Prishtina Insight EULEX on Rule of Law,” Collaku Stamped
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Opinion: Norway’s Bomber Should Leave the Balkans Alone July 29 - September 1, 2011 Issue No. 69 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1 BUSINESS Fears Over Sale of Kosovo’s Prize Asset, PTK > page 6 INSIDE PRISHTINA Giant Party Leaders’ Posters Illegal, Says Municipality > page 18 TIME OUT 'Frustration with EU Inaction' Dokufest’s Tenth Anniversary Forced Border Raid Already a Hit Prishtinaa says EU inaction over Kosovo’s lawless north forced it to take unilateral action - which some now describe as > page 17 “poorly planned”. FEATURE unit and the redeployment of Europe’s failure to renew a key Since then EULEX officials and By Lawrence Marzouk NATO troops in large numbers. trade agreement with Kosovo, or Serb members of the Kosovo Comedy Bridges “The EU has failed to learn the appoint a permanent head of EU Police have manned them. But cus- Language Gulf n advisor to Kosovo’s Prime lessons, and again it has problems policy in Prishtina since the begin- toms duties have not been collect- Minister, Hashim Thaci, fulfilling its mission through ning of May. ed and passports have not been Between Two Ahas told Prishtina Insight EULEX on rule of law,” Collaku stamped. that the European Union and its said. Secret operation: Kosovo’s government said Albanias rule of law mission in Kosovo, The EU remains “status neu- action became urgent after it EULEX, had failed in Kosovo and tral” on Kosovo’s 2008 declaration Kosovo Police’s special unit imposed a ban on Serbian imports > page 12 - 13 that this was why the authorities of independence because five of launched an unprecedented opera- on July 20, which was not being had no choice but to undertake the 27 member states do not recog- tion on Monday night to take over enforced in the north. unilateral action in the north on nise it. two northern border points, Gates The government introduced the Monday. This has hampered decision- 1 and 31 near Leposavic and Zubin embargo after talks between Bekim Collaku spoke after days making by EU institutions and its Potok. Belgrade and Prishtina failed to Kosovo’s only English-language of unrest in the north led to the mission in Kosovo, EULEX, as it The two crossings have been out result in a deal lifting a Serbian newspaper is available: destruction of a border crossing has attempted to balance conflict- of Prishtina’s control since the ban on Kosovo products imposed by a Serb mob, the death of an offi- ing views. country declared independence, in 2008. Delivered to cer from Kosovo Police’s special It has resulted this year in when Serb mobs burnt them down. continues page 2 Your Door Thaci Loses Grip on Kosovo’s New Photos Issued in From Newsstands Ruling Party Medicus Case across Kosovo Sent To An old anecdote holds that ruling parties Photos of Israeli Moshe Harel, who is on craft their own downfall. If so, the current the run from justice, have been issued by Your Inbox struggles within the leadership of the gov- Interpol in a bid to track down the fugitive. erning Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK In June, EULEX, the EU mission in From looks like a textbook example. Kosovo, confirmed the indictment against our partners A bitter conflict between key figures in a Turkish doctor, Yusuf Sonmez, and the PDK, which may be... analysis page 4-5 news Israeli Moshe Harel... page 5 see page 16 for more info is supported by: 2 July 29 - September 1, 2011 news Kosovo: ‘Frustration with EU’ Forced Border Raid from page 1 and across the north in a bid to porteur on Kosovo, Austrian stem the violence. Green MEP Ulrike Lunacek, said The operation was kept secret Kosovo’s unilateral move was Serbia bore most of the blame for from Kosovo’s international part- widely criticised by the interna- the outbreak of violence in north- ners, including EULEX and the tional community, in particular by ern Kosovo. NATO force, KFOR. Nor were the EU. “The escalation in northern details passed on to the Chief of A more nuanced view came Kosovo, with one dead and one Kosovo Police, Reshat Maliqi. from the International Civilian injured, is a tragic symptom of the Pro-government newspapers Office, ICO, comprising 25 coun- ongoing stalemate in the negotia- have claimed that, on hearing the tries that supported Kosovo’s inde- tions between Kosovo and Serbia,” news of the operation, Maliqi con- pendence. she said. tacted EULEX, prompting Prime The ICO defended the govern- “By blocking dialogue, Serbia Minister Hashim Thaci to sack ment’s right to carry out such has triggered this current border him. operations on its sovereign territo- dispute, which due to an inappro- Maliqi denies this. He told ry, while urging both sides to end priate response by the Kosovar Prishtina