Kosovo: Pristina seems antsy
Seems like the Kosovo government has got ants in the pants. Worried about the upcoming ICJ decision perhaps and disappointed that the EULEX/ICO crowd seems to be acting with some sensible restraint recently, they are tossing off some sparks to see where they might be able to light a fire under their international "partners" on the north.
(Gerard Gallucci, Outside The Walls) Monday, July 05, 2010
According to the UNMIK daily press update for June 29, an apparent government source told Epoka e Re that ICO/EU chief Feith is blocking implementation of the strategy for the north. The source reportedly said that of the six working groups to have been formed to implement, none have become functional. "Lately, coordination of work between Kosovo Government and International Civilian Office is lacking. Even though the Government has shown its good will and power to in different ways help citizens in the north and extend its authority, the same actions are not being taken by the ICO." The source added that the government side is expecting ICO to intensify its work and noted that while waiting, Ylber Hysa - its point man for the north - is "continuously in the field coordinating issues of the strategy." The source speculates that one reason for delay may be ICO technical discussions with Belgrade (though there have been no signs of these either).
Pristina is sending up some interesting test balloons as well. Government officials have reaffirmed their stand against partition while also seeming to put a territory exchange on the table. While making negative statements about such possible exchanges, the press has been supplying the context in the form of reminding readers of the long-talked-of possible exchange of the north of Kosovo for the Albanian-majority Presevo Valley area of southern Serbia.
Meanwhile, the Director of the Kosovo Border Police (KBP) has given an interview noting the continued problems with cross border activities in the north where EULEX controls the two crossings. He suggested readiness for the KBP to take over.
These Pristina comments all suggest that the Kosovo Albanians feel increasingly uncomfortable with the continued failure of their Quint friends to subjugate the north for them in a timely fashion. These should be taken as a warning of possible unilateral provocations to come and as a form of mounting pressure on EULEX and ICO to do something - on water, the boundary, police, returns, the courts, anything.
An Aside: A reader of my recent piece on Transconflict (Kosovo - divisible sovereignty) pointed me to an interesting discussion on the Institute for Palestine Studies website on how the concept of divisible sovereignty might be applied to the Palestine issue. Interesting to note that the idea of parallel states in one territory is not so far away from the mainstream.
