I do not, however, underestimate the precarious nature of the situation in Mitrovica. Certainly, there is a danger of further violence. There are extremists on both sides, and those in the ethnic Albanian community who perpetrate crimes against Serbs and other minorities deserve strong condemnation and are doing a profound disservice to the aspirations of their people. There is also one government, in Belgrade, which is promoting confrontation and trying to undermine the prospects for ethnic co-existence. International efforts in Bosnia and Kosovo have banked the fires of intolerance, but they will not be extinguished until a democratic government has replaced the current regime in Belgrade.
Democracy is the key to our strategy throughout Southeast Europe.
Democratic governments are more stable internally, more likely to encourage ethnic tolerance, and more interested in establishing closer economic and political ties with their neighbors and the West. NATO and the EU have encouraged democratic trends by creating partnerships and considering new members based on adherence to these and other democratic criteria. Last decade, a similar strategy helped to solidify democracy and resolve lingering ethnic disputes in Central Europe. Now we are seeing this strategy validated over and over again in the former Yugoslavia. To turn an old phrase rightside up, lights are going on all over the Balkans.