If EULEX Leaves Kosovo, Its Mandate Should Be Returned To United Nations – Gallucci

“No one can force EULEX to stay in Kosovo if the EU and Pristina agree it’s time to go. But that would simply pass the buck back again to the UN. A little coordination before doing that would be good, not least because it seems a continued international presence will be necessary for the various Belgrade-Pristina agreements to be implemented in a peaceful manner,” Gallucci said in his article for Transconflict. On the occasion of Pristina’s request for the EU Mission to leave Kosovo next year, Gallucci said that it is clear that Kosovo Albanians want this to happen very soon. “The Kosovo Albanians expressed particular displeasure with EULEX’s rather anemic investigation into war crimes committed by the KLA. Pristina believes that EULEX entered Kosovo with its agreement and can be told to leave the same way. EULEX knows it is not wanted and said in response to the parliamentary vote that “the decision on EULEX’s further mandate would be based on joint assessments … by agreement and in a coordinated way.” It’s not clear if that will include coordination with the UN but it should,” he said. In case of EULEX’s departure, the UN would have to return its own police and customs officials, while KFOR should remain status-neutral, he said. The only chance that the north Kosovo Serbs might accept the agreements made for their inclusion in the Kosovo framework centered on Pristina would be for those to be implemented in a status-neutral manner, Gallucci underlined. “This means no practical involvement of Pristina officials, police and decisions in local affairs north of the Ibar (River),” Galluci said.