Policy Sections
Mini Sections
The United Nations has been told to end its mission in Kosovo as its presence has become unnecessary since the country gained independence from Serbia a year ago, its president, Fatmir Sejdiu, announced yesterday (22 April).
Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February 2008, nine years after the end of the ten-year war between Belgrade's security forces and ethnic Albanian guerrillas. In the following years, Kosovo was an international protectorate patrolled by NATO peacekeepers.
Over the past year, the two million-strong republic, 90% of the population of which are ethnic Albanians, has established many of the trappings of statehood, including a new constitution.
More than 50 countries have recognised Kosovo, including the US and most of the EU. Serbia, backed by Russia, opposes Kosovo's independence.
The EU decided in February 2008 to deploy a rule of law mission to Kosovo, under the title 'EULEX Kosovo'. The motivation behind the launch of EULEX is highly political, with the Union determined to take over post-crisis management in a territory on the European continent. The central aim is to assist and support the Kosovo authorities with the rule of law, specifically regarding the police, the judiciary and customs.
Backed by Russia, Serbia initially strongly opposed the EULEX mission and insisted on dealing only with UNMIK, the civilian mission established in the Serbian province following the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 in June 1999. UNMIK recognises the territorial integrity of Serbia.
The initial objective was for EULEX to take over from UNMIK. Following pressure from Serbia, the EU started using the term "reconfiguration" of UNMIK, rather than "replacement" of the UN mission by the EU.
A compromise recently emerged whereby Western nations agreed to Serbia's demand that the mission should be deployed with the blessing of the UN Security Council and that it would be "status neutral", meaning it would not make Kosovo's spilt from Serbia official and would not implement the UN's Ahtisaari plan (EurActiv 28/10/08).
However, this prompted ethnic Albanians to oppose EULEX (EurActiv 25/11/09).
"During these 10 years, Kosovo's institutions and UNMIK [the UN mission] have marked good results in rebuilding the country," Sejdiu said after meeting UN governor Lamberto Zannier. "However, we think now it is time to close this mission successfully."
Zannier said he will report Sejdiu's demand to the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Europe's newest republic is patrolled by 15,000 NATO troops, more than 2,000 European Union police and a justice mission.
Belgrade and 120,000 remaining Serbs have refused to cooperate with the Albanian-run government in Pristina, and recognise the United Nations as the only legal body.
The United Nations has reduced its staff over the past year but wants to keep a small presence mainly in northern Kosovo where the inhabitants are mostly Serbs.
International court decision approaching
In the meantime, the Serbian president Boris Tadic said in Belgrade that his country would continue to fight with diplomatic and legal means to preserve its integrity, the Serb press announced.
"We are facing a new phase in the work of the International Court of Justice, and we are approaching the moment when we should see the effects of our strategic decision to move the whole process of resolving the future status of Kosovo before the world's highest legal institution," Tadic is quoted saying.
Last October, the UN approved Serbia's request to refer the question of Kosovo's independence to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) (EurActiv 09/10/08). This was hailed as a diplomatic triumph in Belgrade.
For its part, the ICJ confirmed on Tuesday that 35 UN member states had filed statements in the Kosovo court case.
The Hague-based court said that the opinions would remain confidential for the time being.
Written statements were filed by the Czech Republic, France, Cyprus, China, Switzerland, Romania, Albania, Austria, Egypt, Germany, Slovakia, Russia, Finland, Poland, Luxemburg, Libya, the United Kingdom, the United States, Serbia, Spain, Iran, Estonia, Norway, Netherlands, Slovenia, Latvia, Japan, Brazil, Ireland, Denmark, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Maldives, Sierra Leone and Bolivia.
(EurActiv with agencies.)
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today (23 April) said that, ten years after the Kosovo conflict, when NATO forces defied the protests of journalists and human rights groups and bombed a television centre in Belgrade killing 16 media staff, the damage from that unprecedented strike is still being felt.
"When NATO forces decided to strike at the television of station RTS in Belgrade because they found its propaganda offensive, they set a terrible precedent," said Jim Boumelha, IFJ president. "That attack opened the door to a decade of attacks on media in conflict zones and has made journalism more dangerous than ever."
Boumelha says that NATO should admit it had made a mistake on 23rd April 1999, when it targeted the Serbian state broadcaster in its struggle with the regime of Slobodan Milosevic. "The lives lost are gone forever, but an apology from NATO to the families and colleagues of those who died is long overdue," he said.
Bulgaria
Czech Republic
France
Germany
Hungary
Poland
Romania
Slovakia
Turkey
Del.icio.us
Digg It
Technorati
Europeans challenge Europe
Evropa.dnevnik.bg:
EurActiv.cz:
EurActiv.de:
EurActiv.fr:
EurActiv.hu:
EurActiv.pl:
EurActiv.ro:
EurActiv.sk:
EurActiv.com.tr: