[Sreekar]

Birth of a nation: Kosovo declares independence
(sorce:CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News)

Kosovo has formally declared its independence from Serbia and become the world's newest state in a move opposed by Serbia and Russia but backed by many western governments.


Lawmakers in the legislature of the former Serbian province approved the declaration of independence at an extraordinary session Sunday afternoon. It was read out in Albanian, Serbian and English by prime minister Hashim Thaci before the approval of state symbols including Kosovar's new national flag and anthem.


Thaci said that Kosovo was an "independent and democratic" state, adding: "From this day onwards, Kosovo is proud, independent and free."


CNN's Alessio Vinci, reporting from the Kosovar capital Pristina, said that thousands of Kosovo's Albanian population had braved the freezing wind and cold to sing, dance, wave flags in the streets and light firecrackers ahead of the much anticipated vote. "It's been like this for several hours now," he said.


President George Bush said on Sunday that Kosovo's status must be resolved before the Balkans can become stable and that the United States supports the Ahtisaari plan which calls for a form of supervised independence.

The European Union decided Saturday to launch a mission of about 2,000 police and judicial officers to replace the United Nations mission that has been controlling the province since the end of the war with Serbia in 1999.


Kosovo has been under UN supervision and patrolled by a NATO-led peacekeeping force since the end of the three-month war, in which NATO warplanes pounded Serbia to roll back a campaign of "ethnic cleansing" of the province's Albanian population under former then-President Slobodan Milosevic.


The disputed province is dear to the Serbs, Orthodox Christians who regard it as Serbian territory. But it is equally coveted by Kosovo's ethnic Albanians, Muslims who have a 90 percent majority, and two years of talks on its final status ended in failure last December.

"Its status must be resolved in order for the Balkans to be stable," President Bush told reporters during a news conference in Tanzania Sunday.


Bush said the Ahtisaari plan - named after former Finnish President Marti Ahtisaari - is the best option. The proposal would give Kosovo limited statehood under international supervision.


President Bush added that "it's in Serbia's interest to be aligned with Europe and the Serbian people can know that they have a friend in America."


"We are heartened by the fact that the Kosovo government has clearly proclaimed its willingness and its desire to support Serbian rights in Kosovo," Bush said.


Thaci said Thursday he would establish a new government office for minorities and it would protect the rights of minorities after the province declares independence.


Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic has promised his country will refrain from using force against Kosovo after independence, though he has warned that Serbia will take punitive diplomatic, political, and economic measures against the province.

-Thanks much,
Sreekar

[aspirant2007]

East-West divide over Kosovo move
By Paul Reynolds
World Affairs correspondent, BBC News website


The diplomatic gulf between Russia and many Western governments is widening with the declaration of independence by Kosovo.
What the United States and many EU countries see as the inevitable result of war and history is regarded as "immoral and illegal" in the words of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Most EU governments, certainly the British, see the move as a one-off, the final piece of the shattered jigsaw that was Yugoslavia being put into its new place.
Russia will try to block the move in the Security Council. This will fail because of the support for Kosovo from three permanent members with a veto on Security Council decisions - the US, France and Britain.
Russia itself last summer blocked a Security Council decision to approve Kosovo's limited independence.
The mandate
At issue is the separation of the province from Serbia without a clear mandate from the Security Council.
Russia supports the view of Serbia that a province cannot break away like this. Serbia has offered autonomy not independence.
Russia says the principles of international law and custom, especially those governing diplomacy in Europe, demand that agreement is made first.
The US and countries supporting Kosovo say that the existing UN Security Council resolution 1244 authorised an "international presence" in Kosovo after the war waged by Nato in 1999 and does not prevent the move to independence.
In the final analysis, though, the Western argument is about politics not law.
The alienation of Kosovo from Serbia, it is felt, has gone too far and the status quo is no longer sustainable or acceptable.
The result is another issue that is added to the growing list of differences between the West and Russia.
The re-emergence of the word West, with its Cold War implications of an almost permanent division with Russia, is a sign of how badly relations have deteriorated over the past few years.
EU recognition
Many EU governments, including the UK, France and Germany, are expected to recognise the limited and supervised form of independence recommended for Kosovo by the UN.



