International_media_monit
406 February 2007 Morning Edition Kosovo * Ahtisaari warns UN: find Kosovo solution or risk return to violence (Guardian) * Kosovo deadline stands, says UN envoy (FT) * US envoy says Kosovo 'fully open to be changed' (AFP) * Will Kosovo's independence be an anti-climax? (Reuters) * Serbs plea for delay as Kosovo slips away (Reuters) * Kosovo's Future (Brunei Times/Arab News) Disclaimer This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UN personnel. The public distribution of this media summary is a courtesy service extended by UNMIK on the understanding that the choice of articles translated is exclusive, and the contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIK. Kosovo Ahtisaari warns UN: find Kosovo solution or risk return to violence Julian Borger, diplomatic editor Tuesday February 6, 2007 Guardian The UN envoy for Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, warned yesterday that if the UN Security Council failed to impose a solution for the contested province, it could lead to a return to violence there. Mr Ahtisaari has called for consultations, starting next Tuesday in Vienna, on his proposals to confer internationally supervised autonomy on Kosovo, a plan rejected by Serbia, which sees the province as the cradle of its culture. As of last night, Belgrade had not decided who, if anyone, should represent the country in Vienna. The UN envoy said if anyone came up with "a brilliant idea" to bridge the divide in the course of those consultations, he would incorporate it. But he made it clear he held out little hope for concessions and said he was not prepared to allow the talks to go on after the end of the month. After that, he said, the Security Council would have to impose a decision. "If the international community wants to solve the situation it has to be courageous enough to decide [Kosovo's] status, because the parties can't do it," Mr Ahtisaari told the Guardian. Failure to act would lead to "a weakening of the security situation" and a possible withdrawal of Nato peacekeeping troops, he said. "If I was advising my government I would say to pull out." Under his plan, the Serb minority would be protected by Nato troops in a self-governing multi-ethnic democracy. The proposal does not use the word "independent", but Kosovo would have its "own, distinct, national symbols, including a flag, seal and anthem". Russia, predicted to veto the Ahtisaari plan, appeared to alter its stance at the weekend when foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said a veto was by no means certain, sending a message to Belgrade which has so far counted on Russian support. Kosovo deadline stands, says UN envoy By STEFAN WAGSTYL Source: Financial Times UK Martti Ahtisaari, United Nations envoy for the Kosovo talks, yesterday insisted he would stick to his deadline and put his plan for supervised independence for the troubled province to the UN Security Council at the end of the month. In an interview with the Financial Times, the former Finnish prime minister said there was little point in delaying when it was "highly unlikely" there could now be a compromise between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority, which seeks independence, and authorities in Belgrade which claim the UN-administered province remains an inalienable part of Serbia. Mr Ahtisaari's comments will reassure Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders, who have broadly welcomed his proposals, but will do nothing to win over Serbian officials, who have so far failed to deliver a co-ordinated response to Mr Ahtisaari. Serb leaders are united in opposing Kosovo's independence but divided about -tactics after last month's inconclusive parliamentary elections. President Boris Tadic, a west-leaning liberal, takes a conciliatory app-roach. Vojislav Kostunica, the conservative prime minister, takes a hard line. Mr Ahtisaari, who had intended to present his report last December, postponed publication until last week after Serbia called elections. But he is unwilling to consider further postponements. "If somebody asks for more time, I ask them: 'Will it make any difference to your views?' I don't think giving more time will make much difference," he said. His proposals, published on Friday during a visit to Belgrade and Pristina, involve de facto independence for Kosovo under European Union supervision, and a high level of autonomy for the province's Serb minority. The UK and the US back the proposals. Russia has serious reservations about granting Kosovo independence in the face of Belgrade's opposition. But Sergei Lavrov, foreign minister, said in comments published on Saturday that Moscow had never promised Belgrade it would use its Security Council veto over Kosovo. Mr Ahtisaari took comfort that the Contact Group of six nations dealing with Kosovo - the US, Russia, the UK, Germany, France and Italy - were unanimous in wanting to take the question to the Security Council. "There may be nuances. But it's encouraging that they are acting together," he said. Mr Ahtisaari also questioned Russia's argument that