WASHINGTON -- The annual summit of the EU and the U.S. that takes place in Washington today will touch on the future status of Kosovo.
Source: B92
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Serb List for Kosovo leader Oliver Ivanović who attended the forum told B92 that the positions of the European Union and the United States regarding Kosovo differed, since the U.S. advocated a swift solution, while the EU was more cautious and did not want to rush.
Ivanović sad he met with Stefan Lehne, EU special envoy for Kosovo status, who conveyed to 15 UN ambassadors ahead of their trip to Kosovo EU’s position on the issue.
“The EU says there will be no agreements and no new administrative missions to Kosovo without a UN resolution. The EU will not venture into assuming responsibility for the future of the province without the adoption of a resolution,” Ivanović said.
He added he also spoke to Peter Feith who is likely to be the new chief EU representative in Kosovo.
“Faith also said that the resolution should not be made in haste, and praised the UN Security Council’s resolve to settle the issue,” Ivanović said.
Belgrade negotiating team member Dušan Bataković said Sunday that Kosovo talks would resume after the UN fact-finding mission submitted its report on Kosovo.
However, Ivanović did not get the same impression at the Brussels meeting.
“The prevailing position among foreign representatives and diplomats is that Ahtisari’s plan will undergo adaptation. They doubt there would be new talks, and believe that Ahtisaari’s recomendations will indeed serve as a starting point for a new resolution,” Ivanović concluded.
Let’s be more realistic Mr. Ivanovic, I don’t see much differences between US and EU vision around Kosovo. Time is very irrelevant factor; it’s have been waited eight and a half years up to now, but surely the issue is closing down its path. What is more important and most probably as well the outcome is in accordance with majority’s expectations. I don’t really see the importance of these kinds of assertions released by politicians who should be more adhered to serious stances, because they might very easy canalize people’s either positive or negative mood. So that, they ought to be very cautious in declaring political situation.
(laki bani, 30 April 2007 13:37)
Indendence Looms Large for Kosovans, but the price may be crippling for the rest of the world.
For me, it looks like the US is pushing the Kosovo agenda so hard for its own end, which is "divide et impera".
The more states, the more the US can fiddle with small countries and exert pressure to the maximum.
["If Russia decides to use its veto (in the UN Security Council), there will be a declaration of independence in Kosovo, and the United States will recognise Kosovo the same day," Richard Holbrooke predicted during a conference in Brussels, adding that he believed several EU states would follow suit. ]
So let it be.
The US traded with Osama Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein. (Clinton would have even traded with Adolf H. if he had a chance.)
So why shouldn't they get a deal with the Kosovans, at least they have deserved a state of their own after their plight and rightful resurgance.
Beware, the US hanged Saddam and would do worse things with Osama despite billions in traded goods.
It would be an irony if Osama would be found travelling through Kosovo one day and talking to his Sarajevo pals, planning the attack the US fears so much.
Good luck to all of you!
And let's see what happens.
(I wouldn't be surprised if independence will not come as planned since all the US and Kosovans can do now is increasing media hype.)
(+/-, 30 April 2007 15:57)
"It would be an irony if Osama would be found travelling through Kosovo one day "
+/- save your propaganda for somewhere else , there is much higher probability that he will be found in Belgrade, where war criminals are not prosecuted and free to roam around, then in Prishtina.
the minute Osama steeps in Kosova territory he will be caught
FYI many of the KLA commanders were catholic albanians, only is serbian media KLA is associated with Al Qaeda - I wonder why !?
(laki NY, 30 April 2007 16:50)
Albanian catholics have been and are being prosecuted and treated like outcasts in Kosovo.
(Please name 5 important commanders who are catholics. No subordinate ranks, please.)
As to Bin Laden and his network, read the following AP report. (It might not have the biased view of the Serbian press. AP stands for Associated Press. It's US newswire. Just in case you don't know and sorry if I just state the obvious.)
SARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP)--Islamic militants with ties to al-Qaida and other terrorist organizations have been crisscrossing the Balkans for more than 15 years, according to an intelligence report focusing on their activities in Bosnia.
The 252-page analysis, compiled jointly by U.S. and Croatian intelligence and obtained by The AP, said extremists financed in part with cash from narcotics smuggling operations were trying to infiltrate Western Europe from Afghanistan and points further east via a corridor running through Turkey, Kosovo and Albania.
