Posted on 03/11/2008 12:11:21 PM PDT by TBP
One man's meat is another man's poison is never truer than in the case of a new born country. The independence of Kosovo has thrown up diagonally opposite views ranging from the ‘congratulatory note’ to the threat of ‘not allowing Kosovo to ever become a member of the international community and the United Nations’. This is an endless debate and each politician’s and commentator’s view depends on which side of the fence he is.
The Serbian president has vowed revenge and has said, “Serbia has reacted and will react with all peaceful, diplomatic and legal means to annul this act committed by Kosovo's institutions.”
Though Serbia's main ally, Russia, soon threw its considerable weight behind Serbian president Tadic's message by calling a special meeting of the United Nations Security Council to discuss the issue late Sunday, but failed to secure backing for its call to declare Kosovo's declaration "null and void." However it was able to neutralise some countries like New Zealand, whose Prime Minster, Helen Clark said that, "We neither recognize nor not recognize.” Nonetheless, the balkanisation of the Balkans is a fait accompli and the generations of Kosovar Gastarbeiter –guest workers now have a home and their days of statelessness are over.
China said that “Kosovo's unilateral act can produce a series of results that will lead to seriously negative influence on peace and stability in the Balkan region and on the realization of building a multi-ethnic society in Kosovo, and called on the two sides of Serbia and Kosovo to continue to seek a proper solution through negotiation within the framework of international law.”
In the same strain, Sri Lanka said that the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo could set an unmanageable precedent in the conduct of international relations, the established global order of sovereign states and could thus pose a grave threat to international peace and security. It sounded like the Devil citing the Bible, to read Sri Lanka’s exhortation that, "This action by Kosovo is a violation of the Charter of the United Nations, which enshrines the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states."
Australia followed the United States in recognising Kosovo with the Liberal Prime Minister Kevin Rudd saying that, "The sorry history of Kosovo means that we've got to do whatever we can do to ensure the citizens of that part of the world are protected into the future.”
Taiwan put the position in perspective by unambiguously declaring that "Self-determination is a right recognized by the United Nations, and it is the people who are masters of their nation's future and in no way should the independence of one nation be denied by another.
How hopeful Tamils feel can be gauged from this response from the Tamil daily Sudar Oli, which editorially asserted that “Kosovo’s independence is a historical necessity, an unavoidable event. Colombo was aware that if Kosovo - with 4,200 sq miles and a population of two million - could be independent, 'Tamil Eelam' - with 7,500 sq miles and a population of four million - would have a stronger case for seeking autonomy.”
The Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov sounded devastated at the continuous breaking of Russia and said that this dangerous development has the potential to rake up conflagrations elsewhere. He said, “Basques may demand secession from Spain, Tiroleans could secede from Italy and Hungarians from Romania. North Caucasians may demand secession from Russia, and Bavaria may insist on independence from the Federal Republic of Germany.” He forgot to add Tamil Eelam from Sri Lanka; Kashmir, Punjab and the north-eastern states from India.
The Kosovo declaration has come as a harbinger of hope for peoples and nations aspiring for statehood and they see it as a precedent which they can follow in the years to come.
"I salute the independence of Kosovo. No people can be forced to live under the rule of another," said Mehmet Ali Talat, leader of the Turkish Cypriots.
Kosovo is "a lesson in how to resolve conflicts of identity and membership, peacefully and democratically," said Miren Askarate, spokeswoman for the Basque regional government in northern Spain.
Renewed hope for Sikhs: Sikh organizations that have been advocating sovereignty for the Sikhs could not hide their sentiments when Kosovo unilaterally declared independence. Mainstream Sikh organizations were oblivious of the development and were reveling in their blissful ignorance. Shiromani Akali Dal (Presidium) led by Daljit Singh applauded the release of Kosovo from Serbia, and said that it would strengthen the cause of various ethnic groups struggling for independence. Appreciating the recognition of Kosovo as a separate nation by the United States, he appealed to it to support other minorities including the Sikhs.
Daljit Singh has commended the political role of guerilla warrior turned Prime Minister Hashim Thaci and said that no one takes to arms unless forced to do so for survival and resistance. "It would be wise to grant independence to struggling ethnic nations rather than continue bloodshed and disharmony said Daljit Singh and Kanwarpal Singh, who too are insurgent-turned political activists.
