FLASH
Shkruar nga Daniel Serwer
It is time to reconfigure Western policy on Serbia and Kosovo. Renewing the current approach will bring new failures. A stronger approach with Belgrade is a necessary first step. ..
Kosovo police and NATO forces over the weekend thwarted an armed uprising in the north of the country. A Kosovo policeman and three terrorists were killed and several others were arrested. But most seem to have escaped. Serbia and its political representatives of Lista Srpska in Kosovo have declared a day of mourning. This confirms their support for the uprising. The men in green seem to have found safe haven inside Serbia.
Serbian President Vučić then met with the Russian ambassador. Vucic complained of "brutal ethnic cleansing" in Kosovo, for which there is no evidence. We have no confirmation that Vucic ordered the armed uprising. But one of his pillars in the north of Kosovo was involved. Such things do not happen without the knowledge of Belgrade. Vucic could have stopped him in advance or denounced him after the fact. It did neither.
What does this event tell us?
This incident is confirmation that Vucic has no intention of normalizing relations with Kosovo. The Belgrade/Pristina dialogue is a cover for its real purpose. He wants the separation of the four northern municipalities with a Serbian majority. He would prefer de jure separation and hopes that Russian success in annexing parts of Ukraine will validate this objective. But he would decide, for the time being, on separate de facto governance, in the form of an Association of Municipalities with a Serbian majority.
Prishtina has shown that its police can handle, with the support of NATO, a heavily armed group of several dozen determined militants. But it is equally clear that Serbian armored forces can easily enter Kosovo. It is less than 25 miles, perhaps an hour by tank, from the nearest Serbian border crossing north of Mitrovica. NATO has recently strengthened its forces in Kosovo. But it is not clear whether they are equipped or trained for anti-blind warfare.
American and European diplomats think that Serbia will not attempt such an action because of the political consequences. But Vucic knows better. He is trying to convince the world that Serbs are being ethnically cleansed from Kosovo. This could substantiate a claim that its tanks protect civilians. That is why he repeatedly claims, without evidence, that such ethnic cleansing is going on, as he did yesterday in a meeting with the Russian ambassador.
American and European reaction
The Western response has been weak so far. Brussels and Washington have called on "both sides" to prevent further violence and escalation. This implicitly equates the excellent performance of the Kosovo police with an illegal armed uprising that could have caused instability throughout the Balkans. Those in charge of Balkan politics in both capitals are unwilling to admit the failure of their efforts to lure Serbia westward. Instead, they are looking for a quick return to "dialogue".
An alternative approach would be to denounce Belgrade for supporting the armed uprising, labeling it an act of terrorism and imposing sanctions on Vucic and his national defense and security officials. NATO would prepare its forces in the north of Kosovo for defense against an armored invasion. The West would praise the Kosovo police and demand a fair and speedy trial for the perpetrators in Kosovo's courts. Ambassadors in Belgrade will withdraw for consultations.
A new policy is needed
They can quickly return with a single message: the age of appeasement is over. If Belgrade wants EU membership, Serbia must:
-arrest and deliver the terrorists to the Kosovo authorities.
- to give up the insistence on separate governance of the Serbs in Kosovo.
-të jetë në përputhje me sanksionet e Ukrainës ndaj Rusisë.
-përkrah anëtarësimin e Kosovës në organizatat ndërkombëtare, përfshirë Kombet e Bashkuara.
Nëse Beogradi refuzon, BE duhet të njoftojë se po ngrin bisedimet e pranimit. SHBA duhet të pezullojë bashkëpunimin ushtarak me Serbinë, duke përfshirë bashkëpunimin me Gardën Kombëtare të Ohajos.
Uashingtoni dhe Brukseli duhet gjithashtu të përgatiten për të nxitur Prishtinën që të kontaktojë serbët e veriut për të gjetur alternativa ndaj Listës Srpska. Përveç kësaj, Prishtina duhet të përpiqet të sigurojë që të mos ketë incidente antiserbe në të gjithë Kosovën, në mënyrë që të zhvlerësojë pretendimet e Vuçiçit për spastrim etnik. Prishtina duhet të hetojë menjëherë çdo incident që ndodh. Gjykatat duhet të gjykojnë menjëherë autorët.
It is time to reconfigure Western policy on Serbia and Kosovo. Renewing the current approach will bring new failures. A stronger approach with Belgrade is a necessary first step.
Lini një Përgjigje