Croatia, Bulgaria, Hungary recognize Kosovo
Croatia, Bulgaria and Hungary recognized Kosovo today, joining Canada and Japan who recognized the country earlier this week.
Croatia’s governing coalition, which includes the SDSS, the party of Croatia’s Serbian minority, may pay the price. The SDSS minister, Slobodan Uzelac, tendered his resignation from the government, which was rejected by PM Ivo Sanader. The SDSS will now vote whether to remain in the governing coalition, or whether to try to bring the government down in protest.
For some Croats, recognizing Kosovo is a moral imperative—memories are fresh of Croatia eagerly awaiting international recognition when it declared independence in 1991. For others, especially those with business interests in Serbia, recognition unnecessarily complicates things. The decision to finally recognize Kosovo, however, was probably a precondition set by Washington in exchange for smoothing Croatia’s entry into NATO.
Earlier this year, noises were being made in official circles that Croatia was not yet ready to be admitted within NATO’s ranks. Then, about a week or so ago, it was announced that George W. Bush would visit Croatia immediately following the Bucharest NATO summit where a decision on the country’s NATO accession would be made. Some quid pro quo was probably arrived at.
So is recognizing Kosovo a smart move for Croatia? It’s hard to say. Geostrategically, it’s important that Croatia has decided to firmly place itself in the U.S.-centered NATO camp, thereby rejecting any dalliances with a resurgent Russia, a rising power with clear designs on the Balkans. SDSS’s position—to delay recognition until after Serbian parliamentary elections—was not without merits, however, especially if a more moderate, pro-EU government was to arise in Serbia.
It is very sad to see that EU and US are speaking about the equality between the nations, peace and prosperity, and were both the ones heavily involved in destroying the ex-Yugoslavia by alloweding separatistic movements and accepting the independence statements. Now Serbia is accused for failure of the solution negotiations with Kosovo Albanians, but the fact that US has from the very beggining of negotiations promised independence to Albanians is completely hidden from the public now, since it is not in the interest of the power groups. UN has been avoided when NATO attacked and bombed Serbia, than forced to make problematic Resolution 1244 and now is avoided and placed in pat position again. Not to mention that everything that was done in last 20 years from EU and US side was directly agaist the interests of developing the democratcy in Serbia. Serbia has extradicted their ex-president together with many high goverment members, it was not enough. That is why Dr Djindjic (please google this name) has payed with his life fighting for democratsy in Serbia. Now EU and US are “welcoming” Serbia to EU by taking its one part of teritory!!!! Do you see any logic in this? I do not and am sick and tired of EU and US hipocritsy! Altough not nationalist by default, I am seriously considering that option! Well gents, you haven’t left us too much choice! Click on my name to see one very interesting document made by UNESCO.
Predrag, while I do appreciate the hypocrisy often on the display in these matters on the part of the Great Powers, I very much dispute your claim that Serbia was fighting to keep Yugoslavia together. Milosevic was interested in claiming for Serbia as much land as he could keep in Croatia and Bosnia, and was in the end determined to expel as many Albanians from Kosovo as he could, because he, among other things, realized that an Albanian Kosovo was not governable.
Đinđić was the glimmer of hope for Serbia, and I’m very sorry he’s been killed. I hope you don’t cast your vote for the nationalists out of anger, and instead vote for Čeda Jovanović instead, who I think is the only legitimate heir to Đinđić’s legacy.