Kosovo's independence: An anxious period for Europe
The United Nations envoy for Kosovo says independence is the "only viable option" for the territory, in a report to the Security Council. The envoy, Finnish diplomat Martti Ahtisaari, (former President of Finland and one time UN Under- Secretary General) says Kosovo should have internationally-supervised independence for an initial period. After UN-sponsored negotiations failed to reach a consensus on an acceptable constitutional status because of some opposition of veto-wielding members of the Security Council members, Kosovo's provisional government unilaterally declared independence from Serbia on 17 February 2008. The ethnic balance of Kosovo tilted as the number of Albanians tripled, rising from almost 75% to over 90%, but the number of Serbs barely increased, dropping from 15% to 8% of the total population. Independent Kosovo (with about 2 million people with overwhelming majority of Albanian Muslims) received international recognition as a sovereign state, notably from the United States and some major European countries, such as Britain, Germany, France and Italy. Kosovo's sovereignity is disputed by Serbia, Russia, China, Spain, Romania, Cyprus and Greece. The official position of these countries is that Kosovo is a Serbian province under ad interim UN control, formally known as Autonomous Province of Kosovo. Brief history of Kosovo
Kosovo shares borders with Montenegro to the west, Albania to the southwest, Republic of Macedonia to the south and Serbia to the north and east. Pristina is the capital and largest city. By the end of the 19th century, the Albanians had replaced the Serbs as the dominant people in Kosovo. However, in 1912, during the Balkan Wars, most of Kosovo was taken by the Kingdom of Serbia. Numerous colonist Serb families moved into Kosovo, equalizing the demographic balance between Albanians and Serbs. Many Albanians fled into the mountains, and numerous Albanian and Turkish houses were razed. The reconquest of Kosovo was described as retribution for the 1389 Battle of Kosovo in which Serbs were defeated by Ottomans. At the Conference of Ambassadors in London in 1912, presided over by British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Grey, the Kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro were granted sovereignty over Kosovo. In the winter of 1915-1916, during World War I, Kosovo saw a large exodus of the Serbian army, which became known as the Great Serbian Retreat. Defeated and worn out in battles against Austro-Hungarians, they had no other choice than to retreat, as Kosovo was occupied by Bulgarians and Austro-Hungarians. The Albanians joined and supported the Central Powers. In the 1970s, an Albanian nationalist movement pursued full recognition as a Republic within the Yugoslav Federation, while extreme elements aimed for full-scale independence. Inter-ethnic tensions continued to worsen in Kosovo throughout the 1980s and '90s. President Miloševic of Serbia capitalized on this discontent to consolidate his own position in Serbia. Miloševiæ was to meet with local leaders, because the local Serbs were threatening to organize a demonstration in Belgrade. On June 28, 1989, Miloševiæ delivered a speech in front of a large number of Serb citizens at the main celebration marking the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, held at Gazimestan. Many think that this speech helped Miloševiæ consolidate his authority in Serbia. In 1989, Miloševiæ, employing a mix of intimidation and political maneuvering, drastically reduced Kosovo's special autonomous status within Serbia. Soon thereafter, Kosovo Albanians organized a non-violent separatist movement, employing widespread civil disobedience, with the ultimate goal of achieving the independence of Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians boycotted state institutions and elections and established separate Albanian schools and political institutions. Immediate cause of independence
In 1998, during the conflict between Kosovo Albanians and Serbs, roughly a million ethnic Albanians fled or were forcefully driven from Kosovo by Serbian armed forces, several thousand were killed (the numbers and the ethnic distribution of the casualties are uncertain and highly disputed). An estimated 12,000-18,000 ethnic Albanians and 3,000 Serbs are believed to have been killed during the conflict. Up to 20,000 Kosovo Albanian women were raped during the Kosovo carnage. Some 3,000 people are still missing, of which 2,500 are Albanian, 400 Serbs and 100 Roma. To protect the Kosovo Albanians from "genocide", in 1999, the US-led NATO forces intervened with force and Serbia had to withdraw its forces from Kosovo. Following the Kosovo War in 1999, United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 placed Kosovo under the authority of the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), with security provided by the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR). In 2004, Kosovo Abanians elected a legislature and President for the "Republic of Kosovo". The Democratic League of Kosovo once led by late Ibrahim Rugova, maintained control of the legislature, while Serbs boycotted the election. Why opposition?
In Belgrade there have been large demonstrations against Kosovo's declaration of independence. Some protesters attacked the embassy of the US in Belgrade for according recognition to Kosovo's independence. The countries which oppose the independence of Kosovo have their own reasons because each country finds resurgence of ethno-nationalism within their borders. Some ethnic groups in these countries have been prepared to pursue their claims for self-determination within the framework of existing statestreating them essentially as claims for minority human rights protectionbut many others have made clear that they will be satisfied by nothing less than their nations becoming independent states. They consider that Kosovo's independence will boost the ethnic demands for greater autonomy or independence. They argue that recognizing the unilateral declaration of independence would legitimatize the doctrine of imposing solution to ethnic conflicts. They further argue that by the actions of some European Union member-states, every would-be ethnic or religious separatist across Europe and around the world has been provided with a tool kit on how to achieve recognition. Russia has vehemently opposed independence, reflecting its historical ties with Orthodox Christian Serbia, which continues to claim Kosovo as a Serbian province. Russia has its own violent ethnic conflicts in the Caucasus (Chechnya) and it is understanble for its opposition. Is opposition misconceived?
Kosovo Albanians asserted independence from Serbia in the past but could not retain it because of European politics in which in the past Serbia was considered a victim and thus a winner on every occasion. Given the history of Kosovo's Albanians, many analysts consider that the opposition to Kosovo's independence is misconceived. Kosovo's ethnic conflict is different in many ways from other ethnic conflcts. Kosovo has a history of its own and should follow its logical and reasonable course. Many historians believe that Serbia's continued brutal oppression of Kosovo Albanians in the '80s and '90s and economic exploitation of Kosovo led to the unilateral declaration of independence. Furthermore the Western countries know that China and Russia will veto Kosovo's independence at the Security Council. Serbia must realise that all the constituent-states of former Yugoslavia have declared independence. The dominance of Serbs over former Yugoslavian states has disappeared by its own flawed actions and omissions. Even Serbia could not forestall the independence of Monte-Negro where about 32% of its population are Serbs. Serbia must appreciate that Europe is changing fast and the European Union with its current 27 members would expand steadily. The Westphalian concept of sovereignty and statehood is being replaced by a new world order and supra-national authority that take decisions on behalf of member-states (European Commission). European analysts say that if Serbia wants to enhance their quality of life and prosper within Europe, it must become a part of European Union. Therefore, it must have a peaceful dialogue with European Commission to resolve the issue of Kosovo's independence. Mere emotion does not play in cold politics but reality and reason should guide their views and actions.
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