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Sir, Your report on the status of the negotiations regarding whether Kosovo will remain a part of Serbia or be awarded “conditional independence” for the dominant ethnic Albanian population, but under international supervision and with guarantees for the rights of all minorities, is a sober reminder that any zero-sum (“win-lose”) framing of a complex issue is likely to fail (“EU set to take lead on Kosovo amid fears UN talks will fail”, November 16).
The particular problem with the Kosovo talks is that failure – the appearance of satisfying one side at the expense of the other – may lead to renewed violence between Serbs and Albanians, with implications for spillover elsewhere in the Balkans (e.g., Bosnia).
If ever there were a time and need for “thinking outside the box”, this is it. Why not, before the talks end on December 10, reframe the Kosovo issue as a candidate for a form of joint custody, with Serbia continuing to “own” Kosovo in a de jure sense, but the ethnic Albanians who constitute more than 90 per cent of the population “governing” Kosovo in a de facto sense, with suitable compensation made to Serbia for a certain time period. There is a precedent here: the Aland Islands, owned by Finland but with a unique autonomy enjoyed by the dominant Swedish community inhabiting them.
Since both Serbia and Kosovo are earmarked for eventual absorption into the European Union, by the time that the “leasing” interval ends it may not matter who “owns” what, as both entities will be part of the same macro structure (as they were once before). Outrageous? To be sure! Provocative? Hopefully!
Dennis J.D. Sandole,
Professor of Conflict Resolution and International Relations,
Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution,
George Mason University,
Arlington, VA 22201, US
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2007
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