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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 14:57:21 2008, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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UN to have no administrative powers in Kosovo

Wednesday, 27 August 2008

The UNMIK reconfiguration, which is expected to finish by the end of the year, will strip UNMIK of most of the administrative competences, but will allow a limited political role and political mentoring, says UNMIK spokesperson for Kosovo Daily Express.

UNMIK's Alexander Ivanko informs that after closure of the civil administration during the process of reconfiguration, there will be reduced staff in all departments, including international police staff. According to him the decreased UN mission will be left withsome economic and police matters if the Serb police members in the north continue to report through UNMIK to the Police Command of Kosovo.

UNMIK will also try to facilitate the dialog initiated with Belgrade about technical matters. "By the end of fall we will have some competences on policing and judicial matters. When EULEX becomes completely operational by the end of the year, we will not have any authority on those fields either," said Ivanko for Kosovo's daily Express.

He revealed that the UNMIK headquarters will be moved from Prishtina to the outskirts in Fushe Kosova.

Beside the central office UNMIK will have four other offices. "We will have offices in Peja, Shterpce, and Gracanica staffed by one junior officer or maybe a UN volunteer. The office in Mitrovica will be reduced compared to today, but it will still remain a substantial office because of the problems we all know about. Department of Information of UNMIK will be reduced by 65-70%."

The actual process of reconfiguration of UNMIK will not be the last. Another reduction process is expected after the New Year's. "UNMIK is getting reduced. It will take some time, but we are in the process of reduction," concluded Ivanko.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu Aug 28 16:38:00 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 14:57:21 2008.

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Serbs, Albanians Clash in Kosovo Flashpoint

28 August 2008

Pristina — Groups of ethnic Albanian and Serb youths clashed on Wednesday night in Kosovo's ethnically-divided town of Mitrovica.

According to Kosovo Police, the fight broke out between eight ethnic Albanian youths and a Serbian male, who was joined after, by a number of other Serbs from the nearby Dolce Vita cafe.

“First there was an argument, and then the youngsters started throwing stones at each other. Gunshots were heard as well,” a press release from the Kosovo Police Service reads.

Some of the youths suffered minor injuries, while two United Nations cars were destroyed.

Police found a shotgun at the scene, but was not able to say to whom it belonged.

North Mitrovica, the biggest town in Serb-dominated north Kosovo, has seen the highest rise in ethnic tension since Kosovo declared independence on February 17, mainly because the south of the town is dominated by ethnic Albanians. (Read more)

Pristina has little authority over this region but is hoping the European Union's new incoming law and order mission, EULEX, will be able to engage there.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Sun Aug 31 02:00:35 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Thu Aug 28 16:38:00 2008.

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Displaced Serbs send letter to EULEX chief

29 August 2008 | 16:36 | Source: Beta

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA — Displaced Serbs from the village of Svinjara near Kosovska Mitrovica have sent a letter to the EULEX chief today.

The Serbs, whose homes were destroyed during the pogroms of March 2004, stress in the letter that they do not trust Yves de Kermabon’s promises.

They wrote the letter, seen by Beta, following promises from Kermabon, reported in the media, that, among other things, all Kosovo residents would be safe, that they would be able to move freely, that the rule of law would be upheld, and that impartial courts would be guaranteed.

The Serbs from Svinjara, a village that has been deserted for the last five years, sent the letter to de Kermabon because nothing has been done to facilitate their return to their homes, which, even today, are being systematically destroyed and expropriated.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

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.

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Kosovo Serbs Protest Against EU Mission

03 October 2008

Gracanica — 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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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Sun Oct 5 23:56:01 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Sat Oct 4 03:19:45 2008.

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Arbitrariness in Power

Because of a Serbian UN initiative, Berlin's Kosovo policy is threatened with serious defeat. Belgrade is requesting that the UN General Assembly petition the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) for an advisory opinion on Kosovo's secession from Serbia. The Assembly is expected to vote on Wednesday. Germany was unsuccessful in mobilizing a majority against Serbia's initiative. For the first time, UN member states have announced the intention of reversing their recognition of Kosovo, if the ICJ should confirm its secession was illegal. While EU functionaries declare that the International Court's decision would be of no consequence to them, Berlin is continuing its aid in consolidating Kosovo's illegal sovereignty. State officials, who, with Western help, had been brought to power in Pristina, are confronted with new accusations. According to reports, new evidence has surfaced pertaining to criminal trade in human organs in Kosovo. Kosovo's "Prime Minister" is suspected to be implicated in this crime. One of Pristina's designated "ambassadors" to a European country is also accused of serious crimes.

Serbia has placed a demand that the UN General Assembly petition the International Court of Justice in The Hague (ICJ) for an advisory opinion concerning the secession of its southern province. For the time being, Belgrade is therefore renouncing legal action against Pristina and those states that have recognized its secession. The UN General Assembly is expected to vote on Serbia's request on Wednesday. A simple majority will suffice. Already back in July, the Serbian Foreign Minister, Vuk Jeremić, pointed out that "never before" has "the General Assembly prevented a member state from seeking an ICJ advisory opinion." But governments of several Western states are attempting just that.

Refusal of Loyalty

German and American attempts to prevent the ICJ advisory opinion are doomed to failure. Western pressure, which already last summer were the topics of interviews in the media, could not prevent the Serbian government from introducing its resolution in New York. And all attempts to tone down the formulation of the resolution have failed. Washington and Berlin plan to either vote "No" or abstain. But in a test vote, approximately two-thirds of the 192 UN member states are refusing loyalty, endorsing an ICJ advisory opinion on Kosovo's secession. The Serbian President reported a few days ago that Western states continue their efforts to obstruct the vote by trying to induce more states to recognize Kosovo's independence. In spite of massive pressure from large EU member countries and the United States, only 47 countries — not even a fourth of the UN member states — have recognized Kosovo as a sovereign state.

Latest Tricks

Berlin is therefore faced with a serious defeat. Since the legal questions are clear — Kosovo's secession was obviously in violation of the UN Charter — the West is uncertain about how to prevent an ICJ ruling in Serbia's favor. According to Christian Tomuschat, professor of law in Berlin, there would be possibilities when the concrete formulation of the demand is decided in the UN General Assembly's sub-commission, where controversial questions are often excluded. Then "the ICJ would not even have the possibility of formulating an opinion on the primary issue." The sub-commission will be convened on Monday. If Serbia's formulations still pass, the only thing left would be massive pressure on the ICJ.

Creating Facts on the Ground

If this option is also unsuccessful, German experts are pleading for disregarding international jurisprudence. Neither the ICJ nor the UN can create facts on the ground, alleges the political advisor, Franz-Lothar Altmann. "A nation's independence can only be established through recognition by individual states." The EU's special emissary to Kosovo subscribes to the demand that the arbitrariness of the mighty be lifted to the global principle of design in central questions of sovereignty. "Kosovo's independence is a fact and cannot be changed, even if Serbia's ICJ initiative should prove successful." Until now, the larger EU nations and the USA have been relatively isolated in this standpoint. Now, nations that had already recognized Kosovo are beginning to serve notice that in the case of a negative ICJ verdict, they would consider rescinding their recognition.

Abetting

All of the dispute notwithstanding, the German government is creating facts on the ground and is pushing the establishment of an independent "Kosovo" nation. Alongside the political accompaniment, in mid-September Berlin had promised further support for the development of the infrastructure of Kosovo and earmarked a total of €40 million from its development budget for the rest of the current year. For 2009, €60 million more have been reserved. These measures are not limited to construction aid, but extend to the consolidation of Pristina's quasi-state structures. For example, 600,000 passports and 400,000 driver's licenses that the Interior Ministry in Pristina has begun to issue have been produced by the Giesecke and Devrient Corp. in Munich. "By issuing passports, we are establishing the legal basis for a sovereign Kosovo," declared Kosovo's "Interior Minister" — providing an indication that the criminal accusation of abetting an illegal act of secession can be raised not only against the government, but even against employees of private firms.

