COMMENT: Time to Mobilise Kosovo Behind Ahtisaari’s Resolution
29 05 2007
Instead
of passively following events in New York, we should show the world
our support for the UN envoy’s proposals.
By
Berat Buzhala in Pristina
People
may think the negotiations on Kosovo’s final status started long
time ago but in fact the real negotiations have only just begun.
Two
sides with completely opposite attitudes on the future of Kosovo, the
US and Russia, are right now sitting on Martti Ahtisaari’s draft,
discussing the proposals drawn up by the UN Secretary General’s
envoy.
If
the existing draft is endorsed by a UN resolution, Kosovo will
quickly win its statehood. But, don’t hold your breath. I fear that what
is actually happening is negotiations leading to a new “compromise”
resolution, which will leave Kosovo more or less stuck in its
existing transitional phase.
This
would offer Kosovo yet more of the status quo, delaying independence
to who knows when.
What
it means for practical life in Kosovo is further stagnation of every
aspect of life and continuation of the confusing power share between
local and international factors.
It
also means the cloning of the present UN mission in Kosovo, UNIMK,
with a new, more powerful, mission run by the EU.
At
the moment, the risk is high that America and Russia find a common
language regarding the reformulation of the next resolution, and that
this new formula will not empower Kosovo to move on from the state
that it is in today.
Certainly,
it would not be the first time in UN history that a resolution is
watered down with the language of compromise.
What
can Kosovars do to affect this process? It seems clear that our
ability to affect events in New York is marginal.
So,
should we stand aside and watch this process unfold, as if the
negotiations concerned another conflict, like the Middle East, and
have nothing to do with us?
Or
should we take on a more pro-active role and if so, what would that
be?
Reading
the messages coming out from European and US diplomats as well as the
forecasts from different analysts, it is evident that the Kosovo
Albanians’ only useful arena of activity is in Kosovo itself, not
New York, Brussels or Moscow.
The
strongest argument made so far for Kosovo’s independence has been
that any other solution would destabilise the region. Indeed, most
analysts have stressed that not letting Kosovo become independent
means further chaos on Europe’s edge.
So,
should we wait until an unfavourable choice is offered to us and only
then react by setting the region on fire? Or should we find another
way to shake international public opinion and make the diplomats
accept there is no alternative to the Ahtisaari plan?
We
have never been in a better position to do that as we have in our
hands the proposal of the UN envoy, which tells the Security Council
that “the only viable option for Kosovo is independence”.
For
the first time in our history, the highest world institution supports
the ambitions of the great majority of people who live in Kosovo. Why
then should we withdraw into our shells at this moment when the world
is dealing with our case, waiting with our heads down until the
decision is made?
One
good alternative would be to channel people’s protests and
accumulated dissatisfactions in a peaceful and organized way.
If
I was Kosovo’s President, I would invite my colleagues from the
Unity Team to stop their various political activities and concentrate
on one point – obtaining UN Security Council approval for the
resolution on Kosovo.
I
would not be much concerned about the symbols and emblems of Kosovo,
or about plans to increase teachers’ salaries.
Hundreds
and thousands of copies of the part of Ahtsaari’s proposal that
recommends independence for Kosovo should be distributed and all
citizens invited to demonstrate on Kosovo’s streets, symbolically
waving the package. Our motto would be: “Awaiting Independence –
according to Ahtisaari’s proposal”.
If
the Unity Team hesitates to lead peaceful protests in support of
Ahtisaari’s plan and against the delay of the process and a
watered-down resolution, someone else like Albin Kurti, leader of the
extremist Vetevendosje (Self-determination) movement, will do it for
them, and in a very different manner.
This
is a decision concerning whether our population will be free or not.
Any hesitation over making the right choice will speedily multiply
the number of Albin Kurtis in Kosovo.
It
is surely not melodramatic to stress how destructive the consequences
of a wrong decision for Kosovo could be. It is not melodramatic
either to stress the fragility of the political situation in
neighbouring countries that depend in part on the stability of
Kosovo.
No
Albanians have an interest in seeing the situation escalate out of
control. But it is worth drawing attention to the fact that it would
be unwise to expect rational behaviour from a desperate and
disillusioned society. And that it what we will have if the existing
UN resolution is further delayed and in the end, turned into a bad
resolution.
Berat
Buzhala is editor of the Kosovo daily newspaper Express. Balkan
Insight is BIRN’s online publication.
