About Facebook states

This is a post I was thinking about a very long time the last year, but because too busy with other conflicts, I delayed the documentation.

I was thinking about the latest Latin American spontaneous moves to declare the recogniziting of a Palestinian state "within the 1967 borders": (alphabetically) Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Uruguay. Chile and Paraguay are preparing to do it soon. And I was thinking, again, about the situation of Kosovo, a state who self-declared independence in February 2008, facing various system and structural problems, as well as the lack of elites. There are, of course, different shapes of the cups of tea, and the regions are having a different profile. But I was curious if the pioneers of independence proceeded similarly in the case of Kosovo, where most part of the current political leaders used to be part of the UCK, with a limited record of terrorism and repression in comparison with Hamas.

Let's have a look at the arguments:

Argentina declared that it will not recognise it because "it supports the principle of territorial integrity".

Brazil pledged that a peaceful solution for the issue of Kosovo must continue to be sought through dialogue and negotiation.

Bolivian president Evo Morales, refused, on February 2008 to recognize Kosovo's independence and compared the separatists with the leaders of the Bolivian states who have demanded greater autonomy.

Ecuadorian authorities promised they would carefully examine the developments in the area.

Uruguay expressed its official point of view in March 2008, according to "Ultima Noticias", as follows: "Uruguay has not recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence, because doing so would not be in in accordance with its required three pillars of recognition: the principle of territorial integrity of states, achieving a solution through dialogue and consensu, and recognition by international organisations".

Diplomacy, intelligence and caution are required in both cases and Che Guevara-like games might have unexpected boomerang effects.

A new down for Kosovo?

Image via Wikipedia//Hashim Thaci

Kosovo elected the members of the legislative on December 12^th, for the first time since the declaration of independence in 2008, but the ways in which the electoral process was organized and held is raising serious questions regarding the accuracy and reliability of the vote.

According to the results, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party of Kosovo won more than 33 percent of the vote in a field of 29 parties. The leading opposition party, the Democratic League of Kosovo, garnered over 23 percent, while the Self-Determination Movement ran third with just over 12 percent. Prime Minister Thaci now has about 90 days to form a government. 

Independent observers were present at polling stations throughout Kosovo and called the voting process largely "effective and efficient," though there were some irregularities during the vote count in several polling locations. American Ambassador to Kosovo Christopher Dell observed 17 polling stations, including in Srbica, where he noted that the ballots in the box exceeded the number of signatures in the voters' book.  The U.S. urges the Kosovo elections commission to address the few serious irregularities that occurred. The United States also regrets the atmosphere of threats, intimidation, and violence from Serbian sources directed for weeks against Kosovo Serbs in northern Kosovo that prevented many there from exercising their democratic rights.

In 2008, the majority Muslim and ethnic Albanian territory of Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia.  Seventy-two countries, including the United States and most of its NATO allies, recognize Kosovo's independence.  Serbia, Rusia and Spain are among the most notable exceptions.

Shortly after the vote, the US State Department, considered the elections “a significant milestone in the development of their multi ethnic democracy”. Adding: “Kosovo now faces a test as the votes are counted. Kosovo’s institutions must demonstrate to the public that they’re prepared to defend the integrity of the vote. And we call on Kosovo’s authorities to take the required actions to address irregularities, process complaints and appeals fairly, as well as ensure that the final results of Kosovo’s elections accurately reflect the voters’ intent”.

What it is next? Beyond the political and ethnic instability, the country needs reliable and transparent institutions. A corruption widespread at all levels, including the prime-minister, accused recently of being part of a regional ring trading organs.

The lessons of Kosovo might be the lessons of any country who is first declaring its independence and after is trying to realize what to do and, most importantly, with whom. The national Romanticism is far away and we are soon at the end of the first decade of 2000.

With Serbia getting closer to the EU, many Kosovars might decide that the direct economic advantages and the freedom of working and travelling in the European Union is more advantageous instead of living in a no man's land rotted by institutional incapacity.

Related articles

• Premier's Party Wins Kosovo Vote (online.wsj.com)

Spain's retreat from Kosovo raises eyebrows

Victoria Burnett
International Herald Tribune

March 24

When Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero of Spain withdrew Spanish peacekeepers from Iraq in 2004, he got the cold shoulder from former President George W. Bush. So ever since the election of Barack Obama, Mr. Zapatero has relished the prospect of working with a U.S. leader with whom he shares not only a birthday but also, in his view, a progressive agenda and a desire to resolve conflict through dialogue.

