Dusting off the Blog - KLA Takes Police Hostage in Macedonia

It has been awhile since I posted anything regarding Kosovo.  My family and I moved back to the US in 2013 but I've never stopped watching the news and have kept in contact with my extended family in Kosovo.  The old adage about "the more things change, the more they stay the same" is so true when applied to Kosovo.  Like the continued allegations of corruption of the EULEX mission or anti-government protests over corruption.

But there was one piece of news caught my eye today and I couldn't help but dust off this blog to share.  Early this morning, people wearing KLA uniforms took a police station in Macedonia and held the police officers hostage for a few hours.  The men reportedly called for unification of an Albanian state before releasing the hostages.  Kosovo police say there is no evidence of illegal border crossings and government opposition in Macedonia has accused the government of fabricating the story to take attention away from growing criticism of illegal wiretapping and corruption.

Kosovo Granted Full Sovereignty

Last Friday, the Kosovo Parliament passed legislation officially ending supervised independence.  Members of the International Steering Group on Monday declared Kosovo fully independent.  Even with the end of supervised independence, the Kosovo parliament officially approved the extension of the mandate of EULEX through 2014 and the Deputy KFOR commander stated that NATO troops would remain in Kosovo for another 5-7 years.

With the end of supervised independence, many have been asking "what's next" or "what does it mean" and perhaps most importantly, Is Kosovo ready and what are the remaining challenges? 

In other news, Serbian war crimes prosecutors say that they have a witness to the alleged organ trafficking by the KLA.  In an interview on Serbian TV on Monday, the witness described removing the heart of a Serbian captive and how he was trained in organ harvesting.

Supervised Independence of Kosovo to End in September 2012

Yesterday, the International Steering Group for Kosovo agreed to end the supervised independence of Kosovo in September.  The steering group is made up of 23 European countries, the United States, and Turkey.  The Steering Group said that Kosovo had made significant steps to implementing the Comprehensive Settlement Proposal (CSP) which included laws for cultural and religion heritage protections and community rights. 

What does the end of Supervised Independence mean for Kosovo?  Well, the International Civilian Office (ICO), headed by Peter Feith, which hold executive authority to oversee independence will be closed down in September.  The European Rule of Law Mission (EULEX), KFOR (NATO's Kosovo Force) and UNMIK will still remain in Kosovo. 

In other news, Italian Member of Parliament Pino Arlacchi has sent a series of questions to the European Commission on the progress of EULEX investigations who stated that UNMIK and EULEX "has something to hide".  Arlacchi has been requesting status reports on 11 cases handed over to EULEX from UNMIK which cited criminal conduct involving more than 60 million Euros related to the privatization of Kosovo's electricity. 

Also, the sale of Post & Telcomm Kosovo (PTK) has restarted after it was stopped last year amid allegations of corruption and harmful contracts.  The sale is in the pre-qualification stage where companies can express interest in purchasing the company.  The Kosovo budget greatly relies on the sale of PTK which is expected to bring in between 300-600 million Euros.

KFOR Clashes with Serbs in North - EULEX Mandate Extended to 2014

On Friday, 1 June, KFOR clashed with Serb demonstrators in the North of Kosovo when KFOR attempted to remove a barricade.  Four Serbs and two German KFOR soldiers were injured in the clashes.  KFOR responded with live fire after coming under fire in addition to using tear gas and rubber bullets.  Following the clash, the Serbian Headquarters for Emergency Situations in the North stated that it would not allow EULEX members to travel in the North while the spokesperson for the outgoing Serbian government said that the decision to cooperate with EULEX will be taken by the incoming Serbian government. 

In other news, it was announced today that the mandate of EULEX will be extended until 14 June 2014.  The initial budget for 2012-2013 is Euro 111 Million.  The mission is currently undergoing a reconfiguration over the summer for an overall reduction of 25% of its staff with an increased focus on justice and customs.

