[peter_co]

Tens of thousands of Serbs have gathered for a rally in Belgrade to protest against Kosovo's declaration of independence over the weekend.

Protesters with flags and banners filled the main parliament square.

Organisers are hoping the rally will be peaceful, following riots in the capital on Sunday and attacks by Kosovo Serbs on two border posts.

But on Serbia's de facto border with Kosovo, Serb army reservists attacked Kosovan police with stones.

Tyres were also set alight and there was thick black smoke billowing from the crossing point at Merdare, 50km (30 miles) north-east of the capital Pristina.

The Serbs waved large tricolour Serbian flags, chanted "Kosovo is Serbia" and tried to cross the border.

"We are here in support of the Serbs who still live in Kosovo," Dejan Milosevic, one of the organisers, told the Associated Press news agency.

"We want to tell them that we will not let Kosovo be taken away. We will fight to our last breath."

The Kosovo police, backed by Czech troops from the Nato-led peacekeeping force, put a steel barrier across the road and were able to hold their line.

The BBC's Nick Thorpe at the border says the situation is now calmer and the Serbs have pulled back.

Protest rallies were also held in the Bosnian Serb republic (Republika Srpska). There were unconfirmed reports of injuries as several hundred protesters clashed with police outside the US consulate in Banja Luka.

Prayers

Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica addressed the crowds from a large stage, draped in two huge Serbian flags, erected outside parliament.


KOSOVO PROFILE
Population about two million
Majority ethnic Albanian; 10% Serb
Under UN control since Nato drove out Serb forces in 1999
2,000-strong EU staff to take over from UN after independence
Recognised by US, UK, Germany, Italy and France
Not recognised by Russia, Spain, Slovakia, Cyprus
Nato to stay to provide security

A banner proclaiming "Kosovo is Serbia" stands at the back of the stage.

Schools closed for the day and the rail network provided free travel.

The rally is a chance for Serbs to show how much they oppose the independence of Kosovo, says the BBC's Nick Hawton in the Serbian capital.

After a series of speeches, the crowd will march to the city's biggest church, the Temple of Saint Sava, where prayers for Kosovo will be said by Serbian Orthodox archbishops.

Most Serbs consider Kosovo their religious and cultural heartland.

Mr Kostunica has described the new country as a "false state", and Russia also opposes independence.

The US, the UK, Germany and Italy have all recognised Kosovo.

In the coming weeks, an almost 2,000-strong EU mission will be deployed to help the country develop its police force and judiciary.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7256158.stm

Whereas I am glad that they are protesting this gross injustice that has been perpetrated against their country, I still find most of this a bit ridiculous. Organizers are hoping the protest will be peaceful, and they are sending their prayers to Kosovo! They lose half their country and they want peace and prayers! To quote Ecclesiastes: "For everything there is a season, [...] A time to kill, and a time to heal; [...] A time for war, and a time for peace!"

[Attila The Nun]

They're 4% of the Kosovo population. Why should Kosovo be allowed to be dominated by such a small minority who would wish to rule over them unequally? And why is Kosovo Serbian? It is overwhelmingly Albanian in population.

[Red Star]

Didn't the Albanian population start increasing post-1980?

Kosovo is a very important place for Serbian history, and setting a precedent for Vojvodina is not something the Sebrs really want to let happen.

[Attila The Nun]

Didn't the Albanian population start increasing post-1980?

German scholar Gustav Weigand gave the following statistical data about the population of Kosovo,[10] based on the pre-war situation in Kosovo in 1912:

* Prishtina District: 67% Albanians, 30% Serbs
* Prizreni District: 63% Albanians, 36% Serbs
* Vučitrn District: 90% Albanians, 10% Serbs
* Ferizaj (Uroševac) District: 70% Albanians, 30% Serbs
* Gilani (Gnjilane) District: 75% Albanians, 23% Serbs
* Mitrovica District: 60% Serbs, 40% Albanians

[Red Star]

Cheers, I wasn't sure about the historical demographics.