Trade in Human Organs

Serious accusations are recurringly being raised against Kosovo's new ruler, placed and maintained in power by Berlin. Extensive press research has reinforced the suspicion that the former Kosovo terror militia, UCK, killed Serbian prisoners and sold their organs. Months ago this was reported by Carla del Ponte, former head prosecutor of the International War Crimes Tribunal for Yugoslavia (ICTY) in The Hague, citing numerous witnesses. Pristina's "Prime Minister" and former head of the UCK, Hashim Thaci, is said to be implicated in this affair. There is also controversy over the "ambassadors" Pristina wants to dispatch to several European nations and to the USA. Kosovo's designated "ambassador" to Switzerland is being accused of having collected money in Switzerland to finance the UCK's war on Serbia and thereby run into conflict with the Swiss authorities. It is alleged that even blackmail was involved. The Swiss Foreign Ministry denies however that these accusations have any meaningful bearings on existent reservations concerning this "ambassador." The accreditation nevertheless is still pending.

Not Isolated Cases

The accusations against members of Pristina's elite are not isolated cases. As just recently reported in an appraisal of Kosovo's human rights situation by the OSCE, it is not only a question of grave shortcomings of application in conditions of rule of law. Particularly, the struggle against organized criminality and the slave trade are making limited progress. On the other hand, the new political elite is interfering to a growing degree in the workings of the justice, the police and even the media. The new power in Pristina is creating its realm of the arbitrary.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu Oct 9 15:37:41 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Sun Oct 5 23:56:01 2008.

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Kosovo | 09.10.2008

UN Refers Kosovo Independence to World Court

In a last ditch effort to maintain sovereignty over the breakaway republic, Serbia has challenged the legality of Kosovo's independence in the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

Serbian newspapers on Thursday, Oct. 9 announced a "great diplomatic victory" following a UN decision to seek an advisory legal opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Kosovo's unilateral declaration of independence.

"Serbia's first diplomatic triumph in New York," "Great diplomatic victory" and "Serbia's win: Kosovo at the Court of Justice," wrote mass-circulation dailies Blic and Vecernje Novosti.

The UN General Assembly on Wednesday voted 77-6 to send the request to the ICJ in The Hague, with 74 abstentions. The request read: "Is the unilateral declaration of independence by the provisional institutions of self-government of Kosovo in accordance with international law?"

Serbia insists that Kosovo, with its majority Albanian population, is its territory and has warned that dismembering a sovereign state could trigger a wave of secessions worldwide. The territory announced its independence in February and has since been recognized by nearly 50 countries, including the US and all but five European Union members. Its promotion in the UN was however blocked by Serbia's ally Russia.

Germany abstained

Germany abstained from the UN vote Wednesday. According to news agancy AFP, Chancellor Angela Merkel said that, while they were convinced the recognition of Kosovo as an independent nation was the right thing to do, they "cannot say that the International Court of Justice is not allowed to decide."

In addition to Germany, 22 other EU nations abstained, while Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Romania, and Slovakia voted in favor.

In the debate ahead of the vote, France and Britain, which have recognized Kosovo, said its case is unique and therefore is not a threat to Serbia's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The US voted against Serbia's initiative.

The outcome of the vote particularly pleased the Serbs, who feel that the West wanted to carve Kosovo out of Serbia and that the realization of the plan started even before the 1999 NATO bombing campaign which expelled Belgrade's army and police from the province.

"Is anything more natural than … somebody's claim for the rule of law? Can you imagine a situation where authorities in France, Great Britain or America advise citizens not to seek justice in court because they would anyway not heed the court's ruling?" a column in Blic said.

The nationalist side of the media was reflected in a huge headline on the front page of the tabloid daily Press, which read, "Serbia busts America in UN."

Ethnic Albanian-majority Kosovo has been administered by the United Nations since 1999 when it was wrested from Belgrade's control in a NATO air war.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by AlM on Thu Oct 9 15:43:30 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Thu Oct 9 15:37:41 2008.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu Oct 9 15:50:40 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by AlM on Thu Oct 9 15:43:30 2008.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Sat Nov 15 00:55:18 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Thu Oct 9 15:50:40 2008.

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Explosive charge thrown at EU mission in Kosovo

Fri Nov 14, 2008 6:24pm EST

PRISTINA (Reuters) — An explosive charge was thrown at the building housing the office of the European Union's special representative in Kosovo on Friday, shattering windows and damaging some cars nearby, police said.

"An explosive device was thrown at the entrance of the International Civilian Office (ICO). Many windows and a few cars are damaged," Kosovo police spokesman Veton Elshani said.

The mission in a statement said "a small, non-fragmentary" device exploded in front of the office, but no staff members were injured.

The ICO is the office of EU Special Representative Pieter Feith, which oversees the independence of Kosovo. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February after nine years under U.N. stewardship and is recognized by more than 50 countries.

The EU condemned the blast.

"The presidency reaffirms the determination of the European Union to work toward establishing the rule of law in Kosovo for the benefit of its entire population, through the European police and justice mission," it said in a statement.

The explosion came in a time when the leaders of the ethnic Albanian majority have rejected an amended plan of the U.N. Secretary General Ban ki-Moon and new conditions for deploying the EU police and justice mission in Kosovo.

(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; editing by Richard Balmforth)

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu Nov 27 16:53:58 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Sat Nov 15 00:55:18 2008.

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The Sorcerer's Apprentice

2008/11/24

The arrest in Kosovo of several agents of the German Federal Intelligence Service (BND) shines the spotlight once again on the political criminal happenings in this western protectorate. The three men, working for a front company of the German foreign espionage service, are charged with involvement in several bomb attacks against facilities of the EU and the UN. As a matter of fact, the BND had been implicated in criminal intrigues in Kosovo in the past. It assisted in setting up the UCK (Kosovo Liberation Army — KLA) terror organization and maintained contact to organizers of the Kosovo-Albanian Pogroms that caused numerous deaths in March 2004. The objective in both cases was to have a decisive influence on political developments in the region. It remains to be seen if this is also the case now. Observers are not excluding the possibility that the arrests had been initiated by the Kosovan Mafia. On various occasions, the BND has reported on organized crime in Pristina. Several members of the "government" are from this milieu, such as the current "prime minister." Berlin is primarily responsible for the criminal conditions in Kosovo. With the collaboration of the BND, Germany prevailed in the formation of a Kosovan "state" under the leadership of suspected gangsters.

The obscure occurrences that led to last week's arrests of three suspected BND operatives in Pristina, exposes once again the political criminal character of what is taking place in that protectorate. The agents are charged with implication in the November 14, bombing attack on the Kosovo EU headquarters. The men had already been placed under surveillance in connection with other attacks carried out on institutions of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) and the Kosovan Parliament. They will probably be also indicted for espionage for a foreign service, which carries up to a 20-year sentence, if found guilty. According to analogous reports from several intelligence sources, the three were employees of a BND front company, the "Logistics Coordination Assessment Services", which allegedly offers investment consultation to German companies in Kosovo. Pristina is obviously seeking to create a scandal around the BND activities. Whereas the German foreign ministry had hoped to clear up the matter without too much public attention — also by referring to the significant role played by Germany in Kosovo's secession — the Kosovan press has published not only the names, but also photos of the agents.

Controversy over EULEX

This scandal was preceded by complicated disputes concerning Pristina's secession. The press reports that, "for the first time, since the beginning of the Kosovo Crisis in the early 90s" not the Serbian, but the Albanian side has come under international pressure. The bone of contention is EULEX — the 2,000 police and customs officers, jurists and administrative personnel that the EU, under the label of European Union Rule of Law Mission (EULEX), wants to send into the South Serbian province. EULEX is supposed to transform the Kosovan authorities into a state apparatus, thereby making Pristina's secession irrevocable. According to Berlin and the EU's original plans, the EULEX was supposed, to primarily replace the UNMIK, literally placing Brussels in control of the Kosovan transformation. This has so far been unsuccessful due to resistance from within the United Nations, in spite of massive obstructions set up also by Berlin.

