Polish foreign office gives Serbia travel warning
23.02.2008
Because of the tense situation in Serbia after Kosovo declared its independence, the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises anyone going to Serbia or planning to drive through the country to take special precautions.
The department also suggests avoiding any unnecessary trips to Kosovo. Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia on February 17, which triggered violent protests in Belgrade Thursday, where the US and other Embassies suffered some damage.
Meanwhile, a daily newspaper in Poland points to remarks Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski made not one year ago which reveal that he thought that the Serbian enclave in Kosovo protected the regions Christian heritage and culture.
Gazeta Wyborcza writes that Sikorski, now an ardent supporter of Kosovo independence, last year warned the European community against the possible Islamification of Kosovo. He talked about burnt down Serb houses and new gold-plated mosques financed by Muslim fundamentalists.” I was in Kosovo two years ago [Sikorski said last year] and I saw towns where entire Serb districts were burnt down and I saw new gold-plated mosques built with Saudi money. [...] What is the guarantee that those prominent examples of Christian culture - the Serb enclaves - will not be destroyed, that they will be protected?” the then Senator Sikorski said in the spring of 2007.
The Polish government has yet to formally endorse last Sunday’s unilateral declaration of independence due to resistance from President Kaczynski, although it is thought that an announcement will be made by Donald Tusk on Tuesday after the next full meeting of the cabinet.
http://www.polskieradio.pl/zagranica/news/artykul76550.html