WASHINGTON -- The U.S. is determined to prevent a partition of Kosovo, be it de facto or de jure, says Nicholas Burns.
Source: Beta
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He reiterated EU Special Representative Peter Feith’s remarks, who said in Vienna earlier today that there would be no partition.
“He said that we do not advocate a partition of Kosovo and that we won’t tolerate any step in that direction, regardless of whether the partition is de facto or de jure. We won’t support it,“ said Burns.
He stressed that the majority of countries supported Kosovo independence.
Asked to comment on an article by Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremić published on February 27 in the New York Times, Burns said that the Serbs had forgotten the history of the nineties, when they were accused of ethnically cleansing Kosovo Albanians.
In the article, Jeremić said that the majority of UN members would not recognize Kosovo, as “only around 40 of 200 countries had recognized Kosovo,“ and he called the unilateral declaration of independence an illegal act and a “historic injustice.”
“The Serbian foreign minister deserves a lot of criticism for talking to our papers and media, and behaving as if nothing happened in 1998 and 1999, when the Kosovo Albanian Muslim population was exposed to frightful injustices,” said Burns.
The under secretary added that Serbia had tried to expel a million Kosovo Albanians by force, and that for this reason the UN had taken Kosovo from her.
“We haven’t forgotten that,” he underlined, stressing that the U.S. considered Serbia responsible for “what took place on the streets of Belgrade” during last week’s anti-independence demonstrations, when the U.S. embassy was set ablaze.
Mr Burns never did explain how 40 out of 200 become the majority.
Guess you don't have to pass math in America to work in the State Department.
First Condi tells the Serbs to forget their history and now Burns tells us that 40 out of 200 somehow makes that a majority. Do they actually get told what to say or is this rubbish their own?
(Peggy, 1 March 2008 05:12)
“The Serbian foreign minister deserves a lot of criticism for talking to our papers and media…”
Bravo, Mr. Jeremic!
You struck a nerve with Mr. Burns and have gotten the best of him for exercising your right-freedom of speech.
Mr. Burn’s testosterone seems to be out of control and he looks rather foolish.
What an outburst and certainly not becoming of a member of the US State Department.
The U.S. is determined to prevent a partition of Kosovo and implement the Ahtisaari Plan?
Remember Mr. Burns, the US Congress and Senate vote for or against positions and then President Bush signs into law or uses his veto powers.
A legally recognized international body did not approve the Ahtisaari Plan. Send the Ahtisaari Plan to the UN for a vote and follow the democratic process.
Mr. Burns, Europe is to jump when the US tells them? Europe is not to do as the US and follow the democratic process but rather, do what the US tells them to do.
The politicians in Washington and all of the political appointees on the public dole do a terrible disservice to its citizens that they serve by this hypocrisy.
"He stressed that the majority of countries supported Kosovo independence."
Wait the minute.
Kostarica
USA
France
UK
Afghanistan
Albania
Australia
Turkey
Senegal
Malasya
Germany
Luxemburg
Letonia
Denmark
Italy
Peru
Belgium
Poland
Switzerland
Austria
and this morning Ireland.
20.
Several more countries have announced recognition.
Finnland
Lithuania
Norway
Slovenia
That will be 24.
That's the majority of the countries? How many UN members there is?
(ved, 29 February 2008 17:38)
Thank you ZK UK for literally taking the words out of my comment. This guy is a complete joke, and between the idiotic statements coming from him and his boss Condi, it really makes me wonder if part of the requirements for taking a high ranking position in the State Department is undergoing a lobotomy.
(Mike, 29 February 2008 17:12)
It's not a personal issue between the US and Serbia, it's a personal issue between Burns and Serbia, as he has been the driving force behind this Kosovo independence debacle. He is very clearly anti-Serb and it shows in the policies he has been pushing and the immature, undiplomatic comments he has been making.
