Main focus of Wednesday, September 12, 2007

A common European policy on Kosovo?

European Commissioner for Enlargement Olli Rehn described the Kosovo debate as a "test case for EU foreign policy" at last week's meeting of foreign ministers. While the US supports independence for the Serbian province and Russia stoutly opposes it, the EU member states are seeking a common course.

Die Presse - Austria

Helmar Dumbs admonishes Europeans, pointing out that at least the US has a clear stance on Kosovo: it has announced that it will recognise Kosovo's independence. "Eight years after the war in Kosovo, Serbs and Albanians have a right to know where they stand. They know what the US standpoint is and they know what Russia's is - the latter has given independence a resounding 'nyet'. But Kosovo is not in the US or in Russia, it's in Europe, and it's about time EU states finally grasp what that means: that they simply can't afford not to have a common position on Kosovo... If they can't reach a consensus on this within the EU, they needn't waste their time trying to establish a common foreign and security policy." (10/09/2007)

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Süddeutsche Zeitung - Germany

"In the end it's not the task of the Americans or the Russians but the responsibility of the Europeans to help Kosovo and Serbia towards a secure future with political and financial aid. The good news is that the threat of political disaster in the Balkans has finally forced the EU to understand this," Martin Winter writes. "The EU has a commendable distaste for brutal power politics. But in this case it has no alternative. The prospect of EU membership hasn't really made much of an impact on either the Serbs or the Kosovo Albanians... If Europe wants to get its way it must give them an ultimatum: if you refuse to cooperate you will lose the prospect of EU membership and won't receive any more money. Although there's no guarantee this will be enough to overcome the reservations of Belgrade and Pristina, an ultimatum is the only instrument Europe has left." (10/09/2007)

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Neue Zürcher Zeitung - Switzerland

German political scientist Thomas Speckmann compares the international activities of the Europeans and the US and holds up the planned EU mission in Kosovo as an example. "According to the Ahtisaari plan for a 'supervised independence,' it is to take the place of the UN administration in Pristina. But even if Moscow does stop blocking this plan in the UN Security Council, there will still be a Serb-dominated region in northern Kosovo - as in Bosnia - that doesn't accept the sovereignty of a Kosovar central government... The bitter irony of it is that for decades to come the Europeans, so fond of stressing their moral superiority over the US when it comes to military intervention, will face in Kosovo the consequences of their 1999 war of aggression against Belgrade - which like the 2003 war in Iraq never received the authorisation of the UN Security Council in New York." (12/09/2007)

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