UN Secretary-General Visits Kosovo - Vetevendosje Strikes

Today the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki Moon of South Korea, will visit Kosovo.  This is the first high-level visit from the United Nations since Kofi Annan visited in 1999.  As preparations were underway for the visit, Vetevendosje paid a visit to the UNMIK Mission HQ to spray-paint the word "Fair" after the word UN near the main entrance of the compound.

Head of Kosovo Privatization Agency Commits Violent Suicide - UNMIK to close UAM Office in North

The head of the Kosovo Privatization Agency, Dino Asanaj, violently stabbed himself to death according to local and European Union officials.  Following the death of Asanaj, there was speculation of murder and then suicide after reports of a note being left accusing the Zeri newspaper and two Kosovo businessmen of ruining his and his families lives over allegations of corruption.  The autopsy reports confirming death by suicide were met with much disbelief and accusations of a cover-up due to the violent nature of the death, at least 11 different stab wounds. 

In other news, after the announcement that the Kosovo government would open an office in the North of Kosovo and subsequently requested UNMIK to close its office, UNMIK has agreed to close down the office but not in the two week time-frame suggested by the Kosovo government.  UNMIK will gradually close down the office over a three month period and work on turning over documents to the Kosovo government.

UNMIK Begins Downsizing

The spokesman for UNMIK has stated that the mission will downsize by 70% starting yesterday.  Staff are expected to begin receiving contract termination notices and those whose contracts are expiring will not be renewed.  It is expected that the 70% downsizing will happen progressively over the next four months and then a follow-up mission of UNMIK will begin with the remaining staff.

The news paralleling South Ossetia to Kosovo continues with great debate if the two are alike or not.

Kosovo and Georgia: What Gives?!
These articles are mostly commentary expressing the viewpoints from around the world. Articles posted do not necessarily reflect my own opinion.

• Russia eats Kosovo cake
• Kosovo redux
• Rejecting false parallels: Why Kosovo is not South Ossetia
• Kosovo rejects rejects comparison to South Ossetia

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News

• Kosovo President not ashamed of K-Serbs plight
• Germany recognizes passports issued by Kosovo
• UN and EULEX clash over customs
• UN begins scale down of mission
• Lack of recognition halts Kosovo's Olympic dream
• Kosovo Serb leader slams international officials on cooperation
• KFOR donates medicine to Kosovo Health Center
• Serbian war vets injured at Kosovo border demonstration

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles/Commentary
And since it has been a little while, disclaimer time! These articles posted do not necessarily reflect my personal opinion but they are related to Kosovo in some way and information sharing is the name of the game :)

• Kosovo seeks to emerge from a lonely place
• Where Serbs meet the new Kosovo
• Kosovo meets Serbia's offensive with apathy

Kosovo Lives

The BBC has been running a series of articles on people living in Kosovo from Albanians in the North to a trio of displaced Slovenian-Serb women in Ferizaj.  The articles are quite interesting and give a good perspective of the various problems that face people living in Kosovo.
UNMIK has a new Principal Deputy SRSG in the form of South African Nicholas Haysom who arrived last week to help guide the mission's reconfiguration.  Mr. Haysom met with Kosovo officials shortly after his arrival to discuss the reconfiguration and cooperation with the Kosovo government.

There are rumors in the media that the new SRSG, Lamberto Zannier, is in conflict with the EU and Kosovo government particularly in regards to suggestions for bringing Serbian KP (Kosovo Police, I don't know, for some reason and it was explained to me but I forgot exactly why...but they aren't called KPS anymore...something to do with independence...) officers under the umbrella of UNMIK and relations with parallel Serb structures.  In fact, last week it was reported that Zannier could become persona non grata in Kosovo should he continue.

The Kosovo passports have received more recognition in the past week with the US saying that they will accept the documents as well as Turkey and Sweden.  Kosovo has also received formal recognition of their independence from Columbia and Belize.

