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EULEX Praised for Handling of Clashes
Pristina | 09 May 2009 |
Mitrovica
Ambassadors negotiating political settlement to end protests in Mitrovica.
Senior diplomats and analysts have praised EULEX’s handling of its first major challenge in northern Kosovo.
The EU rule-of-law mission has used tear gas and, on one occasion, used stun grenades against Serbian protesters opposed to the reconstruction of Albanian homes in the Kroi I Vitakut/Brdjani neighbourhood in northern Mitrovica.
However, Oliver Ivanovic, State Secretary of Serbia’s Ministry for Kosovo, has warned that EULEX’s attempts to establish control over mainly Serbian areas of the north could spark bloodshed.
Protests have been held since Friday, April 24, with violence peaking on Monday, April 27, when shots were fired and hand grenades thrown at EULEX officers and KFOR.
Balkan Insight has learned that political negotiations are underway between the ambassadors of Britain, Russia, Germany, Italy and France to end the dispute, by securing the return of Serbs to the south of the river Iber/Ibar, which separates the divided city of Mitrovica.
EULEX has used tear gas, and stun grenades on one occasion, to disperse crowds attempting to disrupt construction work on the Albanian homes.
One senior diplomat, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told Balkan Insight that EULEX’s “firm but sensitive” approach had ensured that the clashes did not escalate.
The international official said EULEX had proved that it was no “UNMIK B”, referring to the UN mission that handled previous clashes in Mitrovica until the EU took over in December 2008.
Mufail Limani, a Pristina-based political analyst, said EULEX had shown it was able to handle the difficult situation in the north of the country. “EULEX is only implementing the rule of law. The right of return is to be guaranteed to everyone,” Limani added.
But Oliver Ivanovic told Serbian media that if the ethnic Albanian government in Prishtina and EULEX tried to “establish full control over northern Kosovo [that] would cause bloodshed”, adding that “large scale unrest would break out”.
Ivanovic complained that “Albanians [had] decided to go back [home to northern Mitrovica] without respecting any rules, and they even got KFOR's support for that.”
Ivanovic told the Belgrade daily Danas that “NATO had taken one side”.
Protests are continuing, although the number of demonstrators has dropped from more than 100 to about 50.
The Serbian demonstrators claim Kosovo's government is not giving them the same opportunity to reconstruct former Serbian -owned property.
The Kosovo government refutes the claim and insists support for the return of those displaced during the 1998-99 conflict with Serbia is a priority. It says it assists returnees regardless of their ethnic background.
2009-05-09 11:11:26