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Love Hurts

05 February 2010 |

Simon Cottrell It's a shame that the internet is a virtual medium, because there are a lot of people out there that I'd like to express my deep feelings of friendship to, and having spent the last two years here in Serbia, I'd like to do it in a truly Serbian way.


Feith: 'New Beginning' for Mitrovica
05 February 2010 | Lawrence Marzouk

The International Civilian Representative in Kosovo, Pieter Feith, has said the appointment of a team to create a new Serb-majority municipality in the divided city of Mitrovica could herald a 'new beginning'.

Georgieva, Ciolos Approved with New Commission
09 February 2010 |

The European Parliament has approved the new European Commission at its session in Strasbourg. Kristalina Georgieva and Dacian Ciolos are the new commissioners from Bulgaria and Romania, respectively.

Koricanske stijene: Awareness of Security
09 February 2010 |

A member of the Intelligence-Security Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina says he spoke to Milorad Skrbic while investigating the murder at Koricanske stijene and "determined that he did not have any operational data about this event".



EULEX 'Not Part of UN's Kosovo Mission'

| 19 May 2008 |
 
Yves de Kermabon
Yves de Kermabon
Pristina _ The European Union’s new law and order mission will not be acting under the umbrella of the UN, the EULEX chief says.

“It will be a European mission…and this has been emphasised by all of the EU members,” Yves de Kermabon told media during a visit to the western town of Klina on Sunday, adding briefly that his mission will “certainly not be under the United Nations.”

The deployment of EU’s law and order mission, EULEX, to Kosovo, was envisaged under the blueprint for Kosovo’s ‘supervised independence’ devised by former UN envoy for Kosovo’s final status, Martti Ahtisaari.

However the mission has been opposed by Serbia and chief ally, Russia, who argue only the UN, which has administered Kosovo on Belgrade’s behalf since 1999, is the sole international body allowed there.

The UN Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK says it is ‘reconfiguring’ following Kosovo’s February 17 declaration of independence but it has also given signals that it will not end by June 15, when Kosovo’s constitution enters into force.

EULEX was supposed to complete its full deployment by June 15 but Kermabon said earlier last week that EULEX will not be fully operational by then.

“This mission… will be placed across Kosovo in its entirety but perhaps there will be a slight delay due to the current situation,” Kermabon said admitting that the current situation is related to “political and technical circumstances.”
 
The UN’s reluctance to leave and Serbia’s vehement opposition are believed to be key factors.

Around 250 members of the staff of EULEX have so far arrived in Kosovo, and Kermabon stresses that the earlier it starts, the better.



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Comments:
A "Slight Delay"?
2008-05-19 14:10:59
EULEX's chief certainly is confident -- perhaps too confident -- that its mission will come to Kosovo without the UN legal umbrella, as envisoned by UN SCR 1244. It seems though that Kermabon's position is much like the tail thinking its wagging the dog. This "current situation" Kermabon blames the "slight delay" to is hardly a "technical" one, but something much more substantive, which can't be swept away with mere declarations of European unity or the hiring of numerous employees/vehicles under the auspicies of EUPT.

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