Protests in Pristina

Two members of the UN Security Council (Russia and China), as well as the majority of UN member nations, still refuse to recognize Pristina's illegal secession, which is why the transfer has not succeeded. To the surprise of the West, UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon has been supportive and has been refusing for months his accord for an implementation of the EU plans, if there are no concessions to Belgrade. Already a while ago, Ban tabled a proposition that took the Serbian minimal position into account. According to his proposition, EULEX was to be active in the Albanian-speaking areas of Kosovo, while UNMIK would maintain control over the police and justice in the Serb-speaking regions of the province. EULEX would also be formally obligated to remain "status neutral" and not promote Pristina's independence. Brussels has now agreed to Ban's concept, to avoid further delay and speed up the EULEX engagement. Pristina rejects this mediating proposal and protests, for the first time without western back-up. Last Wednesday, thousands of Kosovo Albanians demonstrated against Ban's plans and the EU's approval.

Political Objective

Observers initially supposed that the bomb attack on the EU headquarters in Pristina - just two days after Brussels made known its approval to the EULEX restrictions — was also in protest of the EU's concessions to Belgrade. If it is proven that the German intelligence agents were implicated in that attack, it would not be the first time. Already in March 2004, during the large scale pogroms against Serbs and Serbian institutions, a BND informer played a noteworthy role. The man was one of the organizers of the pogroms while serving as an informer of the German intelligence service. Only two weeks before the pogroms began, the BND supposedly broke contact with their informer. "I suppose that the BND certainly must have informed the German government" said the intelligence service expert, Erich Schmidt-Eenboom, at the time and concluded that "the Albanian attacks on the Serbs were tolerated" by the German side. Nineteen people were killed, approximately 4,000 driven from their homes, and over two dozen monasteries were severely damaged during these pogroms. But the pogroms had a political effect: Berlin and Brussels demanded Kosovo's accelerated secession.

With Criminal Means

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the BND has been pursuing political objectives in Kosovo with criminal means — through its support for the KLA terror troops. According to reports, the BND established contact to Kosovo Albanian militants in 1992 and soon afterwards helped "in training and arming the rebels … to consolidate German influence in the Balkans." These close ties were advantageous during the aggression against Yugoslavia, with the KLA replacing NATO ground forces and helping to vanquish the Serbian adversary. It soon became clear that Berlin and the rest of the West would not be able to shake off their deputy, a militia of criminals. Former KLA commanders have been able to prevail not only as bosses of the Kosovan Mafia but also in high political positions.

Get in the Way

For years, the BND - the organization that, with its support for the KLA in the 90s, made its rise possible in the first place — has been regularly warning against the Mafiosi structures in Pristina. The BND had reported back in 2005, in a paper destined for the public, that Hashim Thaci — today's "prime minister" — had earlier been a boss of the Kosovan Mafia. Two years later, another study, whose authors seem also to have had access to BND sources, says that "at the international level" Thaci has access to wide-ranging "criminal networks."[8] Also other Kosovan politicians are seen as criminals by the BND. The intelligence service expert Udo Ulfkotte, explains that an important task of the "Logistics Coordination Assessment Services" front company of the BND, was to gather information on money laundering, drug trafficking and sexual slavery in Kosovo. Ulfkotte sees the current arrests in Pristina as a counter-attack by the Mafia: "The BND men got in somebody's way."

In Both Cases

If Ulfkotte proves to be right, the current scandal will be the hardest counter-strike delivered to date by the criminal structures put into power in Pristina by Berlin and the West. The only thing left to acknowledge — also if the BND agents' involvement is proven: Berlin can no longer rid itself of the criminal forces it called into being in the 90s to end Serbian control over Kosovo.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Tue Dec 9 03:14:10 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Thu Nov 27 16:53:58 2008.

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EU's Kosovo police mission to deploy amid protest

The Associated Press
Published: December 8, 2008

PRISTINA, Kosovo: The European Union's most ambitious police mission to date will take over the policing of Kosovo from the United Nations on Tuesday, after months of delay and protests on both sides of the ethnic divide.

The force, known as EULEX, will have over 2,000 police and justice workers monitoring and advising Kosovo's authorities on tackling corruption and organized crime.

"Kosovo is part of Europe and I think it's a duty for the EU to bring this help and this support to Kosovo," the head of the mission, Yves De Kermabon, told The Associated Press in an interview over the weekend. "To improve the rule of law is very important ... for all of Europe," said De Kermabon, a former French general who was in charge of Kosovo's NATO-led mission.

The EU mission, which will rely strongly on NATO's 16,000 peacekeepers for protection, finds itself unwanted by either side of Kosovo's ethnic divide — ethnic Albanians and Serbs.

Kosovo's Serb minority rejects the EU deployment, as most EU member states supported Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia earlier this year.

Ethnic Albanians fear that the EU made too many concessions to Serb leaders in a bid to garner their support, and fear that these will lead to Serbia having a say over Kosovo's affairs in areas where Serbs live — eventually splitting the country along ethnic lines.

NATO peacekeepers have heightened security in the Serb-dominated north in advance of the EU arrival.

To counter defiance from the Serbs, the EU mission will work under the auspices of the United Nations, which does not endorse Kosovo's declaration of independence. The U.N. has run Kosovo since 1999, and was supposed to leave when the EU mission arrived, but will stay on to act as a buffer between Kosovo's ethnic Albanian-run authorities and the minority Serbs that shun them.

Following Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia on Feb. 17, Serbs clashed with international forces in riots that left one Ukrainian peacekeeper dead and injured more than 30 NATO-led peacekeepers, most of them French.

The EU mission was supposed to deploy soon after the declaration of independence to promote peace, justice and the rule of law. But it was stalled in part because of objections from Serbia, which insists that Kosovo remains part of its territory. Serbia and Kosovo reluctantly agreed to cooperate with the mission last month.

De Kermabon conceded that the mission could take longer to deploy in Serb areas, but brushed away fears it would take sides in the dispute.

"We have once again to explain and to convince everybody that EULEX is a win-win situation," De Kermabon said.

Kosovo's legal system has been plagued with inefficiency despite years of U.N. administration, following a 1998-99 war between separatist ethnic Albanians and minority Serbs. Courts are swamped with cases and corruption is rampant, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, which regularly monitors Kosovo's justice system.

On Monday the London-based human rights watchdog, Amnesty International urged the EU mission to take "urgent measures to resolve the massive backlog of war crimes and other human rights violations."

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by SMAZ on Tue Dec 9 04:00:42 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Tue Dec 9 03:14:10 2008.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Fred G on Wed Dec 10 07:20:05 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by SMAZ on Wed Dec 10 04:22:27 2008.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Wed Dec 10 14:01:52 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by SMAZ on Wed Dec 10 04:22:27 2008.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by SMAZ on Thu Dec 11 01:39:41 2008, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Fred G on Wed Dec 10 07:20:05 2008.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu Dec 11 02:25:33 2008, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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EU Mission Deploys in Kosovo Amid Protests

By Stefan Bos
Budapest
10 December 2008

The European Union has begun deploying its largest justice and police mission ever in Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia earlier this year. The EU mission began amid protests in the country, which is still recovering from the Balkan wars of the 1990s.

The first members of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo, or EULEX, unpacked their blue berets and fresh uniforms, and began deploying across the mainly ethnic-Albanian territory of Kosovo.

About 3,000 people, including 1,900 international and 1,100 local staff members, will eventually participate in EULEX, described as the largest civilian mission in the EU history.

The head of EULEX, retired French General Yves de Kermabon, told reporters his mission of judges, prosecutors, police, custom officials and correctional officers will help build government institutions in Kosovo, which is still recovering from Balkan wars.

"I can affirm today that we are ready to start fulfilling the mission," he said. "It means that we have the minimum requirement to do this and to work with our (Kosovo) counterparts in the three components: Justice, police and customs."

Yet, EULEX strongly relies on 16,000 peacekeepers of the Western military alliance, NATO, for protection, as it finds itself unwanted by either side of Kosovo's ethnic divide — ethnic Albanians and Serbs.

