(italiano / english)

International diplomatic crisis on Kosovo

Una crisi diplomatica internazionale è scoppiata da mesi sulla
questione della "indipendenza" (leggi: etero-determinazione) della
provincia serba del Kosovo. Mentre la Russia torna a ripetere che, in
caso di votazione al Consiglio di Sicurezza ONU, porrà il veto contro
ogni ipotesi che non sia condivisa anche da Belgrado, a Bruxelles ed
a Washington si insiste ad ogni costo a voler realizzare quello che
fu un sogno fascista e nazista semirealizzato nel corso della Seconda
Guerra Mondiale. I quotidiani statunitensi in particolare concedono
il loro spazio ad "analisti" del calibro del criminale di guerra Agim
Ceku (oggi "premier" del protettorato NATO) ed i famigerati lobbysti
antijugoslavi ed antiserbi Montgomery e Biden...

(Fonte dei dispacci ANSA è il sito http://www.ansa.it/balcani

mentre per gli articoli del Manifesto si veda: http://
www.ilmanifesto.it .

Source of the english texts below is Rick Rozoff through the mailing
lists:

Stop NATO: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/stopnato and

Yugoslaviainfo: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/yugoslaviainfo/

Dal sito http://www.resistenze.org/ sono tratte alcune importanti
traduzioni.)


=== LINKS ===

Minority Rights in Kosovo under International Rule
http://www.minorityrights.org/admin/Download/pdf/MRGKosovoReport.pdf

Press release

http://www.minorityrights.org/media_centre/media_press/
media_centre_press_kosovo.htm

Failure by international community to protect minorities in Kosovo
could lead to renewed conflict

Embargoed for release Monday 7th August 2006 at 10:30 a.m.

7 August 2006

After seven years of UN and international governance the situation in
Kosovo is 'little short of disastrous' and there is a high risk of
ethnic cleansing occurring again, according to a new report by
Minority Rights Group. The report titled Minority Rights in Kosovo
under International Rule launched today, criticizes the UN and
international community for failing to protect the rights of Kosovo's
minority communities. It describes how the situation of minorities in
Kosovo remains the worst in Europe, and highlights the danger of
these mistakes being repeated in Iraq. "The authorities have allowed
a segregated society to develop and become entrenched, and thousands
of minorities remain displaced," the report says. "Nowhere (in
Europe) is there such a level of fear for so many minorities that
they will be harassed or attacked, simply for who they are or what
language they speak," it adds. According to the report, the short
term measures of separating Kosovo's two main communities, Albanians
and Serbs, has disastrous long term implications. Clive Baldwin the
author of the report, says: "The reality is that segregation is
entrenched, creating a society that is so fractured that non of its
people feel protected. They live in fear of mass conflict re-
occurring in the long term." The report, which looks at the situation
of Kosovo's Albanian, Serb and other communities, including, Bosniak,
Croat, Turk, Ashkalia and Roma, argues that problems to do with
minorities are not due to lack of resources. In fact, the
international administration has been one of the most expensive in UN
history. Instead, the report says a mindset of segregation, a lack of
clear accountable government and a lack of any real protection of
human rights and the rule of law are among the reasons why minorities
continue to suffer in Kosovo. It also faults the international
community for failing to learn from past mistakes and use the
experience and expertise available to them to protect minority
rights. "It is almost incredible is that all these mistakes have been
made under an international administration consisting of
institutions, notably the UN and OSCE, with a long institutional
memory of addressing minority rights," Baldwin says. According to the
report the 'future status negotiations' represents both the best hope
and the greatest danger and as the future of Kosovo is currently
being decided the report calls for a radical move away from the
patterns of segregation. It also recommends that minority rights are
guaranteed by the rule of law and that all minorities, including
minority women, should be consulted on the future of their lives,
their property and their country. "The message is clear to all
parties. The Serbs need to realize that the effective protection of
all communities in Kosovo in an integrated society is the only long
term solution. It is in their best interest," says Baldwin. "We urge
the international community to recognise the damage that segregation
can cause. They must realize that the Serbs and Kosovo's other
communities, including the Albanians, are not benefiting from the
current system. The only long term security for Kosovo will be
effective protection for all minorities," he says.

For more information or to arrange interviews with Clive Baldwin,
please contact Farah Mihlar on 0207 4224205 (office) 078 70596863
(mobile) or farah.mihlar @...

Notes to Editors

Since 1999 Kosovo has had an interim administration, consisting the
UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), which includes representatives of the
EU and Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE),
and a NATO-led Kosovo Force.
Clive Baldwin is Head of Advocacy at Minority Rights Group
International. From 2000 to 2002 he was a member of the OSCE Mission
in Kosovo. Previously, he was a practising human rights lawyer.
Minority Rights Group International (MRG) is a non governmental
organisation working to secure the rights of ethnic, religious and
linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples worldwide.
Read the report summary

http://www.minorityrights.org/media_centre/media_press/
media_centre_press_kosovo_summary.htm

Download the PDF copy of Minority Rights in Kosovo under
International Rule:

English - http://www.minorityrights.org/admin/Download/pdf/
MRGKosovoReport.pdf

Albanian - http://www.minorityrights.org/admin/Download/pdf/
MRGKosovoReport_Albanian.pdf

Serbian - http://www.minorityrights.org/admin/Download/pdf/
MRGKosovoReport_Serbian.pdf

---


Prospettive di successo in Kosovo

di Agim Ceku - Da Washington Post, 12 dicembre 2006

http://www.resistenze.org/sito/te/po/se/pose7a16-000946.htm

Succeeding in Kosovo

By Agim Ceku - Washington Post December 12, 2006
"Recognizing Kosovo's independence... represents, for America and the
world, the chance of new and striking foreign policy success story...."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/11/
AR2006121100972.html or
http://it.groups.yahoo.com/group/crj-mailinglist/message/5214

---


KOSOVO "INDIPENDENTE": UNA IDEA FASCISTA E NAZISTA

Raccolta di documenti e link per comprendere
il presente alla luce della Storia dimenticata

https://www.cnj.it/documentazione/kosova.htm


=== NEWS / NOTIZIE ===

http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n98210

Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - October 24, 2006

UNMIK Getting Ready to Leave Kosovo: Steven Schook

Pristina - Kosovo has entered the phase of defining
its status and that is why everyone should commit
themselves to fulfilling the standards and preserving
the stability, the deputy head of the UN Mission in
Kosovo (UNMIK) Steven Schook said cited by TANJUG
agency.
Steven Schook underscored that the UNMIK is getting
ready to leave Kosovo.
He confirmed that the international administration in
Kosovo is preparing to hand over the last competences
to the Kosovo institutions before leaving the region.
According to the UNMIK deputy head the time for them
to leave is coming closer, just as is that for
defining Kosovo’s future status.



http://www.vor.ru/Exclusive/excl_next8591_eng.html

Voice of Russia - October 31, 2006

CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM IN SERBIA AND FUTURE OF KOSOVO

By a narrow majority, residents of Serbia have voted
in favour of a new Constitution which proclaims Kosovo
an integral part of the country.
The voter turnout reached the required threshold only
by the end of the second election day after Serbian
authorities had urged people to vote.
In Kosovo practically all Kosovo Serbs went to the
polls, which is not surprising as Kosovo historically
belongs to the territory of Serbia.
Since the 1999 NATO aggression against Yugoslavia
Serbia has been run by the UN.
Albanians, now making up a vast majority of the Kosovo
population, have boycotted the referendum.
Now Serbs voting for Serbia’s territorial integrity
come into conflict with the intention of some Western
countries to grant Kosovo independence.
Sean McCormack, a spokesman for the US Department of
State, has explained the reaction of the West saying
that the process of determining the status of Kosovo
is regulated by the EU Security Council, and not by
Serbian legislation.