Dal Khalsa greeted the people of Kosovo for their hard earned independence and said that the present development provides hopes to the Sikhs. “Despite a multitude of barriers, Kosovars remained steadfast to their ideal and peacefully pursued for independence, without being threatened or scared away. It was this spirit from which our community has a lot to learn” said Kanwarpal Singh, the spokesperson of the party..
Further from Punjab, two British parliamentarians, Lord Ahmed and Elfyn Llywd, who have formed the group, Parliamentarians for National Self-Determination congratulated the people of Kosovo on their formal independence. They pledged full support to Kosovars in the coming years. The cause of freedom, dignity and the rule of law have been served and Kosovo's success will offer hope to those other nations and peoples who continue to pursue their own fundamental freedoms.
While most countries would have been content at calling the Kosovars as terrorists, prior to their independence, this group had hosted a public meeting of Kosovo representatives in the Houses of Parliament, Westminster in December 2007 in order to highlight the legitimacy and justice of their struggle.
It was refreshing to hear from David Miliband, the Foreign Secretary who while speaking on Radio 4 on 19th February, soon after Kosovo’s declaration of independence said that "seeking self-determination as part of a UN process……. and eventual resolution of the dispute. If we'd tried to sit on that aspiration, if we'd tried to deny it, I think we'd have far more instability and danger". Whether he would say the same for Kashmir and the Sikhs is another matter. Presently, the same Radio station seems to be adversely concerned about “British Sikh funding Sikh insurgency in their homeland Punjab”
British Member of Parliament Lord Ahmed was categorical that “other intractable conflicts around the globe may be similarly addressed by the UN and the international community in a serious effort to secure peaceful outcomes in accordance with international law.”
Pratap Bhanu Mehta, while writing in The Indian Express on developments in Kosovo has said that Kosovo has set a dangerous precedent in international law and that “every unsavoury separatist was gloating.” Can we recall what India did when it smashed and grabbed Sikkim not very long ago? Also how it annexed a number of north-eastern states in 1948 and how it reneged on promises to Sikhs and Kashmiris?
Howsoever unsavoury it may be, those who commit tyranny like Slobodan Milosevic, Indira Gandhi et al should be ready to taste that poison which is meat for the seekers of the right to self-determination.
TBP, you’re bringing up this Khalistan crap again. Give it up, it’s long dead.
Freedom and independence are wonderful. Provided you do it on your own property..... Kosovo belongs to Serbia.
LOL!!!
What we now have, is an Islamofascist state that is also comprised of Europeans, in the form of Kosovo.
Yes it is. I'd like to see what every arab/muslim nation has to say about this. That would be telling. Would we get the wide array of differing opinion?
Thanks for posting. Very interesting, but an incomplete review of WORLD opinion.
Hmm, let us do so, shall we?
On April 14, 1975, a referendum merged Sikkim with the union of India. Sikkim became the 22nd Indian State on April 26, 1975. On May 16, 1975 Sikkim officially became a state of the Indian Union and Lendup Dorji became head of State (chief minister). This was promptly recognised by the United Nations and all countries except China.
http://www.nationmultimedia.com/2008/01/22/opinion/opinion_30062977.php
Published on January 22, 2008
Like a broken string of pearls, the kingdom of Bhutan, the former kingdoms of Sikkim and Ladakh, and the possibly soon-to-be republic of Nepal encompass large swathes of the Himalayas, its foothills and valleys, as buffer states between India and Tibet.
After India's independence in 1947, many of the subcontinent's princely states quietly joined the new country, shedding their monarchies. But Ladakh, located on the eastern end of India's far northern state of Jammu and Kashmir, maintained a ceremonial monarchy until the death of the last king in 1974. And, digging in, Bhutan and Sikkim held out for agreements with India in 1949 and 1950, respectively, which effectively made them protectorates of India. While Bhutan managed to break free of India's close embrace, joining the UN in 1971, a majority in tiny Sikkim was hankering to join its enormous southern neighbour.
In the early 1970s in Sikkim, the majority ethnic Nepalese chaffed at the autocratic control of the minority Bhutia, a Tibetan people who had ruled the state as a majority from the founding of the kingdom of Sikkim in 1642 until the mid-1800s, when Nepali farmers swarmed into the tiny kingdom. In April 1973, after making allegations that a round of elections had been rigged in favour of the Bhutia, ethnic Nepali Sikkimese protested en masse in front of the king's palace, demanding civil rights and the sidelining or even removal of what they called the "feudal" monarchy. Having isolated himself by stubbornly refusing to compromise, Palden Thondup Namgyal, the last king of Sikkim, ultimately caved in and signed the May 8 (1973) Agreement.