In recent weeks, thousands of people from across Kosovo have demonstrated against the EU mission. Ethnic-Albanian protesters view it as an attempt to impose European control over their young nation of about two million people. Kosovo's Serb minority is against EULEX because most EU member states supported Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia, earlier this year.

Despite these disagreements, Kosovo's Prime Minister Hashim Thaci supports EULEX. In comments translated by France 24 television, he said the EU mission could help restore law and order for all ethnic groups in Kosovo.

"This mission will strengthen the republic of Kosovo's institution's and can only extend its authority," he said. "Any action taken by EULEX will be taken in agreement with our constitution."

EULEX is to take over from the United Nations, which has ruled Kosovo since 1999, following a war between Serbian forces and independence seeking ethnic Albanians. U.N. officials said they will remain in Kosovo to oversee a smooth transition.

EULEX is under international pressure to help improve Kosovo's struggling legal system. Western observers say courts are swamped with cases and that corruption is rampant.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Fri Feb 20 10:22:31 2009, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Thu Dec 11 02:25:33 2008.

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Kosovo 'A Failed State' - Serbia's Tadic

Belgrade | 17 February 2009

Kosovo is not an independent state despite seceding from Serbia a year ago, Serbia's President Boris Tadic told AFP in an interview.

For Serbia, the Feb. 17 anniversary is "a day when the authorities in Pristina declared the independence of Kosovo in an illegal way, based on international law," Tadic said.

"A year later, it's clear to everyone who wants to see the real situation in Kosovo that it's not a state," he said, adding that its status as a failed state was glaring, particularly on the issue of human rights.

The level of "human rights protection is really minimal, which is proven by the lack of Serbs and other refugees returning to their homes."

Tadic also accused Kosovo authorities of failing to fight organized crime, notably drug trafficking.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by SMAZ on Sat Feb 21 02:33:29 2009, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Fri Feb 20 10:22:31 2009.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Sat Feb 21 09:55:07 2009, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by SMAZ on Sat Feb 21 02:33:29 2009.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Mon Apr 27 20:58:03 2009, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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Kosovo | 27.04.2009

EU police repel angry Serbs as violence flares in Northern Kosovo

Violence flared in tense northern Kosovo when EU police forces fired tear gas at a group of angry Serbs trying to enter an ethnic Albanian area in the town of Kosovska Mitrovica.

Peacekeepers are on alert after the violence in Mitrovica

"Some 150 people protested and one French soldier was hit by a stone," sources among the international force KFOR told the DPA news agency.

"EU police units had to use tear gas to disperse protesters because they broke through a cordon of the Kosovo police," police spokesman Besim Hoti told AFP.

KFOR then blocked the main bridge that divides the city and dispersed the crowd demonstrating against the rebuilding of houses by ethnic Albanians in Mitrovica's Brdjani neighborhood.

Hoti could not confirm reports in the local media that shots had been fired at the scene.

"EU police were backed by KFOR (the NATO-led peacekeeping force), which is ready to act if it is necessary," he said.

On Monday morning local media reported that at least one Serb was wounded by gunfire in the Brdjani neighborhood. EULEX police fired tear gas on Saturday at the same site.

Later in the day, in two separate attacks, two hand grenades were thrown at international peacekeepers but no one was injured.

"We had a couple of incidents today in Mitrovica. One at Brdjani, one at the bridge and afterwards two hand grenade attacks — one against our police officers and another against KFOR," Christophe Lamfalussy, spokesman for the EU law-enforcing mission in Kosovo, EULEX, said.

KFOR took control of Brdjani on Monday, entering the area with tanks and heavy machinery.

Serbs protesting the return of ethnic Albanians

Ethnic Albanians are trying to return and rebuild their homes

Kosovo's minority Serb population, which dominates the territory's northern section, started protests a week ago at Brdjani in order to prevent the rebuilding of houses belonging to ethnic Albanians ousted during the 1999 war.

Ethnic Albanians fled the area north of Mitrovica, which remains under the strong influence of Belgrade.

Kosovo Albanian leaders in Pristina declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, nine years after NATO drove Serbian security forces from the province to end bloodshed.

EULEX deployed late last year, after the United States and most EU nations recognized the new country, despite vehement opposition from Serbia which claims Kosovo as its own land.

The potential for violence remains high particularly in the north, the only sizeable Serb stronghold remaining in Kosovo. Last year, a Ukrainian policeman was killed in violent protests by ethnic Serbs.

The north Kosovo Serbs demand a ban on the return of ethnic Albanians, until the same opportunity is provided to Serbs in the southern, Albanian majority part of Mitrovica.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Fri May 1 17:30:51 2009, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Mon Apr 27 20:58:03 2009.

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Kosovo | 01.05.2009

EU police and protesting Serbs clash again in northern Kosovo

Sparks have flared for the seventh day in northern Kosovo as 200 ethnic Serbs gathered in the village of Brdjani to protest the reconstruction of homes for returned Albanian refugees.

Police guarding Albanian houses from protesting Serbs have resorted to tear gas

European Union police (EULEX) fired tear gas on Friday to disperse the protesters as they chanted “Kosovo is part of Serbia” and waved flags reading “EULEX fascist” and “occupation.”

A spokesman for EULEX has confirmed that an EU police convoy was hit by three Molotov cocktails late Thursday evening as it patrolled Mitrovica, a flashpoint city divided by a river into ethnically Serb and ethnically Albanian halves.

Albanians want to go home

The European Union police mission in Kosovo deployed late last year

EU police have already used tear gas twice this week to prevent ethnic confrontations in Mitrovica. Ethnic Albanians are attempting to return to their homes in the north, which were destroyed in Kosovo's 1999 conflict, but Serbs are still in the majority in these towns and villages and refuse to cooperate with Albanian authorities.

Tensions have run high in northern Kosovo since the Albanian majority declared its independence from Serbia in February 2008. Since then Kosovo has been recognized as an independent nation by 58 countries, including the United States and most of the European Union.

The 120,000 remaining Serbs, however, have attempted to block the return of Albanian refugees and opposed the deployment of EULEX.

The EU mission is meant to take over from the United Nations, which has run the former province since 1999.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Mon Jul 20 03:51:45 2009, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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Kosovo Serbs suffer due to power cuts

19 July 2009 | 16:37 | Source: Tanjug

ŠTRPCE — The situation in the municipality of Štrpce, where local Serbs have been left without electricity since July 11, is becoming increasingly difficult.

Red Cross Secretary in the town Ivica Pužić told Tanjug news agency that power cuts have hit healthcare services the hardest, as well as food storage and IDP centers, housing 320 people.

For this reason, Pužić said he expects the international community to intervene and put an end to a humanitarian catastrophe in the Sirnićka Župa region of the province.

The local Red Cross has sent appeals to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, and all international community representatives in Kosovo in order to help Štrpce be reconnected to the power grid.

The Kosovo company that distributes electricity, KEK, has asked the Serbs to sign collective and individual contracts concerning payments and jurisdiction over a local transformer station, but did not provide any guarantees that old debt would be written off.

The Serbs, who are ready to pay a lump sum of €26 per household covering the past two months, have rejected KEK's request. The company then cut off electricity to all homes in the municipality.

Earlier, KEK said that the problem in Štrpce would be solved "once households start paying debt and signing collective and individual contracts".

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Sat Aug 29 02:03:39 2009, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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Kosovo leadership confronts EU authorities

ANDREW RETTMAN
28.08.2009 @ 09:25 CET

The president and prime minister of Kosovo have walked out of talks with EU representatives in the first serious bilateral rift since Kosovo declared independence last year.

The meeting in Pristina on Thursday (27 August) was designed to soothe ethnic Albanian fears over a new police cooperation agreement between the EU's police mission to Kosovo, EULEX, and Serbia's interior ministry.

The cooperation protocol will help EULEX and Serb police share information on cross-border organized crime and is a precondition for Serbia to obtain visa free travel to the EU in 2010.