Vladimir Bruter, an expert on the Balkans comments.

The new Serbian Constitution may become a document for
use on the territory of Serbia only and will affect
neither Kosovo Albanians nor international mediators.
Serbs have openly expressed their will giving the
international community to understand that Serbia will
continue talks on the future status of Kosovo only in
line with its new Constitution.
According to the head of the Federation Council
Committee on International Affairs Michael Margelov,
the fact that the new Constitution declares Kosovo an
integral part of Serbia is more a signal to the
international community than a final settlement of the
problem.
The voting just legally confirms the opinion of the
majority of Serbs, and the UN will should take this
into account settling the conflict in the future.
Moreover, an independent status for Kosovo will create
an extremely unpleasant precedent for such pro-Western
countries as Georgia and Moldavia, because the
insurgent territories of Transdniester, Abkhazia and
South Ossetia will demand sovereignty as well.
And the people of these unrecognized republics have
far more rights to self-determination than Kosovo
Albanians.



http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?id=n99285

Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - November 9, 2006

Possible Independence of Kosovo Poses Threat to Europe: Popovic

Moscow - The co-chair of the Coordination Center for
Kosovo Nenad Popovic cautioned on Thursday that the
possible recognition of the independence of Kosovo and
Metohija would constitute a threat to Europe and a
danger ''of bloody conflicts and new redrawing of
borders.''
''The recognition of the independence of Kosovo would
be accepted as a precedent by Serbs and Croats in BiH,
ethnic Albanians in Macedonia, where they account for
almost one third of the population, ethnic Albanians
in Greece and Montenegro, ethnic Romanians in Hungary
and ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Basques,
unrecognised republics in the territory of the former
USSR,'' Popovic said in an interview with the Vremya
Novostei daily, quoted by the Serbian Tanjug.
''It is not by chance that the Serbian approach to the
Kosovo issue is best understood in the European states
who also have problems with national minorities,'' he
said.
After journalists noted that the supporters of
independence claim that in the province ethnic
Albanians make up 90 pct of the population who do not
wish to live in the same state with Serbs, Popovic
said that 90 pct of the population of the Republic of
Srpska are Serbs and that in the case of a referendum
they ''could also vote for breaking away from BiH.''
He said that Serbia cannot understand why in the West
there was an interest that, besides Albania, is
created yet another Albanian state.
''It is possible that some Western politicians had
promised Kosovo Albanians independence in the midst of
the fight against Slobodan Milosevic. But Milosevic
lost power in 2000, and is also dead, while the
history of Serbian-Albanian misunderstandings has been
going on for one hundred years,'' Popovic said.



http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/HMYT-6VLRFL?OpenDocument

Government of Serbia - November 16, 2006

All UN Security Council members must unanimously
support solution to Kosovo status

Belgrade – Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica
met today with Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs
Carl Bildt and stressed that all UN Security Council
member states must unanimously support the decision on
Kosovo's future status, adding that the solution must
be founded on principles of international law and the
UN Charter, which are the preservation of sovereignty
and territorial integrity of states.
Kostunica pointed out that when NATO bombed Serbia it
broke international law and said that it is absolutely
unacceptable that any NATO member country breaches
international law once more and acknowledges Kosovo
independence on its own.
He stressed that Serbia's proposal, that of essential
autonomy for Kosovo-Metohija within Serbian borders,
is completely in line with basic principles of
international law and all European values.
The Prime Minister said that any imposed solution that
would not result from a compromise between Belgrade
and Pristina would cause serious consequences not only
in the region, but also worldwide.
Kostunica said that actual talks between Belgrade and
Pristina must take place and recalled that thus far
only one meeting was held in Vienna in which UN
Special Envoy Ahtisaari took part.
Bildt said it is necessary to find a stable solution
for Kosovo-Metohija and pointed to the fact that apart
from negotiations on the future status of
Kosovo-Metohija, it is important to continue talks on
fulfilling standards and ensuring that they are
implemented.
He welcomed the adoption of the new Constitution and
said that Serbia has made significant progress in
reforms, especially in economy, and achieved
extraordinary growth in investment, which has also
been recognised in the EU report.
Bildt said that Sweden is very interested in improving
economic cooperation with Serbia.



http://www.interfax.ru/e/B/politics/28.html?menu=1&id_issue=11623385

Interfax - November 17, 2006

Duma denies inviting Kosovo PM to Moscow

MOSCOW - The State Duma has not officially invited
Kosovo's ethnic Albanian Prime Minister Agim Ceku to
Moscow, the chamber's Foreign Affairs Committee
Chairman Konstantin Kosachyov said on Friday.
The State Duma's Council did not consider this issue,
he said.
However, Ceku's possible visit to Moscow was
discussed, Kosachyov said. "The Foreign Ministry has
informed me that this matter was discussed with
Belgrade and that the Serb authorities are aware of
the issue," he said.
The initiative is aimed at "bolstering Serbia's
territorial integrity and preventing a decision on
Kosovo's status," he added.



http://www.ana.gr/anaweb/user/showplain?
maindoc=4814167&maindocimg=4456655&service=102

Athens News Agency - November 19, 2006

UNMIK out of Kosovo by next year, Ruecker predicts
S. Papadopoulou

PRISTINA - The head of the UN administration in Kosovo
(UNMIK) Joachim Ruecker on Saturday expressed
confidence that the proposal for the status of Kosovo
presented by UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari after elections
in Serbia would be "something that should be
acceptable to both sides", in statements to the
ANA-MPA.
He also predicted that the UN's political
administration in Kosovo would not stay on beyond one
year:
"I think UNMIK will stay here for one more year. I
don't think that we will be here in November 2007," he
said, though pointing out that UNMIK would cede its
place to some other kind of international force in the
region.
He noted that the Ahtisaari proposal would have to be
approved by the UN Security Council, which would then
have to issue a resolution replacing UNSCR 1244.
"Otherwise, we will be here forever," he added.
Ruecker also underlined the need to maintain the
momentum in the process for determining the future
status of Kosovo, since any significant delay could
render the problem unsolvable.
"It's like riding a bike. You have to keep pedalling.
If you stop pedalling, you're in danger of falling,"
he said.
"If hope turns into disappointment, it is hard to
control the margin of society, in all the world not
just in Kosovo," Ruecker stressed.
He also described Kosovo as the "last piece in the
Balkan puzzle" that had to be resolved, since failure
to find a solution promptly would have significantly
greater political and financial costs for the
international community but also because it was
important for strengthening regional stability.
UNMIK's chief was also positive about the climate in
neigbouring countries regarding a solution, while
predicting that the EU would finally reach a unanimous
decision on the issue.
According to Ruecker, Kosovo's Serbs were coming under
pressure from Belgrade not to become integrated in the
province's economic and political life, whereas many
among them were willing to do so if they were given
the opportunity.



http://www.resistenze.org/sito/os/mo/osmo7a18-000957.htm

Kosovo e CSI , ‘Conflitti congelati’ La Russia cerca di tamponare
l’espansione della Nato’
Zaman (Turchia) 18 Dicembre 2006

Il Kosovo e la Russia

di Fikret Ertun

La Russia considera che le cosiddette regioni separatiste hanno una
massima importanza, sia per la propria sicurezza sia per la loro
posizione di influenza.
Con la Transnistria, la Russia sta cercando di creare una zona
tampone tra la Romania e l’Ucraina.
Con la Abkhazia e la Sud Ossezia, la Russia sta tentando di avere
alcune altre zone tampone nel Caucaso- in modo da avere una posizione
più forte contro l’espansione della Nato.

