Serb prisoners 'were stripped of their organs in Kosovo war'
By Harry de Quetteville in Berlin and Malcolm Moore in Rome
Serb prisoners had their internal organs removed and sold by ethnic Albanians during the Kosovo war, according to allegations in a new book by the world's best known war crimes prosecutor.
Carla Del Ponte, who stepped down in January as chief prosecutor at the Hague tribunal for crimes committed in the Balkan wars of the 1990s, said investigators found a house suspected of being a laboratory for the illegal trade.
A senior adviser to Hashim Thaci, Kosovo's prime minister and a leading member of the Kosovo Liberation Army which is accused of benefiting from the trade, yesterday denied the allegations.
"These are horrible things even to imagine," said Bekim Collaku. "But this is a product of her [Miss Del Ponte's] imagination."
Miss Del Ponte reports that the allegations were made by several sources, one of whom "personally made an organ delivery" to an Albanian airport for transport abroad, and "confirmed information directly gathered by the tribunal".
According to the sources, senior figures in the Kosovo Liberation Army were aware of the scheme, in which hundreds of young Serbs were allegedly taken by truck from Kosovo to northern Albania where their organs were removed. Miss Del Ponte provides grim details of the alleged organ harvesting, and of how some prisoners were sewn up after having kidneys removed.
"The victims, deprived of a kidney, were then locked up again, inside the barracks, until the moment they were killed for other vital organs. In this way, the other prisoners were aware of the fate that awaited them, and according to the source, pleaded, terrified, to be killed immediately," Miss Del Ponte writes.
The claims in The Hunt: Me and War Criminals have renewed tensions between Serbia and its former province of Kosovo, which declared independence two months ago. In it, the Swiss ex-prosecutor reveals how her efforts to bring alleged war criminals to justice were stymied by lack of co-operation from all sides - Serb, Albanian and even Nato. But it is her report of the organ traffic that has caused most shock, even in a region long hardened to horror.
Vladan Batic, Serbia's former justice minister, said: "If her allegations are true, then this is the most monstrous crime since the times of Mengele, and it must be made a priority, not only of the domestic judiciary but also of the Hague Tribunal." The book reports a visit by Hague tribunal investigators to a house south of the Albanian town of Burrel where they found traces of blood across a wide area, as well as medical equipment.
"The investigators found pieces of gauze, a used syringe and two plastic IV bags encrusted with mud and empty bottles of medicine, some of which was of a muscle relaxant often used in surgical operations," she writes. However, she concludes that the finds do not amount to sufficient proof for a war crimes tribunal. In Belgrade, the Serbian capital, an association of families of Serbs still listed as missing since the Kosovo war, said it would sue Miss Del Ponte, alleging that she had failed to act over the alleged organ-farming scandal. Serbia's war crimes office announced it had opened its own investigation.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Serb prisoners 'were stripped of their organs in Kosovo war'
Showing posts with label Albania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Albania. Show all posts
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
DAR AL HARB-THE WEST: IT'S A SURPRISE TO INTELLIGENCE ORGANIZATIONS THAT ABLANIA, BOSNIA, KOSOVO HAVE BECOME LAUNCHING PADS FOR JIHAD AGAINST THE WEST
Intel on Al Qaida strike in Bucharest rattled NATO summit planners
NATO intelligence services were working overtime amid a threat of an attack on Western leaders in Bucharest. The latest intelligence told of an Al Qaida-aligned strike that could be aided by Iran and target President Bush and French President Sarkozy. Romania has been a gamble for a NATO summit, which began on April 2. The alliance has been alarmed by the increasing use of the Balkans as a safe haven for groups aligned with Al Qaida and Hizbullah. Intelligence sources said NATO has detected threats from Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo and regards these areas as launching pads for major attacks against the West.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Intel on Al Qaida strike in Bucharest rattled NATO summit planners
NATO intelligence services were working overtime amid a threat of an attack on Western leaders in Bucharest. The latest intelligence told of an Al Qaida-aligned strike that could be aided by Iran and target President Bush and French President Sarkozy. Romania has been a gamble for a NATO summit, which began on April 2. The alliance has been alarmed by the increasing use of the Balkans as a safe haven for groups aligned with Al Qaida and Hizbullah. Intelligence sources said NATO has detected threats from Albania, Bosnia and Kosovo and regards these areas as launching pads for major attacks against the West.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Intel on Al Qaida strike in Bucharest rattled NATO summit planners
Friday, April 04, 2008
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM-BALKANS: MOSLEM ALBANIANS FARMED & LATER BUTCHERED SERBS FOR BODY PARTS SOLD ON THE EURABIAN BLACK MARKET
Kosovo: Kidnapped Serbs were “killed for body parts” claims War Crimes prosecutor!
By News Team
One horror story the Western media have yet to pick up on but which is making headlines in Eastern Europe, is that of the kidnapping of hundreds of Serbs by ethnic Albanians in Kosovo – who were subsequently butchered to harvest body parts for sale on the international market!
The person making this allegation is none other than the former Chief Prosecutor at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Carla Del Ponte (illustration).. She has given details of suspected atrocities by ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in 1999. Del Ponte’s book ‘The Hunt: Me and War crimes’ claims that before killing Serbs and members of other ethnic communities, Kosovo Albanians removed their organs to sell for transplants.
According to Swiss-born Del Ponte, who was a Chief Prosecutor of two United Nations international criminal law tribunals and prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the kidnapped Serbs were given a medical test. Those who passed were treated well, fed and looked after until they were brought under the surgeon’s knife. From several concentration camps in Kosovo, they were then transferred to cities in the north of Albania. Their body parts were later flown to European destinations.
General Mamir Stayanovich was head of the intelligence service of the Serbian army during the war. He has no doubt that the claims in Del Ponte’s book will sooner or later be proven. The places she mentions as hidden operation rooms are in exactly the same location as the camps Albanians used for training soldiers.
“In these hospitals they decided amongst themselves what each commander of the Muslim KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) would have after victory. They decided who would make his money from drug dealing, who from weapons, and who from selling body parts. Hashim Thaci, the prime minister of Kosovo, was among them,” General Stayanovich claims.
...
“Right after the war, when we understood that too many people had disappeared, I went to the K-For commanders and asked them where were the people, and they just shrugged their shoulders. Only after they saw Serbian people demonstrating and were afraid of their anger, they took me to some place,” Spasich said.
Families who once had a small glimmer of hope of finding their loved ones are now planning to sue Del Ponte. They claim she withheld this information for years - and in that way helped the criminals with their crime.