Kosovo leaders said that EULEX' direct dealing with Serbia undermines their attempt to establish a sovereign state.

"The Kosovo leaders reiterated in the meeting their firm position against the protocol and emphasized that from today, any debate and discussion on this issue is completely closed. Kosovo does not take any obligation and responsibility for issues which it has not decided in a sovereign way," the office of Kosovo president Fatmir Sejdiu said.

The statement came out after Sejdiu and Kosovo prime minister Hashim Thaci broke off talks with EULEX chief Yves de Kermabon and the EU's civilian representative to Kosovo, Pieter Feith.

The police protocol has stoked anger in the majority ethnic Albanian population in Kosovo.

On Wednesday, the ethnic Albanian Vetevendosja ("self-determination") movement attacked EULEX vehicles in events leading to 21 arrests.

"We want the Republic of Kosovo to join the EU. But what we need are economic experts, doctors, scientists to help us develop, not EU policemen to rule over us in a completely unaccountable way," Vetevendosja leader Albin Kurti told EUobserver.

Kurti said Serbian police were involved in the killings of ethnic Albanian civilians in the 1990s: "They are criminals. They killed 12,000 people and only a dozen or so of those responsible are in prison."

Serbia's minister for Kosovo, Goran Bogdanovic, gave provocative comments to the Serbian Vecernje novosti newspaper on Thursday.

"With this document (the police protocol), the EU is confirming Serbia's integrity even on the areas that our country does not have full control over," he said.

Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 with the backing of the EU institutions and the US. Twenty-two out of 27 EU states have recognized its sovereignty, but Spain, Greece, Cyprus, Slovakia and Romania have not.

The EU visa-free deal will cut along ethnic lines in the Balkans.

The agreement is to embrace the majority Orthodox Christian countries, Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia. But it will exclude the majority Muslim Kosovo and Albania.

Bosnian Muslims will also be stuck with visa requirements. But most Bosnian Serbs will benefit from the EU deal because they hold Serbian passports.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu Nov 19 20:05:26 2009, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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Kosovo coalition government collapses: deputy PM

Thu Nov 19, 2009 6:39pm EST

PRISTINA (Reuters) — The biggest party in Kosovo's government has decided to end its coalition with the smaller Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Deputy Prime Minister Rame Manaj said on Friday.

Speaking to Koha television, Manaj of the LDK said he had received a phone call from the other Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci, who is also deputy party leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), informing him of the coalition collapse.

"Kuci told me that they have decided to form a coalition with two other parties," Manaj said.

"We will have a meeting later to discuss this."

No one from Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's PDK was available to confirm or deny Manaj's statement.

Kosovo's public television said a source in the PDK had said the LDK would be replaced by two small parties and a new coalition agreement signed on Friday.

Hashim Thaci became prime minister in 2007 after general elections. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

(Reporting by Fatos Bytyci; editing by Andrew Roche)

© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu Dec 17 13:40:00 2009, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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The Mafiosi State (II)

2009/12/09

A new mafia scandal involving Berlin's Kosovo partner is creating unrest in Pristina. A former agent of the Kosovo intelligence service explained that a close associate of Kosovo's incumbent Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci, had commissioned the assassinations of political opponents. According to his report, spies from Thaci's entourage were also responsible for threats and assaults on witnesses, who were to testify against former UCK commanders before the ICTY war crimes tribunal. The European Union, who's "Rule of Law Mission" (EULEX) has known of the accusations for months, is still dragging its feet. Hashim Thaci, who, from the beginning has been rumored to have been involved in organized crime, has been collaborating closely with Berlin and Brussels. In the German capital, he is considered to be the guarantee for preventing unrest in Kosovo, whose secession is being examined for its compatibility with international law by the International Court of Justice since last week. Whereas German jurists, with eccentric argumentation, are seeking to lend the illegal secession from Serbia an appearance of legality, Spanish jurists are confirming that the act was illegal.

Commissioned Assassinations

The newest mafia scandal involving Pristina's secessionist regime was set in motion by the former secret agent Nazim Bllaca. Bllaca alleges that he had been in the employ of the secret service, SHIK, since the end of the war waged against Yugoslavia in 1999 by NATO and the troops of Kosovo's terrorist UCK militia. This secret service had been created by the UCK during the war and placed under the command of former UCK commander, Hashim Thachi's Partia Demokratike e Kosoves (PDK, Democratic Party of Kosovo) founded in 1999. Agents of the SHIK were active in organized crime. (Thaci is also rumored to have been heavily involved in organized crime.)^[1] The agents extorted protection money and were mainly dealing in real estate.^[2] One of their victims was a Pristina architect, who had wanted to take steps against the extremely widespread illegal construction activities. Bllaca explained that he had personally committed 17 crimes in the course of his SHIK activities, including extortion, assassination assaults, torture and serving as a contract killer. He reported that the SHIK crimes were also aimed at Thaci's political rival, Ibrahim Rugova and his party assistants in the Lidhja Demokratike e Kosoves (LKD, Democratic League of Kosovo). As a matter of fact, since 1999 several people from Rugova's close entourage had been killed.

Sexual Slave Trade

Bllaca is making grave accusations, directly implicating the entourage of Kosovo's Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci. For years Berlin and the EU have been cooperating with Thaci and are using his clan's influence to maintain control over Kosovo. No one has illusions about his activities. Already three years ago, a study commissioned by the German military, noted that on "the international level," Thaci is in control of wide ranging "criminal networks."^[3] The German Foreign Intelligence Service, BND, concluded even earlier, that Thaci has commissioned "professional killers." Whether this was referring to the professional killer, Nazim Bllaca, is not yet known. Bllaca says that he received his orders for contract killings from Azem Syla. Syla, who in the 90s had been the UCK general chief of staff, is one of Thaci's close collaborators. Today he is honored as a businessman in Pristina. According to Bllaca, another high-ranking politician in Thaci's entourage had given SHIK agents criminal contracts — Xhavit Haliti. Haliti is currently a member of the Kosovo Parliament's Presidium and its foreign policy committee. Years ago, the BND has accused him of being involved in organized criminal activities, particularly the sexual slave trade.^[4]

Intimidation of Witnesses

It is not yet clear what role the EU's "Rule of Law Mission," EULEX, is playing in this current scandal. Bllaca claims to have confessed to EULEX months ago, to permit them to solve the crimes. It is unknown that EULEX has undertaken necessary measures. A few days ago, Bllaca found himself forced to go public with his confession and divulge additional information. Since then he has been jailed and placed under EU guard.^[5] The evidence he has exposed could prove helpful for the UN's ICTY war crimes tribunal, for example that SHIK agents had threatened and assaulted witnesses, who were supposed to testify against the UCK before the tribunal. Several suspected war criminals had been acquitted because witnesses repudiated their previous testimonies or had even been murdered. Bllaca, who will now stand trial for his alleged murders, has not been able to find a defense lawyer willing to take the risk of defending him in a Pristina courtroom.

Entity

While the new accusations against Hashim Thaci and his entourage are stirring unrest in Pristina, the International Court of Justice in The Hague opened its hearing, December 1, into the case surrounding the secession of Kosovo. Following the secession of its southern province, Serbia had filed suit to receive confirmation of the secession's illegality. Last week three German international jurists testified, seeking to create the impression that the secession was legal with very eccentric argumentation. For example, the German government's legal advisor, Susanne Wasum-Rainer, claimed that in the aftermath of the invasion by NATO troops and the installation of a UN administration, Kosovo became an "entity," to which the principle of territorial integrity could not apply.^[6] A "declaration of independence" had not been prohibited by international law and was therefore acceptable. The international jurist from Heidelberg, Jochen Frowein, who on various occasions has been commissioned by the Berlin government, admitted that secession could be in violation of international law, if it is achieved through the intervention of external powers, but this was not the case in Kosovo.^[7]

Non-Binding

The representative of the Spanish government at the hearing in The Hague proved not quite as imaginative. Spain, along with four other EU nations^[8] and more than two-thirds of the other nations around the world, does not recognize the secession of Kosovo. In The Hague, Madrid's international legal advisor pleaded her case on the basis that Serbia is a nation and therefore enjoys its claim to territorial integrity. The Western nations under German-US leadership had deceived the United Nations in their recognizing this secession. "In light of their policy of faits accomplis," she said, "we are appealing to the power of rights."^[9] In case The Hague, rather than succumb to Berlin's legal fantasies, upholds prevailing law, declaring the secession illegal, media organs in Germany are already spreading the rumor that the decision of the International Court of Justice is non-binding. In such a case, Germany will recognize the Kosovo secessionist Mafiosi regime that has illegally declared the province independent - even against the verdict of the UN's International Court of Justice.

