Kosovo News

OSCE Mission in Kosovo reports orderly completion of voting

2012-05-08T12:31:00.001-07:00

All OSCE-run polling stations in Kosovo closed today after the orderly completion of voting, according to the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Werner Almhofer. The reported provisional turnout was 32.17 per cent.

“I am pleased to report that today we were able to provide people with an opportunity to exercise their right to vote in a calm environment,” said Almhofer. “Despite a few minor technical issues, the day’s voting passed in an orderly manner.”

Several polling stations were late in opening but all issues were resolved and all 90 polling stations were open by 08:15 hrs.

No security incidents were reported and voting was conducted in a peaceful atmosphere.

Some potential voters reported problems finding their names on the voter lists, which were provided to the OSCE by the Serbian Election Commission.

According to OSCE, high turnout at certain polling stations led to late closing in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica and Gjilan/Gnjilane regions.

The balloting materials are in the process of being transported by the OSCE to Vranje and Raška for counting by the Serbian Election Commission.

“Given the extreme time constraints for conducting this operation – just over five days – I am satisfied that we have done the best possible. I want to compliment staff from the OSCE Mission in Kosovo and OSCE missions and offices from Tirana to Vienna for their hard work and support. Our appreciation also goes to the security providers, the Kosovo police, EULEX and KFOR,” added Almhofer.

Situation in Kosovo 'under control

2012-05-05T18:47:00.002-07:00

Ahead of the Serbian elections on Sunday, NATO has warned of possible violent conflict in northern Kosovo. Erhard Drews, a commander in the Kosovo Force, told DW how peacekeeping efforts are progressing.

With Serbia's presidential, parliamentary and municipal elections scheduled for May 6, members of Kosovo's Serbian minority have expressed intentions to organize municipal elections among themselves. Kosovo's government sees this as a provocation, since Kosovo declared its independence from Serbia in 2008. Serbia, however, still refuses to recognize the sovereignty of the breakaway province.

In an interview with DW, Kosovo Force (KFOR) commander Erhard Drews provided a glimpse into the current situation.

DW: With the elections just around the corner, you have gained peacekeeping support from Germany and Austria. Can it be said that the situation is under control and will remain so on election day, despite warnings of possible conflict?

Erhard Drews: Yes. The extra reinforcement provided by the German-Austrian OHS battalion was a precautionary measure agreed on two weeks ago, when it was still not clear in what way the Serbian national and presidential elections would be conducted in Kosovo. We are glad that we have this support because it allows us to increase our presence around the country. I am confident that we'll be able to prevent major incidents and tensions this weekend, especially since the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe was successful in getting both Belgrade's and Pristina's consent for conducting the elections in Kosovo.

Apart from this reinforcement, what measures did KFOR take to maintain control over the situation?

We communicate closely with security forces around the country, which includes Kosovo's police and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo - EULEX.

The KFOR troops are prepared for taking control of the situation if local conflict breaks out and cannot be dealt with by the police or EULEX.

How do you assess the cooperation between KFOR, EULEX and the Kosovar Security Force, and also between KFOR and Serbian security forces?

KFOR commander Erhard Drews, second from left, looks barricades made by local Serbs on the Brnjak border crossing between Serbia and Kosovo

From my perspective, the level of cooperation with the police in most of the country is excellent. This also applies to EULEX, which practically functions as the link between the Kosovar police force and KFOR. I am confident that these connections and the good cooperation will produce positive results during the critically important election weekend.

Our relationship with the Serbian armed forces is very professional and trustful in regards to all matters related to controlling the border region.

Is the Serbia-Kosovo border under control?

It is under control as far as the cooperation between the Serbian armed forces and KFOR is concerned - in restricting the movements of violence-prone groups. However, police supervision and border control on the other side, in parts of northern Kosovo, is not fully organized.

Alternative routes still exist in the border region, although NATO has ordered that they be closed. When will this happen?

We are not a rule-of-law mission - that's EULEX's task. Our focus is on maintaining security, while EULEX takes care of law enforcement. Border politics fall rather into the latter category.

There have been clashes between Serbian and Kosovar police in recent weeks, resulting in some deaths. How great is the danger of an escalation of the situation in northern Kosovo, not only on election day but in general?

The violent incidents in April resulted in heated words being spoken by the media and local politicians. This aggravated the nervous state that the two ethnic groups find themselves in. Luckily, the situation has become somewhat more relaxed in the last few days, mainly because both the media and the politicians have softened their tone. At the same time, KFOR has increased its presence in the crisis regions over the past two weeks.

Of course, the elections on Sunday do create a danger of further escalation. We have had many meetings to analyze the risk, and together with the local police and EULEX we are convinced that we have taken the right measures in the right places to be able to tackle any conflicts before they get out of hand.

In the north of Kosovo there are armed groups, criminals and Serbian police units. Who bears the responsibility for the situation in this region?

I believe that both governments - in Pristina as well as in Belgrade - need to assume responsibility. And they need to stay alert and avoid drawing too much attention to certain topics so that they don't add fuel to the fire.

The responsibility for northern Kosovo is also shared by local representatives, who are not always cooperative when it comes to settling the conflict and easing the anxiety of local residents. The international community is also responsible to a certain extent - in its contribution to establishing dialog between Pristina and Belgrade, as the EU does, and in the form of international organizations that function here. And I also see KFOR as responsible for preventing tensions and the spread of violent conflict.

KFOR is able to keep the situation under control, but without solving the underlying problem and improving the political situation. How can the international community help here?

