[ALBSA-Info] Give Kosovo Independence or... [The Guardian]

[ardian kanina]

Give Kosovo independence or "Face Fresh Conflict"

Jonathan Steele .
23/10/2000
Gazeta The Guardian:

Strong Warning to the international community not to drop the option of 
eventual independence for Kosovo because Slobodan Millosevis has been 
replaced by a democratic government in Serbia are contained in two new 
reports by international experts.
The world should consider moving the largely Albanian populated former 
province of Serbia to "conditional independence",according to a report from 
a commission set up by the Swedish prime minister ,Goran Person,which will 
be handed to the UN secretary general , Kofi Annan,today.

The world would have to guarantee the security of the new state ,oversee the 
protection of human rights for Serbs and other minorities,and integrate 
Kosovo into the Balkan stability pact,the report says.
But the world powers must also recognise that although UN resolution 
1244,which ended the war in Kosovo,kept the territorry within of 
yugosllavia,that is not tenable in the long term.
In a seperate report a respected think tank ,the International Crisis 
Group,says Mr Millosevic departure makes it imperative to accelerate a 
decision on Kosovo.It warns that support for hardliners within the Kosovo 
Albanian community would rise"if the international community's new-found 
love affair with Belgrade is seen as compromising Kosovo's desire for 
independence".

It also says that the west must be careful not to make the wrong gestures to 
the new Yougoslav president ,Vojislav Konstunica.In speech given when he was 
sworn in,Mr Kostunica called for a strengthening of ties between Serbia and 
Kosovo.Under UN resolution 1244 Yougoslavia is entitled eventually to send 
up to 1000troops back to Kosovo for work at border crossing and to guard 
historical sites.For the UN to grant that right would be "catastrofic" the 
ICG warns and would alienate Kosovo albanians overnight.

It would be equally disastrous if the Kosovars became convinced that the 
arrival of a new government had led the international community to rule out 
independence.To show that the Kosovars right to self-determination is 
accepted,the ICG has urged the European Union ,which holds a Balkans summit 
in Zagreb next month,to invite not only Mr Konstunica but also Kosovo 
Albanian representatives.

The Kosovo commision offers five options for Kosovos future status.Renewing 
the current United Nations protectorate for an indefinete number of years 
may seem attractive but Kosovo Albanian impatience might lead to parallel 
underground institutions or outright rebellion.

Partition might satisfy serbs in Mitrovice but would lead to the forced 
relocation of most other Serbs as well as the end of the international 
community's commitment to maintain the multi-ethnic characters of all 
Ballkan states.Full independence for Kosovo and the end of the UN mandate 
would be oposed by Russia and China ,create anxieties in neighbouring states 
and be resisted by Kosovos Serb and Roma communities.

Autonomy within Yougoslavia is impractical ,the commision argues:"The simple 
truth is that no Kosovar will accept to live under Serb rule ,however 
notional,ever again."The only viable solution ,it concludes,is "conditional 
independence".
The commision finds that Nato's intervention against Yugoslavia was "illegal 
but legitimate" and critisises Nato for "major mistakes" in thinking that 
the bombing campaign would be short and in not anticipating the Serbian 
revenge attacs on Kosovar Albanians.

It urges the UN to close the gap between legality and legitimacy by 
preparing a new framework for intervention.It also suggests that general 
assembly produce a declaration which would sanctify three principles that 
would have to be met before any humanitarian intervention could be 
accepted:massive civilian suffering,the overriding commitment to the direct 
protection of civilians , and the calculation that the intervention has a 
resonable chance of ending the catastrophe.







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