Daily lauds Britain's positive view of Kosovo independence

(c) 2005 The British Broadcasting Corporation. All Rights Reserved. No material may be reproduced except with the express permission of The British Broadcasting Corporation.

Text of editorial entitled "British move" published by the Kosovo Albanian newspaper Kosova Sot on 7 April

Britain is the first country to publicly express a positive view in support of Kosova's [Kosovo] independence. Yesterday's report prepared by the British parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee shows political progress in relation to our country. Even though there is no formal decision to recognize Kosova's independence, the report clearly highlights the British trend towards recognizing the newest state in the Balkans. In this way, the British have paved the way for other influential countries not to hesitate to support Kosova's independence.

Although the overwhelming majority of its population, including the non-Serb minorities, wants independence. Kosovo still needs broad international support on the status issue. It is thought that the United States and Britain are supporters of Kosova's independence, whereas other great powers have not voiced even informal support in favour of Kosova's statehood. France remains indifferent towards the developments in Kosova, while Italy has put forward contradictory positions in the statements made by its officials. It seems that after Britain, Germany is the country that has expressed most support for an early resolution of Kosova's status. However, German officials have been sceptical as far as support for independence is concerned. German Foreign Minister [Joschka] Fischer has called for a consensus on the status issue, though without hinting any concrete outcome of the status talks.

It seems there is still hesitation in Europe on recognizing Kosova's statehood, even though the hesitation has been gradually decreasing. It also seems that the Serbs, too, are tired of Kosova but, as usual, they are seeking to salvage something from the last wagon. In this respect, it is worth noting that the international community has made it clear that Kosova's division will not be allowed. But so far, there has been so much insistence on this element that there is still a natural suspicion that there will be some kind of territorial bargaining in return for Kosova's independence. Balkan history is famous for this kind of business and, unfortunately, it is the Albanians who have always suffered the consequences.

Source: Kosova Sot, Pristina, in Albanian 7 Apr 05 p 1