You are right. A military solution is not on the cards - we need a political solution. The dialog between Pristina and Belgrade is a step in this direction. There is hope that it will stabilize the relations between the two governments and countries.

Another alternative would be for the Kosovo government to open dialog with its Serbian minority in the north, which currently shows little interest in being integrated into Kosovo. I'm glad that the government has already taken the first steps towards getting the northern residents interested becoming an integral part of Kosovo. This could be the key to solving the problem.

NATO Secretary-General Calls For Kosovo Stability During Serbia Polls

2012-05-05T12:31:00.000-07:00

NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has issued a statement calling on "all leaders and communities to show restraint" during voting on May 6 in the Serbian elections by ethnic Serbs living in Kosovo.

Rasmussen's statement also says he's confident NATO's peacekeeping forces in Kosovo will do everything necessary to preserve a "safe and secure" environment and prevent tensions from escalating during the May 6 vote.

Under an arrangement overseen by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, some 110,000 ethnic Serbs in Serbian-dominated northern Kosovo are eligible to cast ballots in the vote for parliament and president of neighboring Serbia.

The leadership of Kosovo, which has a large ethnic Albanian majority, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia's government rejects this and says the territory is still part of Serbia.

KFOR prepared for rise in tensions as Serb vote nears

2012-05-05T12:29:00.002-07:00

Peacekeepers in Kosovo are preparing for a possible rise in tensions over Sunday’s election in neighboring Serbia, in which ethnic Serbs in Kosovo will be eligible to vote.

About 700 German and Austrian soldiers from the NATO reserves deployed last week to join the 6,200-strong Kosovo Force, or KFOR, which polices borders and mans garrisons in Kosovo, a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008. Although the United States and dozens of other countries recognize Kosovo’s independence, Serbia does not.

“All KFOR is preparing for, expecting, a higher level of tensions,” a spokesman for KFOR, German Maj. Marc Stümmler, said.

Efforts by Serbia to organize its parliamentary and presidential elections for ethnic Serbs in neighboring Kosovo generated controversy after the Kosovo government refused any role played by Belgrade or local Serb officials. Serbs in some northern communities in Kosovo also vowed to hold local elections, according to news reports.

A compromise appeared to be reached Monday, after the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe agreed to organize balloting for the parliamentary and presidential elections for eligible voters in Kosovo.

NATO officials hope the deal will stall any flare-ups in the country. In a statement Friday, NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen expressed confidence in international forces and encouraged calm in the country.

“I strongly urge all leaders and all communities to show restraint during the voting process,” he said in the statement. “In this critical period, it is important to avoid any unilateral actions or statements that can raise tensions.”

Ethnic Serbs represent a minority of Kosovo’s largely ethnic Albanian population.

Tensions flared last summer after Serbs erected barriers on roads in Kosovo’s north in a dispute over border crossings into Serbia, leading to violent confrontations with local police and a tense standoff with NATO peacekeepers.

A U.S. battle group of 15 National Guard units, or more than 800 guardsmen, is stationed in the country’s southeast, part of which borders Serbia. Sgt. 1st Class Jim Wagner, a spokesman for the battle group, wrote in an email that while the recent compromise should set all sides at ease in the country, U.S. forces remain prepared.

“[T]he US, along with the other countries serving in Kosovo, is going to do what it takes to ensure a safe and secure environment for all residents in Kosovo, regardless of ethnicity,” he wrote.

NATO Chief Urges 'Restraint' in Kosovo Vote

2012-05-05T12:28:00.003-07:00

The NATO chief Friday urged "restraint" this weekend when tens of thousands of Kosovo Serbs with dual citizenship vote in the Serbian parliamentary and presidential elections.

"I strongly urge all leaders and all communities to show restraint during the voting process," Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said ahead of the Sunday ballot.

"In this critical period, it is important to avoid any unilateral actions or statements that can raise tensions," he said, calling on both Pristina and Belgrade "to continue cooperating with the international community in order to ensure a calm and peaceful vote."

The Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which has been mandated by Belgrade and Pristina to enable Kosovo Serbs holding dual citizenship to vote, said this week that some 110,000 voters in Kosovo would be eligible to cast ballots in the Serbian elections.

NATO has deployed extra troops in Kosovo to prevent unrest in the ethnically tense north ahead of the vote. Its KFOR peacekeeping force currently has some 6,200 soldiers from 29 nations.

"KFOR and EULEX will continue to coordinate closely on the ground," Rasmussen said, referring to EU police. "The future of the whole region is integration in the Euro-Atlantic region, so we must do all we can to avoid any possible setback in the region's progress towards that goal."

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has been recognised by 90 countries, including the United States and all but five members of the European Union.

Serbia still considers the territory its southern province. The Serb majority in northern Kosovo has announced it would also organise local polls, but both Belgrade and Pristina rejected the plan as unacceptable.

Serbia Condemns 'Shameful' Limaj Acquittal

2012-05-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

The District Court of Pristina on May 2 declared that Fatmir Limaj, vice-president of the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, and three other former Kosovo Liberation Army fighters - Nexhmi Krasniqi, Naser Krasniqi and Naser Shala - were not guilty of committing war crimes against civilians and prisoners of war in the detention camp of Klecka in 1999.

The EULEX prosecutor in the case, Maurizio Salustro, had based almost all of the charges on the testimony of Agim Zogaj, known as Witness X, who killed himself last September in Germany, before the trial started.

