Partition of Kosovo?

I don't have room to cover everything in the course of one blog.

možda njegovi pretpostavljeni čitaju ? :)
Dobra analiza, hajde videćemo da li će biti baš tako.
A g-din Lyon neće iz Srbije, kaže - iz inata, slatko me nasmejao :))) počeo čovek i da razmišlja ko mi koliko je dugo ovde

you might be very surprised to know who reads my blog...

:-)

My guess is that you are after samples of educated public opinion among english speaking Serbs as well. What better place than here.

Plus, everyone of us know-it-alls will be quick to point out all the holes in your argument on a certain topic and provide valuable feedback for adjustments.

I've noticed that you've refined the way you present your basic postulates quite a bit since starting your blog here.

Other IR officials would be smart to do the same, instead of sticking to one-way communication through specialised online and offline publications that do not offer a grain of interactivity with the target audience.

Our own politicians or their PR services would be smart to do the same. But then, they never wanted our feedback in the first place

Noooooo! My hidden agenda has been uncovered! :-)

i wish our politicians and civil servants had interactive columns as well :)

If so, wow! Alal vera Bato!
:-)

here, beside creating public opinion? and gathering information?
hmmm...mora da je baš zanimljiv posao

Why do you say so ?

Taj tvoj "you might be very surprised to know who reads my blog" nalikuje mi na hvalisanje. Šta će to tebi?! Ti si čovek profesionalac i verovatno ne pišeš samo za tvoje gazde, kako lepo primeti kolega, niti za američke domaćice željne geostrateškog znanja, nego pišeš za one Srbe koje i su van Srbije, koje mogu tvojim gazdama da posluže i koje treba prebaciti na vaš put. I za srpske političare kojima, valjda, tako stižu svetle misli.

E, da nam Bog dâ, pa da se sklonite svi vi ispirači mozga, da pustite Srbiju na miru i da ovaj narod počne da živi normalne, bez anglo-američkih agitpropovaca.

da bi u tu Anglo-Ameriku trebalo poslati balkanske agitpropovce. Da vide da i mi konje (ooops, agitpropovce, mislim) za trku imamo. Eto.

If you look at the maps in the new SANU books and talk to certain persons working this issue inside Serbia's government, you will see that the maps clearly call for the Serbs to leave the enclaves and resettle in the Presevo Valley, thereby diluting the Albanian presence even further, creating potential problems as the newly arrived refugees interact with the Presevo Albanians.

but IDPs only. That might also create a ressetlement location problem. Being citizens of Serbia, IDPs from the enclaves have right to move or (re)settle their homes wherever they like, same as all the other citizens of Serbia. According to the Constitution of Serbia (and international humanitarian law), neither SANU nor any other local or international institution can force them to be resettled to the academically, artisticaly and scientifically designed region of Presevo Valley.
It might be suggested, instead, that the estimated SANU members et.al. resettle to Presevo.

are you trying to tell me that Serbia would be the first nation in the world to have a policy for internal migration and re-settlement? It is precisely becasue of careful settlement and demographic policies that countries such as the Netherlands, Germany (or at least west Germany), Belgium have properly decentralised states in which there is no serious imbalance between the regions and hense no inter-regional tension based on economic and political disparities.
What are you suggesting, that all the IDPs should flock to Belgrade and Novi Sad?
The only duty the state has is to invest in the region the IDPs are resettled to and provide them opportunities to work and prosper.

...for not responding.

That is a good and very troubling question. I am uncertain that I have a good answer for you. In fact, I fear that anything I say may sound trite or condescending. Whenever I am in a similar situation I keep my mouth shut and listen. I then ask myself the simple question: does it pass the bull-s#@t test. I then go on to the next level: are human beings being harmed? I then improvise. :-) Does anyone else have a way of dealing with this?

Thank you, I need all friendly advice I can get :)

lep primer, cak izuzetan, zamene teza.

Obratite paznju na konstrukciju "srpski nacionaisti hoce da isprovociriaju jadne albance da eto oni uzmu i spale sve sto ima veze sa Srbima juzno od ibra".

Pomisio bi covek, sta ce ljudi morali da spale. Pa vidis da ih srpski nacionalisti provociraju.

Mislim... sta reci.

Samo vi gosn Lajon radite svoje...

....radim svoje, radim svoje...

:-)

.... I don't think anybody in Belgrade is paralyzed. Rather, I think they are all trying to figure out how best to stab each other in the back.

.....Serbia has hired Carl Rove as part of its new diplomatic offensive. It wouldn't surprise me to find that Kostunica and Bush are on the same ideological wave-length.

Bush and Milosevic were more alike. Couple of parallels:
- Bush used “threat of terrorism” to advance his personal agenda and make his buddies very rich (shareholders in Texas energy companies – read Halliburton). Milosevic used “threat to defenseless Serbian people” to advance his personal agenda and make himself and his buddies very rich.
- Bush uses personality assassination and the number of illegal tricks to get rid of his political opponents (Valery Plame & Jo Willson for instance). Milosevic used physical assassinations to achieve the same thing.
- Remember the boycott of French (‘freedom fries”)? Remember the boycott of Slovenians?
- Both of them did not like media and appearing in a free form interviews…
- The whole either "you are with me" or you are a traitor thing.
- FOX News = RTS

And many more…

Zašto Halibarton kad je jednostavnije reći vice predsednik of USA Dik Čejni koji je preko ćerke
firme Halibarton mešetario i na Kosovu a verovatno to rade i u Srbiji.Iza korporacija stoje odredjeni ljudi sa imenom i prezimenom te nema potrebe da se
diže dimna zavesa pošto su ovi podatci dostupni a mišljenje o istim nazvavši ih parvim imenom i prezimenom stoji na web-u:vidi Robert Anton Wilson.

When I hear the word "correction" I immediately think of The Shining: Gradie the caretaker speaking to Jack: "my daughters didn't much care for the Overlook; they even tried to burn it down. So I 'corrected' them (chopped them into little pieces) and when my wife tried to stop me from performing my duty, I 'corrected' her too." !!

Maybe if we Serbs stab each other in our backs Mr. Lyon will finally move to new pastures.

I will now stay here forever simply "iz inata".

now you sound more like a serb. though your english got me confused for a sec. ;)

Of course James, you have to stay "iz inata"
and help us to make peacful partition, and then we will have a lot of "pecenje and spricer". After that you are very welcome to bring a lot of investors from the
states and everybody will make money and
will be happy.

Bas si zajeban :-)

Interesting note on Serbian holly sites being south of Ibar.

Hidden coal reserves are often mentioned in economic plays.

EU regional view is missing from your analysis. It works fine around Slovenian borders.

LP MMM, Ljubljana

I agree with some of your comments and disagree with others. However, your response was brilliant: elegant, logical, and well reasoned. Obviously you have taken the time to through the issues from various angles and sought for reasonable answers and alternatives. You are to be commended for the thoughtfulness and quality of your arguments.

I also agree with Matthew and coincidentally I am a 2nd generation Montenegrin who came back to her roots 2 years ago and now living in Montenegro permanently.

Partition is the only viable solution as the Serbs have to be given something in return for Kosovo independence to avoid potential violence and mass migration.

I don't see how Kosovo can become economically viable just as Bosnia is still struggling. This is the biggest instability in the Balkans. I believe Serbia has the potential to become an economic powerhouse once Kosovo is no longer a drain on it financially and politically if they can get some decent political leadership.

Foreign investment is they key which is the reason why Croatia and Montenegro are doing so well. I can't see foreign companies wanting to do business in Bosnia or Kosovo for a variety of reasons.

I never said that partitioning Kosovo was morally wrong. In theory, if the Albanians and Serbs would agree among themselves to peacefully partition Kosovo, no one in the international community would object. But it would have to be a negotiated settlement with both sides agreeing willingly, and violence could not play a role. Should Belgrade and Pristina decide that partition is a desirable outcome, then they should sit down and discuss it.