Istanbul - gli ufficiali Nato sostengono che sarà raggiunto un
accordo sullo status politico finale del Kosovo verso la fine
dell’anno, ma mentre la fine dell’anno si avvicina, diventa sempre
più chiaro che ciò non accadrà.
Sappiamo questo, dalle disperate dichiarazioni di Martti Ahtisaari,
inviato speciale Nato per il Kosovo, che sta conducendo i negoziati
sullo status dallo scorso febbraio e dalla sua decisione di posporre
il suo rapporto conclusivo sullo status al Consiglio di Sicurezza
dell’Onu.
“ Ho deciso di presentare ai partiti la mia proposta per l’accordo
sullo status del Kosovo senza altre proroghe, dopo le elezioni
parlamentari in Serbia” ha detto Ahtisaari, dopo il suo incontro con
il gruppo di contatto il 10 Novembre a Vienna.
Le elezioni parlamentari in Serbia, si terranno il 21 Gennaio 2007 in
Serbia, e questa è la ragione che sta dietro al rinvio, decisione
presa dopo aver consultato il Gruppo di Contatto di USA, Francia,
Italia, Germania e Russia.
A questo proposito, non dovremmo aspettarci che accada qualcosa sullo
status politico del Kosovo, come minimo fino alle elezioni, i cui
risultati è d’obbligo attendere. Effettivamente, sia Ahtisaari sia il
Gruppo di Contatto, prenderanno le loro decisioni solo quando i
risultati saranno ufficiali.
Allo stesso tempo, una ulteriore dichiarazione della Russia si è
venuta ad aggiungere al giudizio negativo della sua posizione sullo
status..
In una intervista della scorsa settimana con la B92 , un canale
satellitare privato serbo, l’ambasciatore russo in Serbia Aleksandar
Alekseyev ha dichiarato che le diverse parti devono definire una
proposta comune per risolvere la questione dello status e ha
avvertito che il Governo Russo ricorrerebbe al veto, come diritto
riconosciuto dal consiglio di Sicurezza dell’ONU, se qualcuna delle
due parti non accettasse la proposta. L’Ambasciatore Alekseyev fa
ovviamente riferimento all’amministrazione Albanese in Kosovo e Serbia.
La Serbia ha messo in chiaro già molto tempo fa, che non accetterà
una proposta per risolvere la questione dello status del Kosovo se
sarà forzata a farlo, è comprensibile dalle dichiarazioni di
Alekseyev che la Russia continuerà a sostenere la Serbia.
Ciò significa che la Russia ha il coraggio di essere in disaccordo
con gli altri membri del Gruppo di Contatto a proposito dello status
politico finale del Kosovo.
Perchè la Russia sta facendo questo?
Ci sono due ragioni: una è che gli antichi legami di amicizia tra la
Russia e la Serbia comprendono una serie di interessi comuni a Serbi,
Slavi e Ortodossi; l’altra è che la Russia sta attribuendo grande
peso ad alcune osservazioni geopolitiche.
In cima alla lista dei suoi obbiettivi geopolitici c’è il bisogno di
tenere sotto controllo la situazione in Transnistria, Abkhazia e nel
Sud Ossezia, tre regioni che stanno cercando una via per unirsi con
la Russia dopo essersi separate dai loro paesi d’origine ( che
significa, dall’URSS, da cui si svilupparono le attuali Georgia e
Moldavia, distinzione non poco importante ).
Inoltre, la Russia sta anche cercando di utilizzare lo status
politico finale del Kosovo per ottenere un possibile riconoscimento e
l’indipendenza per queste tre regioni , presentando lo status
politico del Kosovo come un esempio per queste tre regioni.
Oltretutto, la Russia ha messo ulteriormente in chiaro che è ferma
nella sua risoluzione di usare il suo diritto di veto se qualcosa
andasse male.
All’inizio di quest’anno abbiamo sentito il Presidente Putin fare
pressione su entrambe le parti, sia l’amministrazioni albanese in
Kosovo e a Belgrado, perchè raggiungessero una reciproca
accettazione, su alcune delle proposte per risolvere la questione.
Disse che le motivazioni per ottenere l’indipendenza del Kosovo,
avrebbero avuto la conseguenza che la Russia andrebbe a richiedere e
ottenere l’autonomia dell’Abkhazia e del Sud Ossezia.
In breve, una minaccia della Russia di utilizzare il suo diritto di
veto, ha gettato ancora una volta il futuro del Kosovo nella confusione.

Da Stop Nato http://groups.yahoo.com
Traduzione di C. Busto per Forum Belgrado - Italia



http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n101985

Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - December 22, 2006

Glas Javnosti: Moscow Rejects Ahtisaari’s Proposal for Kosovo

Belgrade - UN special envoy Marti Ahtisaari has sent
his proposal for Kosovo’s final status to the Contact
Group’s member states, theUSA, Great Britain, Russia,
Italy, Germany and France.
However, the document has not appealed to the Russian
representatives and they returned it to the author
with many remarks and corrections, the Serbian
newspaper Glas Javnosti reported citing knowledgeable
sources speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Russian authorities have not accepted Ahtisaari’s
proposal related to the province’s conditional
independence and the possibility to have its own armed
forces.


http://www.voanews.com/english/2006-12-22-voa69.cfm

Voice of America News - December 22, 2006

Concerns Mount Over Kosovo's Status
By Barry Wood

Washington - Reaching a decision on the final status
of the disputed Serbian province of Kosovo is becoming
more difficult, because of Russian objections and a
lack of consensus within the 25-nation European Union.
VOA's Barry Wood has this report.
A decision by the European Union on Kosovo's future
has been in limbo since the end of NATO's bombing
campaign in 1999. Coupled with a lack of Russian
support, it seems a quick solution for the region is
further out of reach, according to Kosovo expert
Daniel Serwer.
"I don't see the possibility of a peaceful, negotiated
solution," he said. "Rather [I see] a continuation of
delays and uncertainty, which could lead to problems
in Kosovo."
Even though it remains officially linked to Serbia,
Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations
since fighting ended. Almost all its population - more
than 90 percent ethnic Albanians - want independence,
but Serbia refuses to agree.
A United Nations negotiator has been meeting for
months with ethnic Albanians and Belgrade, trying to
prepare a plan for Kosovo's future, whether it will
become an independent nation or remain part of Serbia.
An end-of-the-year deadline has been extended until at
least January 21, however, to avoid undue influence on
parliamentary elections Serbia is holding on that
date.
Serwer tells VOA it will be difficult to obtain
Russian support for conditional independence for
Kosovo - the U.N. negotiator's most likely
recommendation. Moscow, Serbia's traditional ally, has
said repeatedly that no solution can be imposed
against Serbia's wishes.
Bulgaria's foreign minister, Ivailo Kalfin, says
Kosovo is the key to the entire western Balkan region.
A peaceful, internationally accepted outcome, he says,
will move Serbia, Albania, Macedonia, Bosnia and
Montenegro towards European Union membership. Kalfin
says it is essential that Kosovo retain its
multiethnic character.
"It's crucially important that the Serbs in Kosovo can
be involved and stay there," he said. "Of course, they
need to have security. They need to receive the
possibility to work, to make their living. They need
to be more engaged in the political life of *whatever
is happening in Kosovo*."
Bulgaria and Romania will become the 26th and 27th
members of the European Union on New Year's Day.



http://www.makfax.com.mk/look/agencija/article.tpl?
IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=2&NrArticle=48901&NrIssue=229&NrSection=20

