Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Preventing a humanitarian catastrophe or facilitating self-determination: Kosovo 1999-2006?

On 24th March 1999 NATO attacked Serbia to prevent the humanitarian catastrophe caused by the apparatus of force of Milosevic's regime. This was the rationale for their action. In 2006 Serbia and Kosovo Albanians are to start negotiations on the future status of the Province. Some members of the contact group are trying hard to impose the solution on the Serbian government and the Kosovo Serbs even before the negotiations start. They (some UK foreign office officials) are sending a clear message: Kosovo will be independent. In order to lead the negotiations in the direction of independence of Kosovo, led by a rather straightforward formula, International players will need and prefer to get Serbia’s consent to such an outcome (international law and common sense require). This formula is clear, if they have to impose the solution on Serbia, then the 1999 war was actually a self-determination war and their actions were revolutionary vis-à-vis the international order. In this way international precedent of self-determination war will be created. How many countries in the world are ready to support this?

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