As Kosovo's Ethnic Divides Persist, So Does Talk Of Partition

A recent EU-backed summit failed to restart negotiations between leaders from Kosovo and Serbia over a final resolution of Kosovo’s sovereignty. In previous talks, the countries’ presidents have signaled an openness to land swaps, which could see the majority-Serb areas north of the Ibar River annexed into Serbia. In the northern city of Mitrovica, the Ibar River divides the city, with Serbs dominating the north and ethnic Albanians to the south. In exchange for ceding areas above the Ibar, Kosovo would take the predominantly ethnic Albanian area of the Presevo Valley in southern Serbia. Many political leaders in Kosovo and across Europe are vehemently opposed to ethnic partition and land swaps, fearing that a change in borders could reignite a conflict that resulted in thousands of deaths from 1998 to 1999. During the conflict, Serbian forces started an ethnic cleansing campaign which pushed approximately one million predominantly muslim Kosovar Albanians from their homes. After diplomatic solutions failed, NATO intervened with a 78-day, United-States led bombing campaign to force Serbian troops to withdraw. After nine years under United Nations control, Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. Since the declaration, Kosovo has been recognized by 111 of the United Nation’s 193 member states. Serbia, Russia, China and five EU countries still do not recognize it, keeping the country into a state of limbo. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)