With the conflict in Georgia over South Ossetia, there are numerous parallels and articles referencing Kosovo's bid for independence.  Some question whether or not it is payback for Kosovo or maybe could South Ossetia become like Kosovo?  Other's say that Georgia, not South Ossetia, is like Kosovo and maybe we could apply a Kosovo Model to South Ossetia.

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News

• Britian critical of UN report on March raid of Mitrovica courthouse
• Kosovo names Defense Minister
• Suspended KPS to receive salaries from Kosovo budget
• Serbian Army Reservists to demostrate at Merdare border
• Police and civilians injured in scuffle in Mitrovica
• OSCE warns of child traficking in Kosovo
• Serbian official slams UNMIK after commenting on EULEX

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles/Commentary

• How Kosovo created its own form of Liberal Islam
• Kosovo's Dokufest explains why Albanians don't speak Serbian
• A proof of identity, the new Kosovo passports

Reconfiguration Delayed

The new SRSG of UNMIK, Lamberto Zannier, has announced that the reconfiguration of the mission has been delayed and will not be completed until late November or early December.
Last week in the Security Council meeting, Zannier conceded that his powers have been drastically reduced following the Kosovo constitution going into effect.  Meanwhile the UN Security Council has continued to be deadlocked on the issue of changing the mission's mandate to allow the EULEX mission to take over police and justice from UNMIK.  Increasingly there is tension between the two organizations as highlighted by the recent disagreement over the sacking of the Head of Customs by the Kosovo Government.

The Kosovo Government has started issuing Kosovo passports to its citizens and UNMIK has acknowledged that it has stopped printing the travel documents previously given out.  Some countries, such as Slovakia, have stated that they will not recognize the new Kosovo documents but will continue to accept those issued by UNMIK.  Kosovo travelers may still face problems in Europe as it is not yet fully clear how countries who have not recognized independence will deal with the new documents.  Problems were reported at the Macedonian border but Macedonians officials have denied the media reports that Kosovars were denied entrance based on travel with the Kosovo passports.  Serbia said that they will negate Kosovo entry stamps in passports and crossing the border from Kosovo into Serbia will continue to be an issue in which travelers will most likely be forced to continue travel via Kumanova to have a Serbian entry stamp in their passports.

The power situation of late has for lack of better description "sucked big time" with most of Pristina being provided 3:3 (3 on, 3 off) although KEK's website says that the situation is supposed to be better (24/7 my behind!).  It does make me wonder what the winter will be like if there isn't enough electricity supply for the summertime.

UN Begins Re-Configuration

The new SRSG, Italian diplomat Lamberto Zannier, of UNMIK announced last week that the mission will begin reconfiguration and transition of the police and justice to the EULEX mission under the umbrella of the UN.  The Security Council has not ruled on changing the mission's mandate as outlined in Security Council Resolution 1244.  Serbia warned UN Secretary-General against any reconfiguration of the mission without the approval of the Security Council and Serbia.
I will be heading home to the US for a couple weeks on Friday but as I normally can't live without the internet for very long, you can count on a couple updates while I'm away :)  Smokey will be going back to the "doggy prison" as I call it and staying at the Kosovo Dog Shelter near the airport.  Volunteer vets Petra & Toni are again visiting for the summer so watch out for charity events to support the shelter and their efforts!

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News

• Kosovars trust KFOR, then KPS, then TMK/KPC, and last the judiciary
• Kosovo and Macedonia start border demarcation process
• Deputy of Trade dismissed after heated parlimentary quarrel
• Kosovo Serbs form parliament in North

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Kosovo should just say no to UN
• Russia wants to divide Europe through Kosovo
• New Kosovo Serb Parliament raised concerns for EU
• Kosov@ Post celebrates launch
• Kosovo autonomy debate rages, an interesting view from Czech Republic
• Kosovo should play it cool
• UNDP finds Kosovo judiciary is unsatisfactory

Who's Gonna Enforce the New Laws?

