Kosovo declares independance and Serb protesters, supported by Russia, attack U.S. Embassy.

[Stew]

For those of you who are unaware, Kosovo declared independance last Sunday and was quickly recognised as a soverign state by the United States (later followed by the UK, France and Germany). These attacks on the United States embassy by extremist elements in Belgrade are rumoured to have been implicitly and privately supported by the Russians who, along with the Chinese, were against independence.

Angry demonstrators protesting Kosovo's independence from Serbia attacked the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade on Thursday, throwing rocks, breaking windows and setting fires.

Serbian TV showed someone trying to set fire to the U.S. flag at the embassy, which was closed and unstaffed when the masked protesters attacked.

Riot police fired tear gas at the rioters and lines of armoured vehicles were on the streets before the embassy perimeter was secured. A State Department official told CNN "things are under control."

Kosovo declared independence last Sunday and the United States was among the first countries to offer official recognition of its split from Serbia.

Tensions also erupted at the Kosovo border checkpoint in Merdare -- about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of Kosovo's capital Pristina -- as several hundred Serbian army reservists clashed with NATO-led peacekeepers and police, AP said.

The breakaway region has been recognized by the U.S. and several EU nations including the UK, France and Germany but the government in Belgrade maintains that Kosovo is a part of Serbia.

On Thursday, Italy became the latest European nation to recognize Kosovo's sovereignty, AP reported.

Russia and China continue to oppose Kosovo's declaration of independence while Spain has expressed concern that recognition will give momentum to secessionist movements in other countries, such as the Basques in northern Spain.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Internatio...ory?id=4324498

Russian/Chinese tensions with the United States step up, it seems.

[Hammer]

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has issued a statement saying that this does not mean other small nations should be allowed to declare independence. Seriously, it was actually in Milibrand's speech recognizing Kosovo as an independent state.

Load of political nonsense going on. Spain and Russia are all shitting themselves in case bits of them start to get ideas about becoming independent - Catalonia and the Basque Regions of Spain are already mostly autonomous within Spain, as are some parts of Russia. China is refusing to acknowledge it because it's been refusing to acknowledge the independence of Taiwan or Tibet.

[endless psych]

Originally Posted by Hammer

Meanwhile, the Foreign Office has issued a statement saying that this does not mean other small nations should be allowed to declare independence.

Its always nice to have a pre-planned get out clause...

[Hammer]

Originally Posted by endless psych

Its always nice to have a pre-planned get out clause...

I'll see if I can find the news story it was it. I actually laughed out loud at it.

Edit:

Kosovo's declaration of independence is "unique" and does not set a precedent for other separatist movements in Europe, David Miliband has said.
The UK foreign secretary said the situation could not be equated to that of the Basques in Spain and France.

Mr Miliband said European nations had given "clear leadership" to Serbs and Kosovars, adding there was a "future for co-operation" over the issue.

Link

[Stew]

Venezuela's Chavez won't recognize independent Kosovo

President Hugo Chavez said Thursday that Venezuela will not recognize an independent Kosovo, warning that the eastern European nation's separation from Serbia could spark war in the region.

"We do not recognize the independence of Kosovo," Chavez said in a nationally televised address. "This could end in a disaster."
[...]
"This cannot be accepted. It's a very dangerous precedent for the entire world," he said.

Bolivia — one of Venezuela's closest South American allies — has also refused to recognize Kosovo's independence. President Evo Morales compared Kosovo separatists to the leaders of four eastern Bolivian states who have demanded greater autonomy from the federal government.

Intersting Morales quote, and possibly quite accurate considering Kosovo's spoils.

e: Well, apparently Russia just said they would send forces and use military power if EU or NATO troops expanded their influence in Kosovo.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7258801.stm

Russia's ambassador to Nato, Dmitry Rogozin, has warned that Russia could use military force if the Kosovo independence dispute escalates.

"If the EU develops a unified position or if Nato exceeds its mandate set by the UN, then these organisations will be in conflict with the UN," he said.

In that case Russia would "proceed on the basis that in order to be respected we need to use brute force", he said.

Many EU members have recognised Kosovo, but several oppose recognition.

Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, backs Serbia, which has condemned the independence declaration issued by the Kosovo parliament on 17 February.

On Tuesday members of the Serb minority in Kosovo attacked two border posts staffed by UN personnel and Kosovo police.

The violence led the Nato troops in Kosovo - known as K-For - to reinforce the border with Serbia.

Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians are following a plan drawn up by UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari for "supervised independence", which was rejected by Serbia.

The EU will soon deploy 2,000 officials to strengthen law and order in Kosovo, which has a population of about two million. Russia argues that the mission has no legal basis.

There has been a furious reaction in some Russian media to Kosovo's declaration of independence.

A commentary in the Vesti Plus analytical programme, on state-run television, called the assassinated former Serbian Prime Minister, Zoran Djindjic, a Western puppet who had "received a well-deserved bullet".

It said Djindjic had sold national heroes to the International War Crimes Tribunal in The Hague.

The programme concluded that Serbia - and not only Serbia - must now decide whether to acquiesce in what has happened, or resist.

[Hammer]

Originally Posted by Stew

Intersting Morales quote, and possibly quite accurate considering Kosovo's spoils.

e: Well, apparently Russia just said they would send forces and use military power if EU or NATO troops expanded their influence in Kosovo.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7258801.stm

Of course, it was perfectly acceptable for Venezuela to declare independence and then fight a war against Spain.

I didn't know about the mineral wealth in Kosovo though. No wonder the EU is so desperate to get Kosovo either in the club or as a 'protectorate' of the club. The biggest problem facing the EU in the long term is that they have very little petro-chemical or coal resources left which are suitable for use as fuels.

[Stew]

Russia is in no place to use a military confrontation. While they may be able to put together a piece meal force (like Pristina in 1999) there is no possibility of war over Kosovo.

All Russia is doing is trying to save face and relations with Serbia by portraying itself as the "Slavic brothers" that they have always been. Nothing more really, they just want to show Serbia they are still allies.

In fact I wouldn't doubt that Rogozin's "slip of the tongue" was thought out in advance. Get a high official to "accidentally" state that they would go to military confrontation over Kosovo sends a good message to Serbia, then they quickly retract it as a misunderstanding and Russia saves face through the rest of the world.

[PrincessGarnet]

It's interesting that the US uses the example of not being anti-islamic by saying it's supporting muslims in Kosovo and yet most muslim nations and all arabic nations don't recognise Kosovo.

Also Kosovo declaring independence has still left it in limbo, as Russia and China will veto it's recognition in the UN, and there are a few countries in the EU who don't support it, like the czech republic (which has no separatist movement?) so it's difficult to see recognition and membership from there. Also most of African and quite a lot south american and asian countries don't recognise it either. I personally think it should have been made an autonomous province, like Serbia was willing to make it.

Serbia has a pro-EU president, but there are elections in a few weeks and I hope no radical party gets voted in.