Czechs split evenly over Kosovo independence

About 30 percent of Czechs agree and 31 percent disagree with the Czech Republic's having recognised Kosovo's independence, according to a poll conducted by the polling agency CVVM released Saturday.

Prime Minister Mirek Topolanek's cabinet recognised Kosovo in May.

Nine percent of Czechs are definitely four, 21 percent are fairly much for the step.

Some 71 percent of those who are for the recognition agree with the view that this was the decision of the local nation that must be respected.

The recognition is fairly opposed by 18 percent of those polled and definitely opposed by 13 percent.

Czechs are mostly afraid of another crisis in the region.

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence of Serbia in February.

Kosovo's independence tends to be supported by the following of the governing Civic Democratic Party (ODS), while that of the opposition Social Democrats and the Communists is most against it.

The poll was conducted on a sample of 1051 respondents over 15.

Kosovo could become frozen conflict

A Priština analyst says “Serbia has no arguments against Kosovo’s independence”.

But Ilir Deda told the Albanian language daily Koha Ditore that a possible International Court of Justice, ICJ, ruling in favor of Belgrade could turn Kosovo into a frozen conflict, Beta news agency reports.

“The one initiative of Serbia that is dangerous is that seeking the opinion of the ICJ on Kosovo’s independence. If their demand is accepted, it will produce a frozen conflict,” Deda was quoted as saying.

Belgrade has earlier announced that the ICJ opinion on the legality under international law of the Kosovo Albanians’ unilateral declaration of independence will be asked during the UN General Assembly in September.

The analyst also commented on Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković’s statement that the recent arrest of Radovan Karadžić showed that Serbia respects international law, and that this will have bearing on the Kosovo issue.

“This is an internal policy statement to appease the Radicals,” Deda believes.

Russia Won’t Be Impassive before Violation of Kosovo Resolution 1244

Moscow doesn't exclude the chance of withdrawing the Russians from the United Nations International Police in Kosovo if Resolution 1244 of the Security Council is violated.
“The presence of Russia’s policemen in the province depends on what will happen in future. If the International Presence starts violating, in essence, Resolution 1244, we won’t be gazing at it impassively. A lot will depend on the opinion of Belgrade, as Serbia is the state receiving the international presence,” Deputy Foreign Minister Vladimir Titov said in the interview with Nezavisimaya Gazeta. The official was asked about the chance to pull out a few dozens of Russians serving in the U.N. International Police.

There is no need to pass another resolution of the United Nations on Kosovo, Titov reiterated, pointing out that the resolution explicitly says that a compromise on Kosovo status should be looked for between Belgrade and Pristine.

When commenting on the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Titov said that Russia isn’t satisfied with results of June sitting of Management Committee for executing the agreement for peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. “It was another confirmation of our partners’ withdrawal from the previously agreed on course on closing the Office of High Representative, terminating the extraordinary authority.” “The objective evaluation of the country’s situation and of executing conditions for closing the Office of High Representative is that it is to be transformed to the European Union mission already today,” deputy foreign minister said.

“Our partners certainly fear the Kosovo precedent,” the official said, specifying that, although verbally denying it, they would like to secure against it in practice. The extraordinary authority of High Representative is needed also to those willing to reshape Dayton, impose centralization on the country, turning it into a unitary state without consent of the Serbs living in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is true that the main pressure is exerted on them, although there is no intention to withdraw from Bosnia and Herzegovina, to break up the country,” Titov said.

Malta inexplicably refuses to recognise Kosovar independence

Malta inexplicably remains one of just seven EU member States that still refuses to recognise Kosovo’s self-declared independence, along with Spain, Cyprus, Portugal, Slovakia, Greece and Romania.

The reason why Malta has held fast to its position for so long is mystifying, with the foreign affairs ministry unable to produce replies to questions that have been asked by this newspaper as far back as the beginning of May.

The government’s unexplained stance on the issue jars strikingly with the outpour of humanitarian aid extended by the Maltese people during the Balkans War in the 1990s. Many Maltese will undoubtedly remember their donations for Kosovo, an Air Malta airlift organised by SOS Malta replete with humanitarian supplies and Maltese journalists. Maltese donations were also put towards a number of humanitarian projects in Kosovo including the management of a refugee camp and the repatriation of refugees during the 1999 Kosovo crisis.