A couple weeks ago, the Kosovo parliament passed new legislation in regards to traffic laws which prohibited cell phone usage without hands-free headsets, required headlights at all times, requires seat-belt usage, prohibits stopping on pedestrian walkways or failing to stop for pedestrians, and finally prohibited heavy trucks from using the roads with muddy tires. But after a couple of weeks of being in effect, MTCowgirl is wondering what good is passing laws if there is no one around who is willing to enforce them?! I still see vehicles zipping by pedestrians (or nearly running them over) daily, kids bouncing around the backseats of vehicles with no car-seats or belts, and honestly it's hard to find a driver in Kosovo that doesn't have a mobile phone glued to their ear. In fact, a common sight is seeing a guy smoking with one hand and holding a cell phone with the other while driving down the road :o) If the Kosovo government is looking for a bit of pick-up in the budget, they should think about getting the police to start writing tickets for traffic offenses rather than drinking macchiato (or jaywalking in front of the police station...if the police can't obey the laws how can they except the ordinary citizens to have any respect for them or the police???)

The question still remains about what's going on with UNMIK. The EU has announced that it will close down Pillar IV of UNMIK by the end of June. UNMIK staff have been invited to attend a meeting with the SRSG on Wednesday to discuss the political developments (Nada!) and the "reconfiguration" of the mission. The UN Secretary-General has stated that UN Security Council Resolution 1244 is still in force in Kosovo. And there are also some rumors floating around that both SRSG Ruecker and PDSRSG Rossin have threatened to resign over NY's refusal of Mitrovica regional administrator Gerard Galluci.

Other Kosovo News

• Kosovo constitution to be signed today
• UNMIK SRSG gives interview & discusses Serbian MUP in Kosovo

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Impartiality out the window
• Get a move on! The EU tells Kosovo to move ahead with new power plant
• Kosovo Government sued by NGO for favoring corruption
• Azerbaijan withdraws troops from Kosovo

Politics-Schmalitics :P

Blah is about the only thing I can think of to say about the situation in Kosovo these days. There is still no clarification from UNHQ in NY for UNMIK and EUPT is in transition to EULEX without us. It is expected that a wave of some 300 people will arrive on 1 April and most of us are scratching our heads trying to figure out where on earth they'll find space since UNMIK officially got its hand slapped for starting transitioning without authorization from NY. The bottom line is that UNMIK is still in full operation according to the UN. So for all this time that we have criticized parallel local institutions now we have created parallel international institutions!
Serbia has requested the Security Council to maintain UNMIK in Kosovo while the UN has told Serbia to respect its mandate. I think a quote from Eric Cartman can be properly inserted...the UN told Serbia "Respect my Authoritah!" :)

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Hidden Agenda on Kosovo
• One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
• Future consequences of Kosovo
• Kosovo already is part of the EU
• Kosovo and the myth of Serbian Depravity
• A world of Selfistans?
• You Got Serb-ed
• Seduction is best strategy for Kosvoo

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Kosovo searches for national anthem
• EU to give Kosovo 385 million to prepare for integration
• EULEX Chief to stay until Kosovo joins EU
• Serbia heads to early polls over EU & Kosovo

Officially Sick of Politics!

MTCowgirl must declare that she is officially sick of politics...
The lack of clear direction from UNHQ in NY regarding Kosovo's independence has left most of the UN staff scratching their heads and wondering "what to do" (to borrow a phrase from the locals). The EU has started transitioning from EUPT (EU Planning Team) to EULEX (LEX meaning "law" in Latin...the mission name is not in fact an acronym) but logistics are proving to be challenging as EULEX was due to move into facilities vacated by downsizing UNMIK. Some on the ground even talk about tension between the two organizations due to the UN's non-commitment to let the EU take over under UNSC Resolution 1244. It is thought that the UN Security Council will meet to discuss Kosovo around the 17th of March, interesting that this is also the anniversary of the day that the 2004 March riots began. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon is expected to submit a report in late March on Kosovo...until then, the UN will just continue to plan to hand things over to the EU whenever (as it seems there is no longer any ifs about it...) that will happen.