In addition, it is inferred that some directly involved in these alleged barbaric crimes or having profited from them, are now firmly ensconced in Kosovo’s EU-backed Muslim puppet regime!
Pertinent Links:
1) Kosovo: Kidnapped Serbs were “killed for body parts” claims War Crimes prosecutor!
By News Team
One horror story the Western media have yet to pick up on but which is making headlines in Eastern Europe, is that of the kidnapping of hundreds of Serbs by ethnic Albanians in Kosovo – who were subsequently butchered to harvest body parts for sale on the international market!
The person making this allegation is none other than the former Chief Prosecutor at the International Court of Justice in the Hague, Carla Del Ponte (illustration).. She has given details of suspected atrocities by ethnic Albanians in Kosovo in 1999. Del Ponte’s book ‘The Hunt: Me and War crimes’ claims that before killing Serbs and members of other ethnic communities, Kosovo Albanians removed their organs to sell for transplants.
According to Swiss-born Del Ponte, who was a Chief Prosecutor of two United Nations international criminal law tribunals and prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, the kidnapped Serbs were given a medical test. Those who passed were treated well, fed and looked after until they were brought under the surgeon’s knife. From several concentration camps in Kosovo, they were then transferred to cities in the north of Albania. Their body parts were later flown to European destinations.
General Mamir Stayanovich was head of the intelligence service of the Serbian army during the war. He has no doubt that the claims in Del Ponte’s book will sooner or later be proven. The places she mentions as hidden operation rooms are in exactly the same location as the camps Albanians used for training soldiers.
“In these hospitals they decided amongst themselves what each commander of the Muslim KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) would have after victory. They decided who would make his money from drug dealing, who from weapons, and who from selling body parts. Hashim Thaci, the prime minister of Kosovo, was among them,” General Stayanovich claims.
...
“Right after the war, when we understood that too many people had disappeared, I went to the K-For commanders and asked them where were the people, and they just shrugged their shoulders. Only after they saw Serbian people demonstrating and were afraid of their anger, they took me to some place,” Spasich said.
Families who once had a small glimmer of hope of finding their loved ones are now planning to sue Del Ponte. They claim she withheld this information for years - and in that way helped the criminals with their crime.
In addition, it is inferred that some directly involved in these alleged barbaric crimes or having profited from them, are now firmly ensconced in Kosovo’s EU-backed Muslim puppet regime!
Pertinent Links:
1) Kosovo: Kidnapped Serbs were “killed for body parts” claims War Crimes prosecutor!
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
DAR AL HARB-U.S./RUSSIA/KOSOVO: RUSSIA & THE U.S. AT ODDS OVER KOSOVO
No reversal of independence, say US and EU
The United States and Russia have again clashed in the United Nations Security Council over Kosovo 's recent independence.
The US is adamant independence move cannot be reversed, while Russia has demanded more talks to discuss the issue.
Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians declared independence on 17 February with the support of western powers, despite opposition from Belgrade and Moscow.
“Any attempts which ignore the reality and what has happened will not have our support,” said US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. “What has happened in Kosovo cannot be annulled."
But Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said there was no final solution for Kosovo unless it was negotiated between Belgrade and Pristina and approved by the Security Council.
“We don’t accept that a new reality has been established," said Churkin. "It is a virtual reality which will not be recognised as international reality until we reach a unified stand."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) No reversal of independence, say US and EU
The United States and Russia have again clashed in the United Nations Security Council over Kosovo 's recent independence.
The US is adamant independence move cannot be reversed, while Russia has demanded more talks to discuss the issue.
Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians declared independence on 17 February with the support of western powers, despite opposition from Belgrade and Moscow.
“Any attempts which ignore the reality and what has happened will not have our support,” said US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad. “What has happened in Kosovo cannot be annulled."
But Russian ambassador Vitaly Churkin said there was no final solution for Kosovo unless it was negotiated between Belgrade and Pristina and approved by the Security Council.
“We don’t accept that a new reality has been established," said Churkin. "It is a virtual reality which will not be recognised as international reality until we reach a unified stand."
...
Pertinent Links:
1) No reversal of independence, say US and EU
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Serb and Kosovar officials in face off
TENSIONS mounted yesterday after Serbian and Kosovo officials came face-to-face for the first time since Kosovo declared independence - a move Belgrade said it would challenge in court.
"Let me tell you loud and clear: for as long as Serbia is, Kosovo shall never be," Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic told a meeting of Balkan foreign ministers in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, attended by a Kosovo delegation.
"Kosovo will not be a member of the United Nations. It will not be a member of the OSCE. And as such, it will not belong to the world community of sovereign nations. It will never acquire this ultimate status of legitimacy," he said.
Mr Jeremic said later yesterday that Belgrade would ask the International Court of Justice to ascertain "whether or not this (declaration of independence) was done in compliance with international law".
The minister urged the international community not to recognise Kosovo until the ICJ had made its ruling.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Serb and Kosovar officials in face off
TENSIONS mounted yesterday after Serbian and Kosovo officials came face-to-face for the first time since Kosovo declared independence - a move Belgrade said it would challenge in court.
"Let me tell you loud and clear: for as long as Serbia is, Kosovo shall never be," Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic told a meeting of Balkan foreign ministers in the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, attended by a Kosovo delegation.
"Kosovo will not be a member of the United Nations. It will not be a member of the OSCE. And as such, it will not belong to the world community of sovereign nations. It will never acquire this ultimate status of legitimacy," he said.
Mr Jeremic said later yesterday that Belgrade would ask the International Court of Justice to ascertain "whether or not this (declaration of independence) was done in compliance with international law".
The minister urged the international community not to recognise Kosovo until the ICJ had made its ruling.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Serb and Kosovar officials in face off
Thursday, February 28, 2008
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM-BALKANS: THE KOSOVAR PANDORA'S BOX KEEPS ON GIVING
International group formed to supervise independence
Vienna, 28 Feb. (AKI) - The European Union and several other countries formed on Thursday an International Steering Group (ICG) to supervise the independence of Kosovo declared by majority ethnic Albanians on 17 February.
The ICG, which will be the highest international authority in Kosovo, was formed at a meeting in Vienna and will comprise 15 countries, including members of the six-country 'Control Group', such as the United States, Great Britain, Italy, France and Germany.
Its sixth member, Russia,will not be part of the ICG, because it opposes Kosovo's independence, Dutch diplomat Peter Feith, who will be the EU civilian representative in Kosovo, told journalists.
