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Posted by
Olog-hai
on Sat Oct 4 03:19:45 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Sun Aug 31 02:00:35 2008.
edf40wrjww2msgDetailOT:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d Still not happy-time over in Kosovo. Even as the Serb government is on the verge of being invited to help EULEX (thanks to the EU-courting president's efforts), the pro-Russia elements within Kosovo stage a large protest.
BalkanInsight.com
Kosovo Serbs Protest Against EU Mission03 October 2008Gracanica — Thousands of Serbs in several Kosovo enclaves held protests against the European Union’s new law and order mission, EULEX, to Kosovo on Thursday.
The protests were organised by the Union of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo under the banner ‘Stop EULEX’ in northern areas of the ethnically-divided city of Mitrovica, the central Kosovo enclave of Gracanica, and south in Strpce.
However the protests in eastern Kosovo failed to materialise.
The director of the local hospital in Gracanica enclave, Stojan Sekulic, said he backed Serbian President Boris Tadic's call for "Europe Yes, EULEX No."
"The mission of the EU comes to Kosovo avoiding all the rules and norms of international law. But, when United Nations approves this EU mission, and when Serbia supports this, we will do the same," said Sekulic.
Speakers in Gracanica criticised the moderate Serb politician and Belgrade's Government representative for Kosovo, Oliver Ivanovic, who insists on cooperation with international community, as well as Serbian Prime Minister Mirko Cvetkovic for his "change of state policy on Kosovo and contacts with EULEX."
The protests in the enclaves were held under the watchful eye of NATO troops and ended without incident.
EULEX is set to become the main international presence in Kosovo as the United Nations Mission in Kosovo wraps up its administration in the coming months.
The UN has administered Kosovo since 1999 but in light of Kosovo’s February 17 declaration of independence from Serbia is due to pull out.
However that move has been vehemently opposed by Serbia, and chief ally Russia.
They argues that under the UN Security Council resolution 1244 passed at the end of the 1998-1999 conflict between Serb forces and Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority only the UN can administer Kosovo on Serbia’s behalf.
Since veto-wielding Russia threatened to block any deal on Kosovo’s final status at the UN Security Council without Belgrade’s consent, Resolution 1244 still technically stands.
Serbia fears EULEX seeks to formalise Kosovo’s independence.
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