Fire at Municipal Building Leads to Helicopter Evacuation

Yesterday, four UN staff members were rescued by KFOR helicopter from the roof of the Prizren municipal building after a fire broke out in the late afternoon.  An investigation is pending into the cause of the fire which reportedly broke out on the first floor of the Bankos building. 
Could Kosovo's status be put on hold until 2020 in exchange for billions of Euros in aid and an eventual referendum?  BIRN takes a look in Kosovo's Moment of Truth at what the decision might mean for Kosovo.  Kosovo's PM Agim Ceku has already rejected the idea stating that Kosovo's independence is not for sale.  However, given that Kosovo will face tough economic times and possible isolation following a unilateral declaration of independence, other politicians might want to think twice before rejecting the plan so quickly.  However, is the whole 2020 plan just a hoax???  The US State Department denies that there are any new plans for Kosovo's status other than the implementation of the Ahtisaari proposal.

Snippets of other Kosovo News...

• The Times published an article on Kosovo militias and the threat they pose towards progress and peace.  The article takes a look at militias from both sides of the Kosovo argument in this interesting piece.
• B92 has an article about how some members of the Serbian parliament questions the multi-ethnic idea in Kosovo
• Serbia is urging Kosovo-Serbs to boycott the upcoming elections
• As a response, UN tells Serbia to stop intimidating Kosovo-Serbs who want to vote in the elections
• A poll of Serbs shows that they believe the coalition government will collapse over Kosovo

Last One Left, Turn Off the Lights

This week begins a sad procession of friends leaving the mission.  Over the next month, at least five people that I consider friends will leave Kosovo for home.  As the mission drags on, more and more people are leaving and it makes me wonder if I'll be left in the end to turn off the lights?!  To my friends that are leaving, I hope that we will meet again sometime soon and until then take care!

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News Update...
Russia is protesting being excluded from talks on Kosovo.  A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry stated that the private discussions between leaders of Western countries leads "one to think that unilateral scenarios for Kosovo's independence are being prepared".

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has released a report that the UN has undermined its legitimacy due to a lack of accountability.  The report goes on to discuss the lack of remedies for human rights violations by the two organizations.  Despite all appearances of having mechanisms in place to investigate or deal with complaints, the offices are weak with little authority to do anything in regards to citizen complaints.  In 2006, the Ombudsperson Institution was stripped of its ability to investigate complaints against UNMIK or KFOR.  The report also tells the EU mission planners to avoid arrogance and make itself accountable to Kosovo courts.

There are always reports of people being denied exit from Kosovo due to fake or altered travel documents however in an interesting case yesterday, 19 Albanians from Kosovo were arrested by Macedonian police after attempting to cross the border with fake Swedish passports.  I don't recall ever seeing a report of so many people arrested with the same kind of fake document.

Independence Delayed???

In his weekly radio address, Kosovo PM Agim Ceku has stated that "Independence will not happen this month, but in June".  Just a few weeks ago, Ceku said that Kosovo would be independent by the end of May.    It is not uncommon for Kosovo politicians to promise independence by a certain date and then retract those statements.  Ceku's predecessor Kosumi had promised independence in June 2006.  Ceku has also toned down some of his unilateral declaration rhetoric and is now saying that Kosovo will not declare independence following a Russia veto until it has consulted with its allies in the US and EU.
The UN has overthrown a decision by the local government concerning building a protective wall around a church in Pec/Peja.  The local government ordered the work on the wall because the church allegedly did not receive permission to build.  The SRSG, Joachim Rueker, issued an executive order that the work can continue until the dispute is resolved.  The patriarchate of Pec stated that the wall is needed to protect the church and its inhabitants as the Italian troops and their sandbags would not stay forever.  In response to the SRSG's executive order, around 30 Vetevendosje activists attempted to march to the patriarchy but were stopped by police.

