----- Original Message ----- From: American Council for Kosovo To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Sunday, December 03, 2006 6:16 PM Subject: CEKU’S DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS IN RUSSIA FAIL; Russian Official: Unilateral Declaration of Kosovo Independence “A Dangerous Precedent, Contrary to European Standards Established After the Second World War” www.savekosovo.org Washington, December 4, 2006 CEKU’S DIPLOMATIC EFFORTS IN RUSSIA FAIL; Russian Official: Unilateral Declaration of Kosovo Independence “A Dangerous Precedent, Contrary to European Standards Established After the Second World War”; American Council for Kosovo Sponsors December 6 Belgrade Forum – The End Game in Kosovo: Western Options, Serbian Strategy – and Co-Sponsors December 11 London Public Meeting with the Lord Byron Foundation for Balkan Studies – The Future of Kosovo: Why the Serbs’ “No” Means “No” Editorial comment from the American Council for Kosovo: So-called Kosovo “prime minister” Agim Ceku’s diplomatic push to gain Russia’s support for Kosovo independence has failed. Following meetings with Russian officials, Adnkronos International reported “…Ceku got a cold shoulder from Russian leaders on Thursday in an effort to rig support for independence.” During his visit to Moscow, Ceku met with deputy foreign minister Vladimir Titov and president of the foreign policy committee of the Russian parliament Konstantin Kosacov, who stated that any unilateral recognition of Kosovo independence would be a "dangerous precedent, contrary to European standards established after the Second World War." As reported in the American Council for Kosovo’s November 30 email report: Russia continues its principled stand opposing Kosovo independence, despite Kosovo so-called “prime minister” Agim Ceku’s desperate lobbying efforts in Moscow. Russian Duma Deputy Sergei Shishkarev responded to a Washington Post op-ed, which warned of Muslim Albanian violence should further delays regarding Kosovo independence occur, writing: It is ironic that The Post accuses the Putin administration of a policy based on threats and violence, when it is in fact precisely threats and violence that underlie the demand for Kosovo independence. (Or as it is euphemistically phrased in the editorial, "Putting off Kosovo's independence would only enrage the province's 2 million Albanians and trigger the Balkan meltdown that the West hopes to avoid.") It is just that kind of violent rage that has driven from Kosovo two-thirds of the province's pre-war Serbian population (and many people in other ethnic groups) and destroyed some 150 Orthodox Christian churches and monasteries. Rewarding such behavior with an imposed solution would only encourage more of the same and lead to a meltdown all parties hope to avoid. The Russian government properly insists that the future of Kosovo can only be decided through negotiation and adopted in a manner consistent with the U.N. Charter and the Helsinki Final Act. This is not a cynical ploy, as The Post supposes, but the principled position of a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council. Following Agim Ceku’s November 30 lobbying campaign in Moscow, RIA Novosti reported: A senior Russian lawmaker on Thursday cautioned Serbia's predominantly Albanian province of Kosovo against unilaterally declaring its independence. Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the international affairs committee in Russia's lower house of parliament, said, "The determination of Kosovo's status, as long as the province does not commit itself to human rights standards and is seeking sovereignty unilaterally rather than through negotiations, creates a highly dangerous precedent and runs counter to Europe's postwar order." Speaking after a meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Agim Ceku in Moscow, the Russian MP said the underlying principle of the European order established after WWII is the inadmissibility of changing state borders unless all involved parties give their consent. Mosnews reported: Kosachyov said after the meeting that Russian MPs had told Ceku that the issue of Kosovo’s status should be solved through talks between Belgrade and Pristina… “We are again calling on Pristina to talk with Belgrade. As far as we know, Serbia is ready to grant the broadest possible status to Kosovo, given Serbia’s territorial integrity is maintained,” the agency quoted the Russian official as saying. 1. Kosovo: Kosovo Gets Cold Shoulder in Moscow Over Independence Adnkronos International – November 30, 2006 http://www.adnki.com/index_2Level_English.php?cat=Politics&loid=8.0.364971431&par=0# Moscow, 30 Nov. (AKI) - Kosovo prime minister Agim Ceku got a cold shoulder from Russian leaders on Thursday in an effort to rig support for independence of the province which has been under United Nations control since 1999. Ceku's visit got a low profile treatment, aimed not to offend Belgrade, which opposes independence of the province in which ethnic Albanians outnumber Serbs by 17 to one. He met with deputy foreign minister Vladimir Titov and president of the foreign policy committee of the Russian parliament, Konstantin Kosacov, but failed to get Moscow's commitment for independence. Kosacov suggested that the dispute should be solved in direct negotiations with Belgrade and offered Moscow's support in "establishing direct dialogue". He said unilateral proclamation of independence, without Belgrade's consent, would be a "dangerous precedent, contrary to European standards established after the Second World War". Kosacov told journalists, after meeting with Ceku, that these standards don't allow the change of state borders without the consent of all involved. He actually echoed Belgrade's stand that any change of borders, or unilateral recognition of Kosovo independence, would destabilize the entire region and violate the UN Charter. "Russia could help in establishing such a dialogue which would lead to a compromise that would satisfy the Serbian and the Kosovo side," he said. Belgrade has no authority in Kosovo since its forces were pushed out of the province by NATO bombing in 1999 and is offering ethnic Albanians a large autonomy. But ethnic Albanian leaders have said they would settle for nothing short of independence, hinting they might even