No one in British parliament has been more aggressive in inciting ethnic tensions in Kosovo than Alicia Kearns. A closer look at her record reveals intelligence ties and “probably illegal” regime change activities.
by Kit Klarenberg
Part 5 - British government ‘shares KFOR’s position’
Following KFOR’s repudiation of Kearns’ bellicose rhetoric in parliament, many Serbs accused her of purposefully putting lives at risk. In Kosovo, such malicious rumor mongering has produced untold bloodshed over the past two decades.
In March 2004, bogus local media reports accused Serbs of deliberately drowning three Albanian children, triggering a seismic upsurge of ethnically-charged violence that culminated in a massacre of close to 20 people, hundreds of injuries and the destruction of scores of Orthodox churches.
A subsequent OSCE investigation into the killings concluded that “without the reckless and sensationalist reporting…events could have taken a different turn,” and “might not have reached the intensity and level of brutality that was witnessed or even might not have taken place at all.” The probe concluded by starkly warning that, “in a post-ethnic conflict society such as Kosovo, biased reporting alone can lead to violence.”
In March 2004, bogus local media reports accused Serbs of deliberately drowning three Albanian children, triggering a seismic upsurge of ethnically-charged violence that culminated in a massacre of close to 20 people, hundreds of injuries and the destruction of scores of Orthodox churches.
A subsequent OSCE investigation into the killings concluded that “without the reckless and sensationalist reporting…events could have taken a different turn,” and “might not have reached the intensity and level of brutality that was witnessed or even might not have taken place at all.” The probe concluded by starkly warning that, “in a post-ethnic conflict society such as Kosovo, biased reporting alone can lead to violence.”
How could a psychological warfare specialist and Western Balkans expert like Alicia Kearns be unaware of the potential consequences of her anti-Serb tirade in a tinderbox like Pristina?
A more senior figure in the British diplomatic establishment, and one situated much closer to the flashpoint of conflict, clearly recognized the incendiary nature of Kearns’ diatribes. On July 17th, the UK’s ambassador to Kosovo, Nicholas Abbott, flatly rejected Kearns’ charge that the Serbian Orthodox Church was implicated in smuggling arms. Dismissing Kearns as a mere parliamentarian, Abbott declared that the British government absolutely “shares KFOR’s position.” The diplomat also brushed off suggestions her Foreign Affairs Committee role could have granted her a privileged, secret insight.
A more senior figure in the British diplomatic establishment, and one situated much closer to the flashpoint of conflict, clearly recognized the incendiary nature of Kearns’ diatribes. On July 17th, the UK’s ambassador to Kosovo, Nicholas Abbott, flatly rejected Kearns’ charge that the Serbian Orthodox Church was implicated in smuggling arms. Dismissing Kearns as a mere parliamentarian, Abbott declared that the British government absolutely “shares KFOR’s position.” The diplomat also brushed off suggestions her Foreign Affairs Committee role could have granted her a privileged, secret insight.
“In terms of that specific allegation, we do not have that information,” said Abbott. “We do not have that evidence…This is not information she has received from the UK government. This is not information that somehow has filtered through the Foreign Office.”
Elsewhere, Abbott observed that “a lot” of what he’d seen in Pristina reminded him distinctly of Northern Ireland. There, throughout the half-century-long “Troubles,” London’s assorted spying agencies waged a covert war reminiscent of the “strategy of tension” pursued by MI6 throughout the Cold War in Europe, under Operation Gladio. The British government was in the dark about much of these activities.
As such, the ambassador’s comments may have been more apropos than he intended – for the same could be true in Kosovo today.
Elsewhere, Abbott observed that “a lot” of what he’d seen in Pristina reminded him distinctly of Northern Ireland. There, throughout the half-century-long “Troubles,” London’s assorted spying agencies waged a covert war reminiscent of the “strategy of tension” pursued by MI6 throughout the Cold War in Europe, under Operation Gladio. The British government was in the dark about much of these activities.
As such, the ambassador’s comments may have been more apropos than he intended – for the same could be true in Kosovo today.
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