MakFax (Macedonia) - December 26, 2006

Alekseyev says Russia won't shift its stance over Kosovo

Kragujevac - Russia will not change its position as to
the mutually acceptable solution to Kosovo status,
Russian Ambassador to Serbia Aleksandar Alekseyev
said.
Media in Belgrade quoted the Russian Ambassador
Alekseyev as saying that nothing has changed or will
be changed in Russia's position over Kosovo.
"A Kosovo status decision should be acceptable to
Belgrade and Pristina and it must be in line with
international law," Ambassador Alekseyev told students
at the Law Faculty in Kragujevac.
He reiterated Russia's pledges for full compliance
with the UN Security Council's decisions.
"International law must function universally and we
are confident that nobody can assume the
responsibility by saying that international law will
be respected in one case but not in the Kosovo case,"
Ambassador Alekseyev said.



http://www.vor.ru/index_eng.phtml?view=news4_eng&id=1373

Voice of Russia - December 26, 2006

Likely proclamation of Kosovo’s independence may prove
the most dangerous and destructive development in
Europe today
Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica of Serbia warns that
a likely proclamation of Kosovo’s independence may
prove the most dangerous and destructive development
in Europe today.
According to him, should this happen it would prove
difficult to predict the consequences for
international stability.
Kostunica urged the international community to prevent
Serbia from being partitioned.
Today 90% of the population of Kosovo, an originally
Serbian province, are ethnic Albanians who are
pressing for independence, a move that Belgrade is
opposed to.
Marti Ahtisaari, the UN representative mediating in
the talks between Belgrade and Pristina, is due to put
forward proposals for the province’s future status
right after the parliamentary elections in Serbia on
the 21st of next month.

---

http://www.b92.net/eng/insight/opinions.php?nav_id=38851

B92 (Serbia) - December 26, 2006

Russia asserts itself
William Montgomery

[Montgomery and his Messalina of a spouse inhabited
the first US ambassorial mission to Serbia and
Montenegro from 2001-2004, thereby adding to the
indignities of both long-suffering peoples.
As to the decidedly weak, and Russia's most
subserviently pro-Western, Boris Yeltsin government,
recall that Yeltsin had this to say on April 8, 1999:
"I told NATO, the Americans, the Germans: Don't push
us towards military action. Otherwise, there will be a
European war for sure and possibly world war."
"Yeltsin warns of possible world war over Kosovo"
http://www.cnn.com/WORLD/europe/9904/09/kosovo.diplomacy.02
As B92 to this day prints the latest lucubrations of
US ambassador emeritus Montgomery with slavish
fidelity, the near-pidgen English at times evident
below is to be attributed to the author and is not a
transliteration problem. RR]

In the past twenty years, perhaps the closest that the
United States and Russia came to armed confrontation
was in June 1999.
Just as Milosevic capitulated and began withdrawing
his forces from Kosovo as a result of the NATO bombing
campaign, Russia abruptly and unilaterally pulled out
its contingent of Peacekeeping troops from their base
in Bosnia and sent them hurriedly by convoy into
Kosovo.
Their objective was Pristina Airport and areas of
Kosovo bordering on Serbia proper. At the same time
they planned to airlift at least six flights of
additional troops into Pristina directly from bases in
Russia.
To this day, no one is quite sure whom [sic] in the
Russian government ordered this action or exactly what
was its real intent.
My own suspicion is that some level of command in the
Russian military and the Milosevic government were
trying to create a fait accompli where Russian troops
would be in control of a significant percentage of
Kosovo, thus in effect creating a partition under
which one part of Kosovo would still be under Serbian
control.
But I may be wrong, because the Russian actions were
never explained. What is certain is that Bulgaria,
Romania and Hungary all refused to grant clearance to
the Russian transport planes for over flight of their
territory and that Russia in the end, under intense
diplomatic pressure, aborted the missions.
What is also certain is that there was a heated
argument between the NATO Commander on the Ground in
Kosovo and the Supreme Allied Commander, Wesley Clark,
over how to handle the Russian troops who were coming
by road convoy from Bosnia into Kosovo.
The Ground Commander's conciliatory approach was used
and turned out OK, probably because the contingent of
Russian troops was not large enough to accomplish
their original objective.
But the potential for a serious confrontation was real
and either side could have taken one additional step
(Russia disregarding the over flight denials or NATO
using armed force to dislodge the Russians from the
Pristina airport), which could have had very serious
consequences.
That incident has mistakenly been made simply a
footnote in history books, when in fact it deserves
more attention. The same desire by Russia to thwart
Western goals in this region still exists.
The Western international [that is, Western =
international] community has been guided for many
years now by two critical assumptions, which may well
prove to be very wrong.
The first assumption was that at the end of the day,
they would be able to pressure, cajole, and ultimately
convince Russia to support action in the UN Security
Council leading to independence for Kosovo within
current borders.
Failing that, some sort of workaround could be managed
so that a Security Council Resolution was not needed
and individual countries would simply recognize Kosovo
and over time, the issue would go away.
They made that assumption at a time when Yeltsin was
President, Russia was weak, and had at times, even
over Kosovo, caved to Western pressure. That is no
longer the case. We are dealing with a new, stronger
Russia willing to assert its foreign policy
prerogatives.
The second potentially erroneous assumption was that
Serbia, perhaps more slowly than its neighbors, would
inevitably follow the same path of democratic
transition and integration with the Euro-Atlantic
structures. [As with Albania, Croatia, etc. ?]
While this may well have been true in 2001, it is no
longer so clear. Years of conditionality over The
Hague, lack of real economic growth for a large
percentage of the population, denial of visa-free
travel anywhere, the loss of Montenegro, the
assassination of Prime Minister Djindjic, endless
delays over EU integration, and the Kosovo issue have
had a major impact on the entire Serbian population.
Many are just discouraged, others are apathetic, and a
lot are angry, bitter, and frustrated. The warning
signs have been present for some time, beginning with
the increasing popularity of the Radical Party of
Vojislav Seselj and the return of the discredited
Socialist Party of Slobodan Milosevic. It will be very
tough for democratic parties to get good voter turnout
in the upcoming elections.
Under the best of circumstances Russia was never happy
with a democratic Serbia looking Westward.
That is why it preferred Milosevic to the DOS
government, which removed him.
Under Secretary of State [and recent US ambassador to
NATO] Nick Burns recently expressed surprise that the
Russian Ambassador to Serbia, Alexandar Alexeev,
announced that Russia would veto any UN Security
Council Resolution that was not acceptable to both
Belgrade and Pristina.
I don't think he really was surprised, because
Russia's position has become increasingly clear and
tough, as time has gone on. Just as the Western
countries have telegraphed their intentions over
Kosovo, so has Russia.
Russia is using the Kosovo issue to turn Serbia from
its Western path towards a much closer relationship
with Russia.
In fact, what Russia hopes for is that as a result of
Kosovo, Serbia will develop an adversarial position
towards the West, becoming sort of a Belarus of the
Balkans.
Does that sound overstated? Consider the language
used just recently by the leader of the Radical Party,
Tomo Nikolic, when asked with whom Serbia would
cooperate: "As Seselj says it nicely...with Russians,
Chinese, Indians, Latin-Americans...there are so many
countries who do not want USA's terror....We will
build a wall around Kosovo, just like Germans did in
Berlin! We will cut off all relations with everybody
who recognizes Kosovo."
When asked about cooperation with the EU, he said
"With the EU such as it is now, no!"
To gain that cooperation the EU would have to "enable
Kosovo to remain within Serbia."
Ivica Dacic, the leader of the Socialist Party has
just repeated his party's position that Kosovo needs
to be defended with all means necessary, including
military.
There is a real possibility of the Radical/Socialist
Parties coming to power in the next elections or in
any case, having the power to significantly influence
any government that does.
If Kosovo does become independent, the public debate
already in Serbia, along with the publicity given to
the Kosovo language [!] in the recently-passed
Constitution will make it hard for any new government
to avoid taking aggressive, counter-productive
measures which in turn will create their own dynamic.
The West has belatedly realized that both of its
assumptions need to be reexamined and are scrambling
to figure out just what to do about it.
One step, already taken, has been to provide carrots
now to Serbia to show that it is not being neglected.
This includes the recent decision to admit it to the
Partnership for Peace Program, announcements by the EU
of its intent to review the visa process for the
region, and hints of further positive steps in the
days ahead.
While that is all well and good, it still leaves the
question of what to do about Kosovo.
It is not in Russia's interest to back off of its
position regarding the UN Security Council.
But proceeding without the Security Council's blessing
leaves many Europeans very nervous. Thus, we have a
two-track approach. The first is to get the mechanics
for a Kosovo resolution underway.
That involves meetings of Martti Ahtisaari with
Belgrade and the Pristina at the end of January to
announce his views on all issues except future status.
This will begin a month or so of serious discussions
with both sides on specific issues after which
Ahtisaari will present his final recommendations to
the UN Security Council. Those recommendations will
also include his views on future status.
The second track is trying to figure out how to make
any solution work, given the intransigence of
Belgrade, the hard line taken by Moscow, the passion
of the Kosovo Albanians for independence, the
determination of many in the international community
to bring that about, and the somewhat contradictory
emphasis on the UN Security Council.
This, to be successful, will require imagination,
initiative, and diplomacy at the highest levels.
There are a lot of ways that this could turn out very
ugly.

