By Vesna Peric Zimonjic
BELGRADE, Dec 26 2007 (IPS)

As the European Union (EU) drops boundaries between its countries and its people, Serbia plans to introduce new ones against its disputed southern province, Kosovo.

Serbia, which says EU membership is a prime foreign policy aim, has threatened economic embargos against Kosovo if it claims independence. Kosovo is dominated by about two million ethnic Albanians, who want full independence.

The Serbian threat has not been made officially, but political leaders frequently speak of an embargo.

“In sharp contrast to the opening of borders in Europe, in some places new walls may be erected,” analyst Vladimir Gligorov wrote in his column in the largest circulation daily Blic. It is surprising, he said, that Serbia is considering “obstacles to trade and communications.”

The move, Gligorov said, is being considered “as a ‘political obligation’ regardless of Serbia’s international obligation to develop free trade in the Balkans.”

The most frequent measure spoken of is to cut off water and electricity supply. Curbs could be placed also on import of food into Kosovo. Fear of a Serbian embargo has prompted several Kosovo firms to import grain and other basic food now from Croatia.

But major fears stem from the fact that the Gazivoda water reservoir that provides 60 percent of water for Kosovo is in the Serb-controlled north of the province. It provides not just drinking water, but also water to cool the Kosovo B thermal plant that provides for more than half of Kosovo’s electricity needs.

“Without Gazivoda, it is under question if Kosovo could survive, not just for drinking water but also for electricity,” a senior EU diplomat told IPS. “Even import of electricity is doubtful, as it has to pass the Serbian grid.”

The Kosovo ministry for trade and industry says that Serbia itself supplies goods worth about 450 million dollars each year to the province.

Serbia appears to be travelling down the road also of political self-isolation. Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has rejected an EU offer of quick membership in exchange for independence for Kosovo as “an insult.”

The political turmoil over the future of Kosovo is having repercussions on the Serbian home front as well. Ultranationalists have used the opportunity to call for improved cooperation with Russia. Russia has fiercely backed Serbia in the United Nations in refusing independence for Kosovo.

Tomislav Nikolic, the ultranationalist candidate in the presidential elections due Jan. 20 has called for Russia to build military bases in Serbia to “counter-balance” the U.S. base Bondstill in Kosovo.

“Russia has to be strategically present in Serbia, be it with strategic air forces or something else,” he said. Nikolic is popular, and the battle between him and President Boris Tadic is expected to be tight.

Nikolic’s proposal was backed by Kosovo Serbs, who protested against independence for the province last week in the northern town Mitrovica. They made an appeal for Russia to send its defence minister to be “the defence minister of Serbia” ahead of Kosovo’s independence.

“That is an unprecedented call, that amounts to real betrayal of national interest,” historian Nikola Samardzic told IPS. “Apart from having brotherly emotions towards Russia, people here know that they (Russians) provided no benefits for nations they were present in.”

His remarks were echoed by many Belgradians.

“I heard of no prosperity for people Russia had under its boot for 45 years,” shopkeeper in downtown Belgrade Dragica Mirosavljevic (43) told IPS. “They were saved when communism fell. We should look in the EU direction, and not at replacing those nations in Russia’s orbit.”

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