Kosovo Urges Calm in Macedonia

Kosovo’s government has urged ethnic Albanian parties in Macedonia to put aside their hostilities and work for stability, Balkan Insight reports.

“We urge the Albanian community in Macedonia to be rational, show maturity and contribute to the stability of their country,” the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Hajredin Kuci said.
The government of Kosovo said it was concerned to hear about the ‘attempted murder’ of Ali Ahmeti, the leader of Democratic Union for Integration, DUI, whose party is in opposition to Menduh Thaci’s Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, in Macedonia.

The start of Macedonia’s election campaign this weekend was marred by a spate of violent incidents between rival members of both parties. One person was killed, while several buildings including a party office was torched.

Macedonia’s Interior Ministry said on Wednesday that the police had arrested two men while the key suspect had turned himself in as they continued to probe the apparent attempt on Ahmeti’s life. Read more: http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/10187/

“The Government of Kosovo considers any dispute between the political parties there must be solved through institutional ways,” Kuci said.
“Pristina is interested to have stability not only in Kosovo but also in other neighbouring countries,” he added.

Source: Balkan Insight

Serbs voted for the first time since the independence of Kosovo

Millions of Serbians went to the polling centers for the very first time after the independence of Kosovo. Elections were held on May 11th. Although Serbia had a government in last March, after the independence of Kosovo, on February 17th, discussions about how the respond this declaration brought the end of that coalition government.

Some of the internatinal commentators were expecting Serbian Radical party to won the election as the independence of Kosovo raised nationalism in Serbia, but this was not the case.

Surprisingly, pro-European Union parties in Serbia have won a victory.

President Boris Tadic's pro-EU alliance had 35.1 percent while Serbian Radical Party of Tomislav Nikolic, with 7 percent of the votes according to the central election commission in Belgrade.

Ilija Vujacic, a professor of political science at Belgrade University said "It's a very, very big surprise" to Bloomberg news agency. "This is a sign that Serbian voters made a decision in favor of European integration" she continued.

HRW reports on Human Rights issues in Kosovo

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) reported that there are some human right vioalations in Kosovo and Albania, after the war in Kosovo.

Senior emergencies researcher at Human Rights Watch, Fred Abrahams said that serious and credible allegations have emerged about horrible abuses in Kosovo and Albania after the war. He was investigating human rights issues in Kosovo and Albania for the organization from 1993 to 2000.

“The Pristina and Tirana governments can show their commitment to justice and the rule of law by conducting proper investigations,” he continued.

Additional information has emerged that bolsters allegations of abductions and cross-border transfers from Kosovo to Albania after the 1998-1999 Kosovo war, HRW states.

Rice: "We will not let Kosovo to be divided"

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said they will not let Kosovo to be divided. Rice said Kosovo is now a free and a soverign country and recognised by several states.

Rice, in a speech in London, said they talked about possible aid plans to Kosovo with UK, Germany, France and Italy. Although Russia, which strongly support Serbia's stance against Kosovo's independence, was not invited, Moskow said they don't feel themselves isolated in Kosovo issue...

United Nations invastigates Mitrovica

United Nations investiators has arrived to Mitrovica to investigate the March 17 unrest. Mitrovica is a city which is divided between ethnic Serbians and Albanians.

It's been reported that the team has four members. They will talk Serbian leaders in the city as well as UN officials.

The March 17 riots, which ended in one UNMIK police fatality and over 150 injured on both sides, started when UNMIK and KFOR troops raided a court building in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, to arrest 53 Serb judicial workers protesting there

Source: B92

ICTY prosecution appeals Haradinaj's acquittal

UN prosecutors appealed Friday (May 2nd) parts of the acquittal of former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and two other former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) reports Southeast European Times.

A month after the trial, they urged judges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) to reopen the case on six of the 37 counts of war crimes they faced. Prosecutors, who had sought 25-year jail sentences for each of the accused -- Haradinaj, Idriz Balaj and Lahi Brahimaj -- cited witness intimidation as a factor in the trial.

"Within the next 75 days, a more extensive document will follow; it will speak in detail about all the arguments the prosecution will use," Belgrade-based B92 quoted chief UN war crimes prosecutor Serge Brammertz's spokeswoman, Olga Kavran, as saying Friday.

source: B92, setimes

USA opened its Kosovo Embasy

As several countries officially recognised Kosovo's Independence, United States of America has opened its embassy in Pristina, Kosovo's capital. Although USA had a representative in Kosovo for several years, it was not an embassy as Kosovo was not a state before.

While in the opening ceremony, US Chargé d'Affaires Tina Kaidanow said, "As a consequence of Kosovo's new status as an independent country, recognised by many of the world's most powerful and prosperous nations, we have now been granted permission by the US Congress to open formally as a full-fledged US Embassy" .

Sources: setimes.com, B92

Serbia is pushing for elections in Kosovo

Although Kosovo is officially recognised as a sovereign country. Serbia -whom doesn't recognised Kosovo's independence- Serbia said that it intends to hold local elections in Kosovo next month.

There were warnings that the vote would violate UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and thereby would be illegal.

According to setimes, UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker insists only the UN has the right to conduct elections in Kosovo. However, he has said Serbia could help organise UN-run local elections in Serb-dominated municipalities this year, and he acknowledged Belgrade's right to conduct parliamentary elections in Kosovo.

"Local elections of Serbia in Kosovo would be illegal based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244," he wrote in response to a letter by Serbia's Minister for Kosovo, Slobodan Samardzic, that disclosed Belgrade's plans to hold elections in Kosovo. "However, parliamentary elections may take place."

source: setimes.com

Situation in Kosovo is better now

After the independence of Kosovo, the ethnic Serbian minority in the country start clashing with the UN police and NATO's troops (which is named as KFOR).

Especially the 4 weeks after the independence, tansion was extremely high. Several UN police officers and KFOR troops were injured during clashes with Serb protesters in Kosovo's ethnically divided town of Mitrovica. It was the worst violence since Kosovo declared independence.

According to CNN, there were reports of possible gunfire and some grenades used against UN police and KFOR, said UNMIK spokesman Alexander Ivanko in Pristina, country's capital.

After several weeks, the situation seems better now. Although from time to time the tension may rise again, it's easy to say people of Kosovo are getting used to the idea of living in Kosovo not in Serbia or Yugoslavia.

Source: setimes.com

A brief history of the Kosovo Conflict

Kosovo was one of the biggest problems in Balkan region since 1389, when the Ottoman Empired fought against Serbs in today's Kosovo Polje.

Both armieslost their Kings in this war. Serbian King Lazar has been killed during the fight, Ottoman Sultan Murat, has been assasined just after the war by a Serbian called Obilic. Obilic was killed there in the point immediately.

After this war, Ottomans started controlling Balkan region until 19th century. After this date, Kosovo has been under te control of Serbian, Croation Slovenian Kingdom, then under Yugoslavia. Kosova was not one of the federal countries in Yugoslavia but it was an autonomus region such as Vojvodina in North Serbia.

After the collapse of Former Yugoslavia, Serbs carried on controlling the region. Region was under control of Serbs but it's population was mostlly Albanians.Until 1999, when Kosovar Albanians start fighting against Serbs.

NATO was involved in this war as well. Several Serbian targets has been bombed by NATO forces.

In 1999 UN start ruling the region. Until February 17th 2008. The time which Kosovo declared it's independence.