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http://www.resistenze.org/sito/te/po/se/pose6n27-000850.htm
www.resistenze.org - popoli resistenti - serbia - 27-12-06

Ex capo della sicurezza dell’OSCE in Kosovo, attacca duramente i
risultati della missione ONU

di Sherry Gossett

Dopo 6 anni dall’intervento delle Nazioni Unite e bilioni di dollari
di aiuti internazionali, il Kosovo è una regione priva di leggi che
“appartiene” alla mafia albanese, caratterizzata da continue pulizie
etniche e soggetta a crescenti infiltrazioni da parte di Al Qaeda,
legata ai mussulmani jihadisti, secondo quanto sostenuto da un
funzionario OSCE intervistato da Cybercast News Service.
I ripetuti fallimenti delle Nazioni Unite hanno permesso a gruppi
illegali di para-militari di fiorire e ingaggiare attacchi
terroristici mirati a destabilizzare i governi regionali nei Balcani,
dice Thomas Gambill, uno dei precedenti capi della sicurezza
dell’Organizzazione per la Sicurezza e la Cooperazione in Europa
(OSCE), autodescrittasi come la più vasta agenzia di sicurezza nella
regione.
Gambill è stato responsabile della supervisione della regione
orientale di Gjilane in Kosovo dal 1999 sino al 2004 sotto l’autorità
delle N.U. Il suo criticismo nasce nel momento in cui le N.U. si
preparano a leggere il discorso finale sulla situazione nella
difficile provincia del Kosovo, che è stata un protettorato delle
N.U. sin da quando le forze della NATO hanno bombardato la
Iugoslavia, tra marzo e maggio del 1999, per costringere il governo
di Slobodan Milosevic, di maggioranza serba, a ritirare le proprie
forze dal Kosovo.
La sola missione delle N.U. in Kosovo è costata 5.2 bilioni di
dollari tra giugno del 1999 e la fine del 2001, secondo quanto
sostenuto da un rapporto dell’ufficio contabile governativo degli USA.
Le bombe della NATO portano al contrattacco dei musulmani.
I bombardamenti della NATO sono cominciati in quanto vi erano dei
rapporti che descrivevano le pulizie etniche effettuate in larga
scala dai serbi ai danni della popolazione albanese kosovara. Ma non
appena i bombardamenti sono cessati, presero luogo feroci pulizie
etniche per mano degli albanesi, prevalentemente di religione
musulmana, contro i serbi cristiani. La violenza è stata documentata
e testimoniata sia dalle N.U. sia dall’OSCE.
Gambill ha condiviso centinaia di pagine delle N.U. e dell’OSCE con
Cybercast News Service, mostrando come i serbi e le altre minoranze
venivano sistematicamente e successivamente prese di mira per
costringerle ad abbandonare il Kosovo.
A seguito dei bombardamenti del Kosovo da parte della NATO, truppe
americane sotto il comando della NATO, furono disposte sui confini
con le vicine Macedonia e Albania, mentre il presidente Bill Clinton
decideva sulla grandezza della composizione del contingente USA da
stanziare in Kosovo. Quando le truppe degli USA entrarono nella
provincia nel giugno del 1999, erano già in corso le pulizie etniche
da parte albanese.
Casi di violenze sessuali, tortura, incendi, uccisioni, rapimenti e
minacce verbali erano presumibilmente molto diffusi come facenti
parte di una campagna organizzata e di successo, condotta sotto il
naso delle N.U., sostiene Gambill.
Le minoranze prese di mira dagli estremisti albanesi includevano
serbi, rom, mussulmani slavi, turchi e croati.
Alcuni rapporti dell’OSCE rivelano che il KLA (Kosovo Liberation
Army), che è stato finanziato e addestrato dall’amministrazione
Clinton, fu il maggior responsabile delle pulizie etniche.
Nell’aprile del 1999 i repubblicani del congresso degli USA
promuovevano addirittura una legislazione che chiedeva che fosse
approvato un aiuto militare statunitense al KLA, mentre Michael Radu,
del Foreign Policy Institute, ammoniva sulle conseguenze di una tale
scelta.
Altri gruppi estremisti armati parteciparono alla pulizia etnica,
dice Gambill.
Il principale obiettivo di questi gruppi era la creazione di uno
stato etnico puro che doveva includere l’Albania, il Kossovo e parte
della Serbia, il Montenegro e la Macedonia. “Spingeranno per ottenere
di più. Questo è il piano. Si chiama Grande Albania”, dice Gambill.
I documenti dell’OSCE rivelano che le persone anziane, che non
potevano fuggire, venivano minacciate e le donne venivano
scaraventate giù per le scale. Altri furono torturati, picchiati ed
uccisi. Alcuni serbi anziani scapparono nei monasteri per rifugiarsi
e chiedere protezione, ma successivamente anche questi vennero
attaccati, come anche è avvenuto nel marzo 2004, secondo i documenti
OSCE.
Interi villaggi si svuotarono come conseguenza di vasti incendi e
saccheggi. I documenti OSCE descrivevano l’esistenza di “spostamento
di moltissima gente” costretta a scappare dopo che molte delle loro
case furono bruciate e dichiaravano, inoltre, che la regione del
Kosovo sembrava una “zona di guerra”.
Un rapporto OSCE nota che in un mese particolare del 1999 i crimini
per ragioni etniche diminuirono in misura importante, ma il rapporto
aggiunge che non è chiaro se questo fosse dovuto al successo della
KFOR e della NATO o perché semplicemente rimanevano solo pochi serbi
nella zona.
Dopo sei mesi dalla presenza della NATO, la violenza perpetrata ai
danni dei serbi divenne meno frequente, nonostante che attacchi con
granate, sparatorie e rapimenti sarebbero continuati settimanalmente
nei successivi 6 anni, secondo quanto riportato da Gambill. “Come
anche è avvenuto una settimana fa, non è finita”, ha aggiunto.
I responsabili delle violenze etniche sono incoraggiati dalla
mancanza di funzionamento della polizia locale o del sistema
giudiziario, Gambill ha detto. Anche adesso, gli “sbirri buoni” sono
minacciati dai membri della precedente KLA, che si trovano anche
nelle forze di polizia. “Un poliziotta donna era un vero Serpico”,
come la ribattezza Gambill. “Non avrebbe mai abbandonato un’indagine
dopo essere stata minacciata. Fu uccisa appena dopo essere stata
avvertita.”
Alle minoranze continua ad essere negato dai medici albanesi, che
rapidamente hanno preso il controllo del sistema sanitario a seguito
delle bombe NATO, l’accesso alla salute, Gambill ha detto. Ha
raccontato un incidente nel quale un dottore serbo fu portato dietro
un edificio è ammazzato con un colpo di pistola nella nuca. “A volte
dovevamo raccogliere i feriti serbi kosovari lungo tutta la via sino
alla Serbia, per cure mediche”, Gambill ha detto.

