http://www.ruvr.ru/main.php?lng=eng&q=23639&cid=67&p=01.03.2008
Voice of Russia March 1, 2008 KOSOVO Former UN Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali is seriously worried by the unilateral independence declaration in Kosovo which he fears could have a very dangerous knock-on effect in Europe and elsewhere in the world. Our commentary by Anatoly Potapov. Two weeks away from the February 17 independence declaration by the Kosovo MPs the matter still remains in the world media spotlight with German newspapers calling Kosovo a “powder keg” and criticizing unconditional US support for the ethnic Albanian separatists as “unilateral and fateful”. Encouraged by Washington the Kosovar leaders are busy doing the paperwork to join the United Nations, the EU, NATO and the OSCE. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Counci9l of Europe which brings together lawmakers from 47 European countries earlier condemned the region’s unilateral independence as flying in the face of internationally recognized legal norms. Russia’s UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said that Russia and China, two veto-wielding permanent members of the UN Security Council, would block Kosovo’s bid to obtain membership of the United Nations Organization. Moscow will also bring the matter before the Russia-France Security Cooperation Council meeting in Paris on March 11. Even though France has officially recognized Kosovo’s independence, the French are facing a long-simmering separatist sentiment in Corsica. Britain is facing a similar problem in Ulster [Northern Ireland] and some politicians in Scotland are already making separatist statements too. Turkey recognized the Kosovo separatists only to quickly crack down on the Kurdish ones in Northern Iraq. We asked Alexander Konovalov with the Institute of Strategic Analysis in Moscow, to comment on the situation. In Kosovo, we saw, for the first time since the end of WW2, European borders being redrawn though outside military force, Alexander says. This is creating a very dangerous precedent which can brush off on, say Belgium with its separatist-minded Walloons and the Flemish or on Spain with its Catalan separatists and the Basque Country. Russian experts fear the Kosovo precedence could eventually ignite more than 2,000 full-blown separatist conflicts around the world, prompted, among other things, by Washington strong arm policy and its complete disregard for international law. ------------------------------------------------------ http://en.rian.ru/world/20080229/100349581.html Russian Information Agency Novosti February 29, 2008 Kosovo gives boost to global separatism - Russia's EU envoy MOSCOW - Countries recognizing the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo are encouraging separatist tendencies all over the world, Russia's envoy to the European Union said on Friday. Kosovo declared independence on February 17, and has since been recognized by the United States, Australia, and most EU countries, among others. Serbia reacted angrily to the declaration of sovereignty by Pristina, with Belgrade calling the move "a travesty of international law," and refusing to recognize the "world's newest state." Mass protests followed in the Serbian capital, leading to riots and attacks on the embassies of those countries supporting independence for Kosovo. "The recognition of Kosovo's independence in defiance of Serbia's objection gives a powerful impetus to separatist movements all over the world," Vladimir Chizhov said, adding that there were currently about 200 unrecognized republics in the world. Moscow has said it will block any move by Kosovo to join the United Nations. Georgia's breakaway republic of Abkhazia said on Thursday it would seek recognition from Russia and the European Union. Last week leaders of both Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which saw bloody conflicts after they declared independence from Georgia in 1991, said that Kosovo's independence, should be taken into account as far as their sovereignty is concerned. Russia has repeatedly said the recognition of the Balkan region's independence will set a precedent for other breakaway regions, including in the former Soviet Union. Political analysts fear that the declaration of independence by Kosovo, and its subsequent recognition by Western powers, will open up a Pandora's Box of separatist issues in Europe and beyond. Serbian News Network - SNN [email protected] http://www.antic.org/