The report offers new evidence to support what authorities long have suspected: terrorists have taken advantage of the Balkans' porous borders and relatively lax security to meet, train and possibly plot attacks elsewhere in Europe.
"Either they come here seeking logistical support, financial support or to contact certain individuals to get instructions, or to hide for a moment from those who are following them," Dragan Lukac, deputy director of SIPA - Bosnia's equivalent to the FBI - told the AP in an interview.
I guess that there is a real risk and that there is no denying it.
Kosovo will be ripped up between its Muslim tradition and culture and its apparent glorification of the US. It will just come to a total collapse, similar to the Albanian society in Albania. (It's probably the weirdest place on this planet, no kidding.)
But if it works, the better for Europe, Albania and the rest. If not, there won't be an easy solution since the inception of this country is fraught with so many difficulties that, it seems to me, nothing will come of it.
If anything Europe and USA should be worried about Christian / Serbian extremism and their 'holy war' to defend their historic heartland.Only the other day there was a report about volunteers signing up in Serbia as 'christian' fighters to 'defend' Kosovo!
It is the serbs that keep talking about religion, churches etc. It is the serbs that refer to albanains as muslims.
You never hear albanians talking about their mosques or how Kosovo is islamic country or whatever. and you never hear albanians refering to serbs as christians!
no body buys your propaganda anymore.
K albanians are most pro-european and pro-american nation in Balkans. K albanians are also a very secular society.
Why would albanians help al-qeada when USA is our biggest ally??? It makes no sense. If anything serbs have 100 times more motives and reasons to help al-qaeda.
And as far as you comment about catholic albanians getting abused in Kosovo, just shows you lack of knowledge and the fact that you have probably never even been in Kosovo.
My best friend is catholic, and two of my neighbours are catholic as well, and they have never had any problems, and are not treated in anyway different to muslims.
(nikshala, 30 April 2007 18:52)
+/- you the Serbs tried every possible lie in the world, including "Albanian catholics have been and are being prosecuted and treated like outcasts in Kosovo. "
Part I
[link] Part II
[link]
(laki NY, 30 April 2007 19:32)
What a naive propaganda. Very scarce actring, indeed. Maybe you know some of those actors, Jack? Maybe you can tell us who hired them and how much did they get? I hope no more than 1 USD per hour, that's what they deserve.
And the Parlament Speaker of Kosovo, Kol Berisha is a Catholic, Jack.
Honestly: do you expect anyone to believe you guys?
(genc, 30 April 2007 21:53)
I believe that video is a joke of three kids that want to show their theatrical skills. I found it very funny because these guys are a real tease. Everyone with a little bit of brain won't believe in any words of these kids. It also could be a kind of provocation from some dark trends in Greece that would like to distract attention of the international community from Kosova. That is another bluff of the dark policies in the Balkan. Got some good news for you guys. Albania, Kroatia, Macedonia and later on Kosova will join the Nato club at the begining of 2008. President Bush is coming in Albania on the 10th of June.
(EA, 30 April 2007 23:35)
Hey +/-, I wonder where do you take this hostile informations. It is quite sure that you have never seen the land you are talking for, nor have you never known the people that live there and what is more condemnable, you have never tried to understand the situation. I am catholic albanian and I can assure you that if the world didn't ask us what religion do we have, we would never notice that having different religions might be a reason to treat each other differently. Anyway, stay sure that albanians will never have problems with religions, just look at the history. It confirms.
(Rovena, 1 May 2007 01:08)
Mister +/-,your arguments are really spoiled. You know it very well. Please say something interesting or of value instead. Jesus Christ was not a Serb and your Christianity seems so fundamentalist that Osama Bin Laden is very common to pass through Beograd.
(the europian., 1 May 2007 02:56)
I don't doubt that your best friend is a catholic and that you have an open mind and that many Albanians share your view.
But, plesase, don't negate the fact that Albanians ARE destroying important cultural Serbian objects in Kosovo.
Don't negate the fact that there is bewildering willingness within the Albanian population to destroy anyting not beloning to the pseudo Kosovo-Albanian culture.
(The same happened when Croatians became independent. I am half Croatian and half Bosnian)
Don't negate the fact that being Muslim helps generating ties to other parts of the Muslim world. The Bosnians are now struggling to get rid of their "freedom fighters"...)
On top of that, no one specified a single name of an important catholic "freedom fighter" in Kosovo.
But to cut a long story short, the good thing about the current situation is that there is NO WAR. (Talking is much more fun.)
(+/-, 1 May 2007 11:46)