While 20 of the EU’s 27 member States have managed to endorse Kosovo’s independence from Serbia since the declaration some five months ago, Malta, for reasons unknown, has hitherto held back.

Through its actions, Malta can be held partially responsible for preventing a unified stance from the EU on the issue of Kosovo’s independence, which would prove crucial for the long-suffering region.

In a statement issued just after the declaration of independence by the Kosovar parliament, Malta’s foreign minister at the time, Michael Frendo, said in a statement, “As to the recognition of independence, which is a separate issue left to the member States individually, Malta will make a decision at the opportune time.”

At the time Dr Frendo, who has since been replaced by Tonio Borg following the 8 March election and the ensuing Cabinet reshuffle, said Malta was examining all international developments before taking a decision and also expressed reluctance over possibly committing a new government to a decision that would have been taken in the lead-up to the general election.

Malta had previously opposed the recognition of an independent Kosovo without a resolution from the United Nations Security Council. Russia and China, both of which have veto powers at the Security Council, oppose Kosovar independence while the United States and the UK have already recognised the new State.

The stance of certain opposing member States, unlike that of Malta, could be easily deduced. Spain appears concerned about lending credence to its own separatist groups if it were to recognise Kosovo’s unilateral declaration of independence, while Portugal could very easily be supporting its neighbour.

Greece, which borders Macedonia and Albania, has strong ties with Serbia and most likely enjoys the support of Cyprus on the issue. Romania, meanwhile, shares an extensive border with Serbia while Slovakia could have similar regional concerns.

Malta, on the surface, appears to have no such political, cultural or regional ties to Serbia.

Serbia is also aiming to join the European Union and Kosovo’s independence is a fundamental prerequisite, and one of the last remaining obstacles to its accession. The country recently reinstated the ambassadors it had removed from EU States that had endorsed Kosovo’s independence. There is no Serbian embassy in Malta and diplomatic relations are carried out through Serbia’s Rome embassy.

Islamic Countries to Recognise Kosovo 'Soon'

The Islamic Community of Kosovo says that many Muslim states are to recognise Pristina’s independence from Serbia in the very near future.

Naim Ternava, the head of Kosovo’s Islamic Community, said Thursday that this organisation is lobbying for the further recognition of Kosovo’s independence.

“We are working hard, together with Kosovo’s institutions, to make sure many Islamic countries recognise Kosovo,” Ternava said.

He made the comment after meeting Kosovo’s Parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia on February 17, an act that has been recognised by 43 countries so far.

However recognitions have stalled in recent weeks.

EU Invests €3.3 million for Kosovo Returnees

The European Commission has launched a €3.3 million project to encourage those who have left Kosovo to return, and assist with their reintegration.

The Kosovo Liaison Office of the Commission in a press release on Thursday announced that the new project will be implemented in close cooperation with the Ministry for Communities and Return.

According to this statement the “main aim of this project is to support the sustainable return of refugees and internally displaced persons.”

“Around 130 refugees and internally displaced families are expected to return to four selected municipalities: Istog/Istok, Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje, Peja/Pec and Gjilan/Gnjilane,” the statement reads.

Since 1999, when the United Nations administration was set up in Kosovo after the armed conflict between Serb forces and Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority, more than 100,000 Kosovo Serbs are considered as refugees in Serbia, or internally displaced persons within Kosovo.

Only a small number of Serb refugees have returned to Kosovo after authorities declared its formal independence from Serbia on February 17. The UN Development Programme, UNDP, has criticised the Kosovo government’s programmes and policies on returnees.

The European Union is the largest donor in post-conflict Kosovo. The European Commission promised €500 million at a Donors Conference for Kosovo on July 11, in Brussels.

This project is a continuation of EU assistance to the sustainable return and reintegration of displaced persons in Kosovo, with the ultimate aim of bringing the return process closer to municipal authorities.

“The project will be implemented through the UNDP, who will provide co-funding of €400,000,” the statements reads.

Ex Serb minister: Serbia giving up on Kosovo

Former Serb government 'Minister for Kosovo and Metohija', Slobodan Samardziq, considers a capitulation of Serbia the announcement made by the Serb authorities to begin discussions with the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

Samardziq stated for the Serbian media that the new Serb government has changed its policies towards Kosovo, forcing Russia to withdraw from protecting Serb interests.

