The Possibility of Independence in Vojvodina

[Poltergeist]

The Next Kosovo: The Possibility of Independence in Vojvodina


May 05, 2009


by Fabiola Hernandez

Another Serbian Province Seeking Independence

In more recent history, after the conclusion of World War I, Vojvodina was awarded to Serbia, but then occupied by the Nazis during World War II. Serbia officially granted it autonomy in 1946 due to the fact that Serbs only made up a small majority in the province. Yugoslavia granted both Vojvodina and Kosovo representation in the government and politics in the Yugoslav constitution of 1974. Slobodan Milosevic revoked Vojvodina and Kosovo's autonomous status and regained control of the two multi-national provinces in the late 1980s, being one of the factors that led to the eventual dissolution of Yugoslavia.

Tadic and Kostunica, the president and prime minister of Serbia, respectively, agreed that negotiations on Kosovo and its ethnic Albanians should happen in conjunction with the status of the ethnic Hungarians living in Vojvodina. The issue has even been elevated to the European Parliament in recent years, pointing out the violations of minority and ethnic rights within the province. Political parties in Hungary are pushing for the protection of their people in Serbia as well as some parties in Vojvodina such as the Democratic Community of Vojvodina Hungarians and the Democratic Party of Vojvodina Hungarians.

Violence began to stir up in Vojvodina in the summer of 2004. This has even strained ties between Hungary and Serbia, using the conflict against Serbia's possible accession into the European Union. 300,000 Hungarians live in the province as aforementioned, giving them the shorter straw when it comes to ethnic crimes. Assaults on Serbs by Hungarians are publicized, but the Serbian government fails to report the attacks on Hungarians by Serbs.

Important leaders in the movement for Vojvodina's independence include the allies Nenad Canak and Jozsef Kasza. Nenad Canak is the speaker of the Vojvodina Assembly, a firm critique of the Serbian government, and is pro-autonomy for Vojvodina. He uses the situations of the other breakaway provinces as models and learns from fellow seperatists on how to make progress towards independence.

Jozsef Kasza is an ethnic Hungarian politician that was part of the former Democratic Opposition of Serbia party. He is currently the chairman of the Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians party and currently plays a passive role in advocating independence because of the bad conditions present such as Kosovo recently claiming independence. Patience will have to be a virtue for the Hungarian separatists as they wait for the situation and violence in Kosovo to cool off.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1691749/the_next_kosovo_the_possibility_of_pg2.html

[Svarog]

Dream on.

[Poltergeist]

It is not only dreaming. The realization is also underway, but slowly.

[RoyBatty]

Another made in USA / EU production........

[Poltergeist]

Another made in USA / EU production........

yeah, and what can you do about it?:p

[RoyBatty]

yeah, and what can you do about it?:p

Nothing, obviously. Anyway, no point in predicting the future. Let's see what happens.

[Poltergeist]

There is also the issue of the Bosniak people in Sanjak living under Serb tyranny, then the eastern regions of present-day Serbia populated by Vlachs who are seeking their national rights for independence. The area around Pirot should be returned to Bulgaria, to whom it belongs. The region of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvidja should be annexed by the independent and sovereign Republic of Kosova, while the rest of Serbia, the true ethnical Serbia, should annex the northern corner of Kosova, now inhabited by Serbian minority. Only in that case justice will be served and Serbia reduced to its true measure.

[Poltergeist]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kOGHZk51cM

[Svarog]

as i said, dream on cocksucker

[The Lawspeaker]

Which is so typical about Slavs in general is their almost Jew-like "eternal victim"-state of mind. Always speaking about the crimes that peoples around them may have committed but shying away from any involvement they themselves might have had in the unfolding drama.

As soon as they get criticized they come up with the most incredible ad-hominems. Like this Serb above me which called me (in a post announcing his withdrawal) a "cocksucker".
Well we West Europeans also have our problems with each other but we don't take it as far as those that are now beyond the unnatural Oder-Neisse border.
I (for instance) still think that the French should hand over the Southern Netherlands to the Flemish and I am quite sure that some French will disagree but at least we can talk about it in reason as both are civilized peoples that realize that Louis XIV is dead and buried. And the same goes for all the other border disputes no one bothers to talk about as the rights of the "trapped minorities" are being respected by all parties involved- or the rights of the neighbors in some cases. The barely noticeable Danish-German situation in Sleswick-Holsatia and Southern Denmark, the Dutch-German border dispute over the Dollard etc etc. No one really bothers.

Our Slavic Europeans on the other hand (with an exception for our Polish friends who still bitterly defend their claims but at least in a more gentlemanly manner) simply refuse to acknowledge their neighbors and their own crimes and state that "conquered is conquered" but cry bitterly when a neighbor nicks some of their own land.


That's all I have to say about this and I will leave this tread in disgust.

[Kempenzoon]

Well we West Europeans also have our problems with each other but we don't take it as far as those that are now beyond the unnatural Oder-Neisse border.

It depends on how far you go in things.

If you say the French can keep French Flanders, the small region close to Calais, where the native people speak the Flemish language in France ... I don't think many Flemish will mind that.

If you say though that the French can keep Brussels because after all, it hasn't been "Flemish" culturally or traditionally for at least a hundred fifty years ... that's when the going gets tough. To clarify, the current Flemish population in Brussels is less than 5% of the city. At the time Belgium came into existance, one hundred eighty years ago, that was still about 65%. Or it could be even higher, I don't remember the exact number, but it was well over half. Using the logic used here, we should just roll over then and let the French have it. Or am I reading too much into your post?

I don't think that historical claims should be entirely ignored.

I also find it a bit discourteous to compare Slavs to Jews. :eek: But I agree with the general message in your post, they really should try to settle their conflicts a bit more civilised though.

[The Lawspeaker]

I don't remember the exact number, but it was well over half. Using the logic used here, we should just roll over then and let the French have it. Or am I reading too much into your post?You are reading too much. Those areas should be handed over back to us (Netherlands or Flanders- as it depends on whether Flanders would sue for reunification or independence) and if there are any places where French used to be the language and which now turned Dutch-speaking we should hand over to Wallonia/France. When it comes to the Belgian problem I think that France and the Netherlands (and Germany and possibly even Luxembourg) should get involved and see to it that the division of what used to be Belgium is taken care off in an orderly fashion and those areas that switched hands should be handed over to their original owners- and when it comes to the new people they will have to be respected in their rights but understand that the language of the administration will become Dutch (or French for those areas that used to be French-speaking) and if both parties AND the people involved would agree with it parts of Luxembourg will be returned to Luxembourg, the East Cantons returned to Germany, Flanders re-united with the Netherlands (or independent) and Wallonia will become French (or independent). Brussels however will have to be handed over to Flanders- it used to be Flemish-speaking and no exception will be made. For the time being a bi-lingual administration would do just fine. But let us at least carry out such a dissolution in a civilized manner as there is no need for a vechtscheiding (as we call it in the Netherlands)- a portmanteau for "fighting divorce" (for our foreign readers).


I also find it a bit discourteous to compare Slavs to Jews. :eek: But I agree with the general message in your post, they really should try to settle their conflicts a bit more civilised though.It's a group that behaves (and has always, throughout their history) behaved extremely discourteous and as such I can find no reason to sweeten the pill.