resort to violence to achieve that goal. Kosacov said Ceku has repeatedly stated the interest "to maintain open and constructive relations with Serbia, but only as two sovereign states". Titov said the search for a compromise solution, based on the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 should remain the basis for solving the Kosovo dispute. Resolution 1244, which put Kosovo under UN control with strong international civilian and military presence, states that Kosovo is officially a part of Serbia. But the international community has been gradually moving towards granting Kosovo independence and, after eight failed rounds of negotiations, it is expected to make a final status decision early next year. Russia is the only member of a six-nation Contact Group for Kosovo that has openly opposed independence. Other members of the group, which should make a final status proposal, are the United States, Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany. 2. The American Council for Kosovo Invites You to a Public Forum and Roundtable Debate T H E E N D G A M E I N K O S O V O: WESTERN OPTIONS, SERBIAN STRATEGY Dom sindikata, Belgrade Wednesday, 6 December 2006, 10 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. The American Council for Kosovo (www.savekosovo.org) is an independent NGO based in Washington DC that advocates a just, durable and legal solution to the problem of Kosovo and Metohija. It accordingly holds that Kosovo’s independence would be a major blunder, with enduring negative consequences not only for the stability in the Balkans but also for the interests of those countries that appear favorably disposed to that option. In order to encourage a comprehensive debate on this important issue, the Council organized a conference in Washington on September 28 featuring members of Congress, prominent analysts, academics and journalists who favor a genuine solution, rather than an illegal, imposed one. The forthcoming Public Forum in Belgrade is a continuation of such efforts. It provides an opportunity for the Serbian public to become acquainted with the activities of the Council and with the views of several foreign analysts who are looking for a solution to the problem of Kosovo that would be in accordance with the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act, and the need to avoid the establishment of a hotbed of Jihad-terrorism, lawlessness, ethnic violence and organized crime in the heart of Europe. PARTICIPANTS Doug Bandow, syndicated author, former Reagan Administration official H.E. James Bissett, former Canadian Ambassador in Yugoslavia Georgi Engelhardt, Russian Academy of Science associate Professor Raphael Israeli, Hebrew University, Jerusalem James Jatras, Director of the American Council for Kosovo, former Senior Analyst, U.S. Senate Republican Policy Committee Dr. Michael Stenton, lecturer, Britannia Royal Naval College Dr. Srdja Trifkovic, foreign affairs editor, Chronicles magazine Keynote speaker: Bishop ARTEMIJE of Prizren and Rashka FREE ENTRY – no r.s.v.p. TRANSLATION PROVIDED For further information please contact: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] 3. The American Council for Kosovo and the Lord Byron Foundation for Balkan Studies Invite You to a Public Meeting T H E F U T U R E O F K O S O V O: == WHY THE SERBS' "NO" MEANS "NO" == WHEN: 10:30 AM, Monday, December 11, 2006 WHERE: Local Government House, Smith Square, London SW1P 3HZ WHO: Bishop ARTEMIJE of Kosovo and Metohija Ambassador James BISSETT, Former Canadian Ambassador to Yugoslavia James JATRAS, Director, American Council for Kosovo Dr. Srdja (Serge) TRIFKOVIC, Foreign Affairs Editor, Chronicles Magazine The panelists will discuss: * The consequences of Serbia's refusal to permit illegal amputation of a sixth of its territory; and * Why Great Britain would be ill-advised to follow any initiative from Washington to extend unilateral recognition to a self-proclaimed Albanian state in Kosovo Arriving directly from Belgrade and Kosovo and real-time developments there, the presenters will report as follows: * Bishop Artemije, the spiritual leader of Kosovo's beleaguered Serbs, on how violence from jihad-terrorist and criminal elements among Kosovo's Muslim Albanians continues against his people under the nose of the UN- and NATO-led administration, and on their certain eradication if Kosovo is detached from Serbia. * Ambassador Bissett on the consequences to the international legality if Great Britain, mimicking its subservient role in Iraq, follows the U.S. into another misguided action. * Dr. Trifkovic and Mr. Jatras on latest events in Belgrade, Washington and Moscow. As a member of the Contact Group, NATO, and the EU, Britain finds itself in a pivotal position. Prospects for Kosovo independence, absent a new Security Council Resolution, rest largely on whether London joins Washington in triggering off a chaotic chain of unilateral recognitions. At a time when even America is rethinking its exposed global posture, does Britain really want to walk the plank in lone support of another high-handed initiative from America? Will creation of an Islamic rogue state in Europe, dominated by jihad- terrorism and organised crime elements, be the last legacy of the current occupant of No. 10? A firm NO! from London could be the tipping point for a growing reassessment in Washington. * * * Contact: Darren Spinck (*1-202) 486-2008 [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yugo Kovach (*44-20) 8892-1979 [EMAIL PROTECTED] The American Council for Kosovo is an activity of Venable LLP and Global Strategic Communications Group, which are registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as agents for the Serbian National Council of Kosovo and Metohija. Additional information with respect to this matter is on file with the Foreign Agents Registration Unit of the Department of Justice in Washington DC. -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.409 / Virus Database: 268.15.6/565 - Release Date: 12/2/2006 =============== Group Moderator: [EMAIL PROTECTED] page at http://magazine.sorabia.net for more informations about current situation in Serbia http://www.sorabia.net Slusajte GLAS SORABIJE nas talk internet-radio (Serbian Only) http://radio.sorabia.net Yahoo! 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