Zogaj had been a prison guard at Klecka and his diary about the events there was crucial to the prosecution case against Zogaj's then commander, Limaj, and nine other KLA fighters.

Pristina District Court cleared six of the defendants of all charges on March 21, after ruling that Zogaj’s diaries were inadmissible as evidence.

Limaj and other three defendants were then left to face a re-trial. The prosecution declined to submit new evidence, however, explaining that the "Klecka case dossier" contained “more than enough to allow the panel of judges to bring a final and rightful verdict.”

While the defendants celebrated the court decision, Serbia's war crimes prosecution office said the ruling raised “the question of whether anyone in Kosovo and Metohija will ever be sentenced for crimes committed against Serbs”.

The ruling was “shameful and unfair, especially for all the victims who seek justice”, they added.

Serbian prosecutors are currently running their own investigation for war crimes committed in Kosovo, and say they suspect that Limaj and 28 other ex-KLA fighters took part in organ trafficking and other war crimes against civilians.

They suspect the men of deporting several Serbs and non-Albanians from Lapusnik camp in Kosovo to camps in north Albania, where the illegal organ transplants allegedly took place.

The Serbian authorities issued an international arrest warrant for Limaj in 2009 and say they expect his arrest if he tries to leave Kosovo.

Amnesty Urges Kosovo War Crimes Probes

2012-05-03T18:59:00.002-07:00

Amnesty International is calling on the European Union to do more to investigate potential war crimes committed by both the Serbs and Albanians during the 1999 conflict in Kosovo.

Amnesty called on the EU to beef up its mission in Kosovo, EULEX, to make such a task a top priority, including more police, prosecutors and judges.

Amnesty also said more needed to be done to probe postwar crimes targeting Serbs, Roma and others.

Earlier this week, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen told EU lawmakers that EULEX was underfunded and that NATO peacekeepers had to police volatile parts of Kosovo.

Nearly 13 years since NATO ousted Serb forces from Kosovo, the territory remains divided along ethnic lines.

Kosovo Serbs to vote under OSCE deal

2012-05-03T18:58:00.002-07:00

Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo can vote in Serbia's upcoming parliamentary and national elections under a deal brokered this week by regional peacekeepers.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the governments of Kosovo and Serbia announced Tuesday that OSCE workers and EU-sponsored police would be allowed to oversee Sunday's elections and deter potential clashes with ethnic Albanians.

Serbia doesn't recognize the independence of its one-time province and is insistent Serbs residing there be allowed the right to vote in its national elections but Kosovo sees them as a threat to its sovereignty.

Serbian Interior Minister Ivica Dacic has accused the Albanian-dominated Kosovo government of planning to foment disruptions in a bid to prevent the ethnic Serbs from voting.

Under the agreement, OSCE workers will staff mobile polling stations labeled with its symbol, while the ballots will be transported out of the country by EULEX international police to central Serbia to be counted, since there is no Serbian Embassy in Pristina, the Serbian news agency Tanjug reported.

"(Serbian election officials) and representatives of the OSCE have worked intensively on a whole series of technical details in order to help the OSCE realize election activities, especially security segments, and managed to make a protocol on mutual cooperation," acting Serbian President Slavica Dukic Dejanovic said.

Oliver Ivanovic, the Serbian state secretary for Kosovo, said OSCE personnel alone would be allowed to handle the ballots under the deal.

Only voting for Serbian national races will be allowed -- not local elections as sought by Belgrade.

"In keeping with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1244, there will be no local elections in Kosovo and Metohija," Ivanovic told Tanjug. "This resolution also envisages that (U.N. peacekeepers) have the right to gradually transfer their competencies to Kosovo's institutions, which it has been doing in the recent years."

OSCE Secretary-General Lamberto Zannier said preventing ethnic violence will be his group's foremost task during the polling.

"The OSCE has begun its preparations to organize polling stations to enable eligible voters in Kosovo to exercise their right to vote in these elections," he said. "I call on all to refrain from provocation and to allow the voting to proceed in an orderly and peaceful manner."

The United States also praised the deal.

"Given the short time until the elections, we expect both Serbia and Kosovo authorities to cooperate fully with the OSCE and the OSCE Mission in Kosovo to ensure that the agreement can be successfully implemented in a safe and secure environment for all," U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said.

The elections have prompted NATO to beef up its contribution to the KFOR international peacekeeping presence in Kosovo as EULEX is seeing its resources stretched.

NATO said this week it has begun deploying more than 700 soldiers to Kosovo at the request of KFOR Commander Erhard Drews.

"We need to consider the legitimate rights of the Serbs in the north, but at the same time we need to respect the law which bans the holding of local elections, due to the fact Kosovo is a sovereign country," KFOR German contingent commander Col. Bernd Holthusen told the Pristina daily Koha Ditore.

Ally of Kosovo PM acquitted of war crimes

2012-05-02T18:46:00.001-07:00

Fatmir Limaj, a senior guerrilla fighter during the 1998-99 Kosovo war, and three co-defendants were accused of killing and torturing Serbs and fellow ethnic Albanians in the most high- profile case to be tried in the Balkan country.

They were found not guilty by a panel of three judges, two foreign and one local, in the Kosovo capital, Pristina. Six others from the same group of ex-guerrillas were acquitted last month.

The case against them was compiled by a prosecutor from the European Union's police and justice mission in Kosovo.

Much of it was based on the testimony and diaries of Agim Zogaj, a former prison guard for the guerrillas described in court documents as Witness X.