They will do so after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday.
The EU is leaving actual recognition to individual governments. Diplomatic sources say that three member states - Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia - have told EU partners that they will not recognise the breakaway province.
Others might be slow to do so. But there will be substantial support for Kosovo.
Recognition by the United States is not in doubt and is also expected on Monday. The moves have all been coordinated with the Kosovan leadership. The idea is to minimise the expected diplomatic discord.

'Pandora's box'
That there will be discord is certain.
Serbia is not expected to launch an military moves but will certainly do its best to boycott Kosovo while trying to support the Serb minority there. Russia will ensure that Kosovo cannot join the UN.
The stand-off has serious implications for Serbia's future membership of the EU. This could well be delayed and, if relations get much worse, could be put on hold for some years at least.
There is also the possibility that the Serb population in Bosnia-Herzegovina might call for a referendum on their secession.
Whether Russia will use the Kosovo precedent as an argument that Abkhazia and South Ossetia deserve independence or secession from Georgia remains to be seen.
At a recent security conference in Munich, the former Russian defence minister, Sergei Ivanov, spoke of Kosovo "opening a Pandora's box".
At the moment, there is such a gap between the West and Russia that it cannot be bridged. Russia regards itself as under threat (not just from the US anti-missile system, but from a deep hostility) and has taken what it feels are defensive measures.
But those measures (including the threat to target countries helping the US missile shield) are seen in the West as aggressive.
East and West are still divided.

[aspirant2007]

Dear seekar, i will appriciate if you also put map with such type of international news. my post counts are below 50, so this site is not allowing me to do so.
regards,
aspirant2007

[Sreekar]

Kosovo citizens will continue to get our security: NATO
(source:The Times of India: Breaking news, views, reviews, cricket from across India.)

The NATO alliance called for restraint from all sides after Kosovo declared itself independent on Sunday, and said its 16,000 peacekeepers will continue to guarantee security in the region.

"After the Kosovo declaration of independence, NATO is following ongoing developments closely," the alliance said in a statement. It said the NATO ambassadors will meet on Monday in a special session to discuss Kosovo.

The alliance said all parties should recognise that NATO peacekeepers "will continue to provide security for all citizens of Kosovo, majority and minority alike, in an impartial manner, just as before."

(Map Source: www.Time.com)



-Thanks much,
Sreekar

[Sreekar]

China lashes out at Taiwan for backing Kosovo independence
(source:www.TimesofIndia.com)


China reacted angrily on Monday to Taiwan's expression of support for Kosovo's independence declaration, bluntly telling the island it had no right to offer an opinion on the subject.

"It is known to all that as a part of China, Taiwan has no right or eligibility to give the so-called 'recognition' (to Kosovo)," foreign ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said in a statement.

Liu was responding to a statement from Taiwan welcoming Kosovo's unilateral declaration on Sunday of independence from Serbia.

"Self-determination is a right recognised by the United Nations, and it is the people who are masters of their nation's future," the Taiwanese foreign ministry said in a statement.

"In no way should the independence of one nation be denied by another. "Taiwan is a member of the international community that cherishes democracy and freedom, and the government is delighted that the people of Kosovo have the fruits of independence, democracy and freedom to look forward to."

Communist China reacted quickly to the comments from democratic Taiwan because it is deeply concerned that the island may be trying to push ahead towards independence of its own.

China and Taiwan split at the end of a civil war in 1949 and the mainland has vowed to eventually bring about reunification, by force if necessary.

Cross-strait tensions have escalated recently as Taiwan prepares to hold a referendum next month on whether to try to join the United Nations under the name "Taiwan", which China regards as a move towards formal independence.

China also on Monday expressed deep concern over Kosovo's declaration of independence, warning it could lead to instability in the Balkans and saying any such move should have been carried out under a UN mandate.

