Independent Kosova

TIRANA, Feb. 14 – Kosova and its ethnic Albanians are almost sure they will celebrate independence this Sunday.
The date, though yet to become formal, has been said aloud many times during the last week and never been denied or turned down officially by the Prishtina leaders.
Preparations have long been going on in Prishtina. But also Albanian opera orchestra is to go to Prishtina to hold three days of concerts.
To add to that Kosovar students following studies in Albania have almost all left for their homes.
Meanwhile the diplomatic fight, mainly between United States, Europe and Russia is continuing at United Nations in New York.
Serbia will have Moscow’s voice at a special session of the Security Council on Kosova.
U.S. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice says a day earlier that Serbs should not fear an independent Kosova and that her government will continue to help Belgrade’/s road toward integration into the international institutions.
On the other side, Tirana tries to keep calm and in all the possibilities its leaders and top officials tell the world they should not fear the creation of a “Greater Albania’ adding that Albania and Kosova see their future as members of the big European family, and they will not join based on old mentality to balance powers in the Balkans, a region that has suffered so much from wars in the last century’s decade. Prishtina leaders say they have assurances from about 100 countries to recognize Kosova as independent.
It is normally expected that Washington and other capitals of the big powers like London, Paris, and Bonn will first recognize an independent Kosova. That would open the way to other countries to do the same, including Tirana.
But Moscow has made it clear that Kosova will never be accepted as an independent state at the Untied Nations. Russian President Vladimir Putin reminded the world, and especially Europe, they should first recognize northern Cyprus that has been separated from Cyprus for 40 years.
They insist Kosova may become a chain reaction and urge other provinces ask for the same.
The western world opposes that and considers Kosova a precedent.
But such a situation will very likely create not a very nice start for a new Kosova state. It will need to fight not with Serbia any more, but very likely with itself and a mentality to become tolerant. True Kosovar leaders have continuously said they welcome the Serb minority living there and urge it to become part of the process. Still convincing the ethnic Albanian population that has suffered thousands of killings nine years ago is not that easy.
Albanians have always shown their future is with Europe and NATO. Now it is high time for Albanians in Kosova to show that in practice and to avoid any provocation on reigniting a conflict that brought only blood and death.
Everyone, the world and Albanians themselves, hope they are capable of living a new life. Time will show they are to be trusted!