Further information on German cooperation with criminal structures in Kosovo can be found here: Political Friendships, Thank You, Germany, Arbitrariness in Power, In Accordance With NATO Standards and The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

[1] see also Organhandel and Die Mafia als Staat
[2] Angeblicher Killer erschüttert Kosovo; Basler Zeitung 02.12.2009
[3] see also Thank You Germany
[4] see also Unter Deutscher Aufsicht
[5] Angeblicher Killer erschüttert Kosovo; Basler Zeitung 02.12.2009
[6], [7] Berlin: Kosovo ist kein Präzedenzfall; Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 03.12.2009
[8] Neben Spanien erkennen auch die EU-Mitglieder Slowakei, Rumänien, Griechenland und Zypern die Sezession des Kosovo nicht an.
[9] España apela al derecho internacional para declarar ilegal la independencia de Kosovo; El País 08.12.2009

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Tue Feb 23 23:34:19 2010, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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"A Success Story"

2010/02/19

Serious social upheavals are threatening to erupt in Kosovo on the second anniversary of its secession, accomplished with strong German impulsion. Since its breaking away from Serbia, the economic situation of the region has become desolate, with an increase in bitter poverty, protests and strikes. Outside the EU there is talk of "a failed state." Whereas Germany, along with the other leading western powers, is continuing to pressure Serbia into recognizing the illegal secession, politicians in Kosovo are threatening to annex more Serbian territory. Bombing attacks, apparently politically motivated, were reported in the areas in question. The situation of minorities remains catastrophic. For example, the Roma in Kosovo are massively discriminated against, hundreds are languishing in lead contaminated camps. Berlin's plans to deport Roma seeking refuge in Germany back into this persecution are meeting growing protest. The German Bundeswehr is alone in having discerned a positive development. A member of the Bundeswehr has declared that NATO's occupation of the region is a "success story," and calls on the population to recognize "the successful work of the soldiers."

A Powder Keg

Two years after Kosovo seceded, February 17, 2008, with Germany's energetic impulsion,^[1] the economic situation of the region is desolate. Nearly half of the working population is without a job. There is no commodity production worthy of the name. More than 90 percent of the commodities sold in Kosovo must be imported. Approximately €163 million in exports in 2009 stand in contrast to imports that are 12 times higher — €1.9 billion. Foreign investments are receding. Nearly half of the population is poor with 15 percent living in dire poverty. "Before the war in 1999, I could feed a family of ten, with my pay," a citizen of Kosovo says. "Now seven members of the family have to work, so that we can make it. Our living standard is very low."^[2] "There is some sort of protest daily," says the Kosovo Chambers of Commerce Vice President and warns that "Kosovo is like a powder keg that could someday explode." President, Fatmir Sejdiu declared that "the stability of the country should not be jeopardized" with strikes and other forms of protests.^[3]

Failed State

The situation in Kosovo from the standpoint of what some observers call rampant corruption is similarly disastrous. According to expert calculations, around ten percent of the finances earmarked for public contracts are flowing into the coffers of Kosovo's political parties. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci gave the leading posts of the Kosovo police to former operatives from his illegal secret service, SHIK. A Swiss journal noted with annoyance that the theft of 46 kilograms of drugs, which disappeared a year ago from the premises of the Pristina police presidium, has yet to be solved. "The legal system in Kosovo is only in name,"^[4] noted the journal — even though the EU has been engaged over the past two years in its creation. In addition, members of organized crime are not being prosecuted. According to the report, the US ambassador in Pristina spoke of Kosovo "suggestively as in the failed state" category.^[5] For €6 million, the government in Kosovo has hired the Saatchi and Saatchi PR agency to launch a campaign to somewhat polish up its image.

Bomb Attack

In answer to the Serbian government's new initiatives, Berlin and the rest of the leading western powers are intensifying their pressure. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague is expected to render an opinion on Kosovo's illegal secession in June. Thereafter Belgrade wants to negotiate on the status of the region and plans to bring its case before the United Nations. At present only about a third of the UN member nations have recognized Kosovo's secession. Last week, in a diplomatic note, the governments of Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain and the USA called on the Serbian Foreign Minister to cool down his rhetoric about Kosovo and refrain from "adventurous actions."^[6] On the other hand, Jakup Krasniqi, Speaker of the Kovovo Parliament, was not warned a few days ago when he contemplated that "the Albanians from the Presevo Valley" to the north of Kosovo, could join the area of secession — signifying the annexation of more Serbian territory by the secessionist government in Pristina. Shortly thereafter, a Serbian policeman was seriously wounded in a bomb attack in the town of Bujanovac in the Presevo Valley. Already years ago, secessionists have been making terrorist attacks in this town seeking to bomb their way to an inclusion of their area into Kosovo.

Deported into Squalor

Even after more than ten years of occupation rule with German participation, the situation of the minorities in Kosovo remains catastrophic. "Poverty and discrimination, unemployment at 90 percent, exclusion from the social security system and medical aid" are the "tragic existence" of the Roma, according to an appeal published in December 2009 by various refugee organizations.^[7] Last week, the Human Rights Commissioner of the European Council concluded that until now, hundreds of Roma have been made to languish in lead contaminated camps in Kosovo. In spite of numerous complaints, neither the government in Pristina nor the European and US occupying powers have altered their situation in any way. On the contrary, in spite of hefty protests including from UNICEF, Berlin wants to deport several thousand Roma from Germany to Kosovo. UNICEF points out that Roma, who are deported from Germany with their children, are "often outside the communities in wooden shacks, living without heat and in dilapidated conditions" — a situation that has not impressed German authorities.^[8]

Astonishing

After more than ten years of occupation and two years of a Berlin-supported secession, astonishing appraisals of the situation in Kosovo can be found in the press of the Axel Springer media and in the German Bundeswehr. According to the assessment of the Springer daily Die Welt, "the young republic Kosovo" finds itself "on a promising path". Its secession has "contributed to the stabilization of the region as a whole."^[9] A Bundeswehr brigadier general characterizes the occupation of the region as a "success story" and demands that the population give stronger recognition to the "successful work of the soldiers" in Kosovo.^[10] Astonishing and noteworthy is also an open confession of the CDU member of the European Parliament, Doris Pack, who has been engaged in Southeast Europe for many years. According to Pack, since Kosovo has been occupied by NATO "not much progress has been made, on the contrary. In the ten years, corruption has grown, instead of being combated."^[11] There are "thousands of criminal cases (...) that have yet to be brought to trial." All of the heads of the occupation administration UNMIK, who, according to Pack, are de facto guilty of supporting corruption, come from the EU nations, two even from Germany. Germany is the nation that is alleged to exercise the most influence over the UNMIK administration.^[12]

Further information on German policy towards Kosovo can be found here: Self Determination, Political Friendships, "Thank You Germany!", Pure Chaos, Arbitrariness in Power, In Accordance With NATO Standards, The Sorcerer's Apprentice and The Mafiosi State (II).