UN’s Kosovo mission chief Lamberto Zannier has invited Serb government to discuss technical matters of joint concern between Kosovo and Serbia. One important point is the forthcoming replacement of his mission with a much weaker one led by the European Union that acknowledges the new reality in Kosovo.

According to Samardziq, there won’t be any kind of negotiations between the government of Serbia and UNMIK, because the UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon has already decided to reconfigure the UN Mission in Kosovo. “Russia has withdrawn from defending Serbia because Serbia has changed its policy towards Kosovo. So, emboldened by this, Ban Ki-Moon has taken his decision [to authorize UNMIK reconfiguration],” stated Samardziq.

Samardziq has also attacked Serb foreign minister Vuk Jeremiq for manipulating Serb public opinion. “Now Jeremiq will go there and fool the opinion that he and Zannier will discuss something, or that they will negotiate. This deception can’t be concealed with declarations as if in question are normal things,” stated Samardzic.

Samardziq, as a minister in the government of the nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica led Serbia’s efforts to thwart Kosovo government authority in the northernmost corner of Kosovo where about 40,000 Kosovo Serbs live. Kosovo and international authorities have expressed their concern that the region has become a hotbed of trafficking and other illicit activity causing huge losses to the budget of the Republic of Kosovo.

Bush urges more support for Kosovo independence

President Bush pledged Monday to seek broader international support for Kosovo's independence from Serbia and said the United States opposes any partition of the poor Balkan nation.

Bush met in the Oval Office with Kosovo's president, Fatmir Sejdiu, and its prime minister, Hashim Thaci.

"I'm a strong supporter of Kosovo's independence," the president said. "I'm against any partition of Kosovo. I believe strongly that the United Nations mission must be transferred to the EU as quickly as possible."

Since Kosovo broke with Serbia and declared itself sovereign in February, 42 nations have recognized its independence, including the U.S. and 20 of the 27 EU members. An international donors' meeting earlier this month produced $1.9 billion in pledges. Serbia, with strong Russian backing, remains vehemently opposed to Kosovo's split.

"I pledged that the United States would continue to work with those nations that have not recognized an independent Kosovo to convince them to do so as quickly as possible," Bush said.

In his remarks, Sejdiu said, "Kosovo will be a country of democracy, a country of all its citizens. It will have a special respect for the minorities. We are very much interested to have good relations with the Republic of Serbia. Our progress will be with the integration of NATO and the EU."

Hundreds queue as Kosovo issues passports

Kosovo, the territory which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February, has started issuing its own passports.

Hundreds of people queued for hours to apply for the document which is blue and comes in three languages - Albanian, Serbian, and English.

Interior ministry officials are working extra hours to cope with demand.

The passports will replace documents issued by the United Nations when it administered the territory.

People are expected to be able to use the passports in the more than 40 countries.

Kosovo human rights unsatisfactory

The human rights in Kosovo are unsatisfactory as serious violations of human rights were registered in the past year, Kosovo's acting ombudsman Hilmi Jashari said on Monday.

Presenting an annual report covering the period between 2007 and 2008, Jashari said that the ombudsman institution has noticed multiple violations of human rights and freedoms.

"Furthermore we've been facing many obstacles during our actions to solve some cases reported within this period," said Jashari.

He said the luck of rule of law has increased insecurity to the citizens and luck of trust in the judiciary system.

"The new Constitution (which took effect on June 15 this year) guaranties human rights, but in the ground the chapter can't be fully implemented," said the Kosovo ombudsman.

According to the report, the ombudsman institution has received within the period over 8,800 complaints, mostly against ministries and courts, followed by municipal authorities and police service.

The annual report points out other obstacles that jeopardize human rights in Kosovo, such as property issues, returnees' problems and Serb parallel structures in the territory.

Kosovo, which has two million population dominated by ethnic Albanians, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February after nearly nine years as a UN protectorate. Belgrade, which still views the breakaway province as its religious and cultural cradle, has rejected the move as illegal.

Arresting developments for Serbia and the EU

The election this month of a pro-western coalition government in Belgrade went largely unremarked across the EU despite memories of what happened when Serbian nationalists turned their back on Europe in the 1990s and plunged headlong into the horror of the Bosnian war. Following the arrest by the Serbian authorities of the notoriously elusive war crimes suspect, Radovan Karadzic, it is a safe bet that Britain and its partners will be paying a lot more attention to Serbia from now on.

