Friday, May 12, 2006

U.S. seeks vision, boldness from Serbs in key year

BELGRADE, May 12 (Reuters) - Serbia and Montenegro should be building a strong and stable democracy deserving of a place in the European Union and NATO but its leaders right now lack the vision, the United States ambassador said on Friday.

Michael C. Polt said 2006 would be a momentous year for the union of two republics that is all that remains of Yugoslavia. It must hand over a top war crimes fugitive, negotiate a new future for the province of Kosovo and settle its own status.

In a statement to Reuters, Polt said the country needed its leaders to show courage, boldness and initiative.

"Serbia and Montenegro's leaders need to articulate and act on a strong, realistic vision for the future, a future in the European Union and in (NATO's) Partnership for Peace," he said.

The country should be "a leader in the Balkans, an example of prosperity and a keystone of regional stability", he said.

"But right now, I don't see that vision."

Instead, Brussels had this month suspended talks on closer ties because of Serbia's failure to hand over war crimes fugitive Ratko Mladic and Washington "may soon be forced to suspend aid" for the same reason, Polt said.

"Mladic must go to The Hague -- not next week, not in September, not by the end of the year, but now."

Mladic, the wartime commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, is wanted on two charges of genocide in the 1992-95 Bosnian war, for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre of 8,000 Muslims and the siege of Sarajevo which took over 10,000 civilian lives.

The United Nations war crimes tribunal prosecutor says he is hiding in Serbia with protection from hardliners in the military and intelligence services. But local analysts generally doubt his arrest would lead to unrest or political instability.

CLEARING THE AIR

However, failure to deliver Mladic this month opened a big crack in Serbia's two-year-old minority coalition. Deputy prime minister Miroljub Labus walked out of the cabinet of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, saying he had betrayed the people.

The resignation -- applauded by Polt -- stoked talk of a coalition collapse leading to an early election -- a possibility that analysts say would not be unwelcome to those of Serbia's western mentors who favour a clearing of the political air.

Polls consisently show one third of voters in Serbia back the hardline nationalist Radical Party, but whether it could win sufficient allies to form a government is another question.

Polt urged the current leadership to display responsibility and vision as strains pile up, with Montenegro deciding its future in an independence referendum on May 21.

The rules say the referendum fails if less than 55 percent chose independence. But pro-independence leaders see 50 percent or more as a mandate to continue the drive for a separate state. "The decision of voters in Montenegro on May 21 is only part of the story," Polt said. "The world is watching how Serbia and Montenegro will handle the referendum results, and whether its leaders will choose to work together."

He also urged Serbian leaders to persuade Serbs that the cherished province of Kosovo -- populated by a 90 percent ethnic Albanian majority and under U.N. administration for the past seven years -- would have its future decided this year.

It must be "a decision ... that respects the rights of all of Kosovo's residents. And Serbia's leaders must work to gain the people's support for that decision", he said.

Kosovo is widely expected to win a form of conditional independence at the conclusion of U.N.-mediated talks this year. The question is whether Belgrade will acquiesce or carry out a threat to declare the province "occupied territory".

"How Serbia and Montenegro handles these three issues will have a decisive impact on its path to regional integration and economic prosperity. It will have a decisive impact on the future of the country, and future of its people," Polt said.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well done!

The serbian politicans have been cracked down. Great success!

Anonymous said...

We have to be understanding, this is a nation in transition that has never before seen democracy in its borders. It is not hard to have a democratic constitution, what is hard is educating the people to think democratically. As long as you see Serbs making irrational choices, such as Mladic over prosperity, you know that they have not gotten that vision for the future that Polt talks about yet.

Anonymous said...

UNMIK expects a wave of violence | 09:32 May 11 | B92

PRIŠTINA -- UNMIK police say that the recent increase of attacks on Serbs is a reason for concern in Kosovo.

“After the stoning of the bus, we are practicing in order to react quickly in unforeseen situations, and the mission chief is continuing the investigation.” UNMIK representative Nirad Sing told daily Glas Javnosti, adding that conflicts do not serve in the best interest of Kosovo and that it is time for both sides to realise that.