“Non scuotere l’imbarcazione”.

Gambill ha detto a Cybercast News Service di essere molto più
frustrato per l’apatia che ha visto in parte della missione delle
N.U. in Kosovo e dell’OSCE, piuttosto che da quello che lui descrive
come scarso livello degli ufficiali che “ lavoravano davvero molto e
avevano a cuore la missione”.
“C’era un’atmosfera di non scuotere la barca”, Gambill ha spiegato.
“Molte delle persone messe in campo nella regione volevano
semplicemente fare soldi e spendere le loro vacanze in Grecia. Non
volevano nessun tipo di problema sotto i loro occhi”.
Furono scoraggiate le pattuglie aggressive, diceva Gambill, per paura
che ogni attacco desse l’impressione che le forze della KFOR non
avessero il controllo dell’area.
“Tutto era politicamente corretto. La gente aveva paura di parlare”,
disse Gambill, aggiungendo che coloro che parlavano in relazione a
particolari fatti venivano deportati o erano soggetti a rappresaglie.
“Non c’è nessuno che sembri voler sentire o fare un cenno. Dissero
che non potevano fare nulla per cambiare il sistema, così perché
parlare?”
Il risultato di questo modo di fare, Gambill sosteneva, è che “ogni
volta che c’è un attacco contro un serbo è considerato un attacco
isolato”.
Gambill ha detto che i suoi avvertimenti e i suoi rapporti sulla
gravità della mancanza di sicurezza spesso si scontravano con
atteggiamenti di accondiscendenza e addirittura venivano derisi.
Durante un Briefing tenutosi alla fine del 2000 per i delegati
dell’OSCE provenienti da Vienna, Gambill identificò gruppi
paramilitari illegali che operavano nei Balcani, in violazione della
Risoluzione n. 1244 del Consiglio di Sicurezza delle N.U.

La mafia albanese fiorisce

Allo stesso Briefing, Gambill disse di aver provato a spiegare la
struttura della mafia regionale, ma tuttavia, i delegati presenti tra
i partecipanti attaccarono il contenuto del discorso di Gambill. Come
risultato, il quartier generale dell’OSCE a Pristina spedì un
messaggio ai superiori di Gambill che diceva: “Chiudetegli la bocca!”.
“Non potevi alzarti di fronte ai partecipanti al meeting e dire che
avevamo perso il controllo del Kosovo, che invece la mafia lo
controllava”, disse Gambill. “Ma lo fecero. Recitarono l’orribile
parte”.
Gambill citò le informazioni dell’OSCE che mostravano che 42 leaders
mafiosi si erano trasferiti nel Kosovo come conseguenza dei
bombardamenti NATO al fine di costituire organizzazioni di stampo
mafioso. Aggiunse che continuavano a prosperare nonostante gli sforzi
di rafforzamento della legge nella provincia.
“Trafficanti di droga, contraffattori, trafficanti di armi e di
esseri umani assumevano rapido sviluppo quando ero qui”, disse
Gambill. Aggiunse, inoltre, che i maggiori capi mafia rivestivano
posizioni politiche.
“Bravi sbirri” che volevano mettere sotto pressione la corruzione
erano sotto minaccia, disse Gambill, aggiungendo che la mafia
albanese manteneva legami con quella russa, serba, croata e italiana,
con alcuni obbiettivi comuni.
Gambill ha inoltre avvertito i suoi superiori alle N.U. che il gruppo
paramilitare recentemente costituitisi, la Albanian National Army,
era altamente pericolosa e preparata e stava operando in Kosovo e nel
nord-est della Macedonia. Ma questi ammonimenti, disse, erano sempre
visti con incredulità.
In alcuni mesi, prendeva credito la tesi di attacchi dell’Albanian
National Army, suggerendo alle N.U. di ammettere l’esistenza di
questo gruppo.
Ora il Kosovo è entrato nella “quinta fase”, come definita da
Gambill, caratterizzata da attacchi contro la stessa missione delle
N.U. (UNMIK) in Kosovo. In settembre l’UNMIK avvertiva i membri del
suo staff che “prima di accendere la vostra vettura, ispezionatela
tutta per verificare se vi sia qualcosa di insolito e sospetto”.
L’avvertimento era seguito dall’immagine di un veicolo che saltava in
aria.

“UNMIK fuori!”, si legge sui muri degli edifici in Kosovo.

Un ufficiale di settore che attualmente lavora con la missione delle
N.U. nell’area del Kosovo ha parlato col Cybercast News Service in
anonimato. Dopo aver notato che l’esplosivo usato da Al Qaeda in
Madrid nell’attacco del marzo del 2004 proveniva dai Balcani, ha
detto: ” Siedo qui guardando gruppi di pattuglie speciali
supervisionare e fare niente. Quante altre persone dovranno morire,
mentre i terroristi si rifocillano qui, in una regione mussulmana dei
Balcani non così moderata!”
“Il gioco del gatto e del topo sta per finire”, l’ufficiale notava.
“Il Kosovo è pieno di estremisti così che la NATO potrebbe buttarli
fuori prima che tutto salti in aria di fronte alle loro facce. Guerra
al terrore! Ma lì sembra più di supportare il terrore!”.
“La mia più grande preoccupazione è sempre stata l’incursione
dell’Islam più radicale nell’area”, disse Gambill. “Stanno preparando
in Macedonia attacchi terroristici diretti all’esterno se il Kosovo
non raggiungerà l’indipendenza”.
Se le N.U. saranno contro l’indipendenza, disse Gambill, questo
incoraggerà i sauditi ad accrescere il loro coinvolgimento nella
regione. “Hanno i soldi e hanno anche il potere. Ricordano ai
kosovari che sono loro veri amici. E aiuteranno gli estremisti nelle
loro lotte e a preparare attacchi estremistici contro truppe
internazionali e della NATO stanziate qui”, Gambill ha detto al
Cybercast News Service.

