Crossfire War – Belgrade – Athens – Tehran – Moscow Watch – Southeast Europe Theatre: Moscow – Athens – Ankara – Tehran – Belgrade/Pristina – Brussels – Vienna – Washington – Warsaw; Trappings of Independence – “The Serbs will have to Accept the Loss of Kosovo” – Anonymous Western Official – Belgrade Threatens to Sever Diplomatic Contacts – Kosovo Serbs Threaten Secession – Kosovo PM Ceku Appeals for Calm
Night Watch: PRISTINA – Diplomats are already acknowledging the proposal to be presented by United Nations Envoy Martti Ahtisaari on Kosovo’s future status will disappoint both sides; ethnic Albanians, who are also Muslim and demand indpendence from Serbia, which has steadfastly refused to negotiate any kind of independence for the province. Serbia nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has already threatened to sever diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes Kosovo independence and refused to meet the UN official Martti Ahtisaari who has designed the proposal. Kosovo Serbs, who live in the northern part of the province have announced they will secede from the territory if independence is recognized. Even though the UN proposal does not declare the province an independent state, Kosovo will have what has been called the “trappings of independence”, which might still be to much for Serbs to tolerate. [SERBIANNA]
Kosovo will have its own flag and an anthem but that will hardly satisfy the Albanian majority. An ethnic Albanian leader in Kosovo, Albin Kurti, leader of the extremely popular movement Self-Determination, has responded in detail as to why he and all of his followers refuse to take seriously the UN solution, “According to Ahtisaari’s plan Kosovo will not be represented in the UN, won’t have an army, ministry of defense and foreign ministry. Besides UNMIK (United Nations Mission in Kosovo) will be succeeded by another international mission, which similarly to the one in Bosnia and Herzegovina will be all-powerful.” Kurti was speaking through the Bulgarian news service Focus Net. He continued, “Kosovo will be able to apply for membership in some international organizations, but only the international mission, which will be deployed in Kosovo, will be allowed to make such a demand. It’s another question whether the demand will be met.” [SERBIANNA]
The European Union, based in Brussels is infamous for rejecting demands from societies and countries it deems unworthy unless every minute economic detail is precisely what Brussels dictates. The UN proposal also demands the Albanians in the province disband their Kosovo Protection Corps despite NATO-EU-UN have been noted, throughout the wars in the former Yugoslavia, for leaving unprotected areas that had been declared “safe areas,” Srebrenica being one example just before the horrific mass slaughter of 8,000 Muslim men and boys in eastern Bosnia in July 1995. That slaughter caused the UN negotiator on humanitarian affairs in the area to resign, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, a former Prime Minister of Poland. He had been working with the UN since 1992, but after NATO failed to protect the Srebrenica he accused the world of “inactivity” and “hypocrisy”.
Mazowiecki realized the obvious, that Brussels would deliberately make decisions to cause a crisis, devastating for the population in the former Yugoslavia, then use the war as its excuse to intervene militarily and then occupy, either going through the UN, EU or NATO. So Mazowiecki refused to be a part of anything so suspicious, actually quite evil. Now Brussels-NATO is warning Serbs-Albanians to not resort to violence in response to the UN proposal. NATO Supreme Commander General John Craddock stated from Islamabad, “I would hope that there is no disturbance based on how people will accept the future status”, he said to AP. “Looking at the capabilities and arrangements, (the NATO force) is well postured for any eventuality.” [SERBIANNA]
NATO has had its 16,500 troops increase their patrols and security. It was in late November when 5,000 Albanians attacked the UNMIK building in Pristina in a mild expression of their hatred of the international organizations which have been occupying and controlling the area since 1999. The only question now is who is the angriest, Albanians or Serbs? It would not be surprising if they concentrate on their common enemy – NATO-EU-UN. Fighting could break out now at any moment, especially if the winter has not been too severe.
In December Belgrade was incorporated into NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and told that if all goes well it could become a full club member.
www.crossfirewar.com
