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Round The World
Kosovo For Independence
BOOST TO SEPARATISM
By Monish Tourangbam
New Delhi, March 31, 2008
“What should determine the foundation of a State? Should it be
values, or biology?” As intellectuals try and grapple with
this question, the repercussions of the latest act in the
long, unraveling of Yugoslavia that began 17 years ago is all
but over. Circumstances in 1999, particularly the massacre of
44 Albanians in the village of Racak, triggered a NATO
intervention to protect Kosovo’s majority Albanians from Serb
forces; and led to the establishment of a U.N. protectorate in
the region.
The latest amputation was made official with Kosovo’s
declaration of independence on February 17, 2008. Kosovo’s
Parliament voted 109-0 to sever ties with Serbia, finally
capping a struggle for statehood. 11 deputies from ethnic
minorities, including Serbs, abstained. “Kosovo is a republic-
an independent, democratic and sovereign state,” Parliament
Speaker Jakup Krasniqi said as the chamber burst into
applause. “From now onward, Kosovo is proud, independent,
sovereign and free,” Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, a former
anti-Serb guerrilla leader, said, also committing to confront
the painful legacy of the past in a spirit of forgiveness and
reconciliation. Across Pristina, the capital of Kosovo,
revellers danced in the streets, fired guns into the air and
waved red and black Albanian flags in jubilation.
On the other hand, the Serbian President Boris Tadic, reacted
by saying that his country will never accept Kosovo’s
“unilateral and illegal” declaration. “Kosovo will never get a
seat at the UN. as long as Serbia has the support of Russia
and its President Vladimir Putin,” said Aleksandar Vucic of
the opposition Radicals, Serbia’s biggest party. The most
extreme reaction came from the head of the Serb Orthodox
Church in Kosovo, Bishop Artemije, who denounced Serbia for
doing nothing. He called for extreme actions with help from
Russia, saying that Kosovo’s independence was “a temporary
state of occupation”.
Many legal, emotional and demographic complexities add to the
contentiousness of the issue. Kosovo is a province, not a
republic like the other post-Yugoslav States, and the legal
grounds for its secession from Serbia are hotly contested.
Over half of the Serb population in Kosovo lives south of
Mitrovica, scattered in smaller enclaves, some of which could
be just as big a headache for the Pristina government and its
backers. In the Lipjan area near the centre of Kosovo, 10,000
Serbs live uneasily alongside a similar number of Albanians.
Moreover, Kosovo is for the Serbs, a sacred territory, for it
was here, at Kosovo Polje (Blackbird Field), that Serbs were
defeated and subjugated by the Turks in 1389. It had been the
heart of their medieval State and Serbs believed that it must
be forever a part of Serbia, even though by the mid-80s, 90
per cent of the population was Albanians.
It did not take much time before Kosovo’s move had its “domino
effect” in the region. The main opposition Bosnian Serb Party
called for the independence of the Serb-run half of Bosnia,
citing Kosovo as a precedent. Since its 1992-95 war, Bosnia
has consisted of two entities, the Serb-run Republika Sprska
(RS) and the Muslim-Croat Federation, each with their own
government, parliament and police force. A resolution was
adopted by the RS Parliament saying that if most European
Union countries and the US recognise Kosovo’s independence,
then RS would have the right to secede from Bosnia and
Herzegovina. In its reaction, EU ambassadors meeting in
Sarajevo denounced the Bosnian Serbs’ position, saying the two
entities “have no right to secede” under the Dayton Peace
Accords, 1995.
Tadic has called the National Security Council to meet
urgently after riots targeted western embassies in Belgrade.
He condemned the violence, looting and arson that followed.
Missions of US, Croatia, Germany, Canada, Turkey, Belgium and
Bosnia as well as businesses and stores from countries the mob
regarded as hostile to Serbia were attacked.
Reminiscent of the cold war years, the present crisis has been
made unamusingly more interesting by the US and Russia
supporting opposite sides. A resurgent Russia under Putin
tried to make itself heard in various international issues and
Kosovo is no exception, owing to its geographical proximity.
Over a dozen nations have recognised Kosovo’s declaration,
including the U.S., Britain, France, Italy and Germany. But,
the move has been rejected by Serbia. It recalled its
ambassador from Washington and has threatened to do the same
with countries that establish diplomatic ties with Kosovo,
though it said it would not sever relations. Joining Russia in
its support to Serbia are countries like China, Spain and
Cyprus.