granting independence for Kosovo would set a precedent for breakaway territories, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia, in Georgia. He said: "It's a good debating point but that's as far as it goes. You would have to take the problems of the former Soviet Union to the Security Council. The Security Council would decide whether it was a precedent." US envoy says Kosovo 'fully open to be changed' AFP The US envoy to Kosovo, Frank Wisner, said a United Nations plan for the future of the disputed province could be changed without disappointing independence-seeking ethnic Albanians. Frank Wisner was speaking to journalists after discussing UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari's proposal for the future status of Kosovo, which was presented to Serbian and Kosovo Albanian leaders on Friday. "The US believes this is an excellent proposal. It deserves support. This is a new beginning for Kosovo," Wisner told a press conference in the Kosovo capital Pristina. "The proposal outlines where Kosovo will be in the future and what the relationship between Kosovo and the international community will be," said the US diplomat. "It is fully open to be changed in discussions, let Mr. Ahtisaaari finish his work. I can assure you he will address this at the right moment. I doubt it will be terribly disappointing for you." Ahtisaari's plan -- which avoids the use of the word independence but offers Kosovo self-governance, a constitution, anthem and flag -- was welcomed in Kosovo by Albanian leaders but unanimously rejected in Belgrade. Kosovo has been run by a UN mission since 1999, when NATO bombing drove out Serbian forces over a brutal crackdown on ethnic Albanians. Will Kosovo's independence be an anti-climax? 05 Feb 2007 18:13:00 GMT Blogged by: Nina Brenjo Reuters "(Nearly) eight years after NATO ended Serbia's brutal dominion over the province, the international community is about to impose a solution. Too bad it's the wrong one", says Timothy William Waters, who helped prepare the indictment of ex-Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes in Kosovo, writing in the <http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/01/opinion/edwaters.php> International Herald Tribune. Waters' commentary is one of many that sprang up in the world media after U.N. special envoy Martti Athisaari presented the plan for Kosovo's future to both Serbs and Albanians in the province on Friday. But Waters is the odd one out among most other opinions, since he's one of very few voices suggesting the partition of Kosovo, a solution ruled out long ago by the international community. But what's so wrong with the partition, Waters asks. After all, Kosovo's independence is a form of partition from Serbia, but no one in the international community is questioning that at all. The international community's "all-Kosovo fixation" has only spelled trouble and what we now have is "complex power-sharing schemes to accommodate two mistrustful populations", the author says. Too bad, when separating the Serb-populated north and attaching it to Serbia could actually solve Serbia's resistance to the secession of Kosovo and give Kosovo Albanians long-awaited independence sooner, he argues. In the end, partition has its risks, but if borders "fail to ensure security or promote welfare, they should be changed. That's why we favoured separating Kosovo from Serbia in the first place", Waters concludes. Another writer with a slightly different take on the issue of Kosovo derides the Western media for predicting the "all hell (will) break loose in the Balkans" scenario as a consequence of Kosovo's gradual independence. Tihomir Lozo, writing for Internet magazine <http://www.tol.cz/look/TOL/article.tpl?IdLanguage=1&IdPublication=4&NrIssue =202&NrSection=2&NrArticle=18208> Transitions Online says it's crazy to predict that Kosovars will "freak out" because independence isn't even mentioned in Athisaari's proposal. "Kosovo Albanians are not wild political animals who fly into raging fits every time they are denied immediate gratification of their desires," he writes. Besides, they know that all they need to do now is be patient in order to get what they're striving towards. But surely Serbia wouldn't give up Kosovo without fight? The chance of Serbia mustering support for military action in Kosovo is "precisely zero", Lozo says. The democratic parties, which when counted together were the real winners of the recent Serbian elections, have explicitly ruled out military intervention. And what about Bosnia? Another media myth, in the eyes of Lozo. Republika Srpska Prime Minister Milorad Dodik effectively confirmed this when he threatened to use force against anyone looking to exploit the likely dissatisfaction with Athisaari's proposal. The rest of the media mainly applaud the proposal to grant Kosovo supervised independence. "All along it's been obvious what the permanent solution must be: the recognition of Kosovo as an independent nation, with protections for its Serb minority," says the <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/01/AR200702010 1743.html> Washington