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What does independence mean for Kosovo? Kosovo's parliament has endorsed a declaration of independence from Serbia. Is this the right step for Kosovo? The declaration, read by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, said Kosovo would be a democratic country that respected the rights of all ethnic communities The UN has administered Kosovo since 1999, but the area remained part of Serbia. Serbia has said it will never recognise the independence of Kosovo and threatened to use diplomatic and economic measures against Kosovo. The United States and a number of EU countries are expected to recognise Kosovo on Monday. Is independence the right move for Kosovo? Can it help to heal the wounds left by the Balkan war? Are you in Kosovo? What does independence mean for you? Send your pictures to [EMAIL PROTECTED] or text them to +44 7725 100 100. If you have a large file you can upload here. Read the terms and conditions At no time should you endanger yourself or others, take any unnecessary risks or infringe any laws. Read the full story ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Published: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 07:41 GMT 07:41 UK Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 08:00 GMT 08:00 UK As a British citizen, I am deeply ashamed at the role that Britain has played in supporting and endorsing Albanian ethnic cleansing and effective annexation of Serbian sovereign territory. The Albanian flag is being flown all over Kosovo : this is an ugly victory for demographic warfare. At home, in the UK, the same government is already acquiescing in the preparation of of a similar disaster in our own country. Our politicians simply lack guts. SEQ, London Recommended by 206 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 09:46 GMT 09:46 UK Hypocrisy par excellence! What kind of madness has overtaken the EU & USA? Is support for Kosovo's independence based on genuine facts or just a way to snub Serbia & Russia? I suspect it's the latter. How many years later is the boomerang going to hit the EU & Kosovars? By the same token when will: Northern Ireland, Basques, Krajina, Srpska, Bosnian Serbs, Kurds, Tibet, Taiwan, Tamils in Sri Lanka,.. be independent? Mark my words! This utter stupidity will come back & haunt everyone! [MaxMaxmilianMaximusI], Indian Caesar in, Singapore Recommended by 173 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 08:26 GMT 08:26 UK Kosovo "country"is just another great "product" of Western hypocrisy.Historically Kosovo has been the cultural heart of Serbia and it should belong to Serbia. [AisteM], Paris, France Recommended by 165 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 10:34 GMT 10:34 UK This is a sad little joke.... By all accounts, if say, 400,000 of us Brits decided to move to Normandy in Northern France, maybe we could then declare Normandy independent from France and form our own little British state-let. Don't think the French or EU would be too supportive somehow. All very unfair to the Serbs. Eoin McGreeghan, Derry, NI Recommended by 149 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 08:12 GMT 08:12 UK Independence is not the right move. Heal the wounds of the Balkan war? On the contrary it will lay the seeds for a future war. It seems that we don't learn from the lessons of history. In Afghanistan similar outside interference led to a backlash from which the world is still suffering. Can we not see the parallels? Furthermore, what sort of precedent is being set here? Has that been very thoughtfully considered? I don't think so! Only the warmongers will benefit! Time will tell!! [Capo_di_Tutti_Capi], Don of Venus '!' Recommended by 147 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 09:23 GMT 09:23 UK Its not right that Albanians can settle in another country and then after a few hundred years claim it as their own. Its like the Poles coming here to the UK and settling in Kent. In 2200 they then vote to breakaway. Within 10 years Kosovo will form part of Albania and soon after the Albanian minority in FYR of Macedonia will demand unification. All this forms the Greater Albania idea that even includes demanding territory from Greece: There are over 500k Albanians in Greece. Unacceptable!! Mario, Cheshunt Recommended by 140 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 08:19 GMT 08:19 UK All this will do is destabilise Europe. What legal justification will be given to stop the Basque region declaring independence or any other region for that matter. How long before the Bosnian Serbs declare independence or the Flemish Belgiums. There are an awful lot of regions that could declare independence, Kosovo will be the trigger. Stephen Hollinshead, St.Ives Recommended by 140 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 08:43 GMT 08:43 UK What EU & US are thinking is beyond me. Creating an artificial muslim country in the center of Europe?? Remember the problems that Spain and Russia had with basque and chechen regions. Kosovo was once a haven for Albanian terrorists, but who can say it wouldn't be again. Declaring Kosovo independent will also create a dangerous precedent. Russia already declared that it will mean that Abkhazia and South Ossetia can become independent. What is next Northern Ireland, Kurdistan? Darryl G, San Diego, United States Recommended by 132 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 08:17 GMT 08:17 UK EC have made a big mistake by endorsing this shameful and illegal operation. US supports it because they built military bases there, but EC..... shame. IF, Russia Recommended by 129 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 08:01 GMT 08:01 UK I don't think it will heal the wounds at all, it will just make them worse. The Albanians are guilty of Ethnic cleansing against the Serbs in the area, (an area that is real Serbia) and NATO and the EU chose to support that by supporting the Albanians and noww supporting independance. Tony Caban, United Kingdom Recommended by 122 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 10:28 GMT 10:28 UK Another muslim enclave will be established in Europe under the protection of and at the expense of US and Europe. More will follow as manipulative states play western democracies off against Russia. There is no economic or logical justification for an independent Kosovo, it will be just another division of a population along religous and cultural lines followed by inevitable conflict. [archoptimist], United Kingdom Recommended by 118 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 09:22 GMT 09:22 UK Absolutely not. They have a homeland not far away, it is called Albania. How would we like it if an area of the UK, say in Leicester or Manchester, with a majority of immigrants declared independence without our agreement. Joanna Jones, Twickenham Recommended by 116 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 09:23 GMT 09:23 UK This is a spectacular mistake, made worse by Western European idealists who seem to think they are conducting policy in a "new and progressive" way when in fact they are making exactly the same mistakes of the past. In a few decades, with the concentration of specific immigrant groups in particular areas, the same thing could apply over here - large groups of different people with no sense of common nationality declaring independence from each other. A recipe for civil war. P Begins, Newcastle Recommended by 107 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 09:24 GMT 09:24 UK History, once again, repeats itself, first as tragedy and then as farce. Britain, the USA and the EU - congratulations! In one fell swoop you have re-ignited the Cold War. Darius Just, London Recommended by 98 people ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Added: Sunday, 17 February, 2008, 08:20 GMT 08:20 UK If the same rule of law applies for everyone and independence is legal for Kosovo, then Serbian Krajina and Republika Srpska should also be independent states - their case is far more clear cut. However, I don't see the so called international community observing the same principles and encouraging independence for Krajina and Republika Srpska. Why? Could it be that there are no principles except "might is right" and what we are seeing is hypocrisy and lawlessness? [desnol], London, United Kingdom Recommended by 93 people
