Kosovo appeals to U.S. for independence date

[Eugene]

Source: Reuters

Kosovo appeals to U.S. for independence date
Mon Jul 9, 2007 10:09AM EDT

By Fatos Bytyci

PRISTINA, Serbia (Reuters) - Kosovo appealed to the
United States on Monday to set a date for the province's
independence from Serbia, saying Russia had blocked its
path through the United Nations.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian prime minister, Agim Ceku, said
a "new approach" was needed. He again hinted at a
unilateral declaration of independence after eight years
under U.N. stewardship.

-snip-

"President Bush said that one day we should say 'enough
is enough'," Ceku said.

"This enough should have a date. We need a clear calendar,
a clear date and a clear way to resolve Kosovo's status."

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSBYT93849120070709

---

Source: The Guardian

2.15pm
Russia dismisses Kosovo statehood without Serb agreement

Mark Tran
Monday July 9, 2007
Guardian Unlimited

Russia today dug in its heels on Kosovo, insisting that a UN
resolution on the breakaway province would not get through
the security council if it was unacceptable to Serbia.

"Any solution is possible on the basis of agreement by both
sides involved. Any other decision cannot make it through the
security council," the Russian foreign affairs minister, Sergei
Lavrov, said at a news conference in Bishkek, the capital of
Kyrgyzstan, where he was attending a regional ministerial
meeting.

-snip-

The US appears to be resigned to a long delay on the issue
after confidently predicting that Kosovo's status would be
resolved in "weeks and not months". At the weekend, Dan
Fried, the US assistant secretary of state for European
affairs, told delegates at a Nato conference in Dubrovnik,
Croatia, that he hoped Kosovo's future could be resolved in
the months leading up to the alliance's next summit meeting
in Romania next April.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/Kosovo/Story/0,,2122143,00.html

[Kagemusha]

1. Simple question: HOW???

What the hell gives the US the right to unilaterally declare Kosovo independent???

[Eugene]

2. A diplomatic "coalition of the willing"/bribed/coerced?

With the right kind of diplomatic arm twisting, Bush & Co. just
might convince enough countries to recognize an independent
Kosovo to support de facto independence. However, such a
move would lack the legitimacy that the Europeans want and
may undermine European unity, as the Reuters article states.
It would certainly enrage the Russians.

[provis99]

3. maybe the Russians could do it to us, too

They could unilaterally declare Texas independent from the rest of us. Hmmm, that might actually be a good idea. Goodbye, Crawford! Goodbye, Dallas! Goodbye, Lubbock! And we hardly knew ya.

[3waygeek]

4. Let's give them July 4...

we're sure as hell not using it.

[razzleberry]

5. 'effin lazy bums need someone else to speak for them .n/t