Posted on 03/31/2004 7:43:30 PM PST by wonders
PRISTINA, Serbia and Montenegro (Reuters) - The United Nations (news - web sites) launched an ambitious plan Wednesday to put Kosovo's bloodied peace process back on track two weeks after the province exploded in ethnic violence.
It detailed policies Kosovo's authorities must implement before talks can begin on its bitterly disputed final status, at the earliest in 2005. Majority Albanians demand independence but beleaguered Serbs say the province should remain part of Serbia.
The road map, with deadlines for meeting democracy and human rights conditions, was already in the works before Albanian mobs attacked Serb villages and churches in two days of bloodshed that left around 20 people dead and some 900 injured.
But officials said the U.N. mission rushed to complete the 120-page document after the worst ethnic clashes since the international community established control of the landlocked territory from Serbia five years ago.
The attacks, blamed by NATO (news - web sites) on Albanian extremists bent on driving remaining Serbs out of Kosovo, dealt a severe setback to Western hopes of bridging the ethnic divide. Around 3,600 minority Serbs fled their ghettos homes in fear.
"Kosovo is still a long way from recovering from the violence of two weeks ago," U.N. governor Harri Holkeri, a former Finnish prime minister, told a news conference, adding that the clashes had underlined the need for a clear policy.
STANDARDS BEFORE STATUS
The province of two million is legally part of Serbia and Montenegro but has been under international rule since NATO's 1999 bombing to end Serb repression of Albanians. Some 220,000 Serbs fled to avoid the subsequent wave of revenge attacks.
Western powers announced late last year they would judge in mid-2005 whether Kosovo had stabilized enough for status talks to begin, saying it must first achieve progress in key areas such as freedom of movement and the return of Serb refugees.
The aim was a "truly multi-ethnic, stable and democratic Kosovo which is approaching European standards."
Wednesday's document specified how this should be achieved, setting deadlines for actions including rebuilding all destroyed property by the end of this year.
"In the light of the violence of March 17-20, the immediate priority is the establishment of the rule of law, prosecution of perpetrators and public respect for law and order," it said.
Kosovo's ethnic Albanian Prime Minister, Bajram Rexhepi, has condemned the anti-Serb violence and his government earmarked five million euros ($6.12 million) for more than 800 destroyed or damaged houses, public buildings and churches.
"The government is determined to fulfill these standards and after the evaluation by mid-2005 to start the process for defining Kosovo's final status," he told the news conference.
Kosovo Serb leaders, who before the latest violence often accused the United Nations of failing to ensure the minority's safety, boycotted work on the plan. They were not immediately available for comment Wednesday.
Now this I have to see.
There is NO CHANGE in UN policy.
By the way in the last 2 days the Kosovo Protection Corps units (old KLA) have left their barracks in Kosovo and have taken positions in the mountains toward Serbia and Macedonia.
The Kosovo Albanian troops are mobilised and ready for some sort of action.
What ever it is the local NATO intelligence agencies know about it but are NOT doing anything about it.
The Macedonian presidential elections are on in April and the Albanians might try to distrupt them.
At the same time the US has withheld 100 million dollar aid to Serbia on 30th of March.
The ONLY country that has provided HUMANITARIAN AID to the SERBS in Kosovo has been RUSSIA!!! Where is the West??
The west only sent additional troops and no relief.
Nothing has changed there since 5 years ago.
I expect a limited war very soon.
Yes.
There is NO CHANGE in UN policy.
No change in policy, "But officials said the U.N. mission rushed to complete the 120-page document..."
Why the rush now? Click the link and see whose picture is posted with the article (Grossman). And what has Holbrooke been saying lately and publicly?
By the way in the last 2 days the Kosovo Protection Corps units (old KLA) have left their barracks in Kosovo and have taken positions in the mountains toward Serbia and Macedonia.
Spring is around the corner! According to Belgrade, they seized a weapons cache in the Presevo Valley yesterday: BIA, police seize weapons near Kosovo border
Sigh.
It was announced today that in Macedonia there are 1,695,103 eligible voters registered.
In order to vote one must be over 18 and a Macedonian citizen.
The 2002 Census states that in Macedonia there are 2,022,547 people living.
Out of them 21.08% are 15 years of age and under. That is 426,352 that are 15 and under. Those are not eligible to vote of course.
That leaves 1,596,195 people left!!! that are 16 and over!!
And yet the Minister for Justice Memeti (Albanian) comes up with this 1,695,103 figure.
IT IS ALL BULLSHIT.
The Chairman of the Macedonian Census Commission resigned due to few reasons. The Commission was under pressure of the WEST not to publish how many of those residents living in Macedonia are actual citizens of Macedonia.
Large number of the Albanians in Macedonia have moved in from Kosovo and are not even citizens are influencing Macedonian politics. We are talking about at least 150,000 people.
The Western sponsored Framework agreement for Macedonia just allowed terrorist to infiltrate the government in Macedonia.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.