Halperin: Recognition of Kosovo's independence - a mistake and a violation of the UN Resolution

Morton Halperin, former Director of Policy Planning at the State Department, has stated that the recognition of Kosovo's independence was a mistake and a violation of United Nations Resolution.

In the program "Going Underground," Halperin, discussing parallels made between Crimea and Kosovo, and the assertion that if he supported Kosovo’s independence, he should also support Crimea's independence, emphasized that he considers the recognition of Kosovo's independence a mistake.

"The agreement was that Kosovo would be under the supervision of the UN Security Council and that its future should be determined through negotiations involving both Serbs and Albanians. The agreement would then have to be accepted by the UN Security Council," Halperin explained.

He stressed that the decision to recognize Kosovo's independence was also a breach of United Nations Resolution.

"I regret that decision," emphasized the former senior official in the State Department.

He said he was in favor of intervention in Kosovo to, as he pointed out, "stop the genocide against the Albanians," stating that the intervention was justified.

He mentioned that he did not support the bombing of the Chinese embassy and that he never found out how it happened.

Regarding Ukraine, he noted that he was against NATO expansion, as it contradicts the guarantees given to Russia. He also reminded that he was in the Bill Clinton administration when Ukraine invited and agreed to hand over its nuclear weapons to Russia, with a guarantee that the USA and Russia would defend it if attacked by a nuclear power.

He emphasizes that it is time to attempt to stop the war in Ukraine and that it is necessary to address Russian concerns regarding security issues.

Regarding the Middle East, he stressed that the USA should clearly indicate that it will not allow a new invasion of Gaza, and that US President Joe Biden is now moving in this direction, which is why he is confident that the Israelis will listen, as they depend on American support.

"Biden has believed his whole life that he must support Israel and that this state has the right to exist. There has always been great pressure on the American president to support Israel. Now the situation has changed, and Biden has seen this, and that's why he's chosen a different path," explained the expert on U.S. foreign policy and arms control.

Halperin has served, among other roles, as a special advisor to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, and later became the youngest deputy assistant secretary of defense.

He was active in the administrations of Presidents Johnson, Nixon, Clinton, and Obama.