[Vladimir]

They're 4% of the Kosovo population. Why should Kosovo be allowed to be dominated by such a small minority who would wish to rule over them unequally? And why is Kosovo Serbian? It is overwhelmingly Albanian in population.

Because the territory of Kosovo is in the posession of Serbia, and serbian law operates across this territory.
Any person who is a citizen living in Kosovo is legally bound to follow serbian law, as it is a condition for being a citizen and living on serbian land.
Ancestral descent of those citiznes is irrelevant - if an influx of albanian immigrants flooded the territory and forced people of slavic ethnicity out, the land remains serbian.
Of course I wish to see real action being taken against unlawfully behaving citizens (not even mentioning the illegal immigrants) and against bandit separatist gangs who have criminally threatened serbian territory.

[Vanasalus]

Thousands in Serb Kosovo protest

Tens of thousands of Serbs have gathered for a rally in Belgrade to protest

But on Serbia's de facto border with Kosovo, Serb army reservists attacked Kosovan police with stones.

I like happy ends.

[hadzo]

Didn’t the Serbia push borders after WW I ant took over what is now Kosovo area from Albania?

Is it not true that where the border of Kosovo and Albania is now were located in the location of where Serbia and Kosovo borders are now (before WWI)?


(someone told me this, I just never bothered to look it up)

[Stipe]

Technically speaking, Serbia didn't take over the territory from an Albania, as an Albanian state didn't exist yet and wouldn't come into existence until 1913. The territory was, however, predominantly Albanian in population by the time Serbia annexed it in 1912. In actual fact, Kosovo was the site of the foundation of one of the most important phases in the development of the Albanian national movement, the League of Prizren, founded in 1878 in contest the expansion of Serbia and Montenegro into Albanian populated territories.

The actual borders of modern Albania were set by the Great Powers basically with the intention of blocking Serbian expansion into northern Albania (which would have given a direct outlet to the sea). The borders didn't reflect the actual demographic distribution of Albanians in the Balkans but were rather simply convenient politically at the time.

[hadzo]

Great Powers basically with the intention of blocking Serbian expansion into northern Albania

So then if that was not blocked then would the Serbia say something like “ok we will stop here now” or would they be like “we are taking it all bitches” …

So then … difficult … I am in a way for Kosovo but at the same time feel as if Serbia is in the position that Albania was back then …

Many can ask; does it feel good?

[Donna]

Why Kosovars would want anything to do with a nation that tried to strangle them is beyond me.

[Vanasalus]

Why Kosovars would want anything to do with a nation that tried to strangle them is beyond me.

My only guess is Serbians somehow think that Kosovars do not appreciate how peaceful, pacifist, care-taking and photogenic the Serbs are.

Figure_1a

[Stipe]

So then if that was not blocked then would the Serbia say something like “ok we will stop here now” or would they be like “we are taking it all bitches” …

There's no reason to think that Serbia would have stopped at Kosovo. Actually, access to the sea was one of their war aims and they were probably moving to split the territory between themselves and Greece (with Montenegrins getting Shkoder/Skadar, which they had been besieging).

Serbia's position definitely isn't great right now, but I don't think it's anywhere as near as bad as that. Their position is kind of like Hungary after the Trianon treaty, and that left a psychological scar that exists 90 years later. Likewise, these things will force them to reconsider elements of their identity. However, it isn't really like Serbia is facing national oblivion.

[Spike Spiegel]

Meanwhile in Belgrade

US embassy in Belgrade attacked

Several hundred protesters have attacked the US and other embassies in Serbia's capital in anger at Western support for Kosovo's independence.

Protesters broke into the US compound and briefly set part of the embassy alight. The UK, Belgian, Croatian and Turkish missions were also attacked.

Source

It's not reported in the text but at least one person died in US embassy. It's not yet clear if he's a member US diplomatic staff, employee from Serbia or a protester.

[Stipe]

Heard about that on the BBC site. One of my American friends is in Belgrade right now for field research/language acquisition in order to finish his dissertation. Common sense abandoned him. Someone he ran into on the streets near a protest went up to him and asked him where he was from and he responded "America". Got a punch for his honesty. It's ironic because he's actually Orthodox and very pro-Serbian.

[peter_co]

It's not reported in the text but at least one person died in US embassy. It's not yet clear if he's a member US diplomatic staff, employee from Serbia or a protester.

This is just stupid on their part. If they are frustrated they should just arm themselves and got to reestablish Serbia's legitimate rule in Kosovo. On the other hand attacking the diplomatic staff of another state will simply reflect negatively upon Serbia because they did not provide sufficient security.

[stalker]

To be fair Serbia is weak and attempting to re-establish control over Kosovo via military means is not going to lead to anything positive.

If I was a Serbian policy-maker I would refuse to recognize Kosovo and affirm it as part of Serbia in the constitution and as official policy (like the PRC does with Taiwan). Otherwise, let this issue slide (for now, at any rate) and concentrate on economic development and integration with the EU.

[redcarpet]

They're 4% of the Kosovo population. Why should Kosovo be allowed to be dominated by such a small minority who would wish to rule over them unequally? And why is Kosovo Serbian? It is overwhelmingly Albanian in population.

The same reason why the north of Ireland is controlled by the English in London; it is theirs by right of acvievement for force of arms.

(I fully support Irish and Kosovo independence)

[alyster]

Kosovo is a very important place for Serbian history, and setting a precedent for Vojvodina is not something the Sebrs really want to let happen.

Well modern politics can not be stuck on history like that. I mean look at Jerusalem - jews, christians, muslimes - historic and important to all. And we still fight for it. Kaliningrad is historic and important part of Eastern-Prussia, now Germany, though it's a Russian province with majoriy of Russians. But historically its German. As is most of western Poland. Karjala is historically Finnish yet again controlled and inhabitted by Finland's eastern neighbour. Setomaa and Ivangorod are even legally Estonian by still enforce Treaty of Tartu yet like previous areas here inhabited and controlled by our eastern neighbour[Russian Duma hasn't ratified the new treaty which agrees to status quo]. AND I'm not even going to mention Alsace-Lorraine for which many have died.

History sometimes, specially in little bit nationalist places, is like a civil religion with its holy places. Nevertheless it doesn't over rule the present day situation.

Of course I wish to see real action being taken against unlawfully behaving citizens (not even mentioning the illegal immigrants) and against bandit separatist gangs who have criminally threatened serbian territory.

Then we should do the same thing in Ossetia? I mean it is part of Georgia and Russian forces are just occupying a rebel province That's the reason Georgia refuesed to accept Kosovo's independence to keep it's country together.

Ancestral descent of those citiznes is irrelevant - if an influx of albanian immigrants flooded the territory and forced people of slavic ethnicity out, the land remains serbian.

So Karjala is Finnish, Setomaa and Jaanilinn(Ivangorod) are Estonian, Kaliningrad is German? As I pointed out before times change. Otherwhise France would be a land of gauls.


______

IMO Kosovo was de facto independent already for years and not illegally but by democradic self-determination right. Now they just took another step, perhaps because Serbia was holding them back. This weeks events are nothing big from Kosovo to my mind. Just finally saying out the truth. In overall it can only cause one problem - boost independence addempts in Catalonia, Northen Cyprus, Ossetia, Palestine, Kurdistan(?) etc. With or with out Kosovos move they have and will be hotspots for some time. Kosovo has just managed to move on. Only one to lose here is Serbia by attacking the embassies. Their really going to screw up their international relations if they dont stop. They can get along with Russia as well as they want but Russia is still bit far from Serbia. They need atlist positive relations with EU. However they have been allies with Russia for some time now (thiking back to pre-WW1 era). Russia actually even cuts some profit here.

[Takkon]

Edit: duplicate post.