NATO crimes... NATO did no crimes they did what was nassecary to do they asked Milosevic to stop ethnic cleansing he did not he continued to kill civilian people and try to cover it by saying "they are terrorist" PEOPLE WHO FIGHT FOR THEIR OWN CONTRY FOR THEIR OWN LAND FOR THEIR OWN FREEDOM ARE NOT TERRORIST THEY ARE PATRIOTS... we Albanians were fighting for our right to live in our own home our own land...

when milosevic was killing civilian people who had nothing to protect them self who were white flagers was that a crime too?

You Serbs did not give us any right even to go to school........

I hear this "NATO not to effective protecting serbs if our soldiers were there they would do a better job".

First: NATO is trying the best they can do:: now there is so much hatries from albanians toward serbs because war in KOSOVA was not 100 years ago it was 7-8 years ago people who lost loved one in war are still mad it would take long time for people to gorget that......

Here are so many Serbs who write stuff and talk about kosovo and who has no idea what had happen there all what they know is what serbian tv had said....look the problem at other side too........

I would ask all serbs to give me a solution to problem.....???? and tell me do you thing that in the future albanians and serbs will not hate each other so much like we do now.,,,,???

And why you don't or do thing kososo should be independent.....???????

Divide et impera, or even better make a problem so that one can come to solve it.
Ever since the end of WWII we could see "highly justified" interventions of US forces as a result of a "cosistent foreing policy" - own interest and profit.
Need proof? I guess not, just let's remember Korea, Vietnam, Iraq....
Fortunatelly, Russia is back on the international stage....what's done is done, now we ALL have to negotiate. To impose a solution (read one's will) turned out very, very difficult.

"...the DSS either prefers a Radical as President rather than Boris Tadić (which would be the result of elections following any unilateral declaration of independence)..."

In that case, I think that the Radicals should be very grateful to the US State Department for their strong support for the unilateral independence. If this kind of policy continues, the rise of the Russian military bases in Serbia is just a matter of time. I fail to see how that contributes to the US or the EU security.

Vote for the Serbian Radical Party-the better choice for regional stability-and while your at it, thank them for endorsing the 1985 SANU memorandom, and then starting all those failed wars (in the name of freedom and international law ;) ) that lead to the mess that Serbia is in right now.

I invite here, all kosovo albaner to write what are they thinking regarding independence for kurds in turkey!!! Has your leader the courage to speak open about that??? Shaw the world that you are not a marionette and deserve to be independent.Thanks ....and please belive me i am not a serbe.

for Mihail Penzioner,
This issue is not 7-8 old 8 years a go is when it got international attention this issue has been going on since 1912: when international community recognized kosovo as part of the Serbia, even then the majority of people in kosovo were albanians but still international comuunity let kosovo under serbia so the issue is not 7 or 8 years old it's almost 100 years old..

Mihail Penzioner you said something about los angelos carlifonia, in california people have no reason to try to be independent because they have all kinds of right and they have the big word called freedom, they can go to school they can speak their language, they can even put the mexican flag over their roof.
With kosovo it's different story ask me living in kosovo as albanian kosovar what kinda of right did a have... there were 90% of total popullation were albanians and we didn't have the right to go to school, and learn in albanian language. If there was a school it was consideret to be illegal. ask me how police came and took my dad 10 times and told him u own gun give it to us if not they would beet him up.... ask me how ten percent of serbs took the best jobs and we albanians were't even allowed to work that's we many albanians amigratet to U.S and Europe to secure something to eat for their kids. NOW I live in U.S even I'm albanian I have the right to work to talk on my language to my friends and do all that's called "Freedom".my friend...