However one concern for China in this regard is that, if it does not recognise Kosovo, the fledgling nation might be tempted to establish diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

-Thanks much,
Sreekar

[aspirant2007]

Kosovo: To recognise or not to recognise?
By Paul Reynolds
World Affairs correspondent, BBC News website


The declaration of independence by Kosovo has provoked a worldwide debate about the merits of recognising it as a state.
Several governments with breakaway movements of their own are refusing to do so. They are anxious about setting a precedent and argue against recognition on the grounds that there was no agreement between Serbia and Kosovo and no clear UN Security Council mandate.
Others have endorsed the declaration as a unique and justified move for freedom and the inevitable outcome to Kosovo's history, in which Serb troops were forced out after Nato waged war in 1999 and the province was handed over to UN control.

The numbers matter. There needs to be a critical mass of countries recognising Kosovo to enable it to develop and prosper.
The United States, which made its own declaration of independence in 1776, and whose support for Kosovo has not been in doubt, led the way in recognising Kosovo. President Bush said: "The Kosovars are now independent."




The European Union

Several major European Union member states have also swung behind Kosovo, giving it powerful support. The EU as a whole has a key role in supervising the limited form of independence that a UN report recommended for Kosovo and which Kosovo has accepted.


Britain, France and Germany all see the Kosovo move as a one-off and as the last piece of the old Yugoslav jigsaw being slotted into its new place.





However, the EU, which has no common foreign policy except by agreement, is not unified. Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia are in the No camp. So is Spain, with its own separatist Basque movement.
Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said: "Spain is not going to recognise this unilateral declaration of independence... because it does not consider that this respects international law."




Russia

Beyond the EU, Russia is opposing independence, as it always has, again arguing that such a move should depend on there being an agreement with Serbia first.



"We are talking here of the disruption of all the basic fundamentals of international law in Europe, which is a result of years of suffering and wars and strife," said the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.


"It would undermine the basics of security in Europe... It would inevitably result in a chain reaction in many parts of the world, including Europe and elsewhere."
One question is whether Russia will now more actively support the demands of two regions of Georgia for secession.
South Ossetian leader Eduard Kokoyty said: "Both South Ossetia and Abkhazia have more political and legal grounds for their independence than Kosovo... we can clearly see a policy of double standards."



China

China indicated its opposition, perhaps with Taiwan in mind.
"China expresses its deep concern about Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence," the Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao said.
Taiwan spoke in favour of Kosovo. "Our consistent position is that we want to develop relations with any free and democratic country," spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh said.
To which the Chinese spokesman replied: "It is known to all that Taiwan, as a part of China, has no right and qualification at all to make the so-called recognition."

Israel, with negotiations for a neighbouring state of Palestine ongoing, was cautious, refusing to give an immediate position. Israel itself declared its independence in 1948.




Precedent?

Regions with aspirations of independence of their own are using the Kosovo declaration as a potential precedent for them.
"I salute the independence of Kosovo. No people can be forced to live under the rule of another," said Mehmet Ali Talat, leader of the Turkish Cypriots.

Kosovo is "a lesson in how to resolve conflicts of identity and membership, peacefully and democratically," said Miren Askarate, spokeswoman for the Basque regional government in northern Spain.

The chairman of the breakaway Transdniester region of Moldova, Yevgeny Shevchuk, said: "We believe that a new era started and a new system of international relations was formed the moment part of a country, based on a series of historical developments, decided to live independently, and this country can gain recognition."


Regards,
aspirant2007

(Does any one have information on Indian stand on this issue?)

[Sreekar]

Serbia steps up anti-Kosovo pressure

(source:CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News)

The United States recognized the Balkan territory of Kosovo as "an independent and sovereign state" Monday, promising the infant republic's president that Washington "will be your partner and your friend."

In response, Serbia ordered its ambassador to the United States to return home, the Serbian Embassy said. Serbian President Boris Tadic said Kosovo's move sets a dangerous precedent for other nations with separatist provinces.

Tadic asked the U.N. Security Council to annul the declaration of independence.

"Imagine you were in my place -- the president of a country, which has been deprived of a territory against its will. How would you feel and how would you respond?" he said.

"I'm asking this question of you because if you cast a blind eye to this illegal act, who guarantees to you that parts of your countries will not declare independence in the same way?"

In a letter released by the White House, Bush told Kosovo's President Fatmir Sejdiu that he has agreed to establish diplomatic relations with the new country despite vehement objections from Serbia and its historical ally Russia.

"I congratulate you and Kosovo's citizens for having taken this important step in your democratic and national development," Bush wrote.