He is leaving in March and this is his swan song. He is just lashing out in frustration that Kosovo independence hasn't been the cakewalk he planned and the rest of the world isn't falling in line with his failed policies.
Hopefully his replacement is more wise and pragmatic and less influenced by personal agendas.
It's a shame our Kosovo policy has been engineered by someone who is still stuck in the 90's and thinks we are still dealing with Milosevic's Serbia. It's as if the last 8 years count for nothing. Burns has largely destroyed any credibility we may have had in the Balkans, and that will have very real repercussions for us in the future.
This may signal the beginning of the end of US meddling in the Balkans, and for a non-interventionist Ron Paul republican like myself, that's a great thing.
Dear Serbs: please do not give up this struggle, by striking at the empire you are doing a favor not only for yourselves, but for Americans and freedom-loving people everywhere.
Kosovo is Serbia!
(Billy the Kid, 29 February 2008 17:01)
Wow, I got really really dizzy reading that article! So so much spin and inaccuracies.
Of course it was meant for the consumption of the ignorant!
Let me pick some of them:
1. Partition already exists contrary to his belief.
2. There is an overwhelming number of countries who do NOT support independence contrary to his statement that "the majority of countries supported Kosovo independence"
3. The UN guarantees Serbia's territorial integrity with Kosovo being an integral part of it. That is part of the UN Charter and reaffirmed in 1244. This again is contrary to his statement that "the UN had taken Kosovo from her [Serbia]"
4. He talks about injustices to the Albanians but conveniently does not mention the 120,000+ ethnically cleansed Serbs and Non-Albanians (even till this day) and all the frightful injustices committed against them.
5. And they are still going on about the embassies! This is just a diversion from the dismal number of Kosovo recognitions!
Good on Jeremic for writing an article in the New York Times!
(ZK UK, 29 February 2008 16:13)
Burns is the past! He should be ashamed to criticize anyone as an American political representative after such debacle and humiliation in Afghanistan and Iraq. There are over million people dead only in Iraq, not to mention terrible ethnic cleansing on the daily basis. And he has guts to criticize democratic Serbia that is ethnically most diverse country in the world.
Besides, why doesn’t he honestly say who really committed ethnical cleansing in Kosovo? Why doesn’t he acknowledge the role of UCK who ordered Albanians to leave Kosovo en masse, why doesn’t he acknowledge the bombing contribution in cleansing as well as fabricated mass graves?
Mr Burns, for your information, de facto partition already exist and Serbs do refuse to be governed by the Albanians for the very same reason that you accused us.
(bmrusila, 29 February 2008 15:09)
I get the impression that this a personal issue between USA and Serbia. I guess it may be time to evacuate all Serbian citizens out of Kosovo. For the last ten tears it has been very evident that the USA is destroying Serbia. If Serbians wishes to exist it should join Russia ASAP.
(Another Canadian Serb, 29 February 2008 13:59)
Nicholas Burns the vehement Serb-hater is at it again. It seems he is still in never-never land. Mr. Burns, the vast majority of the world does not support your immoral and illegal 'greater albania' plan. They see right through your anti-Serb double standards, where in your mind it is ok to split Serbia, but it is not ok to split Kosovo, and it is not ok to split Bosnia. It is ok for albanians to burn 156 Serbian churches, put Serbs behind barbed wire in ghettos, and ethnically cleanse 200,000 more of them. That's a bunch of rubbish, and it's amazing that you can keep repeating it with a straight face. I guess with Burns, it's a case of 'No morals, no guilt'.
Despite Burns' best efforts to steal 15% of Serbian territory and reward his albanian lobbyist friends, thank God that he has failed and the world is not listening. The role of America on the world stage is diminishing right before our eyes, and it's very nice to see.
Cheers!
(Dragan, 29 February 2008 13:51)
It is almost comical reading about political statements coming out of Belgrade:). Belgrade is playing the same game it played during all the wars in the region--completely ignoring their part in the wars.
