Washington, September 8, 2006
Washington Waking Up to Dangers of Kosovo Independence: U.S. Congressmen Join a Growing Chorus of Experts Warning Against Kosovo Independence; Serbian President Boris Tadic Conveys Kosovo Independence Dangers to U.S. Leaders; Christian Serbs in Kosovo Denounce Muslim Albanian Violence Against Non-Albanians; Kosovo-based Wahhabism in FYROM
Editorial comment from the American Council for Kosovo: This week saw further indications that official Washington is becoming increasingly aware of the disastrous consequences a forcible and illegal detachment of Kosovo from democratic Serbia would have on the Balkan region. Worthy of note:
1. In the September 3, 2006 edition of The Washington Times, House International Relations Committee members Representatives Dan Burton (R-IN) and Joe Wilson (R-SC) wrote “If the U.N. Security Council decides in favor of Kosovo's independence, it will have a far-reaching negative effect throughout the region. It will also affect the dialogue between Kurds, Sunnis and Shi'ites in Iraq and may strengthen the hand of separatist movements around the world. Such a decision has serious global security concerns, and the United States should carefully consider how a U.N. decision in favor of Kosovar independence will affect countries like Russia, India and Indonesia, all struggling with minority ethnic populations that use terrorism to weaken democratically elected governments. The U.N. must not force a decision on Serbia that is unacceptable to its people and democratically elected representatives. A final decision must be a workable compromise and mutually acceptable to Serbia, ethnic Albanian leaders in Kosovo and the minority Serbian population. If this is not the case, the status quo will continue, or worse, the region will regress to the ethnic cleansing of Serbian Christians in Kosovo.â€
2. During his September 7, 2006 speech at the Heritage Foundation, Serbian President Boris Tadic echoed the Congressmen’s concerns and likened the claim that Serbia has lost its right to Kosovo on account of Slobodan Milosevic to a suggestion that Iraq no longer has a right to its territorial integrity because of Saddam Hussein. "Future status of Kosovo is very important for the stability of Kosovo. But, at the some time, that can be a precedent, if Kosovo is going to become an independent country, a precedent very dangerous, not only for the Balkans, but for other regions in the world," President Tadic said.
3. Meanwhile – the violence of Muslim Albanians against Christian Serbs continues. In a recent meeting of the Serbian National Council of Kosovo and Metohija, under the spiritual guidance of Bishop Artemije of Rashka and Prizren, delegates warned: "These attacks are more and more frequent and are becoming more specific as regards the way in which they are carried out, since in committing them, children and young people are taken advantage of and abused, which, regarding the way of organization and operation, reminds of the attacks Muslim terrorists are making around the world. Any [solution to the Kosovo issue] that envisages any division of modification of borders, which would violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state of Serbia and be in contradiction with the international law, as well as any other imposed solution, will be unacceptable for and decisively rejected by the Serb nation and the [Serbian National Council of Kosovo and Metohija].
Besides the destabilizing precedent Kosovo independence would present, the American Council for Kosovo repeatedly has warned that an independent Kosovo would further the agenda of radical Islamic forces who would use it as a base of operations in neighboring areas. The following, an excerpt from a Defense & Foreign Affairs Special Analysis (Sept. 7, 2006), illustrates how Kosovo-based Albanian Wahhabist activists already are increasing their influence in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), with aim of creating "a religiously 'clean' Muslim base to which they can convert to Wahhabism and, eventually, jihad against Israeli, US and other Western interests."
Kosovo-based Albanian Wahhabists Step Up Activities in Macedonia:
Reliable local sources in the Albanian community have reported a very recent ramp-up in activity from well known Wahhabi leaders from Ferizaj and Gnjilane in Kosovo, and Lipkovo and Cair in FYROM, in the area of the mosque. These leaders have taken over an apartment on a street opposite it, and also near the DUI local headquarters, where they “disappear†for several hours each day inside with their students and plot the next stages in their plan for “capturing†this strategic neighborhood. According to the local sources, they drive cars with Kosovo license plates. The Wahhabi leaders are creating a bookstore in the area of the mosque where they will present fundamentalist literature and CDs, and provide “spiritual guidance†for young Muslims. In fact, a major tactic of these leaders is to preach inside the private homes of Muslims and try to convert them to the Wahhabi faith.