What concerns me is the way Belgrade is going about doing it. I fear that it could lead to further violence, and that the Serbs in the enclaves will end up being the ones who suffer. If you can achieve a result without bloodshed, why chose a violent path?

Do not wish to be a pest but I really need to understand the thought process here. I believe I am not the only one - you could win some of us over. So, please bear with me for just one or two more questions.

Please try to stay consistent with your previous answer.

We concluded that partitioning Kosovo is not an inconceivable solution. What is important is how it is achieved. I would say that most of us agree.

Please explain why you believe that Serbia can be strong-armed into accepting a loss of a very significant part of its country without provoking it into violence while Kosovo Albanians cannot be persuaded to do the same?

Why would you (James Lyon) support a non-negotiated settlement to the Kosovo - Serbia partition while you would not support the same type of a non-negotiated solution for Kosovo itself?

Thank you again for your answer. It really does help some of us understand how West reasons regarding this issue.

Yes James, that's the key for solving of problem in a peacefull manner. Just let them talk and do not pressure either side. If you pressure either side, there will be bloodshed for sure.

Let them talk on partition agenda and I am pretty much sure, that they will make agreement for reasonable and fair partition.

Thank you very much for this blog and fair discussion.

I will be in your Massacusetts for several days, as from tomorrow.

Best regards
LBSL

“I never said that partitioning Kosovo was morally wrong. In theory, if the Albanians and Serbs would agree among themselves to peacefully partition Kosovo, no one in the international community would object.”

Mr. Lyon,

Clearly that scenario not only is the most likely to find support among both the Serbian and Albanian population, its also the most likely to bring peace and stability to the region as a whole. It would also set a positive precedent on how various disagreements in the Balkans should be settled in the future, through peaceful diplomacy and dialog.

Even you seem to begrudgingly acknowledge that partition through negotiation and compromise could be a desirable solution if conducted openly and fairly.

So why is there such opposition to it among the pro-independence countries and NGO’s?

You yourself co-authored the following in 2003.

“Any partition of Kosovo along ethnic lines would raise very uncomfortable
issues elsewhere in the Balkans”

http://www.tibet.ca/en/wtnarchive/2003/2/24_4.html
The Observer Sunday February 23, 2003

The ICG in general seems extremely opposed to any discussion of the possibility of partition.

“The international community has properly decreed that Kosovo's final status must not involve division of its territory. But this declaration has not been followed by sufficient action.”

“Territorial integrity is the correct policy because partition could provoke further population exchanges inside Kosovo and instability elsewhere in the Balkans…”

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3650
Europe Report Nº165, 13 September 2005

“neither Kosovo's return to Belgrade's rule, nor its partition, nor any possible unification of Kosovo with Albania or any neighbouring state or territory will be supported.”

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3226
Europe Report N°161, 24 January 2005

As early as 2002 the ICG was associating partition with secret plans by the Serbian government.

“the continuing lack of clarity about the international community's objectives allows hard-liners among ethnic Albanians to play on fears that the secret aim is partition, both of Mitrovica and of the entire province.”

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=1603&l=1
Europe Report N°131, 3 June 2002

Now you too seem to be playing on fears that the secret aim is to partition Kosovo.

You and the ICG are respected experts on the region. I personally believe that because of this you must be extremely responsible with your words. Your blog, which was cited in the International Press numerous times, only portrayed the possibility of partition in a very negative light. You completely ignored the mainstream’s desired approach to the partition issue. Only the most extreme radical and dangerous elements of Serbian society would ever welcome the ethnic cleansing of Serbs from the southern regions. Any situation involving that outcome would also most certainly involve the destruction of many historical sites which we consider to be the very foundation of our civilization. No sane Serb wants the outcome in which you describe. Yet the average person in the West reading your article may come away thinking that this outcome is what both the moderates and radicals in Serbia want.

The simple fact of the matter is the Serbian government is most likely waiting until the Ahtisaari plan fails in the UNSC to bring partition up. That way they will be in a “stronger” position to negotiate. I see nothing sinister lurking behind that political reality. Tadic’s diplomacy style is light years removed from that employed by the Milosevic regime.

The reason I think portraying the situation like you have is so dangerous is because it almost gives a green light for radical extremists on the pro-independence side to go ahead and engage in that sort of behavior, the “blame” will fall on the Serbian government. They may be led to believe they will get a “better deal” if they engage in a violent partition instead of a peaceful one. A very real danger could easily come from outside as well. It would only take an extremely small terrorist cell the size of the 9/11 Hijackers to completely destabilize the region at this point, no country or region can adequately guard against that. There is already far too much talk of blaming Serbia or Russia if the Albanians “lose patience” will a delay of final status. A repeat of 2004 is probably possible, I’m not sure that much has changed?

The simple fact is the arguments cited by the ICG against partition, that it may destabilize other regions, is also the argument being used against granting Kosovo independence in the first place. Both obviously have the chance to set “precedent” for future demands for independence.

We must ask ourselves what kind of precedent we would like to set.

Peaceful negotiation and compromise leading to an agreed upon solution?

Violence leading to reality on the ground, such as the Cyprus model?

Or shall we buy into the arguments proposed by the pro-Ahtisaari camp? That currently the situation is “unique” because you had massive violations of human rights combined with international intervention involving forces on the ground.

If Ahtisaari’s model is to be accepted for these reasons, which has been stated many times, no sane country would ever let UN peace keeping forces into their country again, not ever. This will have an extremely negative effect on the ability of the UN to bring peace to troubled regions where human rights violations are common. Much of the rest of the world outside of the “West” is an extremely dangerous and violent place.

There are additional troubling items in Ahtisaari’s plan itself. While only half the seats in the assembly reserved for minorities go to Serbs, it takes a simple majority of that voting block to completely revise the following rights and “guarantees” for the Serbs:

“a. Laws changing municipal boundaries, establishing or abolishing municipalities, defining the scope of powers of municipalities and their participation in inter- municipal and cross-border relations;
b. Laws implementing the rights of Communities and their members, other than those set forth in the Constitution;
c. Laws on the use of language;
d. Laws on local elections;
e. Laws on the protection of cultural heritage;
f. Laws on religious freedom or on agreements with religious communities;
g. Laws on education;
h. Laws on the use of symbols (including Community symbols) and on public holidays."

I fear this will put enormous pressure on the other minorities in Kosovo, particularly the Roma, who have already suffered so much everywhere they live.

Clearly Ahtisaari’s proposal offers no real protections for Serbs, and is facing a strong Russia veto. With the disunity in the EU, it appears headed for failure (The EU only agreed to support a proposal in the UNSC, could be an alternative such as partition, basically they only agreed not to support unilateral recognition outside the UNSC).

Now Mr. Lyon is when you should be proposing a solution based on peaceful negotiation instead of stirring up fears of violence and ethnic cleansing and associating that with the one proposal so far that might possibly be acceptable to both sides. We should be talking about what is fair and reasonable and whether to include Presevo, and if so, for what?

I personally believe you care about the Balkan people, or you would not have studied us so much.

I implore you to put serious consideration into supporting a fair and balanced partition plan founded on peaceful negotiation with support from both sides if Ahtisaari’s plan fails in the UNSC. If Ahtisaari’s plan fails, anything else is much more likely to involve bloodshed and violence. The world disparately needs unity on this issue.

Dear Claedy, thanks a lot for your reply. I think that this is the moment that Serbs and Albanians should have made an agreement which will enable long term stability in the region and relation of a good neighbours.

As per your proposal Serbian side will get nothing, and will be absolutelly dissatisfied. I mean, isn't it better to take the maps and start partition negotiation without any preconditions, so everything whould have been open and possible at the beginning of negotiations i.e. Presevo value, Mitrovica, churches etc.

I think that it would be great, if we make a peaceful agreement and be good neighbours! After that when your Kosovo part would be recognized by Serbia as well, then there will be a stable situation in the region, so very quickly both of us would become EU members. I think, this would be much better, then having decedaes of instability in the region, instigated by ultra-natinalist of both sides.

