1998 Happy Orthodox Christmas

Yesterday was Christmas for a huge number of Eastern Christians. So I was googling to see how it was celebrated. Things aren't so great for Kosovars, Serbs, and Romas, despite the well wishes of the season. I didn't understand this region's ethnic battles when we were at war there in the 90s, nor WWI or WWII. But this I do know: Ethnicity trumps religion every time, whether it is Ireland, the former Yugoslavia or Iran/Iraq. These items are from a Greek on-line newspaper, but I noticed some of them at other sites using a standardized news feed.

Serb president says no independence for Kosovo
BELGRADE (AP) - Serbian President Boris Tadic said in an interview published yesterday that he will never accept independence for Kosovo. “As far as I am concerned, I will never sign any decision granting independence to Kosovo,” Tadic told the Glas daily. He said the solution for Kosovo should result from a compromise. He added that the Belgrade delegation will seek to defend “Serbia’s national interests.” “We will use all political and diplomatic means to defend them,” Tadic was quoted as saying.

Roma
The UN mission in Kosovo urged a community of Gypsies to leave lead-contaminated camps in northern Kosovo and move to a former French military base. About 560 Gypsies, also known as Roma, have lived for more than six years in three makeshift camps in northern Kosovo near an industrial area polluted with high levels of lead. The contamination poses a serious health risk to the 125 families living there, the World Health Organization said. The UN and others have described their plight as one of the region’s worst humanitarian problems. (AP)

Visit
Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian prime minister handed out sweets and sipped the local firewater with Serbs yesterday in a rare visit to the dwindling Serb community on Orthodox Christmas Eve. “I came here to see how you’re doing, how you live, and to wish you a Happy New Year and Merry Christmas,” Bajram Kosumi said as aides carried in bags of sweets and chocolate for the children. (Reuters)