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US Envoy in Serbia Warns on Violence

By SLOBODAN LEKIC,
Associated Press
Posted: 2008-02-24 10:07:25
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) - The U.S. ambassador to Serbia expressed outrage Sunday at rioters who set fire to the American embassy in Belgrade and demanded that Serbian leaders prevent any more violence against diplomatic missions.

Ambassador Cameron Munter also criticized Serb political leaders who have defended the riots as a "legitimate" form of protest over Kosovo's independence declaration, which the U.S. enthusiastically supported.

"That kind of incendiary language ... is not only wrong but it is an embarrassment, and it is leading further to the diplomatic isolation of Serbia, which is in nobody's interest," Munter told The Associated Press.

His remarks came a day after several Serbian officials blamed the U.S. for violence by Serb protesters.

"The United States is the main culprit ... for all those violent acts," Serbia's Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic said Saturday.

On Thursday night, a mob set fire to the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade, angered over U.S. recognition of Kosovo's independence. Serbia considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its sacred heartland.

"I'm very angry at what happened," Munter said of the riots. "It had better not happen again."

The rioters stormed the embassy on Thursday after a rally of tens of thousand. The attackers also targeted the embassies of Germany, Turkey, Croatia, Belgium, Slovenia and other Western countries that recognized Kosovo's independence.

One of the rioters, Zoran Vujovic, died in the fire at the U.S. embassy. No Americans were hurt. Munter said the victim had not come into contact with embassy security.

"He tragically died as a result of the fire set by the attackers," the ambassador said.

On Friday, the State Department ordered the evacuation of embassy staff families and non-essential workers, and Munter said they would return when Serbia assured it could safeguard the diplomatic property.

However, the ambassador said he had no plans to leave Belgrade. Serbia has withdrawn its ambassador from Washington D.C. in protest over U.S. support for Kosovo.

The U.S. Embassy evacuated dependents, nonessential staff and diplomats several times during Slobodan Milosevic's rule in the 1990s, including just before NATO launched a 70-day aerial bombing campaign in 1999 to end a Serb crackdown against Albanian separatists in Kosovo.

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. Active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
02/24/2008 10:44 ET
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publiusmax 01:17:36 PM Feb 24 2008

"I wonder what we will do when the Mexicans in Calif. and Texas demand their independence ?

We'll follow our convictions and let them go, just like we did with the Confederacy.

Does anyone really think that the Democrats will be any different or do any better ?

No.

nvtv916 01:17:19 PM Feb 24 2008

believe me Obama cannot handle this stuff.

wsrepairs 01:14:59 PM Feb 24 2008

And Serbia wonders why Kosovar's want their freedom! Genocide, personal attacks, and an animalistic approach to humanity at large, and they still wonder why Kosovar's want their freedom, and wish to further isolate themselves away from Serbia! Maybe it is time for the Serbian Government to grow up...then maybe their people will grow up!

publiusmax 01:05:14 PM Feb 24 2008

". Well why then is The USA 2 faced ?What about Serbia ?"

It probably has something to do with Serbia's ethnic and religious ties with Russia and our "If your enemy has anything to do with Russia, you can count on us." policy that worked so brilliantly with our support of the Pol Pot Khmer Rouge/Royalist alliance in Cambodia and Reagan's "heroic Islamic freedom fighters", who dropped by to thank us personally on 9/11.
Both the United States and Russia keep claiming the cold war is over, but neither one of them often acts like that's true.

edgebob 12:16:19 PM Feb 24 2008

it would be nice to see some real jounalism, not just PC, on this topic. Gen. Clarke isn't president by a long shot, so why was he the first person I saw layout the position of our country on this. The issues here are very important and I think Americans like myself need real news people to dig and try to explain them. Weren't the Serbs our allies in two major wars? Will Kosovo become another Mujjahadim nation - help by us, only to betray us in the most profound ways? 2 million people seems like a city, not a nation - maybe another terrorist state spread all the way to Europe now? I don't know, but with the media and our gov. so hung up on not offending Muslims, no one seems to be looking at the hard questions.

chst586 11:42:43 AM Feb 24 2008

Two questions:

I wonder what we will do when the Mexicans in Calif. and Texas demand their independence ?

Does anyone really think that the Democrats will be any different or do any better ?

I'm fairly certain that my son will see his second tour in Iraq, if he lives through this one. The Democrats are not going to stop the Iraq war, and upset Israeli foreign policy.

jerdking 11:16:48 AM Feb 24 2008

IMPEACH TERRORIST BUSH, CHENEY, WHAT WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION? DUMP THOSE CORRUPT AND DISASTROUS REPUBLICONS FOR A BETTER WORLD.

ageon2 10:54:58 AM Feb 24 2008

Regarding a 2 faced policy :Serbia and Turkey.and the US . The Kurds are simply fighting for independence as a majority ethnic group in that region of southern turkey and northern iraq. But the USA supports turkey invading northern iraq saying they have the right to protect their land and soverignty . Well why then is The USA 2 faced ?What about Serbia ? when it comes to Kossovo where the Serbs are protecting their soveriegnty regardless if the albanians are the majority in kossovo still it was part of Serbia and the USA gave its blessing to the Albanians for independence .Why then did the USA not give their blessing to the Kurds for independence instead they gave the green light to the turks to crack down on them .. If you are calling for democracy and freedom around the world lets be JUST for all, not for your own interests, turning a blind eye on others .The world sees this and that is why they are angry with america .

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