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| Kosovo. Precedent. E.T.A. (Basque Region). January 2008 |
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Kosovo: A possible precedent for Europe and
the World
____________________
ETA toma a Kosovo como un referente para la
independencia de 'Euskal Herria'
____________________
The Basque separatist group ETA will base its
calls for independence on the example set by
Kosovo
____________________
En español:
http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2008/01/05/espa
na/1199496686.html
____________________
Because after ETA's announcement, it's
probable that other independent movements --
peaceful or not -- in countries like Romania
or Belgium, will feel the legitimacy in
forcing politicial sessions
____________________
This will create a dangerous precedent
whereby the international community backs the
right of an ethnic minority to undermine the
sovereignty of a recognized state.
At the same time, it is interesting to follow
the West's hypocrisy on another burning issue
____________________
The West supports independence for the
Albanian-majority territory, but insists it
would not set a precedent.
Other breakaway regions around the world
disagree.
Following are a few that might look with
interest at the Kosovo case:
TRANSDNIESTRIA - Moldova
** A tiny sliver of land on the Dniestr
river, Transdniestria broke away from Moldova
in September 1990. A brief war killed
hundreds before Russian troops intervened.
The region of 550,000 people is dominated by
Russian-speaking Slavs, who pressed for
independence fearing Moldova's
Romanian-speaking majority would one day join
Romania to the south. Around 1,200 Russian
troops remain. Transdniestria covers one
eighth of Moldovan territory but is home to
the bulk of Moldova's industrial base.
ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA - Georgia
** Home to 200,000 people, Abkhazia is
sandwiched between the Black Sea and the
Caucasus mountains and was once a renowned
tourist destination. It fought a 1992-3 war
against Georgia and effectively rules itself.
It was isolated for years after the war but
has since forged closer ties with Russia,
which has given Abkhaz residents passports
and pensions. South Ossetia fought to throw
off Georgian rule in the early 1990s. A
ceasefire was signed but the violence has
threatened to reignite. Russia has
peacekeepers in both regions.
NAGORNO-KARABAKH - Azerbaijan
** Sporadic clashes in Nagorno-Karabakh
between Azeri and local ethnic Armenian
irregulars began in 1998, escalating by 1992
into full-scale hostilities between Azeri
forces and troops from Armenia. About 35,000
people died and hundreds of thousands fled
before a ceasefire was signed in 1994. The
territory remains part of Azerbaijan but is
controlled by Armenian forces. A major BP-led
pipeline linking Azerbaijan's Caspian Sea oil
fields to world markets passes a few
kilometres from the conflict zone.
PAPUA - Indonesia
** In the remote eastern Papua province,
activists have led a campaign for more than
30 years to break away from Indonesia, while
a low-level armed rebellion has been rumbling
for decades. Critics say military abuses and
dissatisfaction over Jakarta's distribution
of wealth generated by the mineral- and
gas-rich province has fuelled grievances. A
30-year insurgency in Aceh province, killing
15,000 people, ended in a European
Union-monitored peace accord in 2005.
BASQUE COUNTRY - Spain
** Basque separatist movement ETA has spent
the past four decades fighting for an
independent Basque state in northern Spain
and southwestern France, killing more than
800 people. The semi-autonomous Basque region
in northern Spain is home to 2.1 million
people. More than 750 suspected members have
been detained since 2000. ETA declared a
ceasefire last year, but the Spanish
government scrapped peace talks in December
2006 after ETA bombed Madrid airport, killing
two people.
THE KURDS - Turkey/Iraq/Syria/Iran
** Around 20 million Kurds are scattered
between northern Iraq, Syria, Iran and
Turkey, describing themselves as the world's
largest stateless minority. Most live in
southeastern Turkey, where Kurdistan Workers'
Party (PKK) guerrillas have fought an
insurgency since 1984 in which more than
30,000 people have died. A ceasefire was
called in 1999, but fighting resumed in 2004.
Turkey fears that Kurds in northern Iraq plan
to set up their own state, stirring tensions
among Turkish Kurds.
WESTERN SAHARA - Morocco
** The Polisario movement of Western Sahara
fought a low-level war for independence after
Morocco annexed the desert territory with the
pullout of colonial power Spain in 1975. U.N.
troops have monitored an uneasy peace since
1991. It is Africa's oldest territorial
dispute, over land the size of Britain,
inhabited by 260,000 people. A U.N. ceasefire
agreement in 1991 promised a referendum on
the fate of the territory, but it never took
place and Morocco now rules it out, saying
autonomy is the most it will offer.
(SOURCE: Reuters Factiva)
Tags : kosovo eta serbia spain france espana francia pais vascos pays basque separatisme separatismo terrorist independence |
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Affichage : 5076
Durée : 89 s |
| Vague de froid sans précédent en Israël: Bonnets et écharpes, la nouvelle mode israélienne. |
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Une vague de foid sans précédents s'est
installée ces derniers jours en Israël,avec
des températures avoisinant par moment les
zéro degrés sur l' ensemble du pays, et un
record de -8 degrés a même été
enregistré dans le Golan, au Nord du Pays.De
sérieux dégâts, évalués à plusieurs
millions de shekels, sont même Ã
enregistrer, de nombreuses récoltes ayant
été endomagées par le gel. Pour la
population, peu habituée à des
températures si extrêmes pour la région,
gants, bonnets et echarpes deviennent de
manière surprenante les nouveaux atouts de
la mode vestimentaire israélienne.
Infolive.tv est parti à la rencontre des
habitants de Jérusalem. 14/01/2008
Tags : Israel infolive.tv jerusalem frois israel |
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Affichage : 262
Durée : 88 s |
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