Kosovo independence

Today Kosovo celebrates the sixth anniversary of its 17 February 2008 declaration of independence. A unanimous parliament in Pristina took the decision, but the declaration was controversial internationally and completely rejected by Serbia, Russia and others. But 17.000 NATO-led troops guaranteed the defense of the new state. Today 106 countries have recognized Kosovo.

Kosovo has a population of around 1.85 million people, of which around 90% is Albanian. It is the poorest country in Europe with around US$ 7.400 per capita Purchasing Power (PPP) and unemployment at 45%. Exports amounted to 336.8 million Euros in 2013, but imports only to 2.1 billion Euros.

In April 2013 Serbia and Kosovo made an agreement granting autonomy to Serbs in northern Kosovo. This was seen by many as an informal recognition of Kosovo, and opened the road to the EU for Serbia. Serbia and Kosovo then established Liaison officers, official representatives working in each others capitals in June 2013, though the Kosovar resigned two days later because of statements he made. Tensions are continuing, and the next few years seem to become difficult for both Kosovars and Serbs. Less propaganda and more facts about what really happened and reconciliation is needed.





The Newborn monument unveiled at the celebration of the 2008 Kosovo declaration of independence 17 February 2008, Pristina.



Albanians (red) are in majority. Serbs are in majority in the north.

History

Serbia claims that Kosovo was the cradle for the Serbian nation, giving them right to the territory, with the argument “we were here first”. And traditional history claims that there was an exodus of 36.000 extended Serb families, fleeing the Ottoman advance into Kosovo in 1690. According to Dr. Noel Malcolm, an acclaimed UK historian and journalist, the Serbian exodus of year 1690 has been exaggerated. In this video-presentation in Pristina, he refers to documents of the Serb Archbishop Arsenije of the time, claiming 30-40.000 people fleeing Belgrade to Hungary, and of those only 10.000 from Kosovo. And that Kosovo was populated by Albanians. By claiming historical roots they tried to legitimize their expansionist policy.

Foreign relations of Kosovo:      diplomatic relations and recognition

     diplomatic recognition only      non-diplomatic official representation in Kosovo.

Kosovo becomes part of Yugoslavia
Anyway Serbia, which won independence from the Ottoman Empire in the late 19^th century, conquered Kosovo in the first Balkan War in 1912. They lost it, and regained it incorporating it into the new Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (later called Yugoslavia). The Belgrade government moved thousands of Serbs in after Kosovar Albanians fled. But the Serbs remained a minority. With the Yugoslavian constitution of 1974 Kosovo became an autonomous province, a republic in all but name. The Yugoslav government supported the relatively poor Kosovo economically, and other republics disagreed with this. Economic problems because of the oil crisis provoked big demonstrations. The authorities cracked down on these and a contested number of people died.

Milosevic remove autonomy
After Slobodan Milosevic became president of the Serbian republic in 1989, he stripped Kosovo of its autonomy. The Kosovars protested violently, and Yugoslav military dissolved the parliament and closed schools teaching in Albanian language. In an unofficial recognized referendum in 1990, the Kosovars voted for independence. Belgrade did not recognize this. Under Ibrahim Rugova the Kosovars led non-violent resistance and opened Albanian-language schools and institutions. He and other academics formed the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK). After more oppression, the LDK declared the Republic of Kosovo and Rugova was elected president in 1992. The Dayton peace agreement in 1995, ended war in Bosnia and Croatia, but Kosovo was not mentioned. 

Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic signing the Dayton Peace Accords in 1995, ending the Bosnian War.

The Kosovars attack and the Kosovo war
A minority of Kosovars were now ready to use violence, and formed the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). KLA attacked Serbian Police and officials, got more weapons in Albania and increased actions in 1997. The Serbs responded with brutal crackdowns, and more Kosovars entered KLA. Thousands fled the increased fighting. The Western powers tried to mediate, but a ceasefire broke down when the Yugoslav army launched an offensive in November 1998. Claims that crimes against humanity and genocide were about to be committed prompted the West to react. They had moved slowly in the war in Bosnia, where crimes against humanity had taken place, and were now eager to avoid another slow response. Serb massacres were indeed taking place, but the extent not fully clear. Not getting a UN Security approval, because of Russian and Chinese opposition, NATO launched a bombing campaign in March-June 1999 against Serb forces in Kosovo. Belgrade was also bombed. The Russian were asked to mediate, and they helped make a peace agreement where bombing stopped, Serb forces retreated and a multinational peacekeeping force entered. The Russians was only given a minor role and NATO run the force, de facto giving Kosovo self rule.  

Satellite image of new mass burial site of Izbica massacre in Drenica region, committed by Serb forces in Kosovo.

Serb media played an important propaganda-role during the war. NATO bombed the Ušće tower in Belgrade housing three Serb television stations in 1999. It was rebuilt later.

The Rise of Yeltsin and the War in Georgia
In the Stratfor’s opinion the weak response of President Yeltsin was the drop of humiliation to Russia that led to the rise of Vladimir Putin. And the Western unilateral actions were seen as NATO becoming a quasi-UN taking not just military but political decisions. The promise to include Ukraine and Georgia into NATO was seen as expansion into the former Soviet Union, and in light of the Kosovo war a threat to Russia.

Later the Western unilateral promotion and recognition of Kosovo’s independence in 2008, was seen as encroachment on Russia. The response came in Georgia in August 2008. When Georgia, under President Saakashvili invaded South Ossetia, a disputed part of Georgia, Russia invaded Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Enough was enough for the Russians, and now they had the military means to act which they didn’t have in 1999. Abkhazia and South Ossetia, which are close to the Olympic Games in Sochi are still occupied. 

Map showing the major operations of the 2008 war.

Still, in spite of Serb position of not recognizing Kosovo, in February 2014, a Serbian War criminal court sentenced nine Serbs for killing 120 Kosovars in 1999. That gives me some hope that the process of co-operation will inch forward.

Pristina, the capital of Kosovo.

Sources and more information

http://www.nytimes.com/1999/06/09/opinion/independence-for-kosovo.html?pagewanted=print
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/14613199908414002#preview
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/20049055?uid=3738744&uid=2&uid=4&sid=21103515046183
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfSBAXkA-7M
http://www.tanjug.rs/news/106928/18th-anniversary-of-dayton-agreement.htm
http://www.economist.com/node/10727947

I am open to your comments and proposals.
Warmly
Bjarte Bjørsvik