Posted on 02/21/2008 11:04:42 AM PST by 11th_VA
BELGRADE, Serbia - Serb rioters broke into the U.S. Embassy Thursday and set fire to an office after a massive protest against Kosovo's independence that drew an estimated 150,000 people.
Masked attackers broke into the building, which has been closed this week, and tried to throw furniture from an office. A blaze broke out inside one of the offices and parts of the facade also caught fire.
Authorities drove armored jeeps down the street and fired tear gas to clear the crowd. The protesters dispersed into side streets where they continued clashing with authorities.
The neighboring Croatian Embassy also was attacked by the same group of protesters.
In Washington, State Department spokesman Sean McCormack strongly urged the Serbian government to protect the U.S. Embassy. He said the U.S. ambassador was at his home and was in contact with U.S. officials.
More than a dozen nations have recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence on Sunday, including the United States, Britain, France and Germany.
But the declaration by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership has been rejected by Serbia's government and the ethnic Serbians who populate northern Kosovo. Russia, China and numerous other nations have also condemned the declaration, saying it sets a precedent that separatist groups around the world will seek to emulate.
Kosovo, which is 90 percent ethnic Albanian, has not been under Belgrade's control since 1999, when NATO launched airstrikes to halt a Serbian crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. A U.N. mission has governed Kosovo since, with more than 16,000 NATO troops and KFOR, a multiethnic force, policing the province.
But Serbia — and Kosovo's Serbs, who make up less than 10 percent of Kosovo's population — refuse to give up Kosovo, a territory considered the ancient cradle of Serbs' state and religion.
Earlier Thursday, police estimated that about 150,000 people had attended a rally in the Serbian capital. The crowd waved Serbian flags and carried signs reading "Stop USA terror." One group set fire to a red-and-black Albanian flag.
The U.S. embassy in Belgrade burns after masked attackers broke into the building and set an office on fire at the end of a massive protest against Western-backed Kosovo independence, in the Serbian capital, Thursday, Feb. 21, 2008. More than 150,000 Serbs gathered at the rally vowing to retake the territory which is viewed as Serbia's religious and national heartland. (AP Photo)
Thank you Bill Clinton
This is in fact, an act of war, folks.
Oh, hell...
I’m not surprised................is anyone?.........
I wonder how many millions of our dollars Bush will give them to play nice?
Oh, great... what is it with these people?
No - the embassy was empty - nobody was hurt...
This is not good. Putin pulling the strings.
While technically true, in the end it is what we make of it. Frankly, I'm not sure what the right answer is for this place.
No it's not. This is a violent protest by the citizens of Serbia and not an act of the Serbian Government.
The declaration of independence by Kosovo, however, was an act of war.
I personally think recognizing Kosovo’s claim of independence is going to come back to haunt us for decades to come.
We would be at war with half of the globe if this were the criterion. FYI: It would be an act of war if the Serbian government were the culprit.
Oh that's peachy! At least we don't commit genocide and have rape rooms like the Serbs did...
And why the hell are WE doing the European's job? Can't those Euro winers do ANYTHING at all?
What, are now supporting eveyr seperatist movement in the world?
>>The declaration of independence by Kosovo, however, was an act of war.<<
And we supported it.
Does Serbia have an Abraham Lincoln?
In think you’re kidding yourself if you think Putin needed to drive this. The Serbians are furious on their own. To heck with Putin.
Coming to a country near you (can anyone say 'Mexifornia'?).
If we went to war with every country where our embassy was attacked, we’d be at war with Pakistan, Iran, China, and a few others.
When we let Iran keep our embassy personnel for 444 days, I think we surrendered the sanctity of embassies. . .
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