Posted on 02/27/2008 7:23:24 PM PST by Tailgunner Joe
The top U.S. intelligence official says Serbia's government ordered police not to interfere with rioters who attacked the Belgrade embassies of western countries, including the United States, for their recognition of Kosovo's independence. VOA's Deborah Tate reports from Capitol Hill, where Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell made his comments Wednesday.
Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell told the Senate Armed Services Committee that Serbia's government directed police not to intervene in the violent demonstrations in Belgrade last week.
"We have good information that when the U.S. Embassy and the British Embassy and others were attacked, a decision was taken by the government of Serbia to pull the police back and allow them to be attacked, burn the embassy and conduct the violence," said Michael McConnell.
The U.S. embassy in Belgrade reopened Wednesday, nearly a week after demonstrators set fire to the consular section to protest U.S. backing for Kosovo independence, which many Serbs consider their country's historic heartland. However, an embassy statement said the consular section would remain closed for an indeterminate amount of time.
McConnell said he predicts some level of violence to continue in Serbia, and he questioned how willing the government in Belgrade will be to control any future unrest.
"The forces that are there now can contain a low-level of violence," he said. "If it is extended, it would probably be beyond their control. So the question is how determined is the leadership in Serbia and will they incite violence at a much higher level than we have observed to date?"
At the same hearing, Defense Intelligence Agency director, Lieutenant General Michael Maples, expressed concern about the potential for violence in Kosovo's Serb stronghold of north Mitrovica, although he said NATO peacekeepers there have been able to provide a safe and secure environment so far.
I expected that.....
We should pass a law... ;-)
Oh, those fated words should be enshrined somewhere.
Maybe we could bomb some more christian civilians again...
to keep those peaceful muslims safe and all.
How I despise this sitution.
What ever happened to all the Pan Slavist Kremlin bootlickers who used to get on these threads? Were they all banned? (Disclaimer - I certainly did not agree with what Slick Willie did, back in the day ... but since the early 2000s, the Pan Slavist punks have been annoying)
Small price to pay for our bombing their country.
As I recall, Mayor Dinkins allowed blacks to riot in Brooklyn for three days.
And the Mayor of L.A. reprimanded the police for breaking up a Hispanic riot in a park last year.
I’m glad no one in our embassy was hurt, but frankly our government asked for it. Maybe they should send a few high-ranking State Department executives into the danger zone they have helped to create there.
Pull the embassy.
:)
Pull the embassy.
:)
The Milosevikniks will be here soon to tell us how the borders of various foreign countries should be just as important to us as our own borders.
Really, who cares what they say? It’s mostly all bs anyway, especially the spew now coming out about Kosovo and Serbia.
Belgrade either didn’t know the riots were coming, and was caught flatfooted, which is the most charitable interpretation; or,
Belgrade knew the riots were coming and didn’t send enough police presence to protect the Embassy, which is negligence; or,
Belgrade knew the riots were coming and deliberately didn’t protect the Embassy, which is state-condoned terrorism.
Bombing Serbia was state condoned terrorism.
Oh, it’s the Holy War thing that you and Osama got going with each other again, huh?
Her name was Milica Rakic and she died to take the Juanita Broaddrick story off the front pages of American newspapers. At three years of age when she was killed by a NATO/KKKlintonista bomb hundreds of kilometers from anything which anybody could call a legitimate military target, Milica likely has the dubious honor of being SlicKKK KKKlintler's youngest female victim. Try doing a few google searches on 'milica rakic' or 'sanja milenkovic' if you think you can take it...
Amen to that!
45 minutes for the cops to show up?
Like the guy said, “These things do not happen in civilized countries.”
Since when are U S borders important to the U S govt.?
The flower of democracy and tolerance has bloomed in Kosova, thanks to today's version of the "sons of liberty" (KLA). A true multi cultural state has emerged where Rom, Jew, Moslem, and Christians live in peace and harmony. It's just those evil Pan Slavists who beat that outmoded drum of nationalism and those commie lovers that present a danger. At least that's what a few in these parts would have you believe.
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