NATO knew what had happen in bosnia and kroatia they didn't want to see it happen in Kosovo. NATO told milosevic stop and agree to give some rights to albanians he said "no no" remember the Paris agreement which albanisns sign it and serbs did not if serbs did sign it they would still have controll over kosovo but kosovo would get rights of say... serbs did not because ..they got used to have the best jobs... they got used to been on top.. they got used of discriminatind people... and they said no to NATO did not want to see another bosnia and they took greatful Action to bomb the dictartor milosevich
for serbs it was all cool even when milosevic was kicking people out of their home, serbs weren't feeling sorry prabbly they were imaginating after all albanians are gone to go and take some land and live in kosovo and metohia that's how they love to call KOSOVA.
Many people in serbia did not no how does the war feels like because all what they did is watch in tv seoldiers killing and fighting with albanians so they said keep doing that but when NATO start bombing in begrade they saw that the war is not good that people get kill frends, relativs and stuff so then they pushed milosevic to sign the agreement even a worst agreement than the one in paris.....
Please Mihail Penzioner don't try to compare the U.S with milosevic regime in kosovo for albanins there were no condition of living but albanians got used living in struggell and we went thru which i belive it's something we should be proud..........

The only time when Albanians in kosovo have good right to go to school and work was when great TITO was president and do u know what his strategie was; it was not to let the serbs have the power of yugoslavia. so what he did was took the power as much as he could from Serbia and that's why there was a peace once up on the time... after he died serbia took the autonomus status of provinces and start dicriminating people in all kinds of ways, that's why all wars started: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosova, and probbly it will start in Vojvodina but there I don't know how much freedom people have there.......

Russia is finally facing the fact that the US never stopped the cold war against it. It destroyed its economy with its "economic advice". It destabilizes its environment with its color revolutions. It build bases at its borders under false pretexts (Afghanistan) and is now busy with the missile shield. Russia thought the US was a friend but the US keeps showing itself a kind of enemy. If the US want a different kind of Russia it should start behaving differently itself.

This doesn't mean that Russia's position at the moment is very wise. They would do better to concentrate on their economy so that they are ready for the time when oil is cheap again. Al those expensive useless weapons will only exhaust the country.

Serbia is in a different position than Russia. It is no superpower and it is on its way towards EU membership.

But I think that the DSS has a strong point in its rethorics against NATO membership. The DS is lending towards the idea that all that went wrong in former Yugoslavia was Serbia's fault. This opens the door for other parties to point out that the other sides - including the West - made serious errors too. See the refugees in Serbia, see the position of the Serbs in Kosovo. From that point of view applying for membership of NATO is stupid as it is an implicit admission that NATO was always right.

As happens often to populists the DSS is going overboard with its claims of Kosovo as a NATO state. But that doesn't mean that they don't have a point.

I don't see this not necessarily as a negative development. I disliked the opportunistic styles both of Milosevic and Djindjic. I think the corruption under their rule was no coincidence.

In my opinion the main problem with Kostunica is not his principles or his nationalism. It is that his ideas are often little more than intuition. He needs some good advisors to work them out to an achievable policy.

If people really calculate the potential for non-membership in NATO for Serbia they will see that it actually benefits both Serbia and the West.

My reasoning is as follows: A likely imposed indpendence for Kosovo by most NATO countries will create an atmosphere of backlash in all corners of Serbian society. The West does not want Serbia to completely abandon the EU and NATO.

However, if Serbia reacts by not joining NATO, such posturing would allow for citizens to feel as if they had resisted the colonialism of the West, withiout threatening economic linkages which would occur with EU ties.

Serbs would be able to have some sense of dignity while still supporting policies which will work with the West in an economic and political sense albeit not in a military one.

This scenerio means that some sense of Serbian pride is retained, while the most important element of European integrations (economic links with the EU)is still preserved. At the same time, stability is encouraged as energies are vented into "not joining NATO" rather than voting in the Radical PArty.

I'm not advocating this approach on way or another, I'm just saying from a practical standpoint- this behaviour could actually be a best case scenerio for both Serbia's ruling democrats and the West.

