PRISTINA, Serbia and Montenegro, Feb 6 (Reuters) - The United Nations-run province of Kosovo can win independence from Serbia in negotiations this year if it shows enough democratic maturity, a senior British diplomat said on Monday.
"The more the leaders of Kosovo can reach out to the other communities and show that Kosovo is a mature democracy, the more fully an independence can be delivered," John Sawers, the political director of Britain's foreign office, told reporters after meeting Kosovo Albanian leaders in the capital, Pristina.
The comments are in line with what diplomats have been saying in private for months -- that a form of conditional independence for Serbia's southern province is almost certain, provided the Albanian majority makes concessions to minority Serbs and accepts some continued international supervision.
The first round of face-to-face negotiations between Serbian and Kosovo Albanian officials is due to take place in Vienna later this month, having been delayed for several weeks by the death of Kosovo president Ibrahim Rugova on Jan. 21.
Legally part of Serbia, the province of 2 million people became a U.N. protectorate in 1999, when NATO bombing drove out Serb forces accused of atrocities against Albanian civilians in a two-year war with separatist guerrillas.
Serbia officially opposes independence but 90 percent of the population are ethnic Albanians, who demand nothing less than their own state after years of discrimination and violent repression.
Fearful of fresh ethnic violence, the U.N. Security Council last November launched a mediation process led by former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari to decide Kosovo's "final status."
The Contact Group of major powers -- the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Russia -- issued a statement in London last week saying a deal should be on the table within the year.
The statement urged Serbia to "bear in mind that the settlement needs ... to be acceptable to the people of Kosovo."
Sawers said it was up to Kosovo's leaders to secure their goal. "The more Kosovo's leaders can work together, the more they can understand each others issues, each others concerns, the more fully the goal of the people of Kosovo can be achieved and the quicker it will be achieved," he said.
The comments were unlikely to go down well in Belgrade, where Sawers is due to meet Serbian leaders on Tuesday.
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15 comments:
I am so glad that people of Kosova NEVER realligned themselves with Russia. UK is one more country that will recognize independence of Kosova.
Armera, Serbia is kinda like Mr. Garrison of South Park who wishes he was abused during childhood so he can explain his aberrant adult behavior.
I hope UK has created a never ending conflict between us albanians and you s(cum)erbs. I personally will always cherish such an outcome.
You serbs should worry about your shithole ours we will govern as EU wants and sees fit. The pressure by the internationals will make sure the serbs will stay in Kosova and have a future. I know for sure that its not Kosova's independence that bothers Serbia, but its success which I am sure will start soon. No one here claims that as soon as Kosova is granted independence it will be paradise. But slowly but surely with enough EU and NATO pressure it will become the country it can and has the resources to become. We K-albs have worked hard for this now let's make sure it succeeds.Whether "they" think it will or not succeed is irrelevant. Do you job and let them bitches howl at the moon. All BS aside there must be serbs in Kosova and there will be like it or not. But we dont have to like them or be friends or anything of that nature. One thing must be clear, everyone must be equal before the law. Sometime I feel as if some of us albanians are afraid that serbia will return in kosova and that's why the hateful attitude toward K-serbs. I assure you it will never happen. NATO will never allow its first intervention ever, fail- no matter if it is risked by serbs or albanians.
There is not one person here who would like more than me the war to go on forever against serbs but we must accept that its over and it will stay that way. Mourn those who died and never, ever forget them but time is to move on. I for one dont want any apologies from serbs, only justice. And justice is slow but eventually it will come. Jepe kushtrimin , zoteri.
my dear russian/serbian friends,
Kosovo started to screw you first in old Yugoslavia, and Kosovo is going to royally screw you in the end.
Yes, we are backwards, separatists,unemployed,stupid, everything. But you know what? We are kicking your ass! And we'll kick it even more from this year and on, when we become independent.
