[AKI-News] AKI NEWSLETTER- 2/20/02

[Alice Mead]

AKI (ADVOCATES FOR KOSOVA'S INDEPENDENCE)
February 20, 2002


     FURTHER ISSUES REGARDING THE ROLE OF EU AND THE STATUS OF FRY
         AND THE RIGHT TO SELF-DETERMINATION FOR MONTENEGRO

>"Finally we must express our alarm at the undoubted fact that EU
>pressure for a federal solution is playing into the hands of political
>factions in both Belgrade and Podgorica that are the least progressive
>in terms of modern European values, rather than the reverse."
     ***************************************************

>Peter Palmer, International Crisi Group's Montenegro analyst, said: 
>"The priority for the EU should be to help Montenegro and Serbia to 
>find a stable solution which both sides can live with. By seeking to 
>impose a solution by
>applying extreme pressure to just one side, the EU is actually
>polarizing the parties and making a tense situation worse."
>
>Nicholas Whyte, Research Fellow and Communications Manager at CEPS
>said: "The EU must not force unwilling partners into a new federation.
>Too often in history, the great powers of the day have tried this
>approach and then had to deal with the consequences. European values
>surely require the EU not to take a stand on the final status of
>Yugoslavia but to facilitate peaceful resolution of the problem. There
>is still time for this to work."
>
>Subject: Open Letter on Montenegro for media release
>Brussels, 14 February, 2002: A group of prominent European politicians
>and activists today sent an open letter to the Secretary General of
>the Council of the European Union, Dr Javier Solana Madariaga,
>expressing extreme concern about the EU's approach to
>Montenegrin-Serbian relations. Among the signatories are members of
>the European parliament, former foreign ministers and the Chairman of
>the Irish parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee.
>
>The drafting of the letter was coordinated by the Centre for European
>Policy Studies (CEPS) and the International Crisis Group (ICG). A copy
>of the letter accompanies this media release.
>
>For interviews:
>Nicholas Whyte, CEPS, Brussels
>+32 (0) 2 229 3911 (CEPS)
>+32 (0) 2 229 3942 (direct)
>+32 (0) 495 544 467 (mobile)
>*****************************************************************
>
>An Open Letter to Dr Javier Solana Madariaga,
>Secretary General of the Council of the European Union and
>High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy
>
>14 February 2002
>
>Dear Dr Solana;
>
>We have been following with strong interest your efforts to try to
>resolve the present impasse over the future of Montenegro-Serbian
>relations. We are extremely concerned that the EU is trying to
>bull-dozer Podgorica in a direction that would be economically and
>politically unwise.
>
>On the economic side, Podgorica has already moved faster towards the
>open European market (tariff average 3%) than Belgrade (tariff average
>10%), and should not now be required to move backwards.
>
>Podgorica has already introduced not only the DM as its currency two
>years ago, but now successfully - and without external help - moves
>onto the euro for its budget and replaces DM by euro notes and coins.
>It should not be forced back onto the Yugoslav dinar, a currency with
>a very bad track record.
>
>Economic openness and the euro as currency make sense for a small
>coastal Adriatic economy, which can build a prosperous future with
>tourism as its main export industry. There is no reason why a small
>economy of this type cannot be viable - in population Montenegro is
>about the same as Cyprus and much bigger than Malta.
>
>Re-integration of the region together with its integration with the
>EU, are objectives that we all support. But the EU should not push for
>a federation between unwilling partners. As you will remember surely,
>history is littered with failures of this type, mostly imposed by the
>European great powers of the day.
>
>A different scenario is entirely possible, and suggested in fact by
>the Montenegrin statement of 5 February 2002. If a constitutional
>agreement cannot be found today, it would be better to welcome the
>perspective of progressive convergence of Serbia and Montenegro over
>the time horizon ahead for preparing for EU accession (i.e. at least
>ten years). In the meantime, there would be several options including:
>(1) a loose confederation, allowing for different economic policies
>for the time being, and (2) independence. Either one would have to be
>legitimised by a referendum. We strongly believe that the people of
>Montenegro should be allowed to exercise their democratic right to
>decide on the future of their republic.
>
>In all cases the outcome could be supported by an agreement between
>the parties to resume re-integration talks after some years as EU
>accession becomes a closer prospect. The EU should abstain from
>expressing any further preference over which should be the solution,
>but simply facilitate an amicable resolution without more delay, and
>agree to be supportive in all cases.
>
>In all cases Belgrade should get on with the job of rationalising its
>own government structures, eliminating the overlap of Yugoslav and
>Serbian governments.
>
>Finally we must express our alarm at the undoubted fact that EU
>pressure for a federal solution is playing into the hands of political
>factions in both Belgrade and Podgorica that are the least progressive
>in terms of modern European values, rather than the reverse.
>
>Yours sincerely,
>
>Ersin Arioglu, Chairman,
>Yapi Merkezi, Turkey; International Crisis Group board member
>Emma Bonino, Member of the European Parliament;
>former European Commissioner; International Crisis Group board member
>Richard Caplan, Research Fellow, Centre for International Studies,
>University of Oxford
>Michael Emerson, Senior Research Fellow, CEPS
>Gareth Evans, President, International Crisis Group; former Foreign
>Minister, Australia
>Daniel Gros, Director, Centre for European Policy Studies, Brussels
>Tim Judah, Journalist, London, England
>Desmond O'Malley TD, Chairman, Joint Foreign Affairs Committee, 
>Irish Parliament
>Peter Palmer, International Crisis Group Montenegro Analyst
>Heidi Rühle,Member of the European Parliament, Bündnis 90/Die
>Grünen Pär Stenbäck, former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Finland; 
>International Crisis Group board member
>Ed van Thijn, former Minister of Interior, The Netherlands; former 
>Mayor of Amsterdam;
>  International Crisis Group board member Nicholas
>Whyte, Research Fellow, Centre for European Policy Studies, Brussels
>
>==========================================================
>Boris Pajkovic             E-mail:Boris.Pajkovic at ncl.ac.uk
>Newcastle University       Tel.:++(0)191/222-8510/222-6359
>Geography-Daysh Building       Fax:++(0)191/222-5421
>Newcastle upon Tyne
>NE1 7RU      England/UK
>==========================================================
>
>--
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