Meanwhile, Ivan Vujacic, Serbia's ambassador to the United States, on Monday called the move "a travesty of international law," saying he had unsuccessfully urged State Department officials to reconsider.

"It actually amounted to (U.S. officials) saying, 'This is a fait acompli, the situation will not be changed,'" he said.

European Union nations Monday were also starting to individually recognize Kosovo as the world's newest nation -- but had not agreed collectively on the way forward.

UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown said: "Britain will now formally recognize Kosovo as an independent sovereign state."

France said it would recognize Kosovo, and is in the process of confirming that in writing. Germany indicated its support would come.
But other EU nations including Greece, Spain and Romania have signaled that they would not follow suit amid concerns about the precedent that such a move would set.

Spain -- where militants wanting a separate Basque nation have carried out a 30-year campaign of violence -- said it did not consider Kosovo's independence to be lawful.

Two pro-Russian separatist provinces in Georgia -- South Ossetia and Abkhazia -- were looking to use Kosovo's move to help them declare their own independence.

But the U.S. and EU say that Kosovo's move is not the precursor for a wave of declarations of independence.

Rice said: "We congratulate the people of Kosovo on this historic occasion. President Bush has responded affirmatively to a request from Kosovo to establish diplomatic relations between our two countries.
"The unusual combination of factors found in the Kosovo situation -- including the context of Yugoslavia's breakup, the history of ethnic cleansing and crimes against civilians in Kosovo, and the extended period of U.N. administration -- are not found elsewhere and therefore make Kosovo a special case. Kosovo cannot be seen as a precedent for any other situation in the world today."

Facing severe economic problems and high unemployment, Kosovo is banking on the support of Western powers including the United States and key EU nations.

But while independence is broadly favored by the West, U.N. Security Council members Russia and China have expressed outright opposition and "grave concern" over Kosovo's unilateral decision.

Serbia insists it will not respond with violence to Kosovo's sovereignty claim, although it refuses to recognize the move.

In the Serb-dominated northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica, scores of Kosovo Serbs took to the streets waving Serbian flags in a demonstration against independence.

Beijing Monday, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao expressed grave concern over Kosovo's move for independence. Russia was also standing with its traditional ally, Serbia.

The Security Council is meeting Monday to discuss Kosovo and Serbian president Boris Tadic is expected to emphasize his country's opposition to Kosovo's breakaway.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said his country will never accept the establishment of a "false country" on its territory.
Fireworks lit the skies and crowds filled the streets of Kosovo's capital Sunday after the territory's parliament declared independence from Serbia.

But Serbs consider the territory the cradle of their civilization, and protesters clashed with police outside the U.S. Embassy in the Serbian capital, Belgrade, as the declaration was issued.

Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci opened Monday his first cabinet meeting since the parliament declared independence saying: "My full respect goes to you here and especially to our people that they celebrated in such a dignified manner."

The province has been under U.N. administration and patrolled by NATO troops since a 1999 bombing campaign that halted a Serb-led campaign against Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority.

About 100,000 Serbs still live in Kosovo, making up about 5 percent of the population. Sejdiu pledged to create a nation "where all citizens of all ethnicities feel appreciated."

Nicholas Burns, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, said international recognition offers "a much greater chance for peace and for stability" than the status quo.

Burns said the United States plans to provide $334 million in assistance for the new government this year, on top of $77 million in 2007. In addition, about 1,600 U.S. troops will remain with the 17,000-strong KFOR peacekeeping mission that has been deployed there since the end of the 1999 conflict.

-Thanks much,
Sreekar

[Sreekar]

View: India can be bold for a change
(source:TimesofIndia -Editorial)

Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia on Sunday made it the seventh state to emerge from the wreckage of former Yugoslavia. The ethnic Albanian majority province had existed in a limbo since 1999 as a United Nations protectorate.

However, this declaration will bring to a boil tensions that have been simmering between the US and its European allies on one hand, and Russia-backed Serbia on the other. Serbia has not taken the loss of 15 per cent of its territory well. Though military action has been ruled out, Serbia has said it will reduce diplomatic ties with any country that recognises Kosovo as a sovereign state. But this will not deter the US, Britain or France from lending legitimacy to Kosovo's bid. So the question is, which side of the fence should India come down on?

