Kosovo calls for a permanent solution

Hence the outward calm is not only misleading, but also dangerous in the long run. Those who pretend not to see any danger under the umbrella of UN and NATO are often dangerous for showing a wrong face. Hence it is better to take the cue from the people than outsiders. The Serbian demonstrators in Belgrade had already raised the slogan: "We will go to Kosovo", "Serbia rise again". Therefore, the political climate in Kosovo is not just foggy. There is gathering clouds of distrust between the two communities on the horizon of Serbia and Kosovo. Thunder-storms are perhaps not far behind, particularly when the Serbian prime minister had dubbed Kosovo violence as "Albanian terrorism".

A desperate issue
Thus Kosovo has once again hit the media headlines, drawing attention of the world leaders to wake up and face the ground reality. It reminds them that the Kosovo problem has not yet been solved. It is just lying there dormant, crying for a permanent solution. It has been pushed under the carpet. But it shouldn't be taken so lightly. A desperate disease needs a desperate remedy. It would, therefore, be sheer foolishness to leave a burning question like Kosovo unresolved ad infinitum. The UN Security Council members, particularly the permanent members, cannot leave Kosovo under the UN protection as a protege and wash off their hands. That would rather prolong the disease with fatal consequences. And the UN administration of Kosovo, with NATO assistance, during the last five years or so has at last shown weakness of the policy, exposing UN's inability to go to the roots of the problem and deal with it under UN principles applicable in such situations. Such dilly-dallying is bound to have backlash, and that is what the recent Kosovo commotion has proved. The writings on the wall are clear for those who want to read it.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

They are beating about the bush, perhaps thinking that time would ultimately heal the wound. But, in some cases unfortunately, time is not always the proverbial greatest healer. Rather prolongation or procrastination may sometimes worsen the situation. As they say, 'fish always stinks from head downwards'. So it is better to catch it by the 'head' before the 'stink' spreads all over the body, perhaps, making it another pain in the neck of Europe after Bosnia. However, peace had returned to Bosnia after the Dayton agreement signed in 1995 by the Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims are known as such), the Serbs and the Croats. Under the 1995 agreement, Bosnia divided into two main parts, each having its own capital and administration, but bound by a weak central government, the two federating parts being 'Croat-Bosniak Federation' and 'Serb Republic.' Whether this 'formula' of power-sharing between the Muslims, Serbs and the Croats would ultimately succeed in maintaining the balance, or it would prove another Western device to keep the Kosovo Muslims under threatening posture of the Serbs and Croats, only time will show.

Kosovo and Bosnia: Parallel case
Kosovo has a parallel case with Bosnia so far as the central problem is concerned. The question in the case of Bosnia was whether Bosnia would remain a single country or unit, with proportionate representation in an elected Parliament with (Muslims being in majority). After the 30 per cent Serbian minority occupied 70 per cent of Bosnian territory thorough a planned ethnic cleansing, the UN and NATO entered the scene to bring peace in Bosnia. The present administration that is now working in Bosnia is far from what the majority Muslims wanted. It is now difficult to predict now how long the UN and NATO would be able to drag the almost jagged wheel cart to its ultimate destination.

Another Muslim state in Europe?
The question now haunting the UN and NATO perhaps is whether Kosovo should be given a sovereign status leaving the Muslims in majority, freeing it from the rule of Serbia for good, thereby creating another Muslim state in Europe. But on the part of the UN the disgusting lack of decisiveness on a particular issue, mainly manipulated by one or more veto-fielding powers, creates more problems than solve. The question of Cyprus, a bone of contention between Turkey and Greece, is lying unresolved for three decades, with UN sitting there helpless. But where the big powers are interested they would use the UN as an umbrella to solve any problem as if with a magic-wand. Take the case of East Timur. It did not become a big problem for UN to adopt a resolution favouring a referendum to decide its future. The referendum was held under the supervision of the UN in which the majority of the population opted for independence which was ultimately granted to the people of the territory, freeing it from the rule of Indonesia.

Kosovo Liberation Army on the rise
Kosovo Muslims, being in majority with 90 per cent of a total population of about two million, have every right to decide whether to stay under Serbian rule or have an independent status. It is a clear case where UN should hold a referendum to ascertain which way the people of Kosovo want to go. But instead of doing that the problem has been kept hanging, under a ridiculous UN Administration. The Kosovo turmoil is not a new phenomenon. It has been there for the last one decade or so, during which Kosovo Muslims have been fighting for independence from Serbia under the leadership of KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army).

However, it must be admitted that no country would be freely willing to allow secession of a part of its territory occupied or otherwise unless forced to do so by the people who want freedom. There could be no better example of such struggle for independence between an well-armed ambitious colonial power, on one hand, and an almost ill-armed or barehanded freedom fighters, on the other, than our own struggle for independence which ultimately resulted in the emergency of Bangladesh as a sovereign state in the comity of nations.

As the struggle by KLA against Serbian forces to win freedom had gained momentum during the passage of time, the former consolidated its strength and position in Bosnia as a fighting forces. Being scared by the growing strength of the Kosovan fighters, Melosivic, then President of Yugoslavia, let loose hell on them in 1999. However, at that critical moment of 'ethnic-cleansing' NATO came forward with its air forces to teach Melosivic a lesson. But the NATO air-strikes on Belgrade and Pristina, capital of Bosnia, for several weeks back-fired, resulting in the mounting of the miseries of the fleeing Muslim refugees. It could happen because of NATO's unplanned or half-planned air strikes without deployment of matching ground forces.

Referendum: Only Way Out
During such an uncertain period, came on offer from the US sources of a temporary truce, with a proposal of giving 'autonomy' to Kosovo, but was rejected by KLA leadership as they wanted freedom from Serbia. And the rejection of the offer again opened the floodgates of violence. So the Kosovo Muslims are living under the shadow of death and destruction, although the province is now being administered by the UN. But the new slogans, recently raised by the Serbian demonstrators in Belgrade rings the alarm bell again. Do the coming events always cast their shadows before? Or, they sometimes come stealthily? The big question is: how long Kosovo should be left in such uncertainties, under a make-shift arrangement by the UN? The only way out, therefore, seems to be holding old a referendum in Kosovo, under UN supervision, if the world leaders want to avoid a big catastrophe.

AMM Shahabuddin is a retired UN official