That hand you are speaking of, are you sure you're in it it? or are you representing that hand?

That hand that has freed me, is worshiped and adored! If i mind to tell you!

Careful on that!.Shines with its stars through the freedom stripes.

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Jesus beat the devil with two sticks. Colossian 2:13,15

Proud American!

Communism/Socialism is similar to legalizing burglary and murder!

Well I'm not secretly George Bush or anything, but I'm an American supportive of Kosovo independence and likely will be voting for McCain who is as staunch a Kosovo advocate as you could ever ask for.

I'm just saying that while I don't think it was technically illegal, or at least not more illegal than any other option at that point in time, and while I think it was the right choice barring some serious Serb concessions, independence still goes against the "spirit" of 1244 and certainly the Serbs and Russians were led to believe that Kosovo and Serbia would be reunited when the various measures that ended the war were written up.

'

The State Department's top European affairs expert says the relative quiet and political success of Kosovo since February has silenced critics who forecast dire scenarios for the region, including ethnic violence and refugee flows.


US Pleased With Post-Independence Progress in Kosovo


voice of america

But Assistant Secretary Fried acknowledges continued challenges for the fledgling state, including a still-lagging economy, a restive Serb minority in the north, and political thuggery he says may be inspired by some officials in Belgrade.

The majority-ethnic Albanian former Serb province, which had been administered by the United Nations since 1999, declared its independence in February over the strong objections of Serbia and its main diplomatic ally Russia.

In a talk with reporters, Fried said an independent Kosovo has now been recognized by 43 countries including along with the United States most of Europe and a majority of U.N. Security Council members.

Under questioning he rejected the notion that Russia's refusal to recognize Kosovo, and by extension its refusal to allow recognition by the Security Council, dooms Kosovo to semi-statehood.

"It is a completely-independent country, whether or not there is a U.N. resolution that says so. It is independent," Fried said. "It's been recognized as independent by two-thirds, of Europe, Japan, Australia. It is an independent country. I regret very much that Russia chose to make this harder rather than easier, and thereby making it harder risks stability, and making it harder put as risk Serbia's European future. It was not helpful."
Fried said he hopes that with time, Moscow will become less strident and obstructionist over Kosovo and will not try to prevent the new moderate government in Belgrade from pursuing what he called a European future.

He dismissed, as having no legal status, the separate parliament declared by ethnic-Serbs in northern Kosovo late last month. He said many Kosovar Serbs are prepared to accept the new political reality but are afraid to say so - intimidated by what he said is rampant thuggery by Serb extremists, some of whom cross into Kosovo from Serbia.

"You have Serbs coming over, and it is sometimes hard to tell whether they're sort of private nationalists, semi-connected with the government, or official," Fried said. "There seem to be some of all of them, and the Serbs should not be sending over, or supporting thuggery. That's not responsible. And we hope the new government will act in a responsible way."

Fried said the United States will commit $400 million in aid over the next four years at a donors' conference for Kosovo being convened by the European Union late next week.

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Jesus beat the devil with two sticks. Colossian 2:13,15

Proud American!

Communism/Socialism is similar to legalizing burglary and murder!

Kosovo status is to be renegotiated again in the years to come.

One cannot take a historical province of another, burn its symbols of existence, expel a quarter of million people and claim it's his.

The final number of the Kosovo war casualties:

3000 dead Albanians (most of them carrying weapons and committing terrorist acts against Serbian government; the "ethnically cleansed" who ran away from NATO bombs returned to Kosovo and even brought their families along thus multiplying the number of Albanians in Kosovo in order to change the demographic structure - there's more Albanians now down there than ever before)

3000 dead Serbs and 250,000 expelled after NATO occupied the province


Now all of you Yankees be honest for once and tell me if this is the democracy you want to fight for? You gave this piece of land to notorious criminals and mafia kingpins (Thaci, Haradinaj, Cheku and others) and now you try to sell everyone crap about a multiethnic society of Kosovo and some kind of democracy?

If democracy means freedom, does it mean freedom to kidnap 300 Serbian civilians and to cut up their bodies and take out their organs in order to sell them on some colonial bazaar?

Danish FM to Serbia: Recognize Kosovo before EU


If Serbia aims EU membership, then it has to give up creating problems in the north of Kosovo, said Danish Foreign Minister, Per Stig Møller.

"This is the opportunity for Serbia. If it has an interest to keep the problems in the north [of Kosovo], those problems have to remain outside of EU, or Serbia will miss its chance to enter EU," stressed Danish Foreign Minister.

The ticket for Serbia to enter EU will cost when Serbia accepts the new reality and recognize the state of Kosovo. Without resolving this issue, Denmark indicates that there is no European perspective for Serbia.

"This is also a message for Kosovo to solve the issues in the north because it is in its interest to have the state and order of law extended in the entire territory, showing keen dedication to the integration of the Serbian minority," Møller emphasized praising the attitude of the Kosovo institutions and leaders in avoiding conflict.

The Danish minister ruled out any chance for the partition of Kosovo, while Kosovo President Fatmir Sejdiu said the reduction and departure of UNMIK within months cannot be blocked further.

Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi said the Serbian assembly founded on 28 of June in the north of Mitrovica will have neither effect nor success, pointing out that the territorial integrity of Kosovo is internationally recognized and guaranteed.

Foreign Minister of Denmark said his country will accord Kosovo 15 million Euros in the donor conference on July 11 and will send 53 police and judicial experts within the framework of the EU mission, EULEX.

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Jesus beat the devil with two sticks. Colossian 2:13,15

Proud American!

Communism/Socialism is similar to legalizing burglary and murder!

They always bite the hand that feeds them. Remember Fort Dix?

I read the papers today, and there was an article saying Kosovo is full of Islamic fanatics now. You should take good care unless you want another 9/11, but by Albanian scenario this time.

If Kosovo wants independence, then let 'em have it. It's ridiculous to force them to be part of a country they want no part of.

What I want to know is when the US is going to stop with its hypocritical foreign policy of cherry picking which people will be allowed independence and which won't.

In other words, why is the US still forcing the Kurds to remain part of Iraq, when clearly, they want independence? Ticks me off.

Where's Kurdistan, Mr Bush?

This is different. They came in numbers just recently, multiplied themselves (they have the highest birth-rate in Europe) and now they want to take away a historical province of one people, the symbol of a nation, a Serbian Jerusalem.

Why don't you give Texas to Mexicans, huh?

How do you propose to keep them from breaking away -- at gunpoint forever?

As for Texas; if it wants to break away, I wouldn't care.

Well, perhaps you don't care but many people (including myself) do care. My grandparents gave their lives to defend that territory. What should I give it to someone?