Bush OK's Weapons For Kosovo; Balkans Struggle Debated Worldwide
 Thursday, March 20th, 2008

On Tuesday, March 18th - exactly one month to the day that President George W. Bush announced that the United States will recognize Kosovo as independent of Serbia - Canada did the same.  Foreign Affairs Minister Maxime Bernier reported to CBC News that Canada officially "recognized Kosovo as a new state."  Dusan Batakovic, Serbia's ambassador to Canada, expressed his unhappiness with the decision by calling Belgrade for a consultation.  Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper told reporters yesterday that Kosovo's situation is "very unique," and unlike the situation in Quebec.

Bulgary, Hungary, and Croatia made a joint statement yesterday, also announcing their support of Kosovo's independence after "thorough consideration."  Japan released their approval as well.  In response, Serbia has pulled their ambassadors to Bulgaria, Hungary, Japan, and Zagreb.

One of the four deputy prime ministers to the Croatian government - Deputy Prime Minister Slobodan Uzelac of the Independent Democratic Serb Party (SDSS), resigned in protest of the statement.

"A target for half of the 192 members of the United Nations General Assembly to accept Kosovo by September has been dropped quietly and replaced with a drive for 'quality rather than quantity' to show that the world's most powerful democracies back the Balkan nation," the UK Times Online reports today.

Russia has strongly opposed Kosovo's separation from Serbia, and Russia's deputy foreign minister Alexander Yakovenko said this week that "Russia's position on Serbia remained unchanged, the declaration of Kosovo's independence violated international law."  Greek Foreign Minister Dora Bakoyannis met with Serbian FM Vuk Jeremic this week to resume talks of a singular future for the Balkans, maintaining that "Greece is a good and firm friend of Serbia."

Serbian foreign minister Vuk Jeremic told the AFP that countries that have recognized Kosovo "cannot rely on good relations with Serbia."  Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica told the Vecernje Novosti in an interview that will be published tomorrow, that the US "should return to the respect of international law and the UN charter," and that the decision to send American weapons "only proves it is true that there is a dangerous plan to create the first NATO state in the world," the Serbian government reported today, after the White House's announcement that President Bush has okay'd supplying Kosovo with weapons.

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