Other members of the ICG are Austria, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Turkey, Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Feith said the membership was open to other countries on the criteria that “they must be friends of Kosovo independence”.
Feith said it would be good if Russia also joined, but stressed that “chances are small for that to happen at this moment”.
Russia has blocked Kosovo's independence drive in the UN Security Council and is backing Serbia’s diplomatic battle to deny independence to Kosovo, which has a 90 percent ethnic Albanian population.
Russia is a member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council along with the US, China, France, and Britain thus it can veto any resolution regarding Kosovo's membership in the UN.
Feith said the main ICG task would be to implement a plan by former UN negotiator Martti Ahtisaari for what he called an internationally supervised independence.
After the plan was blocked in the UN by Russia, the EU decided to go at it alone, bypassing the Security Council and 20 countries have so far recognized Kosovo on a bilateral basis.
The EU mission is due to replace the current UN administration, which has controlled Kosovo since 1999, but Belgrade and Moscow have said that EU presence in the province would be illegal without the approval of the Security Council.
EU action is backed by a 17,000 strong NATO force deployed in Kosovo, and Feith said the international community “would tolerate no violence” in the province. The remaining 100,000 Serbs in Kosovo oppose independence and have vowed to recognise only Belgrade’s authority.
Belgrade has for the past nine years kept parallel institutions in Kosovo and vowed it would continue to do so. But Feith said no parallel institutions or partitioning of Kosovo would be tolerated.
Most Kosovo Serbs are concentrated in the north of the province, with their backs on Serbia proper, and have for the most part ignored ethnic Albanian authorities in Pristina.
The province has been practically partitioned along the River Ibar, and Feith said Serbs would be allowed to keep “special ties” to Belgrade.
“These ties, however, must be transparent and must respect the authority of the government in Pristina,” he concluded.
Pertinent Links:
1) International group formed to supervise independence
Vienna, 28 Feb. (AKI) - The European Union and several other countries formed on Thursday an International Steering Group (ICG) to supervise the independence of Kosovo declared by majority ethnic Albanians on 17 February.
The ICG, which will be the highest international authority in Kosovo, was formed at a meeting in Vienna and will comprise 15 countries, including members of the six-country 'Control Group', such as the United States, Great Britain, Italy, France and Germany.
Its sixth member, Russia,will not be part of the ICG, because it opposes Kosovo's independence, Dutch diplomat Peter Feith, who will be the EU civilian representative in Kosovo, told journalists.
Other members of the ICG are Austria, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Turkey, Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Slovenia and Switzerland.
Feith said the membership was open to other countries on the criteria that “they must be friends of Kosovo independence”.
Feith said it would be good if Russia also joined, but stressed that “chances are small for that to happen at this moment”.
Russia has blocked Kosovo's independence drive in the UN Security Council and is backing Serbia’s diplomatic battle to deny independence to Kosovo, which has a 90 percent ethnic Albanian population.
Russia is a member of the United Nations (UN) Security Council along with the US, China, France, and Britain thus it can veto any resolution regarding Kosovo's membership in the UN.
Feith said the main ICG task would be to implement a plan by former UN negotiator Martti Ahtisaari for what he called an internationally supervised independence.
After the plan was blocked in the UN by Russia, the EU decided to go at it alone, bypassing the Security Council and 20 countries have so far recognized Kosovo on a bilateral basis.
The EU mission is due to replace the current UN administration, which has controlled Kosovo since 1999, but Belgrade and Moscow have said that EU presence in the province would be illegal without the approval of the Security Council.
EU action is backed by a 17,000 strong NATO force deployed in Kosovo, and Feith said the international community “would tolerate no violence” in the province. The remaining 100,000 Serbs in Kosovo oppose independence and have vowed to recognise only Belgrade’s authority.
Belgrade has for the past nine years kept parallel institutions in Kosovo and vowed it would continue to do so. But Feith said no parallel institutions or partitioning of Kosovo would be tolerated.
Most Kosovo Serbs are concentrated in the north of the province, with their backs on Serbia proper, and have for the most part ignored ethnic Albanian authorities in Pristina.
The province has been practically partitioned along the River Ibar, and Feith said Serbs would be allowed to keep “special ties” to Belgrade.
“These ties, however, must be transparent and must respect the authority of the government in Pristina,” he concluded.
Pertinent Links:
1) International group formed to supervise independence
Thursday, February 21, 2008
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM-BALKANS:
New Pandoran Box
The breakup of the distinct nations of the former Yugoslavia was a good thing. But splitting Serbia from its Kosovo province goes beyond that. It's trouble, not just for the Balkans, but for the rest of the world.
Many Kosovars celebrated wildly after winning an independence vote. But not all. Serbian Kosovars blanched at the loss of their ancient homeland, known as the cradle of Serbia, to ethnic Muslim Albanians who had moved in, started a guerrilla war and, with the weekend balloting, finally took over.
It was bitter, because Serbs had cleaned up their country, thrown out their dictator and banked on United Nations assurances guaranteeing their territorial integrity in Security Council resolution 1244, passed in 1999.
"It's frustrating that the (Boris) Tadic administration is being punished for acts that took place under (Slobodan) Milosevic, because the new administration helped oust him," Illinois congresswoman Melissa Bean, co-chair of the House Serbian Caucus, told IBD.
She and seven other members of Congress, including Sen. Jim Inhofe of Texas and Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana, pleaded in a letter with President Bush to hold the line until a mutually acceptable solution could be reached with all sides.
But on Monday, the U.S. and the European Union said it's a done deal. They extended fast recognition to Kosovo and waved off the Serbs. After all, wouldn't a new Muslim state in Europe show the Arab world that the West wanted successful Muslim democracies?
Diplomacy is all about taking risks. But the West's gamble in Kosovo is too high for the possible rewards in terms of its interests. Five reasons spring to mind:
• Kosovo has just 2 million people. Sure, some microstates, such as Singapore and Panama, make it. But more often, the story is like East Timor's, a nonviable state in turmoil since its 1999 independence. With a GDP per capita of $250, 50% unemployment and half the population under 16, the odds against Kosovo are long.
Awash in corruption and mafias, free market reforms will be tough, and many unemployed young Muslims will be looking for a purpose. "Its instability risks attracting Islamic extremists from around the world," warned ex-U.S. envoy to the U.N. John Bolton.
• Ramming independence through for Kosovo with no regard for Serbia opens the door to new secession movements. Countries such as Spain, which faces a similar situation with Basque terrorist secessionists, tellingly declined to recognize Kosovo.
