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Negotiations, Not Ultimatums for Kosovo

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July 24, 2007 Topic: European UnionInternational InstitutionsGlobal Governance Region: Balkan PeninsulaEurope Tags: Common Foreign And Security PolicyCold WarDiplomacyInterrogationKosovoSeptember 11 AttacksSoviet UnionInternational Relations TheoryWar CrimesTortureToryTransatlantic RelationsIslam

Negotiations, Not Ultimatums for Kosovo

Diplomacy has a chance in Kosovo—but U.S. politicians both in and out of government need to embrace negotiations, not ultimatums.

by Nikolas K. Gvosdev

EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana sounded some of the same themes that Greek Ambassador Alexandros Mallias made at his presentation several weeks ago at The Nixon Center.

After the first day of talks with the EU foreign ministers, Solana said, "We want to give negotiations a chance, and therefore we are going to see how to go about it, together with our friends from the U.S. and Russia, to move forward the process."

Unlike U.S. politicians, who want to declare "victory" and go home, Solana-as Mallias did earlier-stressed that "Kosovo is profoundly a European matter. We need a sustainable settlement to ensure long-term stability in the region."

The key here is "sustainable." This means an agreement that Serbia can accept, that all countries in the region can uphold.

To read the rest of this article, visit The Washington Realist, Nikolas Gvosdev's blog, or click here.


Source URL: https://nationalinterest.org/commentary/inside-track-negotiations-not-ultimatums-for-kosovo-1716