Byzantine Blog

Young Bulgarian Woman Killed by Albanian Muslim in Kosovo Province

Pristina, Serbia, Dec. 25, 2006 — A Bulgarian citizen was shot in a café in the town of Urosevac in Kosovo province yesterday, the police in Kosovo announced. The café is opposite the technical school in the town. The young woman (30) who had Bulgarian citizenship was shot by a firearm and instantly died. The Albanian killer (44) has escaped and is, supposedly, searched by police.

Although the Albanian Muslim “police,” comprised of members of the terrorist KLA/UCK operating in the southern Serbian province issued its usual claims “the motive of the killing is not clear,” there is no doubt this is another ethnically motivated crime. Bulgarian language belongs to the same group of Slavic languages as the Serbian and is often mistaken for Serbian among the ruthless Albanian minority occupying Serbian province.

In October 1999, a Bulgarian U.N. official was beaten and executed by the group of Albanian Muslim teenagers on the street of Pristina, when he gave them the time of day in the “wrong language” — Bulgarian, mistaken for Serbian.

Most Dangerous and Most Destructive Idea in Present-Day Europe

Belgrade, Serbia, Dec. 25, 2006 — The prospect of Kosovo-Metohija province independence and the breakup of Serbia is the “most dangerous and most destructive” idea in Europe today, Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said Monday.

Such a development would have unforeseeable consequences for international stability, Kostunica said in comments carried by Serbian news agency Beta.

Any future resolution of the status of Serbian Kosovo province must be based on the foundation that Serbia’s borders remain unchanged, Kostunica said. The international community must be mindful of the United Nations charter and prevent division of the territory of a democratic state, he added.

Ahtisaari’s (Adolfesn’s) Draft Solution Just a Basis for Future Negotiations

Belgrade, Serbia, Dec 25, 2006 — President of the Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija Sanda Raskovic-Ivic said in an interview for today’s edition of the daily Blic that the general position of the UN Security Council is that after the presentation of the draft solution for Serbian Kosovo-Metohija province by UN Special Envoy Marti Ahtisaari, negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina must continue which should lead to a compromise solution.

The official website of the Serbian government presents excerpts of the interview.

Continuation of negotiations:

We are prepared for continuation of negotiations. We will make efforts to have frequent rounds of talks and to discuss issues which were barely touched upon until now or were not discussed at all. From 15 of the permanent members of the Security Council 12 agreed that the draft solution by Marti Ahtisaari is just a good basis for further discussion. That is why, at least we here in Serbia, should not worry about deadlines and discuss whether a solution will be announced in March or June, because I am certain that will not happen. I don’t want to say that the conflict will last the next 30 years, but it is a fact that a distinct change has taken place in positions among the international community concerning the deadline. Important members of the Contact Group, such as Germany and Italy, are also against a hastily brought decision.

Russia Will Use its Veto Power

Has Serbia been officially told which decisions will be vetoed by Russia?

Yes, we have been told officially that firstly, if it comes to voting in the Security Council on a solution favouring independence, Russia will not agree. Secondly, it was clearly said that Russia will be against the adoption of any unclear, neutral, and new resolution which mentions neither the sovereignty of Serbia nor the independence of Kosovo-Metohija province. Russia will also be against Serbian province being declared a special case.

What will be the status of Kosovo-Metohija province?

I can only tell you what Serbia advocates, which is substantial autonomy. I can not tell you what status Kosovo will have, because that does not depend on Serbia alone. But if Serbia’s will had not been taken into account, the status issue would have been solved a long time ago, by providing independence.

Bypassing the U.N. Would Mean Anyone Can Do Whatever They Want

Is it possible that the decision on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija province will be brought outside the Security Council?

That would be very bad not just for us, but also for permanent members of the Security Council. A new chapter would be opened, which would mean that Russia and China could do whatever they want regarding their interests. But I think that it cannot happen that the decision is not discussed in the Security Council. Otherwise, the possibility would remain that Serbian Kosovo-Metohija province is recognized unilaterally. There are a number of countries which would not recognize part of Serbia’s territory as an independent state, making it only a hypothetical new state, which involves a number of other problems besides entering the UN.

Substantial autonomy:

All those who claim that autonomous Kosovo-Metohija province within Serbia will not be able to develop are proved wrong by the concept of substantial autonomy, because relations with various international institutions are envisaged and Albanians will keep all that they have now. The difference between substantial autonomy and conditional independence is only in dynamics. Conditional independence implies that it will one day change into full independence, while autonomy does not include those dynamics and always remains autonomy. According to both solutions Kosovo-Metohija province will not have a ministry of defense, a ministry of foreign affairs and a seat in the UN.

Puny Slovenians Butting In with Cheap Baits

Were any unacceptable solutions for Kosovo-Metohija presented?

Only by Rupel [former Yugoslav republic of Slovenia’s foreign minister; meanwhile, Slovenia itself has unresolved territorial disputes with both Croatia and Italy — perhaps Slovenian foreign minister will sign off parts of Slovenia his neighbors claim as their own, before making gifts to Albanians in the shape of a chunk of Serbian historical territory], who told us that we should choose whether we want to enter the EU or keep Kosovo-Metohija part of state. But not a single country had to give up part of its territory to pay for EU membership.