Komentari:
Your argument for independence boils down to only this: give it to us or we will do what we can to set Europe on fire. As a Chicagoan, I understand the tactics of Al Capone's organization very well. If Europe burns, it was "unavoidable". Don't worry, NATO is capable of dealing with forces that threaten to use violence as blackmail.
I think that you are right give it to us or we will do what we can to set Europe on fire. and that is not what we want but if it is unavoidable than we are mantaly and physicaly prepared to fight.
Kosovo wants independence now and the people of Kosovo rather fight again now than living in Kosovo like it is today.
We have waited almost 100 years and enough is enough.
But you will never be aware of marginalization of the majority of unprecedented policy which enhances the possibilities to strengthen the honor. And yet people disagree!
This is nothing but blackmail!
Why is it that Kosovo should receive independence when one can point to any number of other cases where ethnic conflict has led to brutal atrocities, and yet where the international community has called for reconciliation? There is no difference except that in the case of Kosovo the international community intervened on behalf of one side, set up an administration to help that side and then found itself threatened with violence if it did not allow that people to become independent. 1999 was not about securing statehood for Kosovo, and yet those who helped the Kosovo Albanians are now being subjected to implied threats of violence. (Mass peaceful demonstrations are notoriously difficult to control, especially when there are plenty of hot heads about.)
If independence goes ahead it will be a massive violation of international law and will completely undermine efforts to resolve ethnic conflict elsewhere.
Forget the breach of international law when really the reason why we are in this situation is because Serbia breached the international law by failing to treat its own citizens, Albanians like equal citizens throughout the 90s. Let's not forget why are we in this situation - because actually Serbia failed to rule Kosovo properly and it allowed for a regime like Milosevic to come to power and practise apartheid and ethnic cleansing on Albanians - moreover, many in Serbia still support that this is a policy to deal with Albanians, nobody offers another option anyway as everybody there sees Albanians as lesser being than them. If Serbia wanted so much to keep Kosovo as its territory, why doesn't it even bother to put Albanians in its voting lists? It is because it wants Kosovo as a territory without the people who live in it! Ultimately, even if there is delay, Kosovo will in one way or another become independent mostly because it can't ever again be part of Serbia becuase of what happened. So, the only other option remians indepenence anyway, with or without violence. The question only remians when and how much control will international community hold on to for this territory. So whichever way you look at it, the truth of the matter is that Serbia is a looser but it is only a matter of how much of winners are Albanians coming out of this process - i.e. obviously not 100% but how much less than that.
It seems no indepence at sight.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/IE31Ag01.html
Threats of Kosovo Albanians scare nobody.
All people want to live free from oppression, murder, hypocrisy and lies.
OK, go ahead, get indepenence and then what? to become and off-shore, drug trafficking, money laundering, weapons and people smuggling paradise.
I really don't understant why is the independance of Kosovo such and issue, and th eindependance of Montenegroa wasn't. Is there a typical political hypocricy in place here (Well, we can go to Monenegro anytime, don't worry we arranged it all in advance with Montenegrins, we're still one) but when it comes to Albanians, who have never been compensated for decades of genuine discrimination (I lived in ex Yu for over two decades studying this unfortunate place), visible in almost every second derogative joke 8even among the intellectuals.
I would frenly advise the Kosovar Albanians not to ignore the Humanitarian arguments here either (decades of harsh discrimination, which culminated in Milosevic's "action" in 1999, and include Rankovic era too). What cooperation or harmony can you expect from someone that servs as your "rubish/garbage bin".
I remeber an old man saying to me that back at his youth hood, "some intellectualls" (Non-Albanians) were serious about believeing Albanins have tails!!! I saw in person many of the discriminatory fetures there in the 80's myself, and as a non-Albanina , I knew that was more serious than many ex Yugoslavs, entertained by the jokes about their "shipci" would believe it.
I honestly think the Albanians deseve some dignitiy as human creatures.
On the other hand, Albanians should try harder and revoke their trademark values embodied in their Canon of Leke Dikagini by demonstrating that the are capable of preserving the all rights of Kosovar Serbs. The episode of March 2004 is a real shame and a stain on the history of Kosovar Albanians. Retribution is no way to deal with justice, especialy that kind of chicky retribution. When I want to make an extreme sarcastic criticism of those Albanians criminals) who burnt the Serb houses and churches, I say all those "bravehearts" shout have gonne to Belgrade and demonstrate their "heroic" deed there. Now the rest of Kosovar Albanians, many of whom condemned the March rebellion have to pay of their pockets the renovation of the destroyed property.
of course there are criminals among Kosovar Albanians too, but generally speaking, because of decades of discrimination aganst them, and brutal ethinc celansing and murders, Albanisn deserve some freedom. Why would they be less humans than Montenegrins, for example. Unfortunately, I am not sure to what extant will this common sense Humanitarian argumentation be essential in deciding the fate of those ordinary people of Kosovo who suffered a great deal.