The EU mission sent Zogaj to Germany under a witness protection scheme, but in September last year he was found dead there, hanging from a tree in a park. His family said Zogaj had repeatedly received threats before leaving Kosovo. German authorities said he had killed himself.

After his death, the court dismissed Zogaj's evidence.

Critics said the case highlighted in the starkest terms the culture of witness intimidation that has long hampered the justice system in the impoverished country of 1.7 million people, where clan loyalties run deep and former guerrillas enjoy hero status.

Limaj, a former transport minister in Kosovo's previous government, hailed the verdict.

"Today's verdict shows that our liberation war was a right and pure war, serving humanity not only on behalf of our nation but for the whole region," he told reporters.

The prosecution said it would appeal.

NATO went to war over Kosovo in 1999, bombing Serbia for 78 days to halt the killing and expulsion of ethnic Albanian civilians by Serb forces fighting to quash the guerrilla insurgency. Albanians make up 90 percent of the population.

After almost nine years as a ward of the United Nations, Kosovo declared independence in 2008 with the backing of the major Western powers, but it continues to be supervised by NATO peacekeepers and the European Union.

The indictment accused Limaj of ordering Zogaj to kill two captured Serb police officers, held during the war in a makeshift prison in the village of Klecka in central Kosovo.

According to the indictment, Zogaj admitted killing the two men, and kept a diary detailing life in the prison, including names of prisoners, dates of capture, releases and executions.

Limaj, who went by the nom de guerre of Celik (Steel), was acquitted in 2005 of similar charges at the United Nations war crimes tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague.

Limaj has also been investigated on suspicion of corruption while transport minister in Thaci's previous government, but prosecutors have yet to decide whether to indict him.

13 years since NATO air strike on bus in Kosovo

2012-05-01T18:46:00.003-07:00

On this day 13 years ago, NATO's war planes attacked a Niš Express bus traveling on a road near the village of Lužane, close to the town of Podujevo in Kosovo.

Some 40 people, many of whom women and children, died in the attack.

Zorica and Dragiša Petrović, Serbs from the enclave of Gračanica in Kosovo, lost two children in the bombing - daughter Maja and son Nikola. Dragiša's mother was also among the victims.

Zorica Petrović still struggles to cope with the loss of her children - she was taken ill after the tragedy and is still receiving therapy on a daily basis.

The three members of the Petrović family were laid to rest on May 7, 1999 - Nikola's 17th birthday.

The Petrovićs spoke to reporters on this day to say that they did not expect to receive any assistance from any quarter, "aware that they are not the only ones to have lost their loved ones during the NATO bombing".

The reason they publicly addressed the tragedy, the family said, was their desire "for someone to have them in their thoughts on this day, and ease their pain and suffering".

NATO launched its war against Serbia on March 24, 1999, and continued with aerial attacks for the next 78 days.

End Of ‘Supervised Independence’

2012-05-01T18:45:00.001-07:00

News on Kosovo is full of reporting based on a story published by Koha Ditore in Pristina. Koha apparently claims to have a government document that suggests that Kosovo will end its period of “supervised independence” without having settled the north. Kosovo’s parliament will supposedly take action on 22 constitutional amendments and 21 laws that will remove the elements of the Ahtisaari Plan that gave executive competencies to the international authorities. These will be “transferred” to the institutions of the Kosovo state. The target date is said to be September, when the International Community Office (ICO), which was to exercise most of the competencies mandated to the internationals, is to cease functioning. EULEX would stay longer but without any “supranational” policing function.

The ICO was a mostly moribund entity since its creation and its demise will make little practical difference. Non-Albanians south of the Ibar River won’t have anyone to take their problems to but in reality have been in the hands of Pristina institutions and the Kosovo Albanian majority anyway. The real import of the end of “supervised independence” will be to further justify Pristina acting unilaterally in the north. Contrary to Koha Ditore, the document’s alleged failure to mention the north is the message. Pristina seems to have no other plan for the north than to take it the moment the internationals go missing or stand down. (This barring some truth to the rumors of secret contacts with Belgrade.) It outlined its approach in July 2011 and has repeatedly referred to it.

Obviously, neither Pristina nor the Quint can unilaterally suspend UN Security Council Resolution 1244. That mandates an international peacekeeping presence in Kosovo. Recent events demonstrate that peacekeeping remains quite relevant. NATO has sent reinforcements for northern Kosovo, and both KFOR and the EU have cautioned Pristina not to attempt to use force in the north. KFOR has blocked action by Kosovo’s special police (ROSU) and EULEX says it has increased patrols in mixed areas in the north. Nothing Pristina does or says should be allowed to dictate the approach taken by the international peacekeepers. They will need to stay until a real peace takes hold.

However, it is not enough for EULEX to simply remain in Kosovo. It seems intent on retreating to a mere “mentor, monitor and advise” role (MMA). NATO has noticed EULEX’s failure to exercise its peacekeeping functions in the north. EULEX has indeed made matters worse in the north by enforcing Kosovo Albanian unilateral returns, seeking to impose Kosovo customs at the boundary and allowing the Kosovo police to act unilaterally in the north. EULEX exercises executive authority for rule of law under a grant of responsibility from the UN, not from Brussels, Washington, Berlin or Pristina. If it cannot or will not do the job neutrally and as the international peacekeeping police force, then this responsibility falls back to the UN.

UN/DPKO in New York was pleased with itself in November 2008 for transferring rule of law to EULEX. It thought this got the UN off the hook for Kosovo. Not so. Until and unless there is a mutually acceptable political outcome for northern Kosovo, the UN had better be prepared to stay in the field and return, if necessary, its own international police force to stand with KFOR as the responsible peacekeepers.

