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Ear to the Ground

Protesters Set Fire to U.S. Embassy in Belgrade

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Posted on Feb 21, 2008
US embassy fire
AP photo / str

Flaming passion: Serbian protesters signal their disapproval Thursday of the U.S. position on Kosovo’s independence declaration.

A demonstration of about 150,000 people near the American Embassy in Belgrade turned riotous Thursday when protesters opposed to Kosovo’s bid for independence from Serbia stormed the embassy and set fire to its façade.


Al Jazeera English:

Zalmay Khalilzad, the US ambassador to the United Nations, said he was “outraged by the mob attack,” and that he would ask the UN Security Council to condemn it unanimously.

The violence spilled over to other embassies, including that of Croatia, and provoked widespread vandalising of shops and banks.

The rally had been backed by the Serbian government who refuse to accept the independence of the former province many Serbs see as their spiritual heartland.

More than 80 people were admitted to hospital after the violence, about half of them police and two journalists from France and the Netherlands, local media reported.

The embassy was unstaffed at the time of the attack. Cameron Munter, the ambassador, was at his private residence.

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By Billy K, February 22, 2008 at 3:36 pm Link to this comment

Are you kidding me? THe US military can’t do a damm thing!  Don’t be surprised if Serbia invades Kosovo again with the help of Russia.  The EU and US wont like it, but the US military is straped because of that wars in Iraq and Afganastan.  Oh unless, you want to restart the draft.  See what happens to the party that suggests that.

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By Billy K, February 22, 2008 at 3:32 pm Link to this comment

You do NOT know your HISTORY!  Yes Milsevic was evil, but during the NAZI period the Kosovors were NAZI sympathizers and killed the Jews and Gypsies and other minorities in the area.  Be warned Russia is pissed off and NATO and the EU are wimps.  So when Serbia invades again the West will do nothin except be sanctions.  Also during recent times the Kosovors have been cleansing Kosovo of Serbs that have been for over 1000 years.  This pathetic state will not last.  I just hope it is not the start of WW III or better put the continuation of WW I.

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By chris bertout, February 22, 2008 at 3:07 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Statement from Burns bellow in an article dated 02/22/08.

Burns said every situation has its unique set of circumstances, as does Kosovo, which was the victim of ethnic cleansing policies by the Slobodan Milosevic regime in 1999.

So now is a good time for Hungarians in Transylvania who were persecuted by Ceaucescu Romanian regime to demande indepandance as this province has historical ties as Kosovo with Serbia.

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By RJ, February 22, 2008 at 12:40 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

I can tell you that nobody in China has forgotten about that ridiculous “incident”, and nobody there believes it was a mistake.  Regardless of what one believes happened then, the irony of th eUS getting preachy about the “sanctity” of embassies in Belgrade is inescapable. Unless we persist in conveniently forgetting the past.

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By Blackspeare, February 22, 2008 at 12:10 pm Link to this comment

Finally the “War of the Blackbirds” in the 1300’s has been settled.  You have to admit those Muslims are a patient lot——they finally got their piece of Serbia.  That’s the recipe for conquest; invade a territory, fight to a standstill, populate the region, breed like crazy, blend in dissent, stir in political unrest, bake for 700 years and presto a new nation is made!  Of course it helps to have powerful friends behind you.  Poor Milosevic knew what was coming, but in the world’s zeal to appease Islam, alas he was in the wrong place at the wrong time.  That whirring noise you hear is Milosevic spinning in his grave!

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By William Landers, February 22, 2008 at 12:08 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Right now we could invade Serbia. It is an act of war to enter into the grounds of an embassy, we would be justifide to do so.

They are lucky it wasn’t the military or we would in in Serbia right not with our military.

Go to http://www.ameriborn.com/blog to vote in our polls. Register and get daily updates.

Pass along to others to build our base.

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By Angelica, February 22, 2008 at 12:05 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Kosovo’s independence was 600 years overdue.  It’s about time the world got involved and stopped the ethnic cleansing that has existed there for as long as I can remember.  The Balkan history is very long and complicated, but what I can say is that all of the ex-Yugoslavian states have suffered at the hands of the Serbs, especially during Slobodan Milosevic’s rule.  They are absolutely barbaric and blood thirsty.  They’ve attacked every country that belonged to ex-Yugoslavia, especially Bosnia and Kosovo.  Understand this, if they had it their way, there wouldn’t be any other ethnicity in the Balkans but them.  Simply put, they are the modern day Nazis.

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By Aegrus, February 22, 2008 at 6:59 am Link to this comment

It’s so ridiculous how attached people can get to invisible boarders.

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By waxman, February 22, 2008 at 3:18 am Link to this comment

YOU HAVE TO EXCUSE CYRENA, NO BOOK LEARNEN’, JUST FULL OF GAS. IF YOU WATCH HER POSTS SHE LEAVES A TRAIL OF LITTLE PUFFY CLOUDS….....

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By Maani, February 21, 2008 at 9:54 pm Link to this comment

Cyrena:

I Googled “Kosovo Independence Opposition” and this was the first thing that came up (see how easy it is?):

http://www.cfr.org/publication/15483/wisner.html

Note the date (prior to the violence).

Peace.

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By cyrena, February 21, 2008 at 8:06 pm Link to this comment

This is a helpful article, (at least for me). I’m inclined to speculate about the less ostensible reasons for the continued animosity of the Serbian government (and a portion at least, of the Serbian population) for a free, independent and sovereign state for the Kosovians, who are overwhelmingly ethnic Albanians.

In other words, WHY does Serbia so desperately want to keep them ‘attached’? Yes, I know that there are historical and cultural ties, but those are not necessarily compromised by the formation of a politically independent state of Kosovo. So, there’s gotta be more to it.

Those who are so vehemently opposed to this independence, including Spain, Russia, Slovakia, Romania, Greece, and a few others, are also claiming that this independence claim/session is illegal under international law. On the face of this, I don’t see that, but I’m curious as to whether or not anyone knows what international law they might be citing. The article doesn’t say. Rather, Spain and Serbia just say that this is illegal under Int’l law. Or, at least that’s all that the writer includes on the matter.

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By PatrickHenry, February 21, 2008 at 7:25 pm Link to this comment

Don’t you just hate when your countrys’ foreign policy sucks in so many areas and you get blind sided by this.

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By QuyTran, February 21, 2008 at 7:01 pm Link to this comment

Whre’s Condi Rice and her Blow Job foreign program ?

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