Recognising Kosovo

by Abkhazian Basque with a South Ossetian granny. - (lucky to get on the national selection - I thank eyebrows) Mon Feb 18, 2008 10:57

Yep, folks the Adriatic league of football, basketball & other ango-saxon ballgames has proven to the first victim of this weekend's declaration of independence & statehood by Kosovo. People mightn't know where they stand on eyebrows but give them a national selection criteria & they're away.

Anyone interested in statehood will see in the reticence of EU members Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Spain to recognise the new entity Kosovo a sign of how weak the now near forgotten movement for an independent Munster has truly gone. The length & breadth of Ireland yesterday frolicking citizens making do with the surprising lack of Kosovan flags did just what the newly Kosovars did - waved Albanian flags in the air & hung out Albanian & US bunting. Cynical types would almost be tempted to wonder is Albania about to get bigger? What is the real difference between an Albanian & a Kosovar? Why should the Serbians of northern Kosovo be forced to live in a greater Albania or the entity known as Kosovo? According to Irish media though, those diehard unionist types were "hunkered down" this weekend, keeping their mouths zipped & no-doubt brewing tea for the imminent arrival of 1,500 British troops sent by Gordon Brown to ensure things go the way they usually do..,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7249909.stm

by Abkhazian Mon Feb 18, 2008 14:51

I bet nobody has looked "Abkhazia" up on the internet yet. The Spanish foreign minister Mr Moratinos is one of the EU states who are not terribly keen to see an autonomous province with devolved government turned into a sovreign state. He's made it quite clear that has nothing to do with the Basques or Catalans & the idea of a free Kosovo egging any of them on to invite the USA to help them be free. In fairness to the Basques & Catalans, the leaders of Catalan independence groupings don't see a comparison, perhaps not boasting such an ethnic homogenity as Kosovo nor having been administered by the EU, UN, NATO & to put it basically "soldiers" for the last decade.
The Basques though on the otherhand jumped at the opportunity when their government spokesperson last night described unilateral state formation & declarations of independence as a model solution to national identity issues.

So here's reporting in English language from the Basque TV platform.

http://www.eitb24.com/new/en/B24_87100/world-news/KOSOV...pect/
http://www.eitb24.com/new/en/B24_87096/world-news/NEWS-...kans/

by abkhazian Thu Feb 21, 2008 09:55

I love it when people agree with me.

"Kosovo's declaration of independence has been recognized by many Western countries, but Serbia claims the move is illegal. Kosovo expert Dusan Reljic tells SPIEGEL ONLINE about his concerns that the move will undermine international law, pave the way for future disputes and prevent longterm peace in the region."

English articles :-
http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,53635....html

NATO have of course closed the "border" between Kosovo and Serbia as most observers see a slide towards a new partition. Spain's refusal to recognise Kosovo as independent produced a surprising scene this week as Serbians ( / ethnic Serbians of Kosovo) were photographed waving Spanish flags in Mitrovica. That caused a bit of embarrasment back in Iberia. Interestingly the Catalan parliament which had been filled with "pro-independence" fervour last weekend to the point of opening champagne, didn't pass a resolution yesterday congratulating the Kosovars due to the absence of the appropriate nationalist or independence deputies.., Someone has explained that Kosovo independence is dependence, obviously. Likewise the sneaking what have the US/UK done to us now? feeling has now affected the Italians who are reviewing the Italian military presence in KFOR.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,53653....html

& really behind it all, nobody in EU land wants to upgrade our protectorate or its neighbours to EU membership. Gosh............. now that's imperialism.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/europe/0,1518,53664....html

by Abkhazian Thu Feb 21, 2008 22:51

little niceties.

Beside hoping to point out to all & sundry that Kosovo is not independent, it is a dependent protectorate of the EU through NATO, I had also left some links to Serbian media in English.

There we may read how the diplomatic legation schedule for today was thus :- Majority of embassies in Belgrade shall work today shorter than usual due to the announced protest against unilateral proclamation of Kosovo independence. The embassies of Austria, Germany and the USA shall work until 12.00 CET, the Embassy of Turkey until 13.00 and the Embassy of the Great Britain until 15.00 CET. The Embassy of France shall work until 12.00 CET as normal, while the work in the afternoon hours shall depend on the development of situation related to the protest.