The strategic nature of the Taftalidze neighborhood is, first of all, because it is so far largely non-Albanian, and it represents a missing link between Albanian-inhabited areas to the south and southwest, and to the north of the Vardar. The primary goal of the radicals is to create a religiously “clean†Muslim base to which they can convert to Wahhabism and, eventually, jihad against Israeli, US and other Western interests. While the group is currently decentralized and trying to remain out of the spotlight, internal tensions in the FYROM Islamic community ensure that violent incidents will continue and the influence of the extremists will continue to grow.
1. Stability for the Balkans
By Representatives Dan Burton and Joe Wilson
The Washington Times– September 3, 2006
http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20060902-101856-7764r.htm
As the United Nations tackles crises around the world from North Korea to the Middle East, it cannot ignore the Balkan region -- specifically the challenges facing Serbia. Seven years have passed since the U.N. took control of the Serbian province of Kosovo, and it will soon be time to make a permanent decision concerning its indeterminate status.
If the U.N. Security Council decides in favor of Kosovo's independence, it will have a far-reaching negative effect throughout the region. It will also affect the dialogue between Kurds, Sunnis and Shi'ites in Iraq and may strengthen the hand of separatist movements around the world. Such a decision has serious global security concerns, and the United States should carefully consider how a U.N. decision in favor of Kosovar independence will affect countries like Russia, India and Indonesia, all struggling with minority ethnic populations that use terrorism to weaken democratically elected governments.
Serbian President Boris Tadic is pro-Western and wants to formally integrate Serbia into NATO and the European Union. He is willing to meet stringent legal, economic and political requirements to become a permanent member. However, the Kosovo issue makes it difficult for him to continue down a solid, reformist path. Mr. Tadic wants to move Serbia away from its past global isolation to international cooperation. Serbia is committed to working with the Hague Tribunal and seeks to open its growing economy to foreign investment.
The U.N. must not force a decision on Serbia that is unacceptable to its people and democratically elected representatives. A final decision must be a workable compromise and mutually acceptable to Serbia, ethnic Albanian leaders in Kosovo and the minority Serbian population. If this is not the case, the status quo will continue, or worse, the region will regress to the ethnic cleansing of Serbian Christians in Kosovo. We may also see the rise of Serbian nationalists, whose only platform will be to use Kosovo as a rallying cry at the ballot box.
When Mr. Tadic next visits the U.S., he should be welcomed as a friend by President Bush and congressional leaders, and Serbia should be treated as an ally that needs Western support during a difficult transition. Serbia is trying to turn Slobodan Milosevic and the wars he caused into a distant memory by moving forward and embracing democratic reforms, a commitment to human rights, and economic reforms to help its people reach their full potential.
We must respect Serbia's territorial integrity as well as the cultural and historical links Kosovo has with Serbia. More importantly, we must recognize the ramifications of Kosovar independence. Anywhere in the world an ethnic or religious majority is turned into a minority, they can face violence and intimidation by a new majority seeking independence. By forcing Serbia to accept Kosovar independence, the U.N. may establish a precedent that can endanger important allies around the world. Radical independence movements that exploit religious minorities and employ terrorism to achieve political goals will be emboldened. These anti-Democratic, fundamentalist religious forces must be curtailed, not rewarded.
As President Tadic noted in a July 19 speech to the North Atlantic Council, "I am here to ask you to work with me and my country to be able to look ahead with certainty to a future in which your security and ours become synonymous. I believe we need each other and I believe that Serbia has a major contribution to make to this end."
The United Nations can bring the affected parties together to construct a mutually acceptable agreement or force a decision upon Serbia that will not only affect that nation, but Serbia's integration into Europe, the Balkans, and our allies around the world. It is a process the U.S. will be watching.
Dan Burton of Indiana and Joe Wilson of South Carolina are Republican members of the U.S. House of Representatives' International Relations Committee.
