[ALBSA-Info] {QIKSH «ALBEUROPA»} PRESS: Birth of a Nation in Kosovo (Christian Science Monitor, OCTOBER 26, 2000)

[Wolfgang Plarre]

http://www.csmonitor.com/durable/2000/10/26/fp8s1-csm.shtml

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 26, 2000 

Birth of a Nation in Kosovo 

Quiz time: NATO's war over Kosovo in 1999 was fought: 
1. To save the majority ethnic Albanians from the slaughtering Serb
forces of Slobodan Milosevic. 
2. To liberate the province for eventual independence from Serbia. 

NATO's official answer is "1." Otherwise it stands accused of invading a
country to split it up - a dangerous international precedent. So right
now, Kosovo remains a United Nations protectorate. 
     But Mr. Milosevic was shown the door by his own people last month.
And this Saturday, the 2 million people of Kosovo will vote in UN-run
municipal elections. Both events ought to force Europe and the United
States to seriously address the option of independence for the province. 
     Last week, an international commission recommended to the UN that
Kosovo move toward "conditional independence." It argued, pragmatically,
that keeping Kosovo's Albanian population under Belgrade's rule is not
realistic. The ethnic and religious differences, not to mention the
atrocities of recent years, are just too much. 
     But neither is it realistic to think of a fully independent Kosovo
right around the corner. The new, elected Serb leader, Vojislav
Kostunica, wants the province to remain part of Serbia. And the
foundation for self-government is not there. 
     The Albanian Kosovars must show they can treat the minority Serbs
and Roma (Gypsies) fairly and humanely. Their leaders must move beyond
nationalist fervor toward negotiations and partnership with their
neighbors. 
     Other parts of the Balkans are moving that way. Croatia has
expunged the old rabid nationalism; Bosnia's ethnically mixed people are
beginning to work together; and Serbia is charting a new course. 
     The new Serb leader has offered a few constructive measures: He
acknowledges the Serbs' violent excesses in Kosovo and is willing to
release the hundreds of Albanians held in Serbian prisons. Leaders in
Kosovo could respond by pledging to protect Serbian Orthodox holy places
in Kosovo. 
     The thuggery and vengefulness of many ethnic Albanians after the
war are still too near the surface. Democratic processes, such as this
weekend's local elections, and parliamentary elections next year, should
help tamp down the violent undercurrents. 
     International involvement in Kosovo, meanwhile, provides insurance
that those processes have a chance to succeed. The military and
financial investments made there by Europe and the US are not short
term. They will take patience for them to pay off, but at a pace clearly
leading to independence. 

Christian Science Monitor


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