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05
Future Status Russia’s Role in Decision on Kosovo’s Opinion
Independence: A Matter of Compromise
Russia's Policy
Russia and
On Kosovo: Why the
Stalemate?
DMITRY BABICH
Kosovo’s
RUSSIAPROFILE.ORG
Future
How can one explain Russia's refusal to re-
cognize Kosovo's independence in the Security
Council of the UN? The most widespread Wes-
tern interpretation of this stand is the following:
VIKTOR VASENIN_RG Russia has always been in cahoots with Serbia,
helping the country to realize its "imperial" am-
bitions in the Balkans. The reasons? Religious
affinity, real politics, fraternity of "undemocratic"
The talks on Kosovo’s future status are entering a decisive law, in principle Russia may ods of resolving the Balkan cri- regimes.
phase. The contact group on Kosovo – mediators from
recognize the independence RBTH Dossier sis were no different from the Like any simplification, this version, however,
the EU, Russia and the U.S. – should submit its report on
of Abkhazia, South Ossetia Iraqi campaign. overlooks certain historic facts which just don't
the course of negotiations Kosovo’s status by December
and Transdnestr because all Mikhail Margelov was born For its part, Russia adheres to fit it. Strangely, during the greater part of their
10. The draft constitution based on Martti Ahtisaari’s plan
obstacles, or at least legal in 1964 in Moscow and gradu- collective international deci- history, the Russian and Serb states were rivals
will also be made public in the province in early Decem-
ones, will be removed. So for ated from the Institute of Coun- sions and prefers consensus rather than allies. This, however, did not prevent
ber. Mikhail Margelov, chairman of the International Af-
the time being there are no tries of Asia and Africa, affiliated to a unilateral approach. Nei- societies of both countries from fraternizing and
grounds for Russia to consent with Moscow State University. ther the United States nor the helping each other in the tragic moments of both
fairs Committee at the Russian Federation Council, upper
to Kosovo’s unilateral inde- He has worked as an interpreter, European Union can make the countries' histories. Sometimes these communi-
chamber of the Russian parliament, told Rossiyskaya
pendence, ignoring Belgrade’s has taught Arabic, and was Se- status of Kosovo legitimate – cations were supported by the governments, but
Gazeta about the future discussion of the Kosovo situation
opinion. nior Editor of the Arab section in this is the prerogative of the more often they weren't. Russian-Serb friendship
and Russia’s position on it in the UN. the TASS News Agency. He head- UN Security Council. There- was mostly a matter of “civil society.” Soviet fo-
How deep are the U.S.-Russian ed the Public Relations Depart- fore, I believe that the U.S.- reign policy, especially during Stalinism, could
disagreements on Kosovo? ment during Boris Yeltsin’s ad- Russian disagreements on easily ignore this tradition. Modern Russian fo-
NADEZHDA SOROKINA
number of major issues, such In many respects, U.S. foreign ministration. From 1998 to 1999 Kosovo are deep but I wouldn’t reign policy can't ignore it.
