Europe seriously fears "Balkanization" of the continent

PanARMENIAN.Net - We will still talk about the "new" conflicts, for now let's remember the words of the US Vice-President Dick Cheney, which he said a week ago during his Near-Eastern tour. "Israel is ready to compromise for sake of stability and peace with the Palestinians," said Cheney. Speaking in a joint press-conference with the Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem, Cheney said that the Palestinians are also ready to compromise, says BBC. The truth is though, that for his words not to sound as a betrayal of the loyal ally, he immediately promised, that "the USA is going to keep on supporting Israel in the issue of defense and will never put pressure on Israel in the issues, which may threaten its security." "We want to have the conflict resolved, and terrorism, which brought so many sufferings to Israel, to be put an end to, and we also want a new chapter for the Palestinian people," said the US Vice-President.

Practically, in Israel Cheney made it understood for Serbia, that it should be ready for compromises, if it wants to get something from the EU and of course, from the USA. And as in support of the American initiatives, the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the EU member countries and Serbia started the first negotiations since the majority of the EU countries recognized the independence of Kosovo. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Serbia
Vuk Jeremic met the colleagues from all 27 EU countries in Slovenia, however it is anticipated that he will not remain for the next meeting of the representatives of other Balkan countries, including Kosovo. "Which reasonable person could expect, that he will be holding the same position as the Prime-Minister if Kosovo Hashim Tachi that soon?" said the representative of Slovenia.

For the majority of EU Ministers the meeting with Jeremic, having pro-western looks, became the first contact with Serbia on such a high level. The EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn announced, that this meeting is a chance to emphasize the prospective of Serbia regarding the integration into the bloc and called the Serbs to make a choice in favor of the joint future with Europe instead of "self-isolation" and "the road to nowhere", says Reuters.

But, naturally, there is not and will never be any unity regarding the status of Kosovo in the EU: the authorities of Spain, Great Britain, Cyprus, Romania and Slovakia are afraid of the repetition of the Balkan scenario. The recognition of independence of Kosovo by key countries of the EU arouses the political powers in Europe, which strive to get complete or broaden partial autonomy of its regions. Brussels' announcement about the intentions of contributing to the development of the sovereign Kosovo, gave rise to big apprehensions among a number of EU member countries about intensified separatist dispositions.

One shouldn't forget about the wish of the Turk's of North Cyprus. Bosnia and Herzegovina and Macedonia, which in 2001 avoided the civil war between the Albanians and the representatives of the titular nation only thanks to the EU, have to suppress the separatist dispositions. In short, if today the EU, which now has 27 member countries, has to go through hard times, one may imagine how hard things will get, when it has, for instance, 38 member countries. That time maybe the Near East may seem an oasis of peace to some people.