If both sides are reasonable and flexible, everything will be fine.

Thank You and Best regards
LBSL

What was it a reaction to? What did Belgrade do to trigger it?

And I am afraid that this place you call Kosovo is in Serbia and was in the past in Serbia.

Yes I do agree with you LBSL!
But it is important though to realise where the Albanian and the Serb position lies in this matter, and understand where their argument comes from as well as its real intention.
It is not enough to have a compromise which is called of such only by one side!
Clearly speaking ahtisaris plan even though, seen by Serbia as one sided, it is a deeply regrettable compromise by the Albanians.
They never wanted to allow the Serbs in Kosovo more powers than any other minority has ales where! This will have its own negative subsequence’s in the future for the whole of the community in Kosovo and of its population. Regardless of what is at stake or currently demanded by the Serb community in Kosovo, or by its majority, legislation should be a balanced and thoughtful one so then nobody looses out in the country! I have lived under this negative effects in my own country of origin when the small Greek minority in the south was always given double the amount on everything, and were always first everywhere within the state owned sectors before anybody ales! This was done just because as a minority they should be treated better, and the communists use to pride themselves over it. I’d say b*** s*** to this! It is undemocratic and a clear discrimination for the rest of the people. All the people in a country should be the same before the law and their rites should be equal, and nobody should enjoy special privileges on the back of the majority!
Unfortunately under Belgrade’s unnecessary and as a consequence of an imaginative fear, those claims have managed to create a small country within Kosovo, much like a local principality shall I say!
I wander based on this reality, shouldn’t the Albanians of south Serbia have the same rites and why not saying, every other minority in the world!
Well of course the leaders in Belgrade now very well that there is currently no fear of the Albanians in Kosovo, there has ever been in the entire history!
Everybody knows well the Albanian character and nation behaviour in centuries.
It is a myth to say that the Serbs or their monuments are in danger in Kosovo at any given time. This is said only as an excuse to give Belgrade reasoning on its new and shameful claim over Kosovo.
Now what I would also mention is that Kosovo is not part of Serbia, and it has not been naturally since its autonomy removal, and legally since the UN mission in 1999! I do not know what to refer to you Mr as I can’t understand your name which is not in the Latin alphabet! But what I can say is that, you don’t belong in Kosovo, neither does your government. And the people of Kosovo don’t belong to you either. This was clear when your government reacted in an animal behaviour and denied the existence of all Kosovo’s Albanian inhabitants by refusing them everything the system had to offer. This people were left on the streets of their own land and country. How dare you claim that Kosovo was in Serbia then? Because if you were to ask me and any other sensible person on this planet, we would say that Kosovo was under a brutal and unlawful occupation, where terrible crimes were occurring in mass and against almost all its population, or in figures 97%! Clearly you do not want Kosovo, and it is very sinister to claim you want the province back, as your actions have been brutal and a mirror to your intentions, including the current ones and the ones you plan to have for the future. This is the reason why Albanians and Serbs will never be in piece until the elite in Belgrade sincerely burns this old diabolic ambition.
Regarding the so much claimed history, it is also true that Kosovo was annexed by the power of Russian guns that the Serbs of those days had in use! We have got abundant historical proof and no propaganda myths, of the struggle of the northern Albanians who wanted to unite with the rest of the Albanians in 1913.
Their heroic struggle which was crushed under the great powers of the time blessing for the Serbs has also been historically proven, and well documented.
Now this immoral conquest cannot ever be justified by any human means, nor can it ever be excused based on curst historical myths that the Serbs created which should have never come to existence as it is the real devil in serbo-albanian relations.
Some people, in an ignorant manner choose to ignore the reality and the real historical facts, or they tend to mix them up, or worse believe what Belgrade has to make out of it! And I don’t blame a colonial power for acting this way, as there’s no other way if you are of such, but is unforgivable for those who supported it, and who still do, knowing it’s a crime!
The reality today should be fully accepted and the ground of each position clearly checked and balanced.
In one side we have an autochthonous population which did not appear in Kosovo in just 10 years, but that was there since the illegal enlargement of Serbia in 1913. On the other hand we have the initial and unchanged since 1913, colonial oriented state policy towards Kosovo from Belgrade, still!
It is clear that Belgrade doesn’t care for the real value of the Serb monuments in Kosovo, and it cares less for the well being of the Serb minority in it!
What they care is one thing, conquer, conquer and never stop! Or shall I say, today is more, of a time of keeping what you managed to conquer last century, as it no longer is a suitable time to conquer!
It would perhaps be worthwhile me mentioning here that Belgrade didn’t want Kosovo alone which it managed to annex from the Albanian trunk, but the entire north Albania as it had a mega desire to have the port of durres and an access to the Adriatic sea just like Montenegro does. I am certain that if this was to also be successful in 1913 than there would be a few more monasteries, churches or castles declared as part of the Serbian heritage, to excuse the occupation of north Albania. Nobody should have the slightest dought about it!
Even if it could be true, you can’t claim a territory simply because you find monuments in it which you do associate your past with, today!
As I have already mentioned, in Albania we have some ancient roman and greek, not monuments, but entire towns, alongside a large range of Illyrian or pre Illyrian inhabited areas. But we have not burned them, or scrubbed the inscription surfaces of manuscripts and stones, to replace them with what we would say today they belong to the Illyrians.
The Serb government of last century did just that, and anyone in dought can read a lot of historical publications of the time, that give an accurate account of all this, for even the most thoughtful minded person!
Along with Albanian monuments in Kosovo were destroyed a lot of roman ones as well, as Mr Arthur Evans and others have documented.
Finally coming back to your question, what did Belgrade do to trigger it?
Ok!
Belgrade’s secret intelligence operates in Kosovo, and if you don’t believe me you can check this reported reality with UNMIK or others in charge.
They did trigger anger by killing a few Albanian kids by the river, later to easily hide their involvement by saying that the kids drawn!
Just like a careful murderer does. Later this spies pretending to be Albanians were reported encouraging people who were angry at the Serbs to be violent, and believe me it is easy under those circumstances to lead a crowd where you want it to. It has also been reported that this people were burning the Serb monuments themselves first, this is why I say Belgrade doesn’t care for your monuments!! It makes me question whether they are actually real, and what you claim them to be. Do you think we are that stupid or naïve?
Now it is not new or it did not only happen in 2004, but it has happened throughout the history.
The very creation of the KLA was a reaction expected by Belgrade which worked hard to make it a reality, so then it could use it later to justify the mass ethnic cleansing and the criminal acts of killing easily the Albanian civilians. This was done in order to change the ethic make up of Kosovo and justify the brutal and illegal withdrawal of its autonomy. Simple people can say whatever they wish, but governments have to make sense of their actions in front of the international community.
And finally just as the writer of this article Mr James Lyon, is claiming, Belgrade has not changed its policy. They are still trying to ignite violence among unhappy Albanians in Kosovo, as a result of this successful Serb maneuver that has slowed down the process which will lead eventually to Kosovo’s independence. If violent erupts, this is seen by Belgrade as an achievement on their side.
Yet these monsters still claim that they want Kosovo back?
I will leave it at that, so any sensible human being can make up their own mind about this new Serbian mask!!!

It is always interesting to see that Albanians can exaggerate and distort history just as much as Serbs. The number of factual inaccuracies in what you wrote is large. Here are two of them that really leaped out at me:
1) "Everybody knows well the Albanian character and nation behaviour in centuries. It is a myth to say that the Serbs or their monuments are in danger in Kosovo at any given time."
2) "Belgrade’s secret intelligence operates in Kosovo, and if you don’t believe me you can check this reported reality with UNMIK or others in charge. They did trigger anger by killing a few Albanian kids by the river, later to easily hide their involvement by saying that the kids drowned."