So.., the US embassy wasn't at work when it got burnt. This is often the way. This is in fact a litle nicety you look out for and pay attention to. Just about the time that information was in the Serbian press the "government sources" of that land were in the "Blic" daily reported to be expecting "half a year of diplomatic war".

I reckon you're prepared enough to read this now.

".......‘The measures undertaken by our state leadership are usual. Of course, they indicate that the relations between two countries are bad. The measures are aimed to lead to certain improvement, but in case of no result, the relations usually escalate to the worse. That, however, need not cause isolation of or sanctions against Serbia’, Viskovic explains.
According to his words, in case of more severe measures, ambassadors are being recalled for a longer time, several months. After that follows permanent recall and lowering of relations to the ministerial level. ‘The next measure is expulsion of foreign ambassadors, i.e. request that they leave the country. That is very serious. Then we have to recall the complete staff of our embassy, shut the embassy down and completely suspend diplomatic relations. Even when we have recalled the staff, that does not man we have interrupted all relations. After that only war follows’, [Prof of Political sciences Ivo] Viskovic said............."

http://www.blic.co.yu/news.php?id=1612

There are reports of many other delegations being attacked too. But you'll now know they were mostly on special working hours as well. I hope I'm not plot-spoiling the latest kitschy remake of the Balkan classic Zog & Tito .

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7256158.stm

by redjade - { membership lapsed in the Vojvodina Liberation Front } Thu Feb 21, 2008 23:33

the joke they like to tell in budapest these days is....

Q: why is Serbia like a Nokia mobile phone?

A: because every new years' model is smaller than the last

-- --

For an Ethnic Hungarian-Romanian perspective on the new ethnic Albanian state of formerly Serbia territory of Kosovo (whew! that was complicated to write!) please read the following....

Quote: 'Romania is concerned about the Hungarian minority in the country. Hungarians represent about 7 percent of the population of Romania (22 million), but close to 20 percent in the western region of Transylvania. While some voices in the country claim that Hungarians will attempt to declare independence using the Kosovo precedent, a more realistic expectation is that Hungarians will seek strengthening of their rights, and increased local autonomy.'
http://ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=41241

Also interesting is that the article says: 'There has been speculation that Romanian President Traian Basescu is negotiating with Russia and the United States to allow for a union between Romania and a Moldova without Trasndniester, in exchange for Bucharest reversing its stance on Kosovo.'

FYI: Study the Treaty of Trianon - which changed the region forever....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treaty_of_Trianon

Treaty of Trianon

by Abkhazian Fri Feb 22, 2008 00:12

In the penultimate comment we may see how Serbian media reported adjusted work hours for the embassies of those states which had got right up her nose like hot iron filings. But as any reader of the Irish commercial press will know, a charred body was found in the US embassy after it had been burnt in a day which Serbian police said drew 150,000 people to the streets of Belgrade. Yet together with a 12 photo essay the New York Times almost insisted that the embassy had been empty and unused since before today's events. & that the USA has counted all its embassy staff & know the charred dead body reported in the Irish press isn't one of theirs & by the way they want Serbia to secure their premises in the future..........
http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2008/02/21/world/0221-....html

how bizarre & diplomatic.

But what was a dead body doing in the embassy in the first place?
Are we to await a story of how some petulant serbian is identified as dying in riotious misadventure - quite probably on a heady mix of orthodox religion, strange fingered salutes, & what-have-you?

