Idea #238 – Evidence of war in Kosovo
In 1997, the Kosovo Liberation Army known under its initials UÇK (in Albanian Ushtria Çlirimtare e Kosovës and in Serbian Oslobodilacka Vojska Kosova) took advantage of the plunder of arsenals in Albania to equip itself and began a campaign of guerrilla warfare : she claims several attacks against the Serbian army and the police. In answer to these actions, president Milosevic asked for the arrest of the families of presumed guerrillas, causing a massive uprising.
On the pretext of counter-terrorism, Milosevic launched a campaign of destruction of tens of thousand houses, chasing away more than a million Albanians of Kosovo towards Albania, Macedonia and Montenegro. After their experience in Croatia then in Bosnia and Herzegovina and being afraid of an extension of the conflict in the Macedonia, the western countries decide to react and, between March 24th, 1999 and June 10th, 1999, NATO proceeds to airstrikes on Serbia (Operation Allied Force) and forces Milosevic to withdraw from Kosovo. The region passes under the administration of United Nations by virtue of the resolution 1244 of the Security Council on June 10th, 1999. Near a million Kosovars return then gradually on their lands.
From 1999 till 2008, the final status of Kosovo is indefinite, what paralyzes its political development and contributes to a tense social situation. In international law, the resolution 1244, while asserting the provisional nature of this status, recognizes of swear its membership in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. On March 26th, 2007, Ahtisaari, appointed by the UNO, submits its propositions on the final status of Kosovo in the United Nations Security Council. It plans to grant in Kosovo the status of independent State, possessing its own symbols, its constitution and its army, under the control of the international community.
The United States and the European Union (EU) bring their support for the plan whereas Serbia is firmly set against it, the independence of Kosovo constituting the loss about 15 % of its territory. The independence is proclaimed on February 17th, 2008, but several States, among which some of the Member states of the European Union, as Greece and Bulgaria, Romania, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Spain, as well as Russia, are opposed to the recognition of this new independent Republic. It results from it an appearance of state, unstable, marked by numerous scars of fratricide wars. Visit, with precaution.
]Some Pictures
Where is it ?
Kosovo, Serbia / Kosovo
Larger Map
