Kosovo General News thread:

Vladimir79 wrote:Instead of waisting their time with that, why don't they crackdown on the Kosovo schiptar drug/sex-slave rings flooding Europe?

Odalovic: No donors for exhumations

BELGRADE, August 18 (Tanjug) - It is unacceptable that the exhumations in Belacevac in Kosovo and Metohija, where more than 20 Serbs and other non-Albanians went missing, has been postponed again, President of the Serbian government's Commission for Missing Persons Veljko Odalovic stated Monday.

He told Tanjug that it is hard to believe that foreign donors are not willing to finance the exhumation project in the area, where, according to witnesses, victims' bodies are located.

EULEX representative, whose team is in charge of forensic investigations, informed the Association of Families of the Kidnapped and Murdered in Kosovo that the exhumations have been postponed until the summer of 2010.

The letter signed by EULEX official Alan Robinson reads that ten exhumation phases planned in Belacevac area require considerable financing. However, none of approximately 30 countries that they had spoken to had expressed willingness to help the project.

“I simply cannot comprehend that the donors, who gave financial support to Kosovo for various causes and could secure hundreds and billions of dollars from different funds during the anti-Serbian campaign, could not provide financial help for the exhumations in Belacevac,” Odalovic said.

http://www.tanjug.rs/DefaultE.aspx

Vladimir79 wrote:Can you break down the main parties and what they represent?

Program

The political activity of the Serbian Progressive Party is based on 10 main principles.

1. Protecting the territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia. The Party considers Kosovo and Metohija as the heart of Serbia and an integral part of the territory of Serbia; they will not accept any attempt to take away parts of Serbia's territory and will protect the state and national interests in every inch of the territory in an uncompromisable way. At the same time, the Party will use political and economic measures that Serbia has at its disposal to further build its judicial and political system, particularly in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, which was, is and will be an integral part of Serbia, in accordance with the Constitution.

2. The Party reaffirms that Serbia, as a country of the Serbian people and of all its citizens, will have its duty to help Serbian people outside if its borders, especially in the territories of the former Yugoslavia. Fighting for a right to live, individual property and return for Serbs expelled from the Republika Srpska Krajina and Croatia will be one of the main focuses of the Serbian Progressive Party. At the same time, the Party believes in building stronger political ties and economic unity with Republika Srpska and that it will be a realistic policy aimed at creating a common or unified state of the Serbian people and all the people living on the territory of Serbia and Republika Srpska, in a peaceful way with respect of the will of the people. The party argues that Serbia, as the home state of the Serbian people, should protect the Serbian people in Montenegro to achieve basic national rights and freedoms, protecting their tradition and culture, and especially creating conditions for a prosperous future. The Party considers the previous policy of the Serbian state towards the Serbian diaspora as inadequate, and will thus do its best to help its citizens who live outside of Serbia, to give them an opportunity to affect situations in their home state, to present bridges of better understanding and cooperation between the Serbian state and other states, and to use their knowledge and experience with a goal of economically and socially prospering Serbia.

3. The Serbian Progressive Party will fight for the formation of a stable state in which the rule of law and respect for the Constitution will be the foundation of state government. Equality before law must be achieved, which means that no individual, no matter which function he or she is on, is untouchable and must bear the same responsibility under law as any other citizen of Serbia.

4. The Party will fight for respect of the Constitution's, but international treaties' as well, rights of national minorities. Serbia, as a country with a kaleidoscope of national and religious diversity, must be an example of national and religious tolerance, the unified and friendly life of people who love their country and respect their laws.

5. Serbia as a small, but proud, country, must work on improving its role and position in the world by being a bridge between East and West. The Party considers this very important, as well as Serbia cooperating with its friends, using benefits that come from all over the world, from Eastern and Western hemispheres. Serbia's goal of entering the European Union should not be doubted, but Serbia can enter the EU only as a sovereign state, with Kosovo and Metohija as its integral part. At the same time, Serbia should develop the closest ties with the Russian Federation, China, India and other world political and economic powers, as well as traditional Serbian allies and friends, furthering the bilateral relations in coordinance with the program goals, which also means working on activities that will change the opinions of countries that have, especially in the last few years, not given Serbia the support that her legitimate interests warrant.

6. Military neutrality is the only logical and rational solution for the Serbian state in times of sharp confrontations between NATO and Russia. Military neutrality means an efficient, technically equipped, professional and strong Serbian Army which will bring back national confidence in it and which will be ready to be the adequate power in any moment to protect every potential aggressor.

7. The Party will fight against corruption and criminal, because without a truly legally founded battle against the greatest evil of the modern Serbian society there is no economic or social betterment of Serbia.

8. Economic prosperity, a strong industry, with a rational utilization of national resources in accordance with the highest interests of the citizens of Serbia and cutting down unemployment will be the main goals of the Progressive Party.