In other news, in Macedonia an ethnic-Albanian who worked for the Ministry of Justice was arrested for attempting to smuggle three Kosovo- Albanians across the border into Greece.  Menduh Kuci, a courier from the Tetevo branch of the ministry agreed to transport three K-Albanians to the Greek border in exchange for a payment of 130 Euros.  Because Kuci took a wrong turn, he was arrested at the Macedonian-Serbian border (he went north instead of south!) He reportedly mistook the border crossing for a toll-booth and showed his government ID card to pass the "toll".  The K-Albanians were deported as they were in Macedonia illegally.

On 2 June, the Sports Committee is going to hold a Beach Volleyball and BBQ at TSS.  Look on Lotus Notes and the Intranet for more details.  You can get a registration form online or at one of the Pristina UNWind Gyms.  Oh, and let me welcome the new American Civpol contingent to Kosovo :o)

Romanian Police Found Responsible for Deaths of Protestors

An investigation into the deaths of two Albanian protestors on 10 February has released interim findings.  The investigation found that the Romanian Police were responsible for the deaths of two protestors and the serious wounding of two others but concluded that there was insufficient evidence to identify the officers that fired the bullets.  The bullets were a type exclusively used by the Romanian officers and had an expiration date of 1994.  The UN in New York is looking into why expired ammunition but police commissioner Richard Monk has stated that the UN would "expect that that units coming here would adhere to the manufacturer's rules" and that is not within the UN's capacity to issue regulation on the age of bullets.
The shootings were deemed "unwarranted and unjustified".  The UN-appointed prosecutor, Robert Dean, has stated that "the acts of one, two, or three in firing rubber bullets improperly or in a criminal manner, which I think happened, cannot necessarily be imputed to all others" and urged the UN and the Romanian government to consider compensation for the families of the victims.

Yesterday afternoon, around 20 Vetevendosje supporters spray-painted two UNMIK vehicles downtown.  I think there was enough notification of the protest for people to avoid the area and prevent the vandalism of the vehicles.  In Prizren, another two vehicles were spray-painted with the word "Vrases" (Murderer/Killer).

Vetevendosje Strikes Again

1230 CET:  Reports are coming in that the Vetevendosje group is attacking UN vehicles downtown.  They are spray-painting vehicles, stopping them in traffic or parked along the roads.  The one vehicle that I saw a couple minutes ago had "Vrasj�s" (Killer/Murderer in Albanian) stenciled neatly on the sides and hood. There must have been a clearance sale on spray paint somewhere in Kosovo because the cars aren't the only UN property to suffer.  In the past couple of days members of the group have been actively defacing the blast barrier outside Mission HQ with the phrase "Free Albin Kurti" and "Vrasj�s" and some vehicles. 

Yesterday, the activists spray painted the wall three times, four times the day before...I guess they basically waited until the paint dried and went out with fresh cans of paint during the day. The total damage in Vetevendosje's campaign was eight UN vehicles, a UN bus, and again several paintings of the blast barrier. 

The UN has hit one of its lowest ratings in popularity in Kosovo.  A survey has put approval of the UN at just 24%, just one percent higher than after the 2004 riots that left 19 people dead.  The reason for the low approval is that many locals (Albanian and Serbian) blame the UN for the political and economic limbo they have faced since 1999.  And even with the assurances for minorities in Ahtisaari's proposal, 10% of Serbs interviewed said they would leave if Kosovo became independent and another 30% had not yet decided if they would stay or go.

Other interesting Kosovo news includes a shoot-out between unknown males and KPS near the Albanian border in Decani.  KPS supposedly came under fire from two males who fled towards Albania after the officers returned fire.  There was also a large explosion in Suvareka near a restaurant that destroyed the doors and windows.  It is not yet know what kind of device was used.