Da CNSNews.com - 27 settembre 2006
Traduzione di C. Gagliardini per Forum Belgrado Italia

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http://www.resistenze.org/sito/te/po/se/pose6n28-000854.htm
www.resistenze.org - popoli resistenti - serbia - 28-12-06

Durissima dichiarazione del Presidente del Partito Socialista Serbo

di J. Radinovic

In queste settimane nella scena politica serba, dove è in pieno
svolgimento la campagna elettorale, si è molto parlato delle
dichiarazioni del nuovo Presidente del Partito Socialista di Serbia
(PSS), Ivica Dacic, il quale ha dichiarato che il Kosovo dovrà essere
difeso con “ tutti i mezzi”.
La dichiarazione ha provocato forti reazioni nei partiti serbi
filooccidentali, soprattutto la sua dichiarazione secondo cui nessuno
ha il diritto di decidere che non è ipotizzabile una guerra per
difendere il Kosovo Metohija.
Reazioni quasi identiche si sono avute nelle posizioni contenute nel
manifesto politico del leader del Partito Radicale Serbo (PRS),
Vojislav Seselj, che è in stato di prigionia nelle carceri del
Tribunale speciale dell’Aja. Egli infatti invita la direzione del suo
Partito ad opporsi all’ingresso della Serbia nell’Unione Europea e
nella NATO, e a lottare per la liberazione della terra serba, e a non
accettare mai la separazione del Kosovo Metohija, e nemmeno a fare
coalizioni con il Partito Democratico o con il Partito Democratico di
Serbia.
Secondo gli analisti del governo i messaggi del PSS e PRS possono
pregiudicare seriamente gli interessi di sviluppo e sicurezza della
Serbia, e mettere in pericolo le sue prospettive, così come
rallentare la democratizzazione del paese.
Da parte loro i partiti politici sono stati ancora più espliciti
nella condanna.
Il Partito Democratico di Serbia (PDS), il cui leader è l’attuale
primo ministro, V. Kostunica, ha censurato la dichiarazione di Dacic,
dichiarando che, nell’affrontare il problema dello status futuro del
Kosovo, non si può paventare alcun tipo di guerra o conflitto, né di
uso della forza, ora che la Serbia aspira al compromesso, alla
stabilizzazione della regione ed al rispetto del Diritto
Internazionale; affermando inoltre che il PDS spera che gli anni ’90
con le diverse disavventure, guerre e sanzioni contro questo popolo,
non debbano mai più ripetersi.
Fino alla convocazione delle prossime elezioni parlamentari il PSS ha
appoggiato il governo minoritario di Kostunica. In riferimento alle
ragioni di tale appoggio, Dacic ha spiegato nell’ultimo Congresso del
Partito Socialista, che i motivi sono da ricercarsi nella difesa
degli interessi della Serbia e del PSS, con il fine di cacciare dal
potere il Partito Democratico, il cui leader è l’attuale Presidente
della Serbia, Boris Tadic, il quale è definito “ il più grande
disastro politico della storia serba”.
Il Partito Democratico a sua volta, ha emesso un comunicato in cui si
denuncia che Dacic propone di fatto una nuova politica di guerra e
che deve spiegare alla cittadinanza che dovrebbe andare nuovamente
alla guerra. Si ricorda anche che tutti conoscono i risultati di una
politica avventurista quale fu quella che aveva il regime di Slobodan
Milosevic e dei suoi fedeli. I Democratici ribadiscono nel loro
programma elettorale, il chiaro messaggio che la Serbia deve entrare
nella UE e che il manifesto politico di Seselj dimostra che il
Partito Radicale è una formazione politica retrograda che non vede la
Serbia in Europa. I Democratici dicono che nelle prossime elezioni i
cittadini vanno a scegliere tra due direzioni politiche: una che
conduce verso una vita migliore e la UE, come gli offre il PD, e
l’altra che è definita nella politica superata dei radicali e nella
politica militarista dei socialisti, che portano la Serbia nel fango
del passato balcanico.
Nel frattempo Dacic ha smentito di aver chiamato alla guerra durante
il Congresso del PSS, affermando di aver detto, che nessuno ha il
diritto di decidere preventivamente che non si deve fare la guerra
per il Kosovo, valutando che ciò sarebbe controproducente nel
processo di negoziazione sul futuro status della provincia.
Molti analisti pensano che la retorica aggressiva di Dacic si debba
alla campagna elettorale e che è rivolta all’elettorato nostalgico e
che è in contrasto completamente, con quella che è in questo momento
la politica nazionale rispetto al futuro status del Kosovo Metohija.
Le elezioni in Serbia sono state causate dalla necessità che
l’emissario speciale dell’ONU M. Ahtisaari, rimandi la presentazione
della soluzione finale per lo status futuro del Kosovo Matohija.
Il presidente della Serbia B. Tadic ha dichiarato di non pensare
comunque che tale decisione possa influenzare la campagna elettorale,
ritenendo che la delegazione governativa che negozia, farà il massimo
sforzo nelle trattative sullo status futuro del Kosovo per difendere
i legittimi interessi della Serbia.
Circa il futuro del Kosovo, il primo ministro V. Kostunica, durante
la campagna elettorale ha detto che nel mondo non esiste Stato, il
quale possa accettare che nel suo territorio si costituisca un nuovo
stato ed ha ribadito che l’attuale Governo non ha permesso né
permetterà questo, se nelle prossime votazioni i cittadini gli
ridaranno la fiducia.

Da "Seminario Serbo", 16 dicembre 2006
Traduzione di E. Vigna per Forum Belgrado Italia

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http://www.vor.ru/Exclusive/excl_next8954_eng.html

Voice of Russia - December 28, 2006

KOSOVO’S INDEPENDENCE — A DESTRUCTIVE EVENT FOR
TODAY’S EUROPE

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica believes
that, if proclaimed, Kosovo’s independence can be the
most destructive event for present-day Europe.
He says that for international stability the
consequences of the move are unpredictable.
Vojislav Kostunica has called on the international
community not to allow a division of Serbia.
At present ethnic Albanians account for 90 percent of
Kosovo’s population, and they demand independence.
Certainly Belgrade is against [Kosovo secession].
Commenting on Vojislav Kostunica’s statement is the
head of the Center on the Studies of the Contemporary
Balkan Crisis under the Institute of Slav Studies
Yelena Guskova:
"If Kosovo is recognized by the international
community as a universal case this will allow all
other Albanians in the Balkans, including in
Montenegro, in Macedonia, in Serbia’s south, to raise
the issue of independence and unification of all
territories with a pre-dominantly Albanian population.
"These are not mere words, but a factor which can
cause serious destabilization in the region.
"It should also be remembered that to reach their
purpose the Albanians use terrorist methods."
If Kosovo’s independence is recognized Europe will
face numerous problems.
This will cause political and economic tension not
only in Europe but also in Asia, and probably other
parts of the world.
Therefore Vojislav Kostunica is right in saying that a
most cautious approach should be taken to the issue.
First, there should be no rush; and second, the
interests of both Albanians and Serbs should be
accommodated.
A proper way out seems to be Kosovo’s broader autonomy
in Serbia’s framework.
Russia supports such decision.
Recently Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic said
that the resolution of the Kosovo problem should be in
keeping with the formula “government of Kosovo to the
Albanians, and inviolability of frontiers to Serbia”.
In other words, Serbia should be unified but it will
have two systems.
The Serbian Foreign Minister explained that an example
is China where two social and political systems exist
within one state: one in continental China and the
other in Hong Kong.

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?
yyyy=2006&mm=12&dd=27&nav_category=90&nav_id=38857

Beta News (Serbia) - December 27, 2006

Disagreement over Kosovo ombudsman

BELGRADE - The Coordination Center has protested the
Kosovo Parliament’s efforts to elect an Albanian as
ombudsman.
Even though some Serbs were in the running for the
position of ombudsman and deputy ombudsman, the
Parliament selected Albanians for both positions, and
not members of a community whose rights are being
violated at a drastic and alarming pace, the Kosovo
Coordination Center stated.
According to the statement from the center, the Kosovo
parliament must have a mechanism for avoiding
majorization in the voting and if the institutions
deal with the protection of human rights it is
impossible to elect a member of the non-Albanian
community, which is a clear principle of
multi-ethnicity anywhere in Kosovo, which is not being
respect in these institutions.
“It is well know that Serbia have been persecuted and
killed by Albanians over the last eight years and that
the only motive behind such behavior toward the Serbs
is hate,” according to the Coordination Center.



http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n102348

Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - December 29, 2006

Agim Ceku: Marti Ahtisaari Will Make his Suggestion
for Kosovo’s Status on 26th January

