(story to be published in tomorrow's issue, March 27)
One year after the first air strikes the North-Atlantic Alliance launched against Yugoslavia, Kosovo finds itself in a situation at least as unclear as before, even a crisis. The 78 days of bombing by NATO aviation, initiated without UN's previous accord, did not manage to put an end to the interethnic conflict within the province, as the presence of international troops did not solve much, either. The only "gain" is the creation of another three protectorates - Albania, the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia and obviously, Kosovo, which are added to the one that had already existed for several years in Bosnia. The optimism put up by the West is faltering each day. By unleashing a military campaign meant to protect the Albanians of Kosovo against threats of Yugoslavian President Slobodan Milosevic and against the Serbs' reprisals, the international community has come today to launching increasingly frequent warnings, not only verbal ones, even aimed at the Albanians. One of the most vehement voices is now that of the United States, the very one that last year was the first to plead for the Albanians' protection. While US President Bill Clinton is "deeply disappointed" with the situation in the province, secretary of state Madeleine Albright is so preoccupied with overcoming tensions, that she has recently sent her spokesperson James Rubin to the area to warn the Albanians. "We have not sent our planes to free the Albanians of Kosovo and thus allow them to react through crimes, too," Rubin stated on a visit to Kosovo, referring to aggression committed against non-Albanian minorities of the province, especially against the Serbs. Moreover, Rubin warned the Albanians about the risk of their losing the support of the international community. "They should not take our support for granted. This support is based on the hope that the Albanians would do what is right to halt terrorism," the US official stated. Despite triumph statements, such as "our air campaign has been successful, and as the Alliance has promised Serb forces have left, KFOR is there and refugees have returned to their homes," international community representatives cannot keep ignoring reality. Things seem to have completely got out of control. Serbia's sovereignty is no longer secure, federal laws have been suspended, the German mark replaced the dinar and the Serbs and the other ethnic groups are forced to withdraw from the province. "What is happening today in Kosovo is the result of the erroneous policy of the international community, which bombed Yugoslavia without knowing what to do afterwards," stated the UN special envoy to Kosovo, Jiri Dienstbier. Moreover, another explosion of violence is threatening the province and implicitly the entire Balkans region. Delighted with their "victory" over the Serbs, the most radical "commanders" of the separatist movement are trying to free the province by driving away the last Serbs of Kosovska Mitrovica, the divided city north of Kosovo. "Certain persons state that this air campaign of the Alliance resulted in an acceleration of the ethnical cleansing process. This statement is contradicted by facts," George Robertson, NATO secretary general, has recently stated in a bid to justify the military action of the Alliance against Yugoslavia. But it is reality that contradicts him. De facto, Kosovo is controlled by the Albanians, the Serbs and the other non-Albanian communities being practically eliminated from the territory of the province.
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