Kosovo Security Forces Off to Rocky Start

Last Thursday, the new Kosovo Army called the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) launched but things did not get off without a hitch. A grenade was reportedly thrown on the roof of the KSF barracks in Peja/Pec and so far no one has claimed responsibility for the attack in which no injuries occurred. Then former members of the KPC/TMK, predecessor of KSF that incorporated a large number of former KLA fighters, protested the fact that they were not offered positions in the new army but other civilians were being given jobs. With the economy suffering, many former fighters fear they will not find work. A small side-note can be added that when the process for selecting people for KSF began, it was found that little to no background check was done previously and many were disqualified for ties to criminal groups or criminal records.

The smack-down between Ramush Haradinaj and Hashim Thaci is continuing.  The two former KLA-commanders and political rivals have been pitted against each other since Haradinaj’s acquittal by the Hague last year.  The latest in the news is Haradinaj accusing the government of Thaci of losing Kosovo day-by-day.  Haradinaj is also strongly opposing the decision not to hold general elections in Kosovo this year.  It will be interesting to see just how this fight will get or how ugly it might become.  Of course, Haradinaj might just be a little peeved that he lost out on being Kosovo’s Man of the Year to both Thaci and Albin Kurti (see below).

MTCowgirl’s Interesting Articles/Commentary

• KSF introducing new instability in Balkans
• Redland orchid enthusiasts organize festival
• Man of the Year in Kosovo: Hashim Thaci
• Kosovo hires UK PR firm to spice up image
• Kosovo’s quiet victory over violent ethnic nationalism
• Greater Albania dreams on TV
• Killers settle down in Britain by claiming asylum

Kosovo Army Begins Operations

The Kosovo Security Force became operational today bringing an end to the Kosovo Protection Corps (TMK/KPC). The KSF will be lightly armed and will be comprised of 2500 members of the various ethnic groups of Kosovo. It is expected that the new army will be under the supervision of NATO. Serbia has vowed to fight against the formation of KSF diplomatically and is expected to take the verbal battle to the United Nations.  NATO is additionally ready to consider suspending the security zone between Serbia and Kosovo should it be requested.

Two damning reports on Kosovo have emerged this week.  The Council of Europe’s anti-torture committee has condemned the Kosovo Police Service for police brutality and Human Rights Watch stated that there have been no improvements in human rights since independence.

Meanwhile, it has been decided that only local elections will be held this year in Kosovo but general elections will not take place for two years.  The Ahtisaari plan for Kosovo’s independence called for elections within nine months but the constitution which came into effect in July 2008 states that elections cannot be held for two years.  Disagreements between the Kosovo political parties forced the decision into the hands of the European Union’s International Civilian Office which supports holding local elections and the decision that parliamentary elections could be held off until 2011.  However the two largest opposition parties in Kosovo have joined forces in rejecting the postponement of elections calling the decision totalitarian.

MTCowgirl’s Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Obama posters flood Kosovo as optimism is high
• Will Ahtisaari’s plan boost separatism?
• Kosovo wine heads to UK
• Kosovo residents enjoy diverse foods
• Kosovo’s poisoned generation

It’s Freaking Cold!!!

There’s nothing better than beyond freezing temperatures to make you wish that you were back home in a nice warm toasty house or perhaps even better would be to be sitting on a warm sunny tropical beach somewhere.  But alas I am back in Kosovo and therefore freezing my nether-regions with sub-zero temperatures and several inches of snow on the ground.  In fact the weather was so-o-o-o crappy on the return trip to Kosovo that I ended up loitering in the Vienna airport for a total of 10 hours as the afternoon flight was cancelled and I was rebooked on the later evening flight.  But I made it and boy am I happy (please note the sarcasm attached to that statement!) )

MTCowgirl’s Kosovo News

• Macedonia, Kosovo & Albanian to develop mini-Schengen zone
• Kosovo opposition accuses government of broad-scale failures
• Corruption in Kosovo blatant and elusive
• Kosovo government to compensate shopkeepers in Mitrovica
• UNMIK to begin new round of talks

Trouble Brews in North Kosovo

It’s unfortunate that instead of writing about the coming of a new year for Kosovo, I find myself writing instead that ethnic tensions in North Mitrovica are high after the stabbing of a Serbian teenager by two Albanians and then the subsequent property destruction of Albanian owned shops. And it doesn’t end there either. Two explosions rocked the north with both vehicles being damaged and six people injured. It seems that Kosovo is getting off to a rocky start in 2009.

At the beginning of the week, ten former members of the KLA were arrested by Serbian police in Presevo Valley in southeastern Serbia. The Albanians from Kosovo are accused of war crimes of murder, rape, and torture of Serb civilians in the Gnjilane region following the end of the fighting. The ten were transferred to Belgrade and have been given 30-day detention due to the seriousness of the accusations and flight risk. Kosovo parliamentary speaker Jakup Isufi has lashed out at Serbia and demanded that the international community act and the suspects be released.

So will the cowgirl be packing up her bags and leaving Kosovo in 2009? Only time will tell! There still is no real good indication of how long UNMIK will remain in Kosovo and how things will work out with EULEX being deployed under the umbrella of the UN Resolution 1244. There has been rumor and speculation that slowly over time all the UN people will disappear and no one will notice but on the flipside a lot of people have told me that I might as well apply for my Kosovo citizenship (eight years is a good residency period don’t you think?!) and the UN won’t be leaving anytime in the near future. So basically the best thing to say is “Who Knows?!” and until the day comes when I’m told to pack up, you can bet that I’ll continue bringing you stories of living in Kosovo and sharing the news articles I come across

MTCowgirl’s Interesting Articles/Commentary

• Street to be named after George Bush
• Conversion rate: Tale of Christian converts in Kosovo
• Balkans 2008: The unfinished independence

Happy Holidays

With Serbia refusing to accept goods with a Republic of Kosovo customs stamp, the Kosovo government has announced that they may start barring goods from Serbia. Honestly in times of troubled economy I don’t see how the tit-for-tat restrictions on goods will benefit Serbia or Kosovo but that’s what’s new Well, that and Kosovo has said that it may bar Serbian officials from coming into Kosovo.

Allegations of corruption in the United Nations are nothing new however reports have emerged that UN and local officials squandered and stole some 400 million Euros destined for the energy sector. Another scathing article featuring information from former UNMIK employee Jim Wasserstrom states that the UN is not serious about cleaning up its act regarding misconduct and corruption.

Meanwhile, the roles of UNMIK and EULEX continue to be defined amid the confusion as to who does what. News sources report that UNMIK will continue to represent Kosovo abroad while Kosovo government officials say “Ni” and that Kosovo government officials will be representing Kosovo. Serbia has stated that it will intervene in the UN if EULEX fails to properly carry out its mandate. In the meantime, EULEX has taken over its first two organized crime cases in the municipal courts. The transition of the court in North Mitrovica has resulted in demonstrations on Christmas morning with Serbian justice workers protesting their inability to return to work.

MTCowgirl’s Interesting Articles/Commentary
As usual, a small disclaimer These articles do not necessarily reflect my personal opinion but are posted for informational purposes only as I found them “interesting”.

• Kosovo’s Muslims celebrate Christmas in style (see I didn’t make it up!)
• Human traficking in Kosovo and Macedonia
• Kosovo plot thickens
• Anger as UNDP muzzles leader of women’s group in Kosovo
• Kosovo: A year of fear and hope
• EU arrives in Kosovo but divisions linger
• Implementing the six points, by Albin Kurti
• Kosovo, the United States, and international law

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