Nope.
They test space missiles.
they open protectorates on ethnic grounds
they keep dead bodies in their embassies.
they are your kith & kin

by Abkhazian Basque with a South Ossetian granny. - (lucky to get on the national selection - I thank the eyebro Fri Mar 07, 2008 12:39

Abkhazia region in Georgia has called on the UN and other international bodies to recognise it as independent. The appeal was made by the separatist Abkhaz parliament on Friday, a day after Russia said it was lifting trade restrictions on the territory. Georgia condemned Russia's move, warning that it encouraged separatism. Tens of thousands of ethnic Georgians were driven from their homes in Abkhazia during a war in the 1990s. On Wednesday, Georgia's other breakaway region, South Ossetia, asked the UN and other international bodies to recognise its independence. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7283192.stm

I told ye.
Did ye pay attention?
Too late to pretend ye were up on your Abkhazians now.
I feel like writing another article now. My second one.

by senator shapeshifting reptile Mon Mar 17, 2008 23:17

Over 160 UN & NATO personel have been injured in continuing sectarian & ethnic conflict in the town of Mitrovica in our protectorate of Kosovo today & yesterday. French & Spanish armoured columns are reported as holding bridges & strategic points to the Albanian south. Analysts believe such roads will soon be declared "unapproved" as was the case in the perfect case-study for sectarian & ethnic conflict exploited by imperialists interests in Ireland during the late 20th century.

The transfer of full institutional responsibility for Europe's only protectorate from NATO & UN to EU will probably be delayed.
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/U_N_and_...ty=ti
http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/news/international/NATO_hol...ty=ti
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2...48531

local coverage with photos :-
http://blic.co.yu/temadana.php?id=34320
http://www.b92.net/info/galerija/index.php?nav_category=99

Meanwhile Albanians are reacting to the explosion incident of an arsenal dump yesterday, the dump which was being made safe by a US company contracted to NATO exploded killing 11 people & injuring 300. ".........Albanian Defence Minister Fatmir Mediu has resigned following these explosions at an arms dump near the Albanian capital, Tirana. More than 300 buildings in the area were completely destroyed after the explosion at the site where workers were dismantling old munitions. Albania has about 100,000 tons of ammunition from communist times. Mr Mediu's resignation comes amid calls from Albania's opposition leader for the government to stand down............."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7301098.stm
The ordinary folk on Albania's ground think it was all a conspiracy.

growing up with sectarian hatred

grown up with anti-US imperialism hatred

by senator shapeshifting reptile Tue Mar 18, 2008 22:13

Deputy head of UN mission Larry Rossin told reporters that some of the comments from Serbia's Kosovo minister in Mitrovica were "objectionable". He also said: "It is clear to us that the violence... was orchestrated. We believe we know who was responsible".
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7303792.stm

yes indeed. we all know who he's talking about. Yer man the Dalai Lama, the napoleon of streetfighting.

But seriously folks, read very carefully what Serbian telly news has to inform us on the "spiritual lijnks" I'll highlight it so you don't have to read all the boring stuff :-
"...... UNMIK and KFOR officials in Priština say a "red line has been crossed" between them and the Kosovo Serbs. This is the message sent a day after the deadly violence in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, where clashes broke out after UN and NATO policemen and soldiers raided a local court to arrest protesting Serb judicial workers. One Ukrainian officer has died, while 100 others, including over 70 Serbs, have been injured, two of them critically. The Priština news conference also heard KFOR commander Xavier Bout de Marnhac and deputy UNMIK chief Larry Rossin say that the force used by their troops while dealing with the unrest was not excessive. Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardžić yesterday made the allegation, and announced Belgrade will seek "full international investigation"; today, international representatives in Kosovo responded with counter-accusations. "[UNMIK chief] Joachim Ruecker has spoken to several officials on various government levels in Belgrade Friday, and asked that they use their undisputable authority, in order to have those that have occupied the court building withdraw. Some of them have been identified as members of the Serbian Ministry of the Interior [MUP]," Rossin was quoted as saying. All 53 of the Serb protesters arrested Monday were released in the evening of the same day. Marnhac for his part told reporters that attacks on UNMIK and KFOR "will not be tolerated". "Yesterday morning a red line was crossed. With a clear intention to kill people, Molotov cocktails, bombs were thrown, and there was direct shooting at UNMIK and KFOR. We will not tolerate that," the French general warned. The Serbian police (MUP) reacted by saying that they have "no information about any of their members being arrested during the clashes in northern Kosovska Mitrovica". Also in Priština, as he was visiting injured UNMIK policemen, Kosovo's president, Fatmir Sejdiu, said that Belgrade is to blame for the violence. "All those who incited to violence, whether they call themselves spiritual leaders, but also other leaders who wish to sustain the chaos in Kosovo, are responsible," he was quoted by Beta news agency. As for official Belgrade, Sejdiu sees its responsibility in now "keeping the promises it made during the negotiations", but also "in Security Council sessions"........."

