Kosovo’s Serb Orthodox Christians Fear More Violence After UN Plan

United Nations plan that could lead to independence of the contested province.

Late Friday, February 2, United Nations envoy Martti Ahtisaari handed over his proposal to Serbian President Boris Tadic, saying it was the best was to create a viable future for Kosovo.

While it does not mention the word "independence," it gives Kosovo the go-ahead to adopt its own constitution, the ability to negotiate international agreements, and a right to apply for membership in international organizations.     

Athisaari described the proposal as "internationally supervised" statehood for Kosovo where Serb forces fought a war against independence seeking ethnic Albanians in the 1990s.

However the Serb Orthodox Church already said the plan is unacceptable and would destabilize the Balkan region and boost calls for independence in other parts of Europe.

PROPOSAL "UNACCEPTABLE"

"The proposal is unacceptable to us because it presupposes the separation of Kosovo from Serbia and as such will never be accepted either by the Kosovo Serbs nor the Serbian state," said Bishop Artemije, the spiritual leader of Kosovo’s Serbs in published comments.

There are also fears the move could further spark violence against Serbs, who comprise less than 10 percent of Kosovo’s predominantly ethnic Albanian population of roughly two million people.

There have been numerous attacks against Serbs and their churches, monasteries and other religious sites since the UN took over Kosovo in 1999 after 11 weeks of NATO bombing forced late Serbian strongman Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his forces.

Serb troops have been accused of killing 10,000 Albanians during a counter-insurgency war, and many attacks against Serb civilians and church leaders were linked to revenge seeking Albanian groups. 

ORTHODOX HERITAGE

Rich in Orthodox religious heritage, the province is seen as the Serbian cradle stretching back 1,000 years.

Bishop Artemije has predicted a "grim future" for the Serbs in Kosovo as the situation was already "quite tragic" under the UN-administration, despite the presence of thousands of peacekeepers.

Serbian President Boris Tadic also rejected the plan, saying it would lead to the independence of Serbia’s "historic heartland."

However UN Ahtisaari said his proposal could create a Kosovo that is viable and stable.

"Everyone in Kosovo agrees that the dire economic situation needs most urgent attention. The settlement outlines provisions designed to promote sustainable economic development, including Kosovo’s ability to apply for membership of international financial institutions," he said.

"FIXED" POSITIONS 

Ahtisaari said Serbs and Kosovo Albanians had "extremely fixed" positions, but stressed he would allow them another month to find a compromise before submitting his final report to the UN Security Council, which will decide Kosovo’s ultimate status.

However the influential US-based Institute on Religion and Public Policy (IRPP) said it understood the Serb position. IRPP President Joseph K. Grieboski said the UN plan shows "complete ignorance of Serbia’s sovereignty."

He said the "imposition of such a future independence without a negotiated process" was "a new concept of sovereignty based on capitulation to acts of violence and the ghetto-ization of minority populations."

He criticized the United Kingdom which reportedly described the UN plan as "acceptable" to the majority of Kosovo. "It does not take into consideration the rights of the minority who have found themselves as the victims of violence and persecution since the UN began its mandate," Grieboski said.

EXPECTED INDEPENDENCE

He warned that the expected independence of Kosovo "will guarantee a new European state that does not support fundamental rights, that thrives on corruption and illegal activity." Grieboski said it will encourage independence movements in Chechnya, central Europe, and elsewhere.

"This is not and will not be an isolated affair. The graduated independence of Kosovo [is] a problem for Europe in and of itself [and] will lead to countless other security and
human rights problems across the globe."

Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian Prime Minister Agim Ceku appeared somewhat more optimistic. He said in a statement that the announcement of the plan was "a great day for Kosovo" but admitted he had preferred full independence.

Despite the growing tensions, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Pavle, has urged Kosovo Serbs not to leave the province and "to hold out to the end." In reported remarks he said that, "the day will come when the tyrants will be ashamed. We pray for our enemies to realize that doing evil things can bring good to no one."

He said those attacking Serbian Orthodox Christians should be "aware that after all the humiliating defeats they impose on others, they will ultimately defeat themselves by hopelessness." (With BosNewsLife’s Stefan J. Bos in Budapest and reports from Belgrade and Pristina).