BEXAMINER Canada should uphold international law and not recognize KOSOVO
Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:56 am (PST)
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=912781
BARRIE EXAMINER (CANADA)
EDITORIAL
Canada should uphold international law and not recognize Kosovo
Posted By SCOTT TAYLOR
Posted 5 hours ago
Last weekend, the streets of Kosovo were flooded with citizens celebrating a
unilateral declaration of independence by ethnic Albanian Prime Minister
Hashim Thaci. This much-anticipated announcement formally severed all
official ties between the disputed province and the rest of Serbia, thereby
creating Europe's newest state.
The United States was the first to recognize Kosovo's independence, with
U.S. President George W. Bush sending his congratulations to Thaci from a
stop in Tanzania. The United Kingdom, Germany and France were quick to
follow suit, and with these big powers on board, the Albanian Kosovars
popped the champagne corks.
For people only paying casual attention to this long-simmering Balkan hot
spot, Thaci's declaration of independence may indeed be viewed as a joyous
occasion. In fact, most Canadians may be forgiven if they thought this whole
matter was resolved back in the summer of 1999.
After a 78-day bombing campaign, NATO had negotiated a ceasefire agreement
with the Serbian government. Under the terms of UN Resolution 1244, Serbian
security forces would withdraw from Kosovo, and under NATO military
supervision, the 800,000 Albanian Kosovar refugees who had fled the fighting
would be repatriated. The Albanian guerrillas - known as the Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA) - were to be disarmed and demobilized by NATO troops,
who would also ensure the safety of Kosovo's 200,000 ethnic Serb civilians.
Resolution 1244 made it very clear that under the UN Charter, Kosovo would
remain the sovereign territory of Serbia. Over the past nine years, NATO has
failed to uphold its part of the bargain. The KLA was never disarmed; they
were simply formalized into the Kosovo Protection Corps.
With Serbia unwilling to relinquish the sovereignty of this province - the
religious heartland of the Serbian people - there was no legal way to push
independence through the UN Security Council.
Up until 1998, the U.S. State Department regarded the KLA as a terrorist
organization. The KLA's assassinations and bomb attacks against government
officials led to a heavy-handed Serbian military crackdown. At this point
the Americans changed horses and decried the Serb reprisals rather than the
terror provocations of the KLA. Under U.S. pressure, an ultimatum was issued
by NATO to Serbia in February 1999, and the KLA was suddenly legitimized as
freedom fighters.
By March 24 of that year, when the deadline expired without Serbia's
compliance, NATO began bombing Kosovo and Serbia.
Putting recent history aside, the fact remains that Kosovo is simply not
viable as an independent country. It is a landlocked, mountainous province,
not quite twice the size of Prince Edward Island, with a population of two
million. The unemployment rate stands at 50 per cent; for those working the
average annual income ranges around $2,400 CDN a year. Prostitution and
illegal drugs form the major pillar of Kosovo's economy, with the other main
infusion coming from the annual foreign donations of approximately $600
million.
The red and black flag they wave is the Albanian flag, not Kosovar. And as a
result of the ongoing violent attacks against non-Albanians in the province,
this is now one of the most ethnically-cleansed territories in all of
Europe.
Prime Minister Thaci is a former ruthless KLA warlord who called himself
"Snake" and the commander of the Kosovo Protection Corps is Agim Ceku, who
made a notorious name for himself as a war criminal in Croatia.
Given the rotten foundation upon which Kosovo intends to build its own
independent state, I think Canada would be well advised to uphold the UN
Charter in this instance, and to respect the rule of international law.
Scott Taylor reported from inside Serbia and Kosovo during the 1999 bombing
campaign and has made more than 20 subsequent visits to the region.
Fri Feb 22, 2008 9:56 am (PST)
http://www.thebarrieexaminer.com/ArticleDisplay.aspx?e=912781
BARRIE EXAMINER (CANADA)
EDITORIAL
Canada should uphold international law and not recognize Kosovo
Posted By SCOTT TAYLOR
Posted 5 hours ago
Last weekend, the streets of Kosovo were flooded with citizens celebrating a
unilateral declaration of independence by ethnic Albanian Prime Minister
Hashim Thaci. This much-anticipated announcement formally severed all
official ties between the disputed province and the rest of Serbia, thereby
creating Europe's newest state.
The United States was the first to recognize Kosovo's independence, with
U.S. President George W. Bush sending his congratulations to Thaci from a
stop in Tanzania. The United Kingdom, Germany and France were quick to
follow suit, and with these big powers on board, the Albanian Kosovars
popped the champagne corks.
For people only paying casual attention to this long-simmering Balkan hot
spot, Thaci's declaration of independence may indeed be viewed as a joyous
occasion. In fact, most Canadians may be forgiven if they thought this whole
matter was resolved back in the summer of 1999.
After a 78-day bombing campaign, NATO had negotiated a ceasefire agreement
with the Serbian government. Under the terms of UN Resolution 1244, Serbian
security forces would withdraw from Kosovo, and under NATO military
supervision, the 800,000 Albanian Kosovar refugees who had fled the fighting
would be repatriated. The Albanian guerrillas - known as the Kosovo
Liberation Army (KLA) - were to be disarmed and demobilized by NATO troops,
who would also ensure the safety of Kosovo's 200,000 ethnic Serb civilians.
Resolution 1244 made it very clear that under the UN Charter, Kosovo would
remain the sovereign territory of Serbia. Over the past nine years, NATO has
failed to uphold its part of the bargain. The KLA was never disarmed; they
were simply formalized into the Kosovo Protection Corps.
With Serbia unwilling to relinquish the sovereignty of this province - the
religious heartland of the Serbian people - there was no legal way to push
independence through the UN Security Council.
Up until 1998, the U.S. State Department regarded the KLA as a terrorist
organization. The KLA's assassinations and bomb attacks against government
officials led to a heavy-handed Serbian military crackdown. At this point
the Americans changed horses and decried the Serb reprisals rather than the
terror provocations of the KLA. Under U.S. pressure, an ultimatum was issued
by NATO to Serbia in February 1999, and the KLA was suddenly legitimized as
freedom fighters.
By March 24 of that year, when the deadline expired without Serbia's
compliance, NATO began bombing Kosovo and Serbia.
Putting recent history aside, the fact remains that Kosovo is simply not
viable as an independent country. It is a landlocked, mountainous province,
not quite twice the size of Prince Edward Island, with a population of two
million. The unemployment rate stands at 50 per cent; for those working the
average annual income ranges around $2,400 CDN a year. Prostitution and
illegal drugs form the major pillar of Kosovo's economy, with the other main
infusion coming from the annual foreign donations of approximately $600
million.
The red and black flag they wave is the Albanian flag, not Kosovar. And as a
result of the ongoing violent attacks against non-Albanians in the province,
this is now one of the most ethnically-cleansed territories in all of
Europe.
Prime Minister Thaci is a former ruthless KLA warlord who called himself
"Snake" and the commander of the Kosovo Protection Corps is Agim Ceku, who
made a notorious name for himself as a war criminal in Croatia.
Given the rotten foundation upon which Kosovo intends to build its own
independent state, I think Canada would be well advised to uphold the UN
Charter in this instance, and to respect the rule of international law.
Scott Taylor reported from inside Serbia and Kosovo during the 1999 bombing
campaign and has made more than 20 subsequent visits to the region.
1 comment:
As an American, I am baffled as to why we would take "Peace at any cost" in this situation-- which is roughly equivalent to California seceeding to Mexico. (There are calls from this in the Hispanic community.)
My heart goes out to all in Serbia who witness the destruction of their heritage.
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