Well it is also very psychologically important to understand your response Mr Lyon.
To you my opinion or any other which comes from the other side as well as all the historical facts which don’t come in handy to you, are surely an exaggeration and distortion of history!
Sincerely I do not blame you though as your reaction can be predicted and it is a normal one if I consider you are a pro Serb!
Yes I am an Albanian, and I tell you and all the world, Kosovo aint no Serb but Albanian Mr!
You can read this the way you like it, but that’s how it is! Oh I forgot, of course pardon me, to you this is also a factual inaccuracies,  :) hehahehe
plz.. Let this subject no longer be a reason to laugh!

My dear man,
Why do you meddle? This is between the bad guys and the mediators (the good guys who run the world). You will get to police a piece of someone's territory. All YOU have to do is harass some peasants and blow a few churches, traffick stuff to the City and girls to Mayfair.
No offense meant, its a charade anyway.
Mr Bondsteel.

meni nije jasno kao ih bre ne mrzi da pisu tolike reci gluposti....a obaska kad ustanu i podju da rade vec sta rade....mislim tu na 'sve' glupave ljudske protuve koje se muvaju po ovoj planeti iz meni nepoznatog razloga.
sta bronx najvise mrzi na svetu?
ljudsku glupost.

So I heard many nonsense and stupidity in my life but this is one of the best.If you would be aware of your ignorance and damage you make to your people you would relize that you're much more smarter when you keep your mouth shut! Or you know very well what are you talking about just playing smart ass here? Although I don't think that's the case, cause you're not smart enough.
And yeah we do know "albanian character and nation behaviour" in centuries -- sneaky, sucking in, always criminals doing with drugs and prostitution,trading everything they can and reproduce like rabbits, that's how you expand on our theritory!
Unhappy Albanians??! and Serbs are there without an electricity, old people , sick people, little children on -20C , surounded with iron nets and with soldiers who is taking them to school. Nuns raped , church' destroyed that are under protection of UNESCO. Is there anything that your "albanian character and nation behaviour" in centuries has made that is monument of the world?!

Ma jebala bi milu majku celoj ovoj vladi i srpskim političarima što su nas doveli u ovu situaciju da mi ovakvi mašu crvenim plaštom ispred nosa!!!

Here you go SERBIA!

I made up my mind.here it is; that's so, stupid...stupid...stupid...even, if is true. what kind of brain (thinking of your evil m. f. mind) can come up with such, b.s...

.... what?

there is no point.
people on this planet are crazy.I am going crazy becose I dont know Why am I among them.
(bad bad karma, I gues)

If I had the money in my budget I'd hire you to do media analysis for me. However, I am using a different data base than you, which includes electronic media stories. I also have access to the back videos of RTS and B92 dnevnici. The site is a subscrition site, so I don't believe I can post search results for everyone to see without giving out my login and password. I apologise for this.

As far as the people on the far right I speak with...yes, I speak with them, and I also speak with the people on the far left. But what is important is that the ideas I expressed in this article were articulated to me by influential persons in positions of responsibility within Serbia's current governing hierarchy who are a part of or close to policy-making circles.

If you speak with politicians in Serbia today, you will find that everyone, and I mean literally everyone, from the far left to the far right, feels that partition is the only fair outcome in the event Serbia loses Kosovo. And Belgrade has already completed all the necessary infrastructure preparations for this to occur.

I am uncertain how far removed you are geographically from Serbia, but the picture I painted is not only plausible, but is also entirely realistic in the current policy context.

... then the whole charade of our negotiations with Marti was intented as support for the Albanians to gain an even better position.

PS. As "promised" Carl Rove is neutralized.

Friday April 13, 2007
Rove in new controversy over e-mails (see REUTERS)

But I don't buy it still. For one, Naslovi.net also includes electronic media (RTS, B92 and Pink), and they publish on their websites same news they air. Even if that would not be the case, there is no particular reason for print media to offer practically opposite image from electronic media. So far, all evidence you offer is a quick keyword search, and your personal conversation with unnamed sources. That is not enough.

I live in Serbia, and to me your picture is about as far away from reality as one could get.

I live in Serbia too, and as nearly as I can tell, on the basis of what I watch on tv and listen to on the radio and read in the papers, there was a significant upsurge in partition related stories after the Ahtisaari plan was unveiled in late January. There was also a significant change in political dialogue and the level of public acceptance of partition.

Perhaps there was an upsurge, but as we have seen the partition is viewed primarily negatively, hence level of public acceptance should be lowering.

.....Serbs I have spoken to among either the political elite or the common man who is not in favour of partition.

You are seen as the only Serb (pardon the expression) who is arguing for partition. Are you trying to convince someone?
Smolensky aint the only one you have to convince, even at the price of having a lot researchers on your paylist.
Talking of partitions. Here is list of partitions arranged by certain gentlemen from the Atlantic establishments. Chose your pick.

"They were gracious and cultured gentlemen of somewhat limited social experience who were much concerned with the freedom of expression of minorities and the rule of law for all, who constantly thought in terms of Anglo-American solidarity, of political partition and federation, and who were convinced that they could gracefully civilize the Boers of South Africa, the Irish, the Arabs, and the Hindus, and who are largely responsible for the partitions of Ireland, Palestine, and India, as well as the federations of South Africa, Central Africa, and the West Indies." Carroll Quigley

....to be missing the point significantly. I am not arguing for or against partition. Had you bothered to read the text of my blog you would have seen that it does nothing more than describe attitudes and policy trends in Serbia. Please reread the text and try to comprehend it. It is a rather simple text. Simply because you and Smolensky dislike it doesn't mean it is inaccurate.

the Serbian side did propose "decentralization" which was rejected by your side at the very outset of this last set of negotiations. Just because you did not have an ear to hear ANY of the Serbian proposals, you now try to sell to us in you sensationalist blog some old recycled news. One does not even have to read your texts, your position is entrenched by the practical policies of the West since early 1990s.
One is never sure about the foot-soldiers if they know what the generals want.

ludaku kako te ne mrzi da pises sve te reci.evo mene mrzi da te citam aqli mi vrag ne da mira....ha...ha.james nemo da me brises stalno.

nego sam njega brisao zbog vulgarnosti i bezobrazluka. Necu to da trpim. Na zalost tvoj blog entry je bio zakacen ispod njegovog.

one moments they are friends
and the next instant they become enemies
since they become angry even in joyful situations,
it is dificult to please ordinary people,

they are angry when something of benefit is said
and they also turn me away from what is beneficial.
if I do not listen to what they say
they become angry and proceed to lower realms.

they are envious os supirors,copetitive with equals
arrogant towards inferiors,conceited when praised,
and if anything unpleasent is said they become angry;
never is any benefit derived from the childish.

I was more disturbed than angered,because of what was said(done) in the presence of the god.now I am ok.

"or are you from the US?
oh well,
then - Alta & Baja California.."

People in Baja California have not been tortured and discriminated against as far as we know. Do you have some other information that you might want to share with with us? Perhaps RTS has provided you some secret information that we are missing. Please go ahead and enlighten us.And for God's sake, please stop using useless analogies....everyone. We are all adults here and we know what is alike and what isn't.

...on analogies, discrimination, torture, politics, terror, religion, survival of the "fittest", big and small powers, regimes, military might, lobbying, media campaigns, political & economic interests, resolutions, autonomy within autonomy, independence or partition..

on truths and lies..

the ultimate enlightment, as requested..

Thank you :)
By the way, did you not find it appropriate to show the wholesale destruction of Albanian villages? Oh NO, that would have made the video too long. My Bad.

Further update..

It´s 1980. All over the world, Yugoslavia is represented by Ambassadors of Albanian nationality. Albanians holding high-level positions in all sectors of the then Yugoslav rotating government. The word "passport" is written on my own passport in Albanian. Kosovo has full autonomy. I'm in a bus on my way to Prizren to visit a friend. And my bus with Belgrade licence plates is stoned half an hour into crossing Kosovo territory. One year later the famous 1981 uprising of Albanians demanding independence. Miloshevic regime nowhere in sight. Tito hasnt got cold yet since his burial. Although the flowers on his grave may have gone dry.

