http://www.serbianna.com/columns/ratkovic/001.shtml War and Peace in an "Independent" Kosovo By <http://www.serbianna.com/columns/ratkovic> Bojan Ratkovic December 23, 2007
During his "historic" visit to Albania, in June of 2007, U.S. President George W. Bush anxiously proclaimed: "We believe Kosovo ought to be independent ... I'm worried about expectations not being met in Kosovo and therefore we'll push the process." These strong words were met with loud cheers and applause from his Albanian hosts, the kind of reaction Mr. Bush has not received at home since his "MISSION ACCOMPLISHED" proclamation. Although Mr. Bush seems to see no wrong in pushing for independence for the ancestral lands of a sovereign nation, are people in the West truly aware of what it would mean for Kosovo to become independent? What the real implications and consequences are? Let us explore this question. Destabilizing the region Those who believe that Kosovo is an isolated issue, a unique case affecting solely the Republic of Serbia and its breakaway province, are gravely mistaken. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), classified by both the government of Serbia and by the CIA as an illegal terrorist organization, was instrumental in bringing about the 1997-1999 Kosovo War and in ethnically cleansing Serbs and other non-Albanians from the province prior to, during, and after the conflict. Interestingly enough, however, this was/is not the only Albanian "liberation army" in the region. The Albanian nationalist concept of Greater Albania calls for Kosovo-like "independence movements" in 4 sovereign Balkan nations, including Serbia (areas outside of Kosovo), Montenegro, FYR of Macedonia, and Greece. Apart from the KLA, this expansionist idea has already brought about the Liberation Army of Pre¹evo, Medve?a and Bujanovac in southern Serbia, and the National Liberation Army in the FYR of Macedonia. It has also led to much unrest in Montenegro and western Greece. Setting a successful Kosovo "liberation" precedent may trigger a wider regional conflict that could encompass up to 5 sovereign states. War or peace? If one were to ask a Serbian person what is the one thing that could turn the war-weary Serbs to once again take up arms, the answer would undoubtedly be "Kosovo". The loss of Kosovo, or Kosovo-Metohija, would mean much more to Serbs and to the Republic of Serbia than a mere loss of 15% of territory. Kosovo is considered to be the ancestral, cultural, and religious cradle of the Serb people, Serbia's Jerusalem. Holy Land. The Serbs readily refer to Kosovo as "The Heart of Serbia", thus implying that without it Serbia could not function as a state. This seems to leave the Serbs no other choice but to fight if necessary to preserve Kosovo and with it the very existence of their nation. The continued push to sever Kosovo from Serbia means pushing the Serbs into a corner, leaving them no alternative but to defend their territorial integrity with force. If the international community is truly concerned with preserving peace and stability in the Balkan region it must respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia. Destabilizing the world Setting the precedent that a disgruntled minority in a state can, through violence, successfully demand secession for the region in which it makes up a majority of the population would mean opening up the Pandora's Box of state sovereignty. The following are just a few of the countless global examples such a precedent could be applied to: Republic of Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Transnistria in Moldova, Catalonia and Basque Country in Spain, Wallonia and Flanders in Belgium, Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia, Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan, Kurd-dominated areas in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Armenia, Chechnya in Russia, Tamil Eelam in Sri Lanka, Khalistan in India, East Turkestan in China, Quebec in Canada, Corsica in France, and the list goes on. (Note: Several regions in the southern United States have a majority Hispanic population) Crime and.. Punishment? Despite being repeatedly accused of committing terrible war crimes against Serb and other non-Albanian civilians by Human Rights Watch, and despite the fact that several of its leading figures have been convicted of war crimes by the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the KLA remains in control of Kosovo. The current transitional Prime Minister of the self-governing Kosovo province is Agim Ceku, a former KLA military commander who fought against Serbs as early as 1991, taking part in the Medak Pocket and Operation Storm atrocities alongside the Croatian Army. Ceku's predecessor, former Prime Minister and indicted war criminal Ramush Haradinaj, is still free and active in Kosovo's political arena. The recently elected and incoming Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, is the former leader of the KLA's political wing. The political wing of the KLA and its adherents have been known to vocally advocate the already mentioned expansionist doctrine of Greater Albania. Independent Kosovo? Kosovo's economy is one of the poorest in Europe with an unemployment rate at nearly 50% of the workforce. The widespread poverty and KLA rule have resulted in unprecedented strengthening of organized crime within the province. The KLA itself has been linked to the trans-Balkans narcotics trade and to Al Qaeda, as well as to various human trafficking and smuggling rings. The American Council for Kosovo has repeatedly alleged that KLA ties to Islamic terrorism and the mujahedin have been well documented, and that profit from the vast criminal activities that take place in Kosovo are being used to fund Islamic extremists and terrorists. An independent Kosovo is very likely to become a gateway into Europe and North America for terrorism and a myriad of other criminal operations, firmly guided by the confirmed terrorist and criminal KLA. One fears that the 2007 Fort Dix Terrorist Plot, planned by 6 jihadi terrorists including 4 Kosovar Albanians (1 of them being a KLA-trained sharp shooter), is just a prelude to what can happen if Kosovo becomes an independent mafioso-jihadist state in Europe's heartland. The answer is clear: Kosovo must not become independent! The forceful severing of a sovereign state's province will set a precedent that is likely to lead to the destabilization of the Balkan region, and many other regions throughout the world. Kosovo independence is undoubtedly going to push the opposing sides towards war rather than peace, and an independent KLA state in Europe will pose a serious terrorist and criminal threat to the entire western world. The project for an independent Kosovo can bring about only war and crime, without the peace and punishment. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] -------------------------- Want to discuss this topic? Head on over to our discussion list, [EMAIL PROTECTED] -------------------------- Brooks Isoldi, editor [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.intellnet.org Post message: osint@yahoogroups.com Subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Unsubscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** FAIR USE NOTICE. This message contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. 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