But Spain's unexpected announcement last week that it would withdraw its troops from the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo has marred the nascent relationship with the Obama administration and raised questions about Spain's reliability as an ally, diplomats and foreign policy experts say.

Spain informed the North Atlantic Treaty Organization and U.S. officials of the decision less than 24 hours before Carme Chacón, the Spanish defense minister, announced it during a visit Thursday to a Spanish military base in Kosovo.

A State Department spokesman, Robert Wood, said that the United States was "deeply disappointed" by the announcement an unusually strong reproach to an ally. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the NATO secretary general, also expressed disapproval, saying that any decision to withdraw from the Kosovo force should be made within the alliance, according to news reports.

Spain has just over 600 troops stationed in Kosovo as part of the NATO-led force of 15,400 soldiers. But the Spanish government, which is trying to curb regional nationalism in Catalonia and the Basque Country, does not recognize Kosovo as a sovereign nation.

The problem, analysts and experts said, was not so much Spain's decision to withdraw troops as the abrupt way it was announced. According to a report in the newspaper El País, Foreign Minister Miguel Moratinos was one of several senior diplomats who were unaware of the decision before it became public. On Monday, in a show of unity, Moratinos said that the whole government backed the Kosovo withdrawal.

But diplomats and experts said they were baffled by Mr. Zapatero's decision to announce a potentially controversial decision just before the Group of 20 meeting in London on April 1-2 and the NATO summit meeting in Strasbourg a day later meetings that are keenly anticipated in Zapatero's inner circle as an opportunity to work with Mr. Obama.

While the decision to pull out of Kosovo was logical for Spain, they said, it was not urgent. Spain has made clear that as the mission in Kosovo turns to building national institutions, it will no longer have a role there.

Jordi Vaquer i Fanés, director of the Center for International Relations and Development Studies in Barcelona, said the handling of the announcement made the government look amateurish at a time when Mr. Zapatero was hoping to burnish his international credentials.

Mr. Vaquer said the incident reflected Mr. Zapatero's lack of understanding "of how these organizations work," adding, "What we have done here is to lose weight within the European Union and NATO."

Several newspaper columnists and analysts noted that the announcement had echoes of Spain's 2004 pullout from Iraq. "Kosovo is not Iraq, but two withdrawals are more than a coincidence," José Ignacio Torreblanca, head of the European Council on Foreign Relations in Madrid, wrote in El País. "Some will ask, what is the problem with Spain?"

Mr. Zapatero scored a victory when he won a seat at the G-20 meeting of industrialized and emerging economies in Washington in November. At the time, Spain's conservative banking practices and tough regulation were admired as a possible blueprint for other countries in the wake of the financial crisis, though they did not prevent some of Spain's leading banks from getting into trouble.

But some analysts and critics have said the Spanish prime minister does not always navigate diplomatic waters well. Still, the damage does not appear to be irreparable. Spain could still prove itself an effective partner for the United States on issues such as Afghanistan, Guantánamo and Cuba.

Spain has resisted calls to increase its force of nearly 800 troops in Afghanistan, and officials close to Mr. Zapatero indicate that he is inclined to provide civilian help, for example, to train the police. But press reports indicate that Ms. Chacón is open to sending more troops if the United States presents a convincing Afghan strategy.

Mr. Vaquer said: "The Kosovo thing is not a major, major mistake. Our credibility has been damaged, but we can recover from this."

Kosovo launched its security force

The Kosovo is having an Army-like structure, move considered by Serbia as another "threat" to an already volatile stability in the area. By now, Kosovo is recognized by 50 countries, mostly EU members, but not all of them. Little by little it's starting to behave as a full empowered country, even the resources - especially human - are problematic. Serbia is desperately trying to strengthen its ties to NATO and EU, a long time process but which will focus the most part of the efforts of the authorities from Belgrade towards building up stability and coherent economic plans. And sooner or later, the situation of its neighbourhood would be set up, as a main condition of starting the negotiation process with the two organizations.



See also:

The official page of EULEX, the EU mission launched last December, with a significant delay, aiming to strengthen the rule of law in Kosovo - http://www.eulex-kosovo.eu/

NATO for suspension of security zone in Kosovo - Blic