OSCE will only monitor elections in Kosovo

2012-05-01T18:44:00.002-07:00

The the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija also underlined on Tuesday that the polls will be organized by the Republic Electoral Commission (RIK).

In a statement for Tanjug, Ivanović dismissed the claims by the government in Priština that the OSCE had taken it upon itself to organize the parliamentary and presidential elections in the province on May 6.

The Kosovo Albanian authorities in Priština, meanwhile, issued a statement welcoming the OSCE decision to take it on itself to ensure that all conditions are met for the Serbs in Kosovo to vote in the upcoming parliamentary and presidential elections.

In the release, the government in Priština noted that "mobile polling stations labeled with OSCE symbols will be open in Kosovo on May 6, while the counting of votes will be organized outside the territory of Kosovo, taking into account that there is no Serbian embassy in the Republic of Kosovo and vice versa".

The polling station staff will include representatives of the OSCE, but there will be no emblems of the organization at the polling stations since its role will be only “to monitor the elections and offer Serbia logistic support.”

“That means that the OSCE will organize transport of election material, with the assistance of EULEX, since in the conditions of political tensions and the rigid stand of the government in Priština , we could not organize the elections in the entire territory of Kosovo,” Ivanović explained.

“For Albanians, that would have been a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate force and show that they are in control of the area,” Ivanović said, adding that this primarily refers to the territory south of the Ibar River.

“We have nothing against this role of OSCE, since that would actually make these elections legitimate,” Ivanović said, adding that the number of polling stations had been reduced, that the votes will be counted outside the territory of Kosovo, in central Serbia, as the OSCE "does not enough staff for that".

He stressed that the elections will be held in line with the Serbian laws.

"In keeping with UN SC Resolution 1244, there will be no local elections in Kosovo and Metohija. This resolution also envisages that UNMIK has the right to gradually transfer its competencies to Kosovo's institutions, which it has been doing in the recent years," the state secretary underlined.

“Unfortunately, we have not received support of the international community for the holding of local elections,” Ivanović concluded.

Ashton welcomes agreement
Catherine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, welcomed on Tuesday the agreement with the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) about the holding of elections in Kosovo.

I welcome the agreement on the holding of elections. I want to express my admiration and full support to the OSCE, which will help parliamentary and presidential elections be held, Ahston said in a statement delivered to the media.

She called on Priština and Belgrade to cooperate with the OSCE and refrain from moves which could lead to rise in tensions.

EULEX will closely monitor the elections and carry out their duties in close cooperation with local and international organizations, the statement reads.

Serbia’s sovereignty under attack: EU calls on recognition of Kosovo’s independence

2010-07-15T07:36:00.001-07:00

The EU’s project on the Western Balkans, which implies the final settlement of the Kosovo problem (namely: the integration of Northern Kosovo where most of the population are Serbs, into “Prsitina government authorities”) is entering its final stage.

On July 8, the European parliament adopted the resolution, which welcomes the recognition of Kosovo’s independence by the EU. The resolution, adopted by 455 votes to 155 calls on the EU member-states to stick to the single position on Kosovo and on the International Court (in late July the court is expected to bring its verdict on the legitimacy of the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence).

The resolution calls on the European Commission and member states to take practical steps to make the benefits of EU cooperation more tangible to people in Kosovo – such as allowing visa liberalization for its citizens once the necessary criteria have been met. It also urges reforms against corruption and organized crime to decentralization and transformation of the administrative system.

Earlier during the discussion on Kosovo and Albania European Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighborhood Policy Štefan Füle expressed his support to the resolution. Seeing that not all the EU member-states share the same view on Kosovo’s status. (five countries do not recognize its independence), the European parliament decided to take the matter fully under its control and to use as a geopolitical reference point – “common European future of Kosovo and Western Balkans”.

Füle expressed confidence that the work with “Pristina authorities” will continue whatever the decision of the International Court on the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence is. The EU wants Pristina to fulfill a number of conditions, first of all “to return displaced persons in satisfactory manner”; and what is required from Serbia is “pragmatic approach to the status of Kosovo”.

Greek deputy Takis Hadjigeorgiou opposed the resolution of the European parliament, saying on behalf of the United Leftists that its adoption is impossible, just like it is impossible to call on all EU members states to recognize the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence. An independent deputy from Austria pointed out to the fact that the resolution of UN Security Council N 1244 is still effective and the EU has no right to force the recognition of Kosovo’s independence (1).

The West has a plan regarding Northern Kosovo. It is likely that the future verdict by the International Court is already known because once it is announced the talks will begin on the status of Northern Kosovo. The plan implies giving Kosovo Serbs a special status similar to the models applied in Tyrol and Northern Ireland. But the plan excludes an option of talks on the status and division of Kosovo. It claims that Northern Kosovo will not be fully divided from Serbia and the Serbs in the north of Kosovo will enjoy a “wide autonomy”, wider than it was envisaged by the plan of Martti Ahtisaari, with Pristina and Belgrade acting as guarantors of this autonomy.

What is special about the current approach of the Western diplomacy towards Serbia is that the recognition of Kosovo’s independence is not an obligatory condition – what is required is a “constructive position” concerning the participation of Pristina authorities in regional institutions – in other words in means everything except the official recognition of the independence. In return the European Parliament promises Serbia (that has become a sad tradition since 1991) to facilitate its entry in the EU.

