By Matthew Russell Lee
UNITED NATIONS, August 24 -- On August 21, Inner City Press reported that Mali had recognized Kosovo, and noted that "the fact that Mali just had a coup d'etat, and doesn't control the northern half of the country, was not mentioned."
On August 24, Inner City Press was sent a report that "the Malian presidency would wish to inform both the national and international community that the president has not yet signed any document recognizing the Republic of Kosovo and reserves the right to take appropriate measures to identify and punish the authors of the false document."
But it was Kosovo's Hashim Thaci who said it, on August 21, offering "thanks... to the Republic of Mali for the recent decision to recognize Kosovo." Video here, Minute 44:30.
So now what Thaci said in the UN Security Council about Mali's recognition has been contradicted by Mali. What next?
On August 21, Inner City Press ran back from the day's UN noon briefing to try to ask Prime Minister Hashim Thaci for the specifics of the Malian recognition.
But Thaci at the stakeout wasn't answering in English, and there was no translation, nor Press question taken.
Back in May 2010, incoming President of the General Assembly Vuk Jeremic as foreign minister of Serbia praised pre-coup Mali for NOT recognizing Kosovo, saying "it is not easy to support sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia nowadays. It takes autonomy, principle and courage to do so, and Mali definitely has that."
Now, after the coup, beyond Thaci, Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo Behgjet Pacolli has bragged of recognition. Now what?
In January 2011, US state media Radio Free Europe broadcast that Guinea-Bissau had recognized Kosovo, calling it the 74th recognition.
Then in September 2011 it was reported that Guinea-Bissau and Oman rescinded recognition. Which is it? No questions were taken. Watch this site.
