http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/wrongwar/ en-us Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:44:43 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2084651/posts The statement by Yuriy Buligin, a representative of the Russian chamber of commerce, that the ratification of the natural gas and oil agreement by the Serbian Assembly does not also mean that the construction of South Stream will begin has once more raised the question of what the actual future is of that alternative gas pipeline, which is supposed to be an energy link between Russia and Europe. Buligin's position is interpreted as an effort to occupy a better starting position on the eve of the resumption of Serbia's negotiations with Gazprom concerning the construction of South Stream and the... Serbian newspaper Politika http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2084651/posts#comment Wed, 17 Sep 2008 21:44:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2055835/posts National Post, April 08, 2004 We bombed the wrong side? by Lewis MacKenzie Five years ago our television screens were dominated by pictures of Kosovo-Albanian refugees escaping across Kosovo's borders to the sanctuaries of Macedonia and Albania. Shrill reports indicated that Slobodan Milosevic's security forces were conducting a campaign of genocide and that at least 100,000 Kosovo-Albanians had been exterminated and buried in mass graves throughout the Serbian province. NATO sprung into action and, in spite of the fact no member nation of the alliance was threatened, commenced bombing not only Kosovo, but the infrastructure and population of Serbia itself... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2055835/posts#comment Sun, 3 Aug 2008 19:16:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041547/posts BELGRADE - They sit like open sores at the heart of this turbulent eastern European nation. Long before international fugitive Miladin Kovacevic revived tensions between the U.S. and Serbia, NATO bombs reduced a row of once formidable government buildings here to hulking shells. The ravaged red-brick and concrete buildings are still standing nearly 10 years after the American-led aerial assault. They represent a wound that, many Serbians say, still runs deep. "Our people look at America like it's an enemy," said Niko Percovic, 30, a reporter based in the northern city of Novi Sad. That is one of the reasons,... nydailynews.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041547/posts#comment Sun, 6 Jul 2008 20:08:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041169/posts The United States will pledge $400 million in aid to Kosovo next week at a donors conference expected to raise more than $1 billion for the newly independent state, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday..... The Bush administration requested the bulk of its pledge from the U.S. Congress more than a year ago, well before Kosovo declared independence, out of a certainty that the region would need financial help whenever it declared independence. Reuters via Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2041169/posts#comment Sat, 5 Jul 2008 17:45:49 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037143/posts American Deputy Secretary of State John Bolton believes the United States committed a serious mistake when it recognized the independence of Kosovo. He fears such policy may escalate tensions in the Balkans. In an interview for the Russian news agency Interfax, Mr. Bolton remarked that Washington’s policy was on autopilot since the regime of the late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic. But the situation has changed considerably after the democratic government took over, which, in Mr. Bolton’s opinion, makes support for Kosovo’s independence a pointless atavism. RUVR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2037143/posts#comment Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:23:57 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003165/posts GNJILANE, Kosovo, April 17, 2008 – Thronged sidewalks and cafes, jammed roads and packed store shelves suggest progress in this former war zone where National Guard troops play a key role in an international effort to keep the world’s newest country on the path of peace. Army Maj. Gen. Larry Shellito, adjutant general of the Minnesota National Guard; Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty; and Army Brig. Gen. John Davoren, commander of Kosovo Force’s Multinational Task Force East, tour Kosovo on April 12, 2008. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill, National Guard Bureau   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2003165/posts#comment Thu, 17 Apr 2008 23:33:47 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000761/posts Carla del Ponte, the former chief prosecutor for war crimes in former Yugoslavia, has unleashed a storm of recrimination with allegations of a trade in human body parts in Kosovo and Albania after Nato bombed Serbia in 1999. Del Ponte claims, based on what she describes as credible reports and witnesses, that Kosovan Albanian guerrillas transported hundreds of Serbian prisoners into northern Albania where they were killed, and their organs "harvested" and trafficked out of Tirana airport. The Kosovan government, now headed by the former guerrilla leader Hashim Thaci, dismisses the claims as untrue, while Serbia and Russia are demanding... Mail & Guardian on line International http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2000761/posts#comment Sun, 13 Apr 2008 03:09:51 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987097/posts Over 1,300 Kosovo Serbs, in addition to those for whom we know they have been killed and whose remains were handed over to their families by the UNMIK during the past 8 years, are still listed as missing. In some cases the entire families were kidnapped by the KLA/UCK at some point during the 1998-1999 war and after UN/NATO took over the administration and security of the southern Serbian province. These people were taken away in an unknown direction and, for all we know, disappeared from the face of the earth. Over the years, we have learned that a number... Byzantine Sacred Art