Byzantine Blog

Real News Versus Blaring Propaganda

For those of us who are following the news about Serbian Kosovo-Metohija province and the development of the current situation surrounding the supposedly “secret” plan Ahtisaari (a.k.a. Adolfsen) is about to “unveil,” the sharp contrast between what Albanian/ Western mainstream and Soros-funded media is focusing on, and the real news they keep omitting, becomes — once again — glaringly obvious.

On the one side, there is Albanian/Western/Soros media’s unison RAH-RAH-Kosovo-Independence! earsplitting noise and, on the other, the actual news and informations that are kept hidden.

Since no one in the whole wide world has the problem finding the former, let’s take a look at some of the latter.

Kremlin Will Back Serbia

MOSCOW, Russia, Jan. 29, 2007 (Source: Tanjug) — There is no doubt Kremlin will back Serbia in the final stage of the resolution of the status of Serbian Kosovo-Metohija province, Professor at the Russian Academy of Diplomacy Boris Shmelov has said.

The claims of some in the West that they will supposedly reach an agreement and make a bargain over the Kosovo province, and thus prevent Russia from using the right to veto at the UN Security Council are malevolent and completely unfounded, Shmelov said in an interview for the Monday issue of the Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti (Evening News).

He pointed out that Serbia can fully count on Russia’s support, adding that it is now important that Serbs remain united.

According to Tanjug, one of the world’s best Balkan experts said that the West is painfully aware that right now they have no mechanism whatsoever for exerting a pressure on Russia to change, or reverse its principled stance over the southern Serbian province.

Russia and China Share the Views Regarding Serbian Province

MOSCOW, Russia, Jan. 29, 2007 (Sources: Tanjug, Interfax) — Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov conferred in Beijing on Monday with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui on the resolving of the future status of Serbian Kosovo and Metohija province, the Russian Foreign Ministry said in Moscow.

The situation in certain regions of Europe was considered, including the Balkans, with particular emphasis on the topic of the resolving of the issue of southern Serbian province, the Ministry statement said.

Russia and China, both permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, with the right of veto, have stated that they have similar positions on the situation surrounding Kosovo province, Vladimir Titov said.

“The Russian and Chinese positions coincide in that we advocate a search for a compromise in the talks,” the Russian diplomat said after consultations with Zhang Yesui.

“This decision must not be locked in any time frames, if a solution is to be found that would strengthen peace and stability in the Balkans and in a wider context,” he said.

A Very Negative Precedent

Russia has said on many occasions, said Titov, that the method to be chosen in settling the Kosovo problem “will be of serious importance and will be projected to other regions and international situations.”

The first ever attempt is being made to detach a part from an integral state, not an independent entity from a federative state, the Russian diplomat said.

“If the separation takes place without the state’s consent, a very negative precedent will be created for other international situations,” he said.

Titov also announced that the UN secretary general’s special envoy Marti Ahtisaari was expected to inform Belgrade and Pristina of the proposals on ways to settle the situation. “Further developments will depend on the reaction to these proposals by the parties concerned. We’ve always wanted these proposals to facilitate the negotiations,” he added.

Former Soviet Republics With Separatist Movements Within Concerned

MOSCOW, Russia, Jan. 29, 2007 (Source: Tanjug) — Russia’s Permanent Representative in the UN Vitaly Churkin has said that Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova are concerned over the fact that the resolution of Serbian province’s future status will constitute a precedent for other areas, including their states formed after the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

Not only Gerogia, but also other countries of the GUAM (Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Moldova), which have similar problems with secessionists, are expressing open concern over this, the Russian diplomat said in an interview to the Moscow daily Kommersant, referring to the January 11 report of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon on the situation in Abkhazia.

Curkin confirmed that Ki-Moon pointed at a correlation between the resolution of province of Kosovo-Metohija future status and the conflict between Georgia and Abkhazia.

This is clearly a new concern raised by the speculations on granting the independence to the part of Serbian internationally recognized territory, Churkin said, adding that the issue was also raised during a consultation meeting of the UN Security Council.

