[ALBSA-Info] Press:Consequences of Kosovo

[KreshnikBejko]

http://www.stratfor.com/CIS/commentary/c0001280128.htm

0128 GMT, 000128  The Consequences of Kosovo 

Both Greece and Italy appear to be distancing themselves from both the 
United States and Western Europe. Recent decisions in Athens and Rome 
suggest that neither government has reconciled the rift that opened in 
NATO during its war against Yugoslavia last year. 

Despite Western sanctions against Serbia, a new Italian business 
consortium, Consorzio Europeo Italia, announced Jan. 21 plans to open a 
trading center near Belgrade, Yugoslavia, reported the Albanian Daily 
News. The consortium, which includes several French companies, consists 
of businesses such as food and metal processors, telecommunications and 
the car and furniture industries. This move directly defies Western 
sanctions against Yugoslavia. 

Further, while Western disapproval of Russia mounts over the Chechen war, 
Italys relations with Moscow are growing friendlier. In Moscow on Jan. 
20, Italian Foreign Minister Lamberto Dini promised to allocate $8.3 
million to Russia for the destruction of chemical weapons. Several days 
later, on Jan. 27, Italian Deputy Defense Minister Gianni Rivera and 
Russian First Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Mikhailov signed a military 
agreement that will enable Italy to buy Russian military products and 
develop further security cooperation between the two. Greece has also 
begun to turn to Russia for arms, recently taking delivery of 21 Tor-M1 
anti-aircraft missile units. 

The governments in both Rome and Athens went along with NATOs three-month 
bombing campaign but harbored deep doubts over the wisdom of the war. 
Now, both governments appear worried by the wars consequences. Turkey is 
lending support to Albania, which raises hackles in Greece. Italy is 
still wrestling with the problems of ethnic Albanian refugees and 
immigrants. The private split within NATO has not been mended and since 
the war, the alliance has allowed the situation in Kosovo to deteriorate, 
increasingly threatening the nations of its own southern flank.

The Balkan Stability Pact  a Western offer following the war  is a good 
example. The Pact, agreed upon by Washington and the EU, was to channel 
several billion dollars worth of economic aid to the region, excluding 
Serbia. Instead, Western powers have virtually deserted the pact. Greece 
and Italy, realizing that they must deal with the wars consequences 
appear to be taking matters into their own hands.