Trial Panel Acquits Defendants in Klecka Case

The four remaining defendants in the Klecka trial, including former Transport Minister Fatmir Limaj, were acquitted this morning by a trial panel in the Pristina District Court.  It is expected that the EULEX prosecutor, Salustro, will file an appeal to the acquittal.

In other news, the Hague is holding a status conference today on the retrial of former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj.  Last week the prosecution completed their portion of the trial and it was not expected that the defense would call any witnesses.  Haradinaj and two other defendants were called back to the first retrial in the history of the Hague tribunals on 6 of 37 counts of war crimes due to the difficulty of the prosecution to secure witness statements in the first trial. 

Reciprocal Arrests?

Last week, five Serbs were arrested for transporting election material into Kosovo by the KPS.  A few days ago, Serbian police allegedly crossed the boundary into Kosovo and arrested two KPS officers who were allegedly 130 meters within Kosovo (I say allegedly because the investigation into what really happened is ongoing and the political rhetoric is high.)  However, Serbia released the KPS officers to EULEX on Monday, 02 April.

Klecka Trial - Update

A bit more news has come out about the dismissal of the testimony of Witness X, Agim Zogaj, this afternoon.  Following the testimony being thrown out by the panel of judges, the defendants were released from detention.  The nine defendants were arrested in March 2011 whereas Fatmir Limaj was placed under house arrest last fall.

It is still not known if the case will proceed as most sources say that a decision will be taken in the next few days however in Radio Kosova it is said that the prosecutor, Salustro, is not going to drop the case and will try to prosecute on other written evidence.

Breaking News - Klecka Trial

Breaking news this morning out of Kosovo...

The testimony of the Klecka prosecution's star witness Witness "X", Agim Zogaj, has been thrown out by the court.  Information is limited at this time but reportedly the decision was made minutes after the court proceedings began this morning.

It is not known if the prosecution will continue its case without the testimony of Zogaj.

Klecka Trial Resumes

After a break for the holidays, the Klecka war crimes trial started again this past Monday with much of the focus on former Transport Minister, Fatmir Limaj.  His defense team has raised issues about former judge, now lead prosecutor in the case, Maurizio Salustro, who is accused of threatening the prosecution's star witness known as "Witness X" who committed suicide last September in Germany.  The defense has also requested that Salustro be removed from the case.  EULEX today denied both requests stating that there was no legal basis for Salustro's removal and backing Salustro's statement that his status as an international staff member gives him immunity against prosecution (I'm no lawyer but it seems to me that prosecution and being called as a witness are two different things! As Limaj's lawyer points out, yes immunity from prosecution but not from questioning)
In an article on the progress of EULEX, which claims to be doing just fine, the EUobserver notes that the problem of organized crime continues to dog EULEX with no major "players" ever being indicted four years after the mission announced operational capacity.

The International Civilian Office (ICO) has appointed a new head of office, Samuel Zbogar, to replace Peter Feith.  Zbogar will continue to act as the Slovenian Foreign Minister as well as being the EU High Representative in Kosovo.  In an interview, Zbogar sees the greatest challenge to be the relations between Albanian and Serbian communities and states that the tensions in the north are of the highest priority.

It has been a while but here are some of MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles/Commentary on Kosovo!  As usual, the disclaimer is that these articles do not necessarily reflect personal opinion but pose an interesting viewpoint on Kosovo.

• Why is the US State Department is pushing coal on Kosovo
• Congratulations, Kosovo (sarcasm alert!)
• Can a town divided against itself stand?
• Bronx playwright dramatized Kosovo war
• Vetevendsosje's Determination
• Kosovo's unacceptable amnesties

Kosovo Serbs Dig In

Little it seems has changed in the north of Kosovo since the bloody protests that left 10 people injured last week.  Reports are that Kosovo Serbs are digging in, NATO will not investigate the actions of KFOR personnel, and EULEX is investigating the local population for allegedly trying to ram a vehicle through the KFOR barriers and other incidents.  The protestors continue to man barricades and reinforce roadblocks with a total of 18 barricades in the north.  The New York Times runs an interesting look at the situation of the Kosovo Serbs to join Kosovo and end their push for autonomy as international pressure strengthens and support from Belgrade has weakened.

