You need Flash Player 8 or higher to view video content with the ROO Flash Player.
Click here to download and install it.
New look
We've made some changes
to The Sunday Times
Navigation - link to other main sections from here
From
December 10, 2007
Kosovo breakaway imminent as EU backs move
Kosovo moved a step closer to independence from Serbia today when European governments indicated that they would back the move which is set for early next year.
As EU foreign ministers meeting today in Brussels announced that all of the bloc's governments except Cyprus now supported independence for the province, the Serbian Government was joined by Russia in remaining vehemently opposed.
Vojislav Kostunica, the Serbian Prime Minister, could cut all diplomatic relations, trade and supply routes to Kosovo, causing it extensive economic damage, if it declares independence, analysts warn.
Meanwhile Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and staunch ally of Serbia, repeated its opposition to allowing Kosovo to separate itself from Serbia, amid fears it may fuel further Chechen demands for independence from Moscow.
Regardless of the timeframe, Kosovan independence now looks inevitable
Cyprus, the only EU government still believed to oppose Kosovan independence ahead of this afternoon's meeting, is said to fear that its Turkish-occupied northern region could also follow suit.
Encouraged by European support, Kosovo Albanian leaders announced that they wished to start talks with Western backers immediately to draft a declaration of independence, which they claimed would be completed "much earlier" than a previously earmarked time-frame of May.
The fresh international fallout came as an attempt by the UN to broker a settlement between Serbia and its breakaway province ended today in failure, after two years of bitter negotiations.
Kosovan leaders said that, following the breakdown of the talks, they would declare independence provided that they have the backing of the European Union and the United States. EU foreign ministers, who will discuss the issue this afternoon, today indicated that they were close to unanimous agreement.
Carl Bildt, the Swedish Foreign Minister, a key mediator in the Balkans in the 1990s, spoke of the likelihood of reaching "virtual unity", as he arrived for the talks.
Mr Bildt added that "there is one country who cannot accept" a solution for Kosovo’s status without a UN resolution - a statement believed to be a clear reference to Cyprus.
His Luxembourg counterpart, Jean Asselborn, said most others were on board. "Apart from perhaps Cyprus which has huge problems which we can understand, all the other countries are on the same track," he said.
Aside from Cyprus, at least three other EU nations - Greece, Slovakia and Spain - are also believed to be reluctant to recognise a unilateral declaration of independence, in part because of the precedent it might set for separatists nearer to home.
As the EU moved closer to agreement today, Russia warned that recognising a unilateral declaration of independence could set off problems in the Balkans and beyond.
"It will create a chain reaction throughout the Balkans and other areas of the world," Sergei Lavrov told reporters after talks with Tassos Papadopolous, the Cypriot President.
Kosovo has been an autonomous part of Serbia under a UN Security Council resolution since 1999, which was agreed after NATO bombed Belgrade to stop a bloody Serb crackdown on the ethnic Albanians. The province is 90% Albanian, and 10% Serbian.
Richard Beeston, Diplomatic Editor of The Times, said that Serbia was far too weak to defy the international community and launch military action against Kosovo in the event of an independence declaration, expected early next year.
However, he said Russian opposition to the plan - based mainly on its close alliance with Serbia, an ethnic identification with Slavic Serbs, and a fear of Chechen reprisals closer to home - could be more significant for international stability.
"The big weapon that the Serbs have got is Russia. In the ten years since the war, its economy has become much stronger and it is far more politically strident," he said.
In particular, Mr Beeston said Russia could flex its muscles over the issue by supporting pro-Russian independence movements by regions in Moldova and Georgia, effectively further breaking up parts of the former Soviet Union into Russian-supporting enclaves.
Many of Kosovo's Serb minority, the majority of which live in isolated enclaves, fear that Kosovan independence will leave them exposed to the Albanian majority, many of whom remain deeply bitter at long-standing persecution inflicted by the regime of Slobodan Milosevic in the 1990s.
"Serbians can complain all that they like that Kosovo is historically part of Serbia, but the fact is that there is huge bitterness felt by the Albanian population towards the Serbs for what happened in the 1990s, and that is fuelling the desire for independence," Mr Beeston said.