Canada has reason to worry about Quebec. Russia, China and Iraq fear breakaway regions, too. Meanwhile, Macedonia and Montenegro, which have ethnic Albanian populations, now fear a precedent for parts of their territory to be pulled into a greater Albania.
• The West has lost credibility by breaking its promise to Serbia. Terrorists will take note.
• Alliances are weakened. As the U.S. and dominant nations of the EU push through Kosovo statehood, the nearby nations of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Greece and Israel oppose it. This not only splits the EU with its eastern members. It separates the U.S. from its New Europe allies — not the least of which is Serbia, a country that allied itself to the West in two world wars.
• Russia's appetite for payback is whetted. Unlike smaller nations, Russia has a global reach and engages in tit for tat.
In response to our setting up military bases in Central Asia, Russia sold advanced weapons to Venezuela. With Russia ramping up jet production and buzzing U.S. aircraft carriers in the Pacific, there's little doubt it'll be looking for ways to create trouble.
In short, a successful Kosovo state is speculative. But the potential for trouble in the wake of trying to create it is certain. If it isn't reversed, it could become a global Pandora's box opened to new problems. This is going to take some major diplomatic repair work.
Are all the people that are found working for the United States government stupid?!?
What have they done?!?
Pertinent Links:
1) New Pandoran Box
The breakup of the distinct nations of the former Yugoslavia was a good thing. But splitting Serbia from its Kosovo province goes beyond that. It's trouble, not just for the Balkans, but for the rest of the world.
Many Kosovars celebrated wildly after winning an independence vote. But not all. Serbian Kosovars blanched at the loss of their ancient homeland, known as the cradle of Serbia, to ethnic Muslim Albanians who had moved in, started a guerrilla war and, with the weekend balloting, finally took over.
It was bitter, because Serbs had cleaned up their country, thrown out their dictator and banked on United Nations assurances guaranteeing their territorial integrity in Security Council resolution 1244, passed in 1999.
"It's frustrating that the (Boris) Tadic administration is being punished for acts that took place under (Slobodan) Milosevic, because the new administration helped oust him," Illinois congresswoman Melissa Bean, co-chair of the House Serbian Caucus, told IBD.
She and seven other members of Congress, including Sen. Jim Inhofe of Texas and Rep. Dan Burton of Indiana, pleaded in a letter with President Bush to hold the line until a mutually acceptable solution could be reached with all sides.
But on Monday, the U.S. and the European Union said it's a done deal. They extended fast recognition to Kosovo and waved off the Serbs. After all, wouldn't a new Muslim state in Europe show the Arab world that the West wanted successful Muslim democracies?
Diplomacy is all about taking risks. But the West's gamble in Kosovo is too high for the possible rewards in terms of its interests. Five reasons spring to mind:
• Kosovo has just 2 million people. Sure, some microstates, such as Singapore and Panama, make it. But more often, the story is like East Timor's, a nonviable state in turmoil since its 1999 independence. With a GDP per capita of $250, 50% unemployment and half the population under 16, the odds against Kosovo are long.
Awash in corruption and mafias, free market reforms will be tough, and many unemployed young Muslims will be looking for a purpose. "Its instability risks attracting Islamic extremists from around the world," warned ex-U.S. envoy to the U.N. John Bolton.
• Ramming independence through for Kosovo with no regard for Serbia opens the door to new secession movements. Countries such as Spain, which faces a similar situation with Basque terrorist secessionists, tellingly declined to recognize Kosovo.
Canada has reason to worry about Quebec. Russia, China and Iraq fear breakaway regions, too. Meanwhile, Macedonia and Montenegro, which have ethnic Albanian populations, now fear a precedent for parts of their territory to be pulled into a greater Albania.
• The West has lost credibility by breaking its promise to Serbia. Terrorists will take note.
• Alliances are weakened. As the U.S. and dominant nations of the EU push through Kosovo statehood, the nearby nations of Poland, Hungary, Romania, Greece and Israel oppose it. This not only splits the EU with its eastern members. It separates the U.S. from its New Europe allies — not the least of which is Serbia, a country that allied itself to the West in two world wars.
• Russia's appetite for payback is whetted. Unlike smaller nations, Russia has a global reach and engages in tit for tat.
In response to our setting up military bases in Central Asia, Russia sold advanced weapons to Venezuela. With Russia ramping up jet production and buzzing U.S. aircraft carriers in the Pacific, there's little doubt it'll be looking for ways to create trouble.
In short, a successful Kosovo state is speculative. But the potential for trouble in the wake of trying to create it is certain. If it isn't reversed, it could become a global Pandora's box opened to new problems. This is going to take some major diplomatic repair work.
Are all the people that are found working for the United States government stupid?!?
What have they done?!?
Pertinent Links:
1) New Pandoran Box
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
DAR AL HARB - BOSNIA: MUJAHEDIN ARE TO BE STRIPPED OF BOSNIAN CITIZENSHIP & OUSTED FROM BOSNIA
Bosnia strips citizenship from Muslim fighters
By Peter Popham
When Bosnia was being carved up between Serbian and Croatian militias and the West's involvement was limited to sending "peacekeepers" to watch it happen, volunteers from the Islamic world were the only force fighting alongside the Bosniacs to keep the Muslim-majority state intact.
They came from Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere, and were rewarded with Bosnian nationality by the government of Ali Isetbegovic. But now the government is to strip hundreds of the former mujahedin of their nationality and send them back to their countries of origin, even though they are no longer citizens there.
The Bosnian parliament has adopted a law empowering a commission to investigate naturalisations effected between the outbreak of war in April 1992 and January 2006. It is looking into the cases of 1,500 people, and has already stripped citizenship from 488 of them.
Decisions may be appealed against, but if the appeal is lost, deportation is automatic.
...
The head of the commission, Vjekoslav Vukovic, insisted that the process was based strictly on legal criteria. "We look at a lot of the documentation from that time," he said. "We look at empty files, we find false documents, false records."
He said that even if deportees lost their appeals, they had the right to reapply for Bosnian residency from their countries of origin. But those who face being uprooted from the homes they have made with local women were in no doubt that pressure from the United States was behind the purge. "They are being expelled because they're Arabs, because they're Muslims, and they came here to help us," said Mustafa Ceric, the leader of Bosnia's Muslims.
But there are tensions with the local population. "According to normal people we didn't need them, even during wartime," Mirsad Fazlic, a local journalist, told the BBC. "And we specially don't need them now."