Whoever wrotte this, knows his stuff. Exellent piece!!!
You see the problem is the nationalism and radicalism in Serbia, that is pulling Serbia back into a dark age.
If Kalashnikov Koshtunica thinks he can get away with this, he is dead wrong.
That is one more reason to have Kosovo/a INDEPENDENT.
Albanians will then get their own passports instead of going to Serbia and try to find their documents stolen from them when they were being thrown out of their own homes.
Serbian people should realize that their are in dire straights with this man (K.K.) and his backwords party DSS.
Just look who his ministers or deputies are, and its clear to anyone what they're all about.
It does NOT surprize me that most Serbian posters here writte what they writte.
These guys are pro DSS and Radical solutions as far as Serbia. Thank GOD there is US of A that IGNORES characters like that and their policy, no matter what, it prevails at the end.
I know all you Princip=Kates, Bob's, Jovan's, Cveles, Walter's of the Serbian world will diagree, but that just the way it is.
I personally like Serbs of the other sides of DSS and Seselj's ultra-nationalists.
Respectfuly, Tadic, Jovanovic, Svilanovic, and most of all Zoran Djindjic who was a victim of madness, crime and paramilitary gangs that helped Koshtunica come to power.
History will show ...

To all who have writen comment in here.........

How come you serbs seems to forget things so so fast....

you people talk about NATO crimes... NATO did no crimes they did what was nassecary to do they asked Milosevic to stop ethnic cleansing he did not he continued to kill civilian people and try to cover it by saying "they are terrorist" PEOPLE WHO FIGHT FOR THEIR OWN CONTRY FOR THEIR OWN LAND FOR THEIR OWN FREEDOM ARE NOT TERRORIST THEY ARE PATRIOTS... we Albanians were fighting for our right to live in our own home our own land...

when milosevic was killing civilian people who had nothing to protect them self who were white flagers was that a crime too?

You Serbs did not give us any right even to go to school........

I hear this "NATO not to effective protecting serbs if our soldiers were there they would do a better job".

First: NATO is trying the best they can do:: now there is so much hatries from albanians toward serbs because war in KOSOVA was not 100 years ago it was 7-8 years ago people who lost loved one in war are still mad it would take long time for people to gorget that......

Here are so many Serbs who write stuff and talk about kosovo and who has no idea what had happen there all what they know is what serbian tv had said....look the problem at other side too........

I would ask all serbs to give me a solution to problem.....???? and tell me do you thing that in the future albanians and serbs will not hate each other so much like we do now.,,,,???

And why you don't or do thing kososo should be independent.....???????

Dear Ambassador

You are a perfect spin doctor. You twist facts such a way that NATO/USA looks as an guardian angel protecting Serbs in Kosovo and elsewhere. You apparently forgot what US was talking about Kostunica and why did you support him, not Dindjic. You also forgot about RTV Belgrade, hospitals, apartment buildings, power stations, passengers trains, heating centers.

All of this was not incidental. It was yours strategy to break Serbian defense, creating hardship to civilian population. All of this, including cluster bombs and DU ammunition,
are serious war crimes.

well,
first of all, it´s the US of A that are leading us all, the whole world into unknown territory by disrespecting the United Nations, which were founded in the remembrance of the results of World War II...

not respecting decisions made by the UNSC is illegal and quite dangerous, and the US are placing themselves outside the family of civilized nations.

describing Mr.Koštunica as a nationalist who is standing to his principles "to the end", sounds like the usual cheap anti-serbian propaganda so often promoted by the Albanians...

what makes this impression complete is the total lack of any remark on WHO the author of those lines is.

bravo B92 for once again presenting a milestone of journalism! ...you´re not even saying who has written it...

certainly a sign of professionalism!

Why shouldn't the prime minister be a nationalist? Every government officer who takes an outh of office should by definition be a nationalist. Anything else is a fraud.