Most Read
Skip Most ReadToday
- Russia threatens military response to US...
- Barack Obama's Berlin visit sparks German...
- Tom Cruise: 25 things you may not know
- Storm over Tory peer Lord...
Focus Zone
Top 100 Films:
Enjoy screenings of all the classic films you love, plus take advantage of two-for-one tickets
Sport Safety :
We explore leisure activities that are safe and suitable for all of the family
Perfect Pets:
Times Online's new TV show helps you make the right decisions for your pet
Young Photographer:
See the best entries in this year's competition
Surprise Yourself:
Your brain is capable of more than you might think...
James Bond:
An interactive preview of the brand new For Your Eyes Only exhibition
Business Travel:
The latest travel news plus the best hotels and gadgets for business travellers
QUICKLINKS
Now Interactive
Love Sudoku? Play our brand new interactive game: with added functionality and daily prizes
Forget burnout, boreout is the new office disease
Are you irritable when you return from work? Drained of emotion? You could be suffering from boreout
Jeremy Clarkson's greatest hits
Prepare for some shock and awe, petrol lovers. Despite the greens trying to wipe it out, the car is about to offer us the most exciting year ever
100 summer holidays for '08
We've trawled the brochures and websites to find this summer’s best holidays for every taste and budget
Business City Guides
Overseas contacts and local business information
The Times Luxx
A treasure trove of baubles, booty and stylish quests
Cars
Skip Cars of the Week
Aston Martin Vanquish V12 2+2
2002/02
£59,995
The Midlands
Ferrari F430 Spider F1
2008/08
£169,950
Scotland
Volkswagen Touareg Altitude 3.0 V6 TDI
2007/57
£35,000
South East England
Car insurance
Great car insurance deals online
Jobs
Skip Jobs of the WeekCommercial Director
Circa £82,000 per annum
Birmingham Women's Hospital
Birmingham
Management Information Analyst
To £28k
Barclaycard
Various (outside London)
ICT Manager - Service Delivery
£
Up to £66,000 per annum
Hertfordshire County Council
South East
Senior MI Analyst
To £38k
Barclaycard
Northampton/Liverpool
Properties
Saltdean Lovely Sea Views, 4 Bed Property in Popular Residential Area
2 Bathrooms, Balcony and Garden
The Gardens @ Riverside Quarter Luxury Appts in Wandsworth
Beautiful Gardens w/ stunning Thames Views
Bermondsey Spa Live in one of London's Most Vibrant Areas
Apts From £249,950
Barclays
Mortgages, bank acc & money transfers to help you buy abroad
Holidays
Skip Travel of the WeekClassical Jordan guided tour
Explore mystical Jordan
From £1030 for 7nts 4*
Great Value City Break
to USA's Most Cosmopolitan City; San Francisco!
£POA
Antigua Beach Club Holidays
Book Now for Winter 08/09 and Get 10% off!
Travel insurance
Great travel insurance deals online
Contact our advertising team for advertising and sponsorship in Times Online, The Times and The Sunday Times. Search globrix.com to buy or rent UK property.
© Copyright 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.
This service is provided on Times Newspapers' standard Terms and Conditions. Please read our Privacy Policy.To inquire about a licence to reproduce material from Times Online, The Times or The Sunday Times, click here.This website is published by a member of the News International Group. News International Limited, 1 Virginia St, London E98 1XY, is the holding company for the News International group and is registered in England No 81701. VAT number GB 243 8054 69.
The Albanian desire for independence is not a result of the 'crack down' in the 1990's but the cause of it.
Under the eyes of KFOR troops Kosovo is now the European capital for drugs, weapons and sex trafficking. Don't just take my word for it: numerous US Congressional and Federal reports cite extensive evidence of this.
And we now have he prospect of the ex leader of the openly fascist KLA leading this glorious new European country.
Can someone tell me what is going on in the minds of North Atlantic policy makers?
jesse, london,
Catalonia, Ireland, Scotland, Abchasia, Cyprus, Southern Osetia... Who will be the next?
