Kosovo, the United States, and International Law by Lenora Foerstel Global Research, December 20, 2008 http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=11456
Under the Bush administration, the United States has demonstrated little, if any, respect for the fundamental rules of international law, human rights, and the American Constitution. In particular, by arbitrarily conferring sovereignty on the Serbian province of Kosovo, the United States has violated the territorial rights and sovereignty of Serbia. The independence of the United Nations and the Security Council is often compromised by American influence and intimidation. Bowing to American and British pressure, the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon handed over the power of the UN mission in Kosovo to the European Union, violating UN resolution 1244, which acknowledged Serbian sovereignty and territorial integrity. The Secretary General's actions were carried out without the consent of the Security Council and in opposition to the will of Serbia. On February 2008, Kosovo was declared independent. China and Russia argued that the unilateral declaration of Kosovo's independence undermined the United Nations and is illegal under international law. Attempts by western nations to solve everything unilaterally have been subjected to growing criticism. Further disrespect for UN authority occurred again on September 23, 2008. During the UN General Assembly meeting, it was discovered that Ben Ki Moon and the Secretary General of NATO, Joop de Hoop, signed a secret agreement on Kosovo. When asked why such secrecy was needed, Ben Ki Moon refused to answer. Today the United States maintains one of its largest military bases, Camp Bondsteel, in Kosovo,. This camp houses 3000 US troops, along with 7000 local Albanian personnel. Camp Bondstill is surrounded by barbed wire fences and towers located at regular intervals. Several observers have characterized its appearance as a concentration camp. The escalating US presence at Camp Bondstill is accompanied by increased military activity, including training of the Albanian Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). In the past, the KLA were trained in camps run by the international fugitive Osama Bin Laden, leading the US State Department to list them as a terrorist organization. Nonetheless, in 1998 then President Bill Clinton removed the KLA from the State Department's list and organized their members to fight in the U.S./NATO war against Yugoslavia. Members of the KLA supported the war effort through human trafficking and the sale of heroin. In 1995, Osama Bin Laden visited Albania as a guest of President Sali Berisha. Accompanying Bin Laden was Bashkin Garzided, former head of the Albanian Secret Police, Hashim Thaci, then leader of the KLA, and Ramush Haradinaj, former commander of the KLA who in 1999 was indicted by the International Court at the Hague on 37 charges, including murder, torture, rape and the expulsion of Serbs, Albanians and Roma. This meeting of international criminals was held to plan a jihad in Kosovo. (1) With NATO military power behind it, the jihad succeeded in wresting the province of Kosovo from Serbia. On June 10, 2007 President George Bush visited Albania to hold a meeting with President Sali Berisha at which he declared his support for Albania's efforts to join NATO and declare an independent Kosovo. On July 21, 2008, President Bush welcomed President Tatmir Sejdui and new Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci. Bush stated his approval of their leadership and his support for their goals and policies. Today, 2008, Kosovo is under the control of criminal leaders tolerated by the bureaucracy of Europe. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci has declared that Kosovo is independent and free, but he ignores the fact that occupied Kosovo was created in violation of international law. The current government in Kosovo functions without a democratic constitution. Hatred and fear between Albanians, Serbians and Roma prevail. Kosovo is one of the poorest regions in the world, with an unemployment rate of 43.7 percent. The country is ruled through corruption by organized crime. The UN mission on Kosovo states: "Kosovo ranks as one of the worlds most corrupt countries with 67 percent of the population reporting that they have to pay a bribe to get service." (2) The World Health Organization reports that drug use in Kosovo by people under 25 years of age has reached an unprecedented level. Tension between the Serbs, Albanians and Roma is a major problem, with each ethnic group living in isolation from the other. The Albanian children, copying the actions of their parents, throw stones and harass the Serbian and Roma citizens. Not only has Kosovo become corrupt and undemocratic, but its illegal creation through great power meddling has set a dangerous precedent throughout the world. This tragic situation in Kosovo is encouraging insurgents in other countries who seek to create their own state through violence. Among the many groups seeking secession from their own countries are the Basques and Catalans in Spain, the Magyara in Romania, the Muslim Pomaks in Bulgaria, the Hungarian Minority in Slovakia, The Turks in western Thrace of Greece, the Kurds in Turkey and Iraq, Transdniestria in Moldava, and many others. We are witnessing a new era in international relations characterized by ethnic unrest, disputed borders and political instability. It is in this context that the United Nations' highest judicial body will consider the legality of Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence from Serbia. About 140 UN members, including five European Union countries, continue to withhold recognition of Kosovo's independence. The court's decision should be made within the next six months, and though that decision is not binding, Belgrade and the world at large hope the court's ruling will facilitate principled negotiations on Kosovo's final status. References (1) Haradinaj and Thaci met with Osama Bin Laden in Tirana in 1995 to plan Al-Qaeda, jihad in Kosovo, May 2, 2008. http://www.srbihja.sr.gov.yu Source Government of Serbia (2) Independent Kosovo Faces an Uncertain Economic Future, posted by Waldo Vanderhaeghen, February 21, 2008. Http://rationseeuropean.wordpress.com/fied ra Lenora Foerstel is a frequent contributor to Global Research. 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