Post. Whether this can be achieved without any protests, both from Serbia and its ally Russia, is another question, says the paper. "Resolution of the Kosovo question is grossly overdue," says Britain's <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2007/02/03/dl030 2.xml> Daily Telegraph. "Above all, the Kosovo Albanians... deserve the right to self-determination." Kosovo's ambiguous status for the past eight years has left it with a weak economy and high unemployment, argues Soren Jessen-Petersen, former special representative of the U.N. secretary general in Kosovo, writing in the <http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/02/01/opinion/edpetersen.php> International Herald Tribune. And the sooner Serbia gives up Kosovo, the sooner it will be able to tackle its own economic and other problems, Jessen-Petersen concludes. Some media outlets are a bit less hawkish. Athisaari's proposal is right, but Serbia needs to be dealt with carefully, they say. Britain's <http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=E1_RGPDSJT> Economist suggests dangling the carrot of EU membership in front of Serbia as consolation for losing the province that is finally coming out of a state of "suspended animation". The EU door must be left open for Serbia, Britain's <http://www.ft.com/cms/s/20391f20-b007-11db-94ab-0000779e2340.html> Financial Times agrees, adding that a certain amount of aid to Kosovo Serbs wouldn't go amiss. So, all-around cheers and support for Kosovo's eventual independence in the world media. But how will independence really affect the Kosovo Albanians who have been working towards that goal for so long? "Indeed, Kosovars may find independence...to be an anti-climactic experience", says TK Vogels, Balkans editor for Transitions Online, writing on <http://www.opendemocracy.net/conflict-yugoslavia/kosovo_vogel_4313.jsp> openDemocracy.net. It certainly won't solve their everyday problems, such as economy dependent on remittances. "But if Martti Ahtisaari's report...secures the acceptance of the international community, they can look forward to at least one day of celebration", concludes Vogel. "After that, and in the face of the ambivalence or indifference of much of the rest of the world, and the enduring opposition of the Serbs, it will be reality-time." Serbs plea for delay as Kosovo slips away Reuters President Boris Tadic will ask major powers to delay further talks on the fate of Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province for at least 10 days to allow the country to convene a new parliament elected two weeks ago. "I will call on Contact Group ambassadors to bring the date of the resumption of talks in Vienna into line with the constitutive session of the new Serbian parliament, which in effect means moving the timetable by 10 days," Beta news agency quoted him as saying on Monday. Tadic said he would make the appeal to visiting Washington envoy Frank Wisner on Tuesday and to European Union ministers due to hold talks in Belgrade mid-week, Beta said. The Contact Group -- made up of Russia, Germany, France, Italy, Britain and the United States -- has guided diplomacy on the United Nations-run province for nearly seven years, since Serb forces were expelled by NATO in June 1999. The powers postponed the launch of a plan for Kosovo last November to avoid inflaming the nationalist vote in Serbia's January 21 election, in which no party won an outright majority. Analysts say further delay could carry the risk of violence in Kosovo. But Serbian party leaders attempting to form a new governing coalition are dithering over how Serbia should respond to the plan presented last Friday by U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari, which would grant Kosovo a form of supervised independence. Ahtisaari wants Serbs and representatives of Kosovo's 90 percent Albanian majority to hold a further series of talks in Vienna starting on February 13, to determine if compromise might still be achieved. TALK, DON'T TALK Serbia's hardline prime minister, Vojislav Kostunica, has said there is no need for further talks on an "illegitimate" plan that would violate Serbian territorial integrity. But diplomatic support for outright rejection of the plan appeared to wilt over the weekend, with an unexpected warning to Kostunica from Russia, to be "constructive." Kostunica had told Serbs that Russia would block Kosovo's independence at the U.N. Security Council. But Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said: "President Vladimir Putin has never said he would use Moscow's veto ... over Kosovo." Serbia's Blic daily cited government sources on Monday as saying Russia was also warning Kostunica that "if Serbia rejects everything (by spurning the Vienna talks), Russia will not support it, on the grounds that it is not being constructive." U.S. envoy Frank Wisner, visiting Kosovo on Monday, said Washington believes the Ahtisaari plan "is an excellent proposal" and he was going to Moscow to secure Russia's backing. In an interview with the BBC, Ahtisaari declined to specify what final status he was proposing