Thursday, November 17, 2005

Kosovo's parliament sets independence as ultimate goal for talks with Serbia

PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro (AP) - Kosovo lawmakers on Thursday adopted a resolution stating that they will accept nothing less than independence in the U.N.-mediated talks on the future of the province.

The lawmakers, under pressure from U.S. and European diplomats, backed down from an earlier intention to unilaterally declare independence as they discussed their position in upcoming talks on the province's long-term future.

The 10-point resolution set the stage for a bitter political fight in the talks with Serbia, which insists the province should not gain independence but rather enjoy broad autonomy within the current union that replaced Yugoslavia.

The approved resolution stated that the province will accept nothing less than full independence and sovereignty for Kosovo, which has been run by the U.N. since mid-1999.

"The will of the people of Kosovo for independence is not negotiable," the resolution said.

The resolution, which will serve as the basis of the political platform for the ethnic Albanians in the talks, also welcomes the future international involvement demands that every move by Kosovo's negotiators be approved in the parliament or by referendum.

The Serbian government on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution rejecting independence for Kosovo in the U.N.-mediated talks expected to begin next month.

Sabri Hamiti, a senior member of the ruling Democratic League of Kosovo, said the toning down of the Kosovo position came after "immense pressure" from Western diplomats.

U.S. and European diplomats had warned ethnic Albanian leaders that they would consider a declaration of independence unilateral and would not accept it. The top U.N. official in Kosovo, Soren Jessen-Petersen, has the power to declare such a declaration illegal.

Serbian representatives in the province's assembly continued their boycott.

However, in Kosovo's northern, ethnically divided city of Kosovksa Mitrovica, some 200 Serb representatives of a self-styled council of Kosovo Serb municipalities adopted their own declaration warning that if the province became independent, that would be the "final stage in the cleansing of Serbs" from the province.

It will constitute the "greatest pogrom of Serbs in history," the declaration said.

Kosovo has been run by the United Nations since the end of the NATO air war that halted Serb forces' crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.

The U.N. envoy to mediate talks on Kosovo's future, Finland's former President Martti Ahtisaari, was expected to visit Kosovo and Belgrade next week and move to Vienna, Austria, in December to start the negotiations.

3 comments:

Kosovar2006 said...

Yeah that was unfair from the international comunity which pressured to change the resolution.

Perosnally I think resolution is not good enough

Decleration of Independence!

No there is something that would make Albanians happy

Kosovar2006 said...

Ok Objective

I want to hear your suggestion of what should albanians do at this moment? Accept something that we already had (autonomy) and we weren't happy with If we do that well we are back in square one it will be another cycle.

Well this time is different we want independence so we have nothing to do with Serbian goverment,police and military.Independence is the will of our people and it will be fullfield even if the entire world turns against us.

We will not fail the last wish (amanetet) of our people that gave their lifes (deshmoret)

Anonymous said...

Why should history justify anyone's arguement for country ownership? America is a good example of returning property would be nice in theory but cann't be done in reality. If all the Europeans in America returned their land to Native Americans then returned to Europe and reclaimed homes most were booted off, what would happen to the current property owners in Europe? Would they deserve a violent booting because 200 years ago another family rightfully owned the land? NO. And could we ever go back in history and actually trace down rightful owners? NO.

Drop the my history is better than yours and start a real dialogue.

And, I hear you hissing at the meer mention of the word America. It's O.K. I hear hot air escaping from your direction too.

P.S. I know nowhere my country occupy's belongs to my country. Sometimes you just have to say "My country is wrong." Give it a try.