Kosovo: Serbs brace for probable secession
Belgrade, 6 Dec. (AKI) - Most analysts expect breakaway Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians to proclaim independence in the next few months, backed by the US and some European powers, despite staunch opposition from Belgrade and the UN administered province's tiny Serb minority. The Serbian government has ordered all its ministries to prepare a plan of action to counter a declaration of independence from Kosovo after the failure of the UN sponsored talks. Details of the government's "action plan" have not been released as it is classified a state secret. Naturally, we cant reveal all our cards ahead of time, but we wont be sitting with our arms folded, government spokesman Milivoje Mihajlovic told Adnkronos International (AKI). Asked to elaborate, Mihajlovic said Belgrade would first resort to diplomatic means and 'adjust its relations' with the countries which might recognise Kosovo's independence. Serbia's position has strong backing in international law and the United Nations Charter, which uphold the inviolability of the existing state borders, Mihajlovic added. Responding to a suggestion that the Serbian action plan onKosovo might be devoid of substance, he said mysteriously: No, it will be more than nothing. Kosovo has been under UN control since NATO airstrikes drove Serbian forces out of the province in 1999, amid ethnic fighting and gross human rights violations. Ethnic Albanians form 90 percent of its population. But Belgrade has retained parallel institutions, especially in health, education and social policies in Serb populated areas, which have functioned separately from those controlled by majority ethnic Albanians. A 'troika' of envoys from the US EU and Russia must by 10 December issue a report on the outcome of recent talks on Kosovo to United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon. The report is widely expected to say that Serbs and ethnic Albanians have been unable to agree on Kosovo's future status. A final round of the UN-mediated talks ended last month without reaching a negotiated settlement. Serbia has offered Kosovo broad autonomy, but insists the province remain part of Serbian territory. Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority demands full independence. After years of international sanctions, the 1990s Balkan wars and subsequent NATO bombings, Serbia is in no position to defend Kosovo militarily against leading world powers and the 16,000-strong NATO presence, analysts said, however. But prime minister Vojislav Kostunicas aid, Aleksandar Simic in a Serbian TV appearance on Tuesday shocked the Serbian public when he stated: "War also represents legal means in defence of the country, when there are no others. The statement caused a rift in the governing coalition and president Boris Tadics centre-left Democratic Party said Simics statement was dangerous and irresponsible. Tadic, like Kostunica, opposes Kosovo's independence, but has been more guarded in his public statements. As long as Im the president, Serbia will not conduct a policy of war, Tadic told his party meeting at the weekend, announcing he would run for a second term as president. The Serbian presidential elections are expected in late January and analysts said Washington was pressing ethnic Albanians not to declare independence before the election, in order not to damage Tadics chances. It is generally believed that Tadic's opponent Tomislav Nikolic of the ultranationalist Serbian Radical Party, known for his anti-American stance, would benefit if Kosovo declared independence. Serbian leaders have repeatedly vowed they will declare independence moves by ethnic Albanians null and void and will continue negotiations until agreement is reached on Kosovo's future status. Serbias key ally, Russia, has already blocked an independence plan for Kosovo in the UN Security Council and Belgrade insists the top UN decision-making body is the only place a valid decision can be made. A Kosovo Serb leader, Marko Jaksic, said he was not aware of what Belgrade's plan of action contained, but blamed Serbian leaders' lack of unity for what he called the tragic situation in Kosovo". "If Belgrade had shown more unity, even the international community would have behaved differently and wouldnt have allowed 200,000 Serbs to be expelled and 3,000 killed or listed as missing since 1999, Jaksic told AKI. The International Red Cross has listed 3,000 Serbs in Kosovo as having been killed or disappeared since 1999. Jaksic said the 100,000 Serbs remaining in Kosovo, who live mainly in northern part of the province, would try to retain ties with Belgrade even after the declaration of independence. He expressed the hope that NATO forces would protect them if ethnic Albanians resorted to violence. But I have a feeling that they are more concerned with blocking our ties with Belgrade and keeping Kosovo united under Albanian control, he said. If Albanians have the right to self-determination, why shouldnt we have the same, said another Kosovo Serb leader, Milan Ivanovic. Jaksic blamed the US and other western powers for spearheading Kosovo's independence bid, saying the Serbs have no other choice but to wait for better times and a change in the balance of power in the world to get Kosovo back. Belgrade political analyst Slobodan Eric said granting Kosovo independence would not solve, but only freeze the problem. It will inevitably surface again, sooner or later, Eric told AKI. http://www.adnkronos.com/AKI/English/Politics/?id=1.0.1639120980 <http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97476590/grpId=141629/grpspId=1705060411/msgId= 1649/stime=1197010262> [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] =============== Group Moderator: [Е-ПОШТА ЗАШТИЋЕНА] 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! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sorabia/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sorabia/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:[Е-ПОШТА ЗАШТИЋЕНА] mailto:[Е-ПОШТА ЗАШТИЋЕНА] <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [Е-ПОШТА ЗАШТИЋЕНА] <*> Your use of Yahoo! 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