http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/kosovo/ en-us Tue, 7 Oct 2008 23:48:40 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2099990/posts PRISTINA, Kosovo, Oct. 7, 2008 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates visited with U.S. troops assigned to NATO’s Kosovo Force here today. Gates – making the first visit to Kosovo by a defense secretary since 2001 -- said he wanted to thank the 1,400 American servicemembers deployed here. “We haven’t forgotten about them, and we know how important they are,” Gates said during a news conference with Pentagon reporters. The Europeans and Kosovars depend on the American presence, Gates noted. “There has been a great concern that we might pull out, and what I have reassured our allies is... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2099990/posts#comment Tue, 7 Oct 2008 23:48:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2094612/posts Hundreds of Kosovar Albanians gather on Sundays to attend religious services in a still unfinished red-brick church in the Kosovo town of Klina. Turning away from the majority Muslim faith imposed by the Ottoman Turks centuries ago, these worshippers are part of a revival of Catholicism in the newly independent Balkan state. "We have been living a dual life. In our homes we were Catholics but in public we were good Muslims," said Ismet Sopi. "We don't call this converting. It is the continuity of the family's belief." Sopi has commuted 40 km (25 miles) every Sunday from central Kosovo... Javno http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2094612/posts#comment Wed, 1 Oct 2008 04:35:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2094452/posts NAJAF, Iraq, Sept 30 (Reuters) - In the holy Iraqi Shi'ite city of Najaf, Iranian tourists throng the streets, speak to shopkeepers in Farsi and pay in Iranian money. Farsi chants blare from speakers at a nearby shrine. The scene would probably horrify both the United States and Iraq's Sunni Arab neighbours, who suspect Shi'ite non-Arab Iran of nefarious and subversive influence in Arab lands. Even some of Najaf's citizens are wary of Iranian leverage. But the city, a centre of religious and political power in Shi'ite-majority Iraq, benefits from Iranian tourism and aid. The uniforms of rubbish men sport... reuteurs http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2094452/posts#comment Wed, 1 Oct 2008 00:44:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2092998/posts The youngest state in Europe, Kosovo, is known for its majority Muslim population that is only episodically observant, likes very much beer and the local grappa called raki, and is extravagantly fond of the US. Commentators like to call this particular brand of religion "Islam-lite," and favourably compare the "good Muslims" that it breeds with other Muslims who fall for fundamentalism. How long this state of affairs will last is debatable nowadays. The reason is not that the jihadists are taking over, as a vicious and unrelenting propaganda spearheaded by Serb nationalists intimates. On the contrary, it looks like Islam... The Guardian http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-religion/2092998/posts#comment Mon, 29 Sep 2008 12:46:19 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2087242/posts UNITED NATIONS (AFP) - The UN General Assembly is to debate Serbia's call for an opinion by the International Court of Justice on Kosovo's independence, a spokesman said Friday. Enrique Yeves told AFP that the 192-member assembly approved a recommendation of its general committee to have the issue put on the agenda of the assembly's 63rd session, which formally opened Tuesday, SNIP Ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo, a UN-run province of Serbia since 1999 when it was wrested from Belgrade's control in a NATO air war, unilaterally seceded from Belgrade on February 17. Its statehood has been recognised by 46 countries, including... AFP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2087242/posts#comment Sun, 21 Sep 2008 20:23:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086170/posts September 17, 2008 SERBIANNA Serbian infants, some in incubators, are on a verge of death because of lack of oxygen that is deliberately held back until Kosovo Serbs recognize Kosovo as an independent state. "If you want your babies and elderly to live, if you want oxygen, recognize independent Kosovo," quotes a message Dr. Stojan Sekulic from the General Hospital in Gracanica received. Dr. Sekulic says that the separatist authorities in the province have seized oxygen bottles sent to his hospital from Belgrade and have told him that they will be delivered only when Serbs recognize Kosovo. Spokesman for UNMIK... Serbianna http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086170/posts#comment Fri, 19 Sep 2008 22:44:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085687/posts In the late 1990s, a crisis began to develop in the Serbian province of Kosovo. Over the years, Albanians had moved into the province in a broad migration. By 1997, the province was overwhelmingly Albanian, although it had not only been historically part of Serbia but also its historical foundation. Nevertheless, the Albanians showed significant intentions of moving toward either a separate state or unification with Albania. Serbia moved to resist this, increasing its military forces and indicating an intention to crush the Albanian resistance. There were many claims that the Serbians were repeating the crimes against humanity that were... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085687/posts#comment Fri, 19 Sep 2008 10:00:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085686/posts The Centre needs from 10 to 15 50-liter bottles of oxygen daily. The current reserves are running out and are kept for emergency cases only. The director of the Health Centre in Gracanica, Rada Trajkovic, appealed to Kosovo authorities to permanently resolve the problem of supply of medicines and medical equipment to Serb communities in Kosmet. Administration must not cause the suffering of people depending on health institutions in Serb enclaves, she said commenting on a decision of the southern Mitrovica customs to retain 10 bottles with oxygen intended for the clinical and hospital centre in Gracanica, central Kosmet, due... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085686/posts#comment Fri, 19 Sep 2008 09:54:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082549/posts Two decades have passed since the dissolution of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia began destabilizing southeast Europe, but there is still little reason to proclaim that the region has reached the point of no return for ethnic conflicts and wars. Until recently, many pundits blamed the unresolved issue of Kosovo as the main cause for enduring instability. Yet, even after the overwhelmingly Albanian majority in this Serbian province declared independence on 17 February, 2008—a unilateral move sponsored and micro-managed for the most part by the United States—there is no evidence that the political endgame in the region has started.... Harvard Internationar Review http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082549/posts#comment Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:56:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082547/posts 14 September 2008 | 13:50 | Source: Tanjug TURIN -- Former Spanish PM Jose Maria Aznar urged Brussels to tread carefully in the Caucasus. "In the case of South Ossetia and Abkhasia, the European Union must not repeat the mistake it made with Kosovo," Aznar said in Turin on Saturday. "The violation of Serbia's territorial integrity on the grounds of ethnic criteria was a serious mistake," Aznar, who heads the Spanish Foundation for Social Studies and Analyses, told an international conference and added that as a result, Russia had been brought into a good position to support the independence of... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082547/posts#comment Mon, 15 Sep 2008 09:45:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081550/posts Serbian Minister of Foreign Affairs Vuk Jeremic will travel to the United States to meet with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. During the visit to the US, the Minister will repeat Serbia's position that the unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo-Metohija is unacceptable to Serbia. He will present the elements of Serbia's legal initiative before the UN General Assembly. The government yesterday authorised Jeremic to meet with the US Secretary of State, which is in line with provisions of the Action plan adopted by the previous government. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081550/posts#comment Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:34:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081545/posts President Sejdiu also added that "Islam in the Republic of Kosovo has played an important role for centuries in becoming an example of tolerance, peace and love between all ethnic and religious groups." In a letter sent to Grand Mufti Naim Tërnava, President Sejdiu wrote: "Today, we all feel happy because this is the first time Kosovo observes this important Muslim holy month as an independent and sovereign nation. The contribution of all citizens of Muslim creed, particularly the Islamic community of Kosovo and its Grand Mufti Naim Tërnava’s contribution and commitment towards building a democratic independent and sovereign state... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081545/posts#comment Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:26:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081541/posts 11 September 2008 Pristina _ There appears to be no respite in the high number of suicides in Kosovo, with 25 cases registered in the first six months of this year, the Kosovo Police says. In a press release issued on Wednesday, the police said 25 people have committed suicide between January and July 2008, while another 105 people have attempted to take their life. According to police statistics, most of the suicides happened in the Pristina region, while most of the victims are over 40 years old. More than 400 suicides have been recorded in Kosovo between 2000 and... Balkaninsight.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081541/posts#comment Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:22:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075432/posts Serbian government officials insisted Friday that an energy deal with Russia is of the utmost national interest, but the opposition Liberals described it as humiliating. The multibillion-dollar agreement envisages that part of a pan-European gas pipeline will run through Serbia, and that Russia will buy Serbia's state oil monopoly, NIS. Serbia and Russia signed the agreement in January, but it must be approved in parliament before it can be fully implemented. The deal has sparked criticism from some pro-Western officials in Serbia who have said that the price of €400 million (US$580 million) offered by the Russians for the majority... AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2075432/posts#comment Fri, 5 Sep 2008 17:37:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072516/posts Barack Obama, the Democratic Party’s candidate for US president, indulged in a campaign swing through Europe. His vice-presidential running partner, Joe Biden, if tempted to do the same, may as well avoid Belgrade. Memories run deep in the Balkans, but among Serbian nationalists, uppermost on their minds is that long-term senator and foreign policy committee figure Biden was strongly in favour of the 1990s bombing of Belgrade. Popular Serbian newspaper Blic reminded its readers on August 28 that Biden was one of those who proposed resolution on bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. “He also believes that all changes in Serbia... Sophia Echo (Bulgaria) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072516/posts#comment Mon, 1 Sep 2008 18:41:33 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072009/posts To be sure, the killing of tens of hundreds of people in the Caucasian region of South Ossetia in a sudden military onslaught by Georgia will turn out to be a landmark event in post-Soviet Russia’s relations with the West. Conceivably, a chapter in the post-Cold War era is ending. Blood has been drawn in the Caucasus, which history shows, is never easy to wipe away. Feuds are known to run for decades even if they bear verisimilitude to family squabbles. The crisis in southern Caucasus was slowly building up ever since Kosovo, the breakaway province of Serbia, declared independence... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2072009/posts#comment Sun, 31 Aug 2008 21:55:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071803/posts Russia warned that Kosovo's independence would create a dangerous precedent. Georgia shows how it did. In February, with U.S. backing, Kosovo declared its independence—nine years after NATO went to war to end Serbia's thuggish behavior in the province. Shortly after Kosovo hoisted its new national flag, Russia, Serbia's patron, warned (in the words of its foreign minister) that the theory of secession used to strip away Kosovo had "created a precedent" applicable elsewhere. Now, in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Georgia—supposedly for the protection of separatists in Abkhazia and South Ossetia—it's a good time to pause and ask, was... Newsweek http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2071803/posts#comment Sun, 31 Aug 2008 15:11:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070756/posts Memories run deep in the Balkans, but among Serbian nationalists, uppermost on their minds is that long-term senator and foreign policy committee figure Biden was strongly in favour of the 1990s bombing of Belgrade. Popular Serbian newspaper Blic reminded its readers on August 28 that Biden was one of those who proposed resolution on bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. “He also believes that all changes in Serbia are the result of pressure from Washington.” The newspaper quoted Obrad Kesic, an analyst in the US of Serbian origin, as saying the choice of Biden was especially bad for Serbia. “I am... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2070756/posts#comment Fri, 29 Aug 2008 20:32:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069974/posts BELGRADE, Serbia: Serbia said Wednesday that a precedent set by the Western recognition of Kosovo's independence led to Russia's recognition of Georgia's two separatist regions. Russia supported Serbia's objections in February when Kosovo declared its independence, but the U.S. and most European Union members recognized the breakaway province as a nation. Serbia refrained from openly criticizing Russia for its armed intervention in the Georgian separatist region of South Ossetia earlier this month, and the Serbian Foreign Ministry statement Wednesday does not explicitly criticize Moscow's recognition of South Ossetia and the other Georgian region, Abkhazia. "Serbian officials have repeatedly warned that... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069974/posts#comment Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:15:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069963/posts 28 August 2008 Belgrade _ The French Foreign Minister says Serbia has a right to seek a world court ruling on the legality of Kosovo’s independence but warned the EU would not fully accept it. In a statement to Serbia’s state news agency Tanjug in Paris, Bernard Kouchner warned that “if eventually the International Court of Justice will consider the case, something I am not certain about, it would have to take into account all relevant elements.” “Do not forget that are international agreements, the United Nations and international community stand (on the issue)… The court will take all of... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069963/posts#comment Thu, 28 Aug 2008 18:03:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069820/posts Switzerland: Ethnic Albanians keep a grip on heroin supplyEthnic Albanian criminal gangs continue to pose a serious security threat, dominating the transit and supply of heroin to Switzerland, warns a federal police expert. By Simon Bradley for swissinfo (27/08/08) Three members of the same Kosovo family are currently on trial in Switzerland accused of operating one of Europe's largest heroin wholesale operations. Prosecutors say the 69-year-old father and his two sons, aged 42 and 28, used their base in the southeast European country to import 1.5 tons of heroin from Turkey for sale elsewhere. "[The clan] has been one of... ISN http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2069820/posts#comment Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:03:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068637/posts Vienna, August 26 – The Kremlin’s claim that Moscow has the right to unilaterally recognize Abkhazia ad South Ossetia because of the West’s recognition of Kosovo has left Serbia, a traditional friend of Russia and the supposed victim of that Western action, in a difficult position, one likely to drive Belgrade ever further from Moscow and ever closer to the West. In an essay posted on the Polit.ru portal today, Sergei Romanenko, a senior scholar at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Economics, notes that developments in the Caucasus over the last month and Moscow’s involvement in and response... Window on Eurasia http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068637/posts#comment Tue, 26 Aug 2008 22:44:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068554/posts When the United States and its key European allies ignored Russia’s protests and recognized Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in February, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice blithely insisted that the Kosovo situation was unique and set no international precedent whatsoever. Prominent members of the foreign policy communities in Europe and the United States echoed her argument. Moscow’s August 26 decision to recognize the independence of Georgia’s separatist enclaves of South Ossetia and Abkhazia demonstrates the arrogant folly of that position. In just a matter of months, the Kosovo precedent has backfired on the United States and generated dangerous tensions... The National Interest http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068554/posts#comment Tue, 26 Aug 2008 20:49:38 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068279/posts The Russo-Georgian war was rooted in broad geopolitical processes. In large part it was simply the result of the cyclical reassertion of Russian power. The Russian empire — czarist and Soviet — expanded to its borders in the 17th and 19th centuries. It collapsed in 1992. The Western powers wanted to make the disintegration permanent. It was inevitable that Russia would, in due course, want to reassert its claims. That it happened in Georgia was simply the result of circumstance. There is, however, another context within which to view this, the context of Russian perceptions of U.S. and European intentions... Stratfor.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068279/posts#comment Tue, 26 Aug 2008 13:56:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068395/posts "The Western world has assisted in the establishment of the Kosovo state, while we anticipate the Islamic world to assist Kosovo strengthening its statehood position in the international arena," said the Grand Mufti of Kosovo, Naim Tërnava, in a meeting with Arab civic leaders during the conference "Kosovo and Arab world" which is taking place in Prishtina. Speaking of the Islamic countries' recognition process of Kosovo independence, Mufti Tërnava stressed that he anticipates seeing the contribution of the Arab intellectuals, publicists, civic leaders and friends in the Islamic world to influence the recognition of Kosovo independence. Mufti Naim Tërnava informs... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2068395/posts#comment Tue, 26 Aug 2008 16:46:51 GMT