Clem
Though I am from Serbia, I am not Serbian, and I tend to see the case of Kosovo solely as a complicated regional problem. Reading trough this article, I found my self agreeing to every word-until the proposal for action came. I am amazed both by the author of this article and by talking to Albanians I met in Pristine that very few Kosovars even considers another alternative for proving that the statehood of Kosovo is indeed a solution that provides peace, stability and prosperity.
If you would channel dissatisfaction and organize people to act is if Kosovo is a state already, you would provide the world (and Serbian neighbours and fellow citizens) an unbreakable proof that Kosovo can be a stabile and functional state, economically prosperous and a good neighbour to all. Serbia, Russia, nor any other state could then argue the opposite.
This is longer and harder way, but something that must be done in any case if you want to prevent Kosovo from becoming yet another failed state (and this is the most often used arguments for those that oppose the independence of Kosovo). One may argue that Kosovo is nowadays ruled by the ‘internationals’. This would be only partially true. In many segments the Kosovar people are increasingly gaining authority. If they would prove that they are capable of running functional institutions I am absolutely sure that internationals would withdraw. And that is not happening in practice, I have personally witnessed that.
And complaining about Serbian oppression is also outdated argument: Serbia lost de facto sovereignty over Kosovo because of that. Now it is up to Kosovo-Albanian majority to prove that they can form a functional state that won’t do same things to Serbian minority that Milosevic did to them. Only then would Kosovo really become a factor of stability and more than needed reconciliation in the region.
Kosovars, your call indeed…
Training
Komentari:
The grand threat
Poslao: 2007-05-29 23:46:23,
Your argument for independence boils down to only this: give it to us or we will do what we can to set Europe on fire. As a Chicagoan, I understand the tactics of Al Capone's organization very well. If Europe burns, it was "unavoidable". Don't worry, NATO is capable of dealing with forces that threaten to use violence as blackmail.
Re: give it to us or we will do what we can to set Europe on fire
Poslao: 2007-05-30 03:20:27,
I think that you are right give it to us or we will do what we can to set Europe on fire. and that is not what we want but if it is unavoidable than we are mantaly and physicaly prepared to fight. Kosovo wants independence now and the people of Kosovo rather fight again now than living in Kosovo like it is today. We have waited almost 100 years and enough is enough.
I agree
Poslao: 2007-05-30 03:42:43,
But you will never be aware of marginalization of the majority of unprecedented policy which enhances the possibilities to strengthen the honor. And yet people disagree!
Poslao: 2007-05-30 09:07:15,
This is nothing but blackmail! Why is it that Kosovo should receive independence when one can point to any number of other cases where ethnic conflict has led to brutal atrocities, and yet where the international community has called for reconciliation? There is no difference except that in the case of Kosovo the international community intervened on behalf of one side, set up an administration to help that side and then found itself threatened with violence if it did not allow that people to become independent. 1999 was not about securing statehood for Kosovo, and yet those who helped the Kosovo Albanians are now being subjected to implied threats of violence. (Mass peaceful demonstrations are notoriously difficult to control, especially when there are plenty of hot heads about.) If independence goes ahead it will be a massive violation of international law and will completely undermine efforts to resolve ethnic conflict elsewhere.
Poslao: 2007-05-30 14:27:54,
Forget the breach of international law when really the reason why we are in this situation is because Serbia breached the international law by failing to treat its own citizens, Albanians like equal citizens throughout the 90s. Let's not forget why are we in this situation - because actually Serbia failed to rule Kosovo properly and it allowed for a regime like Milosevic to come to power and practise apartheid and ethnic cleansing on Albanians - moreover, many in Serbia still support that this is a policy to deal with Albanians, nobody offers another option anyway as everybody there sees Albanians as lesser being than them. If Serbia wanted so much to keep Kosovo as its territory, why doesn't it even bother to put Albanians in its voting lists? It is because it wants Kosovo as a territory without the people who live in it! Ultimately, even if there is delay, Kosovo will in one way or another become independent mostly because it can't ever again be part of Serbia becuase of what happened. So, the only other option remians indepenence anyway, with or without violence. The question only remians when and how much control will international community hold on to for this territory. So whichever way you look at it, the truth of the matter is that Serbia is a looser but it is only a matter of how much of winners are Albanians coming out of this process - i.e. obviously not 100% but how much less than that.
no independence
Poslao: 2007-05-30 14:41:20,
It seems no indepence at sight. http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Central_Asia/IE31Ag01.html Threats of Kosovo Albanians scare nobody.
