http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071226.serbia27/BNStory /International/home <http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20071226.serbia27/BNStor y/International/home> Serbia threatening to fight Kosovo independence DOUGLAS HAMILTON Reuters December 26, 2007 at 11:41 PM EST
BELGRADE - Serb parliamentarians of all major parties lined up Wednesday behind a resolution implicitly rejecting membership in the European Union and NATO if the West recognizes the independence of Kosovo. It was backed by President Boris Tadic and Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, leaders of the two main parties in Serbia's centre-right ruling coalition, and supported by ultranationalist Radicals and Socialists on the opposition benches. Focusing on the Stabilization and Association Agreement that Serbia may sign with the EU next month, the resolution said: "Any treaty Serbia signs, including the SAA, must be in keeping with preservation of sovereignty and territorial integrity." Serbia would shelve a decision on NATO membership, it said, and it would oppose the EU supervisory mission preparing to take over from the United Nations in Kosovo without Security Council approval, which Russia has blocked on behalf of its Serb ally. Rhetoric in the debate was patriotic and defiant. But some analysts said the resolution's wording seemed vague enough to permit hard or soft interpretation at a later date. "Serbia will never accept the independence of Kosovo," Mr. Tadic told parliament. The diplomatic campaign against it would continue at a United Nations Security Council session on Jan 9, he said. If North Atlantic Treaty Organization peacekeepers failed to protect Kosovo's minority Serbs, "the Serbian Army is ready," he added in a tough note possibly meant to help his campaign for re-election. Mr. Kostunica, usually the more combative of the two, said the resolution would "send a message to Serbs in Kosovo . that they should ignore any unilateral declaration of independence." Most Serbs live in the north of Kosovo, in effect already partitioned from land dominated by the 90-per-cent Albanian majority, who are preparing to declare independence in the first months of 2008 with U.S. and EU backing. Analysts say a Serb partition would be hard to prevent, assuming any side really wanted to prevent it. A senior government source said yesterday's resolution was a political necessity to preserve Serbia's fragile coalition during the January presidential campaign. Pro-Western Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said he hoped Serbia would sign the SAA by the end of January, regardless of the resolution, but also without ceding sovereignty over Kosovo. Hardliners were cynical about the coalition's sincerity. Mr. Kostunica's speech "sounded like a lullaby, like anesthesia before the amputation," Tomislav Nikolic of the Radicals said. "We're going to vote for this resolution, but you owe us an explanation. Does it mean you'll approve signing the agreement with the EU even if it doesn't say Kosovo belongs in Serbia?" Serbia lost control of Kosovo in 1999 after 11 weeks of bombing by NATO forced Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his troops, ending a ruthless counterinsurgency campaign in which 10,000 civilians were killed and 800,000 driven out of the country. Kosovo has been run by the United Nations and patrolled by a major NATO-led peacekeeping force ever since. Serbia now offers Kosovo's two million Albanians broad autonomy, "a separate life" with no role in Serbia, but short of full self-determination. -------------------------- 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: [email protected] 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. OSINT, as a part of The Intelligence Network, is making it available without profit to OSINT YahooGroups members who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information in their efforts to advance the understanding of intelligence and law enforcement organizations, their activities, methods, techniques, human rights, civil liberties, social justice and other intelligence related issues, for non-profit research and educational purposes only. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osint/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
