and the politics begin
Monday, February 18th, 2008We’re still safe and doing well here in this new nation. Violence has been very minimal, unlike some of the protests up in Serbia. Sounds like they could use KFOR up there!! Anyway, we heard that the president had voiced some support for the declaration of Kosovo’s Assembly, and then later in the day we heard the official response from Secretary Rice that the US recognizes this new nation. CNN has some of the info.
And now the rest of the world is choosing positions. Serbia, Russia, and China don’t support the move, but there’s not much surprise there. And even some of the EU nations have concerns, such as Greece, Romania, and Spain. But many other nations have announced official support, or an indication that they will do so soon, such as UK, France, and Germany. Even within Kosovo, not everyone supports the declaration, such as the Serb community in Mitrovica. I certainly don’t blame them; they consider themselves Serbian by birth, language and culture, and to have Kosovo declare must feel as though the rug has been yanked from underneath them.
In the end, I just hope this continues to be a peaceful process, and that all citizens of Kosovo benefit from this decision. I read some of the wording of the declaration, and I found the choice of phrasing to be very thoughtful and conciliatory. I hope the minority communities here feel the same, and that they are protected in this process.
But the KFOR soldiers continue to do an outstanding job, and there continues to be an attitude of safety and security here.