Tuesday evening, the vehicle of a Serb interpreter working for EULEX was blown up outside the EU office in Mitrovica.  EULEX has condemned the attack and called it a "clear attempt at intimidation".

Yesterday, EULEX raided the Ministry of Internal Affairs whose head has been at odds with EULEX recently saying "God save us from EULEX" over allegations of corruption into tenders for supplying the Kosovo Police Service with equipment.  One ministry official, three businessmen, and two officials from the Kosovo Police Service.

Meanwhile, the death of Witness X, Agim Zogaj, was confirmed as a suicide by the German authorities.  The Zogaj family received the body on Saturday and was expected to hold a funeral in Prizren on the same day.  The family continues to blame EULEX, stating that they kidnapped him, and still questions if his death was actually suicide.  It is expected that the trial will proceed without the key witness and debate has ensued over whether or not EULEX will be able to use recorded testimony in the trial as the defense will not be afforded the opportunity to cross-examine the witness.  Another potential witness is reported to have informed EULEX that he is not willing to testify now due to safety reasons.  There have been calls for EULEX to review its witness protection although details of the protection afforded Zogaj has not been released by EULEX.

Serbs Clash with KFOR in North Kosovo

At approximately 1300hrs today, a group of Serb protestors clashed with KFOR at the Jarinje border crossing in the North of Kosovo.  KFOR reportedly responded to the demonstrators with tear gas and rubber bullets after coming under fire by rocks and guns.  Serbian media also states that KFOR used live ammunition and lists one of the injured as being in a coma and the other in serious condition.

It is reported that four (4) members of KFOR were injured and 10 Serb protestors were injured in the clash.  The peacekeepers were reportedly injured by makeshift pimp bombs were thrown at their position at the border and one soldier is said to be in critical condition.

Some Serb leaders are urging calm while a group of angry demonstrators attacked and damaged two police vehicles in the North and Serbia's Minister for Kosovo, Goran Bogdanovic, is blaming KFOR for the violence .  EULEX and KFOR have deployed reinforcements to the south of the Ibar river.

Earlier today, KFOR used bulldozers to remove mounds of gravel placed as roadblocks in the North.  Demonstrators responded by recreating roadblocks in various areas.

In unrelated news, Romania, which has not recognized Kosovo's declaration of independence, has announced that it would be withdrawing its force from EULEX when their contingent members reach the end of their secondment.  Currently Romania contributes around 170 police officers and gendarmerie to EULEX.

Kosovo Prepares for Establishing Border Checkpoints in the North

Kosovo is preparing to establish border checkpoints in the North of Kosov tomorrow to implement the customs agreement brokered by the European Union.  Many roadblocks have been set-up in the north including a mound of gravel dumped on the main bridge in Mitrovica to block traffic.  Serbia is stating that the establishment of the border checkpoints will bring instability while Kosovo says that it has the right to establish rule of law in all of Kosovo.  NATO and other organizations are repeatedly urging everyone to stay calm as the tensions build.

The recognition of Kosovo has been in the news lately with Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxaj touring the Middle East and Deputy Prime Minister Pacolli in Africa.  Hoxaj states that Egypt will likely recognize Kosovo soon and that Arab countries are starting to warm up to the idea of recognizing Kosovo independence.  Meanwhile, Pacolli has announced that Nigeria recognized Kosovo two days ago and that he expects a recognition soon from South Africa.  Serbia has also been in the news saying that countries have begun to revoke their recognitions of Kosovo, including Oman and Guinea Bissu.  Serbia also says that another two countries have initiated the process to revoke Kosovo recognition but have not provided any names so far.  Lastly, an article in South East Asian News Agency explores the reasons why Pakistan should recognize Kosovo. 

