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)

The criminal's smile

After watching a couple of fragments from the latest trial session of Radovan Karadzic I had an extremely unpleasant sensation: I was looking not only at the perfect liar, but the cold blooded criminal. The political motivated criminal. With large gestures, very relaxed, he was trying to explain how in fact, the images of the media crew were the creation of the journalists who enclosed their space with barbed wire. And that the emaciated people from the images were watching the journalists. And how the genocide was a Muslim-Bosnian "creation", a "myth". No regrets, no second thoughts.

Caught while in Belgrade, after a 13-year hunt, he faces 11 counts of genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and other atrocities in the Bosnian war of the 1990s. He do not recognize none of them and refused to be represented legally, considering, as Milosevic, he is strong enough to prove his "innocence". Another important fugitive, Ratko Mladic, is still hiding - or being hidden.

Hidding behind what the former UN Prosecutor Carla Del Ponte called in this book "The Hunt" - muro di gomma/wall of rubber (p.3): "I had encountered, and would encounter, the muro di gomma, during meetings with many powerful people, from mafia financiers to Swiss bankers and politicians, from heads of state like George W. Bush and prime ministers like Silvio Berlusconi to bureaucrats in government offices and the various departments of the UN and, late in my tenure, European foreign ministers who seemed to be prepared to welcome Serbia into the EU's embrace even as Serbia's political leaders, police and army were harboring men responsible for killing thousand of prisoners in cold blood before the eyes of the world". In her account of the time spent investigating Balkan and Rwandan crimes, I always found very interesting the hide-and-seek political game, the diplomatic dance against the blind impulse to deliver justice. In many aspects, the two roads do not meet never.

The ICTY was the first war crimes court created by the UN and the first international war crimes tribunal since the Nuremberg and Tokyo tribunals. It was established by the Security Council in accordance with Chapter VII of the UN Charter. The difference with the two other war tribunals is that frequently lacked the necessary public and international support in order to deliver justice.

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

"We don't have any trace that leads to Mladic, unless a miracle happens"

Where is Radko Mladic? The Belgrad authorities are saying they do their best, but a miracle is needed, NATO is trying to find some connections with 13 years haunted fugitive Radovan Karadzic, whose trial is scheduled to start end January 2009, according to officials from the Hague Tribunal. How he was able to hide for such a long time, despite constant and systematic searches all over the Balkans- mainly from the part of NATO? Hiding under new identity and look, Karadzic used to sip regularly his red wine at the Belgrad's pub "Madhouse".

The wars in the Balkans were a profitable business, some of direct beneficiaries being helpful later, in hard times. Zoran Djindjici's killers were former "Red Berets" squad members, reconverted into the mafia businesses of the Zemun gang. And the explanation of the murder is not clear at all.