The EU proposed Belgrade to jointly elaborate a draft resolution on Kosovo after the International court brings its verdict. But the Serbian authorities rejected the proposal and said they would work out their own draft resolution and submit it to the UN General Assembly in September.

For almost 20 years Serbia has facing threats and this time Germany, France and Great Britain warned it that any attempts to start talks on the status of Kosovo would be prevented. They see the Serbian draft resolution for UN General Assembly as a “campaign of the General Skupstina in the UN against the EU members”, which will have “inevitable consequences” for Serbia’s plans to enter the EU”. But if Serbia obeys, Berlin, Paris and London promise to initiate the procedure of Serbia’s entry into the EU in September (2).

The feelings run high. On July 6, the UN Security Council held an emergency session on the request of Serbian President Boris Tadic. The session was held following following last week’s grenade explosion at a flashpoint area in the country’s north. An unknown assailant threw two bombs at a demonstration of about 1,000 Kosovo Serbs protesting Pristina’s move to open a community service centre in the ethnically-divided town of Mitrovica. A Bosniak paediatrician ( M. Jekovic), who did not attend the rally, was killed in the attack. Eleven others, all ethnic Serb protesters, were wounded. Later one more attack took place in which “Kosovo parliament deputy” representative of the Serbian Independent Liberal Party Petar Miletic was wounded.

The opening of Pristina’s community service centre is seen as characterizes as the first practical step to establish executive power in order to integrate the region of North Mitrovica. “Kosovo Prime Minister” Hasim Taci said that the attack was “an act by Serbian extremists”, “Kosovo Foreign Minister” Skender Hyseni accused Serbs and Belgrade of what had happened. He expressed confidence that “the community service center as part the Kosovo government will function” because “Kosovo government is determined to establish its power on the entire territory of Kosovo”.

At the session of the UN Security Council the US supported Pristina saying that its move was a “legitimate step of a sovereign state”, the assault in North Mitrovica was “a purely criminal act and not a terrorist attack” and that Miletic was wounded by local Serbs. France’s representative at the session said that was a “local scale incident”, the situation in Kosovo is “stable” and that “the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, (EULEX) is successful in keeping peace and order in Kosovo”. The resolution adopted by the European parliament on July 8, states that this last attack in Mitrovica was an act done by uncertain radical groups and organized criminal gangs.

Speaking at the session of UN Security Council Boris Tadic called on the implementation of the Six Points Plan proposed by the UN Secretary General in November 2008, and supported by the UN Security Council. Tadic accused the International civilian service headed by Pieter Feith of establishing an illegal and undesirable regime, said that the attempt to open a service of Kosovo government in Mitrovica was a provocation. He also said that the position of the US which supported the move as “arousing deep concern”. According to Tadic, Serbia will have to reconsider its attitude to the presence of the international mediators in Kosovo if they do not stop to support Pristina’s steps on destabilization. He said that EULEX should investigate all the attacks against Serbs while NATO should keep a certain number of its servicemen in Serbian monasteries to protect Serbian people. He said that Belgrade won’t tolerate the establishment of any centers, courts and telecommunication network of temporary Pristina administration in the region. He added that Kosovo problem cannot be resolved beyond the contexts of the region’s status and it is necessary to resume talks with Albanians in order to find a comprehensive compromise solution. (3).

The UN Security Council characterized the attack as a terrorist attack of Albanian separatists and said that Pieter Feith as the head of the International civil service was responsible for it. It said that the terrorists must be punished and any attempts to open temporary institutions of Kosovo administration should be prevented because they threaten the stability of Kosovo Mitrovica and the entire region.

However, “the international presence” itself represented by the administration of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, (EULEX) – urged restraint. Their presence did not hamper the complete integration of Kosovo’s South into “Pristina government institutions”. The main danger is first of all that the “Kosovo style” integration also means assimilation abandoning the national identity (the language, the culture, the history). Besides that, among those who have power in the Republic of Kosovo are the people whose names are connected with severe crimes – murders, tortures, kidnapping; these people took part in the war against the Serbian state and in the expelling of Serbs from Kosmet. Over 11 years the north of Kosovo has been a “non-integrated territory”, plus it is linked with Serbia geographically. But despite angry statements of the Serbian President in reality the Serbian authorities provide almost no help to the Serbian communities of Kosovo (first of all economically and in terms of human personnel), though it is here where the educational and health care institutions are located which are not subordinate to the international authorities in Kosmet. In general the most important and difficult ethnical and state issue – the Kosovo issue – is not the priority on the agenda of domestic and foreign policy of the Serbian government.

Secondly, “Pristina’s integration process” is not limited by Kosmet. The Albanian side is now paying attention to “the problem of Presehvo-Buyanovats-Medvezhya” naming this region the Eastern Kosovo, as well as to the western Skopje, Tetovo and Kumanovo in Macedonia (where Albanian campaigns are regularly held with the demonstration of symbols of the Kosovo Liberation Army), and right to the Montenegrin region of Lake of Scadar…

The goal of the project of “the international community” declared by the current resolution of the European parliament to show that Northern Kosovo cannot be separated from the rest of its territory and the relevant “reforms” should be carried out on the entire territory of Kosovo (first of all on decentralization of the North) with the prospect of the integration, which would inevitably lead to the assimilation of the Serbian population.

UN court to issue Kosovo ruling on July 22

2010-07-14T19:46:00.000-07:00

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is to give an advisory opinion on July 22 as to whether Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia was legal, the court announced on Wednesday.