(Tim, 29 February 2008 13:41)
This is the same US State Department who, in 1998, had the al Quaeda-affiliated KLA on its list of terrorist organizations and then took them off the list for the sake of political expediency, and then they pretend that the terrorist situation never existed because they never mentioned it since. The same State Department that tries to rule other people on other countries and, as is demonstrated, twist arguments their way and use the name of the UN in ways that are patently false. What mendacity!
If George W. Bush is making a War on Terror, he should explain to the American people what it means in practical terms. Also, he should explain why the KLA gets special exemption. If Bin Laden was to wave an American flag for the TV camera, would that make him an ally of America? I don't think so.
(Stevo, 29 February 2008 13:16)
"The U.S. is determined to prevent a partition of Kosovo, be it de facto or de jure, says Nicholas Burns."
The de facto partition is already there. Any attempts to overturn that will result in bloodshed of unarmed K-Serbs in front of the entire world. That would make Bush, Burns and Company no better than Milosevic right?
(lowe, 29 February 2008 13:13)
Nicholas Burns the vehement Serb-hater is at it again. It seems he is still in never-never land. Mr. Burns, the vast majority of the world does not support your immoral and illegal 'greater albania' plan. They see right through your anti-Serb double standards, where in your mind it is ok to split Serbia, but it is not ok to split Kosovo, and it is not ok to split Bosnia. It is ok for albanians to burn 156 Serbian churches, put Serbs behind barbed wire in ghettos, and ethnically cleanse 200,000 more of them. That's a bunch of rubbish, and it's amazing that you can keep repeating it with a straight face. I guess with Burns, it's a case of 'No morals, no guilt'.
Despite Burns' best efforts to steal 15% of Serbian territory and reward his albanian lobbyist friends, thank God that he has failed and the world is not listening. The role of America on the world stage is diminishing right before our eyes, and it's very nice to see.
Cheers!
(Dragan, 29 February 2008 13:51)
It's not a personal issue between the US and Serbia, it's a personal issue between Burns and Serbia, as he has been the driving force behind this Kosovo independence debacle. He is very clearly anti-Serb and it shows in the policies he has been pushing and the immature, undiplomatic comments he has been making.
He is leaving in March and this is his swan song. He is just lashing out in frustration that Kosovo independence hasn't been the cakewalk he planned and the rest of the world isn't falling in line with his failed policies.
Hopefully his replacement is more wise and pragmatic and less influenced by personal agendas.
It's a shame our Kosovo policy has been engineered by someone who is still stuck in the 90's and thinks we are still dealing with Milosevic's Serbia. It's as if the last 8 years count for nothing. Burns has largely destroyed any credibility we may have had in the Balkans, and that will have very real repercussions for us in the future.
This may signal the beginning of the end of US meddling in the Balkans, and for a non-interventionist Ron Paul republican like myself, that's a great thing.
Dear Serbs: please do not give up this struggle, by striking at the empire you are doing a favor not only for yourselves, but for Americans and freedom-loving people everywhere.
Kosovo is Serbia!
(Billy the Kid, 29 February 2008 17:01)
Wow, I got really really dizzy reading that article! So so much spin and inaccuracies.
Of course it was meant for the consumption of the ignorant!
Let me pick some of them:
1. Partition already exists contrary to his belief.
2. There is an overwhelming number of countries who do NOT support independence contrary to his statement that "the majority of countries supported Kosovo independence"
3. The UN guarantees Serbia's territorial integrity with Kosovo being an integral part of it. That is part of the UN Charter and reaffirmed in 1244. This again is contrary to his statement that "the UN had taken Kosovo from her [Serbia]"
4. He talks about injustices to the Albanians but conveniently does not mention the 120,000+ ethnically cleansed Serbs and Non-Albanians (even till this day) and all the frightful injustices committed against them.
5. And they are still going on about the embassies! This is just a diversion from the dismal number of Kosovo recognitions!
Good on Jeremic for writing an article in the New York Times!