The document called on India to provide a chief executive, and to hold elections for an assembly under the "one man, one vote" system, but with the condition that no one party dominate. Essentially this meant enfranchising the Nepali majority, latecomers to Sikkim that they were, while protecting classical Sikkimese (Bhutia) and native traditions of the Lepcha people. The agreement was the first step in a process that would lead to the Sikkimese populace voting overwhelmingly in favour of union with India in a 1975 referendum.
While the peoples of Sikkim have had a relatively successful experience living in a peaceful democracy ever since, in 1982 Namgyal died a heartbroken man who had lost his kingdom and whose wife divorced him.
Today, Nepal's embattled monarch would have had a much easier time of attempting to salvage the reigning Shah Dynasty had he looked at what happened in Sikkim, where the monarchy was toppled a generation ago.
Nepal's King Gyanendra, who became monarch after a tragic palace massacre in 2001, has had his back up against the wall ever since taking control of the government in a royal coup in 2005. He was forced into relinquishing his power by reinstating parliament after bloody street protests in April 2006 which saw the main political parties form a common position with the country's Maoist insurgents. The latest attempt at democratisation has seen parliament flounder once again, due to the prickly parliamentarians who belong to the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist), which insists that the monarchy be overthrown without further delay.
In December 2007, the Nepali parliament voted that Nepal would no longer be an officially Hindu kingdom, but rather a secular republic. The actual dethronement of the king and the designation of the country as a republic is expected to be enacted by the Constituent Assembly (CA), which is supposed to be voted on by April. The CA's seats will be filled by a fully proportional system.
In a recent interview with the Sikkim Times, Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Chamling said Nepal should learn from Sikkim if it wants to become a mature democracy. That would be no small task for Nepal, which witnessed failed attempts at achieving lasting democracy in the 1950s and 1990s. Worse, endemic poverty during the late 1900s was so severe it led to a civil war from 1996 to 2006 between the government and the Maoists, which left more than 12,700 people dead.
Today the Nepalese monarchy and its beleaguered supporters are being outmanoeuvred by the leftist coalition. While peace may prevail, it may have to be at the cost of the monarchy itself.
In Bhutan, ethnic Nepalis are struggling to retain their culture against the majority Druk population, which doesn't want the kingdom to become another Sikkim in terms of relinquishing power to the ethnic Nepali, who began populating southern Bhutan around the same time as they were spreading into Sikkim.
Yet even a chic, quirky Buddhist kingdom proud of its "Gross National Happiness" cannot disguise the fact that some 100,000 noticeably less than gleeful ethnic Nepali-Bhutanese were forced to leave their homes in southern Bhutan under government pressure almost two decades ago. They have been languishing in refugee camps in southeastern Nepal ever since.
While Bhutan's government is understandably worried about a Sikkimese-style ending to its 101-year old Wangchuk Dynasty, because of the country's ethnic Nepali, who have a higher birth-rate than the majority Druk, the country could learn how to share power peaceably, albeit grudgingly, as the three major ethnic groups do in Sikkim. The country should also be in a better position to avoid future agitation by remaking their absolute monarchy a constitutional one.
Bhutan's young King Jigme Khesar Namgyal Wangchuck, in what can be thought of as a pre-emptive strike against Sikkim-style agitation, is staying one step ahead of what may have become a democracy-demanding population, and is introducing democracy in the first half of this year like manna trickling down from above. On January 1, in the first elections of their kind, the Bhutanese went to the polls to vote for a National Council. Elections for Bhutan's parliament are expected to take place in February and March.
Time will tell if Nepal's forces battling for democracy from the bottom up as well as Bhutanese democracy passed down from a king will lead to peaceful enfranchisement in these mysterious, timeless lands in the Himalayas.
Carleton Cole
The Nation
this is a product of the effete elite nanny staters. They are “taking” us somewhere and now they are seperating the bad children long enough to accomplish their goals.
Then when they get enough of their socialism in place the albrights of the world will demand to reunify yougoslavia.
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