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2...48576

I hope the Christian envangelical right get rid of the false prophet Dalai Lama soon. Rapture one step sooner, no nasty fall-out in the west with buddhist terrorists & one more line of the book fulfilled. oh but ye didn't see it that way? yes. sirree. they've pulled the plug on Tibet.

by abkhazian shapeshifting reptile doesn't remember - what damn username he's been using. Fri Mar 21, 2008 15:10

In the early hours of the other morning I found myself watching the European swimming championships from Eindhoven and caught the medal giving ceremony for the mens' 50m butterfly. The gold medalists was wearing a simple tshirt with the slogan in cyrillic "kosovo is serbia". Hmmm thought I, that's politicisation. & so i wasn't surprised to see he's been suspended and the Serbia sport federation have been fined.

by bluerose Wed Apr 02, 2008 04:56

It's about time to recognize the historical right of Kosova (Dardania) to have its destiny fulfilled-That is full independence. Kosova never was a Serbian province. It was there, since the times of birth of European civilization, a very distinct Dardanian/llyrian identity. Always populated by Dardanias who, although under constant pressure of forcefully migration by Serbian shovinism, Tito's Yugoslavia & Milloshevic's Serbia, still make up 92% of the population. They speak ilirian language with the dialect GEGE. Serbs always have been a minority there. We know that Serbs appeared in Balkans (then llyria) only by the 6th Century AD, and they speak a language more similar to Ukrainian then Russian. They have always been a minority and 'the story' of Kosova being the Heartland of Serbia is just a pure Serbian nationalist fantasy. Facts Speak Louder Than Words and Serbian’s Lies Will Collapse by Themselves. Serbs always have been considered as oppressors there, not just by Albanian majority, but also by other ethnic groups too. Serbs just occupied Kosova during the rise of the Serbian nationalism early 20th century from Ottomans, who by then were loosing the Balkans after 500 years of occupation. The borders of Kosova are well established and recognized. Now Kosova should be Free! http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/62/094.html
I can’t comprehend how a minority of 7% of the population, pretend to take off the land, the language, culture and the life of the rest of Kosova. Kosovars have the right to live free and independent in their land where they are born, generation after generation, live and will die.
http://www.gendercide.org/case_kosovo.html

by naive - ? Wed Oct 15, 2008 08:44

Abkhazia has called on the parliaments of Belarus and the Republic of Ireland to recognise its independence. The former Georgian breakaway republic says it was asking Ireland to acknowledge its status because it had also had to fight hard for independence from a colonial power.

The appeal was made at a Monday meeting of the Abkhazian parliament.

Ireland became an independent republic after many years of struggle under British rule.

“Just like Ireland, Abkhazia has finally acquired long-awaited independence and recognition at the cost of enormous efforts," the parliament’s appeal said.

"The Irish Free State, which eventually became the Republic of Ireland, was de-facto independent for a long time, but remained unrecognised. Ireland was the only unrecognised country in Europe until the world's largest country recognised a free parliament of Ireland. And that country was Russia."

“Abkhazia is in the same situation today. For 15 years Abkhazia existed as an independent, although unrecognised, state.”

Sukhum believes that Abkhazians have all the legal and historic conditions for independent development.

The parliament’s statement says: "Relations between the Georgian and Abkhazian nations went through serious trials during the past century, which proved that Abkhazians could not live together with the Georgians in a single state."

According to deputies, Abkhazia has formed its own administrative and political system, a legislative system and a market-oriented economy. The republic has independent courts and civil society and respects human rights.

http://www.russiatoday.com/news/news/31796