(ZK UK, 29 February 2008 16:13)
Thank you ZK UK for literally taking the words out of my comment. This guy is a complete joke, and between the idiotic statements coming from him and his boss Condi, it really makes me wonder if part of the requirements for taking a high ranking position in the State Department is undergoing a lobotomy.
(Mike, 29 February 2008 17:12)
Burns is the past! He should be ashamed to criticize anyone as an American political representative after such debacle and humiliation in Afghanistan and Iraq. There are over million people dead only in Iraq, not to mention terrible ethnic cleansing on the daily basis. And he has guts to criticize democratic Serbia that is ethnically most diverse country in the world.
Besides, why doesn’t he honestly say who really committed ethnical cleansing in Kosovo? Why doesn’t he acknowledge the role of UCK who ordered Albanians to leave Kosovo en masse, why doesn’t he acknowledge the bombing contribution in cleansing as well as fabricated mass graves?
Mr Burns, for your information, de facto partition already exist and Serbs do refuse to be governed by the Albanians for the very same reason that you accused us.
(bmrusila, 29 February 2008 15:09)
“The Serbian foreign minister deserves a lot of criticism for talking to our papers and media…”
Bravo, Mr. Jeremic!
You struck a nerve with Mr. Burns and have gotten the best of him for exercising your right-freedom of speech.
Mr. Burn’s testosterone seems to be out of control and he looks rather foolish.
What an outburst and certainly not becoming of a member of the US State Department.
The U.S. is determined to prevent a partition of Kosovo and implement the Ahtisaari Plan?
Remember Mr. Burns, the US Congress and Senate vote for or against positions and then President Bush signs into law or uses his veto powers.
A legally recognized international body did not approve the Ahtisaari Plan. Send the Ahtisaari Plan to the UN for a vote and follow the democratic process.
Mr. Burns, Europe is to jump when the US tells them? Europe is not to do as the US and follow the democratic process but rather, do what the US tells them to do.
The politicians in Washington and all of the political appointees on the public dole do a terrible disservice to its citizens that they serve by this hypocrisy.
"He stressed that the majority of countries supported Kosovo independence."
Wait the minute.
Kostarica
USA
France
UK
Afghanistan
Albania
Australia
Turkey
Senegal
Malasya
Germany
Luxemburg
Letonia
Denmark
Italy
Peru
Belgium
Poland
Switzerland
Austria
and this morning Ireland.
20.
Several more countries have announced recognition.
Finnland
Lithuania
Norway
Slovenia
That will be 24.
That's the majority of the countries? How many UN members there is?
(ved, 29 February 2008 17:38)
"The U.S. is determined to prevent a partition of Kosovo, be it de facto or de jure, says Nicholas Burns."
The de facto partition is already there. Any attempts to overturn that will result in bloodshed of unarmed K-Serbs in front of the entire world. That would make Bush, Burns and Company no better than Milosevic right?
(lowe, 29 February 2008 13:13)
This is the same US State Department who, in 1998, had the al Quaeda-affiliated KLA on its list of terrorist organizations and then took them off the list for the sake of political expediency, and then they pretend that the terrorist situation never existed because they never mentioned it since. The same State Department that tries to rule other people on other countries and, as is demonstrated, twist arguments their way and use the name of the UN in ways that are patently false. What mendacity!
If George W. Bush is making a War on Terror, he should explain to the American people what it means in practical terms. Also, he should explain why the KLA gets special exemption. If Bin Laden was to wave an American flag for the TV camera, would that make him an ally of America? I don't think so.
(Stevo, 29 February 2008 13:16)
I get the impression that this a personal issue between USA and Serbia. I guess it may be time to evacuate all Serbian citizens out of Kosovo. For the last ten tears it has been very evident that the USA is destroying Serbia. If Serbians wishes to exist it should join Russia ASAP.
(Another Canadian Serb, 29 February 2008 13:59)
Mr Burns never did explain how 40 out of 200 become the majority.