Pristina - Marti Ahtisaari will present the Contact
Group for the final status of Kosovo on 26th January,
Kosovo's Prime Minister Agim Ceku stated in an
interview with the Albanian section of VOA.
Two or three days after that date the special envoy of
the UN Secretary General will arrive in Pristina to
make clear his suggestion.
Then Ahtisaari will form the final variant of his
suggestion till end of February 2007 and will present
it again to the Contact Group.
Finally, the suggestion will be brought for approval
to the UN Security Council.



http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n102344

Focus News Agency (Bulgaria) - December 29, 2006

Complicated Events are Expected in Kosovo Next Spring

Sofia - “There will be no decision that will satisfy
both sides in Kosovo and I feel there will be many
serious events next spring”, the commander of the
Bulgarian police contingent in Kosovo Kiril Kirilov
announced for Nova TV.
“The talks for the statute of the province will
undoubtedly influence our work and the life of the
people there.
"We do not have any illusions that what will happen in
Kosovo from March on, will be the simplest thing but
we are preparing for it”, Kirilov added.



http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/01/01/europe/
EU_GEN_Serbia_Kosovo.php

Associated Press - January 1, 2007

Serbia's PM vows anew to prevent Kosovo secession

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Serbia - Serbia's government
leader ventured into the U.N.-run province of Kosovo
early Monday, and pledged in a New Year's speech to
prevent is secession.
Arriving from Belgrade with heavy security, Prime
Minister Vojislav Kostunica met with members of the
dwindling Kosovo Serb community that lives in the
north of the contested territory. The province's
pro-independence ethnic Albanians dominate the rest of
Kosovo.
"Kosovo is the most precious part of Serbia,"
Kostunica told several hundred Serbs who gathered to
greet him. "Preserving Kosovo (as part of Serbia) is
vital to Serbia's future."
The province has been an international protectorate
since 1999 when NATO bombing forced Serbs to halt
their crackdown on the ethnic Albanian separatists and
pull out.
International negotiations on Kosovo's future produced
no breakthrough in 2006, but a U.N. envoy is expected
to come up with a proposal later this month. Serbian
officials have offered the province broad autonomy
while the ethnic Albanians demand outright
independence.
Kostunica stressed his Kosovo policy amid approaching
parliamentary elections in Serbia, set for Jan. 21.
His election campaign — as well as that of other
Serbian politicians — includes the pledge to keep
Kosovo at least formally within Serbia's borders and
prevent the loss of Serbia's historic heartland.
"Serbia is for peace, for a peaceful, democratic life
throughout Kosovo," Kostunica also said, while the
crowd chanted "Kosovo is Serbia!"
The U.N. spokesman in Kosovo, Neeraj Singh, said
Kostunica was on a private visit to northern Kosovo
and that the U.N. mission there was "duly informed"
about it.



http://www.ft.com/cms/s/e0aa1a94-9a8a-11db-bbd2-0000779e2340.html

Financial Times - January 3, 2007

Opponents of new Kosovo must be stopped
By Joseph Biden

Years of hand-wringing and chest-thumping over the
future status of Kosovo may finally be drawing to a
close. In the next few months, adroit diplomacy to
secure Kosovo’s independence could yield a victory for
Muslim democracy, a better future for south-east
Europe and validation for the judicious use of
American power.
But along with the potential for triumph in Kosovo,
there is a growing risk that Serbia and Russia will
conspire to seize defeat from the jaws of victory.
Extremists in Belgrade and Moscow are – for very
different reasons – hoping to use Russia’s United
Nations Security Council veto to quash Kosovo’s bid
for independence. If they succeed, the Balkans will
emerge as another source of bad news in a world
already crowded with crises.
During the seven years since Nato ended Slobodan
Milosevic’s reign of terror in Kosovo, a UN-backed
administration has largely succeeded in bringing
stability to the province.
However, Kosovo’s people are justifiably tired of a
status quo marked by uncertainty and economic
privation. These two intertwined problems will
continue so long as the debate over the province’s
future remains unresolved. Its ambiguous status is
also leading to stagnation in Serbia.
Nationalist politicians in Belgrade have embraced the
fight against Kosovo’s independence to divert public
attention from their own failures and Serbia’s stalled
bid for European Union membership.
The actions of Vojislav Kostunica, Serbia’s prime
minister, have been particularly disappointing. In
addition to refusing international requests to call
for the arrest of war crimes fugitives Ratko Mladic
and Radovan Karadzic, Mr Kostunica has rejected every
attempt at compromise on Kosovo. Serbia’s moral
authority on the issue hit a new low in October when
the 1.5m ethnic Albanian residents of the province
were denied the right to vote in a deeply flawed
constitutional referendum that declared Kosovo an
integral part of Serbia.
To their great credit, the people of Serbia have
proved more realistic about Kosovo than their elected
leaders. Opinion polls show that many Serbs foresee
that the province will gain independence. Ethnic
Albanians in Kosovo, meanwhile, overwhelmingly expect
to sever ties with Serbia. With citizens on both sides
of the issue ready to finish the debate and move on to
more constructive challenges, leaders who block a
solution will do so at their peril.
Historically, trouble in the Balkans is almost always
the result of false expectations. On the whole, the
citizens of south-east Europe are mentally prepared
for an independent Kosovo.
If Belgrade postpones a settlement it will reopen the
issue for many Serbs previously resigned to Kosovo’s
independence and further inflame frustrations among
the region’s ethnic Albanians. The result could be a
return of the mob violence that shook Kosovo in March
2004.
A Russian effort to delay a deal on Kosovo would be in
keeping with the Kremlin’s habit of fostering weak,
subservient governments in formerly communist states.
Moscow has apparently reached the conclusion that
impoverished, unstable regimes are easier targets for
manipulation than prosperous, independent countries.
It has made extensive, public use of oil and gas
diplomacy to undermine the budding democracies of
eastern Europe. Less attention has focused on the
Kremlin’s quiet efforts to exacerbate territorial
conflicts in Georgia, Moldova and Azerbaijan. Serbia
could become the latest victim of this strategy.
Kosovo is not ready for full sovereignty. Even after
independence, Nato and the international community
will need to provide security guarantees for Kosovo’s
minorities and strengthen its economy and
institutions. But it is time to grant the province
independence. The longer the status debate continues,
the further Kosovo and Serbia will fall behind other
rapidly progressing former Yugoslav republics such as
Croatia and Slovenia.
Success in Kosovo, if realised, will have implications
far beyond the Balkans.
A responsible Russian approach to the issue could
demonstrate the Kremlin’s commitment to global order
at a time when its credibility is in tatters.
The people of Kosovo – already the most pro-American
in the Islamic world – will provide a much-needed
example of a successful US-Muslim partnership.
Stability in south-east Europe would be a welcome bit
of good news and offer hope in a season of tremendous
foreign policy challenges.

The writer is the incoming Democratic chairman of the
US Senate foreign relations committee


KOSOVO: ONU; KOSTUNICA SCRIVE A BAN, RIFIUTATE INDIPENDENZA
(ANSA) - BELGRADO, 4 GEN - Il primo ministro serbo Vojislav Kostunica
ha chiesto al nuovo segretario generale dell'ONU, Ban Ki-moon, di
proteggere l'integrita' territoriale della Serbia e di assicurare che
alla tormentata provincia del Kosovo non sia assegnata
l'indipendenza. Nella lettera - di cui l'Ansa ha ricevuto una copia -
Kostunica ha chiesto all'Onu di offrire la sua ''piena protezione
all'inviolabilita' delle frontiere della Serbia, alla sua sovranita'
e alla sua integrita' territoriale''. ''Deve essere stabil<br/><br/>(Message over 64 KB, truncated)