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Italy to Kosovars: Independence? Not so fast ...
(ANSA) - Brussels, December 10 - Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema on Monday urged Kosovo Albanians to avoid being in a hurry for independence from Serbia and to agree each step with the European Union. Speaking on the sidelines of an EU foreign ministers' meeting here, D'Alema also said Italy was pushing for Serbia to be granted candidate status for admission to the Union.Foreign ministers were meeting to debate a common EU strategy on Kosovo on the same day as the deadline for a negotiated deal on the fate of the breakaway province passed without result. D'Alema said there was broad agreement in the EU on the need to ''govern the process'' leading to independence so as to preserve hard-won stability in the region. ''Any step must be agreed with the European Union: the when and the how,'' he stressed. Good luck with that, toothless tigers. Leaders of Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority had been widely expected to proclaim sovereignty around late January but there were signs on Monday that they might be willing to wait until March. "We have studied the entrails of a slaughtered ram and March ... March is good." Serbia, backed by Russia, fiercely opposes Kosovo's independence. But after four months of fruitless negotiations mediated by the EU, Moscow and Washington, the US and most European countries appear ready to accept it. EU heads of government are expected to meet on Friday and to produce the broad outline of a European strategy for Kosovo, with the goal of avoiding any violence. hahahah... It is feared that any bloodshed in Kosovo could spark a unrest and conflict elsewhere in the volatile Balkan region. It is part of Europe's long-term strategy for the region to be closely involved in Kosovo's transition to independence. It is expected to offer to help running local administrations and policing the territory. And the Kosovars will happily offer high-grade heroin, white-slavery networks, and the world's most efficient chop shops in exchange. My guess is that the good people of Kosovo will say "thank you very much, we'll take the cash" D'Alema said another part of the EU's strategy should be to put Serbia on the path leading to eventual EU membership, noting that there had been greater collaboration recently between Serbia and the UN War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. D'Alema acknowledged that Serbia had still not provided access to fugitives sought by the tribunal but he said this should not prevent candidate status being given. No EU candidacy for Kosovo, but they're begging Serbia to join ... hmmmm Serbia, meanwhile, said on Monday that it had no intention of ''trading'' sovereignty over Kosovo for EU membership. Nothing like blood-thirsty Muslims across the border (and, occasionally, over it) to focus attention on the matter at hand. Kosovo has been under UN rule since 1999, when NATO bombs expelled Serb forces accused of the killing and ethnic cleansing of Albanian civilians while battling separatist rebels. The UN Security Council is scheduled to discuss Kosovo on December 19, when Russia is expected to call for more negotiations. Russia warned on Monday that a unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo's 90% ethnic-Albanian population could provoke a ''chain reaction'' of violence throughout the region. NATO nations, who have 16,000 peacekeeping troops in Kosovo, agreed on Friday to maintain their force at current levels and to send more soldiers to control any outbreaks of violence that break out as Kosovo declares its independence from Serbia. Italian Defence Minister Arturo Parisi said on Monday that Italy would not be boosting its roughly 2,000 Kosovo contingent for now ''We are aware of the complexity of the situation, but we are guided by the hope that everyone will be reasonable,'' he said. hahahaha ... ''If the conditions should change, then this country and the European Union would clearly have to reconsider,'' he added. Posted by: mrp 2007-12-11 |
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