Kosovo Serbia Speech

Kosovo – Serbia By Mariah Neuhauser Slide 1:

Kosovo is a province of Serbia, with a population of around 2 million people. The capital of Kosovo is Pristina. It is located in southern Europe and borders Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia. Kosovar and Serbian Conflicts:

Slobodan Milosevic, the President of Serbia at the time, was against the idea of Kosovar Albanians becoming independent from Serbia, and forming their own country. He took matters into his own hands by ordering the Serbian army to destroy Kosovar villages and kill thousands of civilians, in which, doing so, he caused major government corruption and committed various acts of genocide against Kosovars and Albanians. As a result, the Kosovo Liberation Army got involved, leading evacuations outside of the major cities and villages of Kosovo and fighting against the Serbian guerilla forces, sparking the beginning of the Kosovo War of 1998 and 1999. The lower-left picture is that of Slobodan Milosevic, and the picture next to it is a bombed building in Serbia. Modern Day Genocide:

Milosevic’s many abuses of power turned into genocide, as over 2200 villages were destroyed, along with over 10,000 people.

It looked as if there was little hope for the Kosovars during that time of war. With every step they took, they risked being executed by the Serbian army. The two pictures at the bottom show the Serbian army making their daily rounds in various Kosovar villages. Slobodan Milosevic:

Slobodan Milosevic become President of Serbia in 1989 and served two full terms until 1997, when he became President of Yugoslavia. He was later detained in the Hague in the Netherlands, where he was arrested on counts of corruption, abuse of power, and embezzlement. He died of a heart attack while imprisoned in the Hague in 2006. This is a picture of Milosevic, taken at his inauguration. Kosovo Liberation Army:

The KLA was formed in 1995. It carried out numerous attacks on Serbians between 1997 and 1999 and by 1998 it controlled a quarter of the province of Kosovo. Some people call them a terrorist organization, while others consider them to be an organization that fights against oppression. There is also some evidence that suggests that they had ties with the terrorist group known as Al Qaeda. The bottom-left picture is the KLA flag and the bottom-right picture is that of the KLA army.

NATO and US involvement:

NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, forced Milosevic to sign a treaty in 1998, telling him to “sign or be bombed”. Failure to sign the treaty later resulted in the bombing and placing of mines in Yugoslavia, which killed innocent Kosovars, as well as Serbians. Many civilians are killed each day as we speak because of active bombs and mines that have not been removed from the war sites. The lower-left and middle pictures are the NATO and US armies in Kosovo, Serbia, and Yugoslavia. The lower-right picture includes a few Kosovar refugees at a NATO refugee camp. Why US Bombed Serbia:

The U.S. bombed Serbia, but they failed to realize that Milosevic was not going to surrender after a few bombs fell on his beloved Serbia. The U.S. anticipated certain events, but they knew that they’d cause a humanitarian crisis. They knew that they’d never have enough emergency supplies to help the Serbian civilians. Results

The Hague issued an arrest warrant for Milosevic, sending him straight to the Hague prison. Kosovar Albanians are still trying to gain their independence from Serbia. And the NATO and U.S. bombings created world-wide hysteria and sparked major criticism.

The lower-left picture is Milosevic’s funeral motorcade, the other picture next to it is a political cartoon that depicts NATO causing death to innocent civilians in Kosovo. Conflict Resolutions:

Conflicts between Serbia and Kosovo have nearly ceased, but who’s to say that the conflicts have ended for good? Kosovo has gained world support and exposure as their fight for independence continues. Milosevic, the main cause of these conflicts, died in May of 2006. The lower-left picture is of President Bush honoring the flag of Kosovo, the middle picture is of a church in Kosovo that was rebuilt after the bombing, and the lower-right picture is of a magazine featuring Kosovo as the spotlight at a recent UN meeting. Kosovo’s Fight for Independence:

Recently, there was an independence rally in Pristina, Kosovo, on December 10th. Their independence from Serbia and European statehood is pending approval from the United Nations and the European Union. European statehood for Kosovo is expected to occur as early as spring of 2008. The pictures at the bottom were taken at the December 10th independence rally in Pristina.

Consequences of NATO Bombing:

Innocent Kosovar civilians were accidentally killed in the crossfire, while NATO intended on bombing the Serbian army. A NATO rep was reported to have said that they wanted to have a “merciless air war targeting every power grid, bridge and road”, and that’s exactly what happened. The lower-left picture is of a building on fire that’d been bombed only minutes before by NATO. My Opinion…

I don’t believe that Kosovo will gain their independence from Serbia anytime soon as long as Serbia stays a country. Kosovo’s been trying to become a country for the last 100 years, and they’re taking little steps at a time. Even if Kosovo does become a country, it will not prevent conflicts and wars between Kosovo and Serbia. The two rival nations may never come to terms.