Kosova Independence
Poslao: 2007-05-31 07:23:41,
All people want to live free from oppression, murder, hypocrisy and lies.
INDEPENDENCE? YEAH, RIGHT!
Poslao: 2007-05-31 08:17:36,
OK, go ahead, get indepenence and then what? to become and off-shore, drug trafficking, money laundering, weapons and people smuggling paradise.
Discrepancy
Poslao: 2007-05-31 09:52:44,
I really don't understant why is the independance of Kosovo such and issue, and th eindependance of Montenegroa wasn't. Is there a typical political hypocricy in place here (Well, we can go to Monenegro anytime, don't worry we arranged it all in advance with Montenegrins, we're still one) but when it comes to Albanians, who have never been compensated for decades of genuine discrimination (I lived in ex Yu for over two decades studying this unfortunate place), visible in almost every second derogative joke 8even among the intellectuals. I would frenly advise the Kosovar Albanians not to ignore the Humanitarian arguments here either (decades of harsh discrimination, which culminated in Milosevic's "action" in 1999, and include Rankovic era too). What cooperation or harmony can you expect from someone that servs as your "rubish/garbage bin". I remeber an old man saying to me that back at his youth hood, "some intellectualls" (Non-Albanians) were serious about believeing Albanins have tails!!! I saw in person many of the discriminatory fetures there in the 80's myself, and as a non-Albanina , I knew that was more serious than many ex Yugoslavs, entertained by the jokes about their "shipci" would believe it. I honestly think the Albanians deseve some dignitiy as human creatures. On the other hand, Albanians should try harder and revoke their trademark values embodied in their Canon of Leke Dikagini by demonstrating that the are capable of preserving the all rights of Kosovar Serbs. The episode of March 2004 is a real shame and a stain on the history of Kosovar Albanians. Retribution is no way to deal with justice, especialy that kind of chicky retribution. When I want to make an extreme sarcastic criticism of those Albanians criminals) who burnt the Serb houses and churches, I say all those "bravehearts" shout have gonne to Belgrade and demonstrate their "heroic" deed there. Now the rest of Kosovar Albanians, many of whom condemned the March rebellion have to pay of their pockets the renovation of the destroyed property. of course there are criminals among Kosovar Albanians too, but generally speaking, because of decades of discrimination aganst them, and brutal ethinc celansing and murders, Albanisn deserve some freedom. Why would they be less humans than Montenegrins, for example. Unfortunately, I am not sure to what extant will this common sense Humanitarian argumentation be essential in deciding the fate of those ordinary people of Kosovo who suffered a great deal. Clem
The REAL alternative
Poslao: 2007-05-31 10:29:41,
Though I am from Serbia, I am not Serbian, and I tend to see the case of Kosovo solely as a complicated regional problem. Reading trough this article, I found my self agreeing to every word-until the proposal for action came. I am amazed both by the author of this article and by talking to Albanians I met in Pristine that very few Kosovars even considers another alternative for proving that the statehood of Kosovo is indeed a solution that provides peace, stability and prosperity. If you would channel dissatisfaction and organize people to act is if Kosovo is a state already, you would provide the world (and Serbian neighbours and fellow citizens) an unbreakable proof that Kosovo can be a stabile and functional state, economically prosperous and a good neighbour to all. Serbia, Russia, nor any other state could then argue the opposite. This is longer and harder way, but something that must be done in any case if you want to prevent Kosovo from becoming yet another failed state (and this is the most often used arguments for those that oppose the independence of Kosovo). One may argue that Kosovo is nowadays ruled by the ‘internationals’. This would be only partially true. In many segments the Kosovar people are increasingly gaining authority. If they would prove that they are capable of running functional institutions I am absolutely sure that internationals would withdraw. And that is not happening in practice, I have personally witnessed that. And complaining about Serbian oppression is also outdated argument: Serbia lost de facto sovereignty over Kosovo because of that. Now it is up to Kosovo-Albanian majority to prove that they can form a functional state that won’t do same things to Serbian minority that Milosevic did to them. Only then would Kosovo really become a factor of stability and more than needed reconciliation in the region. Kosovars, your call indeed…