Motion: We were wrong to recognise Kosovo’s declaration of independence.
Speakers
For the motion
Sir Ivor Roberts
Misha Glenny
Dragan Zupanjevac
Against the motion
Wolfgang Ischinger
Paddy Ashdown
Veton Surroi
The voting tells the story. Before last Tuesday’s Kosovo debate most of the audience were unsure whether we were right to recognize Kosovo’s declaration of independence on February 17th 2008. BBC Balkans expert Alan Little introduced a ‘starry panel of commentators’ beginning with Sir Ivor Roberts, a former ambassador to Yugoslavia. Sir Ivor hoped that one day the people of the Balkans would ‘stop picking at the scabs of history – but the wounds are far too fresh for that.’ He blamed President Bush for skewing the negotiations over Kosovo’s future by declaring his support for independence before the process had begun. Kosovo’s independence had ‘opened a Pandora’s box’ which might destabilise the entire region.
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