Serbs oppose recognition of Kosovo independence Relationship with Europe colored by war over province
By Nicholas Wood, New York Times News Service | September 14, 2007 BELGRADE, Serbia - Eight years after it was hit by NATO airstrikes, the former Yugoslav Defense Ministry still lies in ruins on Boulevard Knez Milosa, a reminder of what the Serbs consider unwarranted aggression by the West in the war over the Serb province of Kosovo. Their anger is flaring up again as Western governments, particularly the United States, speak of recognizing Kosovo this year as an independent state. The governments say that in the absence of reconciliation, doing so would help stabilize the region by officially separating the Serbs from the Albanians who are the majority population of Kosovo. Serbian politicians, even pro-Western ones, said they worry that a recognition of Kosovo would introduce a new era of Serbian isolation and hostility toward the West - leaving Europe with little sway here. Since the war ended, in 1999, Europe has tried to integrate Serbia into NATO and the European Union. And as a regional power, Serbia expected an easy pathway into Europe, especially since many of its neighbors have joined the union. But Europe has also demanded that Serbs make a fresh start by chasing down important war crimes suspects wanted at the tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in the Hague. Serbia has complied only fitfully. If Western countries do recognize Kosovo, then "we do not need the European Union," Velimir Ilic, Serbia's minister for infrastructure and a key political ally of the Serbian prime minister, said in an interview. "It means they are not our friends." He added: "It is a tough choice, but Serbia has its pride and its integrity." Ilic, who has a reputation as populist politician, is the only senior government politician to issue such a statement. But others agree that a nationalist backlash would chill relations with the West. A widespread recognition of Kosovo "could lead to a chain of events with unforeseen consequences, including the loss of Serbia's European perspective," Leon Koen, the former head of Serbia's negotiating team on Kosovo, wrote in the daily Dnevnik. And Serbia's senior diplomat for European integration predicted that whatever support there is among Serbs for arresting war crimes suspects and sending them to the Hague would vanish if Kosovo were recognized. "I can't see how anybody would be ready to support cooperation" with the tribunal, said Milica Delevic, a reformist who is Serbia's assistant foreign minister responsible for relations with the European Union. "We will be in trouble." Western governments are determined to resolve Kosovo's future to stabilize the province and calm the ethnic Albanians who make up more than 90 percent of the population and who largely clamor for independence. The United States has spoken openly of recognizing Kosovo and is pushing the Europeans to settle on a policy. But the Europeans have painted themselves in a corner, having pushed for a deal at the Security Council that Russia has blocked. That leaves Europe divided just as it is trying to display a strong foreign policy. Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations since 1999, after a NATO bombing campaign there to oust Serbia forces who had committed widespread atrocities against ethnic Albanians. The wartime Yugoslav president, Slobodan Milosevic, was defeated in elections in 2000 and turned over to the war crimes tribunal in the Hague, where he died while his trial was under way. Yugoslavia continued its devolution, with Montenegro finally claiming independence from Serbia in May of last year. Meanwhile, Serbia has made faltering progress toward membership of both the European Union and NATO.http://cache.boston.com/bonzai-fba/File-Based_Image_Resource/dingbat_story_end_icon.gif © Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company. http://www.boston.com/news/world/europe/articles/2007/09/14/serbs_oppose_recognition_of_kosovo_independence/ [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