Pertinent Links:
1) Bosnia strips citizenship from Muslim fighters
By Peter Popham
When Bosnia was being carved up between Serbian and Croatian militias and the West's involvement was limited to sending "peacekeepers" to watch it happen, volunteers from the Islamic world were the only force fighting alongside the Bosniacs to keep the Muslim-majority state intact.
They came from Turkey, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt and elsewhere, and were rewarded with Bosnian nationality by the government of Ali Isetbegovic. But now the government is to strip hundreds of the former mujahedin of their nationality and send them back to their countries of origin, even though they are no longer citizens there.
The Bosnian parliament has adopted a law empowering a commission to investigate naturalisations effected between the outbreak of war in April 1992 and January 2006. It is looking into the cases of 1,500 people, and has already stripped citizenship from 488 of them.
Decisions may be appealed against, but if the appeal is lost, deportation is automatic.
...
The head of the commission, Vjekoslav Vukovic, insisted that the process was based strictly on legal criteria. "We look at a lot of the documentation from that time," he said. "We look at empty files, we find false documents, false records."
He said that even if deportees lost their appeals, they had the right to reapply for Bosnian residency from their countries of origin. But those who face being uprooted from the homes they have made with local women were in no doubt that pressure from the United States was behind the purge. "They are being expelled because they're Arabs, because they're Muslims, and they came here to help us," said Mustafa Ceric, the leader of Bosnia's Muslims.
But there are tensions with the local population. "According to normal people we didn't need them, even during wartime," Mirsad Fazlic, a local journalist, told the BBC. "And we specially don't need them now."
Pertinent Links:
1) Bosnia strips citizenship from Muslim fighters
Monday, May 21, 2007
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - BALKANS: IT APPEARS WALLS ARE JUST ABOUT THE ONLY THING THAT WILL AFFORD ANY PROTECTION FROM MOSLEMS WAGING JIHAD
Church in Kosovo to build a protection wall from Muslims
PRISTINA, Serbia-The United Nations mission in Kosovo has ruled that Serbian Orthodox officials can continue building a protective wall around a church that serves as its local seat.
The executive order, issued by Kosovo's top U.N. official Joachim Ruecker, overturned a decision by local officials in the western town of Pec. It will stay in force until the disputes are resolved, said U.N. spokesman Alexander Ivanko.
Kosovo's local reform minister, Lutfi Haziri, had asked the U.N. to suspend the decision of municipal officials to stop works on the wall. The local officials had claimed the church did not receive permission to build the wall.
The Patriarchate of Pec claims it needs the wall to protect the church, which is in an ethnic Albanian area, as well as the nuns and monks inside.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Church in Kosovo to build a protection wall from Muslims
PRISTINA, Serbia-The United Nations mission in Kosovo has ruled that Serbian Orthodox officials can continue building a protective wall around a church that serves as its local seat.
The executive order, issued by Kosovo's top U.N. official Joachim Ruecker, overturned a decision by local officials in the western town of Pec. It will stay in force until the disputes are resolved, said U.N. spokesman Alexander Ivanko.
Kosovo's local reform minister, Lutfi Haziri, had asked the U.N. to suspend the decision of municipal officials to stop works on the wall. The local officials had claimed the church did not receive permission to build the wall.
The Patriarchate of Pec claims it needs the wall to protect the church, which is in an ethnic Albanian area, as well as the nuns and monks inside.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Church in Kosovo to build a protection wall from Muslims
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - BALKANS: IT APPEARS THAT CREATING TWO SHARI'AH RULED STATES IN THE 21ST CENTURY IS NOT ENOUGH FOR THE UNITED STATES...
Leader warns West on forcing Muslim domination on Bosnian Serbs
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina-Europe and the United States should stop insisting on the unification of Bosnia's two ethnic ministates, the Bosnian Serb Prime Minister said Monday before leaving for Washington.
Milorad Dodik, prime minister of the Bosnian Serb ministate, Republika Srpska, and the biggest opponent of unification, threatened to call for further division of the country and the creation of a loose union of three ministates.
He and his biggest domestic political opponent, Haris Silajdzic, the Bosnian Muslim member of the country's Presidency, are scheduled to meet with the U.S. envoy for the Balkans, Daniel Fried, and U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, in Washington this week.
Bosnia's biggest daily Dnevni Avaz said Monday that not much should be expected from the meeting, since both Dodik and Silajdzic are leaving for Washington "with already cemented opinions."
...
Since the end of the 1992-95 war, Bosnia has been divided into two mini-states, one Serb and the other shared by the Bosniaks and Croats. Each has its own parliament and government, but they are linked by a common presidency, parliament and government. Such a model was prescribed by the peace agreement that was brokered by the United States in Dayton, Ohio.
The agreement ended the war but failed to create a functioning country and even the U.S. government claims the model was created just to stop the fighting.
"I believe it is a mistake on behalf of Europe and the United States to insist on creating a country with strong central institutions," said Dodik. "It is obvious that this doesn't work and it won't work in the future," he told a news conference.
The Bosnian Serbs have been obstructing the unification of the country for years because they fear that in the end they might loose the ministate they fought for during the war.
"We like the Dayton agreement," Dodik said. "If centralization continues to be pursued, then we will ask for something that is called confederation or union," he said.
Pertinent Links:
1) Leader warns West on forcing Muslim domination on Bosnian Serbs
BANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina-Europe and the United States should stop insisting on the unification of Bosnia's two ethnic ministates, the Bosnian Serb Prime Minister said Monday before leaving for Washington.
Milorad Dodik, prime minister of the Bosnian Serb ministate, Republika Srpska, and the biggest opponent of unification, threatened to call for further division of the country and the creation of a loose union of three ministates.
He and his biggest domestic political opponent, Haris Silajdzic, the Bosnian Muslim member of the country's Presidency, are scheduled to meet with the U.S. envoy for the Balkans, Daniel Fried, and U.S. Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns, in Washington this week.
Bosnia's biggest daily Dnevni Avaz said Monday that not much should be expected from the meeting, since both Dodik and Silajdzic are leaving for Washington "with already cemented opinions."
...
Since the end of the 1992-95 war, Bosnia has been divided into two mini-states, one Serb and the other shared by the Bosniaks and Croats. Each has its own parliament and government, but they are linked by a common presidency, parliament and government. Such a model was prescribed by the peace agreement that was brokered by the United States in Dayton, Ohio.
The agreement ended the war but failed to create a functioning country and even the U.S. government claims the model was created just to stop the fighting.
"I believe it is a mistake on behalf of Europe and the United States to insist on creating a country with strong central institutions," said Dodik. "It is obvious that this doesn't work and it won't work in the future," he told a news conference.