Last night for our weekly Wednesday dinner, we decided to head north towards Obilic for dinner at Hotel Amazona (044 454 454).  Located on the Pristina-Mitro highway about one km after the second turn-off to Obilic (Kastriot/Besiane), Amazona has a beautiful outside seating area with a park setting (complete with fountains!)  The outside setting will be great when the weather is good (the indoor is clean and nice too but it is nothing special).  The food is good with the normal selection of steaks, trout, and traditional salads.  The traditional Albanian bread is a great treat but make sure that you order early as it takes some time for it to be prepared so order one up as you are deciding on what to eat/drink.  Try to ask for the garlic/butter sauce for the fish when you order too...we got our after everyone had already eaten most of their fish :o)

Serbia Requests Postponement of Status

Serbian President Boris Tadic has requested the UN postpone it's revelation of special representative Ahtisaari's proposal for the status of Kosovo until a government is formed following the elections. Tadic stated that proposal may not be "very favorible for the Serb side" and that the formation of the governemnt should only take a couple of weeks. The elections are scheduled for the 21st and Ahtisaari is expected to make his announcement as early as the 26th. The revelation of Ahtisaari's plan was already postponed from the end of 2006 to after the Serbian elections in fears that a non-favorable solution for the Serbs would cause a rise in the popularity of ultra-nationalism in Serbia. Although the "radical" nationalist party in Serbia is already expected to win approximately 31% of the vote where other parties would take significantly smaller percentages of the vote. I seriously doubt that the month long delay has any real impact on the elections as there already has been plenty of talk by UN, EU, and contract group representatives stating basically that Kosovo should have some sort of conditional independence. Ahtisaari caused a great deal of anger in Serbia when he stated that Serbs were guilty as a nation for the occurences in Kosovo.
Following the elections, Ahtisaari will present the proposal to the Serbian and Kosovo authorities and I believe the Contact Group. After both sides have time to submit their input, Ahtisaari will take the proposal the Secretary General and then to the Security Council sometime in March. The road to finalizing the status will not be easy once the proposal is announced. A win-lose situation will not be acceptable and a win-win situation is very difficult to foresee. The UN has been hoping to complete liquidation of the mission by the end of 2007 and turn over authority in Kosovo to the local and EU representatives. We will see how things progress over the next few months!

In other news, the former director of the Pristina airport has been charged in a "bribes for jobs" scandal. One might recall that UNMIK was criticized by UN auditors, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), of failing to halt widespread fraud and corruption at the airport. SRSG at the time, Soren Jessen-Petersen, denied the claims stating that he did not have the authority to investigate the dealings at the airport. Back to the scandal though, Ian Woollett, the director between 2003-2005 is accused of accepting bribes from local businessmen in exchange for employment at the airport. Two employees were let go in May 2006 in connection with the scandal. The charges come at the conclusion of the two-year investigation following the criticism from OIOS.

Happy New Year

It's hard to believe that we are ringing in another new year in Kosovo. While I'm not actually in mission, I've marked five and a half years of my adult life there which is no small feat. But I do have to admit that in the time I have spent in Kosovo, I have seen many changes...and many for the better. I remember when I first arrived back in the summer of 2000, the water and power was almost constantly off with no regular schedule. But that has changed now and people are rewarded with power when they pay their bills. But things in Kosovo have also changed a bit for the worse, at least from an outsider's perspective. While trying to be European, the politics of Kosovo are strife with corruption and politicians in Pristina seem to ignore the plight of those outside the capital.

Also for several years now, certain groups of the Albanian population have been losing their patience with the pace of UNMIK in resolving the status issue. Those from democratic countries know that democracy does not come cheaply nor does it come quickly. In the US we are still perfecting our democracy with each election...and people in Kosovo can't expect that they can just *snap* and have an instantly working independent country. However, the impatience of the Albanian groups, especially Self-Determination, has created a feeling of unwelcome for many that makes some internationals unwilling to stay the course and continue working in Kosovo. I myself will stay in Kosovo at least until the end of June but I know many people who are leaving. Whether or not I stay past June does partly depend on the attitude of the local population in addition to the fate of UNMIK.

