I would once again like to thank all of those who attended and I hope that you all enjoyed yourselves. Throughout the day the delegates debated in topics ranging from secessionist regions, independence seeking provinces, to human rights violations. When looked at from a broader perspective, and as foretold by Mr. Stan Witalec, Northeast Catholic's President, the issues that we discuss ultimately set forth a domino effect in the world. The delegates experienced this first hand today as the civil unrest in Turkey with the Kurds affects the soveriengtny and territorial integrity of Serbia and Georgia, as well as the overall sovereignty of Myanmar. The delegates diligently worked to solve these issues with comprehensive resolutions, however, little did they know that with every action there is a reaction. To my knowledge, not a single council was shocked by a second crisis that only the chairs were aware of.
If the delegates were to mistakenly grant Kosovo independence from Serbia, they would have set an illegal precedent that not only would have shook the sovereign nation of Georgia, it would have also destabilized the entire Balkans. With the precedent set in Kosovo, the next area in the Balkans to secede was in Bosnia, which is known as Republika Sprska.
A just and enduring political settlement for Kosovo requires that Bosnia be treated in an identical manner. If Kosovo has the right to secede from Serbia, then the Republika Srpska must have the right to secede from Bosnia. If an independent Kosovo must have the right to unite with Albania. Similarly, an independent Republika Srpska must have the right to unite with Serbia.
The followers of late President Slobodan Milosevic state that if Serbia's breakaway Kosovo province becomes independent, Serbia should respond by recognizing the Republika Srpska -the Bosnian Serb-controlled half of Bosnia.
Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia which had comprised former Yugoslavia are now all independent countries. Tiny Montenegro was the last republic to secede from much larger Serbia in a referendum last year. Kosovo formally remains part of Serbia, but has been run by the United Nations and NATO since the end of the 1999 war between ethnic Albanian separatists and Milosevic's forces. Any attempt by Belgrade to win independence for the Bosnian Serbs would likely trigger renewed bloodshed in Bosnia. "The preservation" of Kosovo and the Bosnian Serb mini-state are Serbia's "priority goals," and added that international policies in Bosnia and Kosovo were "jeopardizing essential interests of the Serb people.” Bosnian officials and Western powers, including the United States, Britain, France, Germany and Italy, have formally protested the Serb’s apparent attempts to link the fate of Kosovo with Bosnia.
Again, I thank all who attended, debated, and helped with this conference. North Catholic is looking forward to seeing you again next year in November at OMUN XLI.
Milan Stanic 08'
OMUN XL Secretary General