President of the Court Judge Hisashi Owada is to read out the ruling at a public sitting at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT) in The Hague, it said in a statement.

Serbia, Kosovo and 29 states including Russia and the United States took part in oral hearings before the court in December after the United Nations general assembly took the issue to the ICJ at the request of Serbia.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 and so far, 69 countries recognise Kosovo as a state, including the United States and 22 out of 27 EU countries.

Serbia went to the UN's top court because it wants to challenge the legality of the declaration. The ICJ has been asked to give a non-binding opinion.

Since it was founded in 1946, the ICJ has handed down 25 advisory opinions as part of its mission to settle international legal disputes.

Kosovo health ministry official arrested

2010-07-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

EULEX police and the Kosovo police's anti-corruption task force arrested a senior Health Ministry official Tuesday (July 13th) for suspected abuse of office. Media reports identify him as Ilir Tolaj, a political adviser to Health Minister Bujar Bukoshi. EULEX and the Kosovo police searched three locations in Pristina, including an office of the University Clinic, as part of the operation. The EU rule of law mission said the suspect was detained in connection with a tax evasion investigation. The raids follow a similar operation in April at the transport ministry, though no arrests were made that time.

In other news, EULEX arrested a man Wednesday as part of an investigation into politically motivated murders in Kosovo. Local media identify him as Fahredin Gashi and say he was detained based on a request by a EULEX special prosecutor. "The person has been charged with war crime offences committed in June 1999 in the Lipljan municipality," EULEX said in a press release. Gashi's name was mentioned by Nazim Bllaca, who has claimed involvement in a Kosovo murder and implicated several senior state, party and police officials in criminal cases. Gashi denies the allegations.

Kosovo: Serb man suspected of war crimes extradited from Norway

2010-07-14T16:22:00.002-07:00

A European Union official in Kosovo says Norwegian authorities have extradited a Serb man wanted on suspicion of committing war crimes against civilians in western Kosovo in 1999.

Nicholas Hawton, a spokesman for the EU police mission in Kosovo, said Tuesday the man was arrested last year in Norway based on an international arrest warrant. He did not give other details.

At the time, Norwegian police said they had arrested a 39-year-old Serb for allegedly being part of an ethnic Serb force that drove Kosovo Albanians from their homes in Pec, a town 90 kilometres (55 miles) west of the capital, Pristina.

Some 10,000 ethnic Albanians were killed by Serb forces in 1999 before NATO launched airstrikes to force a Serb withdrawal.

Also Tuesday, EU police jailed an ethnic Albanian suspected of war crimes. The unidentified man was arrested as part of an ongoing investigation of a video-recorded confession by Nazim Bllaca, a self-declared hit man for former ethnic Albanian guerrillas.

Bllaca, whose confession was aired on Kosovo media late last year, claims to have planned the executions of fellow ethnic Albanians suspected of collaborating with Serbia's regime, senior politicians from a rival political party, and war crime witnesses in the aftermath of the 1998-99 Kosovo war. He says he carried out some of the killings himself.

Bllaca is guarded by EU police and is under house arrest.

Hundreds of Serbs and their ethnic Albanian collaborators were killed in retaliatory attacks immediately after the fighting ceased and as NATO and the U.N. were taking control of the former Serbian province.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 with strong backing from the United States and most countries in the European Union.

The EU police, judges and prosecutors are in charge of dealing with war crimes and fighting organized crime in Kosovo.

EULEX takes over north Kosovo investigations

2010-07-14T16:22:00.000-07:00

PRIŠTINA -- The investigations of the two incidents in northern Kosovska Mitrovica have been taken over by the EULEX Special Prosecutor’s Office.

According to EULEX spokesperson Irina Gudeljević, the grenade attack on a Serb protest in which one person died and 11 were injured, and the armed attack on Kosovo assembly memberPetar Miletić, are now under EULEX’s jurisdiction.

Kosovo police, KPS, regional spokesperson Besim Hoti told the Beta news agency that the investigations will be taken to a new level now.

“We received information from the prosecution yesterday that both of the cases will be taken over by EULEX and the directorate for organize crime in Priština,” Hoti said.

Romania not to change position on Kosovo, says foreign minister

2010-07-13T11:02:00.000-07:00

Romania will not change its position and will not recognize the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo and Metohija, even though the European Parliament called on the EU member countries to do so, Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Bakonski said in Chisinau. On Thursday, the European Parliament adopted a resolution that calls on all member states to recognize the act of the provisional institutions of self-government in Pristina.

Priština against UN as mediator in talks

2010-07-13T11:01:00.001-07:00

Officials in Priština do not support the UN mediating in eventual technical negotiations between Priština and Belgrade.

Both ruling officials and the opposition in the Kosovo government have stated that the UN cannot mediate such talks because the UN has a neutral stance on Kosovo’s status, and because many UN member-states have not recognized Kosovo’s independence.

Priština stated that only the European Union or United States could mediate such talks.

Kosovo Albanian Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuqi said that the Priština institutions have no information on UNMIK or the UN mediating such talks.

“UNMIK mediating such talks is unacceptable for us, because we have asked for UNMIK to leave Kosovo a long time ago. All of its authorities have been transferred to either the Kosovo government or the international civil office,” Kuqi told the KTV station.

Date Set for Haradinaj Appeals Verdict

2010-07-13T11:00:00.002-07:00

The appeals verdict in the case of ex-Kosovo prime minister Ramush Haradinaj will be delivered on July 21, the Hague tribunal announced this week.

