February 22, 2008 (LPAC)--Russia's Foreign Ministry issued a sharp rebuttal to statements by former Balkans instigator, Richard Holbrooke, who had said that, "the fact that independence has not happened as peacefully as people had hoped, is the direct result of the incitement to violence by extremist elements in Belgrade, implicitly and privately supported by the Russians." A spokesman for Russia's Foreign Ministry, Mikhail Kamynin, characterized Holbrooke's remarks as "absolutely inappropriate." Recalling past history, Kamynin added, "People who had campaigned for Kosovo's independence should have weighed the consequences. And Richard Holbrooke, who in his time was closely involved in Balkan politics, should know that very well."