ROSSIYSKAYA GAZETA as social problems, minority policy is ideological and is he held a managerial position at call them insurmountable. Here are some facts about the "friendship" of the
MOSCOW
rights, the power industry, cul- based on the fundamental goal RIA-Novosti Information Agency. states. Soon after gaining independence from
tural heritage and crime pre- of spreading democracy. In this From 1999 to 2000 Margelov What prevents the internation- Turkey in 1878 as a result of the Russian-Turkish
What will happen after the UN vention. context, Kosovo’s indepen- was a director of the Russian In- al mediators from promoting war, Serbia started ignoring the interests of its
Security Council receives the They have compiled a docu- dence is a principled and even formation Center (Rosinformcen- constructive dialogue between liberator, waging wars on Russia's ally Bulgaria
Kosovo report from the inter- ment insisting on continued di- value-oriented position of the tr). He was elected to represent Kosovo Albanians and the Ser- despite the latter's being populated by Orthodox
national mediators? alogue between the two sides. United States. Washington has the Pskov region in the Council of bian leadership? Christian brethren. Relations improved only after
Everything depends on what They also recommend forma- never deviated from its ideolog- Federation, then joined the Com- Neither Belgrade nor Pristina the annexation by Austria in 1908 of Bosnia and
they will write in this report. In tion of common Serbian-Koso- ical course and has to insist on mittee for Foreign Affairs; the next are prone to compromise and Herzegovina, only to lead Russia and Serbia into
effect, the three mediators vo bodies of government. This Kosovo’s independence. It be- year, he was elected chairman of flexibility. The stakes are too World War I, which Serb-Austrian animosity hel-
should not side with either document does not mention lieves that something has to be this committee. high for both sides. ped ignite. After the Bolshevist revolution of 1917
party in the dispute, neither independence at all. done. After all, initially the meth- and the founding of the Yugoslav state in 1918,
Belgrade nor Pristina. They Do you think that following the this new state conducted an openly anti-Soviet
VIKTOR LITOVKIN_RIA NOVOSTI
are not supposed to determine What will be Russia’s position Kosovo example the unrecog- policy. The Soviet Union and the Communist In-
the form and content of Koso- at the UN Security Council ses- nized republics in the post-So- ternational responded in kind, advocating Croa-
vo’s status. In other words, sion on Kosovo? viet space, the Flemish commu- tian, Albanian and Slovenian independence even
they cannot grant indepen- I don’t think that Russia will nity in Belgium, Scots in Britain, more ardently than NATO did in the 1990s. Diplo-
dence to the province but change its current position on and Catalans and Galicians in matic relations were established only in 1940
should promote dialogue be- Kosovo. For Russia, this is a Spain will press more actively and the treaty on friendship and non-aggression
tween the Serbs and the Alba- matter of principle. As a feder- for their independence? was signed on April 5, 1941, one day before
nians with the goal of finding a ation, Russia understands well Needless to say, unilaterally Hitler's invasion of Yugoslavia. The war against
compromise. Ultimately, the both the Serbian and the Koso- granted independence to Hitler reconciled the countries, but the honeymo-
decision on the status of Koso- vo problems. Relations be- Kosovo, in defiance of the UN on between Yugoslavia's new strongman Josip
vo will be made by the UN Se- tween the center and the prov- Security Council, will create a Broz Tito and Stalin was short, leading to a bad
curity Council. inces are a sensitive issue precedent in favour of separat- quarrel in 1948 when Stalin called Tito "a traitor
Having extensively studied the requiring close attention. The ist movements. No U.S. or EU and a spy." At the time the Stalinist Albanian
problem, the mediators have Russian Foreign Ministry has explanations about the unique- dictator Enver Hoca made Stalin the suggestion
come to the conclusion that a stated that “eventual acquisi- ness of the Kosovo situation of helping him to annex Kosovo, i.e. playing the
return to the 1999 situation is tion of independence by Koso- will stop them. Moreover, Rus- same role NATO played in 1999.
not possible. Yet they believe vo will set a precedent.” If sia, for one, has major doubts Despite the reestablishment of relations under
that Belgrade and Pristina Kosovo is separated from Ser- An American and a Russian soldier serving in the UN and NATO about the unique character of Khrushchev in 1955, Belgrade continued to
could reach agreement on a bia in defiance of international peace-keeping forces in Kosovo. this situation.
-
keep Moscow at an arm's length until Tito's
death in 1980. A short-lived liberalization
known as "Zagreb spring" of 1971 led to fears
of Yugoslavia's becoming another victim of
"Brezhnev's doctrine," when the Soviet leader,
Treaty Suspension Worried About Its National
fresh from crushing the Prague Spring in 1968 (a
Security, Russia Suspends Treaty Discussions
Conventional Armed Forces
time of political liberalization), suggested a need
in Europe (CFE) Treaty
for help in a phone conversation with Tito. The
mutual hopes and disillusionments of Russian-
Russia Right to
Serb relations during the 1990s are also fresh in
Sixteen NATO and six Warsaw Pact countries initially signed the CFE memory.
