Kosovo's complicated birth

Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence last week took few people by surprise and given the province's recent history the birth of this nation always seemed inevitable. Some observers consider Kosovo's independence as the final piece in the jigsaw after the dissolution of Yugoslavia and the best solution in the present circumstances.

With the end of the United Nations mandate for the administration of the province, independence - or supervised independence with the help of the EU - seemed the only way forward.

Among the countries that have recognised Kosovo so far are Britain, Germany, Italy, France, Turkey, Australia and the United States, which, considering that this independence has not been sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council, is certainly a good start for Europe's newest country.

The EU does not have a common position on Kosovo's recognition and Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia have said they will not recognise Kosovo (for the moment), while a third group of EU member states, including Malta, has adopted a cautious 'wait and see approach'.

The position of Spain and Cyprus is certainly understandable at this point in time. The Spanish are sensitive to Basque and Catalan demands for a separate state and Cyprus is worried that the breakaway Turkish Cypriot part of the island could seek independence.

Russia and China are both vehemently opposed to Kosovo's independence.

Moscow has traditionally been close to Serbia and is concerned about its own republics which might be tempted to secede, although some analysts believe it is using Kosovo to reassert its authority in the region and as a way of confronting the West. China is obviously worried that Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence will encourage Taiwan to do the same.

There is no doubt that the overwhelming majority of the people of Kosovo have welcomed their independence and are looking forward to living in a free country as part of the European family of nations. This has to be recognised by the international community, even though the creation of this country is a somewhat complicated matter which can cause further tension between Russia and the West and which has created great anger in Serbia.

Belgrade not only considers the loss of part of its territory as illegal but has promised to downgrade its diplomatic relations with those countries which recognise Kosovo. Rioters have also attacked the embassies of the US and other European countries in Belgrade.

The EU and the US must now play a leading role in stabilising the situation in Serbia and Kosovo.

The fact that the EU has left the formal recognition of Kosovo to the individual member states is not important. What is important is that the EU countries that have recognised Kosovo carry a lot of clout and that the EU as a whole is united in supporting its 2,000-strong mission in the country, which is to administer the justice and police system.

EU foreign ministers meeting last Monday in fact reached a unified position on the bloc's role for stability in Kosovo and took note of the fact that the independence declaration commits Kosovo to the principles of democracy and equality of all its citizens and the protection of the Serb minority.

For independence to be successful, it is absolutely imperative that the minority Serbs are allowed to live in peace and freedom, and the EU, as well as the Nato peacekeepers in the country, have the responsibility to ensure that this is the case.

One way to ensure stability in the region is for the EU to continue promoting the enlargement of the bloc and to dangle the carrot of membership to both Serbia and Kosovo.

Although the thought of these two countries sitting side by side in an enlarged EU today sounds highly unlikely, EU enlargement has proved to be a great success story and has brought about stability, prosperity and reconciliation. It is therefore a very worthwhile aim. The Balkans deserve special attention by both the EU and the US and a generous package of aid and trade concessions should be created.

Serbia's loss of what it considers to be its cultural and religious heartland should not be lightly dismissed.

Yes, there was probably no solution other than independence - the UN administration of the province created stability and the Nato presence created security - but only independence can bring about economic growth and prosperity.

Furthermore, one has to consider what the people of Kosovo went through during the ethnic cleansing carried out by Slobodan Milosevic in 1999.

However, the loss of Kosovo is a sensitive issue for the overwhelming majority of Serbs, so Belgrade should not be judged by its angry words at this moment in time, but rather on how it will behave in the next few months.

In the meantime, the EU must continue to pour aid into the region and keep on repeating its invitation for the Balkan states to join the bloc.

The US must also promise concrete aid and do whatever it can not to allow Kosovo's independence to further strain relations between Russia and the West.