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| Europe |
| Protesters break into U.S. embassy in Serbia |
| 2008-02-21 |
| BELGRADE, Serbia - A handful of protesters broke into the U.S. embassy in Belgrade on Thursday, cheered on by crowds outside, in a protest at U.S. support for Kosovo's independence. Smoke was seen billowing from the building. The embassy had been closed in anticipation of the demonstration. A spokesman for the State Department said there are no reports of any injuries to Americans, and only security personnel were present. Police were not protecting the building. he attack came four days after Kosovo declared its independence. The United States recognized the new nation the next day. There has been unrest in Kosovo since the independence declaration. Hundreds of Serbs have launched attacks on border outposts, prompting NATO to reinforce the northern Serb-dominated part of Kosovo and take control of the borders. The violence has sparked fears of sustained violence, with Serbian officials saying the attacks were in line with its attempt to contest Kosovo's secession. Ethnic Albanian separatists fought a 1998-99 war with Serbian forces, and an estimated 10,000 people were killed. In areas of Kosovo where Serbs live surrounded by majority ethnic Albanians, Serb leaders urged Serbia's government to tone down statements or risk endangering lives. "Serbs from the north have brought other Serbs in Kosovo in a position to fear for their children and their lives, which is a very painful feeling — the fear of what your own people might do," Kosovo Serb leader Rada Trajkovic was quoted Thursday as saying by the independent Serbian news agency FoNet. This breaking news story will be updated. |
| Posted by:Sherry |
| #11 PUTIN = RUSSIA already broadly blames the USA-NATO, espec the USA, for its probs wid various Muslim break-away factions e.g. CHECHNYA. Basically, they see US-NATO suppor for KOSOVO Muslims as another PC attempt by the West to contain and destabilize Russia. Among other thingys, POST-GORBACHEV RUSSIA STILL SEES ITSELF AS THE TITULAR, SYMBOLIC DEFENDER AND PROMOTER OF REGIONAL-GLOBAL SLAVICISM, INCLUDING NON-ROMAN ORTHODOX CHRISTIANITY. IMO Russia and any aligned Serbian-Balkan Slav cohorts are going to do everything they [PDeniably]can to ensure that KOSOVO becomes a deep problematic thorn in the US-EU/NATO's side. ANTI-NATO/EU RUSS ARE GONNA HAVE A FIELD DAY WID THE WEST ON THIS ONE. |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-02-21 23:47 |
| #10 With the planned day of rallies and marches punctuated by the imspired oratory of a few, wasn't this sort of acting out almost inevitable. Notice how quickly the Serbian government reacted by reaching out to the media and American people? Violence and thuggery is too often the coin of the realm in the Balkans. A nice future addition to the EU methinks! Better yet let them be and leave the Kosovars and Serbs to themselves. These brutal nasty pieces of work truly deserve each other. You can't make "happy family of cat and dog" by putting the two in the same closet without holding each by the scruff of the neck. I sorta miss Tito. |
| Posted by: tkat 2008-02-21 23:04 |
| #9 Oh, look. A prize inside... A charred body was found in the U.S. Embassy after the fire was put out, but all staff were accounted for, embassy spokeswoman Rian Harris said. Belgrade's Pink TV said the body appeared to be that of a rioter. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-02-21 20:52 |
| #8 It says no place in the Balkans is worth the life of a single American. Pull the troops out now. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2008-02-21 20:46 |
| #7 Still, there isn't much of a reaction from even the Rantburg crowd. That says something. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2008-02-21 20:39 |
| #6 i hear ya rj. Condi should've sent a warning order to serbia. Burglarize the property and you get shot. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2008-02-21 20:10 |
| #5 Isn't an embassy soverieng territory and thus such an attack/riot an act of war? Everybody knows we won't take it that way but perhaps this nonsense wouldn't happen if they weren't so sure. A nice announcement that the rioters need to stay back before they activate the automated defense systems might go a long way. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2008-02-21 16:25 |
| #4 The embassy had been closed in anticipation of the demonstration. Well at least someone at State can predict the consequences of one's actions.... I was beginning to wonder. |
| Posted by: Phusomble Sproing7161 2008-02-21 16:15 |
| #3 The protesters appeared to have been in the Embassy's consular building area, McCormack said. U.S. security officials and Marine guards were in a separate part of the compound, the chancery, but no staff were present at the Embassy, he said. |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-02-21 14:54 |
| #2 No Marine guards? |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-02-21 14:48 |
| #1 Fox is streaming this LIVE! Riot police just moved in -- firing smoke? |
| Posted by: Sherry 2008-02-21 14:47 |