Guess you don't have to pass math in America to work in the State Department.
First Condi tells the Serbs to forget their history and now Burns tells us that 40 out of 200 somehow makes that a majority. Do they actually get told what to say or is this rubbish their own?
(Peggy, 1 March 2008 05:12)
It is almost comical reading about political statements coming out of Belgrade:). Belgrade is playing the same game it played during all the wars in the region--completely ignoring their part in the wars.
(Tim, 29 February 2008 13:41)
It is almost comical reading about political statements coming out of Belgrade:). Belgrade is playing the same game it played during all the wars in the region--completely ignoring their part in the wars.
(Tim, 29 February 2008 13:41)
"He stressed that the majority of countries supported Kosovo independence."
Wait the minute.
Kostarica
USA
France
UK
Afghanistan
Albania
Australia
Turkey
Senegal
Malasya
Germany
Luxemburg
Letonia
Denmark
Italy
Peru
Belgium
Poland
Switzerland
Austria
and this morning Ireland.
20.
Several more countries have announced recognition.
Finnland
Lithuania
Norway
Slovenia
That will be 24.
That's the majority of the countries? How many UN members there is?
(ved, 29 February 2008 17:38)
I get the impression that this a personal issue between USA and Serbia. I guess it may be time to evacuate all Serbian citizens out of Kosovo. For the last ten tears it has been very evident that the USA is destroying Serbia. If Serbians wishes to exist it should join Russia ASAP.
(Another Canadian Serb, 29 February 2008 13:59)
Thank you ZK UK for literally taking the words out of my comment. This guy is a complete joke, and between the idiotic statements coming from him and his boss Condi, it really makes me wonder if part of the requirements for taking a high ranking position in the State Department is undergoing a lobotomy.
(Mike, 29 February 2008 17:12)
Mr Burns never did explain how 40 out of 200 become the majority.
Guess you don't have to pass math in America to work in the State Department.
First Condi tells the Serbs to forget their history and now Burns tells us that 40 out of 200 somehow makes that a majority. Do they actually get told what to say or is this rubbish their own?
(Peggy, 1 March 2008 05:12)
It's not a personal issue between the US and Serbia, it's a personal issue between Burns and Serbia, as he has been the driving force behind this Kosovo independence debacle. He is very clearly anti-Serb and it shows in the policies he has been pushing and the immature, undiplomatic comments he has been making.
He is leaving in March and this is his swan song. He is just lashing out in frustration that Kosovo independence hasn't been the cakewalk he planned and the rest of the world isn't falling in line with his failed policies.
Hopefully his replacement is more wise and pragmatic and less influenced by personal agendas.
It's a shame our Kosovo policy has been engineered by someone who is still stuck in the 90's and thinks we are still dealing with Milosevic's Serbia. It's as if the last 8 years count for nothing. Burns has largely destroyed any credibility we may have had in the Balkans, and that will have very real repercussions for us in the future.
This may signal the beginning of the end of US meddling in the Balkans, and for a non-interventionist Ron Paul republican like myself, that's a great thing.
Dear Serbs: please do not give up this struggle, by striking at the empire you are doing a favor not only for yourselves, but for Americans and freedom-loving people everywhere.
Kosovo is Serbia!
(Billy the Kid, 29 February 2008 17:01)
Wow, I got really really dizzy reading that article! So so much spin and inaccuracies.
Of course it was meant for the consumption of the ignorant!
Let me pick some of them:
1. Partition already exists contrary to his belief.
2. There is an overwhelming number of countries who do NOT support independence contrary to his statement that "the majority of countries supported Kosovo independence"
3. The UN guarantees Serbia's territorial integrity with Kosovo being an integral part of it. That is part of the UN Charter and reaffirmed in 1244. This again is contrary to his statement that "the UN had taken Kosovo from her [Serbia]"
4. He talks about injustices to the Albanians but conveniently does not mention the 120,000+ ethnically cleansed Serbs and Non-Albanians (even till this day) and all the frightful injustices committed against them.
