Serb rally for Kosovo "a chance to grieve"

By Ellie Tzortzi - Analysis

BELGRADE (Reuters) - When Serbs rally against Kosovo's independence on Thursday, it may look like Serbia has gone back to the virulent nationalism that stoked war in the 1990s under the leadership of the late Slobodan Milosevic.

But that would be a false impression, say analysts.

The loss of the province -- Serbia's religious heartland -- is a highly emotional issue, but the bitterness Serbs are expressing does not alter the fact that more than 70 percent of them also see their future in the European Union.

"The anger Serbs feel right now is understandable, it's part of the process that comes before acceptance," a Belgrade-based Western analyst said on condition of anonymity.

"Serbia has been stuck for so long by issues that let extremists get the upper hand." he said. The rallies were a good thing as they would let the nation "be together and grieve".

"But long-term prospects for Serbia are very good, if the West is patient and lets them go through this difficult time."

The "people's rally" for Kosovo in the Serbian capital Belgrade is in fact very much a government-sponsored event.

Free trains will transport people from across Serbia to Belgrade for the 5 p.m. (11 a.m. EST) demonstration. Schoolchildren are being given the day off.

State television RTS said all media had a duty to be to be patriotic and express the "national rage", as one newspaper put it. RTS has been screening Serb movies, including historical dramas, instead of scheduled foreign blockbusters.

Sunday's declaration of independence by Kosovo -- with a 90 percent Albanian majority -- triggered several days of small, at times violent protests in Serb cities and in Bosnia's autonomous Serb half.

Embassies of states that recognized Kosovo were attacked, especially the United States and current EU president Slovenia, and some foreign businesses were stoned or threatened.

A senior Western diplomat whose country recognized Kosovo said he hoped for a quick return to normal.

"We've talked to our companies, they're going about their business," the diplomat said, "but we'll be taking precautions."

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Belgrade University professor Srbijanka Turajlic said this drive to get children involved in the rally harked back to the days of the autocrat Milosevic. "I can't believe it is happening again," she told independent broadcaster B92.