The Bosnian Serbs have been obstructing the unification of the country for years because they fear that in the end they might loose the ministate they fought for during the war.
"We like the Dayton agreement," Dodik said. "If centralization continues to be pursued, then we will ask for something that is called confederation or union," he said.
Pertinent Links:
1) Leader warns West on forcing Muslim domination on Bosnian Serbs
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A.: 'ETHNIC ALBANIAN & MOSLEM FROM FORMER YUGOSLAVIA' = KOSOVO
Kosovo Blowback Reaches America
by Srdja Trifkovic
The story: four Albanian Muslims from Kosovo, plus a Turk and a Jordanian, are arrested for conspiring to attack Fort Dix, a military base in New Jersey, with AK47s and “to kill as many soldiers as possible” (U.S. Attorney’s Office).
The Mainstream Media spin: “Four of them were born in the former Yugoslavia” (The New York Times); “One of the suspects was born in Jordan, another in Turkey… [t]he rest are believed to be from the former Yugoslavia” (CNN); “Four of the men were born in the former Yugoslavia, one in Jordan and one in Turkey” (MSNBC); “One of the suspects was born in Turkey and four in the former Yugoslavia” (AP), und so weiter…
The names of the four “Yugoslavs” are Dritan Duka, Eljvir Duka, Shain Duka (three brothers, all of them in the United States illegally), and Agron Abdullahu. Those are Albanian names, of course, but not one in a hundred Americans knows that. In fact, grasping that they are Albanians and knowing that “ethnic Albanian” plus “Muslim from the former Yugoslavia” equals “Kosovo,” is the privilege of experts. It is but one of many Balkan equations that mainstream media editors are determined to keep hidden from their consumers. That there is nothing in the federal complaint about the “Yugoslav” suspects’ origins is almost certainly the result of political interference.
White House spokesman Tony Snow was quick to assure us there is “no direct evidence” that the men arrested in the Fort Dix plot have ties to international terrorism. His meta-message is clear: The Administration knows it cannot keep the Albanian identity of four “Yugoslav” suspects concealed for ever, but it wants to pre-empt any suspicion that an independent KosovA would be a black hole of jihad-terrorism in the heart of Europe. Hastily denying the group’s link to al-Qaeda and other global networks is a political necessity for the proponents of Kosovo’s independence, not necessarily the reality.
Having been assured ad nauseam over the years by successive U.S. administrations that Kosovo’s Albanians are not really serious about their Islam, that even when they desecrate Christian churches and joyously rip crosses from their cupolas they do it for nationalist rather than jihadist reasons, the powers-that-be are doing their utmost to ensure that the public remains anesthetized. Asking when and how Albanian “secularists” became Islamic radicals is a no-no. Being so audacious as to wonder what this transformation bodes for a new, independent Muslim state in the heart of Europe is simply not on. Asking questions about major KLA figures’ documented links to jihad terrorism (including to Osama bin Laden personally) is polizeilich verboten. In the meantime, cadres, cash and ordnance linked to jihadist outrages all over Europe have been traced back to Kosovo, including the bombings in Madrid (March 2004) and London (July 2005), and a rocket attack on the U.S. embassy in Athens last year.
In New Jersey in May 2007, Kosovo blowback has finally reached America.
...
Read the rest...
VERY IMPORTANT ! ! !
and
“Refugees from the Former Yugoslavia”
by Thomas Fleming
The six foreigners who planned a mass-murder at Fort Dix were originally described (by the FBI apparently) as being from the Former Yugoslavia. My initial question was Bosnian Muslim or Albanians? If the men had been Serbs, the term would have to have been “Serb terrorists.” As the story is being reported now, none is in fact from Yugoslavia. Of the six “Islamic militants” (one cannot say Muslim terrorists), one is from our ally Jordan, a second from our ally Turkey, and the other four are from Albania. The only way to reconcile the two versions is to assume that the four Albanians spent time in Kosovo.
...
Read the rest...IMPORTANT ! ! !
Pertinent Links:
1) Kosovo Blowback Reaches America
2) “Refugees from the Former Yugoslavia”
by Srdja Trifkovic
The story: four Albanian Muslims from Kosovo, plus a Turk and a Jordanian, are arrested for conspiring to attack Fort Dix, a military base in New Jersey, with AK47s and “to kill as many soldiers as possible” (U.S. Attorney’s Office).
The Mainstream Media spin: “Four of them were born in the former Yugoslavia” (The New York Times); “One of the suspects was born in Jordan, another in Turkey… [t]he rest are believed to be from the former Yugoslavia” (CNN); “Four of the men were born in the former Yugoslavia, one in Jordan and one in Turkey” (MSNBC); “One of the suspects was born in Turkey and four in the former Yugoslavia” (AP), und so weiter…
The names of the four “Yugoslavs” are Dritan Duka, Eljvir Duka, Shain Duka (three brothers, all of them in the United States illegally), and Agron Abdullahu. Those are Albanian names, of course, but not one in a hundred Americans knows that. In fact, grasping that they are Albanians and knowing that “ethnic Albanian” plus “Muslim from the former Yugoslavia” equals “Kosovo,” is the privilege of experts. It is but one of many Balkan equations that mainstream media editors are determined to keep hidden from their consumers. That there is nothing in the federal complaint about the “Yugoslav” suspects’ origins is almost certainly the result of political interference.
White House spokesman Tony Snow was quick to assure us there is “no direct evidence” that the men arrested in the Fort Dix plot have ties to international terrorism. His meta-message is clear: The Administration knows it cannot keep the Albanian identity of four “Yugoslav” suspects concealed for ever, but it wants to pre-empt any suspicion that an independent KosovA would be a black hole of jihad-terrorism in the heart of Europe. Hastily denying the group’s link to al-Qaeda and other global networks is a political necessity for the proponents of Kosovo’s independence, not necessarily the reality.
Having been assured ad nauseam over the years by successive U.S. administrations that Kosovo’s Albanians are not really serious about their Islam, that even when they desecrate Christian churches and joyously rip crosses from their cupolas they do it for nationalist rather than jihadist reasons, the powers-that-be are doing their utmost to ensure that the public remains anesthetized. Asking when and how Albanian “secularists” became Islamic radicals is a no-no. Being so audacious as to wonder what this transformation bodes for a new, independent Muslim state in the heart of Europe is simply not on. Asking questions about major KLA figures’ documented links to jihad terrorism (including to Osama bin Laden personally) is polizeilich verboten. In the meantime, cadres, cash and ordnance linked to jihadist outrages all over Europe have been traced back to Kosovo, including the bombings in Madrid (March 2004) and London (July 2005), and a rocket attack on the U.S. embassy in Athens last year.
