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Kosovo-We are running out of time Date posted: Monday, September 10, 2007
Author: Van Christo
In the spring of 2007, after a year-long study of Kosovo's status following the withdrawal of all Serbian forces from its borders, U.N. mediator Martti Ahtisaari proposed a plan of supervised international independence of Kosovo that guaranteed protection of some indigenous 100,000 Serbs residing mainly in northern Kosovo. Although Kosovo Albanians demand complete independence, Serbia insists the territory must remain as an autonomous province. The Ahtisaari plan provides for a prolonged international military presence in Kosovo for an unspecified length of time and an "International Civilian Office," whose representative would take over from the UN and have control over virtually every aspect of life in Kosovo. However, Russia's Vladimir Putin has blocked a U.N. plan to give Kosovo independence under EU supervision and has indicated intransigence about creating Kosovo as an independent nation even by an indeterminate future date without Serbia's full agreement. He has also threatened to veto the Ahtisaari plan at the U.N. Security Council level.
Kosovo’s Albanian leaders have stated unequivocally that they would declare independence if the talks do not produce an acceptable plan to them for Kosovo's complete sovereignty. At the same time, Serbia's government has warned it would retaliate if Kosovo's Albanian majority declared independence.
In July, to resolve Russian/Serbian objections, the UN consented to 120 days of additional talks. The talks are scheduled to end on December 10, 2007.
In examining the history of the ethnic conflict between Kosovo Albanians and Serbia, it appears that the time for further discussion and compromise is over.
In July 1990, the Serbian parliament, as a result of nationalistic fervor fueled by Slobodan Milosevic, abrogated the autonomy of Kosovo whose population was about 2,000,000 Albanians, or 90% of its population. Serbia then removed Albanians in all governing, commercial, military/police and academic institutions leaving Albanians with no representation at either local or national political levels for their majority population. The U.N. administration has overseen Kosovo since a 1999 NATO air campaign forcefully quelled Serbia's "ethic cleansing" of Kosovo Albanians from their own autonomous province.
The Albanians in Kosovo achieved in 1999 what they had already been granted by The Yugoslav Constitution of 1974, namely the status of an AutonomousProvince, which in some respects was equal to the six republics of Yugoslavia at the time; that is: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Macedonia, and Serbia. Although, under the provisions of the 1974 Constitution, Kosovo was included within the borders of Serbia, it was a constituent part of the Federation of Yugoslavia, the same as the republics, by virtue of its autonomous status. By having its own parliament, high courts, central bank, police service, and territorial defense force, Kosovo functioned fully as part of the Federal Yugoslav system.
Since the 1990's, the republics of Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, and Macedonia broke away from Serbia and became independent countries. Kosovo is the only region of former Yugoslavia that has yet to gain its independence.
Serbia specifically maintains that the northern section of Kosovo surrounding the city of Mitrovica should be ceded to greater Serbia because it has a majority Serb population. Control of an important northern mining region in Kosovo is a crucial issue, and there has been talk in unofficial diplomatic circles that the Serbia could agree to a general partitioning of Kosovo securing the northern half of Kosovo for itself while ceding complete independence of the southern half to the Kosovo Albanians.
The Kosovo Albanians would never agree to such a partition plan. The wealthiest, most important part of Kosovo lies in its industrial north as evidenced by rich mines including large deposits of coal, along with some nickel, lead, zinc and other minerals around Mitrovica thus leaving the undeveloped, poorer southern part to the Albanians.
Moreover, they are against partition because they are opposed to "border changes" as a matter of principle. Their opposition is fully in accord with the policy of the European Union regarding borders.
There are some additional boundary disputes; however, the present borders of Kosovo were drawn in 1878 by the Great Powers at the Treaty of San Stefano which dismantled the Ottoman Empire after the Russians defeated Turkey in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877.
As the December deadline approaches, the rapidly escalating rhetoric drives Kosovo into a collision course with Serbia that draws in the U.S., Russia and other EU nations .It is time for Russia, Serbia, and Kosovo to move forward with the Ahtisaari plan which grants a type of independence to Kosovo after an unspecified period of time along with built-in protections for the minority Serb population and their historic religious sites. Although the UN plan offers no guarantee for lasting peace in Kosovo, they must proceed immediately if some measure of peace and stability is to be given a chance.
September 10, 2007
Van Christo
Executive Director
The Frosina Information Network
A Non-Profit Albanian Immigrant and Cultural Resource