[1] see also German administrator calls territorial integrity of Yugoslavia into question, Neuer Vasall, Mit kreativen Tricks and "Thank You Germany!"
[2], [3] Kosovo - ein soziales Pulverfass? Deutsche Welle 16.02.2010
[4], [5] Der Frust mit der Freiheit; Basler Zeitung 16.02.2010
[6] Major powers warn Serbia to cool down Kosovo rhetoric; waz.euobserver.com 09.02.2010
[7] see also Unglaubwürdig and Besondere Verantwortung
[8] Roma-Kinder im Kosovo: Abgeschoben und ausgegrenzt; www.unicef.de 16.02.2010
[9] Richard Herzinger: Kosovo - ein Staat, besser als sein Ruf; Die Welt 16.02.2010
[10] Die vergessene Erfolgsgeschichte der Kfor; Hamburger Abendblatt 25.01.2010
[11] Pack: EULEX-Mission hat große Last zu tragen; Deutschlandradio Kultur 17.02.2010
[12] see also Aufs engste verflochten

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by SelkirkTMO on Wed Feb 24 01:27:16 2010, in response to Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Tue Feb 23 23:34:19 2010.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN)

Posted by Olog-hai on Thu Jun 3 18:39:23 2010, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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EU's Kosovo mission struggles for credibility after smuggling incident

VALENTINA POP
03.06.2010 @ 17:43 CET

In a bid to boost its credibility, the EU's justice and police mission in Kosovo has started high-level corruption cases against local officials and fired 16 of its own gendarmes who were caught smuggling cigarettes and alcohol across the border.

"Our guiding principle is that no-one is above the law and we will continue to apply that," EULEX head of mission Yves de Kermabon told MEPs during a hearing on Thursday (3 June).

He highlighted the importance of the searches conducted by Eulex prosecutors on 26 April on the premises of the transport ministry in Pristina, with the minister himself suspected of money laundering, abuse of public office and corruption.

The 2,800 strong police and justice mission, deployed by the EU after Kosovo declared its independence in 2008, has been criticised in the past for not showing enough muscle against corrupt officials and organised crime – one of its core functions.

"The searches are only the beginning. Such activities lay at the core of the Eulex mandate," Mr de Kermabon said.

But he also warned against expecting convictions too soon, as the judicial processes take time, especially in Kosovo where judges have to work with three legal systems, depending on when the crimes were committed - the Yugoslav, the Serbian and the Kosovar one.

"We have major holes in the mission and are still lacking personnel. But the Kosovo police is working pretty well and maybe ultimately at some point we'll be able to reduce the police mission. The key component is the justice mission," he stressed.

In an embarrassing episode just a week prior to the anti-graft sweep, 16 Romanian gendarmes deployed to the EULEX unit in Mitrovica, in the northern part of Kosovo, were caught smuggling cigarettes and alcohol over the border as they were going home for vacation.

Meanwhile, they have been sent back to the country and an investigation has been launched, including into the higher chain of command of the Romanian unit.

"We reacted immediately very strongly and said we cannot accept this coming from a member of the EU. That is a question of credibility for EULEX and the EU as a whole," de Kermabon told journalists after the hearing.

It is, however, up to member states to follow up on such cases in their own judicial systems, he stressed.

The 16 gendarmes were decorated in March by the Romanian government for their "professionalism" in carrying out their duties, which include crowd management, protection of VIPs and escorting valuable or explosive items.

The European Parliament will look into the matter and press Bucharest for a judicial investigation, so as to show that the EU is not practicing double standards, Austrian Green MEP Ulrike Lunacek, the rapporteur for Kosovo told this website.

"Some people may link the fact that the EU is demanding rule of law and fight against corruption in Kosovo, but member states are not doing that if something happens. It is important that Romania shows with these people caught smuggling that there will be due legal process," she said.

According to Lunacek, Bucharest should be particularly interested in showing that it follows up on such cases, after it failed to produce any sanctions against another of its gendarmes unit, responsible for the death of two people in 2007, during clashes with demonstrators in Pristina. At that time, the Romanian gendarmes were part of the UN peacekeeping mission, UNMIK.

"EULEX is needed, but it is important that they deliver accordingly to the expectations people have. They will be judged, in the eyes of the Kosovo public, if they manage to do what the Kosovo authorities don't, really going against the big fish, not only petty corruption. And member states need to uphold the same standards when it comes to their own citizens, if they are guilty of corruption or other crimes," she concluded.

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Re: EU Taking Over Kosovo

Posted by Olog-hai on Sat Jul 10 12:55:15 2010, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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Parliament calls on all EU countries to recognize Kosovo

Published: 09 July 2010

The European Parliament has called on the five remaining EU member states yet to recognize Kosovo's independence to do so. But leading MEPs admitted that no moves were expected before a ruling from the International Court of Justice on the legality of the former Serbian province's independence, due in the coming weeks.

In a resolution adopted yesterday (8 July), MEPs say they "would welcome the recognition by all member states of the independence of Kosovo," referring to the five that are dragging their feet — Cyprus, Greece, Spain, Romania and Slovakia.

The parliamentarians urge the EU-27 to "step up their common approach towards Kosovo" in order to make EU policies more effective for everyone in the territory. They also reject the possibility of a partitioned Kosovo.

Cyprus, a divided island since the Turkish invasion in 1974, rejects Kosovo's declaration of independence owing to its stance on territorial integrity and the lack of UN approval. It is backed by Greece, while Spain — which has its own regional tensions — cites lack of respect for international law as justification for its opposition.

Romania, home to an ethnic Hungarian community in 'Székely Land' that is pushing for a higher level of autonomy, and Slovakia, with its own significant Hungarian minority group, have also rejected the legality of Kosovo's secession from Serbia.

Despite member states' differences regarding Kosovo's status, the Parliament affirms that it is vital for the EU to engage with Kosovo so that stability and security in the Western Balkans — the EU's immediate neighborhood — can be preserved and built upon.

In the resolution, adopted by 455 votes to 155, MEPs call 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.

"To this end, the Commission should communicate without delay to the Kosovo authorities the steps that need to be taken before preparing the visa liberalization road map," states the document.

A study by Votewatch.eu presented at a public event on 9 June revealed that all MEPs from the five countries who have not recognised Kosovo except Slovakia had voted against the resolution, across party lines. Only Slovak MEPs had a split vote, Doru Frantescu from Votewatch explained.

Tensions ahead of ICJ ruling

The resolution also calls on Serbia to adopt a "pragmatic" approach to Kosovo, as tensions rise ahead of the pending decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the legality of Kosovo's declaration of independence.

"While understanding the emotional implications of the aftermath of the 1999 war and understanding that the official recognition of Kosovo is not a feasible political option at the moment for the Belgrade leadership, [the Parliament] nevertheless calls on Serbia to be pragmatic on the status issue," it states.

MEPs expressed concern over the state of relations between the two, following an outburst of violence in northern Kosovo. On 2 July, a hand grenade thrown into a protest by ethnic Serbs killed one man and injured several others, while three days later an ethnic Serb member of the Kosovo Assembly was shot and wounded.

Parliamentarians urged the EU's EULEX rule of law mission to step up its efforts in northern Kosovo in order to help improve inter-ethnic relations and inform local citizens about what the EU is doing to help.

Austrian MEP Ulrike Lunacek, a member of the Greens/EFA group and author of the Parliament's resolution on Kosovo, said that the EU assembly had "made clear that European integration is the future of an independent Kosovo" and had given a "clear signal" to the five member states that have not recognised it.

Asked by EurActiv if she really expected some of the five countries to change their positions following the vote on the resolution, she said: "Let's wait for the ICJ opinion; it will come in a few weeks, and we'll talk again."

Positions

Speaking in the European Parliament on Wednesday (7 July), EU Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle called for calm ahead of the ICJ decision on the legality of Pristina's declaration of independence.

"The EU member states have condemned the violence and they made it absolutely clear that to achieve objectives in Kosovo, violence cannot be tolerated," he said. "We ask for all sides to show restraint as we wait for the ICJ opinion on Kosovo," he added.

Füle affirmed the EU's commitment to a common approach towards Kosovo, but warned Pristina that it should make concrete progress if it wants to move forward with EU integration. "The timing and scope of Kosovo’s progress is determined by Kosovo itself," he stated.

