World Peace News: Top Stories

Serbs, ethnic Albanians don't reach deal
by Fisnik Abrashi

The Associated Press Translate This Article
22 February 2006

VIENNA, Austria (AP) - U.N.-mediated talks over Kosovo's disputed political status will resume in a month after a Serb and ethnic Albanian meeting on the issue Tuesday produced no agreement.

The two-day talks at Vienna's Daun-Kinssky Palace were aimed at resolving one of the toughest disputes left from the 1990s ethnic Balkan conflicts: whether Kosovo should gain full independence or remain part of Serbia-Montenegro.

Albert Rohan, the U.N.'s deputy envoy at the talks, said that the first encounter was held in a ``cooperative spirit'' and mediators found some common ground during discussions. He set the next meeting for March 17.

Rohan said the talks were not aimed at reaching a specific agreement but rather to finding common ground on issues not directly linked to Kosovo's status.

Ethnic Albanians, who comprise about 90 percent of Kosovo's population of 2 million, want independence. Serbia insists on retaining some control over the region, which it considers an integral part of the nation and the birthplace of its national identity centuries ago.

Leon Kojen, a Serb delegate, said the talks were ``useful'' but that the two sides remained opposed on Kosovo's future status.

``Solutions which contravene the territorial integrity of (Serbia-Montenegro) for us are unacceptable,'' Kojen said after the meeting.

Lutfi Haziri, the head of the Kosovo delegation, said the province should become independent ``as soon as possible. If it is possible tomorrow, we would be happy,'' he said.

Rohan said U.N. mediators were tackling practical issues in the hope of reaching a final agreement by the end of 2006.

The United Nations has administered the province since 1999, after NATO launched air attacks to stop a crackdown on independence-minded ethnic Albanians by President Slobodan Milosevic's Serb forces.

Thousands of people died and hundreds of thousands were displaced during the war, and the end of hostilities did not bring the two sides any closer to a resolution.

Rohan conceded that it might take a generation for the two sides to live together in harmony after the bloodshed of the 1990s. For now the best hope for them is if they cohabit, Rohan said.

The overall process is being mediated by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari.

Diplomats from the so-called Contact Group—the United States, Britain, Germany, France, Italy and Russia—have already agreed that the province cannot return to its previous status under direct Serb rule, nor can it be partitioned along ethnic lines or join another country in the region, such as Albania. They also stipulate that any agreement should be acceptable to the province's ethnic Albanians.

The two sides have disagreed over how much power should be held locally, with the province's minority Serbs insisting they be allowed to run affairs in their communities, establish links to other Serb areas and have special ties to Belgrade.

Kosovo's ethnic Albanians say such a solution is a recipe for ethnic partition.

Copyright © 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Global Good News comment:

It is obvious that world peace will be fragile if the element of relationship between nations is based on the man-made concepts of peace and harmony—negotiations to change the moods and whims of nations—as has been the case with the concept of the United Nations and all other so-called well-meaning organizations. The knowledge and experience of total Natural Law, which invincibly governs the infinite diversity of the ever-expanding universe, provides the answer.

When negotiations and the use of arms have failed to maintain peace in the family of nations, it is not wise to continue to pursue the path of failure. In our scientific age we should be wiser than the administrators of past ages, and we should be able to establish a highly integrated national consciousness where no negative trends could rise. It is obvious that if defence is to be meaningful, the only successful measure will be to do something to disallow the birth of an enemy.

Read more about Maharishi's Programme to Create World Peace at: http://maharishi-programmes.globalgoodnews.com/world-peace/index.html

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