Kostunica is a patriot, I beleive that is the politically correct word for nationalist. Americans like to call their enemies 'nationalists' and those who are willing to be subservient to them 'patriots' or 'freedom fighters'.
Kostunica does not do things based on poll ratings (like American politicians), he does things that are best for Serbia and her interests. That, Mr. Montgomery, is an honourable man, a patriot. Bill Clinton, Tony Blair, William Cohen, William Walker, Madeline Albright, Richard Hollbrooke.....could not hold a candle to this man, and are not fit to even be in the same room as Mr. Kostunica. Serbs could not ask for a better, more honest, leader.

another reason Serbs don't like NATO is the blatantly false propoganda NATO spewed during the Kosovo war. Remember that self-righteous Jamie Shea? Remember the deliberately false allegation 500,000 dead or missing Albanians? It is especially ironic that Britain, an original NATO member, keeps talking about how Serbia should give up Kosovo when the nationalistic and imperialistic Brisith were willing to go half way around the world to keep frozen rocks, the Falklands, from their rightful owners, Argentinia.

"Koštunica, in contrast, was a nationalist who would remain true to his principles to the end and would not compromise. This, he added with diplomatic understatement, was a cause for real concern. It is precisely those nationalistic principles, which are now leading Serbia into totally unknown territory."

One man's nationalist is another man's patriot. In America if you believe in your nation, have principles, and believe in the indivisibility and sovereignty of your land, you are a PATRIOT. If you belong to another country, and love your country, the connotations are more negative, you are a NATIONALIST. Ever wonder why you never hear of American "nationalists" in our western dominated media? ...Simple: Media Propaganda.

Hang in there Mr. Kostunica. We are tired of Anglo/Saxon neocon apologists and see through their lies.

"While the initial military focus was on securing Kosovo from the Miloševic forces, it soon became clear that the principle task it faced - and still faces today - was protecting the Serbian and other ethnic minorities in Kosovo from retaliation by the Kosovo Albanians."

Robert, why did you not add that NATO failed miserably here. Why don't you speak the truth, what will it cost? You can end your career with a clear consinece. NATO stood by as 100's of thousands of Serbs were forcefully driven out of their ancestral homes Kosovo. Why do you not mention the pogroms of 2004, William? NATO is not a friend of Serbia. It bombed and killed innocent civilians and destroyed civilian infrastucture unnecessarily. They wanted to show their force and might at the expense of innocents. For that, they will always be seen as an evil force for Serbians. It was a cowardly and illegal action by an airpower second to none.
I, as an American citizen, is still sickened by Washington's actions in '99. NATO is disliked for good reason, please do not try and divert attention to the actions of Serbia or Russia now. Admit your guilt, apologize for your crimes, and maybe Serbia will be able to move on. I have heard not one word of condolences from the West for their criminal military acts.

"At the same time, Russian performance in Kosovo has been anything but stellar. First of all, when they had military units in Kosovo as part of the KFOR effort, they were totally ineffectual against the infiltration of the GSZ by armed Albanian extremists."............Maybe all of KFOR should have put down the Albanian extremists? Yet, KFOR looked the other way as they drove thousands of minorities from Kosovo, and destroying 100's of religious sites in an effort to ethnically cleanse Kosovo and make it a pure Albanian state. You somehow overlooked that part, Mr. Montgomery. Should the Serbs trust NATO? You answer that, William.

Mr. Montgomery, I can see that you understand the situation in Serbia and Balcan better than most. You know that Serbs are fighting terrorism longer than anybody in the world. Look at the west fighting the terrorisam accross the world. Why then are we in the west tying Serbian hands behind their back when it comes to terrorisam on their terrotory?
Now, the Serbs are being bashed all the time for being cozy with Russia. Who may I ask you is pushing them towars Russia? US and NATO are by trying to ripp Serbia appart and take their beloved Kosovo away. The whole thing amazes me. Do Serbs have to be sacraficial lamb in order to prove to middle east that we are their friends. Did we have to use Hitler's metod of distroying Serbian people by spewing the lies with help of naive and lazy media that did not want to do its homework in order to find the truth. I worry about my country the good old USA. We are getting fat and lazy and do not question our politicians and their goals and reasons. That is why I am affraid for future of ou country and the world.

