Kosovo Serbs seize courthouse — from UN
posted at 11:20 am on March 14, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
Share on Facebook | printer-friendly
The situation in Kosovo continues to decline after the unilateral declaration of independence by its Albanian majority. Ethnic Serbs have seized a courthouse from UN control in the latest of a series of counteractions. The UN, whose armed forces didn’t resist the seizure, wants to negotiate a peaceful resolution:
Hundreds of Kosovo Serbs have taken over a UN courthouse in the northern Kosovo town of Mitrovica, raising a Serbian flag to replace the UN’s.
The protesters broke into the building in the Serb-dominated part of the city, forcing UN police to retreat.
A Kosovo police spokesman said a UN official was negotiating with Serb leaders to try to resolve the issue.
Last week, Serbs tried to seize and control a bridge in Mitrovica to keep Albanians out of their sector of the city. They have also attempted to seize control of the railways in northern Kosovo. Seen tactically, it looks as though the Serbs want to control access in and around Mitrovica, which portends a civil war between the ethnic enclaves in the new nation.
Nine years of benign neglect after an ill-conceived intervention didn’t solve the underlying problems in Kosovo or in the Balkans in general. Was potentially starting a new civil war worth setting the precedent of recognizing breakaway regions as nations? Will we cheer when Abkhazia follows suit?
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Blowback
Note from Hot Air management: This section is for comments from Hot Air's community of registered readers. Please don't assume that Hot Air management agrees with or otherwise endorses any particular comment just because we let it stand. A reminder: Anyone who fails to comply with our terms of use may lose their posting privilege.
Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URL
Comments
Comment pages:
It’s a difficult situation. One’s man rebel is another man’s terrorist. I can’t say I absolutely support their declaration of independence. However, you could kinda understand why they wouldn’t want to live with the Serbs after what Milosevic had done to them.
freevillage on March 14, 2008 at 11:24 AM
Wait a minute, I thought Bill Clinton won this war?
PattyJ on March 14, 2008 at 11:25 AM
Brilliant.
amerpundit on March 14, 2008 at 11:28 AM
He did.
freevillage on March 14, 2008 at 11:30 AM
PattyJ on March 14, 2008 at 11:25 AM
that would be a fat NO and we are still funding them…
yeah Clinton is such a “leader”. Blah
upinak on March 14, 2008 at 11:30 AM
Or Berkeley?
ronsfi on March 14, 2008 at 11:31 AM
If anything, Abkhazia led the suit. It declared its own independence 15 years ago. It just hasn’t been recognized by anyone.
freevillage on March 14, 2008 at 11:32 AM
I said it before and I’ll say it again.
Russia is watching this and preparing to defend its territorial sovereignty from all the possible breakaway republics in its east and south.
Vatican Watcher on March 14, 2008 at 11:34 AM
Wow! Sure glad the UN had armed forces on the scene to, you know, prevent things like ethnic groups taking over courthouses. If UN forces are simply going to negotiate, wouldn’t sending lawyers be a better solution?
highhopes on March 14, 2008 at 11:34 AM
What is a breakaway republic in Russia’s east? Also, Abhazia is in Georgia.
freevillage on March 14, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Outstanding opportunity for Hillary Clinton! She needs to get him on a plane to go over to Kosovo and broker a peace deal- and not come back until he’s accomplished his mission. That will take him out of the spotlight for the entire campaign season and, likely, the entire presidential administration of whomever is elected in November.
highhopes on March 14, 2008 at 11:37 AM
A hundred year presence there.
SouthernGent on March 14, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Thank you George W. Bush for siding with the Muslims.
In other news, President George W. Bush announced today that he plans to visit the newly formed Republic of Shittestan as a sign of recognizing its independence from the Republic of Turdistan.
Indy Conservative on March 14, 2008 at 11:44 AM
Was appeasing KLA jihadists worth further damaging relations with Russia?
irish_infidel on March 14, 2008 at 11:46 AM
A look into the future of Texas. Once you let hoards of peasant foreigners flood into your territory, it seems only natural that at some point the majority will want to rule.