It seems a long time ago, but the convulsions that shook the Balkans as the late Slobodan Milosevic pursued his vision of a "greater Serbia" transfixed western Europeans. They simply did not want to believe that atrocities such as concentration camps, mass rape, ethnic cleansing and the pitiless slaughter of civilian populations had returned to a continent still mindful of, and chastened by, the second world war's terrible legacy.

Those events left deep wounds, diplomatic as well as human, that the capture, at last, of the renegade Bosnian Serb leader may go a significant way towards healing. The arrest is now likely to prove a watershed not only in the search for justice pursued by the victims of the war but also for battered, long frosty relations between Serbia and the EU.

Considered a pariah state for its reluctance or inability to pursue the most wanted war criminals long after the fighting had ended, Belgrade now has a leadership – principally the president, Boris Tadic, and prime minister, Mirko Cvetkovic, – that actively wants to cooperate and finally put the past behind it.

"The new government is expected to make a bigger effort to track down these men [Karadzic and the other most wanted man, General Ratko Mladic]. There's going to be a big push even though a lot of people in Belgrade don't think the Hague tribunal [for war crimes in the former Yugoslavia] is fair," a Serbian official told the Guardian last week. Few expected that a breakthrough would come so soon, with Karadzic reportedly being picked up on a bus in Belgrade last Friday.

Javier Solana, the EU's foreign affairs representative, signalled its importance in terms of Serbia's aspiration to join the EU. "They have proven their will to cooperate fully with the UN. I welcome it very much … This is a good day for justice in the Balkans," he said. EU foreign ministers meeting today are now expected to give further encouragement to Belgrade's membership application following the initial association agreement signed in April.

Solana was quick to indicate that important unfinished business remains, meaning principally the capture of Mladic. Whereas Karadzic seems to have been under surveillance for some time, pending a political decision to pick him up, the whereabouts of the man held most responsible for the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995, and numerous other crimes is apparently more of a mystery. "No one [in the government] knows where Mladic is – they really don't," the Serbian official said.
Much scepticism surrounds such claims. And the coincidence of the change in power in Belgrade, accompanied by an apparent weakening of hardline nationalist sentiment, and Karadzic's out-of-the-blue arrest after more than a decade on the run is striking. It suggests that the shadowy current or former security service and military figures who are said to harbour Mladic may soon be outmanoeuvred.
"Radovan Karadzic personified impunity for more than a decade but his efforts to run the clock on justice have failed," said Richard Dicker of Human Rights Watch. "That Ratko Mladic is still at liberty is a major obstacle … The EU must insist that Serbia surrender him."

Karadzic's arrest has wider ramifications. It marks a big boost for the Hague court that has been under growing criticism for its slow-moving and allegedly partial processes. Russia recently called for the court to be wound up immediately. Its anger was sparked by the acquittal on appeal of a well-known Bosnian Muslim, Naser Oric, who was accused of complicity in the 1990s murders of Serbs, and the freeing of the former Kosovo Liberation Army chief, Ramush Haradinaj.

By implication, the Karadzic arrest also strengthens other systems for administering international or transnational justice, notably the international criminal court. Its indictment last week of Omar al-Bashir, the Sudanese president, on genocide charges was widely dismissed in Africa as an insulting stunt that would lead to nothing. That conclusion looks a little bit less certain this morning. On the other hand, the fact that the Serbs themselves, not Nato or any other international agency, collared Karadzic suggests that the search for justice must start at home.

The problems associated with the reintegration of Serbia into Europe remain formidable. The sharpest difference concerns the future of Kosovo, the Serbian province that declared independence with EU and US backing earlier this year. The reformers in Belgrade insist they will "never" recognise Kosovo as an independent state. European diplomats and politicians say they will have to if Serbia really wants to be a full member of the club.

Belgrade's next move will be to seek a UN general assembly resolution in September asking the international court of justice to consider whether Kosovo's UDI was illegal. Serbia had a lot of sympathy for its case, the Serbian official claimed, noting that only 43 out of 192 countries have recognised Kosovo.

Karadzic's capture, and the aura of returning respectability surrounding Belgrade, may only deepen international support for Serbia's Kosovo cause. The better Serbia "behaves", the more likely perhaps that this year's highly unusual and arguably unworkable, destabilising forced partition of its sovereign territory will be reconsidered. That canny calculation may lie behind the Karadzic sensation.

