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November 1st,
2006
Boba Borojevic interview with Jim Jatras
IN SEARCH FOR KOSOVO
SOLUTION
Message by
Bishop Artemije to democratic world:
Do not tolerate violations of religious freedoms and the
extermination of Christianity in Kosovo by Albanians.
Do not consider the creation of an independent Kosovo
managed by criminals and jihad supporters.
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Bishop Artemije of Raska and Prizren has appealed to the
Canadian authorities to use their influence with UN members and NATO to secure
''a re-examination of the wrong policy of the international community in
connection with the recognition of the independence of Kosovo and Metohija.''
''I wonder how it is possible that the international community and the
democratic world tolerate violations of religious freedoms and the extermination
of Christianity, while they are considering the creating of an independent
Kosovo managed by criminals and jihad supporters,'' Bishop Artemije told a press
conference held at the Canadian Parliament in Ottawa. During his visit to Ottawa on October 26,
His Grace bishop Artemije met with the Parliamentary Secretary of the Minister of
Foreign Affairs, Mr. Peter Van Loan. H.E. James Bissett
former Canadian Ambassador to and Jim Jatras, director of the American Council
for Kosovo accompanied the Bishop. In the effort to gather as much support for
his mission in keeping Kosovo as an integral part of Bishop Artemije and Jim
Jatras had similar high-level talks in Washington and Moscow in September and October this year.
What is the
significance of these visits?
![James Jatras]()
Each of the countries you have mentioned is very
important to the effort we have been mounting on behalf of the Serbian community
in Kosovo, under the spiritual guidance of Bishop Artemije. The American
government (my government) is largely the source of the problem. It appears that
the Russian government is largely the solution to the problem, and we think that
Canadian government can be a very useful catalyst in opening the eyes of the
international community to the seriousness of the error, which some people would
like to commit in Kosovo. The Canadian government has a very high international
reputation regarding the rule of law and observance of international standards.
It was with that appeal we came to the Parliament to enlist the support of the
Canadian public and government in voicing their opinion against the illegal and
unjustified detachment of Kosovo from .
As a
Director of the American Council for Kosovo, adviser to Bishop Artemije and the
Serbs from Kosovo, what is your strategy in fighting against enormous pressure
by many foreign factors that insist on granting independence to Albanian Muslims
in Kosovo?
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Essentially, through several ways: One is to broaden the
circle of public opinion here in the to focus the concerns of politically and
socially active sectors on Kosovo. This means we are reaching
out to groups that are concerned about a number of issues like human rights,
religious freedom, global terrorism, and so forth, and directing their attention
toward Kosovo, because until now most of these interests are not focused on
Kosovo. Instead, Kosovo is being dealt with by a small group
of bureaucrats who made up their minds a long time ago as to what the solution
for Kosovo ought to be independence -- and are still perusing that option. We
are trying to make as hard for them as possible. At the same time, the second
element -- and that was the reason for our trip to Moscow -- was to remind people there of the extent to which
those favoring the illegal detachment of Kosovo from also tend to be the most
anti-Russia elements of our government. If is in a position to stand up on
strong, legal authority and say, No, we will not permit the illegal detachment
of Kosovo from , that places the agenda of these Washington bureaucrats in
a very difficult position, because they have no other way to get to their goal
without a new Security Council resolution. Of course the
third important element is that Serbian government has been very strong in
saying they will not agree to the detachment, and I think that the overwhelming
approval of those who voted on verifying the Serbian Constitution reinforced
that very strongly.
You have just
mentioned your and Bishop Artemijes visit to Moscow. How much can you count on Moscow support and how serious is Moscow?
There has been an increased assertiveness from that is
very different from the kind of policy we saw during the Yeltsin era and even in
the early years of the Putin presidency, where we had the color revolutions and
NATO expansion and, essentially, just over and over again diktat from
Washington,
which the Russians were, forced to accommodate. I do not think they feel like
being so accommodating any more. s cooperation is very much needed for more
important areas of American diplomacy having to do with , and so forth. The idea
that we can just simply dictate to and theyll agree to something that is
against their interests -- I think that this is something they are tired of over
there. They are not going to allow themselves to be pushed around on this one.
Now it is less the question of whether Moscow is
going to stand up in support of , as much as their being prepared to stand up in
defense of their own interests.
We have heard on CNN two
days ago, David
Gergeneditor-at-large for US News and World
Report repeating what Clinton and others have said before, that in order to
build new bridges of trust so that Muslim lands do not remain a breeding ground
for new waves of terrorists, we should point out to these Muslims how much
America has sacrificed to protect Muslims in Bosnia and Kosovo. Will this kind
of appeasement of Muslims by the West work?
There is no doubt that that kind of thought among many
people in Washington is a large part what is wrong with
the American policy on Kosovo. The 9/11 Commission, for example, made exactly
the same recommendation in its report: that we (the ) need to convey our good
will towards the Islamic world through that kind of example. The only trouble
with that idea is that it shows a complete and total incomprehension of the
Islamic mind on the part of people who say these kinds of things. Looking at any
jihad site on Internet will show you that they do not see any good will at all
on the basis of this kind of intervention on behalf of Muslims in Kosovo and .
On the contrary, they see and Kosovo as just examples of victimization of
Muslims by non-Muslims, and it doesnt matter by whom -- by Americans, by
Israelis, by Russians, by Serbs, by Indians. That is all what they see from
their point of view. The idea that is going to buy any good will in the Islamic
world by that kind of action is absurd. They just do not understand what they
are talking about.
Kosovo is part of and will remain so.
This is what we have heard from Bishop Artemije and you during your visit to
Ottawa. How
could we in and elsewhere help?
One very important thing and this is
something that was clear during our visit to Ottawa is to keep in mind that
Bishop Artemije is the shepherd of a flock that will be eradicated if Kosovo
becomes an independent state. Bishop Artemije speaks out with an overwhelming
moral voice in support for his Christian Serbian community in Kosovo, for the
Christian presence in Kosovo against jihad terrorism and organized crime in
Kosovo. Everyone who hears this program in or elsewhere can do two things.
First, they should contact their elected representatives and tell them it would
be wrong for their government (if they are listening in , the Canadian
government, -- in the the American government) to support this illegal
detachment of Kosovo from , which would result in a major gain for terrorism and
organized crime. Second, the other very important thing is to
do anything and everything that can be done to support Bishop Artemije. Please
visit our site www.savekosovo.org . In
light of the delay in the decision on imposing a final status -- which we now
see -- there is an element of growing panic on the Albanian side that things are
slipping away from them. We need to build on that momentum. Contact your
government, say NO to Kosovo independence -- and support Bishop Artemije.
Boba
Borojevic