Montgomery,

"What this means in practice is that the DSS either prefers a Radical as President rather than Boris Tadić (which would be the result of elections following any unilateral declaration of independence) or is intentionally raising this option in order to give the West one more reason to prevent any unilateral steps by the Kosovo Albanians. And it is willing to eschew closer ties with the West in favor of an enhanced relationship with Russia if that is what it takes to maintain firm Russian support over Kosovo."

- has it not crossed your mind that DS would want to make the West (in reality just the US) reconsider it's forced imposition of a 2nd Albania? I'd have to say the Tadic-Kostunica duo are making it very difficult for you "analysts" but the reality is quite simple - no Serbian President or PM in their right mind would ever contemplate giving up on Sovereignity of the State - something I am sure US Presidents would be equally just as certain to safeguard and even deceive their electorate to think sending trrops into Iraq is part of the concept of protecting US sovereignity!

Moreover I would have thought that the following statement is actually more of a vote winner;
"Koštunica, in contrast, was a nationalist who would remain true to his principles to the end and would not compromise. This, he added with diplomatic understatement, was a cause for real concern. It is precisely those nationalistic principles, which are now leading Serbia into totally unknown territory."

- & I don't think the territory is that unknown if it protects the Serbian State! US is in the fall of it's imperialism (yes still a superpower but falling) and must realise that the harder it pushes this folly of attempts at partitioning the state of Serbia the quicker it's fall will be. Accept your earlier President was duped into this fiasco by the UK PM Bliar and advise the current lame duck President that a face saving exit given the EU (in particular UK) is no longer standing shoulder to shoulder is required. Accepting the Sovereignity of Serbia would be a good move and has been alluded to by Polt with the "what if ...." slip some months ago.

Every Serb should read the articles that Montgomery has published thus far.
Taking the slippery Russian slope is dangerous. Serbia is a nation of huge potential to become a regional leader. What happend last time this amount of hyped up nationalism took place? What where the results again?

"...the DSS either prefers a Radical as President rather than Boris Tadić (which would be the result of elections following any unilateral declaration of independence)..."

In that case, I think that the Radicals should be very grateful to the US State Department for their strong support for the unilateral independence. If this kind of policy continues, the rise of the Russian military bases in Serbia is just a matter of time. I fail to see how that contributes to the US or the EU security.

I've always admired you Mr. Montgomery for your knowledge and insight of the Balkan situation, however, your presentation depicting NATO as a defender of Serbs in Kosovo is a bit off the mark. While it's true that Serbs living in Kosovo could not exist there without the protection of NATO, it's also true that NATO has made possible the desire of ethnic Albanians to separate from Serbia. Those who claim that this situation is a Milosevic creation are delusional. I have copies of National Geographic from the '80's showing ethnic Albanians flying the ALBANIAN flag in Kosovo. This was long before Milosevic. Besim, who has posted commentary here, claims that this is an issue that is 7 or 8 years old, Besim, you're simply wrong. Why should the Serbs trust the USA when we (NATO) bombed them into submission. Does anyone believe that we, the USA, would tolerate separatist in Los Angeles or in Miami from declaring themselves "independent territory"? I don't think so. How can these two parties negotiate their diffences when we, the USA, have declared that we are going to declare recognition of an "independent Kosovo" What is there to negotiate? The ethnic Albanians have absolutely no incentive to reach an agreement, all they have to do is wait for the USA's "fait d'accompli" Have you forgotten, Mr. Ambassador, that the Serbs have been lovers of freedom and have been supporters of the west in previous wars (WW-1&WW-2) without mentioning that they were the first to defy the "Warsaw Pact"? Serbia has been and is, the most ethnically diverse of ALL of the former states of the FRY.
I needn't remind you, sir, that there are more displaced people from the civil wars in the former FRY in Serbia than in any other state of the FYR.
The DP's total 600,000 human beings driven out of Croatia, Kosovo and Bosnia Hercegovina, all with the help of NATO.
Here in the USA we have the mandate to speak "truth to power". As one who is of Montenegrin ancestry, I value resistance to domination and I have no animosity towards others be they of any other nationality, but as an American, I must speak the truth as I see it. The USA has a great friend in the Serbs who have a cultural dispostion towards western values of "Eqalite,Fraternite, Liberte" but they must cultivate it.

for Mihail Penzioner,
This issue is not 7-8 old 8 years a go is when it got international attention this issue has been going on since 1912: when international community recognized kosovo as part of the Serbia, even then the majority of people in kosovo were albanians but still international comuunity let kosovo under serbia so the issue is not 7 or 8 years old it's almost 100 years old..

Mihail Penzioner you said something about los angelos carlifonia, in california people have no reason to try to be independent because they have all kinds of right and they have the big word called freedom, they can go to school they can speak their language, they can even put the mexican flag over their roof.
With kosovo it's different story ask me living in kosovo as albanian kosovar what kinda of right did a have... there were 90% of total popullation were albanians and we didn't have the right to go to school, and learn in albanian language. If there was a school it was consideret to be illegal. ask me how police came and took my dad 10 times and told him u own gun give it to us if not they would beet him up.... ask me how ten percent of serbs took the best jobs and we albanians were't even allowed to work that's we many albanians amigratet to U.S and Europe to secure something to eat for their kids. NOW I live in U.S even I'm albanian I have the right to work to talk on my language to my friends and do all that's called "Freedom".my friend...

NATO knew what had happen in bosnia and kroatia they didn't want to see it happen in Kosovo. NATO told milosevic stop and agree to give some rights to albanians he said "no no" remember the Paris agreement which albanisns sign it and serbs did not if serbs did sign it they would still have controll over kosovo but kosovo would get rights of say... serbs did not because ..they got used to have the best jobs... they got used to been on top.. they got used of discriminatind people... and they said no to NATO did not want to see another bosnia and they took greatful Action to bomb the dictartor milosevich
for serbs it was all cool even when milosevic was kicking people out of their home, serbs weren't feeling sorry prabbly they were imaginating after all albanians are gone to go and take some land and live in kosovo and metohia that's how they love to call KOSOVA.
Many people in serbia did not no how does the war feels like because all what they did is watch in tv seoldiers killing and fighting with albanians so they said keep doing that but when NATO start bombing in begrade they saw that the war is not good that people get kill frends, relativs and stuff so then they pushed milosevic to sign the agreement even a worst agreement than the one in paris.....
Please Mihail Penzioner don't try to compare the U.S with milosevic regime in kosovo for albanins there were no condition of living but albanians got used living in struggell and we went thru which i belive it's something we should be proud..........

The only time when Albanians in kosovo have good right to go to school and work was when great TITO was president and do u know what his strategie was; it was not to let the serbs have the power of yugoslavia. so what he did was took the power as much as he could from Serbia and that's why there was a peace once up on the time... after he died serbia took the autonomus status of provinces and start dicriminating people in all kinds of ways, that's why all wars started: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, and Kosova, and probbly it will start in Vojvodina but there I don't know how much freedom people have there.......

Even if I have a strong dislike for Milo Djukanovic, he was right about Milosevic. Slobodan Milosevic was NOT a nationalist, which may come as a surprise to many westerners.
Actually the Kosovo Albanians has Slobodan to thank for their support from the US.
If it wasn't for Slobodan Milosevic stupidity and stubborness against the US, the albanians would have had nothing these days.
Just look how Turkey can get away with all kind of cruelties against the kurds in eastern Turkey and the US doesn't care a bit, they are even supporting Turkey to crack down on kurdish independence movements.
If Milosevic had still been in power Kosovo would have been recognized an independent state back in 2000 already. The albanians hope for independece vanished due to Milosevic's fall, how ironical it even migh look.