Serbia invites UN Kosovo chief to start talks on reconfiguration

Serbia sent an official invitation on Monday to the chief of the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) to come to Belgrade in order to start talks on the reconfiguration of the international civil presence in Kosovo.

It is expected that Lamberto Zannier might arrive in Belgrade on Wednesday and that the talks might start then, the Serbian official news agency Tanjug reported.

Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic said on Sunday that the opening of the talks on the reconfiguration of the UNMIK was agreed during his recent visits to Paris, Moscow and New York.

Jeremic said that Serbia did not change its stand on the issue and that the international civil presence in Kosovo "has to be in keeping with Resolution 1244 and it should be approved by the UN Security Council."

Kosovo, which is dominated by ethnic Albanians, unilaterally declared independence from Serbia with Western backing on Feb. 17,nine years after the administration of the UNMIK since 1999. It has since won recognition from 43 countries, including the United States and most EU countries.

However, Serbia and the some 120,000 Kosovo Serbs rejected Kosovo's independence as illegal under international law.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has instructed Zannier to start talks with Belgrade on "several issues of mutual interest", including Serbs involvement in Kosovo's judiciary, police, customs, transportation and infrastructure, boundaries and Serbian patrimony.

Zannier has said that he would launch "shuttle diplomacy" between Belgrade and Pristina in an apparent attempt to solve a series of open issues which derived after Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence in February.

On June 26, Zannier said that conditions had been provided for the start of the 120-day reconfiguration of the UNMIK operation in Kosovo and he saw the end of October as the deadline for ending the process.

Bush Reaffirms Support for Kosovo

President Bush has met with Kosovo's leaders for the first time since the former Serbian province declared its independence in February. VOA's Paula Wolfson reports Mr. Bush conferred at the White House with both President Fatmir Seijdu and Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

President Bush says he backs an independent Kosovo, and says he told the Kosovar leaders he wants other countries to do the same.

"I pledged that the United States will continue to work with those nations that have not recognized an independent Kosovo in order to convince them to do so as quickly as possible," said President Bush.

More than 40 countries, including the United States and key members of the European Union, have recognized Kosovo's independence. But Serbia is bitterly opposed. And Russia, which has allied itself with Belgrade on this matter, has used its veto power to block formal acceptance of the new state by the U.N. Security Council.

President Bush says if Kosovo's leaders stand by their pledge to build a multi-ethnic society, they should get full international recognition. He says any effort to split the new country along ethnic lines must be rejected. And he calls on the European Union to take over the administrative and police mission carried out by the U.N. in Kosovo since 1999.

"I'm against any partition of Kosovo," said Mr. Bush. "I believe strongly that the United Nations mission must be transferred to the EU as quickly as possible."

Kosovo's leaders vowed during the meeting with President Bush to live up to their commitments. After the talks, Prime Minister Thaci told reporters that Kosovo's government believes in equal rights for the country's sizable ethnic-Serb minority.

He said they are building a democratic Kosovo with rights for all. He said Kosovo wants excellent relations with all its neighbors, even Serbia.

Both Serbia and Kosovo have stated a desire to join the European Union, and the Kosovar leaders say they would also like to become a member of NATO. President Bush told them that he supports - what he called - their trans-Atlantic aspirations.

US appoints ambassador to Kosovo, expresses optimism on Kosovo recognition

United States secretary of state Condoleezza Rice is to promote the charge d’affaires in Pristina to be the first US ambassador to Kosovo, and has expressed optimism that the number of countries recognising Kosovo as independent will increase.

On July 18 2008, Rice met Kosovo president Fatmir Sejdiu and prime minister Hashim Thaci in Washington. The two are to meet US president George Bush on July 21.

The US has been a major backer of Kosovo’s independence, unilaterally declared in February 2008. In March, Bush authorised supplying Kosovo with weapons after Kosovo declared independence.

The Voice of America quoted Rice as saying that she expected growing international recognition of Kosovo and that opponents of independence for the former Serbian province would come to terms with that reality.

Rice said that more than 40 countries had recognised Kosovo, including most UN Security Council member countries and more than two-thirds of the members of the European Union and Nato.

Rice pledged continuing support for Kosovo by the United States, which pledged more than $400 million in new aid over two years at a donors’ conference in Brussels.

Thaci thanked Washington for its support, and said that Kosovo was “a country of peace and stability” that aspired to develop relations with all its neighbours — Macedonia, Albania, Montenegro, and Serbia.

