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Kosovo and the Polish Diplomatic Embarrassment

Agnieszka Skieterska 2008.02.26 17:16 Gazeta Wyborcza

As the tenth EU member state, Poland will recognise Kosovo's independence today. But whether this means being late or early doesn't really matter. It had been clear for months that the Albanian-dominated province would one day break away from Serbia. But when it finally happened, on 17 February, Warsaw sank into chaos. The cabinet was in favour of Kosovo’s independence, the President against it.


+Agnieszka Skieterska


ZOBACZ TAK¯E

Kosowo i polska ¿enada dyplomatyczna (26-02-08, 01:00)


SERWISY

English version

It took the government a week to decide that it was the cabinet, after all, that had the decisive say on the issue and that Poland's partners from the US and the EU expected it to recognise Kosovo's independence. At that point, both the coalition and the opposition woke up: how to do it without alienating Serbia, which Poland has good relations with? It's a pity it took them so long to realise that.

One could ask: why hurry? Poland has neither strategic interests in the Balkans, nor reasons to irritate Serbia. However, our foreign policy should be comprehensible for our partners. And it should be done in style. Especially if you are a country with ambitions to be an important player in the EU.

Among the member states that had pledged to recognise Kosovo's independence but didn't want to hasten the decision, the Netherlands acted most sensibly. Poland could learn a lot from the Hague. Right after Pristina declared its secession, Maxime Verhagen, the Dutch Foreign Minister, said his country would first take a look at Kosovo's new constitution, see whether it observed human rights and protected the rights of the Serbian minority, and only then would it decide on formally recognising its independence. Acting that way, the Netherlands made a beautiful and, more importantly, not just empty gesture towards the Kosovo Serbs. The Hague didn't care about whether it would be the sixth or the twenty fourth EU member state that would recognise the independence of the new Balkan state. It laid down certain conditions and made it clear that once they were fulfilled, it would recognise Pristina's sovereignty. The sensible position was received with respect by the Kosovo Albanians as well.


The Dutch, whose compatriot, Pieter Feith, has for a couple of weeks now been in charge of the EU's mission in Kosovo and will oversee the creation of the new state, have almost managed to reconcile fire with water. It is such gestures that show whether a diplomacy has class. Poland's obviously doesn't.

translated by Marcin Wawrzyñczak

¬ród³o: Gazeta Wyborcza