Kosovo independence to set precedent for Trans-Dniester

Anatol Lieven, a prominent British analyst, says that Kosovo will set a precedent for disputed territories in the former USSR

LONDON (Tiraspol Times) - Although the U.S. State Department refuses to accept Kosovo’s independence to be a precedent for other separatist conflicts, Anatol Lieven, a prominent British analyst, disagrees with such statements. He cites the example of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), but also mentions the other three unrecognized countries in the region.

" - Kosovo and Nagorno-Karabakh are different conflicts, but at the same time they are both separatist conflicts in autonomous areas in other states, inevitably, what happens in one will have a certain effect on what happens in the other", said Anatol Lieven, British policy analyst and chairman of International Relations and Terrorism Studies at King's College London, as reported by Trend.

After the collapse of USSR, a total of four disputed territories still exist. They are Nagorno-Karabakh, a conflict with Azerbaijan, and Trans-Dniester (Pridnestrovie) which Moldova maintains a claim over. The final two conflicts are with Georgia, and involve Abkhazia and South Ossetia, respectively. Lieven believes that the Kosovo example can be applied to these "frozen conflicts" in what was formerly the Soviet Union.

" - Why not? It is easy to say that things are specific, but it depends who is doing the talking. Everybody tries to make up different rules, different cases. But in fact, of course, it does set a precedent", said the British analyst.

Kosovo's independence will have repercussions for these conflicts, he says. The West, led by the U.S. State Department, continues to insist that Kosovo is unique and will not set new rules in international law. A number of leading analysts and legal experts from the United States and Europe have publicly stated in recent months that this is not true, and that any outcome of the Kosovo conflict will automatically create a precedent for other disputed territories.

The Kosovo conflicts pits the territorial integrity of Serbia against the right to self-determination of the Albanian majority in Kosovo. Kosovo has long been an integral part of Serbia, whereas Pridnestrovie has never been part of Moldova at any time in history. Pridnestrovie declared independence in 1990, one year before Moldova's own 1991 independence declaration. Historically, linguistically and ethnically, the two territories have very little in common. (With information from Trend)

See also:
» Kosovo precedent takes shape as USA rules out return to the past
» Kosovo precedent for Transdniestria confirmed, but US says no
» Kosovo's "inevitable" independence sets important precedent for Transdniestria; others

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