Thaci said that progress had been made in the past six months with US help, and promised that Kosovo would “achieve many more successes in order to become a member of Nato and the EU.”

Agence France Presse reported that Rice had named Tina Kaidanow, described by the news agency as a “veteran Eastern Europe specialist” and currently charge d’affaires at the embassy in Pristina, as Washington’s first ambassador to Kosovo.

Recognition of Kosovo and Bangladesh

It is reported Bangladesh has not yet firmed up its stance on the question of recognising Kosovo's independence, despite persistent diplomatic presentation by US Ambassador James Moriarty, who met Foreign Adviser Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury on 1st July for the second time to pursue the issue of recognition of the new Balkan state.

Ambassador Moriarty told reporters that the main purpose of his meeting was to urge the Foreign Adviser to consider the issue of recognition of Kosovo. In response, Adviser for Foreign Affair Dr. Iftekhar A. Chowdhury told the reporters, "In such cases, perceived national interest is always the key."

The Foreign Ministry had already issued a statement on Kosovo, mentioning that the Bangladeshis were overwhelmingly in support of the people of Kosovo for a variety of reasons, he added.

The Adviser hoped that a decision in this regard could be taken soon in consultation with other Islamic countries. However, he admitted the fact that the OIC-member states are split up on the issue of Kosovo's independence, and the last Islamic Conference of the Foreign Ministers held in Uganda failed to reach a consensus on the subject.

Kosovo's recognition: Split between US and Russia
Kosovo's recognition seems to be the new “power game” between the US and its allies and Russia and China. The UN Security Council could not take the decision because of the split among the veto-carrying permanent members of the Security Council.

Kosovo (with about 2 million people with overwhelming majority of Albanian Muslims) received recognition as a sovereign state, notably from the United States and some major European countries, such as Britain, Germany, France and Italy, while Russia, China, Spain, Romania, Cyprus, Greece and Serbia did not recognise Kosovo.

The official position of these countries is that Kosovo is a Serbian province under ad interim UN control , formally known as Autonomous Province of Kosovo.

The countries that oppose recognition of Kosovo consider that its recognition as an independent state in the Balkans will boost the ethnic demands for greater autonomy or independence. They argue that recognizing the unilateral declaration of independence would legitimatise the doctrine of imposing solution to ethnic conflicts.

They further argue that by the actions of some European Union member-states, every would-be ethnic or religious separatist across Europe and around the world has been provided with a tool kit on how to achieve recognition.

Factors behind recognition
In 1950, the UN Secretariat summed up on the issue of recognition as follows:

“ The recognition of a new state or a new government of an existing state is a unilateral act…while states may regard it as desirable to follow certain legal principles in according or withholding recognition, the practice of states shows that the act of recognition is still regarded as essentially a political decision, which each state decides in accordance with its own free appreciation of the situation.”

The question is does a state assess its own appreciation of the situation? It varies depending on situations and circumstances. But one cardinal rule appears to be the attitude of the neighbouring countries of the new state to be recognized and that of the neighbours of the state that will accord recognition. This rule is to avoid third or distant countries complicating the political situation in the region by giving recognition to a new state.

The practice of Bangladesh during the 37 years seems to be that Bangladesh has been to insist upon certain conditions precedent to the grant of recognition of a state, namely (a) whether Bangladesh's neighbours recognized the new state and (b) whether peace and order prevails in the country and (c) whether the administration has been accepted by people within the new state.

It means (a) whether Kosovo has been recognized by its neighbours, (b) whether the neighbours of Bangladesh have accorded recognition to Kosovo and (c) whether all people in Kosovo including Serbs recognize the government of Kosovo. It appears that none of the three factors of recognition seems to have been met as of today.

Furthermore, on Kosovo issue, there is no uniform stand by the member states of Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC), or by the members of Non-Aligned Movement, or by the members of the UN Security Council of the UN. Rather the issue of recognition has become a bone of contention between Russia and European Union/US. At a EU-Russia summit on 26-27 June, there has been no meeting of minds on this issue.

Against the above background, Bangladesh's position is understandable. The Adviser for Foreign Affairs rightly has pointed out "perceived national interest -- and the benefits" from such a political matter of recognition of Kosovo. He hoped that a formal decision regarding the independence of Kosovo would be mooted soon.