You are more brainwashed than Islamic extremists, it really is incredible. You go and try to kill every person that you see around, and you still go and accuse others? You are not serial killers, they are smart. You are something like .. milosevic. Milosevicia?? Nice name, for a country that sucks.
oh no,
serbs are going to say no to independence :(
oh yes,
who is asking them? :)
Poor ivan,
I wonder what your gonna do when final status decision comes through INDEPENDENCE, how you're gonna spend your days you want have anything to talk about :(
I wonder what your final post will be?
Congratulations maybe?
After all you guys are way more civilised than we are :)
So get the fuck out of kosova and let us kill each other.Can we start by killing the prime minister first,like you did with Djindic?
Ivan don't try to act all smart especially when you use words that you don't know the meaning.Besa means to keep a promise.
You are pathetic because you cannot see the hate that you serbs have towards albanians,bosnians,croatians and slovenians.You don't see the teerror in 10,000 albanian victims that you caused and much more victims in bosnia.Do you think we give a shit if you or other serbs don't answer to our blogs? Now you are an economist too.Read about the economy of you shity country.
Official 2005 inflation rate released | 13:46 January 18 | Beta
BELGRADE -- Wednesday – The inflation rate in Serbia reached 15.6 per cent by the end of 2005, and the cost of living increased by 15.2 per cent.
According to the Statistics Bureau, agricultural products went up the most in prices, by 22.8 per cent, and services went up by 20.3 per cent. The cost of industrially produced food products was higher by 15.5 per cent, the cost of beverages increased by 10.8 percent and tobacco products were 9.4 per cent more expensive than in 2004.
The price of housing, which increased by 24.8 per cent, had the biggest influence on the escalating cost of living in Serbia.
Take a look at the facts.
http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2129.html
You are not doing better than Albania and dont flatter yourself because you are doing better then kosova ,because kosova it is not an independent state yet,and all the economic policies are put in place by UNMIK.Take a look at this document,from international monetary fund.In the year 1996 when those 300,000 serbs were in kosova the unemployment rate was 43,6.You are hard working people in killing and genocide,nothing else.
http://enrin.grida.no/htmls/kosovo/SoE/economy.htm
You are cowards! All the weapons you had and still went after women and children mostly.
Mir
No need for sarcasm here.Can you find a better word than evil for what happend to the albanians and especially bosnians from the serbians hands?
As for Ivan you are a typical hypocrite and a master liar.We should be thankful to serbs for keeping us alive and for not killing all of us?Who the fuck you think you are,GOD?Wait Mir just answered that, Evil.You keep shooting numbers out of your ass with no sources and no evidence.First there were 50,000 serbs in shkodra persecuted by hoxha ,now the news just broke in, there were 3,000 serbs killed by the albanians in kosova.So for us albanians now to get even with the serbs and be at the same level of innocence we should kill 7,000 more serbs.I seriously think that NATO shouldn't had wasted the bombs on bridges ,power plants or buildings but on people like you that take proud on the genocide.Mir i found some better words for you serbs now The Scum of The Earth.
albanians smell like the shit out of my ass and they are the biggest cowards on earth-they just know how to talk shit!!! You better start praying when the special forces arrive once again!!!
Go and get kosova now you faggots.you are tough,against kids and women ,but when it comes to fight against a real
army you suck dick.
i juste wanna say thet all serbians ar cetnikes evelllll spirtet scum bages thay just know how to masacer civilen i was in kosovo in 1998 serbes are the most eavell people in the world thay hade asket me for id card i said o sorry i fogat it in my car can i go and get it he the police serbe told me thet if i muve i will be shot he took my money my watch and hit me on my head with back of his gone IVAN how ken you say thet serbes are nice people stop talking shit and go wash you deardy asssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss
We are slowly coming of an age when bigoted people aren't so well liked. That's right, grow up. And actually get some stats and learn your history before you make up bull shit. It's NOT Kosova, it's Kosovo. Wow, such rebels changing the letter from an "o" to an "a"; you really have your indepedance now... I know in my heart Serbia should have won this battle; but we live in a very evil world. God knows everything- you can't hide from the truth.
Kosovo is Serbia.
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