[0]

Kosovo Albanian fighters announce a unilateral independence declaration for June and threaten new violence if not recognized

PRISTINA (Tiraspol Times, wires) - Even without the blessing of the United Nations, Kosovo will become independent.
That is the latest message from Hashim Thaci, the leader of Kosovo's second largest party and a former KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) terrorist / freedom fighter.

" - With or without a resolution Kosovo will become independent," Thaci told the Associated Press on Thursday, warning that Kosovo's parliament will declare independence unilaterally by early June.

In initial discussions held last week in New York, only four of the 15 members on the UN Security Council voted in favor of independence for Kosovo.

The ethnic Albanian leader, whose unilateral moves are supported by Nicholas Burns of the United States State Department, is prepared to bypass the United Nations and seek international recognition on a bilateral basis from only those countries who are willing to recognize Kosovo one by one.

This is seen by other unrecognized countries as a precedent-setting development, mirroring the strategy followed by other states with no recognition or limited recognition, such as Taiwan, Somaliland, Abkhazia, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, and of course Pridnestrovie, better known unofficially under names such Transdniester or Transnistria, its Romanian name.

Alex Iskandarian sees the soon-to-be Kosovo independence as an additional trump card for Nagorno Karabakh, Transdniesteria and others aspiring to international recognition of their statehood.

The issue of Kosovo conflict settlement and recognition of its independence is a political, and not legal one, political scientist Alex Iskandarian told the Panarmenian Network.

" - If Kosovo is granted independence, Nagorno Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Transdnistria will get additional trump cards. Alongside he said, currently the international law is under the process of washing out. “It’s clear, that recognition of independence may be stretched in the course of the time, but if it takes place politically, legal registration will result in changes in international law,” Alexander Iskandarian said.

U.S.: "Kosovo will declare independence"

U.S. Undersecretary Nicholas Burns stated “the United States together with other countries plans to co-sponsor a new resolution in the United Nations, which will allow the Provisional Government of Kosovo to declare independence [unilaterally]. We think after the adoption of this draft resolution, Kosovar leaders will declare independence. Right after it, the United States and other countries will recognize that independence. We are now engaged in a period of intense diplomacy to bring about Kosovo’s independence as soon as possible.”

Burns it at pains to deny that this will be precedent setting, but American experts in international law confirm that a precedent will be created. Under international law governing the creation of states, Kosovo independence against the will of the metropolitican state - Serbia - will allow other states to declare independence on equal terms, especially where they have a similar legal or historical claim to sovereign statehood.

Russia, a veto-wielding member of the United Nations Security Council, is opposed to an unilaterial declaration of Kosovo declaration without prior agreement with Serbia. In response, European boosters and U.S. State Department cheerleaders, including former Kosovo point man Richard Holbrooke, promote a nightmare scenario according to which the withholding of independence to Kosovo will generate violence.

However, the justification of Kosovo independence with possible outbreaks of violence is blackmail, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Thursday in an interview with Serbia's RTS television channel.

" - KFOR units have been in the autonomy since 1999; they have enough strength and means to prevent violence. If they cannot resolve it, it will be their problem, their guilt," the Foreign Minister underlined.

Kosovo 15% of Serbia; PMR 12% of the former Moldavian SSR

Independent observers comment that much, if not all, of the violence will be provoked by US-supported groups who receive material and political support from American handlers.

Hashim Thaci, former KLA militant, receives U.S. support in his plans for unilateral Kosovo independence (file)

" - If the United States was really serious about reducing the risk of violence in the region, it would keep former KLA-operatives such as Hashim Thaci on a tighter leash," says a Italian diplomat speaking under the condition of anonimity.

Serbia staunchly opposes losing 15 percent of its territory, a percentage equivalent to the part which Pridnestrovie composed in the former Moldavian SSR (Pridnestrovie is situated on 4,183 sq.km. of territory which was 12.3% of the total landmass of the MSSR).

The main difference is between Kosovo and Pridnestrovie is that Kosovo is an old, historical and traditional part of Serbia. In contrast, Pridnestrovie was never part of Moldova. It was forcefully joined with Bessarabia (formerly a part of Romania) in 1940 by Communist dictator Joseph Stalin, in what became known as the Moldavian SSR - a union republic of the Soviet Union.

Before the Moldavian SSR dissolved, and Moldova declared independence as the Republic of Moldova, Pridnestrovie had already left the union. Pridnestrovie declared independence in 1990, and Moldova did so one year later. Pridnestrovie was never part of today's Republic of Moldova. (With information from Panarmenian Net, wires)

See also:
» Only 4 countries vote for Kosovo independence at the United Nations [1]
» Kosovo precedent for Transdniestria confirmed, but US says no [2]
» Kosovo report linked to Transnistria independence [3]