Kosovo plans to open first embassy in Ankara

The Kosovar president announced yesterday that Kosovo would open its first embassy in Ankara, in an apparent gesture acknowledging Turkey's swift recognition of his state in February.
Turkey was among the first countries to recognize the world's youngest state on the evening of Feb. 18, a little over 24 hours after Kosovo's Albanian leadership declared independence in a parliamentary session on Feb. 17.

Following a meeting with Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, President Fatmir Sejdiu told reporters yesterday that Kosovo had decided to upgrade diplomatic relations with Turkey to the ambassadorial level. Sejdiu instructed Foreign Ministry officials to take necessary steps toward opening an embassy in Ankara, officials said.

Kosovo has had a representative office in Istanbul since 1999. Earlier this week, the Turkish-Kosovar Economic Trade Chamber, comprising 11 Turkish business institutions and the Turkish Liaison Office, was opened in order to develop strong trade relations between Kosovo and Turkey, improve the Kosovar economy and encourage and support the growing economic investments and trade between the two countries.

"The next three years are very critical and important to the development of Kosovo, in the sense that the Kosovar-Turkish Trade Chamber can begin to implement its projects for the reconstruction of the economy for the benefit of Kosovo," Mustafa Sarnıç, the chief of Turkish Liaison Office in Kosovo, said at the time.

"Kosovo has Turkish companies that do business in Kosovo, so they have all come together to further the development of the economic relations between Kosovo and Turkey," Sarnıç said.

"Turkey will open its embassy in Kosovo and will eliminate the system of visa requirements for Kosovar citizens immediately after the Republic of Kosovo opens its embassy in Ankara," he added then.

With Ankara, Kosovo is now set to have 10 representation offices abroad, but ambassadors have not yet been appointed since initially these embassies and offices will be headed by chargés d'affaires.

Last month, Sejdiu signed a decree to open nine foreign embassies -- in Brussels, Washington, D.C., London, Paris, Berlin, Bern, Vienna, Rome and Tirana -- the capitals that have backed Kosovo's independence.

Meanwhile, angered by Ankara's swift recognition of Kosovo, Serbia is refusing to give the formal go-ahead to a new Turkish envoy appointed to Belgrade, a sign of a chill in the two countries' ties.

The Serbian government recalled its ambassador to Turkey following Turkey's recognition of Kosovo. Ambassador Ahmet Süha Umar, appointed the new Turkish envoy to Serbia, has been waiting for months for a meeting with President Boris Tadic. Ambassadors need to formally present their credentials to the president of the country they are appointed to as a diplomatic requirement before officially assuming office.

Kosovo infant mortality highest in Europe

Kosovo is a region with the highest infant and maternal mortality rate in Europe, a report presented in Priština on Friday says.

The document, entitled, Monitors of Millennium Development Goals, produced by the Kosovo team of the United Nations, in cooperation with the parliament of Kosovo, also said that the territory has the highest incidence of contagious disease.

According to this data, 45 of 1,000 newborn infants die, while during labor two mothers out of every 100,000 also lose their life.

UN Development Team Coordinator Frode Mauring said that 52 out of every 100,000 persons in Kosovo are suffering with tuberculosis.

"Cooperation should be stepped up with other countries in order to make it easier for civil society to be engaged on development issues, so that Kosovo could catch up with the regional trends of development," Mauring said.

The Kosovo assembly has a key role in paving the way toward tenable development, regarding the shaping of the necessary laws and the considerations of budget priorities, the UN representative said.

Sejdiu rejects talks on status

The Ahtisaari package will never be opened, the Kosovo status will never be opened and we will never sit down to talk about issues that have to do with Kosovo's future and the legal and constitutional position that it has," he said, of possible subjects of negotiations with Belgrade.

Sejdiu yesterday met with representatives of the non-Albanian communities, "except the Serbs", who snubbed the meeting.

The Kosovo Albanian official, according to reports in the Albanian language media, did not rule out the possibility that talks with Belgrade might take place "on practical issues that are in the interest of the Kosovo citizens", but he added, Priština can come as "an equal" factor with Belgrade.

"Regardless of Belgrade's tendencies the Kosovo government will not accept any solution that is detrimental to the citizens of Kosovo. Each possible issue will be analyzed and measure in detail," Sejdiu was also quoted as saying.

