Serbia prepares retaliatory measures in anticipation of Kosovo independence declaration

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Serbia discussed retaliatory measures Tuesday against Kosovo and Western countries planning to recognize the province's expected declaration of independence. The measures were expected to be adopted Tuesday at a meeting of Serbia's National Security Council, a top security body that includes the president, prime minister and other senior officials. They

will be kept secret until Kosovo declares independence, possibly next weekend. If the council adopts them, the government would approve the measures and they then could go to the parliament over the weekend for final endorsement. The so-called «Action Plan» is believed to include the downgrading of diplomatic ties with countries that recognize the province's statehood and legal action against them at international courts. Some Serbian officials have said the retaliatory steps may also include an economic blockade of the province and a ban to prevent ethnic Albanians from Kosovo from entering Serbia. They said the measures will also encourage Kosovo's Serb minority, concentrated mostly in the north of the province, to shun the declaration of independence and formally keep their territories under Belgrade's control _ de facto partitioning of the province. Serbia's leadership hopes the measures would legally annul the declaration, which is expected to be pronounced by Kosovo's parliament in the provincial capital, Pristina, possibly Sunday or Monday.

http://www.pr-inside.com/serbia-prepares-retaliatory-measures-in-r435443.htm

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - Serbia discussed retaliatory measures Tuesday against Kosovo and Western countries planning to recognize the province’s expected declaration of independence.
The measures were expected to be adopted Tuesday at a meeting of Serbia’s National Security Council, a top security body that includes the president, prime minister and other senior officials. They

will be kept secret until Kosovo declares independence, possibly next weekend.
If the council adopts them, the government would approve the measures and they then could go to the parliament over the weekend for final endorsement.
The so-called «Action Plan» is believed to include the downgrading of diplomatic ties with countries that recognize the province’s statehood and legal action against them at international courts.
Some Serbian officials have said the retaliatory steps may also include an economic blockade of the province and a ban to prevent ethnic Albanians from Kosovo from entering Serbia.
They said the measures will also encourage Kosovo’s Serb minority, concentrated mostly in the north of the province, to shun the declaration of independence and formally keep their territories under Belgrade’s control _ de facto partitioning of the province.
Serbia’s leadership hopes the measures would legally annul the declaration, which is expected to be pronounced by Kosovo’s parliament in the provincial capital, Pristina, possibly Sunday or Monday.

Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica said in a statement Tuesday that Serbia «will in advance cancel out the illegal unilateral creation of a fake state on its territory.
Serbia wants to keep hold of Kosovo _ considered the cradle of its medieval statehood and religion _ although it has had no control over the province since a 1999 NATO bombing campaign ended a crackdown against ethnic Albanian rebels and forced Belgrade to pull out.
The U.S. and most EU nations support statehood for the U.N.-run province, where 90 percent of the population of 2 million is ethnic Albanian. Serb ally Russia believes that recognizing an independent Kosovo would set a dangerous precedent.

This could get very ugly, very fast. Bosnia may also come apart at the seams at the same time:

"The institutions of Republika Srpska should immediately declare independence of the Serb entity in BIH in the case the Kosmet Assembly decides to proclaim independence of the southern Serbian province, Dane Cankovic, the president of the Serb People’s Movement – the Choice is Ours organization, said. If PM Milorad Dodik does not fulfil his preelection promises that RS will reconsider its position in the case of independence of Kosmet, the Movement will take intensive actions that will lead to secession of RS from the imposed BIH, Cankovic said. He said that, if Albanians, as a national minority, are entitled to independence, then Serbs, as a state-forming nation within BIH, are also entitled to independence."

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