Yes NATO is doing such a good job protecting Serbs that they live in fortified enclaves and can't leave them and that the only place where Serbs have any freedom is in a place where there a small numbers of Albanians. NATO has been great for Serbs in Kosovo.

NATO and the west never intended that Kosovo remain part of Serbia when they signed 1244.

The humanitarian argument was strong in justifying the bombing - many Serbs like to blame NATO, but after what happened in Bosnia the west had to intervene. Milosevic was stupid enough not to avoid the bombing (which he could easily have done) and then at the end he signed a bad deal for Serbia in order to stop the bombing. However, in signing that he successfully insisted on the territorial integrity of Serbia being documented. It was a humiliation for NATO to have that clause, but they were desperate to stop the bombing, because it had become pointless and the ground war was something they didn't want. It now appears to be their view that they have to stand up against that humiliation that Milosevic succeeded in having included. Russia does well to make use of the western attitude by talking of a 'NATO state' - what do you expect when that is exactly what is happening?

I am strongly of the view that the bombing was justified in order to stop an anticipated blood-bath. However, I am also strongly of the view that the credibility of NATO's humanitarian justification is totally undermined by the way in which the political poison against Serbia is being turned into a justification for Kosovo independence.

Kostunica may be a nationalist of sorts, but he is an upholder of law and he is a democrat. He is not a war criminal, and would not necessarily become one even if he decided to 'do a faulklands' should independence be declared. Serbia has a right to its territorial integrity and is trying to negotiate on a proper political basis. I would advocate a more serious respect for Serbia's aims and urge the US to put its energy behind getting the sides to find successful cooperation rather that continuing to be provocative by insisting on a split.

Russia is finally facing the fact that the US never stopped the cold war against it. It destroyed its economy with its "economic advice". It destabilizes its environment with its color revolutions. It build bases at its borders under false pretexts (Afghanistan) and is now busy with the missile shield. Russia thought the US was a friend but the US keeps showing itself a kind of enemy. If the US want a different kind of Russia it should start behaving differently itself.

This doesn't mean that Russia's position at the moment is very wise. They would do better to concentrate on their economy so that they are ready for the time when oil is cheap again. Al those expensive useless weapons will only exhaust the country.

Serbia is in a different position than Russia. It is no superpower and it is on its way towards EU membership.

But I think that the DSS has a strong point in its rethorics against NATO membership. The DS is lending towards the idea that all that went wrong in former Yugoslavia was Serbia's fault. This opens the door for other parties to point out that the other sides - including the West - made serious errors too. See the refugees in Serbia, see the position of the Serbs in Kosovo. From that point of view applying for membership of NATO is stupid as it is an implicit admission that NATO was always right.

As happens often to populists the DSS is going overboard with its claims of Kosovo as a NATO state. But that doesn't mean that they don't have a point.

I don't see this not necessarily as a negative development. I disliked the opportunistic styles both of Milosevic and Djindjic. I think the corruption under their rule was no coincidence.

In my opinion the main problem with Kostunica is not his principles or his nationalism. It is that his ideas are often little more than intuition. He needs some good advisors to work them out to an achievable policy.

The contribution of NATO that Serbia should be appreciative for:
Since 1999, NATO (with the help of Kosovo Albanians and Agim Ceku, Kosovo’s Prime Minister) has successfully provided Serbia with 200,000 refugees of Serbian persuasion, along with Jews, Croats, Gorani, gypies, and other non-Albania's from Kosovo.
As for the 100,000 Serbs who remain in Kosovo (for the time being); half of them live in barbed-wire-circled confines, that NATO guards, beyond which they dare not venture, without risk of being killed by Albanians. The Albanian Muslims have also destroyed a minimum of 150 churches and monasteries under the nose of NATO.
(Interesting, William Montgomery justifies the 8-year-long rampant killing and ethnic cleansing of Serbs and non-Albania's from Kosovo as “retaliation”)
Yet, those folk in Serbia, seem to think they can somehow criticise NATO, despite all the 'help' it's provided thus far. Where, oh where is the gratitude William?