In fact, the countries which have rejected Kosovo’s
declaration can be seen grappling with some form of
secessionist activities. They are worried about the kind of
precedent that Kosovo will set for activities inside their own
countries. As expected, China, a veto wielding member of the
United Nations sided with Russia in supporting Serbia. It
fears possible unilateral declaration of independence by
Taiwan and Tibet, both of which the Chinese claim are under
its sovereignty and jurisdiction.
Although, Taiwan’s call for a referendum for a U.N. membership
has died down for the moment with a new president, the Taiwan
issue is all but extinct. On the other hand, the unrest in
Tibet and its repercussions in China’s external affairs and
the fate of the Olympic Games are still unravelling.
At the same time, Russia, the backbone of Serbia, is conscious
of the political implications of Kosovo’s decision for the
separatist movement within its own borders, in Chechnya.
Russia has even warned that it will retaliate against Kosovo’s
independence by recognising the two breakaway regions of
Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are now integral parts of
Georgia, a U.N. member state
Countries like Sri Lanka, which has long fought a Tamil
separatist movement in its northern and eastern provinces, has
warned that Kosovo’s declaration could set "an unmanageable
precedent in the conduct of international relations" and is a
violation of the U.N. charter which guarantees sovereignty of
nation States. Since the 60s, the Philippines have been
fighting the Moro National Liberation Front seeking a Muslim
nation-state in Sulu Mindanao. The Thai government has been
battling the Pattani United Liberation Front, founded in 1968,
and whose ultimate objective is a Muslim State in southern
Thailand.
In Europe, the reservations over Kosovo’s independence have
come from Romania, Spain, Greece, Slovakia and Cyprus -- some
of whom are either facing potential secessionists or
distraught minorities. Senior Palestinian officials also
accused the western countries of adopting double standards,
hinting that the Palestinians had been fighting for a Sate for
almost 60 years.
Interestingly, India despite facing secessionist movements in
different parts of the country, has been seemingly mute over
this issue; even after reports came that separatists in Jammu
and Kashmir were overjoyed, with Shabir Shah hailing “Kosovo's
Independence Struggle” and asserting that the day is “not far
of when Kashmir will be free” and with his compatriot Yasin
Malik appealing to the “world community, especially the EU, to
play a Kosovo-like role to get the dispute in Kashmir
settled”.
The Foreign Office statement read: “We have taken note of the
unilateral declaration of Independence by Kosovo. There are
several legal issues involved in this declaration. We are
studying the evolving situation”. India pointed out that
recognition was given to a country with a defined territory
(which is in dispute with respect to Kosovo), a duly accepted
government (the Kosovo administration is interim) which has
control over an area of governance (not so in Kosovo’s case).
“It has been India’s consistent position that the sovereignty
and territorial integrity of all countries should be fully
respected by all States. We have believed that the Kosovo
issue should have been resolved through peaceful means and
through consultation and dialogue between the concerned
parties,” added the Foreign Office, leaving little doubt about
India’s sympathies.
During a high profile visit to Serbia, Putin’s successor
Dmitry Medvedev, reiterated Moscow’s support for Belgrade in
its standoff with the west over Kosovo. This is in contrast to
George W. Bush’s statement that Russia was very much a part of
the consultations before the U.S. made its decision public.
The turn of events could not be more complex. Responding to a
Serbian government pledge to rule Serb-dominated parts of
Kosovo following its secession from Serbia, Mr. Thaci, said,
“I am constantly in touch with NATO to prevent anyone from
touching even one inch of Kosovo’s territory.” On the other
hand, Russia’s envoy to NATO, Ambassador Rogozin has warned
the alliance from breaching its mandate and meddling in
politics in Kosovo. Add to this that the U.S. Under Secretary
of State Nicholas Burns has committed the continuation of
NATO’s mission in Kosovo and an increase of aid.
Last but not the least, some power play can be foreseen at the
UN over the legality of the EU plans to transfer United
Nations Mission in Kosovo jurisdiction to its mission, EULEX;
pursuant to UN Security Council Resolution 1244, adopted in
1999. As it seems, the unravelling of events in the Balkan
region have yet to reach its climax. ---INFA
(Copyright India News & Feature Alliance)
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