Kosovo declares independence
　

A NATION IS BORN: Kosovar Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi read out the independence declaration in the chamber and then lawmakers voted to adopt it

AP, PRISTINA, SERBIA
Monday, Feb 18, 2008, Page 1
　

An ethnic Albanian gestures as he celebrates in the center of Pristina on Saturday, a day before Kosovo was expected to declare independence. EU nations agreed on Saturday to send a 1,800-strong mission to Kosovo to help the fledgling state build its police force and judiciary. PHOTO: AP

Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership held a special session of parliament at 3pm yesterday to declare independence -- a bold and historic bid for statehood in defiance of Serbia and Russia.

Kosovar Prime Minister Hashim Thaci asked lawmakers to vote on a declaration proclaiming the formation of the Republic of Kosovo as "an independent, sovereign and democratic state."

"This is the will of the people," the former guerrilla leader said as the breakaway province prepared to shake off centuries of Serbian dominance as Europe's newest nation. "We are on the brink of a very crucial moment -- an important decision that will make us one of the free nations of the world."

By sidestepping the UN and appealing directly to the US and other nations for recognition, Kosovo's independence sets up a showdown with Serbia -- outraged at the imminent loss of its territory -- and Russia, which warned that it would set a dangerous precedent for separatist groups worldwide.

Thaci yesterday signed 192 separate letters to nations around the world -- including Serbia -- asking them to recognize Kosovo as a state.

But Serbia, which considers Kosovo the heart of its ancestral homeland, declared the secession "invalid and illegal." Underscoring Serb anger, about 1,000 people staged a noisy protest in Belgrade on Saturday, waving Serbian flags and chanting: "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia."

"It would be best for the Americans to take the Albanians to America and give them a part of their territory, so that they could have a small republic there," Ljubinko Stefanovic, a resident of the ethnically divided northern town of Kosovska Mitrovica, said.

Kosovo has formally remained a part of Serbia even though it has been administered by the UN and NATO since 1999, when NATO airstrikes ended former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists. The war claimed about 10,000 lives and drove nearly 1 million people from their homes.

The province is still protected by 16,000 NATO-led peacekeepers and the alliance boosted its patrols over the weekend in the hope it would discourage violence. International police, meanwhile, were deployed to back up local forces in the tense north.

US President George W. Bush said on a visit to Africa that the US "will continue to work with our allies to the very best we can to make sure there's no violence."

"We are heartened by the fact that the Kosovo government has clearly proclaimed its willingness and its desire to support Serbian rights in Kosovo," Bush said. "We also believe it's in Serbia's interest to be aligned with Europe and the Serbian people can know that they have a friend in America."

At yesterday's ceremony, parliament speaker Jakup Krasniqi read out the independence declaration in the chamber, where the proceedings were broadcast live on television and lawmakers were asked to adopt it.

Krasniqi then proclaimed Kosovo independent and lawmakers went on to vote on the new nation's flag and crest.

Later yesterday, the Kosovo Philharmonic Orchestra planned to play Beethoven's Ode to Joy at a sports hall, where top leaders would gather for speeches and toasts.

"This will be a joyful day," said Besnik Berisha, a Pristina resident. "The town looks great and the party should start."

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RIVER Democratic Progressive Party presidential candidate Frank Hsieh, fourth from left, crosses into Changhua County from Yunlin County over the Hsiluo Bridge with supporters at an event called ``Walking against the wind: Love Taiwan.'' PHOTO: CNA

The KMT is unable to decide on a referendum
　

By Huang Yu-lin 黃玉霖
Monday, Feb 18, 2008, Page 8

After almost 10 years, the attempts to engineer the return of the Republic of China to the UN have produced no results. Against this background, the government's proposal that it apply for UN membership using the name "Taiwan" represents a flexible approach to dealing with a dead-end situation.

It avoids the issue of the right to represent China as well as the possibility to reject the application based on UN Resolution 2758.

Since that resolution does not deal with the issue of Taiwan's sovereignty, "Taiwan" is a new issue for the UN.

The Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) proposed referendum on joining the UN seeks to highlight Taiwan's sovereignty and allows the public to directly express their wish to join the organization.

Not only does this conform to the fundamental UN policy of self determination and lay a solid foundation for joining the UN, it also avoids the issue of a referendum on Taiwanese independence and directly revealing the government's bottom line to the US and China.

The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), however, immediately issued a counterproposal: A referendum on returning to the UN, without denying that it was based purely on concern about the presidential election. Indeed, in addition to "Republic of China, the name "Taiwan" is also considered as an option in the referendum, a bid by the KMT to appeal to as many voters as possible.

Leaving the issue of the presidential election aside, the fact is that the referendum on returning to the UN is a reflection of the flexible diplomacy that former president Lee Teng-hui (李登輝) promoted during his presidency. Passing it would be to tell the international community that Taiwanese want Taiwan to join the UN regardless of whether it is achieved using the name "Taiwan," "Republic of China" or another name.

Should the KMT and the DPP urge their supporters to oppose the other party's referendum, it is very likely that neither will pass, an outcome that would cause great harm to Taiwan. Some people therefore advocate that the two referendums be merged, while others say that we should vote in favor of both referendums.

There are even KMT forces in the legislature working to merge the two into a third referendum, or to issue a resolution instead of pushing for a third referendum.

Unfortunately, hawks within the KMT will oppose anything including the name "Taiwan" or the word "referendum" and they are instead proposing that voters abstain from voting altogether.

Conservatives are suspicious of the name "Taiwan" and oppose the DPP referendum while remaining cautious on the KMT referendum to return to the UN. Pro-localization or reform-minded forces, for their part, support either the original KMT referendum, a third referendum or a resolution.

Because everyone insists on his or her own preferences, a lot of debate is going on and even top party officials seem to be at a loss as to what to do.

The election campaign is in full swing and the KMT is following up its massive victory in the legislative elections by calling for a united government. Despite this, the party remains unable to decide how to deal with the referendum proposed by the party itself and it lacks a sense of direction, if not the ability to unite. Where will Taiwan end up if the KMT manages to obtain its united government?

Huang Yu-lin is an associate professor in the Department of Civil Engineering at National Chiao Tung University and a former member of the Cabinet's Referendum Review Committee.