Sorry, guys!
J. Ignacio Torreblanca
April 24, 2007
I perfectly understand current concerns concerning the future of Kosovo and, by extension, preoccupation with stability in the region. I also agree that this is a potentially explosive problem that has to be treated with great care. But the more we call on the EU and the US to stop Kosovo’s independence, the more our arguments distract our attention from the key issue, bringing Serbia into the community of democratic and prosperous Europeans. I think that we are under-emphasizing the key message we should be sending to Belgrade, namely, that it is their responsibility to help manage the solution to this problem in accordance with UN resolutions and EU principles, which allow for different solutions, all of them legitimate. But as the say goes: you can catch more flies with honey than vinegar. The Serbian state has already shown that it can be a factor of violence and hate, now it has to prove that it can also be a factor of peace and reconciliation. If Kosovars do not trust Serbs, it is not their fault; if they don’t feel safe under Serbian rule, no matter how much autonomy they promise to them, it is not their fault either. Serbs tried the hard way (ethnic cleansing), and they failed. And they haven’t really apologized yet! So what to expect?
It seems that Serbs consider that Serbia cannot exist without Kosovo, that Kosovo is the key to Serbian identity. Sorry, I am not moved with the argument. They should have thought better. Germany lost Prussia and despite Königsberg being handed over to Russia, Germany is still a great nation. Serbs should think about this. Otherwise, they will prove that they have not understood a word of what has happened in Europe in the last 20 years. Worse, it would prove that they have not yet assumed their share of responsibility for a disastrous war and the following butchery of 200.000 people.
Therefore, what Serbia has to do is to hand Mladic and Karadjic to the International Criminal Court. It is simply not credible that they are unaware of their whereabouts. Then, they should publicly recognize their responsibility in the war, including Srbenica. After all, the International Court of Justice only declared them “non-guilty”, (meaning that the criminal evidence was not hard enough). After, they should thoroughly revised their past, open their archives, purge their police forces and army, and convince the world that Serbian nationalism will never again be violent. And finally, a recommendation: either they think that their future is with the EU or not, so please!, do not threat us playing the Moscow card! It only makes things worse for your (presumably European) future.
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