It´s October 1998. Sagato Ogata is invited to witness, in front of CNN cameras, the desperate position of a group of some 50 Albanians who have been thrown out of their homes, allegedly by Serb forces. The filming lasts for about half an hour. It´s dusk. The CNN crew and Ms. Ogata leave the scene. Two hours later the 50 Albanians leave the scene as well and safely return to their homes.

If and when destruction of any Albanian villages occurred - it occurred as a REaction to a series of decade-long Actions and Provocations by Albanian separatists.

Indeed, the video would have been much longer if it was to include decades, not to mention centuries.

фром видовдан.цом
INTERNI DOKUMENTI IZ NEMAČKOG MINISTARSTVA SPOLjNIH POSLOVA O PITANjU GENOCIDA NA KOSOVU U VREMENU PRE BOMBARDOVANjA

Sakupljeni od strane Međunarodne asocijacije advokata protiv nuklearnog oružja (International Association of Lawyers Against Nuclear Arms – IALANA)

1: Mišljenje Gornjeg administrativnog suda u Minsteru, 11.3.1999. (Az: 13A 3894/94.A):

«Etnički Albanci na Kosovu niti su bili niti su sada izloženi grupnom progonu na regionalnom ili nacionalnom nivou u Saveznoj Republici Jugoslaviji.»

2: Mišljenje Bavarskog administrativnog suda, od 29.10.1998. (Az: 22 BA 94.34252):

«Statusni izveštaji Ministarstva spoljnih poslova od 6. maja, 8. juna i 13. jula 1998. koji su dostavljeni tužiteljima u pozivu za usmenu raspravu, ne dopuštaju zaključak da se na Kosovu sprovodi grupni progon etničkih Albanaca. Čak se ni postojanje progona na regionalnom nivou, primenjenog protiv svih etničkih Albanaca koji žive na jednom delu Kosova, ne može konstatovati sa dovoljnim stepenom verovatnoće. Nasilne akcije jugoslovenske vojske i policije počev od februara 1998. bile su usmerene protiv separatističkih aktivnosti i ne predstavljaju dokaz progona celokupne albanske etničke grupe na Kosovu ili nekom njegovom delu. Ono što se dešavalo u sklopu jugoslovenskih nasilnih akcija i eksesa počev od februara 1998. bile su selektivne akcije primene sile protiv vojnog podzemnog pokreta (a pogotovu OVK) i ljudi koji su bili u neposrednom kontaktu sa njim u oblastima njihovog delovanja. ...Nekakav državni program ili progon usmeren protiv čitave albanske etničke grupe ne postoji, niti je ranije postojao.»

3. Obaveštajni izveštaj iz Ministarstva spoljnih poslova, 12.1.1999. Administrativnom sudu u Triru (Az: 514-516.80/32 426):

«Čak se ni na Kosovu ne može potvrditi postojanje eksplicitnog političkog progona usmerenog protiv albanskog etniciteta. Istočno Kosovo još uvek nije zahvaćeno oružanim sukobima. Javni život u gradovima poput Prištine, Uroševca, Gnjilana, itd. se, tokom čitavog vremena sukoba, odvijao na relativno normalan način... Akcije snaga bezbednosti nisu bile usmerene protiv kosovskih Albanaca kao etnički definisane grupe, već protiv vojnog suparnika i njegovih stvarnih ili pretpostavljenih pomagača.»

4. Obaveštajni izveštaj iz Ministarstva spoljnih poslova, 6.1.1999. Bavarskom administrativnom sudu, Ansbah:

«U sadašnjem vremenu se unutar Savezne Republike Jugoslavije uočava povećana tendencija povratka izbeglih u svoje domove. ...Uprkos očajnoj ekonomskoj situaciji u Saveznoj Republici Jugoslaviji (prema zvaničnim podacima Savezne Republike Jugoslavije, 700.000 izbeglica iz Hrvatske, Bosne i Hercegovine našle su svoje utočište u njoj od 1991.), nije poznat ni jedan slučaj hronične neuhranjenosti ili nedovoljne lekarske nege među izbeglima, niti je uočen značajan broj beskućnika. ...Prema proceni Ministarstva spoljnih poslova, individualni kosovski Albanci (i članovi njihovih porodica) još uvek imaju na raspolaganju određene mogućnosti naseljavanja onih delova Jugoslavije u kojima već žive njihovi sunarodnici ili prijatelji, koji su spremni da ih prihvate i pomognu ih.»

5. Izveštaj Ministarstva spoljnih poslova, 15.3.1999. (Az: 514-516,80/33841) Administrativnom sudu, Majnc:

«Kako je navedeno u statusnom izveštaju od 18.11.1998. OVK se vratila na svoje položaje nakon delimičnog povlačenja (srpskih) snaga bezbednosti u oktobru 1998. tako da ponovo kontroliše široke delove teritorije u zoni sukoba. Pre početka proleća 1999. još uvek je bilo sukoba između OVK i snaga bezbednosti, mada oni još uvek nisu dosegli intenzitet borbi vođenih tokom proleća i leta 1998.»

6. Mišljenje Administrativnog suda Baden-Virtemberga, 4.2.1999. (Az: A 14 S 22276/98):

«Svi izveštaji koji su predstavljeni Senatu slažu se u tome da je humanitarna katastrofa za koju se često strahovalo da će zadesiti albansko stanovništvo, izbegnuta. ...Čini se da je to situacija koja vlada od predstanka sukoba, nakon postizanja sporazuma sa srpskim rukovodstvom krajem 1998. (Statusni izveštaj Ministarstvu spoljnih poslova, 18.11.1998.). Od tog vremena, bezbednosna slika i uslovi života albanskog stanovništva znatno su se popravili. ...Kada je reč o većim gradovima, javni život se od tada vratio u relativno normalne okvire (videti Ministarstvo spoljnih poslova, 12.1.1999. Administrativnom sudu u Triru; 28.12.1998. Gornjem administrativnom sudu u Linebergu i 23.12.1998. Administrativnom sudu u Kaselu), mada su napetosti između populacionih grupa u međuvremenu porasle usled individualnih činova nasilja... Pojedinačni ekcesni akti nasilja protiv civilnog stanovništva, npr. u Račku su, prema svetskom javnom mnjenju, stavljeni na teret Srba, izazivajući veliko negodovanje. Ali broj i periodičnost takvih ekcesa ne opravdavaju zaključak da je svaki Albanac koji živi na Kosovu izložen ekstremnoj opasnosti po život i zdravlje, niti su svi koji se tamo vraćaju izloženi opasnosti od smrti ili ozbiljne povrede.»

7. Mišljenje Gornjeg administrativnog suda u Minsteru, 24.2.1999. (Az: 14 A 3840/94,A):

«Nema dovoljno istinskih dokaza o postojanju nekog tajnog programa, ili prećutnog konsenzusa na srpskoj strani, za likvidaciju albanskog naroda, za njegovo proterivanje ili drugu vrstu progona na ekstreman način koji se sada opisuje. ...Ako srpska država vlast izvršava svoje zakone i pritom nužno vrši pritisak na albansku etničku grupu koja je okrenula leđa državi i zalaže se za podržavanje bojkota, onda objektivni pravac takvih mera ne leži u programskom progonu ove populacione grupe. ...Čak i ako bi srpska država blagonaklono prihvatila ili čak imala nameru da deo građanstva koje sebe vidi u beznadežnoj situaciji ili koje se protivi obaveznim merama, emigrira, to još uvek ne predstavlja program progona usmeren protiv celokupne albanske većine (na Kosovu).

Ako, štaviše, (jugoslovenska) država reaguje na separatističke težnje doslednim i oštrim izvršavanjem zakona i anti-separatističkim merama, i ako, kao rezultat, neki od umešanih reše da napuste zemlju, to još uvek ne predstavlja sistematsku politiku (jugoslovenske) države usmerenu ka obeležavanju i izbacivanju manjine; naprotiv, to je usmereno ka zadržavanju tog naroda unutar državne federacije.»

Događaji počev od februara i marta 1998. ne predstavljaju program progona albanskog etniciteta. Mere koje preduzimaju naoružane srpske snage su na prvom mestu usmerene ka borbi protiv OVK i njenim pretpostavljenim pripadnicima i pomagačima.»

------ Napomene prevodioca (tj. izvornog prevodioca sa nemačkog na engleski) ---

Kao što je slučaj sa Klintonovom administracijom, sadašnji režim u Nemačkoj, tačnije Ministarstvo spoljnih poslova Joške Fišera, opravdava svoju intervenciju na Kosovu ukazivanjem na «humanitarnu katastrofu», «genocid» i «etničko čišćenje» koji se tamo dešavaju, a pogotovu u mesecima koji su prethodili napad NATO pakta. Navedeni interni dokumenti iz Fišerovog ministarstva i raznih regionalnih administrativnih sudova u Nemačkoj, koji pokrivaju period od godinu dana pre početka vazdušnih napada NATO, svedoče da kriterijumi etničkog čišćenja i genocida nisu ispunjeni. Dokumenti Ministarstva spoljnih poslova bili su potrebni sudovima radi odlučivanja o statusu kosovsko-albanskih izbeglica u Nemačkoj. Mada bi se u ovim slučajevima mogla pretpostaviti pristrasnost u korist umanjivanja razmera humanitarne katastrofe radi ograničavanja broja izbeglica, ipak ostaje veoma značajna činjenica da je Ministarstvo spoljnih poslova, protivno svojim javnim tvrdnjama o etničkom čišćenju i genocidu kao opravdanjima za NATO intervenciju, privatno nastavilo da negira njihovo postojanje kao jugoslovensku politiku u ovom kritičnom periodu. I to je i dalje bilo njegova procena čak i u martu ove (1999.) godine. Dakle, ovi dokumenti ukazuju da zaustavljanje genocida nije bio razlog zbog kojeg je nemačka vlada, dakle i NATO, intervenisala na Kosovu, i da genocid (onako kako se podrazumeva pod nemačkim i međunarodnim zakonodavstvom) na Kosovu nije prethodio NATO bombardovanju, bar ne u periodu od rane 1998. do kraja marta 1999., već je bio njegova posledica.

Izvodi iz ovih zvaničnih dokumenata došli su u posed IALANA, koja ih je zatim prosledila raznim medijima. Tekst koji je ovde upotrebljen objavljen je u nemačkim dnevnim novinama Junge welt 24.4.1999. (vidi http://www.jungewelt.de/1999/04-24/011.shtml kao i komentar na http://www.jungewelt.de/1999/04-24/011.shtml).

(Prevod sa engleskog i uvod: Aleksandar Pavić)

Submitted by shubidubi
"It´s October 1998. Sagato Ogata is invited to witness, in front of CNN cameras, the desperate position of a group of some 50 Albanians who have been thrown out of their homes, allegedly by Serb forces. The filming lasts for about half an hour. It´s dusk. The CNN crew and Ms. Ogata leave the scene. Two hours later the 50 Albanians leave the scene as well and safely return to their homes".

If i knew nothing about what happen in Kosovo I would of believed you, but thankfully I do. As long as half of Serbia believes this kind of garbage, don't expect anybody in the world to feel sympathetic towards you cause. Forget about partition, autonomy, or any other imagination you can dream up. Your nation and your government has no credibility, so anything you ask for is dead on arrival.

Your little story above is an insult to anyone who has the most basic knowledge about what happen in Kosovo.
Did you ever come across a place named Blace Border Crossing? I did. In fact I was there,together with 10-20 thousand other people who were forcefully removed from their homes.And no,we did not go there for a picnic. Don't insult our intelligence with your garbage please.

http://www.ehponline.org/members/2004/112-17/searefugees.jpg

Gjon Bisaku, Shtjefën Kurti & Luigj Gashi:
The Situation of the Albanian Minority in Yugoslavia
Memorandum Presented to the League of Nations

This memorandum, originally written in French, was addressed to the League of Nations in 1930 by three Catholic priests, Gjon Bisaku, Shtjefën Kurti, Luigj Gashi, who had been working in Kosova in the 1920s on behalf of the Sacred Congregation of the Propaganda Fide in Rome. Their desperate appeal shows that the situation of the Albanians in Kosova had not much improved a generation after the Serb takeover of 1913.

http:/1930/www.albanianhistory.net/texts/AH24.html

From no representatives in the civilian government of 1930 the Kosovo Albanians come to COMPLETE representation in 1980s and post 1999.
So what are you trying to rectify James?

I didn't think this was a copy and paste contest.

http://www.politika.co.yu/detaljno.php?nid=25284

pa smo kvit :)

let us know your view of Primakov's statement below:

"Ja se prema Ahtisariju dobro odnosim, dobro ga poznajem, ali on se kao pregovarač o Kosovu "istrošio". U pravom smislu, pregovora do sada nije ni bilo. On je putovao i saznavao stavove i na osnovu toga predložio svoj plan. Očigledno je da se pregovori moraju nastaviti. Ja sam se uverio da srpska strana hoće nastavak pregovora u direktnim razgovarima sa predsednikom Tadićem i premijerom Koštunicom. Srpska strana ne blokira rešenje. Dakle, do kompromisa se može doći. Srbi ne polaze od toga da mora biti samo onako kako oni kažu. Ultimativno se nastupa sa druge strane."

THE LAST SENTENCE IN TRANSLATION: "The other side is using ultimatums."

My theory is that "the other side" i.e. the Anglo-American axis is getting really cocky. It is acting with complete disdain and feelings of careless superiority towards anyone who does not partake in their global projects. And that can be felt in the attitude which you project in this blog.

pa gde si ti da me braniš?
Dobijam svakog dana svu dnevnu štampu u kanc. i par nedeljnika ( Vreme, Nin, Evropa, Svedok) i evo jutros sam u Svedoku naišla na članak (pročitaj ga ako možeš )- Novinar Karlton priznaje:"Lagao sam o Srebrenici", pa onda članak " Kad šiptari ubijaju to je osveta, kad nato ubija to je kolateralna šteta kad Srbi ubijaju to je zločin" pa onda članak "Ambasadori omalovažavaju naš ustav i istoriju" ( sa sve sličicama dragog nam Polta i Cobela, ma nemam ništa protiv momaka da se razumemo ). I sad bi verovatno Mr. Lyon rekao --so what's your point - a možda i ne bi. Samo hoću da kažem da mi je dosta ovakvih naslova i da mi je dosta da se osećam kao izradjeni magarac samo zato što sam srpkinja. Uvek se setim filma Wag the dog - trebalo bi da ga pogledaju svi , sa De Nirom i Dastin Hofmanom, biće im jasno kako i zašto se proizvode Markale ili Račak. I sve što na kraju dana želim je istina.

I od jutros sam loše volje bez želje da razumem sranja ovog sveta i izjave tipa -- vi i vaša deca ćete nositi teret genocida bla,bla . Bez obzira koliko se trudila da imam razumevanja za vaš posao Mr. Lyon možda treba da razmislite da ćete i vi nositi teret genocida nad iračkom decom ( što zbog sankcija što zbog vojne akcije tamo) koja možda trče pocepana i prljava i čija se majka raznela da bi vama odgovorila. Deca su za mene deca čija god da su, iako još uvek nisam majka.

tako da Krpelj hvala ti što se boriš, na svoj način za istinu

Jamie wont bear the burden of genocide in Iraq any more than he bears the burden of genocide in Vietnam or any other major or minor injustice in which the United States were implicated. That is because he belongs to a superior culture which can be compared to the Hellenic-Roman culture in the antiquity for whom everyone outside of the group was just barbarian. That is why we are an ethnicity (as Greeks say), but Jamies does not belong to an ethnicity. Have you ever heard of anyone being of English or American ethnicity?
So, many of us Serbs want to be "Europeans" not just geographically or historically but by belonging to the European Union we want to be submerged in the trans-national. We in fact do not want to be different, but we want to be like "them" (dispite the fact that "they" are only in our imagination).
But while we are talking nonsense here, the International Crisis Group is discussing birth pangs of young Serbian mothers who are not smart enough to organize alternative birth methods for themselves.
I hope this helps.
Ciao.