for Kosovo but acknowledged that both sides "are reading the document in such a manner that it aims toward independence, which is supervised by the international community." Kosovo has been run by the United Nations since 1999 when NATO bombing led by the United States forced late leader Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw troops accused of killing 10,000 Albanians during a counter-insurgency war with separatists. Serbs cherish Kosovo as the cradle of their nation. But they are now only five percent of the population. It has been clear for months that Ahtisaari would not back a Serb demand to reactivate sovereignty over Kosovo, but "Belgrade has managed to enter the last phase of talks on the future status of Kosovo without a parliament, without a government and without a negotiating team," the liberal daily Danas said. Kosovo's Future Brunei Times/Arab News THOUGH never mentioned, like the ghost at the banquet, the word independence hovered over virtually every line of the proposals for Kosovo's future, drawn up by United Nations' special envoy, Martti Ahtisaari. It remains to be seen if the UN will accept a plan that will ultimately give Kosovo a great deal more than the autonomy it was supposed to enjoy within the old Yugoslav Federation. The argument that the formal departure of the last part of the once Serb-dominated Yugoslavia is the final part of a peaceful settlement for the Balkans, is unfortunately dubious. The creation of a European statelet of around 1.5 million ethnic Albanians and 100,000 now-beleaguered Serbs who may emigrate to Serbia is no guarantee of stability. Kosovo is one of the poorest regions in Europe. Clan rivalries locally and with Albanians in Albania itself are likely to challenge the growth of reliable state institutions. Union with Albania would probably create many difficulties, both regionally and within the conjoined territories. If, however, an independent Kosovo becomes an economic basket case which would seem likely without massive investment its people will be prey to outside interference, not least from drug barons. Reports already suggest traffickers are trying to use the area as a staging post into the EU. The Serbian reaction to the Ahtisaari proposals was predictable and demonstrated the fundamental psychological flaw in that country's thinking. Though some politicians in Belgrade realise it is time to move on, the popular mood is still one of anger and protest because this dirt-poor region was once the heartland of Serbia's medieval empire, later crushed by Ottoman armies. Thus Serbs once again see themselves as the helpless victims of history. They protest their powerlessness and rue their fate. This negativity feeds the grudges and perceived wrongs by which nationalist-thinking Serbs identify themselves. Yet, a positive approach following enforced withdrawal from Kosovo in 1999 could have had remarkably different results. What might have happened if, instead of bemoaning their defeats and the injustices they believed lay behind them, the Serbs had sought to deal with ethnic Albanian Kosovars or indeed any other people who once were in the Yugoslav Federation in a positive fashion? Suppose they had set out to win hearts and minds, had admitted past errors and started to tell anyone who would listen that they had changed? They could have said that too much blood had been shed, too much destroyed to permit old prejudices and rivalries to continue. Nothing could change the past, but everyone, by working together in partnership, had a very good chance of changing the future. Unfortunately, with the exception of muted initiatives to Bosnia and Croatia, the Serbs have simply not tried to rebuild bridges. They have not looked forward. They still want to change history. And that is a dangerous desire. Now stating the obvious Gulf News IRAQ is in a state of chaos _ one that is bloody, violent and indiscriminate when it comes to injury and death. This is a fact regardless of the number of reports and assessments being released on the country. The assessment of the most recent American intelligence report on Iraq's state of affairs comes as another confirmation of the disparity and appalling situation the country is going through. "The intelligence community judges that the term 'civil war' does not adequately capture the complexity of the conflict in Iraq. "Nonetheless, the term 'civil war' accurately describes key elements of the Iraqi conflict, including the hardening of ethno-sectarian identities, a sea change in the character of the violence, ethno-sectarian mobilisation, and population displacements," stated the United States National Intelligence Estimate. Iraq is going through a very critical phase which, if not altered soon, could mean the country falling into the abyss of a civil war and total fragmentation as a nation. Having said that, Iraqis know very well the conditions under which they currently live. They are in no need of someone to tell that to them; instead, what they are desperately in need of is assistance to find the way out. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