Criticism of the Serbian Leadership

William has criticised the leadership of Serbia (in particular Kostunica) for being too nationalistic. Perhaps the Serbian Leadership should change, to reflect what NATO and some in the USA deem to be an appropriate leader. Who, oh who, should one pick as an example? Wait, I know. Let's pick the backbone of humanity, Strong-ally to the USA, Prime Minister of Kosovo, Agim Ceku. Let's take a look at his resume and see what Kontunica could learn.

During Croatia's war of succession and extermination of Serbs, the Croatian army received a Kosovo Albanian volunteer, Agim Ceku, who was appointed as a Colonel. In 1993 he led the Croatian Army into an area called Medak Pocket, where Serbian civilians lived. Canadian UN peacekeepers quickly become familiar with the Leadership qualities of Ceku. Over 200 Serbian civilians were butchered in the most repulsive fashion. Canada's horrified troops, who buried the gruesome remains, were promised that perpetrators would not get away this!

Today, Ceku is (and remains) Prime Minister of Kosovo. He is depicted as a staunch US ally. He has been included in NATO briefings, spending time with finest US generals, such as Wesley Clark. He received a friendly welcome from the Secretary of State, Condolezza Rice, when they met to agree on how to illegally achieve independence for Kosovo that this war criminal governs, without the rule of law and who is forever grateful to al Qaeda. The monumental 'bin Laden Mosque' that was built in 2001 (appropriately), stands magnanimously in Kosovo, where Bill Cliton murals and Wesley Clark Streets are nearly as widespread as bin Laden keyrings.

Vote Ceku – the better choice for regional stability - with full endorsement of NATO and the USA

Vote for the Serbian Radical Party-the better choice for regional stability-and while your at it, thank them for endorsing the 1985 SANU memorandom, and then starting all those failed wars (in the name of freedom and international law ;) ) that lead to the mess that Serbia is in right now.

Divide et impera, or even better make a problem so that one can come to solve it.
Ever since the end of WWII we could see "highly justified" interventions of US forces as a result of a "cosistent foreing policy" - own interest and profit.
Need proof? I guess not, just let's remember Korea, Vietnam, Iraq....
Fortunatelly, Russia is back on the international stage....what's done is done, now we ALL have to negotiate. To impose a solution (read one's will) turned out very, very difficult.

If people really calculate the potential for non-membership in NATO for Serbia they will see that it actually benefits both Serbia and the West.

My reasoning is as follows: A likely imposed indpendence for Kosovo by most NATO countries will create an atmosphere of backlash in all corners of Serbian society. The West does not want Serbia to completely abandon the EU and NATO.

However, if Serbia reacts by not joining NATO, such posturing would allow for citizens to feel as if they had resisted the colonialism of the West, withiout threatening economic linkages which would occur with EU ties.

Serbs would be able to have some sense of dignity while still supporting policies which will work with the West in an economic and political sense albeit not in a military one.

This scenerio means that some sense of Serbian pride is retained, while the most important element of European integrations (economic links with the EU)is still preserved. At the same time, stability is encouraged as energies are vented into "not joining NATO" rather than voting in the Radical PArty.

I'm not advocating this approach on way or another, I'm just saying from a practical standpoint- this behaviour could actually be a best case scenerio for both Serbia's ruling democrats and the West.

I invite here, all kosovo albaner to write what are they thinking regarding independence for kurds in turkey!!! Has your leader the courage to speak open about that??? Shaw the world that you are not a marionette and deserve to be independent.Thanks ....and please belive me i am not a serbe.