James is a researcher for an NGO which has surfaced out of nothing in the 1990s and has since established itself as an important creator of public opinion in the United Kingdom (as far as I know). It is aptly called the INTERNATIONAL - CRISIS - GROUP. If you look at the list of members you will see that they are all former or current officials in various national and supranational governmental organizations. So what is it that makes this a NON-governmental organization? I would love James to explain.

but those who propose them have great power. It is not about NGOs but about the USA we have to talk about.

Look at their latest "proposal": to recognize "Kosovo" despite a Russian veto. How does that match with their apparent concern for stability in the Balkans?

Serbia should fully and finally become a Russian acolyte. The West has in the last 17 years entirely revealed its policy as regards the Serbs.

It is not about NGOs but about the USA we have to talk about.

Why? Do you have a fixation about the USA? I don't.

Look at their latest "proposal": to recognize "Kosovo" despite a Russian veto. How does that match with their apparent concern for stability in the Balkans?

What Russian veto? Have the Russians said they will use a veto? Under what circumstances will they use one?

Russia has a problem. It doesn't know whether Kosovo's imposed independence is a good thing or not. It can't make up its mind. But one thing is for sure, Putin will choose whatever he thinks is best for Russia. He doesn't care about Kosovo; Kosovo is just a way for him to flex Russia's muscles, look tough to the Russian public, and see how far the 'west' will run with this - and how much they are prepared to pay for his silence!

Serbia should fully and finally become a Russian acolyte.

Not a smart move.

The West has in the last 17 years entirely revealed its policy as regards the Serbs.

And of course, Milosevic and his merry men did absolutely nothing to provoke them did he?

The 'west' is indeed trying to sweep the Kosovo issue under the carpet and pretend that they've done a marvelous job. Until Omarska, the US was actually quite favourable towards the Serbs. They couldn't decide which side to support until that moment, and then once they'd made up their mind, it was all downhill!

Re Fixation: The US and its armed forces are used to dismember nations like Iraq and Yugoslavia, and will be used in the future perhaps for some other rich pickings (like Russia).

Re Veto: Look up the latest meeting in Kosovo between the Russian rep. there and Ceku. The Russian said: independence will not pass the Security Council.

RE: Russia+Serbia can be what USA+UK are = countries looking after their own interests. Serbia cannot really produce its own nukes.

"Milosevic and his merry men" are just victims like all other Serbs and Iraqis of the policies of the powerbrokers. Many other Milosevices and Saddams are tolerated in the world. The Western machine for producing cases is vast. Just think of all those university educated people in the West - what a resource! And they do support their own countries, with EXTREME docility. Think-tanks can make a case out of anything. Who are Milosevic and his men in comparison to the Bushes, Clintons, Kennedyies, Rockfellers, Rotschildes, Morgans, etc. etc. etc.?

SHOOT ME if Omarska was the crunch!

Big guys cannot stake their future on accidental wars of small guys. Big guys direct your future and shape how you think. They create educational systems for us guys. Didn't you learn anything from the long communist period?

But the track record regarding Serbian interests and recognition of Slovenia, Croatia, BIH and now the blatant threat and advance warning about the recognition of Kosovo while setting up rocket systems in Poland and Cz, just shows that "we" big guys can produce countries as "we" like. The more countries there are the more customers we have. Just check the number of UN members and how it grows.

Serbs are just victims of some planned operation, collateral damage. And the only thing, or the primary thing that is important for Serbs is security. It can be seen from current experience that the only way they can have security is if they become a client state of Russia, which does not mean they cannot be in Europe aswell.

Sorry for so much bullshit.

What can be dangerous in being a client state of Russia, after everything that Serbs of Former Yugoslavia lost and experienced since? What more have they got to lose?

I am sorry if you are a member of the Anglo-American POPULACE whose historic memory is conditioned to last from one change of government to the next, for that type of intellect it is superflous to analyse any historical events and periods. But mind you, the memory of their policy makers is not short-term at all.

Sorry for so much bullshit.

Apology accepted. :D

It is obvious what Jamie is doing. Towing the line for the global oligarchs. Creating “rumors of partition” and threatening with violence. Resurrecting the whole anti-Serbia propaganda panoply which most of you are gulping and regurgitating like timid cows. Don’t you remember from your communist youth days how a statement repeated many times, becomes the truth? Have you all sold out for the “research” pennies thrown out by the wealthy?
What is Jamie doing? Throwing in pregnancy pangs as diversion, or trying to find the right anesthetic for amputation of Kosovo? He just follows the repertoire of the global methods.

Read this article unmasking Jamie and “Rumors of partition” and Tom Lantos and the whole global setup.
http://antiwar.com/malic/?articleid=10873

Krpelj, do you work for baba JUL-a?

Sadly, I fear, Mr Lyon actually believes the stuff he produces. He and Sivi Soko are two of a kind - just opposite opinions.

Who is Sivi Soko? Please update me.

Unless you mean American Indians - my favourite topic: how they were exterminated, sidelined and anesthetized by the smart anglo-saxon tribe.

Nebojsa Malic left his home in Bosnia after the Dayton Accords and currently resides in the United States. During the Bosnian War he had exposure to diplomatic and media affairs in Sarajevo. As a historian who specializes in international relations and the Balkans, Malic has written numerous essays on the Kosovo War, Bosnia, and Serbian politics. His exclusive column for Antiwar.com debuted in November 2000. "Balkan Express" appears every Thursday. For more of his thoughts on the Balkans and other topics, check out his blog: http://grayfalcon.blogspot.com/ and http://sivisoko.blogspot.com/

Thank you for bringing the grayfalcom blog to my attention, I agree with his reasoning because it is not dogmatic. Jamie on the other hand is a foreigner in Serbia who shows TOTAL disrespect and lack of understanding for anything Serbian. He is also working against Serbia with impunity which cannot be compared even to that of Austro-Hungarian consuls. Jamie in my opinion is an international thug, (he will delete this!) comparable to Holbrooke. Americans have nothing to teach us.
And all of this answers your question why am I am obsessed with the US? Am I not. But it is Jamie who eight years after the bombing of Serbia by his compatriots choses to fly the red flag into our face. Serbs in the UK and the USA do not campaign against the UK or the USA, nor are they plotting against those countries.

I can see that most readers react to my comments (on other blogs too) by trying to put me in some slot or some dogmatic or ideological frame. But they do not pay attention to the arguments. All of us who can be sitting on ANY place of this planet and communicate thanks to the internet technology - do not have to belong to former or present Serbian political parties, in other words I am not JUL, Socialist, Radical, Democrat, Lib - Dem....

Wow!

How does it feel being pidgeonholed so often and not understanding why?

PLEASE NOTE: US DEPT. SPONSORS ALBANIAN MUSLIM LEADER

Kosovo's top Islamic leader asks local Muslims for support
April 27, 2007

BY NIRAJ WARIKOO

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

The top Islamic leader of Kosovo spoke to Muslims in metro Detroit today, asking them to support the independence of his province.

Mufti Naim Ternava, president of the Islamic Community of Kosovo, is in Michigan as part of a visit to the U.S. to garner support for making Kosovo an independent country. The Muslim-majority province is currently a part of Serbia.