9. The Serbian Progressive Party will create a state of social justice, because "justice holds the state and cities". This means that, in all spheres of social life, they will make conditions for a normal life for those who are the most endangered, children, persons with special needs, retired citizens who were brutally robbed by the state in previous decades. A right to medical treatment must be universal, no matter their financial status. Also, every child must get equal chances for education and presenting his or her qualities.

10. Equal regional development and decentralization of Serbia are a condition for its prosperity.

Turk1 wrote:So are you ticked they have ties, or suprised they recognize their own people?

Vladimir79 wrote:I don't think it matters how many troops are there. That is just political maneuvering to make Serbia look like people are respecting territorial sovereignty. NATO will do what it wants irregardless of what they ask and will not abide by it since their goal is to debase Serbia's claim no matter what.

Jelena wrote:

There is nothing we can do but to follow the situation for now and to hope for the best (like complete collapse of US or similar)!

Vladimir79 wrote:Destructive bastards aren't they.

just as we said 'welcome', we can say 'goodbye'."

Vladimir79 wrote:

just as we said 'welcome', we can say 'goodbye'."

Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. These schiptars must really be scared over what the ICJ is going to decide if they causing this much trouble over a few Serbian police.

K. Albanians "pressuring EULEX"

30 August 2009 | 16:56 | Source: Beta
BELGRADE -- Disputes between the west and Kosovo over the EU mission "indicate a growing security challenge" for both, Stratfor think-tank writes.

The agency refers in its analysis to ethnic Albanian Self-Determination Movement and its leader Albin Kurti as "the leader of a Kosovo nationalist nongovernmental organization", and quotes his statement that demonstrations against EULEX would continue.

Earlier this week, 21 members of the movement were arrested after they demolished 28 EULEX vehicles parked in a Priština lot, in protest of an announced cooperation protocol between EULEX and Serbian police (MUP).

The analysis claims that tensions between Kosovo residents, that it refers to as "Kosovars", and the west "have been simmering for years", and that "the problem is not one that will be solved so long as EULEX remains in Kosovo".

"The latest uptick in anti-EU sentiment could foreshadow a serious problem for the Western law enforcement effort in the nascent Balkan state," says Stratfor.

The article continues to state that while "it is clear that Priština soured on the presence of international forces long ago" it remains "unclear" how far Kosovo Albanian leaders are prepared to go "towards using" groups like Self-Determination "to pressure EULEX to leave".

"Should Priština begin to openly support popular movements aimed at attaining complete sovereignty over Kosovo," the article continues, the West’s position in Kosovo "will become increasingly tenuous".

Reminding that first UNMIK and then EULEX were tasked with maintaining order in the territory, the agency writes that "Priština sees the EULEX presence as palatable only so long as it is confined to two policy missions: training the nascent Kosovo police forces to international standards, and containing the restive Kosovo Serb minority population. Beyond these two mandates, the raison d’etre for any international mission within its borders ceases to exist."

But, according to this, the west views the situation "much differently".

"Brussels fears that a Kosovo left to its own devices, with porous borders that span Albanian populated regions in Macedonia and Albania, rampant corruption and a lack of meaningful economic activity, would turn into exactly that. This would become a serious security threat to Europe. And that is why EULEX has shown no indications it is prepared to leave or abate its efforts to curb organized crime activity in Kosovo."

The analysis also looks at the support from the west for the ethnic Albanians' unilateral secession declaration – that it refers to as "Kosovo's independence" – and says it came because of foreign policy reasons "affected by geopolitics", and, "in relation to the existence of a belligerent Belgrade".

"Support of an independent Kosovo reduced Serbia’s size, territory and power projection, rendering it incapable of threatening its Balkan neighbors," says Stratfor, and adds that the west "never thought out fully what a Kosovar state would actually mean".

The agency believes that "Belgrade, meanwhile, is undoubtedly enjoying the show from the sidelines".

"For years, Serbia was cast as a pariah state by the west, one whose reputation was stained by the legacy of Slobodan Milošević," and its perpetual "failure" to apprehend "a slew of war criminals", says Stratfor.

"Lately, the mood toward Belgrade seems to be changing in the west, while ironically, it is Kosovo that has increasingly shown signs of antagonism toward those who made its independence possible."

But the article concludes that "the fact remains that no western powers wish to see Serbia regain control" over the province.

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2009&mm=08&dd=30&nav_id=61459

Jelena wrote:I'm not big supporter of ICJ nor their decision! Imagine what will happen if the give "advice" not in favor of Serbia?!? It would be absolute disaster!

Vladimir79 wrote:

Jelena wrote:I'm not big supporter of ICJ nor their decision! Imagine what will happen if the give "advice" not in favor of Serbia?!? It would be absolute disaster!

What else do we have? If ICJ didn't get involved the countries sitting on the fence would have recognised them long ago. The worst case scenerio is an innevitable conclusion anyway. If ICJ rules in favour of Serbian case, countries will drop from independence stance like flies.