http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1987097/posts#comment Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:36:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1974173/posts Israel will not recognize Kosovo's independence at this time, and is watching developments in Brussels and elsewhere before it makes a final decision on the issue, officials in Jerusalem told The Jerusalem Post on Monday, a day after Kosovo's parliament declared independence from Serbia. "We haven't decided when we're going to decide, and instead will monitor events and consider the issue," said an Israeli official who deals with the Balkans. Jerusalem Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1974173/posts#comment Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:51:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971845/posts PRISTINA, Kosovo -- Kosovo's parliament declared the territory a nation on Sunday, mounting a historic bid to become an "independent and democratic state" backed by the U.S. and European allies but bitterly contested by Serbia and Russia..... The Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1971845/posts#comment Sun, 17 Feb 2008 16:55:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967635/posts BELGRADE -- The government has information suggesting that Hashim Thaci will declare Kosovo independence on February 17. In talks with EU High Representative Javier SolanaÂ’s adviser Stefan Lene, Kosovo Minister Slobodan Samardžić said that the EU could not expect Serbia to sign off KosovoÂ’s independence, right before a unilateral declaration of Kosovo independence, said the Kosovo Ministry. At this moment in time, by signing any sort of agreement with the EU, Serbia would be giving its consent and justification to creating a fake state on its territory, Samardžić reiterated, adding that Prime Minister Vojislav Koštunica “will not sign such an... B92 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1967635/posts#comment Sat, 9 Feb 2008 15:17:27 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1953209/posts Note From Ravnagora: Though written over 60 years ago, this essay resonates today. Like so much of what was happening at that time, particularly with regards to the Serbs, the fate of General Draza Mihailovich should have served as a harbinger to those who would be in charge of world events and their consequences in the future. ******************** THE MYSTERY OF MIHAILOVICH By Donovan Touche “TRUTH” London December 27, 1946 Was General Mihailovich a great patriot, foully done to death, or was he a collaborator? That is the mystery of Mihailovich. I would not have presumed to intervene in this... "Truth" (London) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1953209/posts#comment Mon, 14 Jan 2008 01:51:34 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1952677/posts As Kosovo goes, so goes northern Cyprus? That's the way the Turkish Cypriots see it. They can't see any distinction between the West's plans for a new "independent" state of Kosovo and the aspirations of Turkey for an independent Turkish Cyprus. It's just one more reason against the creation of a new state of Kosovo, where none has ever existed before. The real problem with these fanciful new "independent" states is that they are not independent at all. Both will be aligned with Islamic world, where freedom, individual liberties and respect for peaceful neighbors and non-Muslim minorities are virtually unknown... WorldNetDaily http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1952677/posts#comment Sat, 12 Jan 2008 20:28:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1949396/posts ext of report by Bosnian edition of Croatian daily Vecernji list, on 11 December Dzevad Galijasevic - a controversial politician, chairman of the New Democratic Party in Bosnia and Hercegovina, and former mayor of the Maglaj Municipality - recently presented in Belgrade his new book, "The Era of Terrorism in Bosnia and Hercegovina". This is the final book in a trilogy of sorts that talks about the arrival of mujahidin in Bosnia-Hercegovina, exposes the organizations that support them, and details illegal as well as legal activities they are involved in. Galijasevic holds the view that Alija Izetbegovic's Islamic Declaration laid... BBC Monitoring International Reports http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1949396/posts#comment Mon, 7 Jan 2008 02:54:10 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1944718/posts http://www.rts.co.yu/wupload/video/kraj-2612.ram Russian TV documentary. Unfortunatly dubbed in Serbian, but you can see how does life of Serbs on Kosovo looks like. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1944718/posts#comment Thu, 27 Dec 2007 14:42:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1940444/posts PRISTINA, Serbia (AFP) — A group of Kosovo Albanians [muslims] appealed Tuesday for donations after they ran out of money to build a statue of former US president Bill Clinton. "With this act we will express sympathy, love and respect to president Clinton," Agim Rexhepi, head of the Friends of America association, told reporters. The three-metre (10-foot) tall monument is still under construction in a studio in the city of Podujevo, 40 kilometres (25 miles) north of the Kosovan capital Pristina. "The main work that remained unfinished is casting the statue in bronze. It can only be done outside of... http://afp.google.com/ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1940444/posts#comment Mon, 17 Dec 2007 01:02:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932993/posts On December 10, the US-EU-Russian troika seeking a mutually acceptable settlement of the future status of Kosovo will make its report to the United Nations and to the world. Given the current position of the Russian government, it is unlikely that any agreement will be reached. If this is the case, I believe that further delay would be highly inadvisable. This process, which started far too late thanks to the neglect of the Bush Administration in its first term, has run its course. With Russia threatening to veto any arrangement submitted to the U.N. Security Council, we must be prepared... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932993/posts#comment Fri, 30 Nov 2007 23:03:53 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932519/posts PRISTINA, Kosovo, Nov. 29, 2007 – Versus, the U.S. cable television home of the National Hockey League, has partnered with some troops deployed to Kosovo to give an early Christmas present to the peacekeepers there and their families at home. At 7 p.m. EST on Dec. 11 , everyone watching the Pittsburgh Penguins battle the Philadelphia Flyers on Versus will get to see some pictures of the American soldiers, airmen and sailors who are serving at Camps Film City and Bondsteel, Kosovo. At the same time their pictures are being shown on television in the United States, the troops will... American Forces Press Service http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932519/posts#comment Fri, 30 Nov 2007 00:17:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1929947/posts At a most inopportune time, the Balkans are back. On Dec. 10, the U.S.-E.U.-Russian negotiating team tasked with getting the Serbs and Albanians to agree on Kosovo's future status will report to the United Nations that it has failed. A few weeks later Kosovo's government will proclaim that Kosovo is an independent nation -- a long overdue event. The United States and most of the European Union (led by Britain, France and Germany) will recognize Kosovo quickly. Russia and its allies will not. Kosovo's eight-year run as the biggest-ever U.N. project will end with great tension and a threat of... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1929947/posts#comment Sat, 24 Nov 2007 16:02:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928650/posts With no deal in sight, there are fears Kosovo may declare independence unilaterally, triggering a chain reaction of potentially violent secessions across the Balkans — and beyond. "There is a risk that the situation will destabilize" and unleash independence declarations in the ethnic Serb half of Bosnia and the ethnic Albanian-dominated north of Macedonia, said Alex Anderson, Kosovo project director for the International Crisis Group, a non-governmental group dedicated to preventing conflict. ap http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1928650/posts#comment Wed, 21 Nov 2007 02:59:00 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1917339/posts With Hillary Clinton surging in the polls and Democrats knifing Bush's foreign policy and praising Bill Clinton's, it's time for a reality check on a supposed triumph: Team Clinton oversimplified a complex situation in Bosnia and ended up aiding and abetting Muslim extremists. That's the conclusion of John Schindler, a professor at the U.S. Naval War College and a former National Security Agency analyst. In his new book, "Unholy Terror: Bosnia, al-Qa'ida, and the Rise of Global Jihad," Schindler reappraises the 1992-1995 Bosnian war and America's decision to come to the defense of Muslims in their conflict with Serbs. (...)... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1917339/posts#comment Sat, 27 Oct 2007 21:59:21 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1912082/posts Pristina, 16 Oct. (AKI) - Members of the international police in Kosovo arrested on Tuesday an ethnic Albanian suspected of killing 15 Serbs in Serbia’s breakaway ethnic Albanian majority province, local media reported. Local radio said police surrounded the village of Veliki Alas, south of province’s capital Pristina, with tens of armored vehicles early in the morning and arrested Melzum Bitici. Kosovo police spokesman Veton Elsani confirmed that an ethnic Albanian, suspected of war crimes, was arrested but gave no details. Bitici is suspected of gunning down 14 Serbs in the village of Staro Gracko on July 23, 1999, while... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1912082/posts#comment Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:22:46 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1912079/posts Whoever doesn’t take the current Clinton candidacy seriously is a fool. It’s quite probable that she’ll end up inheriting the Iraq War and all its collateral issues which I’m sure doesn’t sweeten the pot, but she’s determined to become President anyway. I admire her for that. I know I wouldn’t want to inherit someone else’s baggage. And certainly not that kind of baggage. Candidate Hillary Clinton sure has a lot to say about the Iraq War and how the current administration has conducted itself. Maybe I missed it, but she has not had nearly enough to say about another issue,... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1912079/posts#comment Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:19:48 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1877694/posts After my article exposing the farce of our Kosovo mission ran in American Legion Magazine last month, I heard from a soldier in Kosovo who was incredulous that someone was actually and finally talking about the region. I proceeded to publish two letters from him in this space, about his experiences and observations there, some of which confirm the free run that jihadists have in Kosovo, the fact that Albanians are being radicalized, and the notion that we should not have intervened in Kosovo as we did. Only there since November, the National Guard soldier stopped short of confirming the... Front Page Magazine http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1877694/posts#comment Tue, 7 Aug 2007 17:58:13 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1874138/posts Another American Jew “gets” Kosovo, albeit a bit late: US should support Serbia, not Kosovo Albanian radicals, expert , March 19, 2007 US needs to stand on the side of democracy and stop supporting radical and quasi criminal elements with separatist tendencies in Kosovo, says Ariel Cohen, Ph.D., Senior Research Fellow in Russian and Eurasian Studies and International Energy Security at the Sarah and Douglas Allison Center of the Davis Institute for International Studies at the Heritage Foundation. “…Implications of Kosovo’s independence can be dangerous if not catastrophic across the world,” says Cohen. Ariel Cohen has often been critical of... ExileStreet http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1874138/posts#comment Tue, 31 Jul 2007 11:44:06 GMT