In New Jersey in May 2007, Kosovo blowback has finally reached America.
...
Read the rest...
VERY IMPORTANT ! ! !
and
“Refugees from the Former Yugoslavia”
by Thomas Fleming
The six foreigners who planned a mass-murder at Fort Dix were originally described (by the FBI apparently) as being from the Former Yugoslavia. My initial question was Bosnian Muslim or Albanians? If the men had been Serbs, the term would have to have been “Serb terrorists.” As the story is being reported now, none is in fact from Yugoslavia. Of the six “Islamic militants” (one cannot say Muslim terrorists), one is from our ally Jordan, a second from our ally Turkey, and the other four are from Albania. The only way to reconcile the two versions is to assume that the four Albanians spent time in Kosovo.
...
Read the rest...IMPORTANT ! ! !
Pertinent Links:
1) Kosovo Blowback Reaches America
2) “Refugees from the Former Yugoslavia”
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A. - NEW JERSEY: THE NEW JERSEY - - - KOSOVO MOSLEM JIHAD ON FORT DIX
Kosovo Albanians arrested in plot to kill American soldiers
FORT DIX, N.J.-Six men described by federal prosecutors as "Islamic militants" were arrested on charges they plotted to attack the Fort Dix Army base and "kill as many soldiers as possible," authorities said Tuesday.
...
and
Did the 4 Albanian terrorists have connections to Holbrooke, Clark?
According to Bloomberg the Kosovo Albanians that were planning to kill as many Americans as possible are: Dritan Duka, 28; Shain Duka, 26; Eljvir Duka, 23. Agron Abdullahu, 24.
Bloomberg says that:
Since then, Krasniqi also funded John Kerry campaign but it is alleged that Krasniqi funded and still funds Thomas Lantos and his daughter in Congress, John McCain, Joseph Leiberman and Joseph Biden - all supporters of Kosovo independence, an illegal stand that seeks to dismember a democracy, namely Serbia, in order to have an independent state where more of these terrorists will attack America.
Lantos recently said that:
Back in 1998, however, Krasniqi went to Pakistan to make weapons purchases, and Pakistan is one of the al-Qaeda nests. According to the latest book by Pakistani President Musharaff, Muslims consider war in Kosovo a Jihad.
Krasniqi also funded the campaign of John Kerry and at the fundraiser Richard Holbrooke and Wesley Clark were also present chatting with Krasniqi and other former Muslim KLA members whom Krasniqi employed. Holbrooke and Clark extracted over $500,000 for Kerry on that fundraiser.
At one point during the fundraising Krasniqi called on to Wesley Clark to come join, both exuberant, telling Clark to shake hands because “This is your KLA”. Clark did not object to being identified as owner of that terrorist group.
It would be interesting to find whether any of the arrested Muslim Albanians on the Fort Dix terror plot were ever a KLA?
Were they ever employed by Krasniqi?
Were they at the Kerry fundraising?
…and notice how the FBI and US government identify these men as “born in former Yugoslavia” of which Serbia is the successor state. It is a disingenuous statement that deflects blame to the Muslim Kosovo Albanian collective - in fact blames Serbs - because Serbia is the successor state to Yugoslavia.
In the recent State Department’s report that Serbia is eager to work with US on terrorism while Muslim-dominated Kosovo is the terror nest al-Qaeda will and, given Fort Dix, IS becoming one with al-Qaeda.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Kosovo Albanians arrested in plot to kill American soldiers
2) Did the 4 Albanian terrorists have connections to Holbrooke, Clark?
FORT DIX, N.J.-Six men described by federal prosecutors as "Islamic militants" were arrested on charges they plotted to attack the Fort Dix Army base and "kill as many soldiers as possible," authorities said Tuesday.
...
and
Did the 4 Albanian terrorists have connections to Holbrooke, Clark?
According to Bloomberg the Kosovo Albanians that were planning to kill as many Americans as possible are: Dritan Duka, 28; Shain Duka, 26; Eljvir Duka, 23. Agron Abdullahu, 24.
Bloomberg says that:
The Dukas and Abdullahu are ethnic Albanians from the former Yugoslavia [read:
Muslim-dominated Kosovo], U.S. officials said. The Duka brothers operated
roofing businesses based in Cherry Hill… and Abdullahu worked at a supermarket,
according to authorities. Now, the New Jersey is stone throw from New York
where the big-dog in the roofing business among the Muslim Kosovo Albanians is
Florin Krasniqi, the man that funded and smuggled weapons to the Kosovo’s Muslim
Albanian gunmen prior to 1999.
Since then, Krasniqi also funded John Kerry campaign but it is alleged that Krasniqi funded and still funds Thomas Lantos and his daughter in Congress, John McCain, Joseph Leiberman and Joseph Biden - all supporters of Kosovo independence, an illegal stand that seeks to dismember a democracy, namely Serbia, in order to have an independent state where more of these terrorists will attack America.
Lantos recently said that:
just a reminder to the predominantly Muslim-led government in this world that
here is yet another example that the United States leads the way for the
creation of a predominantly Muslim country in the very heart of Europe. This
should be noted by both responsible leaders of Islamic governments, such as
Indonesia, and also for jihadists of all color and hue. The United States’
principles are universal, and in this instance, the United States stands
foursquare for the creation of an overwhelmingly Muslim country in the very
heart of Europe.
Back in 1998, however, Krasniqi went to Pakistan to make weapons purchases, and Pakistan is one of the al-Qaeda nests. According to the latest book by Pakistani President Musharaff, Muslims consider war in Kosovo a Jihad.
Krasniqi also funded the campaign of John Kerry and at the fundraiser Richard Holbrooke and Wesley Clark were also present chatting with Krasniqi and other former Muslim KLA members whom Krasniqi employed. Holbrooke and Clark extracted over $500,000 for Kerry on that fundraiser.
At one point during the fundraising Krasniqi called on to Wesley Clark to come join, both exuberant, telling Clark to shake hands because “This is your KLA”. Clark did not object to being identified as owner of that terrorist group.
It would be interesting to find whether any of the arrested Muslim Albanians on the Fort Dix terror plot were ever a KLA?
Were they ever employed by Krasniqi?
Were they at the Kerry fundraising?