Background

Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, nine years after the end of the 1999 war between Belgrade's security forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas. In the following years, Kosovo became an international protectorate under a UN mandate, patrolled by NATO peacekeepers.

Since its proclaimed independence, the two million-strong republic — 90% of which is composed of ethnic Albanians — has established many of the trappings of statehood, including a new constitution.

Sixty-nine countries have recognized Kosovo, including the US and most EU member states (except Spain, Cyprus, Greece, Romania and Slovakia). Serbia, backed by Russia, is staunchly opposed to Kosovo's independence.

In December 2009, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) began examining the legality of Kosovo’s secession from Serbia on the latter’s request. Its decision, due imminently, could tip Kosovo's future towards full international recognition or push it back under the auspices of the Serbian state.

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Could World Court ruling on Kosovo encourage separatist movements globally . . . ?

Posted by Olog-hai on Wed Jul 21 23:34:42 2010, in response to EU Taking Over Kosovo (from UN), posted by Olog-hai on Wed Aug 27 02:03:20 2008.

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World court Kosovo ruling could have global impact

By Reed Stevenson
Wed Jul 21, 2010 8:12pm EDT

THE HAGUE — The World Court rules on Kosovo's unilateral secession from Serbia Thursday in a case that could have implications for separatist movements around the globe, as well as Belgrade's stalled EU membership talks.

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is to issue a non-binding ruling on Serbia's 2009 claim that Kosovo's declaration of independence secession was a "flagrant violation" of its territorial integrity.

"If the ICJ opinion establishes a new principle, an entire process of creating new states would open throughout the world, something that would destabilize many regions of the world," Serbian President Boris Tadic was quoted as saying by the Tanjug news agency.

The United States and most other Western states recognized Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence but Serbia rejected it, as did its ally Russia, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council.

Wednesday, the White House said U.S. Vice President Joe Biden reaffirmed U.S. backing for Kosovo's independence at a meeting with visiting Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.

Serbia lost control over Kosovo in 1999 when a 78-day NATO bombing campaign ended a two-year war between Serbia and ethnic Kosovo Albanians, and put in place a U.N. administration and a NATO-monitored ceasefire.

Since then some 2 million Albanians and 120,000 Serbs have lived separately in Kosovo, mutually suspicious and occasionally hostile to each other.

Belgrade has never recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence in February 2008, and the dispute has held up its EU membership talks and hindered its ability to attract foreign investment.

If the court sides with Serbia, Kosovo could be pushed into negotiating a settlement with the Belgrade authorities while a ruling in its favor could lead more countries to recognize its independence.

STATEHOOD

Kosovo hopes the court will accept that it is well along the path toward statehood, recognized by 69 nations and already functioning as an independent republic with a constitution and elections.

Georgia filed a lawsuit in 2008 against Russia at the same court, saying that Russia's incursion into its South Ossetia province amounted to ethnic cleansing.

Russia, which took two decades to crush a separatist rebellion in its Chechnya province, has recognized both rebel Georgian regions as independent states but few others have followed its lead.

Spain, which has its own regions seeking greater autonomy, has already said it will not recognize an independent Kosovo.

At the start of deliberations last December, judges at the ICJ -- the United Nations' highest judicial body -- heard statements from 29 other nations, including Spain, the United States and Russia.

Although non-binding, the court's ruling will provide a framework for diplomats to try and establish a working relationship between Serbia and Kosovo, said Bibi van Ginkel, senior researcher at the Clingendael Institute.

"The political implications of advisory opinions can be substantial," she said. "It could be a provocative opinion."

Meanwhile, NATO forces in Kosovo have been on heightened alert, but the commander of the 10,000 troops there said there were no signs of potential trouble.

"On the field we don't have indications about nervousness, about any upcoming threat," said General Markus Bentler of the NATO security mission, known as KFOR.

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Re: Could World Court ruling on Kosovo encourage separatist movements globally . . . ?

Posted by Olog-hai on Sat Jul 24 16:21:02 2010, in response to Could World Court ruling on Kosovo encourage separatist movements globally . . . ?, posted by Olog-hai on Wed Jul 21 23:34:42 2010.

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Court's Kosovo ruling could resonate around globe

By Patrick Worsnip
Thu Jul 22, 2010 3:26pm EDT

UNITED NATIONS — The World Court's opinion that Kosovo's unilateral secession from Serbia was not illegal will send a chill blast through other countries that have restive minorities keen to follow Kosovo's example.

In a 9-5 nonbinding ruling on Thursday on the 2008 secession, the Hague-based court said it considered "that general international law contains no applicable prohibition of declaration of independence."

Diplomats at the United Nations said the ruling underscored the clash between two cardinal principles dear to rank-and-file U.N. member states: self-determination, in this case for Kosovo's majority Albanians, and territorial integrity, in this case, Serbia's.

From the outset, this caused a major split among the 192 U.N. nations over whether to recognize Kosovo. Sixty-nine, including the United States and many of its allies, have so far done so but the rest have not, many waiting to see what the World Court said.

Some, including Serbia and its big-power ally Russia, rejected the independence declaration. Serbia lost control over Kosovo in 1999 when NATO bombed it to halt the killing of ethnic Albanians in a two-year counter-insurgency war.

Even the European Union was divided, with Britain, France, Germany and others recognizing Kosovo but others with minority problems such as Spain and Cyprus holding back.

"It's not only the problem of Kosovo," one senior U.N. envoy said of Thursday's ruling. "It will be read in a lot of capitals on the basis not of the Kosovo case itself but of the general implications for each country."

"It's very difficult to guess what will be the reaction of the General Assembly," he added.

It was the assembly that, at Serbia's initiative, requested the court's opinion. Diplomats have been expecting Serbia to put a motion before the assembly following the court ruling calling on Kosovo's authorities to negotiate with Belgrade over the future of the former Serbian province.

Edwin Bakker of the Clingendael Netherlands Institute of International Relations said the court's ruling was "bad news to a number of governments dealing with separatist movements."

"They may regard the ruling as a serious threat to their assumption that territorial integrity should be untouchable," he said, adding that the opinion would "strengthen separatists around the globe."

Among countries that could be considered in a similar situation to Serbia, Bakker cited Myanmar, Iraq, India and possibly Somalia.

"TRICKY RULING"

Milos Solaja, director of the Center for International relations in Banja Luka in Serbia's Balkan neighbor Bosnia, said his country could also be affected. Bosnia is divided into a Serb republic and a Muslim-Croat federation.

Abdi Samatar of the University of Minnesota called the court's opinion "a tricky ruling that could open floodgates." He added to the list of potentially concerned countries Ethiopia, Yemen, Senegal, Nigeria, Angola and even Tanzania.

"What the ruling justifies is the use of violence to create new political realities," Samatar said.

Western countries say Kosovo is a one-off case because of Serbia's repression in the 1990s, and does not justify secession by, for instance, the Russian-backed enclaves of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in Georgia.

Predictably, however, Sergei Bagapsh, president of breakaway Abkhazia, said the ruling "once more confirms the right of Abkhazia and South Ossetia to self-rule."

Because the World Court's opinion was nonbinding, analysts saw it as having political rather than legal consequences.

"A ruling by the World Court is like a statement issued by the United Nations. It doesn't have enforceability unless a consensus of world powers chooses to back it," said Kamran Bokhari of global intelligence firm Stratfor.

Several analysts said the ruling would be followed by a rush of recognitions of Kosovo by so-far uncommitted countries and could lead to Kosovo's admission to the United Nations.

But admission requires a two-thirds majority in the General Assembly — critically including all five permanent members of the Security Council, which are the United States, Britain, France, Russia and China.

That means Russia has the power to indefinitely keep Kosovo out of the world body — unless Moscow changes its view on the issue, or Serbia does.

First reactions from Russia and Serbia on Thursday to the ruling indicated that they remained as implacably hostile as ever to Kosovo independence.

(Additional reporting by Adam Tanner and Reed Stevenson in The Hague, William Maclean in London and Daria Sito-Sucic in Sarajevo; Editing by Xavier Briand)

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