It's a tough call. But perhaps the answer is on the side of democracy and human rights. Global diplomacy is moving away from a unilateral emphasis on national sovereignty and being reshaped by a new respect for human rights. India can't ignore the fact that Yugoslavia broke up and that led to ethnic cleansing of people of Albanian origin in Kosovo. As the world's biggest democracy, India should recognise the citizens of present-day Kosovo if they want to be an independent and sovereign nation. We have proven that it is possible to be democratic and poor and even to achieve high rates of growth without sacrificing civil liberties. India is a model for developing countries, in no small measure because of its commitment to democratic values and human rights. It is time, therefore, that we started incorporating similar values in our foreign policy.

Opponents of recognising Kosovo raise the matter of Kashmir. But India should move away from thinking of Kashmir and Kosovo in comparable terms. India's stance on Kosovo is unlikely to influence world opinion on Kashmir which may in fact be slowly swinging away these days from a pro-Pakistan position. Kosovo should be assessed on its own merits and India's position accordingly defined by present-day values.

-Thanks much,
Sreekar

[Sreekar]

COUNTER VIEW: It's better to wait and watch
(source:TimesofIndia -Editorial)

In what could be the final act in Yugoslavia's 17-year process of disintegration, Kosovo has announced its independence from Serbia. Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority notwithstanding, the 1,20,000 ethnic Serbs in the world's newest state are not celebrating. Serbia has reacted with understandable outrage at the declaration, accepting which would mean losing the centre around which Serbian nationalism has been defined for centuries. More insignificantly for the international community, this unilateral declaration of independence brings the United States and Russia in conflict once again. The US supports the Kosovan bid for sovereignty, while Russia backs Serbia.

The Russians and Serbs have a point when they argue that Kosovo's reckless breach of international law will encourage separatist movements around the world, particularly if the EU and the US legitimise Kosovo by according it recognition. The precedent now exists for Russia to recognise the independence claims of two provinces of Georgia, South Ossetia and Abkhazia, or of Transnistria, which separated from Moldova. Not only does this threaten western support for the territorial integrity of Georgia, but could prove to be particularly dangerous for India, where the secessionist movement in Kashmir could gain strength from Kosovo's success. India should remain hands-off as far as Kosovo's independence is concerned. The last thing India needs is for the insurgency in Kashmir to gain impetus from such events. If India were to support Kosovo's claim, it would be risking increased attention from the international community on Kashmir. Supporting self-determination in Kosovo may be noble, but may also be quite imprudent for India.

In any case, the Kosovan situation is far from resolved. Even though the breakaway province has declared independence, it remains to be seen whether it can survive as a sovereign nation. Kosovo depends on Serbia for most of its energy and water needs, and it may yet be absorbed into Albania. This, then, is one crisis where silence, for India, is golden.


-Thanks much,
Sreekar

[Sreekar]

Newborn Kosovo headed for split?
(source:The Times of India: No 1 site for Breaking news, views, reviews, cricket, business, lifestyle, sports)

NATO troops came under fire during Serb riots in the northern Kosovo flashpoint of Mitrovica on Monday, in the worst violence in the territory since the Albanian majority declared independence last month.

The rioting was a challenge to the authority of NATO, the UN and a fledgling European Union justice mission, underscoring fears that Kosovo could be heading for ethnic partition exactly one month after breaking away from Serbia.

Witnesses in the town reported hearing gunfire as hundreds of Serbs clashed with the NATO peacekeeping force KFOR, and with UN police.

A French NATO spokesman said automatic weapons fire had been aimed at peacekeepers, but gave no further details. The violence began at dawn when several hundred UN special police backed by NATO peacekeepers stormed a UN court seized by Serbs on Friday, and arrested dozens.

Hundreds of Serbs fought back with stones, grenades and firecrackers, forcing the UN police to pull back and leave KFOR to face the rioters. Rioters attacked three United Nations vehicles, breaking doors and freeing around 10 of those detained in the raid, witnesses said. The police and troops responded by using tear gas.

-Thanks much,
Sreekar