Commenting the most recent attack on a bus full of Serbs, UNMIK said that these actions are initiated by people who want to see the Kosovo status discussions called off. They added that the situation is getting more and more critical everyday, and that UNMIK will be preparing its police officers for similar incidents.

“On the same night that the United Nations bus which was carrying Serbs was stoned, we started to test our forces to see how fast we can react in unexpected situations.” said UNMIK spokesperson Kelly Collins Mcmurry, adding that UNMIK’s task is to protect all people in Kosovo.

She added that the police are not able to stop all crimes in any region of the world, and that UNMIK is well aware of the potential problems in Kosovo, adding that its forces will be well-prepared.

Wim Roffel said...

Serbia should be "a leader in the Balkans, an example of prosperity and a keystone of regional stability", accoring to Bolt.

Makes me wonder what he had smoked. Not even the US fits such a profile of perfection. Let alone some Balkan country.

Anonymous said...

I just had a quick glance over various comments above and realised that some comments are emotionally based. It is quite clear that Albanians at this moment are the only nation who adore Americans and be devoted to them regardless of their foreign policy , in contrary Serbians loathe them. Of course there are problems in Kosovo like everywhere in Balkans and other parts of Europe, however the situation is not as bad as it is presented in various reports. Having been there often and read so many report produced by different foreign experts specializing in Balkans I am certain that the situation will drastically improve if Kosovo was to become an independent state ASAP. Serbia will have the burden removed, Montenegro will prosper in tourism as an independent state attracting the west to invest in tourism together with Albania, Kosovo will be able to get credit from world bank and improve the economy an all in all the entire region will be better off. The American admiral made his comments based on the evidence he had, whether that evidence was objective I am not sure, but for one thing I am certain "Kosovo will achieve the independence" and the Americans will push for it. Serbia won’t accept it. They’ll be offered a reward to join the EU. An unavoidable temptation. The region will thrive

Everyone will live happily ever after.

Cheers

Noel Blackstone England

Anonymous said...

heku. It matters not if the BIG article in our VERY big newspaper interest you or not. Its the fact that you have totally lost credability among the US senators and politicians. Lets see if you get independence. LOL.

Anonymous said...

" U.S. seeks vision, boldness from Serbs in key year

America is really getting good at telling jokes. :P

Anonymous said...

what i don't get is how serbia talks about the US as a country with no influence, when in the contrary it has
the most influental power in the world. I mean you don't like them, fine, but please quit talking about them, as if they are zimbabwe, or worse serbia. sorry just could not resist

James T
Proud US citizen
And a supporter of Kosova, Montenegro Independence

Anonymous said...

As another American I have to say something, especially to you G something.

If Kosova/o is a terrorist country, then what does that make serbia? A SUPER-TERRORIST country?

What are you worried aren't serbs the one saying America can't do shit, how we have no influence? Soon you will be sucking our dicks, you wait.

300 bases world wide, hundred of thousands soldiers world wide, nukes, founder and main sponsor of UN, key player in NATO and super power---start sucking dick idiot.

Nick J.

PS
Thanks to American food stamps to keep "mother russia" alive.

Anonymous said...

To the last anon. I'd say that your comments would make any allies of the US blush.

Its your assumption that relationships throughout the world are not based on some form of respect for each other but on the stronger threatening the weaker, And that the weaker party should always give in and 'suck dick' as you put it?

Strange, according to that way of thinking you must have been a supporter of Serbian domination of Yugoslavia. What changed? Are you one of those intensely annoying people that supports a different football team every year - depending on who won last year?

Some of the more sane people of the planet actually at least try to have some principle in mind before making decisions.

Anonymous said...

gujgli. I have checked the IP numbers of different bloggers here and the only IP from US is the 7:21 PM blogger. The rest are from Balkans. Kosovo does not have the support to be independent. Wait and see and dont be surprised.

TT4R

Anonymous said...

I am commenting from America, and I can tell you are lying.

bg
the world does work on the stronger making the weak, not pressuring, but making them whether they like it or not.

I'll quote you this, because I really like this quote.

"Our enemies will dissarm themselves, if they won't we will make them dissarm themselves."

(those are not the actual words but it's very similar to the above"

Bg anon said...

dimtuc, gujgli Im enjoying your discussion. Keep it up!

I might cut in to make a couple of points myself.