Too bad all of the current presidential candidates are too stupid to see the facts on the ground here for what they are. The initial invasions may be bloodless, but the backlashes usually are not.
saiga on March 14, 2008 at 11:49 AM
I think someone wants a global test. :)
freevillage on March 14, 2008 at 11:59 AM
And don’t forget the corkscrew landing, and the comedian, and the singer! Let Bill experience the terror of being a real-live negotiator!
p40tiger on March 14, 2008 at 12:19 PM
I was not a fan of the Serbs in the 90’s, but seeing the Albanians provide refuge for Islamic terrorists lost any support for them.
Remember when the Chinese embassy got nailed in Serbia? Ooops.
Hening on March 14, 2008 at 12:40 PM
Every Plastic Ronald McDonald Statue in China does!
p40tiger on March 14, 2008 at 12:46 PM
I think the whole situation in Serbia/Kosovo is messed up. I don’t think the American people were told the truth about the war and there’s been barely any coverage of it at all the last few years. The Bush Administration wants to now use it as a hedge against Russia and the Democrats don’t want to call attention to the mistake by the Clinton Administration.
someguy on March 14, 2008 at 1:01 PM
You’re kidding, right?
Seven Percent Solution on March 14, 2008 at 1:02 PM
Hey, at least they have the right target.
mojo on March 14, 2008 at 1:15 PM
Their fight, their problem.
If the Dumbocrats want us out of Iraq so badly, to mention this in any form would be hypocracy.
But I digress. Hypocracy is the trademark of the DNC.
madmonkphotog on March 14, 2008 at 1:30 PM
A big resounding NO!
Yes. They’re planters and there’s guarantee they’ll ever leave.
aengus on March 14, 2008 at 2:34 PM
should be, there’s no guarantee
aengus on March 14, 2008 at 2:37 PM
I’m completely with the Serbs on this one. Having learnt all I need to learn about Islam and Muslim history, I know that one of the vilest things one can do is support a Jihad. Speaking for those in the US, we don’t support Jihads against the US and (at least outside the State Department) those against Israel. How exactly do we expect other countries to support us when we acquiesce in Jihads against Serbia, Russia, Uzbekistan and others?
To all of you here who happen to support Kosovo’s independence on the grounds of self determination, tell me this – how many of you have heard about Srpska – the Serb majority portion of eastern and northern Bosnia-Hercegovina, which wants to seceed from Bosnia and unite with Serbia? This is a case where the Serbs are a pre-existing majority, unlike in Kosovo where a number of Albanians recently migrated from Albania. If you don’t support Srpska’s independence from Bosnia, then on what grounds do you support Kosovo’s independence from Serbia?
On the story above, hurray for the Serbs. The UN is evil, while the Serbs are yet another guinea pig in the West’s attempts to placate dar-ul-Islam. In this case of Serbia vs its Jihadis, I do what I almost never do – take someone’s side against the West because what the West is doing is unadulterated evil.
Russia should send in a huge military force to Serbia, and start bombing NATO targets and troops, and force them out of the region. Another Islamic country, we don’t need – especially in Europe.
infidelpride on March 14, 2008 at 3:40 PM
What is a global test?
irish_infidel on March 14, 2008 at 4:58 PM
CLinton & Maddy’s big idea was to suck up to Islam by throwing Serbia under the bus. Scummy, naive, stupid and cowardly all at once, but what else would you expect? By way of thanks we got 9/11. This time I’m with Russia & Serbia.
dhimwit on March 14, 2008 at 5:14 PM
*gasp* LIBERAL MSM BIAS!!!
Reaps on March 14, 2008 at 8:42 PM
Wes Clark claims he did.
burt on March 14, 2008 at 9:42 PM
Was that the war (Blair’s & Clinton’s) that was legal internationally because it had UN approval and nationally because it was voted for by congress?
Because, y’know, those are the Democrats’ criteria.
Tzetzes on March 14, 2008 at 9:52 PM
Comment pages: