Published: November 29, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor
Crossfire War - Police in Kosovo Use Tear Gas Against 5,000 Demonstrators
By Willard Payne
Crossfire War - TEHRAN WATCH - Southeast Europe Theatre: Tehran - Pristina - Tirana/(Vienna - Brussels)/Belgrade - Athens - Tehran; Police in Pristina Use Tear Gas to Break Up Demonstration of 5,000 Kosovo Albanians Demanding Immediate Independence
Night Watch: PRISTINA - The United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), headquarted in Pristina, the provincial capital, was attacked by 5,000 ethnic Albanians led by Albin Kurti of the student movement Vetvendosjc (Self-determination). The students were joined by members of trade unions and political parties. They were demanding immediate independence and had timed the demonstration to fall on Albania's National Flag Day. Tirana, Albania's capital has long supported the demands of the Albanians who live in Kosovo and outnumber Serbs 17 to 1. The police, local and international used tear gas to break up the demonstrators who were throwing stones at the UNMIK building after they broke through the barricades around it. [
AKI]
Though the European Union in Brussels and other international negotiation centers like Vienna and New York are to decide on the issue early next year there is no guarantee the pro-independence decision can be enforced especially since they are resolutely opposed by a rearmed Serbia. In preparation for the next wave of war, in the former Yugoslavia, Belgrade has signed two security agreements this year. Last January one was signed with Tehran, who intends to use the resumed fighting to silence Vienna in order to destroy their interest in Iran's nuclear weapons program. The UN agency leading the investigation, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is based in Vienna.
Even more recently Athens also signed a security agreement with Belgrade. Greece and Serbia have long followed the same Orthodox religious ritual, which is why the West lost Greece during the 78-day bombing of Serbia in 1999. Greece has also improved its relations with its historical and often hated rival, Turkey and Greece has also stated publicly it has no problem with Iran's nuclear program. Perhaps Athens also wants to see Vienna silenced. The division of Yugoslavia and the ensuing war has resulted in every Balkan capital hating Vienna once again, a hatred Tehran finds very strategic, it is perhaps Iran's best weapon against the West.
In the meantime the Albanian population is obviously losing its patience with the international agencies and decision making bodies who are supposed to determine the province's future. This demonstration is probably the Kosovo Albanian message that they are now ready to determine their own future. For the past couple of years crossfirewar.com has mentioned a variety of armed Albanian Islamic groups, which Tehran is no stranger to. Iran does not care how the fighting gets started as long as it paves the way for Iran to use the Balkans as its avenue of invasion into Europe.
The demonstrators represent the same coalition in Kosovo that emerged in 1981, just one year after the death of Josip Broz Tito in 1980, who had ruled Yugoslavia in authoritarian fashion since 1945. Albanian student groups demonstrated even back then, along with trade groups and political parties first to attempt to achieve the status of a republic within Yugoslavia, like Croatia, but by the late 1990s, the demand shifted to complete independence. Other Albanian groups want to achieve "Greater Albania" and unite with Albania while other militant units dream of re-establishing the ancient kingdom of Illyria.
Even in 1981 ethnic Albanians began a campaign of harassment and intimidation against the minority Serb population forcing them to leave the province. This is what the government in Belgrade refuses to tolerate and Serbia has no faith in the international community either. Next time there are demonstrations more than just stones could be thrown, explosives and Molotov cocktails for instance as attacks against Serbs increase. Belgrade could them claim UNMIK is not doing enough to protect Serbian citizens, then send in Serbian Army - Militia units and the next war will be under way.
Night Watch Information Service
http://www.crossfirewar.com
* The views of Opinion writers do not necessarily reflect the views of NewsBlaze
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