Serbs caught in diplomatic bind over Kosovo, Ossetia comparisons

14/08/2008

While leaders in Pristina and Tirana reject any links between the Kosovo conflict and the fight over Abkhazia and South Ossetia, Serbs find themselves caught in a diplomatic bind.

By Linda Karadaku for Southeast European Times in Pristina -- 14/08/08

"International conflicts cannot be solved by force, violence and violations of international law," Serbian Secretary for Kosovo Oliver Ivanovic said. [B92]

Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said on Tuesday (August 12th) that his country's situation cannot be compared to that of any other area in the world, including Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Sejdiu said Kosovo is a sui generis case, with distinct historical, legal, political and constitutional specifics involved.

"Those who oppose Kosovo's independence want to qualify Kosovo as a precedent for other solutions, but I think the arguments prove something different," Sejdiu said. Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuqi echoed that stance, insisting that Kosovo "is a special case".

Serbia, meanwhile, finds itself in a diplomatic quandary. With Georgia moving to assert its "territorial integrity" and Russia sending troops to guard against alleged atrocities, Belgrade risks either alienating a key ally or undermining its position on Kosovo.

"It would be logical for Serbia to use the situation in Georgia in its diplomatic struggle against Kosovo independence," the Belgrade-based site B92 wrote on Wednesday. "However, in so doing, Belgrade would find itself in a Catch-22:

[It] would have to support the principle of territorial integrity, and that would lead to conflict with Moscow officials, whose support Belgrade is counting on at the UN Security Council." Backing South Ossetia and Russia, meanwhile, "would undermine Belgrade's arguments against Kosovo independence", B92 wrote.

Serbia's Secretary for Kosovo, Oliver Ivanovic, suggested that the world had a "lesson" to learn from both conflicts. "International conflicts cannot be solved by force, violence and violations of international law," he said.

According to Kosovo analyst Ilir Dugolli, however, the Georgia and Kosovo cases are completely different. "Parallels on that are false," he said.

"Kosovo had equal representation in the former Yugoslav Federation; it was an international protectorate waiting to resolve its final status. The will of the Kosovo people for independence is unquestionable, even to those who don't like or agree [with] it," said Dugolli, a member of the Kosovo Institute for Policy Research and Development.

Kosovo neighbour Albania, meanwhile, backs Georgia on the grounds of territorial integrity, while also insisting that Kosovo is a special case. Tirana fully supports the integrity and sovereignty of Georgia and rejects any parallel with Kosovo, Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha said. Minorities cannot be used to justify a military intervention, he added. "There are minorities everywhere, and if the minorities are used, if military force is used, then the international order is in serious danger."

The foreign ministry urged all sides to avoid any further escalation.