2. Serbian leader warns against Kosovo independence
By David Gollust
Voice of America– September 7, 2006
http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/RWB.NSF/db900SID/KHII-6TF8AH?OpenDocument
Serbian President warned Thursday in Washington that independence for the Serbian province of Kosovo would create a dangerous precedent for the Balkans and elsewhere. The Belgrade official is holding talks with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and other senior U.S. officials focusing on the issue of Kosovo's future status.
Although U.S.-Serbian relations have been strained by that country's failure to apprehend Balkans war crimes figures, Mr. Tadic is getting top-level access on his Washington visit, including meetings with Secretary Rice and Vice President Dick Cheney.
The visit comes as U.N.-mediated talks in Vienna on the final status of Kosovo are entering a critical phase. The Serbian president is stressing his opposition to independence for the majority ethnic-Albanian province of Serbia, which has been under U.N. administration since 1999.
In a talk with reporters after meeting Secretary Rice, Mr. Tadic said his government, which has advocated autonomy, but not independence for Kosovo, has no intention of running the political life of the Kosovo Albanian community.
But he said Serbia wants to uphold the rights of the Kosovo's Serb minority and defend Serbian national interests. And he said making the province independent would have negative implications for the region and beyond.
"Future status of Kosovo is very important for the stability of Kosovo. But, at the some time, that can be a precedent, if Kosovo is going to become an independent country, a precedent very dangerous, not only for the Balkans, but for other regions in the world," he said.
Mr. Tadic, a pro-Western Serbian politician elected in 2004, said the issue of indicted Balkans war crimes suspects still at large is not related to Kosovo.
The fact that former Bosnian-Serb president Radovan Karadzic and his military chief, Ratko Mladic, have not been apprehended has strained Serbia's relations with the United States and the European Union, and led the U.S. Congress to cut aid to Belgrade.
Mr. Tadic and Secretary Rice did sign a status-of-forces agreement defining the legal status of any U.S. military personnel, who may operate on Serbian soil.
The United States has similar accords with more than 100 other countries. The Serbian president said he hoped the agreement would be a springboard to more military cooperation, and open the way to private U.S. investment in his country.
3. Demand presented for fighting Albanian terrorism in Kosovo
Press Department of the Diocese of Ras-Prizren – September 5, 2006
http://www.eparhija-prizren.com/vest_eng.php?id=96
STRPCE, Sept 4 (Tanjug) - The Kosovo-Metohija Serb National Council (SNV) concluded at a session held in Brezovica on Sunday 'that the security situation in the province is extremely difficult, that (ethnic) Albanian fundamentalists continue to commit murders and terrorist attacks against Serbs, Serb property and Serb sacred objects across the province."
"These attacks are more and more frequent and are becoming more specific as regards the way in which they are carried out, since in committing them, children and young people are taken advantage of and abused, which, regarding the way of organization and operation, reminds of the attacks Muslim terrorists are making around the world," said the conclusions of the meeting.
The recent bomb attack (carried out by a sixteen-year old ethnic Albanian) on a catering establishment in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, when a number of Serbs were hurt, is only one of the 170 attacks over the past six months.
"Because of such a situation in the province, the Council demands from representatives of the international community, particularly of the United States as the most important leader in the fight against terrorism, to become aware of the reality in the province and decisively oppose to the terrorist operations in Kosovo-Metohija, just like they do every where else in the world where terrorism presents itself."
In the conclusions that were adopted at the meeting, which was attended by a great number of delegates from across the province, it was pointed out that SNV "closely follows the Vienna negotiations and backs all the activities of the Serbian negotiating team, which are realized in keeping with the Plan for the resolution of the future status of Kosovo-Metohija."
"Any other solution that envisages any division of modification of borders, which would violate the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the state of Serbia and be in contradiction with the international law, as well as any other imposed solution, will be unacceptable for and decisively rejected by the Serb nation and the SNV of Kosovo-Metohija," the delegates underscored.
The American Council for Kosovo is an activity of Venable LLP and Global Strategic Communications Group, which are registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act as agents for the Serbian National Council of Kosovo and Metohija. Additional information with respect to this matter is on file with the Foreign Agents Registration Unit of the Department of Justice in Washington DC.
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