"Pray for the independence of Kosovo," Ternava said through a translator during the Friday sermon to about two hundred Muslims at the Muslim Center of Detroit on Davison Ave. "Thousands of miles away from here, there are Muslim brothers in Kosovo who suffered for many, many years and who are close religious brothers with you."

Critics of Kosovo's independence worry that Kosovo would be a hotbed of extremism if it became a separate country, but Ternava and his assistant said that Kosovo's Muslim community is tolerant and modern.

Ternava also spoke with Muslims at the Southfield office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations and at the Albanian Islamic Center in Harper Woods.

During his talk at the Muslim Center, Ternava said that "thousands of people…went as shahids (martyrs) during all these sufferings" that Kosovo went through.

"With the blood of these shahids, with the lots of suffering of innocent people…we hope in the near future to be the newest state in the world," he said.

Ternava also urged the crowd to follow the teachings of Islam.

"Islam is such a comprehensive religion which includes all what the family needs and what an individual needs in this world," he said. "Help others to understand it. Teach it to others."

During his U.S. trip, which is sponsored by the U.S. State Dept., Ternava is also visiting New York, and Washington D.C. to meet with Muslims and State Dept. officials.

He visited Michigan because of its significant Muslim population, which includes many with roots in Kosovo.

Contact Niraj Warikoo at 248-351-2998 or

he must believe in what he does. He is also "tvrdoglav" he cannot grow any more.

I am really looking forward to your next blog article! Is it going to be about corruption in Serbia? Don't keeping us waiting too long.

Wim Roffel said: "Contrary to what you state the international community is not open for partition. The Contact Group explicitly forbade it in their "principles" and for that reason it was not allowed in Vienna either."

But they seem very keen on partitioning Serbia into two parts: Serbia (minor) and Kosovo.

Notice the hypocracy in the International Community's position? It's OK for Serbia to be partitioned, but not Kosovo.

“I never said that partitioning Kosovo was morally wrong. In theory, if the Albanians and Serbs would agree among themselves to peacefully partition Kosovo, no one in the international community would object.”

Mr. Lyon,

Clearly that scenario not only is the most likely to find support among both the Serbian and Albanian population, its also the most likely to bring peace and stability to the region as a whole. It would also set a positive precedent on how various disagreements in the Balkans should be settled in the future, through peaceful diplomacy and dialog.

Even you seem to begrudgingly acknowledge that partition through negotiation and compromise could be a desirable solution if conducted openly and fairly.

So why is there such opposition to it among the pro-independence countries and NGO’s?

You yourself co-authored the following in 2003.

“Any partition of Kosovo along ethnic lines would raise very uncomfortable
issues elsewhere in the Balkans”

http://www.tibet.ca/en/wtnarchive/2003/2/24_4.html The Observer Sunday February 23, 2003

The ICG in general seems extremely opposed to any discussion of the possibility of partition.

“The international community has properly decreed that Kosovo's final status must not involve division of its territory. But this declaration has not been followed by sufficient action.”

“Territorial integrity is the correct policy because partition could provoke further population exchanges inside Kosovo and instability elsewhere in the Balkans…”

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3650 Europe Report Nº165, 13 September 2005

“neither Kosovo's return to Belgrade's rule, nor its partition, nor any possible unification of Kosovo with Albania or any neighbouring state or territory will be supported.”

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?l=1&id=3226 Europe Report N°161, 24 January 2005

As early as 2002 the ICG was associating partition with secret plans by the Serbian government.

“the continuing lack of clarity about the international community's objectives allows hard-liners among ethnic Albanians to play on fears that the secret aim is partition, both of Mitrovica and of the entire province.”

http://www.crisisgroup.org/home/index.cfm?id=1603&l=1 Europe Report N°131, 3 June 2002

Now you too seem to be playing on fears that the secret aim is to partition Kosovo.

You and the ICG are respected experts on the region. I personally believe that because of this you must be extremely responsible with your words. Your blog, which was cited in the International Press numerous times, only portrayed the possibility of partition in a very negative light. You completely ignored the mainstream’s desired approach to the partition issue. Only the most extreme radical and dangerous elements of Serbian society would ever welcome the ethnic cleansing of Serbs from the southern regions. Any situation involving that outcome would also most certainly involve the destruction of many historical sites which we consider to be the very foundation of our civilization. No sane Serb wants the outcome in which you describe. Yet the average person in the West reading your article may come away thinking that outcome is what both the moderates and radicals in Serbia want.

The simple fact of the matter is the Serbian government is most likely waiting until the Ahtisaari plan fails in the UNSC to bring partition up. That way they will be in a “stronger” position to negotiate. I see nothing sinister lurking behind that political reality. Tadic’s diplomacy style is light years removed from that employed by the Milosevic regime.

The reason I think portraying the situation like you have is so dangerous is because it almost gives a green light for radical extremists on the pro-independence side to go ahead and engage in that sort of behavior, the “blame” will fall on the Serbian government. They may be led to believe they will get a “better deal” if they engage in a violent partition instead of a peaceful one. A very real danger could easily come from outside as well. It would only take an extremely small terrorist cell the size of the 9/11 Hijackers to completely destabilize the region at this point, no country or region can adequately guard against that. There is already far too much talk of blaming Serbia or Russia if the Albanians “lose patience” will a delay of final status. A repeat of 2004 is probably possible, I’m not sure much has changed?

The simple fact is the arguments cited by the ICG against partition, that it may destabilize other regions, is also the argument being used against granting Kosovo independence in the first place. Both obviously have the chance to set “precedent” for future demands for independence.

We must ask ourselves what kind of precedent we would like to set.

Peaceful negotiation and compromise leading to an agreed upon solution?

Violence leading to reality on the ground, such as the Cyprus model?

Or shall we buy into the arguments proposed by the pro-Ahtisaari camp? That currently the situation is “unique” because you had massive violations of human rights combined with international intervention involving forces on the ground.

If Ahtisaari’s model is to be accepted for these reasons, which has been stated many times, no sane country would ever let UN peace keeping forces into their country again, not ever. This will have an extremely negative effect on the ability of the UN to bring peace to troubled regions where human rights violations are common. Much of the rest of the world outside of the “West” is an extremely dangerous and violent place.

There are additional troubling items in Ahtisaari’s plan itself. While only half the seats in the assembly reserved for minorities go to Serbs, it takes a simple majority of that voting block to completely revise the following rights and “guarantees” for the Serbs:

“a. Laws changing municipal boundaries, establishing or abolishing municipalities, defining the scope of powers of municipalities and their participation in inter- municipal and cross-border relations;
b. Laws implementing the rights of Communities and their members, other than those set forth in the Constitution;
c. Laws on the use of language;
d. Laws on local elections;
e. Laws on the protection of cultural heritage;
f. Laws on religious freedom or on agreements with religious communities;
g. Laws on education;
h. Laws on the use of symbols (including Community symbols) and on public holidays."

I fear this will put enormous pressure on the other minorities in Kosovo, particularly the Roma, who have already suffered so much everywhere they live.

Clearly Ahtisaari’s proposal offers no real protections for Serbs, and is facing a strong Russia veto. With the disunity in the EU, it appears headed for failure (The EU only agreed to support a proposal in the UNSC, could be an alternative such as partition, basically they only agreed not to support unilateral recognition outside the UNSC).

Now Mr. Lyon is when you should be proposing a solution based on peaceful negotiation instead of stirring up fears of violence and ethnic cleansing and associating that with the one proposal so far that might possibly be acceptable to both sides. We should be talking about what is fair and reasonable and whether to include Presevo, and if so, for what?

I personally believe you care about the Balkan people, or you would not have studied us so much.

I implore you to put serious consideration into supporting a fair and balanced partition plan founded on peaceful negotiation with support from both sides if Ahtisaari’s plan fails in the UNSC. If Ahtisaari’s plan fails, anything else is much more likely to involve bloodshed and violence. The world disparately needs unity on this issue.