Byzantine Blog

Leon Kojen: “We Won’t Take Independence On Chin”

Former adviser to the Serbian President Tadic and Coordinator of the State Negotiating Team for Kosovo-Metohija, Leon Kojen says Serbia must make it crystal-clear it won’t take the Kosovo blow on the chin, as expected by the U.S. State Department and other Western entities.

“Until Belgrade disperses the impression that Serbia will continue its Euro-Atlantic journey regardless of the fate of Kosovo and Metohija, the West will believe that imposed independence is not such a bad solution,” said Kojen in a Tuesday interview with influential Belgrade daily Vecernje Novosti (Evening News).

Explaining that, in this context, under West he considers first and foremost the organizations like NATO and EU, but also the key countries like USA and England which have made it clear number of times that they would recognize southern Serbian province’s independence outside the UN Security Council, Mr. Kojen said:

Serbia Will Not Join Either NATO or EU in Case Kosovo Province Gets Severed

“Behind almost all these Western pledges that Kosovo will be independent even contrary to the will of the United Nations lies the theory that the Albanians will be pleased, that the Serbs will swallow the bitter pill, and that the Western Balkans’ ‘Euro-Atlantic integrations’ will receive new impetus and move forward at a faster pace. Serbia must say, more explicitly than it has thus far, that that theory has no foundation — indeed in today’s conditions it is the constitutional and political obligation of her highest institutions to do so.”

With U.S. backing and EU understanding, the Kosovo Albanian secessionists continue to dodge a genuine discussion over Kosovo-Metohija status.

He surmised that the Troika in New York must finally broach this subject with the Albanian separatists because that was their chief function, while at the same time shattering the Albanian misconception that “independence” was the only word they need to keep repeating at the negotiating table.

American-Installed President and DS Ministers Working Against Serbia’s Interest

The confusion over Serbia’s “Euro-Atlantic integrations” was primarily caused when President Tadic openly contradicted Premier Kostunica after Serbia’s Prime Minister stated NATO membership is definitely off the agenda for the country. Some other members of Tadic’s party, like largely disliked, pompous and offensively arrogant Defense Minister Sutanovac, even though employed by the Serbian Government headed by Prime Minister Kostunica, followed their party leader’s example and went public with statements contrary to the earlier government’s announcement.

While it is a common knowledge that both President Tadic and his party are American-installed and forced upon Serbian citizens under the common tags of “progressive,” “reformers” and “pro-Western,” and even though it is becoming increasingly obvious that they are working at the cross-purpose with the Serbian Government and against the interest of Serbian citizens (clearly being more eager to please Miss Rice and Mr. Scheffer), the fact remains that neither President Tadic, nor the ministers from his party have the power to shape Serbia’s foreign policy. That particular task is part of the government’s mandate, and the head of Serbia’s government is no other than Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica.

Mr. Tadic was quickly reminded of this painful fact right after he crossed the line and publicly contradicted the government’s decision to scrap NATO membership from Serbia’s future. So, all Mr. Tadic can do regarding Serbia’s rejection of joining either NATO or EU is to voice his personal opinions and disagreement with the foreign policy course Serbia has taken, but fuming and making noise is exactly where his constitutional power ends.