BALKAN UNREST REMAINS A RECIPE FOR DISASTER, THE FINANCIAL TIMES
Updated 2008-01-17
By Anatol Lieven In their dealings over Kosovo’s independence, the European Union and Russia need to take their points of departure from reality and common responsibility for the stability of the European continent, not from legalism or self-righteousness.
The Russians must recognise that, whether they and the Serbs like it or not, Kosovo will soon become independent and will be recognised as such by the US, the EU and many Muslim states. If this is not granted soon, the Kosovo Albanians will revolt.
By vetoing United Nations recognition and giving moral support to Serbian intransigence, Russia can help keep Kosovo unstable and spread in¬stability across the region. In the worst case, it could help produce a war that would destabilise not just the Balkans but Europe and deal a terrible blow to Russia’s relations with the west; but Moscow needs to ask itself how it can be in Russia’s interest to do this and take actions that will drive western Europe closer to the hardline anti-Russian positions in the US.
The whole article is to be found at http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/1fe65ba6-c243-11dc-8fba-0000779fd2ac.html
