Serbian victory for Putin and Russia Inc

[bemildred]

Russia will reap its first big reward on Friday for supporting Serbia in trying to stop Kosovo from declaring unilateral independence. Next week the European Union may suffer a serious reverse for doing the opposite, if Serbia elects a hardline nationalist president. The price of Kosovo’s freedom is high.

Gazprom, the Russian state-controlled gas monopoly, is to acquire a majority shareholding in NIS, the Serbian state oil monopoly, and in return incorporate the former Yugoslav republic into its proposed South Stream gas pipeline that will run under the Black Sea via Bulgaria to Greece and Italy.

The deal has already been approved by the Belgrade government, although the price to be paid for NIS has not been finalised. Whatever happens, Gazprom will get a bargain, as well as a customer for South Stream rather than the rival Nabucco pipeline project, intended to reduce EU dependence on Russian gas, without having to submit to any competitive bidding process.

What has Russia done to deserve such favourable treatment? It has blocked a resolution in the United Nations Security Council to endorse Kosovo’s independence. That will not stop the process, but it makes it much more difficult for other countries to grant the future state formal recognition. Although the US and most EU states will recognise it de facto, Kosovo will be left in a sort of legal limbo.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/a78fc2a4-cadb-11dc-a960-000077b07658.html

[bemildred]

1. Kosovo independence 'days away'

Hashim Thaci, Kosovo's prime minister, has said a declaration of independence from the Serbian province is days away.

Asked whether the expected independence proclamation was days or weeks away, he said: "It is an issue of days. Kosovo is ready. We will proclaim independence very soon."

Thaci made the comments in Brussels after meeting Javier Solana, the EU foreign affairs chief.

The former Kosovo Liberation Army member said while some "procedures" would need to be respected before the proclamation, everything was ready, including a national constitution and symbols.

http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4377AB8C-6163-46CF-910B-21CF5A65B844.htm

[tom_paine]

2. Paging, Gavrillo Prinzip. Paging Gavrillio Prinzip...

...please pick up the courtesy phone in the lobby.