NEWS

WIRES

OTHER

Why Should EU Close Its Doors for Serbia?

By Mehdi Hyseni

One of the main reason why the European Union must refuse Serbia's demand to join as a nation candidate in December of this year is its unacceptable treatment towards Republic of Kosovo.

So long as Kosovo is recognized by 87 countries of the international community, Serbia still will not give up from its former colony. It considers Kosovo one as a "legal" and integral part of its territory. Even if Kosovo has never been a Serbian territory, Albania still considers it as a legal and lawful territory. However, these valid historical and geopolitical arguments for official Belgrade politics and diplomacy are unacceptable. Serbia still persists to keep Kosovo as its own colonial territory.

For this reason, Serbia de facto and de jure still is keeping and treating Northern Kosovo as its legal and constitutional part?!

What's happening in Northern Republic of Kosovo now?

Although Republic of Kosovo is still under the international supervision (KFOR, EULEX and UNIMK), Serbs in Northern Kosovo don't want to recognize Kosovo as their state, but Serbia's state. For that purpose Serbia is trying to pressure the Northern part of Kosovo Republic which gained its independence on February 17, 2008.

Since July 25 of this year, life conditions, freedom of movement, order, justice and welfare of all habitants (minority Serbs and Albanians etc.) were deprived by Serbian parallel structures who enforced all Serbs to organize and put the barricades on the main roads which lead to custom checkpoints 1 and 31 (Bernjak and Jarinje) of the Northern Kosovo.

The KFOR Commander General Erhard Drews with his staff addressed the problems by convincing Serbs to peacefully remove all their barricades, and open all roads not only for KFOR, but and EULEX, UNMIK and Kosovo Custom police as well. In effect, Serbs hagreed to General Drews' proposal which was to open one lane for KFOR, not for EULEX and Albanian Custom Police. However, the KFOR commander refused the Serbs' proposal.

As Belgrade's News Agency (Tanjug) reported on Monday that KFOR Commander Erhard Drews and EU Mission Chief Andy Sparks have turned their backs because they tried to pass beyond the village of Zupche.

The Serbs have definitely pushed official Belgrade and Serbian Orthodox Church to provoke a new armed conflict in Northern Kosovo. But NATO, UE and the United States have to take into account immediately proper legal instruments of their diplomacy to stop and neutralize Serbia from territorial disputes.

The first condition to be solved is that the European Union should not accept Serbia's EU Candidacy which is predicted this December of this year. Lastly, the second by Serbia. Otherwise, Serbia will never give up from its historical, political and territorial aspirations to gain back Kosovo under its previous colonial sovereignty (1912-1999).

The second condition must be recognizing of the Republic of Kosovo.