…and notice how the FBI and US government identify these men as “born in former Yugoslavia” of which Serbia is the successor state. It is a disingenuous statement that deflects blame to the Muslim Kosovo Albanian collective - in fact blames Serbs - because Serbia is the successor state to Yugoslavia.
In the recent State Department’s report that Serbia is eager to work with US on terrorism while Muslim-dominated Kosovo is the terror nest al-Qaeda will and, given Fort Dix, IS becoming one with al-Qaeda.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Kosovo Albanians arrested in plot to kill American soldiers
2) Did the 4 Albanian terrorists have connections to Holbrooke, Clark?
Friday, April 27, 2007
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM: THE POSSIBLE DEVELOPMENTS IF KOSOVO BECOMES INDEPENDENT
Kosovo and its impact in the Balkan political scene
By Ioannis Michaletos
...
Possible developments if Kosovo becomes independent
First and foremost the presence of the Serbian minority would be in grave danger; therefore a secession of the Northern part of the country could not be excluded for reasons mainly relating to providing humanitarian support for the fleeing Serbs from the South of Kosovo.
Secondly, similar claims for independence-Or union with Serbia- would most certainly risen from the Serbian component of Bosnia-Herzegovina that directly implies the disintegration of the Federation and the absorption of the Croatian part to Croatia as well. The landlocked Muslim unit would be isolated and in need of international assistance indefinitely. The recent remarks of the German Ambassador to Serbia regarding the status of Voivodjina may reflect the consensus in wider circles of a “Hungarian issue” that would surely draw Serbia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia into a regional conflict and further empower Russia so as to dictate European policy in the doorsteps of Germany! In essence a series of minority related conflicts could be come out the Pandora box once the Kosovo is declared independent and collapse the established stability in Eastern Europe and beyond.
A third probable outcome in the mid and long term would be the initiation of a process relating to the creation of a wider or “Great Albania”. Even though this concept is not supported –At least officially – by the Albanian government in Tirana; the hardliners in Pristina and in the Albanian Diaspora seem superficially confident in pursuing a goal that would ultimately ruin the Balkans and bring about a situation not seen since the early 20th century and the era of the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. A series of conflicts that will include most states and finally resulting in inflaming local nationalistic passions, possibly to an extent that could historically damage Albanian posture in the region. This is another “Pandora box” to-be-opened and this time contradictory to the ancient Greek mythology, “Hope” is not going to stay in the box, at least for a generation or so.
The claim for an independent Kosovo is not a regional issue but rather a Pan-European one. The demands for an independent Kosovo due to an Albanian majority do not have any legal status since there are countless of European –And world regions- with similar characteristics but the obligation to create nation states once every while would lead to a third World War soon enough and without having to worry about nations afterwards. The 21st century is a far cry from the Serbia, Greek or Bulgarian nationalism of the 19th one when the nation state was created in the ruins of the decaying Ottoman Empire. The modern Albanian nationalism is historically backward and presents a clear menace to regional stability that amongst other would endanger the strategy of the West in relation to Russia -and most importantly- to the long term containment of the Muslim world.
The only way forward for the Balkans to progress, to be invited thoroughly to the European family and finally be able to challenge the coming 21st century perils; is to combine forces and construct plans for a loose networked federation based in the ability of its main state units to cooperate and coordinate. In such case the Albanian factor is the one and major obstacle that tends to drift the Balkans back to disturbing eras of nationalism, irredentism and fanaticism. It is more demanding than ever for every nation in the region to perform its duty for the benefit of all and the ones who haven’t should seriously think the consequences of their actions towards their neighbors and to those that assisted them to an extent not easily found in any historical textbook.
Pertinent Links:
1) Kosovo and its impact in the Balkan political scene
2) Serbianna
By Ioannis Michaletos
...
Possible developments if Kosovo becomes independent
First and foremost the presence of the Serbian minority would be in grave danger; therefore a secession of the Northern part of the country could not be excluded for reasons mainly relating to providing humanitarian support for the fleeing Serbs from the South of Kosovo.
Secondly, similar claims for independence-Or union with Serbia- would most certainly risen from the Serbian component of Bosnia-Herzegovina that directly implies the disintegration of the Federation and the absorption of the Croatian part to Croatia as well. The landlocked Muslim unit would be isolated and in need of international assistance indefinitely. The recent remarks of the German Ambassador to Serbia regarding the status of Voivodjina may reflect the consensus in wider circles of a “Hungarian issue” that would surely draw Serbia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia into a regional conflict and further empower Russia so as to dictate European policy in the doorsteps of Germany! In essence a series of minority related conflicts could be come out the Pandora box once the Kosovo is declared independent and collapse the established stability in Eastern Europe and beyond.
A third probable outcome in the mid and long term would be the initiation of a process relating to the creation of a wider or “Great Albania”. Even though this concept is not supported –At least officially – by the Albanian government in Tirana; the hardliners in Pristina and in the Albanian Diaspora seem superficially confident in pursuing a goal that would ultimately ruin the Balkans and bring about a situation not seen since the early 20th century and the era of the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire. A series of conflicts that will include most states and finally resulting in inflaming local nationalistic passions, possibly to an extent that could historically damage Albanian posture in the region. This is another “Pandora box” to-be-opened and this time contradictory to the ancient Greek mythology, “Hope” is not going to stay in the box, at least for a generation or so.
The claim for an independent Kosovo is not a regional issue but rather a Pan-European one. The demands for an independent Kosovo due to an Albanian majority do not have any legal status since there are countless of European –And world regions- with similar characteristics but the obligation to create nation states once every while would lead to a third World War soon enough and without having to worry about nations afterwards. The 21st century is a far cry from the Serbia, Greek or Bulgarian nationalism of the 19th one when the nation state was created in the ruins of the decaying Ottoman Empire. The modern Albanian nationalism is historically backward and presents a clear menace to regional stability that amongst other would endanger the strategy of the West in relation to Russia -and most importantly- to the long term containment of the Muslim world.
The only way forward for the Balkans to progress, to be invited thoroughly to the European family and finally be able to challenge the coming 21st century perils; is to combine forces and construct plans for a loose networked federation based in the ability of its main state units to cooperate and coordinate. In such case the Albanian factor is the one and major obstacle that tends to drift the Balkans back to disturbing eras of nationalism, irredentism and fanaticism. It is more demanding than ever for every nation in the region to perform its duty for the benefit of all and the ones who haven’t should seriously think the consequences of their actions towards their neighbors and to those that assisted them to an extent not easily found in any historical textbook.
Pertinent Links:
1) Kosovo and its impact in the Balkan political scene
2) Serbianna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