Your Europian polititians are going to start countdown and it's not Russia who'll lose.
Chechnya is a paper e frightener, you wouldn't find there even 1 crazy person saying he wants back to 90's "independence".
You'd say it's not a separatism case, I'd say some of your polititians' grandfathers saw nothing awful in the Saraevo shot. Remember where the Saraevo is?
Pavel, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
Imagine if millions of illegal immigrants from Mexico brought the hispanic population of Arizona from about 30 to 90 percent. Would that justify an independent Arizona on the basis that they were more Mexican than American ?
Kosovan independence will only serve to exacerbate tension with Russia and thereby weaken Europe which has far more to gain by keeping a lid on Albanian aspirations and improving relations with Russia. It is primarily in the interests of the United States to keep a wedge between Europe and Russia where the combination of Western technology and a vast raw material base would pose a genuine challenge to the US as the worlds only super power
Christopher MacDermott, Stockholm,
The cause of World War Three will be traced back to this decision in 20 to 30 years' time. (similar to WW1) The EU is too arrogant to see it. The attitude of the EU seems to be, 'The EU doesn't lose anything directly or immediately by this, let's do it. It's at the expense of a little country we can push around (Serbia) so someone else can wear the cost. And of course, the EU gets to grandstand.' The fools who have backed this decision will earn themselves a footnote in history once the wreckage has been cleared in about 2040.
Paul Francis, Brisbane, Australia
I love this! if Kosovo gets illegal independance recognised , then so can ENGLAND!!!!
go! go! go! Kosovo!
We will be able to get our own government that is elected by English people!
Without Scotland votes Labor would not be in.
Thank you Kosovo.
Let Brown stop us now if he supports illegal independance.
petarde and hoist spring to mind.
English Andy, London, UK
There is an innovative alternative to the problem of Kosovo, Northern Cyprus, and the other potential myriad of regional problems around Europe.
As Belgium is on the final approach to a Czech/Slovak type velvet divorce, the question of the future status of Brussels as the EU capital arises.
To address the concerns of both the Flemish and Walloons, the sovereignty of Brussels will have to be addressed and should be attributed to the EU as a "Capital Territory" much as is Canberra in Australia, and Washington, DC in the States etc.
The sovereignty of disputed territories such as Kosovo etc could then be accorded to reside with the EU capital territory on a semi-permanent basis pending a final resolution in centuries ahead. Who knows, even the future sovereignty of Jerusalem could be included. Like Hong Kong, these areas could be part of a "multi-part" EU, but to all intents and purposes administer their own affairs under a CEO and local legislature.
George Kennedy, Lagos, Portugal
Although the principal actors, Milosevic, Tudjman and Izetbegovic bear the main responsibility for the blood shed during the previous Yugoslav wars of separation, much is also due to certain actors in Europe whose precipitate action in recognising the new independent states lit the touch paper of the awaiting tinderbox. They made their pronouncement and then they sat back and did nothing whilst watching the unfolding nightmare. Ignorance of what would follow might have been an excuse in the case of Croatia but given what occurred there no such excuse can be believed in the case of Bosnia. And yet now, Europe is driving for Kosovan independence which, though it might not precipitate a wider conflict – the dynamics of the region are very different - will certainly result in local blood being spilt and will see Serbia, always wary of Russia, being driven further into its bear hug. What a clever move on the part of our lords and masters in Brussels.
MN, London, UK
The EU does not of course support Cyprus in its opposition to the military occupation of about half its terrirory by the Turks. True to this logic, the EU supports the Muslim Albanians call for independence in Kosovo. Sometimes it seems that Muslims are the de facto leaders of the EU. Everything they do and call for is supported by EU leaders who have zero support from their own people. I loathe and detest the Russian government but fully agree with them and Serbia about Kosovo. Fortunately many of us will not be here, ie Europe, when the pan Arab state comes into being.
E. Purgold, cambridge, UK
Sudetenland was similarly prized away from an artificial state created by postwar treaty......no reason for EU or NATO to uphold Helsinki Final Act 1975 if it no longer serves their purposes.....it is only a scrap of paper after all
TomTom, Leeds, England