Kosovo Protests UN Six-Point Plan for EULEX

Pristina _ Thousands of people gathered in Pristina at noon, in a rally against the deployment of the EU’s law-and-order mission to Kosovo, EULEX, according to the UN’s six-point plan.

Under the motto “Against the six points, for sovereignty,” the protest is organised by several non-governmental organisations, including the Vetevendosje (Self-determination) movement.

Protesters gathered in front of Kosovo’s national library, and marched towards the headquarters of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, where they were addressed by Albin Kurti, the leader of Vetevendosje.

He warned that EULEX will face continuous protests in Kosovo and declared the head of UNMIK Lamberto Zannier as a “persona non grata” in Kosovo.

“Don’t trust our politicians. It’s the document that matters while politicians come and go. The recent document is the six-point plan which endorses Serbia’s parallel structures in Kosovo,” said Kurti.

The march, which police say was attended by 5,000 protesters continued to the National Theatre, where protesters were addressed by Avni Zogiani, the head of anti-corruption watchdog, Cohu and Naser Shatri from the war veterans’ organisation of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA.

Zogiani from Cohu, directly accused Kosovo leadership for not being honest with their citizens.

“The President and the Prime Minister are lying. One compromise after the other… this evil is not stopping,” Zogiani told the crowd.

The protesters allege that the authorities in Kosovo are, instead of rejecting the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon’s six-point plan, silently implementing it, it is alleged. According to them, Serbia is trying to return to Kosovo through this plan.

The protest comes on the day when the EULEX mission is supposed to be officially operational throughout Kosovo.

“The EULEX mission is deploying in Kosovo in accordance with the six-point plan of Ban Ki-Moon, despite the rejection of Kosovo authorities. EULEX is coming to Kosovo under the [UN Security Council] 1244 resolution, under the umbrella of the UN, with Serbia’s agreement and neutral to Kosovo status, thus against Kosovo’s independence,” the protesters said.

The six-point plan insists the EU’s new law-and-order mission to Kosovo, EULEX, is to take a neutral position regarding Kosovo’s independence.

The plan reads that “during EULEX’s deployment in Kosovo, its settlement shall be completed according to close consultations with all relevant actors, including the United Nations Mission in Kosovo, UNMIK.”

“EULEX is to operate under within the framework of UN’s neutrality,” the plan reads.

The plan has been rejected by Kosovo’s President, Fatmir Sejdiu and Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci. Kosovo, which declared independence from Serbia in February and has been recognised by most European Union member states, objects to the six-point plan, but is in favour of EULEX deployment.
 
Last Wednesday the UN Security Council unanimously adopted Ban’s report on wrapping up the world body’s mission in Kosovo and begin the handover to a EU mission. Read more: UN Approves EU Kosovo Mission

The six-point plan for the deployment of EULEX, as Ban’s recommendations are called were initially opposed by Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in February and has been recognised by most European Union member states, because the plan is based on UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

This resolution, passed at the end of the 1998-1999 conflict between Serb forces and Kosovo’s ethnic Albanian majority, refers to Kosovo as Serbia’s southern province, not as an independent state.

Serbia insists that the EU cannot deploy a new civilian mission in Kosovo to replace the UN administration unless the mission is neutral in status and does not put into action the plan of former UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari – which envisages internationally-supervised independence for Kosovo.

Belgrade also insists that the mission must be confirmed by the UN Security Council, in which it has a strong ally with veto power – Russia.

The plan envisages the gradual replacement of the administrative UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, which has been in the province since 1999, with an EU civilian mission of police and court officials.

Pristina had presented its own rival four-point plan which calls for the deployment of EULEX, according to the plan stated in Kosovo’s independence declaration, the Kosovo constitution, and the Ahtisaari plan.