Ahtisaari to Negotiate Kosovo Status, Not That of Serbia

BELGRADE, Serbia, Jan. 30, 2007 (Tanjug) — Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic told Spanish news agency EFE that Serbia is willing to compromise as much as possible on the status of its Kosovo province, provided that this does not threaten the status of the state of Serbia, i.e. that it does not change its current internationally recognized borders.

The Foreign Ministry announced that Draskovic told EFE that neither the President of Serbia, nor the current or new Serbian government, have the mandate to negotiate with anyone changing of the Serbian state borders and that only the coutry’s citizens can decide about this.

Draskovic recalled that Martti Ahtisaari was empowered by the UN secretary general to conduct talks only on the status of Kosovo-Metohija province, but not on the status of the state of Serbia.

Draskovic underscored that all proposals on the independence of Kosovo are outside Ahtisaari’s mandate since, in that case, negotiated would be the status of the state of Serbia and its internationally recognized and inviolable borders.

Thomas Fleiner: Invasion of the State Sovereignty Criminal

BELGRADE, Serbia, Jan. 31, 2007 (Radio Serbia) — If the UN Security Council carves out Kosovo-Metohija province from the Serbian sovereignty, which is internationally and legally guaranteed by the UN Resolution 1244, it will be for the first time in history that a body of the world organization is unilaterally, against the will of majority, divides one state and its peoples, warned leader of the Swiss Institute for Federalism and Advisor of the Serbian delegation at the Vienna negotiations on Serbian province’s status, Thomas Fleiner.

In his article published by the German daily Frankfurter Algemeine Zeitung, he pointed out that such invasion of the state sovereignty has no grounds in international law. Peoples prone to separatism would be encouraged to internationalize their conflicts in the future, pointed Fleiner. He reminded that the new Serbian Constitution recognizes broad autonomy for its southern province, but not the right to secession.

Body of an Elderly Serb Bludgeoned to Death Found in Kosovo Province

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Serbia, Jan. 30, 2007 (Source: Tanjug) - Seventy six years old Petko Ilic from the village of Binac near Kosovska Vitina, has been found dead on a nearby pasture where he took his sheep, the International Press Center of the Kosovska Mitrovica Coordination Center reported on Tuesday.

According to the Press Center, members of his family found Ilic’s lifeless body on Monday about 3 pm, which had severe head injuries that were probably the cause of death.

The vicious murder of an elderly man has caused anxiety among the Serbs in the ethnically mixed village of Binac, who stressed that Ilic was severely beaten by the group of Albanian Muslim thugs three years ago, and that his attackers have not been traced as yet.

Dispelling Disinformation of the Western Propaganda Machinery: Serbia Offers Only Basic Autonomy to Kosovo Province, Not “Internal Independence”

BELGRADE, Serbia, Jan. 30, 2007 (Tanjug) — Coordinator of the Serbian negotiation team for talks on the status of Kosovo-Metohija province, Slobodan Samardzic has told Tanjug that official Belgrade is offering Kosovo only basic autonomy within Serbia, not “internal independence,” as Reuters reported on Monday.

The British news agency reported on an interview with the adviser to Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, in which they claim Samardzic had said that Belgrade offered “internal independence” to Albanian Muslims in Kosovo province, with the preservation of a symbolic “membrane of Serbian sovereignty” around its southern province.

“The mentioning of independence in that interview actually referred to some other experiences - the Aland and Faroe Islands. However, as far as Kosovo-Metohija province is concerned, we are not willing to experiment with such experiences, and in the interview, I mentioned that just as a parallel example,” he explained.

Samardzic underlined that the stand of the Serbian negotiation team as a whole was that Kosovo can have only basic autonomy within Serbia.

“From the very beginning of the negotiation process, the Serbian negotiation team has had a clear stand on basic autonomy for its Kosovo-Metohija province. This is specified in our platform and we strictly abide by that, just as we have done in all public pronouncements. This is how it has always been and this is how we will continue to present our stand on the future status of the Serbian province should opportunities present themselves, should the negotiation process be continued, as we expect,” emphasized Samardzic.

He added that Kosovo province can get broad autonomy from Serbia only if it offers broad self government to Serbian communities as well.

...And now you know the rest of what’s really going on, from the other side of Western media’s Iron Curtain.

Cartoon by M. Miloradovic (Serbia)