Ethnic Albanians now oppose EU Kosovo mission[fr][de] 

Earlier this month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon proposed a six-point plan regarding the issues of reconfiguration and EULEX deployment. While officials in Belgrade accepted the proposals, the Kosovo Albanian leadership rejected the plans. 

According to the amended plan, police, customs officers and judges in the Serb-run areas in the north of Kosovo would come under the umbrella of the UN mission UNMIK, while their Albanian counterparts would work with EULEX. 

But Pristina said that would violate its constitution and amounted to a de-facto partition of the new state, which unilaterally declared independence last February. 

The situation quickly degenerated, with thousands of angry Kosovars demonstrating in central Pristina last Wednesday (19 November). 

Anti-European surge? 

Another incident worsened the situation: three German intelligence officers were arrested by Kosovar police on the same day for having allegedly detonated a bomb in front of Pristina's EU office on November 14, causing minor damage. On Saturday (22 November), a Pristina court ordered that the three Germans be detained for 30 days on terrorism charges, which could carry sentences of up to 20 years. 

Germany's foreign intelligence agency, the Bundesnachtrichtendienst (BND), denied any involvement in the blast and claimed the three officers were only examining the scene. The German authorities declined to comment further due to the ongoing investigation. 

The German press noted that the arrest of the three intelligence officers may be the result of a power struggle within the Kosovar leadership, with an anti-European faction prevailing over those who wanted the officers released. It was also suggested that the three Germans were investigating organised crime linked to local officials, who did not want to see foreigners meddling in their business. 

Speaking to EurActiv, a Council spokesperson expressed hope that the Kosovar authorities would handle the case "properly". He also downplayed the significance of protests in Pristina last Wednesday, saying that it was an "orderly demonstration" of some 6-8,000 thousand people. He also pointed out that the Kosovars were protesting against the UN's six-point plan and not the EULEX mission as such. 

It is still unclear what the final wording of the UN Security Council decision to "reconfigure" UNMIK will be. It also remains to be seen whether the final text, expected this week, will accommodate both Belgrade and Pristina. A EULEX spokesperson told EurActiv that the mission would be ready to start work at the beginning of December, but added that the decision would come from Brussels. He declined to say whether security situation on the ground had changed in the last few days. 

Speaking to the Southeast European Times, Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaci criticised the UN's six-point plan. "Every document or plan that [opposes the] constitution and the sovereignty of a Kosovo state cannot be accepted. Sovereignty is non-negotiated, state unity unquestionable. The logic of this plan produces division [and] opens the perspective for continuing destabilisation. Who is interested in this? Only the remnants of the 'dark' structures of the near past," he said. 

The prime minister added that he does not believe that the rejection of the plan endangers relations with Western countries. "The partnership with the Western democratic world is continuing and our partnership is irrevocable. We said 'no' to the plan that breaks the unity of our state. Moreover, we said 'yes' to the deployment of the EULEX mission in Kosovo. Our partnership with the Western world is more than a partnership. It is the trust, value and vision of all citizens of the Republic of Kosovo," Thaci explained. 

State Secretary for Kosovo in Belgrade, Oliver Ivanovic, commended the UN's six-point plan. The first two points related to the police and courts were dominant, because they are crucial for the survival of Serbs in Kosovo, Ivanović told daily Večernje Novosti. 

"Also, we insisted on creating conditions for the survival of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, and that is only possible if they do not participate in the Kosovo institutions, because we do not recognize the independence of Kosovo," he said, adding: "This is why we are demanding to continue cooperation with UNMIK in the goal of normalising life for Serbs." 

Asked when the EU mission, EULEX, was expected to arrive in Kosovo, Ivanović said that the implementation of the plan on the ground should immediately follow the upcoming UN Security Council meeting. 

Asked to give a 'yes' or 'no' answer to whether the United States supported the six-point plan, US Assistant Aecretary of State Dan Fried  said in Pristina that the plan was in fact "temporary". 

"We think that the six points do a lot of good and do no harm. We respect the fact that the Kosovo Government has a different view. So we are going to move ahead on the basis of our friendship and support with the Kosovo government [and] our agreement that EULEX should deploy. And on the basis of that agreement, we think we can find a way forward but we will continue our discussions," said Fried.