Neatkariga Rita Avize, Latvia
March 15 2008

Once More About Kosovo

by Kristians Rozenvalds

I will start with an old joke: A resident of an apartment building
encounters his neighbour, a Jew, in the stairwell and punches him in
the face. The Jew asks why. The resident answers that it is because
the Jews crucified Christ."But that was so long ago," says the Jew.
"Well, I only found out yesterday," says the neighbour.

I can say the same about myself. It was just this week, with some
delay, that I discovered Latvia’s officialstatements about the
recognition of Kosovo’s independence. It turns out that Latvia’s
position on Kosovo hasbeen very consistent. From the very beginning,
we are told, Latvia supported the need to resolve the matter at the
levelof EU common policy. to translate this lovely diplomatic term
into simple language – we have no view, but we willdecide, evaluate
and do what everyone else does. Just like a nobody at school.

Even more peculiar is the claim that the Kosovo issue is a unique
one, because we have to take into account theconflict of the 1990s,
as well as the years of international governance there. Thus,
Latvia’s position claims, itKosovo cannot be seen as a precedent for
resolving other frozen conflicts in the world.

Other Countries

Are other unrecognized countries unrecognized only because the powers
of the world have not yet placed them on theagenda of major
international organizations? Is this a position which is supported by
Latvia, which only recently wasdependent on the decisions taken by
the world’s major powers vis-a-vis its own independence? Why is
Latvia unableto propose a similar procedure, for instance, in
Nagornyy Karabakh, where the situation is very much identical to
thatin Kosovo.

Kosovo has been a tumour in Europe, and it has required surgical
intervention. Other tumours are further away, and soinstead of
cutting them off, the world chooses to preserve, research, warm up
and analyse them. They stink, but we donot have to smell them. That
is hypocrisy.

I support Kosovo’s independence, because I support each nation’s
right to self-determination. I would call on everyone to see Kosovo
as a precedent for creating a new procedure in dealing with similar
issues. There are several dozen unrecognized country in the world,
and even more regions which are overrun by separatism. This creates
insecurity,promotes terrorism and armaments, and so on.

It is not that a new country has to be established in every
condition. We need to look at how historically monolithicthe region
has been, the likelihood that different ethnic groups in a new
country could live together, the extent towhich separatism has been
provoked by other entities, including other countries, and what
compensation should be paid tostates and their citizens for losses
that have been incurred.

All of these are issues which require responsible treatment. It is
time to begin a discussion, not to end it now thatKosovo’s
independence has been recognized.

[translated from Latvian]