EULEX Investigates and Indicts

EULEX has been busy conducting corruption invesigations and filing indictments.  Most recently, EULEX raided the Ministry of Communities and Returns in connection with an investigation into allegations of misappropriation and bribes. Both the ministry offices, a company called "Fimex", and two private homes were included in the raid.

EULEX has also indicted two PTK officials and three employees of the Dardaphone Company for abuse of authority and issuing damaging contracts just days before two companies were selected to participate in the privatization process.  In the same day, EULEX indicted the general director of Customs and another high ranking Customs official for the importation of a large amount of tobacco in 2008.

In another blow to the Kosovo government, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) announced that they would be terminating the 108 Million Euro stand-by agreement because the Kosovo government had violated an agreement by raising wages for the public sector.  IMF also stated that Kosovo's finances were "severely off track" and the European Union warned Kosovo to exercise fiscal discipline.  In another blow, a report issued the the World Bank on doing business in Southeast Europe shows that Kosovo is the most difficult country in the region to start a business in which does not bode well for a country trying to attract foreign investors!

EULEX has also announced that it initiated and has closed an investigation into the former head of the International Civilian Office (ICO), Peter Feith, for abuse of authority regarding the appointment of the governor of the Kosovo Central Bank.  The allegations revolved around Feith exerting pressure on the panel to appoint the current governor to the position.

EULEX Quickly Losing Face

EULEX continues to have rocky relations with the local population and Kosovo citizens are quickly losing faith in the European Union's largest mission. A report by IPOL shows that the mission has been losing its crediblity with the local population and has dropped to its 2008 levels when the mission first deployed to Kosovo. Inactivity and ignorance were words used to describe the mission as Kosovo celebrated Europe Day on 10 May 2011. Even the head of the International Civilian Office, Peter Feith, has expressed his disappointment in EULEX during an interview with Kosovo paper Zeri.  The former chief of the Economic and Fiscal Affairs Unit in the International Civilian Office (ICO), Andrea Lorenzo Capussela, published an article in the Guardian titled "Eulex in Kosovo: A shining symbol of incompetence" and then was interviewed by Transitions Online about his criticism of the EULEX mission as being overrun with politicial agenda.

Following the EULEX arrests of ten former KLA fighters for war crimes and the non-arrest of former Minister Fatmir Limaj due to diplomatic immunity, the KLA veterans group has urged its members not to recognize the authority of EULEX. The group further has told its members not to respond to requests for interviews and cooperate as EULEX has been mistreating and violating the human rights of the recent detainees.  On the same subject, Fatmir Limaj was summoned to the EULEX prosecutor's office to give a statement as a suspect of war crimes.

EULEX continues to drag its heels in response to the much debated Marty report.  Officials from EULEX met with Marty and his team in late May in efforts to start a preliminary investigation.  Concerns over evidence and the protection of witnesses have lead to delays in transferring information from Marty to EULEX.  Serbia continues to insist that the investigation should happen under the supervision of the United Nations but the European Union has not supported the view.

Shots Fired at EULEX Vehicle in Downtown Pristina

This morning, a window in an EULEX vehicle was reportedly shot out not far from the downtown Police headquarters.  The possibility that the window was damaged by a rock is also being explored.  It is not yet known if the vehicle or the senior police official in the vehicle were specifically targeted.  No one was injured in the attack.

In other Kosovo news, extraordinary mayoral elections following the resignation of the mayor in July for personal reasons in the town of Rahovec/Orahovac did not result in a clear winner and run-offs are expected.  LDK beat both PDK and AAK out by a small margin.  AAK has presented documents which they claim prove that they had a larger percentage of the votes cast than what was reported and are stating that they should be participating in the run-off instead of PDK.

