Some members of the international community, in an attempt to put
pressure on Serbia and Republika Srpska after a recent referendum, is
behind Kosovan calls for a referendum on unification with Albania, the
former head of Serbia's Military-Security Agency (VBA) Momir Stojanovic
told Sputnik Serbia.
A Kosovo Albanian man sells flags in Pristina on February 16, 2011 in
preparation for the third anniversary of Kosovo's declaration of
independence
© AFP 2016/ ARMEND NIMANI
Borrowed Peace-Broker Could Persuade Belgrade to Recognize Kosovo's
Independence
On Thursday a representative of Kosovo's ruling Democratic Party of
Kosovo (PDK), Nait Hasani, declared that the Kosovo Assembly ought to
pass a law to organize a referendum on the question of uniting with
Albania.
Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008,
should "use the constitutional right to pass a law and organize the
referendum," said Nait Hasani, B92 reported.
This suggestion is an attempt to put pressure on Serbia, following a
recent referendum in Republika Srpska, the former head of Serbia's
Military-Security Agency (VBA) Momir Stojanovic told Sputnik Serbia.
In the referendum held on September 25, 99.81 percent of voters in
Republika Srpska supported an initiative to make January 9 a state
holiday, in spite of a ruling by the Bosnia and Herzegovnia
Constitutional Court, and international pressure.
Stojanovic said that Kosovan Albanian politicians are raising the issue
of Kosovo's unification with Albania because of pressure from some
members of the international community, who aim to weaken the position
of Serbia and Republika Srpska.
"This announcement that Kosovo will hold a referendum on unification
with Albania means that somebody winked at Albanians in Kosovo and told
them to raise this issue, because of the recently held referendum in
Republika Srpska. It's just one of the issues used to exert additional
pressure on Serbia, and Republika Srpska," Stojanovic told Sputnik.
"This is not an invention of the Kosovan Albanians – this is an
invention of those who are playing with the peace and stability of the
Balkans. Above all, the US and some EU countries which make the key
decisions about the moves many Balkan countries make."
"This announcement functions as a threat and pressure on Serbia and
Republika Srpska because of the recent referendum," Stojanovic said.
Kosovo
© Flickr/ Antti T. Nissinen
Kosovo Calling: Pristina Seeks New International Precedent With Dial
Code Demand
However, president of Serbia's Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and
Metohija Milovan Drecun told Sputnik that the suggestion from Kosovo of
uniting with Albania is an empty threat.
"This is nothing new in the Greater Albania plans of Kosovan Albanians
and their collaborators in Albania. However, the golden period of
attempts to unite Kosovo and Albania disappeared when (former Albanian
President and later Prime Minister) Sali Ram Berisha left power. The
normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina has changed the
situation significantly in favor of Belgrade," Drecun said.
"Serbia would never accept anything like that. On the other hand, there
is the question of whether Albania, as a NATO member, would forcibly
change national boundaries and take territory belonging to another
country, regardless of the fact that Tirana has accepted Kosovo as a
country," Drecun said.
"I think that would be a big political risk for Albania which would
bring a lot of harm and would not bring any benefits in practice.
Don't
forget that the UN administration is still present in Kosovo, through
UNMIK (United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo), EULEX
(European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo) and KFOR (the NATO Kosovo
Force)," Drecun said.
Bosnian Serbs rally 29 March 2007 in Banja Luka to demand a referendum
on the independence of their entity of Republika Srpska
© AFP 2016/ STR
Republika Srpska - ‘The Pyramid of Western Politics is Tumbling Down’
Hasani's suggestion comes just days after Republika Srpska, one of two
political entities that constitute Bosnia and Herzegovina, held a
referendum asking voters whether to respect a ruling by the
Bosnia-Herzegovina Constitutional Court last year.
January 9 is celebrated as a public holiday in Republika Srpska, since
it was founded on that day in 1992.
The Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, the other entity which constitutes Bosnia and Herzegovina,
does not celebrate January 9. It celebrates March 1, 1992, the day when
it declared independence from Yugoslavia, but this day is not celebrated
in Republika Srpska.
Last year the Bosnia-Herzegovina Constitutional Court declared the
January 9 holiday unconstitutional after a legal challenge from the
Bosniak member of the country's tripartite rotating presidency, Bakir
Izetbegovic.
In response, President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik organized a
referendum on the issue, challenging the authority of the Constitutional
Court to strike down the legislation.
The decision to hold the referendum was criticized by the US, calling it
"illegal.
"
A Russian Foreign Ministry spokesman said the referendum was a reaction
to the ineffectiveness of the Bosnian justice system, which struck down
the state holiday, and condemned bias against Bosnian Serbs.
"Infringement of their legitimate rights does not evoke proper reaction
from the national bodies of justice.
This is why the Republika Srpska
had to resort to available democratic instruments to ensure the
implementation of its legitimate interests," the spokesman said, calling
for further dialogue to resolve the dispute.
Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska is pictured on an election
poster calling for votes for a referendum on their Statehood Day in
Prnjavor, Bosnia and Herzegovina, September 21, 2016
© REUTERS/ Dado Ruvic
Washington's 'Ultimate Goal' is to Make Bosnia and Herzegovina a 'Sharia
Nation'
The Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of three members: one
Bosniak and one Croat from the territory of the Federation of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, and one Serb from Republika Srpska.
The day after the referendum Bakir Izetbegovic, the Bosniak member of
the tripartite Presidency, criticized Dodik's decision to hold the
referendum.
"I think there will be a gradual reaction of the international
community. We watched how Saddam Hussein, Gaddafi and Milosevic defied
(them), and what that looks like," Izetbegovic said.
No comments:
Post a Comment