Defiant Serbs inaugurate Kosovo 'parliament'

Kosovo's Serbs inaugurated their own assembly Saturday in defiance of the United Nations and Kosovo's Albanian majority who proclaimed independence four months ago.

The Serb "parliament" draws its membership from delegates elected in Serbia's general and municipal election in May -- a crossover denounced as illegal by the UN and Kosovan authorities.

The parliament has officially dubbed itself the Assembly of the Union of Municipalities of the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and drafted what it sees as its mandate.

"The parliament adopts legislative measures, resolutions and has the right to propose for adoption new laws important to the life of citizens... to the parliament of the Republic of Serbia," its statement said.

Thirty of the 53 members elected met for the inaugural session of the outlawed assembly in the ethnically divided town of Mitrovica.

Most were from outgoing Serbian nationalist Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica's Democratic Party of Serbia and the ultra-nationalist Serbian Radical Party, one of whose delegates, Radovan Nicic, was elected as speaker.

The meeting was immediately denounced by Kosovo's Deputy Prime Minister Ram Manaj as "an attempt to create a virtual parliament which will continue to manipulate the Serbs."

He told the local Beta news agency the gathering was "illegal and unacceptable," adding that it will have "no legal effect".

Several ministers from the outgoing Serbian nationalist government attended the inaugural session, including the ex-minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic.

Samardzic, addressing the assembly, said "I am persuaded that Serbia, the Serb state, could return to Kosovo by the intermediary of this parliament."

He told reporters later that the outlawed parliament would mirror parallel institutions in Serbia until such time as "real negotiations on the status of Kosovo can be organised."

"In the current situation, this parliament's constitution was the only solution and the right solution," said Samardzic.

Kosovo declared independence in March and has been recognised by 43 countries, including the United States and most but not all of the 27-member European Union.

Serbia and its close ally Russia maintain the declaration was against international law, and continue to consider Kosovo as a province of Serbia.

Kosovo's new constitution went into effect June 15, paving the way for EULEX, a 2,000-strong EU police and justice mission.

The UN's UNMIK mission will transfer its main responsibilities in the areas of police, law and customs to EULEX, as well as some powers to Kosovar authorities.

UNMIK has run Kosovo under Resolution 1244 since a NATO bombing campaign in 1999 ousted Serbian forces then waging a brutal crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.

Some 90 percent of Kosovo's two million population are Albanian.

NATO Chief: Kosovo Partition Not an Option

The territorial partition of Kosovo is unacceptable and not an option, the NATO Secretary General says during a trip to Pristina. Jaap de Hoop Scheffer was on his first visit to Kosovo since ethnic Albanian leaders there declared independence from Serbia in February.

Scheffer met Kosovo leaders and officials from the NATO-led peacekeeping forces in Kosovo, KFOR to discuss the latest developments after Kosovo’s constitution came into force last week. The move saw the transfer of key responsibilities from the United Nations administration to the Pristina government while preparing the ground for the arrival of the European Union’s new law and order mission, EULEX.

Scheffer spoke out against plans by the Serb community who are continuing to defy Pristina authorities in strengthening their parallel government bodies and undercut Kosovo’s independence, adding that the partition of Kosovo is unacceptable.

“Any kind of partition is not an option,” he reiterated, emphasising that KFOR’s mandate is regulated by the United Nations resolution on Kosovo and it will remain to maintain peace and security across Kosovo in the future.

Scheffer also asserted that NATO will be involved in training the new Kosovo Security Force, which will be formed as a substitute to the national army.

“It is in the interest of Kosovo and all Kosovars…to have a Security Force,” he said explaining that it will not be an army but only a security force.

However he admitted that NATO decided to push on with plans to train the future force despite a small number of member states who did not recognise Kosovo’s independence, acknowledging that it is not the mandate of the alliance to recognise states.

NATO, whose troops have been deployed in Kosovo since 1999 after the conflict between Kosovo’s ethnic Albanians and Serb military forces, currently has some 15,000 peacekeeping troops on the ground and remains the main security force in Kosovo.

NATO presence in Kosovo to remain steady

The secretary-general of NATO, Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, has told the people of Kosovo that NATO troops will stay at current levels.

During a brief visit to Kosovo, Mr de Hoop Scheffer said Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia in February would not affect NATO's presence there.

About 1,600 NATO troops are still based in Kosovo in order to deal with continuing tension in the Serb-dominated north.