News from the American Council for Kosovo

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The American Council for Kosovo is an independent U.S. nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting a better American understanding of the Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohija and of the critical American stake in the province's future. The Council's mission is to make accurate information and analysis about Kosovo available to officials of the Executive and Legislative branches of the U.S. Government; to think tanks, media, NGOs, religious and advocacy organizations; and to the general public. In particular, the Council’s educational activities will generate a heightened American awareness that an independent Kosovo – forcibly and illegally detached from Serbia, as is now being contemplated by the international community – would be harmful to U.S. national interests and to European and global security.

Important Notice Concerning Fraudulent “American Council for Kosova“ Website:
It has come to our attention at the American Council for Kosovo that there still may be some confusion about an unauthorized mirror site, created by persons styling themselves the "American Council for Kosova." This deceptive site closely patterns the appearance of the genuine American Council for Kosovo site (www.savekosovo.org) but with a pro-Albanian separatist, anti-Serbian, pro-Kosovo independence message. Indeed, suggestions even have been made that we at the American Council for Kosovo are also behind the mirror site in order to "work both sides of the street," on the pro-Albanian side as well as the pro-Serbian side.
Nothing could be further from the truth! The pro-Albanian "Kosova" site appeared within days of our creation of the genuine American Council for Kosovo site. Its purpose was clearly to detract from the effort we had launched on behalf of the Christian Serbian community in Kosovo and Metohija under the guidance of Vladyka Artemije. It is characteristic of the pro-separation advocates that they are afraid to engage on the facts and international standards concerning Kosovo -- both of which favor the Serbian position -- and need to stoop to cheap tricks and deception in a feeble attempt to undermine our increasingly successful message. In that sense, we take their efforts -- which, given the activity of the fraudulent site, clearly are quite well-funded -- as a compliment to our work and evidence of increasing fear on the Muslim Albanian side that the the pro-separatist agenda is in deep trouble.
We at the American Council for Kosovo have been asked (1) why we did not preempt the available internet addresses for the fraudulent site, and (2) why we don't take legal action to shut them down. The short answer is that doing so would take away time and resources from our own activities, which given the formidable opposition we still face, we cannot afford to spare. Conversely, we are confident that intelligent readers, if they do chance across the fraudulent mirror site will soon see it for what it is: just more of the dishonest and misleading "Kosova" propaganda to which the world has been subject for the past decade and more. We ask the critical reader to make the appropriate comparisons and dismiss the fraulent mirror site to the oblivion it so richly deserves.
Media requesting further information about this matter may contact press@savekosovo.org

December 2006

News from the American Council for Kosovo

No false choice for Serbia

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source: The Diocese of Ras-Prizren and Kosovo-Metohija

Tuesday, 3 June 2008

It is inaccurate to portray the recent election in Serbia as a choice between "fervent nationalist and anti-Western" hostility to the European Union, supposedly represented by former Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica and Radical Party leader Tomislav Nikolic, and a "progressive," pro-Western course in the person of President Boris Tadic ("Serbia's mighty challenge," Editorial, May 16).

Not a single party participating in the election opposes the European Union. As Mr. Nikolic wrote in a recent Op-Ed in The Washington Times ("Serbia goes to the polls," May 9), the real choice before Serbian voters was whether the "rule of law, European integration and economic liberalization [must] go hand-in-hand with Serbia's legitimate national interests," versus choosing "an illusion of faster integration promised by other parties" — such as Mr. Tadic's — "that would undermine Serbia's territorial integrity." Mr. Nikolic and Mr. Kostunica simply insist that European integration must be consistent with international standards affirming the inviolability of Serbia's entire sovereign territory, including the province of Kosovo. This is hardly "ultranationalism."

Claims of ethnic cleansing against Albanians in the 1990s do not justify separating Kosovo from today's democratic Serbia. The terror campaign directed at Kosovo's Christian Serbs both before and after the 1999 war is only the culmination of decades, even centuries, of violence perpetrated by Muslim Albanians under the sponsorship of Ottoman Turks, the Axis powers during World War II, the postwar communist regime of Josip Broz Tito and now NATO. Theresulting preponderance of Albanians in Kosovo resulting from terrorism is neither a legal nor moral justification for secession.

The Times is correct that the status of Kosovo was not resolved by recognition of its supposed independence by the United States and a few of our allies. Rather than futilely trying to force an illegal solution to a complex problem, the Bush administration — or its successor — should heed the recent call by Russia, China and India for resumed negotiations for a settlement consistent with accepted principles of international law.

A coalition among Serbian parties committed to that outcome would not be extremist, just patriotic and principled. If someday our country faces a similar challenge, I hope Americans would feel the same way.

JAMES GEORGE JATRAS

Director

American Council for Kosovo
Washington

News from the American Council for Kosovo

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Saturday, 24 July 2010
ICJ on Kosovo: Less Than Meets the Eye