Insight that last Friday the violence and return to the authorities, has bubbled over.” he was told he could not take his negotiating table. The MEP said that the EU and holiday because of a planned oper- ICO spokesman Andy McGuffie its members needed to ensure ation, but he received no further told Prishtina Insight: “The Serbia improved its relationship details of it until Monday evening. Kosovo government now must with its neighbour. KFOR has stepped up its presence in Mitrovica Kosovo Police sources told focus on reaching out to its citi- “If Serbia continues to block Prishtina Insight that the mission zens in northern Kosovo in addi- as a sovereign and independent tion, which mainly is connected to dialogue with Kosovo, the EU must was kept secret in order to make tion to establishing legitimate state inside it recognised borders, the unclear position of the EU,” he refuse to grant it EU candidate sta- sure that Serb members of Kosovo administrative control. or whether they have another said. tus,” she added. Police in the north did not pass on “It must determinedly explain agenda.” “The effects of [their] neutral the information to local Serb mili- to people living in northern Collaku said the government position on [Kosovo’s] status will Poorly planned: tia groups. Kosovo how Prishtina can improve could no longer tolerate the “crim- be felt even more in the future and As the police special units their quality of life,” he added. inal structures of Serbia terroriz- they will be painful for Kosovo,” Kosovo’s government have been reached the two gates a little “The government has to show ing the population living in that he predicted. lavish in its praise of the opera- before midnight on Monday, they understanding of the aspirations part of Kosovo. Rashiti said that Kosovo needed tion and of the bravery of Kosovo removed mobile phones from their of people living in northern “We cannot allow criminal to see the quick establishment of Police Officers fellow Serb officers in order to Kosovo and work with them to cre- groups sponsored by Serbia to control of customs in the north, But some voices are critical. avoid information filtering out. ate economic, social and political hold the future of our country and the EU needed to push Serbia Kosovo’s recently sacked chief of But as news of the operation benefits for all.” hostage because that is not accept- to drop its ban on Kosovo goods. police said the mission was poorly spread, armed local Serbs took to able, not only according to our con- Alongside increasing anger at planned. the streets and set up roadblocks Frustration boiled over: stitution, but also by our internal EU inaction, some see a shrewd “There should have been a near the Kosovo-Serbia border. law and European principles.” political manoeuvre by Thaci detailed plan with everything Kosovo Police and Customs offi- Relations between the Kosovo The advisor said the dead aimed at bolstering his ratings. thought through, i.e. food, medical cials then faced difficulties on government and EULEX have Kosovo policeman had been mur- One international official, who intervention, logistics and so on,” Tuesday travelling by road, after become increasingly fraught this dered by Serbian paramilitaries spoke on condition of anonymity, Maliqi said. being drawn into firefights with year, with key figures including “paid for by the Serbian state. said an internal poll carried out by “But owing to the [lack of] time, local Serbs. During these an offi- the Interior Minister, Bajram “Thus, the EU should oppose the the ruling PDK party recently had this plan had no possibility to be cer was shot in the head and later Rexhepi, launching withering paramilitary actions of Serbia showed his popularity ratings drawn up. The police faced barri- died and another was seriously attacks on the mission’s alleged inside Kosovo and support the were falling. cades, shootings in the road and injured. failure to tackle lawlessness in the legitimate actions of Kosovo’s Rashiti agreed that tackling the only a few of them had any idea On Tuesday a deal was thought north. authorities for the rule of law.” north had become a key issue for about the terrain. Most of them to have been reached between This frustration with the inter- Naim Rashiti, head of the think political leaders in Kosovo, partic- were there for the first time.” Belgrade, Prishtina and KFOR on national community and in partic- tank, the International Crisis ularly since the last election, since Maliqi said that sources in KFOR the removal of the special unit and ular with the EU led Kosovo to Group in Kosovo, agreed that frus- when a stronger, more vocal oppo- had since assured him that “the the future deployment at the cross- take unilateral action, the govern- tration with the EU had played a sition emerged in parliament.