The SRC holds an annual party every year, usually to benefit charity.  This year the SRC held the annual party in conjunction with fundraising for HIV/AIDS education through the UN Health Clinic and other NGOs.  The SRSG Joachim Ruecker attended the event and posed for pictures with the fundraising group and members of the SRC.  From the pictures, you can see that SRSG Ruecker doesn't mind having a Peja beer every once in awhile.  It was a great honor for him to attend the event organized by the SRC and he was generous in making a contribution to our fundraising event along with the members of his staff :)

The fundraisers, a group of volunteers from the Health Clinic and around the UN, with the SRSG

Mission Increases Security

UNMIK officials have officially announced that the mission was increasing security due to unspecific but serious threats against its personnel and property.  Stress-levels have been rising on the lead up to tomorrow's Flag Day mass protests in the streets of Pristina by the Self-Determination group and a recent spate of threats and tampering of UN vehicles (slashing tires or removing lug nuts). 
The Self-Determination group seems to have recruited young men of high-school age to plaster posters calling for the protests.  I drove past a couple groups that were hanging up posters around and they couldn't have been old enough to shave (maybe around 15-16 years-old).  From speaking to many of my local friends, they don't think there will be a very large turn-out as most of the population doesn't agree with the group's tactics.  There seemed to be popular support in the beginning but as I've seen, each protest seems to be with fewer and fewer people.  In fact the group seems to be losing quite a bit of respect lately and last week their headquarters was raided and Kurti was arrested for failing to show up in court to answer for previous civil disturbance charges

New SRSG Apppointed

Joachim Rucker, the current head of the economic reconstruction pillar, was appointed by Kofi Annan to be the sixth Special Representative of the Secretary General (SRSG - bet you always wondered what that meant!)  Rucker, a German, has also worked in Bosnia-Herzegovina and has overseen much of the privatization process in Kosovo in addition to battling the high unemployment rates.  Rucker believes that he will be the last SRSG to serve in the Kosovo mission and has already stated that partition of Kosovo is not an option.   
In other news, the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) have taken over from international police at the borders of Kosovo this week, except for the northern border with Serbia.  The northern border is still controlled by international officers and KFOR troops.  Nearly 500 international police officers have been deployed to the area north of Mitrovica to do what is called "enhancement" policing.  Basically it is community policing and is part of an effort to make the minority community feel safer.

The Washington Post printed an editorial about Greater Albania.  While rather one-sided there is some interesting questions raised about the politics of the region.

Passing of a Friend

It is with great sorrow that I inform those who have been in Kosovo that Muhamet Ribari passed away tonight at 22:00 hours after a battle with cancer.  Muhamet was undergoing treatment in hospital at Ausburg, Germany.  Muhamet worked at the UNMIK MHQ Gym as a receptionist and personal trainer since 2000.  He was an energetic and friendly person and will be sorely missed by all those that knew him.

Collection boxes placed in the Pristina UNWind Gyms helped raise 3700 Euros to aid his family pay medical bills and assist with the funeral arrangements.

Mafia Threatens Police Commissioner

The international police commission, Kai Vittrup, has admitted that he has received death threats from the mafia in Kosovo and that is the reason why his protection was recently stepped-up.  Vittrup also mentioned that his wife had left Kosovo as part of a joint decision.  This statement is interesting because Kosovo is classified as a non-family mission and family members are not supposed to be living here with staff or Civpols. 
A few studies have come out on the fact that the local economy will suffer greatly after the UN closes the mission.  UNMIK has spent 2.6 Billion Euros since the start of the mission in 1999.  One media report went as far to claim that independence would result in a total collapse of the local economy.  One of the problems identified is that should Serbia become hostile to an independent Kosovo, it would be difficult for the new Kosovo to export products or people because they would have to utilize roads through Serbia.  You can read the full EU Pillar report on UNMIK's Impact on the Economy.