http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/28/AR2005042801
608.html
The Washington Post Friday, April 29, 2005; Page A22
washingtonpost.com > Print Edition > Editorial Pages
Hold Kosovo to Standards
It is surprising to hear that for Richard Holbrooke, a former diplomat,
"the standards before status" policy in Kosovo amounts to a disguise for
"bureaucratic inaction inside diplomatic mumbo-jumbo" ["New Course for
Kosovo,"
op-ed, April 20]. Devised by the U.N. Security Council and fully
supported by
the United States, this policy was aimed at ensuring the basic standards
of
democratic governance, including the return of refugees and safety and
freedom
of movement, before any decision was made on the future status of the
U.N.-administered province of Serbia. As such it represents the only hope
for a peaceful and multiethnic Kosovo. Yet, in his scorn for the policy
or
the reality in Kosovo, Mr. Holbrooke suggests that this summer the
special
U.N. representative should simply determine that the standards have been
met
and move on.
Unfortunately the standards are far from being met. Less than 1 percent
of the
230,000 Serbs expelled from their homes by the majority Albanians have
returned,
not one of the 130 Christian churches that were destroyed has been
rebuilt and
the remaining Serbs still live in guarded enclaves.
In his scorn for the "sluggish" European Union, Mr. Holbrooke also
proposes a
new E.U. accession policy: "The European Union . . . must make a real
deal on
Kosovo an integral part of the membership process for Serbia." In other
words,
the aspirant members of the European Union need not strive to fulfill the
requirements stemming from European values. Instead, they can simply
trade
in a part of their territory.
This is poor advice. The evaluation of standards in Kosovo should be
based on
facts, not political wishful thinking, let alone blackmail.
IVAN VUJACIC
Ambassador
Embassy of Serbia and Montenegro
Washington
© 2005 The Washington Post Company
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