Also in election news, Acting President Jakup Krasniqi has been asked to stop campaigning ahead of the 12 December snap elections by a Kosovo NGO which believes his involvement in a political party could be a violation of the Kosovo constitution.  While being under investigation is not an indication of guilt, senior international officials and Kosovo-based groups have criticized the number of candidates appearing on the election rolls that have pending court cases.  A group of Serbian political parties have jointly published a list of candidates for the east of Kosovo.  While Serbia has encouraged a boycott of the elections, the Kosovo government and some Kosovo-Serbian political parties are urging participation lest the community be left without full representation in the new government.

After being arrested back in July on charges of corruption, Kosovo's Central Bank governer Haschim Rexhepi has been released on bail of 20,000 Euros.  The trial for Rexhepi is expected to start within the next six months to a year.

After leading a revolt against the Serbian Orthodox Church, the ultra-nationalist and renegade Arch-Bishop Artemije has been stripped of his ranks by the church and escorted by police out of the monastery that he and his supporters broke into to hold mass.

Is EULEX Neutral?

The debate whether or not EULEX will be able to maintain neutrality over Kosovo’s independence still continues with both a former UNMIK SRSG and former Kosovo PM stating that the mission will not be status neutral. Besides becoming operational in Kosovo, EULEX has announced that they will open an office in Belgrade in the near future in order to “establish ties” with neighboring countries.

It’s the time of year when the streets of Pristina start looking like an expat ghost town as droves of us head home for the holidays.  The funny thing like last year is that there are all sorts of Christmas decorations and even “Merry Christmas” signs all over the streets of Pristina…odd for a place where most people say they are Muslim.  Of course the term “Muslim Lite” is always applicable in Kosovo (check out the first of my interesting articles for the newest on Kosovo’s moderate Muslims!) but it’s still really, really, really strange that they are “celebrating” Christmas!  Naturally the Muslim Albanians are not celebrating the “real” Christmas but rather its just the commercial Christmas of trees, lights, Santa, and giving gifts…and maybe an excuse to have another day off from work *grin*  Anyways, I’ll be returning home to the US for a few weeks but if anything interesting happens and it reaches my ears, I’ll be sharing it with you  

The weather has been pretty moderate for December.  We just had the one really big snowstorm and then nothing significant since then.  It rains every once in a while.  With the warmer winter temperatures, the power situation has been pretty good.  It only has gone off every once in a while for 30-60 minutes at a time…hardly worth the effort of going outside to turn on the generator!

MTCowgirl’s Interesting Articles/Commentary

• The “really” moderate Muslims of Kosovo
• Kosovo Albanians plan to kill Serbian FM?
• Taking the stairs, a look at Dragodan
• Strange BND affair in Kosovo
• Us, Them, and the Europeans

MTCowgirl’s Kosovo News

• KPS Spokesperson allegedly fired over scandal
• Serbian church and dining facility demolished in Kosovo
• Kosovo government steps up actions against human trafficking
• Customs transferred to Kosovo Government

EULEX Officially Launches

It has actually happened! EULEX has finally become “operational” on 9 December 2008 in Kosovo after much speculation on the date and their capability.  Of course, you have to question just how operational EULEX is based on the fact that most staff are going into empty offices with no desks, chairs, much less a computer.  What’s even more amusing is that a friend who walked into his new empty office is due to work in IT and he doesn’t even have a computer.  As the saying goes, “nothing to do and all day to do it”!!!
There does seem to be some confusion about the “take over” from UNMIK.  Keep in mind that EULEX is a law mission, not a political one.  EULEX has only taken over the police and justice portion of the UNMIK mission meaning that the political component of UNMIK still remains in Kosovo.  The deployment of EULEX does not mean that all the UN staff are packing their bags and leaving Kosovo…which means you can expect this cowgirl to continue blogging from and about Kosovo for some time to come )

MTCowgirl’s EULEX Deployment News
A little news on the deployment of EULEX in Kosovo

• Amnesty International calls on EULEX to resolve kidnapped & missing persons cases
• EULEX launches but devil in the details
• Germany to send 100 officers by end of 2008
• EULEX to consolidate Rule of Law
• A new color blue in Kosovo