5. And they are still going on about the embassies! This is just a diversion from the dismal number of Kosovo recognitions!
Good on Jeremic for writing an article in the New York Times!
(ZK UK, 29 February 2008 16:13)
This is the same US State Department who, in 1998, had the al Quaeda-affiliated KLA on its list of terrorist organizations and then took them off the list for the sake of political expediency, and then they pretend that the terrorist situation never existed because they never mentioned it since. The same State Department that tries to rule other people on other countries and, as is demonstrated, twist arguments their way and use the name of the UN in ways that are patently false. What mendacity!
If George W. Bush is making a War on Terror, he should explain to the American people what it means in practical terms. Also, he should explain why the KLA gets special exemption. If Bin Laden was to wave an American flag for the TV camera, would that make him an ally of America? I don't think so.
(Stevo, 29 February 2008 13:16)
Burns is the past! He should be ashamed to criticize anyone as an American political representative after such debacle and humiliation in Afghanistan and Iraq. There are over million people dead only in Iraq, not to mention terrible ethnic cleansing on the daily basis. And he has guts to criticize democratic Serbia that is ethnically most diverse country in the world.
Besides, why doesn’t he honestly say who really committed ethnical cleansing in Kosovo? Why doesn’t he acknowledge the role of UCK who ordered Albanians to leave Kosovo en masse, why doesn’t he acknowledge the bombing contribution in cleansing as well as fabricated mass graves?
Mr Burns, for your information, de facto partition already exist and Serbs do refuse to be governed by the Albanians for the very same reason that you accused us.
(bmrusila, 29 February 2008 15:09)
“The Serbian foreign minister deserves a lot of criticism for talking to our papers and media…”
Bravo, Mr. Jeremic!
You struck a nerve with Mr. Burns and have gotten the best of him for exercising your right-freedom of speech.
Mr. Burn’s testosterone seems to be out of control and he looks rather foolish.
What an outburst and certainly not becoming of a member of the US State Department.
The U.S. is determined to prevent a partition of Kosovo and implement the Ahtisaari Plan?
Remember Mr. Burns, the US Congress and Senate vote for or against positions and then President Bush signs into law or uses his veto powers.
A legally recognized international body did not approve the Ahtisaari Plan. Send the Ahtisaari Plan to the UN for a vote and follow the democratic process.
Mr. Burns, Europe is to jump when the US tells them? Europe is not to do as the US and follow the democratic process but rather, do what the US tells them to do.
The politicians in Washington and all of the political appointees on the public dole do a terrible disservice to its citizens that they serve by this hypocrisy.
Nicholas Burns the vehement Serb-hater is at it again. It seems he is still in never-never land. Mr. Burns, the vast majority of the world does not support your immoral and illegal 'greater albania' plan. They see right through your anti-Serb double standards, where in your mind it is ok to split Serbia, but it is not ok to split Kosovo, and it is not ok to split Bosnia. It is ok for albanians to burn 156 Serbian churches, put Serbs behind barbed wire in ghettos, and ethnically cleanse 200,000 more of them. That's a bunch of rubbish, and it's amazing that you can keep repeating it with a straight face. I guess with Burns, it's a case of 'No morals, no guilt'.
Despite Burns' best efforts to steal 15% of Serbian territory and reward his albanian lobbyist friends, thank God that he has failed and the world is not listening. The role of America on the world stage is diminishing right before our eyes, and it's very nice to see.
Cheers!
(Dragan, 29 February 2008 13:51)
"The U.S. is determined to prevent a partition of Kosovo, be it de facto or de jure, says Nicholas Burns."
The de facto partition is already there. Any attempts to overturn that will result in bloodshed of unarmed K-Serbs in front of the entire world. That would make Bush, Burns and Company no better than Milosevic right?
(lowe, 29 February 2008 13:13)