Kosovo: Bulgaria, Macedonia and Montenegro have betrayed Serbia
In the last months, the head of the interim government of Kosovo Agim Ceku have visited a number of countries to enlist their support for Kosovo's independence. He visited the US and the UK, Bulgaria and FYR Macedonia. Ceku's visits have not gone unnoticed: the world community is very much interested in what status Kosovo will get and in what stance the UN SC and Contact Group members and Balkan states have on the matter. Special attention was given to Ceku's Nov 3 visit to Montenegro, who quite recently voted to secede from Serbia.
In Montenegro Ceku met with the prime minister, the speaker of the parliament, the FM, and all of them treated him as the head of the government of a state. Montenegrin Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic said that the key topic of his talk with Ceku was not the status of Kosovo but the future of the region and good neighbor relations between Montenegro and Kosovo. Ignoring the fact that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia, Djukanovic stressed that, despite its status, Kosovo is Montenegro's neighbor and so, the sides should be interested in being good neighbors.
Djukanovic and Ceku exchanged their views of how to eliminate structural restrictions to the liberalization of the energy and other markets in the Balkans and how to attract big investors in the region. They also stressed the need to open new border crossings for bringing closer the business interests of Montenegro and Kosovo and discussed ways to strengthen border control and to jointly fight organized crime. Djukanovic said that Montenegrin and Kosovan government delegations would meet to discuss the return of Kosovan refugees in Montenegro.
Concerning the status of Kosovo, Djukanovic said that Montenegro is interested in the urgent resolution of this problem – under the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina and with the consent of the world community – and is ready to support any decision to be passed by the world community. Ceku used his visit to state once again that the provision of Kosovo with independence is the only permanent decision. He once more expressed conviction that this decision will be made by the end of this year.
During his visit to Montenegro, Ceku also met with the leaders of the Albanian parties in Montenegro and with the heads of the Albanian community of Ulcinj, a municipality where Albanians constitute over 70% of the population. Ceku said that the Albanian community in Montenegro has always been constructive: it has never posed a threat to the country's interests but, on the contrary, has actively protected them. Ceku commended the Albanian community for their active role in the current processes in Montenegro and expressed hope that "the Montenegrin Government will respond positively by guaranteeing the exercise of the rights of Albanians in Montenegro."
It is not clear what rights Ceku meant, but it is known well that the Montenegrin Albanians want autonomy and hope that Kosovo's independence will help them in the matter. Some people believe that the Montenegrin authorities invited Ceku to Montenegro with a view to improve their relations with the local Albanian minority after the Sept 2006 arrest of Albanian extremists from the Movement for the Rights of Albanians in Montenegro. On Nov 6, Montenegrin Public Prosecutor Vesna Medenica said that this group, together with the fighters from the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army, were plotting terrorist acts in the territory of Montenegro.
The visit of Ceku has received a very negative response from the opposition parties of Montenegro, who said that it was "a scandal that will cause grave political consequences" and "an attempt to stab in the back the Serbian leaders and all Serbs in the Balkans." The Socialist People's Party of Montenegro said that the invitation of Ceku, "the well-known representative of the Kosovan extremists," was an act of open support for those forces who want to separate Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia. "The visit of Ceku, who is suspected of having committed military crimes against Serbs, Montenegrins and other non-Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija, looked especially provocative as it took place right after the adoption of the Constitution of Serbia and exactly at the moment when the world community is trying to solve the problem of Kosovo and Metohija in line with the UN Charter and UN SC Resolution 1244."
The Democratic Serbian Party said that "now that Serbia is taking active diplomatic steps to keep Kosovo from secession and the problem of the status of this southern Serbian region is entering the final stage, the invitation of Ceku to visit Montenegro was a non-diplomatic act" and can be interpreted as an interference in the internal affairs of another state. The Socialist People's Party of Montenegro said that "by inviting Ceku, Djukanovic and his regime have openly taken the side of the Albanian extremists in Kosovo and Metohija," while the People's Party of Montenegro said that "by so doing they have shown support for the Ceku separatist regime" and that "Montenegro's independence gained with the decisive support of Albanians was just the first step towards the possible secession of Kosovo and Metohija from Serbia." The party urged all opposition parties to initiate a special parliamentary session for considering "the Montenegrin authorities' open support for the Albanian separatists in Kosovo."
They in Serbia have strongly criticized the invitation of Ceku to Montenegro. Serbian President Boris Tadic said that it was "an unacceptable and unnecessary gesture" by Djukanovic now that the sides are negotiating the future status of Kosovo. They in the Serbian Government said that Kosovo is an inalienable part of Serbia rather than "a neighbor state for Montenegro" as the Montenegrin officials said. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica warned the Montenegrin Government that they "should respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia in line with the UN Charter and the international law. Otherwise, they will be responsible for possible serious consequences in Serbian-Montenegrin relations."
The G-17+ party said that the position of the Montenegrin authorities does not contribute to the development of good neighbor relations between Serbia and Montenegro and must be condemned, while the secretary general of the Serbian Radical Party Aleksandar Vucic said that it was "the most shameful act in the history of Montenegro" and "the Montenegrin authorities just returned the favor done to them during the referendum [on Montenegro's independence]." The Socialist Party of Serbia demanded that the Serbian authorities show tough reaction to this "anti-Serbian gesture" of the Montenegrin leadership. The Blitz daily (Belgrade) said that "Djukanovic may go into history as the person who restored Montenegro's independence but he is also the person who spoiled Montenegro's relations with Serbia — the first and most natural ally."
Djukanovic and Montenegrin Foreign Minister Vlahovic denied the charges and said that the talks with Ceku have not spoiled Montenegro's relations with Serbia, who remains the country's key partner, and were not aimed at influencing the talks for Kosovo's future status.
In their turn, the Kosovan authorities have blamed Serbia for interfering in the policies of its neighbors. The spokeswoman of the Kosovan Government Ujlpijana Ljama said that Serbia should accept the new reality in the Balkans. However, some forces in Kosovo think otherwise. The Serbian Vece believes that the decision of the Montenegrin authorities to officially receive Ceku has deeply hurt the Serbs and the Montenegrins in Kosovo. However, this step was not unexpected as Djukanovic is deeply in debt to the Albanian community for his stay in power all these years.
After his visit to Montenegro, Ceku continued his tour: he visited Albania, on Nov 6 he went to Slovakia, where local officials told him that the decision on Kosovo's status requires absolute consensus and that the Kosovan authorities should refrain from one-sided steps. And now Ceku is planning to go to Moscow and is waiting for the Russians' response to his wish to visit Russia for explaining the stance of the Kosovan leadership…
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