Haradinaj, the former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, stood trial in 2007 alongside two other KLA leaders, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj.

The men were charged with war crimes and crimes against humanity, including the murder, torture and rape of Serb civilians, as well as suspected Kosovar Albanian collaborators, during the late 1990s conflict in Kosovo.

In April 2008, Haradinaj and Balaj were acquitted of all charges against them, while Brahimaj was found guilty of cruel treatment and torture, and sentenced to six years in jail.

He was granted provisional release in May 2009, but has been ordered back to The Hague for the appeals judgement.

During the October 2009 appeals hearing, prosecutors demanded a retrial, claiming that witness intimidation had “infected” the trial, making it impossible for them to effectively present their case.

One former KLA member who refused to testify, Shefqet Kabashi, was indicted by the tribunal for contempt of court.

Brahimaj’s defence counsel told judges that they sought to reverse his conviction on counts of torture and cruel treatment, and seek a reduction of the six-year sentence on 19 grounds of appeal.

His lawyer, Richard Harvey, cited witness testimony that was inconsistent and lacked credibility during the trial.

It remains unclear whether Haradinaj and Balaj will travel to The Hague for the appeals judgement.

They really love Tony BLiar (in Kosovo)

2010-07-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

The Daily Telegraph has the story: they love him in Kosovo.

(No wonder. In one of the greatest betrayals in human history this creep convinced Slick Willie to bomb the Christian Serbs out of their ancestral homelands to establish 3 brandnew narco-jihad statelets right smack in the middle of Europe)

Serbia to Swap Territories with Kosovo, Unblock UN Membership

2010-07-13T10:57:00.002-07:00

Serbian authorities are seriously considering an unblocking of Kosovo’s membership in the EU in return of an exchange of territories between Serbia and Kosovo, according to Serbian sources quoted by Bulgarian National Radio.

The Serbian side would offer to Kosovo its southern PreSevo Valley, mostly populated by ethnic Albanians, in exchange of Northern Kosovo, populated by an ethic Serb majority.

In return Serbia would lift its freezing of Kosovo’s UN membership, which is a stepping-stone to Kosovo’s full recognition as a sovereign state.

Kosovo not condition for EU integration

2010-07-13T10:57:00.000-07:00

Prime Minister Mirko Cvetković said that he is certain that recognizing Kosovo’s independence would not be a condition for joining the European Union.

Cvetković also said that Serbia is expected to become a candidate for EU membership by early 2011.

“I am sure that the individual EU member-states will administer their own policies, but, if we are talking about the EU, its policies are not policies of conditioning,” Cvetković said.

He said that regardless of these issues, the official policies of Serbia do not accept conditioning, which means that Serbia would continue to fight for joining the EU and preserving its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

Cvetković said that the EU is a lot more divided on the Kosovo issue today than it was when many of the countries recognized Kosovo’s independence.

He reminded that the European Parliament resolution supporting the recognition of Kosovo’s independence was not adopted with a very convincing majority.

“This shows that there are strong stances that it might not be a good idea, even within the countries that have recognized Kosovo. Our position is not ideal, but it is not as bad as some people who have opposing stances claim it to be,” Cvetković said.

He reminded that the Kosovo problem has been ongoing for decades, but that his government is dedicated to trying to find a quality way to finally solve these problems.

“The International Court of Justice is the way, because we decided not to use any measures that could lead to any kind of conflict with a part of the international community, but to affirm the values of the international community. I am strongly convinced that the opinion of the ICJ will be to our advantage,” Cvetković said.

He added that Belgrade hopes that the ICJ decision would lead to new negotiations.

Cvetković reminded that cooperation with the Hague Tribunal is one of the most important conditions for Serbia’s further EU integration, and that the recent positive evaluation of Hague Chief Prosecutor Serge Brammertz was the result of Belgrade’s determination to finish all its obligations to the court.

However, he did not want to predict how the “Hague chapter” would be closed.

“I do not want to speculate at what moment Hague cooperation would be completed. I can, however, said that we are firmly dedicated, have a strong level of organization and people who are working on that problem every day,” Cvetković said.

Speaking on the progress made in fighting organized crime and corruption in Serbia, Cvetković said that the political readiness of the government to fight crime is unquestionable.

“The state is absolutely stronger than crime and this government and all the institutions of the system are focused on the fight against crime,” Cvetković said.

Serbia's Tadic criticises plan to send police to northern Kosovo

2010-07-13T10:56:00.000-07:00

President Boris Tadic condemned on Friday (July 9th) a recent statement by Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi, suggesting that Pristina may deploy special police forces to northern Kosovo to guarantee order there. Tadic said that such statements threaten the fragile peace in the Serb-dominated region. Rexhepi has said that special units could be sent under an agreement with EULEX, in light of two recent incidents. On July 2nd, an explosion killed one man and injured 11 other people during a Serb protest in the divided town of Mitrovica. Tensions rose further a couple of days later when a Kosovo Serb lawmaker was shot and wounded outside his home.

EC envoy Degert says Kosovo partition not an option

2010-07-13T10:55:00.001-07:00

The head of the European Commission (EC) delegation to Serbia, Vincent Degert, said on Sunday (July 11th) that any partition of Kosovo is not an option. He stressed that none of the EU members supports such an idea, fearing a domino effect in the region. In an interview with Fonet news agency, Degert said the EU believes that all involved sides should gather at a table and talk, to find a solution. He added that EULEX plays a very positive role in Kosovo and that all provocations in the north should stop.