A tricky proof

Yesterday, December 7th, the troika-contact group (US, EU and Russia), handed over the definitive report about Kosovo, to Ban-Ki Moon. On Monday, December 10th, the talks about the future status of Kosovo will officially end.

Kosovo is undergoing a tricky proof now. Knowing that the emotions are raising and the statements made my Serbian politicians, are of discouraging knowledge, as if Serbia expects that Kosovo will likely declare its independence, and is foreseeing future boycots and a revisal of its ties with countries who will support Kosovar independence. Again, the meaning of truth and justice is put upon the debate, making it more difficult than it truly is.

Serbia is a democratic country. By the time I am writing this, citizens of this country can freely choose their politicians, have a police force that is less corrupt than it used to be (although strong ties with the older attitude remain) and when hearing young, dynamic Serbians talking about the future, I hear hope, willingness to go further and the optimistic view that Serbia will one day be part of the EU.
But, as this weekend is raising the big questions about Kosovo, the outgoing chief prosecutor of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Carla Del Ponte, urged Serbia to hand over former Bosnian-serb general Ratko Mladic to the tribunal at The Hague before...December 10th. You can say what you want about the policy at The Hague, you can praise the good work by Carla Del Ponte, but I think that double-shooting at Serbia on this date will freeze good contacts with Serbia in the future. Serbia has had its history during the 90ties and the 20th century, but I believe that you won't create a little goodwill with this country if you say something like this, knowing that it will be impossible to hand over Mladic before this date.

Of course Mladic needs to be handed over, he is a war criminal, responsible for one of the worst massacres in modern Europe after WWII, but you simply can't press this before December 10th. The faster Mladic will be found, the better it be. But December 10th as date is somewhat stupidly chosen, because this sounds somewhat too offending to Serbia. I Believe that it isn't the will of the majority of the population of Serbia that their country hides this war criminal. I think what people in Serbia want, is simply a stable and modern, fully democratic country, food and warmth...like almost everybody in this world.

I fully endorse the work of Carla Del Ponte, being someone who visited Bosnia&Herzegovina and Srebrenica. I truly believe that Mladic is a war criminal, but I expected a little more diplomacy from Del Ponte. Let Serbia firstly talk about what to do after December 10th
give them the chance to accept the independence of Kosovo, because that is unavoidable, and let them hand over Mladic as quick as possibile. But simply not before December 10th, because the stability of the Balkan will be under pressure this weekend, whatever happens.