Treaty in Paris on November 19, 1990 But besides politics, there was also people's di-
Suspend CFE Treaty
plomacy, which somehow never failed, unlike the
official one. There were hundreds of thousands
of Russian refugees who settled in Yugoslavia
in 1918-1921 fleeing the civil war in Russia. The
attitude to them was so good it was one of the
In April of this year, Russia observance of the basic CFE sponse. Under the circum- reasons of the Soviet authorities' hostile attitude
decided to suspend the basic Treaty absurd. stances, we decided to sus- to Yugoslavia until the World War II.
Common Forces in Europe The treaty is written and based pend the treaty. There were thousands of Russian volunteers
Treaty. We wanted to save the on past issues (take, for exam- Our aim is not to end the CFE who went to fight for Serbia in the end of the ni-
treaty, but we also wanted it ple, its references to the now- Treaty, but we do want our neteenth century and there were convoys of food
tailored to reality. defunct Soviet Baltic Military partners to understand we are during the NATO bombardment of downtown
District). not prepared to abide by its un- Belgrade in 1999. There is no need to remind the
KONSTANTIN KOSACHEV
On the other hand, the treaty’s equal provisions. reader that in 1999 Russia was in poor shape
MOSCOW provisions are unfair to Russia. We will go back on the morato- economically, but there were no voices questio-
It allows NATO countries to de- rium as soon as our NATO ning the necessity of humanitarian aid to Serbs.
The basic Agreement was ploy additional military bases in partners ratify the adapted Moreover, opposition to NATO's war was the
signed in 1990 when the Soviet Central and Eastern Europe treaty and put an end to the only cause since 1991 which managed to unite
Union and the Warsaw Pact and monitor Russia’s military legal nonsense that has exist- all of Russia's political forces. Alexander Solzhe-
were still in place. With no activities, but not the other way ed for over 15 years. nitsyn did not exaggerate in his recent interview
changes made throughout the around. The Baltic nations are To end on a positive note, we to Der Spiegel magazine when he called the war
1990s, it became obvious to us not covered by it at all. should be clear that Russia’s against Yugoslavia one of the main sources of "a
that the treaty had long be- The document also defines cer- decision to suspend the treaty The 30 CFE Member States in- Russia, Romania, the Slovak Re- tragic disappointment" of Russians in the West's
come obsolete. tain “flank restrictions,” which should not lead to any geopo- clude 28 European nations: public, Turkey, Ukraine, France, policies.
Russia was one of the most ac- limit Russia’s military presence litical changes in Europe. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, the Czech Republic and the Unit- All of this one should bear in mind before accu-
tive participants in the drafting in its northern and southern re- Of course, Russia will continue Belgium, Bulgaria, the United ed States and Canada. The sides sing Russia's diplomats of dragging their feet on
of a new treaty in 1999. We not gions, including the unstable to comply to its fundamental Kingdom, Hungary, Germany, have made commitments on five the issue of Kosovo's independence or calling on
only ratified the treaty but also Caucasus. Put together, these provisions and is not interested Greece, Georgia, Denmark, Ice- categories of conventional forc- president Putin to stop making parallels between
fulfilled all related commit- factors are dangerous for Rus- in upsetting the balance by land, Spain, Italy, Kazakhstan, es: battle tanks, armored combat the unrecognized state of Kosovo. Paraphrasing
ments. We expected all of our sian national security. arms buildup.
-
Luxembourg, Moldova, Nether- vehicles, artillery, combat aircraft a recent saying by the deputy head of the presi-
34 partners in the treaty to fol- Over some time, Russia urged lands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, and attack helicopters dential administration Vladislav Surkov, one may
low suit, but so far only three its partners to display respon- Konstantin Kosachev is Chair- “RIA NOVOSTI” © 2007 say that a totalitarian state can afford not having
countries have reciprocated. sibility and ratify the modified man of the State Duma Inter-
NO REPRODUCTION OF ANY OF THIS PUBLICATION IS AUTHORIZED
WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION FROM “RIA NOVOSTI” any ideology or sentiments in its foreign policy.
We now consider continued treaty, but was met with no re- national Relations Committee
FOR PERMISSION, PLEASE CONTACT US AT +7 (495) 981-6601 (#7251)
OR BY E-MAIL AT INFOGRAPHICA@RIAN.RU A democratic state just can't afford it.



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