United Nations envoy Kai Eide (R) and Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi (L) hold a joint press conference after meeting in the Kosovo capital Pristina, June 14, 2005. The West hopes to open negotiations in September on whether Kosovo becomes independent -- as the 90-percent Albanian majority demands -- or remains nominally part of Serbia. Eide is tasked with assessing whether Kosovo has made sufficient progress for those talks to begin. REUTERS/Hazir Reka
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This blog is becoming more and more informativ. Heads up. Keep up with the good work.
HeHe
Did anyone read this? Check this out:
EU Report Calls for NATO To Remain in Independent Kosovo
By BROOKS TIGNER, BRUSSELS
NATO should continue to be the primary guarantor of Kosovo’s security after the international community leads the former region of Serbia to independence, according to a new report co-authored by the European Union’s top official for security and defense policy, Javier Solana.
In a joint report presented to the union’s 25 member states June 14, Solana and Olli Rehn, EU commissioner for enlargement, said Kosovo “is now entering a critical phase” as United Nations authorities assess its readiness to gradually take control of its own destiny.
The comprehensive U.N. review will take place over the summer. It will prepare the ground for U.N. authorities to hand over control to what the report calls a “newly defined international presence” in Kosovo, based on supervision by the international community of Kosovo’s Provisional Institutions of Self-government. If things progress well, Kosovo’s legal status as a fully independent country will be decided thereafter, probably in 2006 or 2007, EU officials said.
With an eye to next-door Albania and Serbia — the resentful former owner of Kosovo, from which the province broke away in 1999 — the report insists that “there must be no change in the current territory” of Kosovo and its ethnic Albanian majority, either in the form of partition or fusion with any other country.
The solution of Kosovo’s status “must strengthen regional security and stability,” notes the report, adding that the province “will continue to need international civilian and military presences” to guarantee its security.
The future military presence “should continue to be entrusted to NATO,” the report declares. Currently, the trans-Atlantic alliance has about 17,000 troops in Kosovo, where tensions between ethnic Albanian and Serbian Kosovars remain high.
Elsewhere, the European Union and Ukraine signed an agreement June 13 allowing the latter to participate in EU-led crisis management and peacekeeping operations. It covers both civilian and military personnel from Ukraine.
Europe is finally coming to terms with Kosovo.
We don't need to be united to be strong together. Even if its two different countries, its one Nation.
Greece is worried yes, in today's world news goes around fast. Its not the days of horse cars and pigeon mail, its just a matter of time before books get published, sites go up, and MP-s in Bruxels are Albanian.
Even if its two different countries, its one Nation...
...One Reich, ONE FUHRER!!! yihaa
Chris,
I agree, and we must work toward that, but Europe has shown its true face in this issue in the past and with other nations, e.g. the Basques.
Just think, the Basques are the oldest nation in Europe, yet both the French and Spanish do not respect this fact. In fact, recent BBC poll concluded that 60% of Spaniards support military intervention againts Euskadi in case they declare independence. Where are the European values in this? Where are the human rights? Where is democracy? Certainly not in Luxembourg, Strasbourg, or Bruxels.
They will probably never allow something like that to happen, but there are agreements, pacts, things that can be done for our Nation to move forward and be a strong part of Europe. We are Europe just as much as Basques are, and the Irish are, and the Danish are, and the Portugese.
Yes, one Nation, and to the pessimists, we do not produce Reichs but Mother Theresas.
In nature there is always balance, and this balance has been disturbed in many ways in Illyria, or as Turks call it Balkans. Balance seeks to return.
At this point I think the least Greece and other countries could do is stop the policies they are persuing, and apologise for the wrongs done in the past.
Even without interest, let's be nice to them shall we? :)
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