MTCowgirl’s Kosovo News

• Kosovo to open 22 embassies in 2009
• Kosovo Security Force delayed until January 2009
• Kosovo regrets arrest of German intelligence officers but will not apologize
• OSCE:  Kosovo needs to do more for human rights

MTCowgirl’s Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Kosovo: A European Narco State
• Power games delay escape from poverty
• EULEX: diplomatic brilliance
• Kosovo hackers attack Serbian websites
• Delo wonders if EULEX is mission impossible
• Roma kids poisoned by lead
• Balkan earthquake is felt far away
• Rock for reconciliation in Mitrovica
• The Balkan Bailout
• Investigative prize goes to Kosovo journalist
• Doubts hang over Kosovo’s EU prospects

EULEX Delayed

EULEX has delayed its official start date rumored to be 9 December in supposed response to the massive demonstration called by Vetevendosje today.  Vetevendosje and several NGOs are preparing a cold welcome for EULEX due to the approval of the six-point proposal that Kosovo rejected and that EULEX will deploy under Resolution 1244 with a neutral status towards Kosovo’s independence.  Kosovo PM Thaci has stated that the EULEX mission would be debatable if it was not fully deployed in all of Kosovo from Day 1 and warned against non-deployment.

MTCowgirl’s Kosovo News

• Kosovo healthcare system in catastrophic state
• Nine arrested in connection to jailbreak of cop killer
• Germany criticizes Kosovo but won’t cut aid
• UN judges release German agents due to lack of evidence
• Kosovo Imam attacked by masked men
• Serbs demand independent TV channel

UN Security Council Approves EULEX

The UN Security Council has given their support and approval of the six-point proposal for the deployment of EULEX under the umbrella of UNMIK.  It’s is unclear at this time how the two missions will work together but EULEX expects to begin working next week on 2 December.  EULEX is expected to gradually work up to full deployment in all of Kosovo.

The three German “spies” suspected of being responsible for the bomb attack on the EU ICO office in Pristina are due to be released due to a lack of evidence and flown back to Germany.  The German government has admitted that the three men are intelligence officers.  While the debate rages over suspected German spy involvement in the blast, a previously unknown group calling themselves “Army of the Republic of Kosovo” has claimed responsibility for the attack.  In an interesting article, reporters state how the blast is said to have chafed the bond with Germany.

First Snow

Shortly after the new day began, it started snowing for the first time this winter in Pristina. By morning, the city was covered with a thick sheet of about six inches of snow and it seems to be staying. Of course I had to revert to childhood and romp around in the snow with Smokey as well as build a snowman on my terrace You’ll find pictures in my Kosovo Photo Album.

Three German nationals have been arrested in conjunction to the explosion at the EU ICO building in Dragodan last week.  There has been speculation in German media that the trio might be spies working for the German Intelligence Service however the German embassy has stated that they were in Kosovo under personal capacity and did not have diplomatic immunity.  However little information is available in regards to a motive and KPS is remaining tight-lipped on the details of the case.

The EU continues to deploy people to Kosovo and is anticipated to officially take over police and justice duties from UNMIK on 2 December.  Still there are questions of whether or not EULEX will be fully operational by the 2 December deadline and whether or not the UN Security Council will agree in their meeting on Monday for deployment of the EU mission under the umbrella of the UN.  Rumor has it EULEX is pushing to be fully deployed by the end of December in order to utilize their budget for 2008.

MTCowgirl’s Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Kosovo at another crossroads
• Mistrust fuels intolerance in Kosovo
• Many plans, none for integrating communities
• UN deciding over plan, which plan to select for Kosovo?
• Kosovo cannot be neutral towards EULEX

MTCowgirl’s Kosovo News

• Kosovo fights Serbia, as Serbia fights everyone
• Kosovo independence justified by recognitions
• EULEX ready to operate
• Kosovo situation potentially explosive
• German automaker cancels plans to build plant in Kosovo