Albin Kurti

Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! is currently meeting with villagers who live in areas which will be incorporated into the new majority Serb munic-ipalities, outlined in the Ahtisaari Plan. The Ahtisaari Plan offered as a compromise to Serbia, and in the name of ‘multi-ethnicity’, the creation of 6 Serb majority municipalities, two of which, Ranillug and Partesh, are almost 100% Serb. These municipalities incorporate a number of Albanian villages, which will become minorities in municipalities which refuse to recognize the legitimacy of Prishtina and which are administered by the parallel structures of Serbia.

Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! opposes this form of decentralization because its intention is not to bring government and services closer to the people, but to divide Kosovo on an ethnic basis. This division will weaken and de-legiti-mize the authority of the central government of Kosovo and at the same time, legitimize Serbia’s authority in the new municipalities, thus easing the path to Serbia’s goal of creating a Serb entity inside Kosovo. Decentralization is a standard process which occurs in states which have power to devolve to local institutions, which have sovereignty over all of their territory. Kosovo fulfills none of these requirements. Instead it is being asked to devolve power that it has never had, to Serbia, a state which does not recognize Kosovo’s existence, and which is actively seeking to undermine it.

On Sunday 20th April, Albin Kurti met with villagers in Suhadoll, currently in the munic-ipality of Lypjan. This village will become part of the Serb majority municipality of Graçanica according to the Ahtisaari Plan. The village has 50 Albanian families and 100 Serb families. The meeting was hosted by a villager called Selatin Vehapi who asked,

“How is it possible that today, in the name of decentralization, our village will become part of the municipality of Graçanica where we will be a minority? It does not make sense that in the name of bringing government closer to the citizens, we are pushed join a municipality 30km away from our village, while the municipality of Lypjan is on our doorstep, just 2km away. How can we live as part of a municipality that will be controlled directly by Belgrade? I don’t know if the politicians are aware that any project which they attempt to realize without a ‘yes’ from the people, is destined to fail”.

On Monday, Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! also held a meeting with the villagers of Mogillë, currently in the municipality of Vitia. According to the Ahtisaari Plan, this village will become part of the Serb majority municipality of Kllokot-Vërboc. Mogillë has 153 Albanian families and 62 Serb families. In 2006, Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! together with the political parties in the municipality of Vitia, held a protest against the division of this municipality and thousands signed a petition organized by the municipality.

As well as ethnically dividing the municipality, there are serious economic cons-equences for Vitia because the majority of its wealth is concentrated in the area that will become the new municipality of Kllokot-Vërboc. As with Suhodoll, and with many other villages, particularly those forced to join the municipality of Artana, it does not fulfill the requirement of bringing local government closer to the people.

UNMIK negotiating direct with Belgrade

On Monday 21st February, the newspaper Zëri, published a confidential communication between Jean-Marie Guéhenno, head of the UN office of Peacekeeping Operations, and the head of UNMIK’s office in Belgrade, Richard Willcocks.  This document authorizes the UNMIK office in Belgrade to conduct nego-tiations directly with Serbia, on the basis of a proposal submitted by Slobodan Samardzic, on 16th March, and without the knowledge of the Kosovo institutions. The discussions have since been justified as simply ‘technical’ because they deal with issues such as policing, law, customs, transport, the border and cultural objects. The negotiations which resulted in the Ahtisaari Plan were also once described just as ‘technical’, yet this Plan is now inside the Constitution and above it in legal precedence.

The Ahtisaari Plan was imposed on Albanians as the price for independence, but Serbia has not recognized Kosovo, nor has it accepted the Ahtisaari Plan. Now, as a reward for their non-recognition, the UN is initiating further negotiations, which will offer concessions to Serbia which reinforce its authority in Serb majority areas of Kosovo. Even the terms of the letter encourage this opinion – for example, the border between Kosovo and Serbia is described as an ‘administrative border’ and the government of Kosovo, as ‘the Albanian leadership’.

Since the 17th February, the recognition that Kosovo has received from individual states has been consistently undermined by the ‘supervision’ of the UN. The UN has simply ignored the declaration and through its indecisiveness, allowed Serbia to strengthen its administrative control of Serb areas in Kosovo thus making the Ibër the new northern border in Kosovo. Now, by ignoring, rather than preventing Serbia’s elections in Kosovo on 11th May, the UN is complicit in the institution-nalization of Serb parallel structures, which will deny Prishtina’s authority and the legitimacy of local Serbs elected through Kosovo’s elections. The importance of our consistent opposition to UNMIK is now becoming all too clear. UNMIK has no right whatsoever to act and negotiate on behalf of Kosovo. It should leave, and leave us alone.

Extracts from the UN negotiations letter:

- “The goal of these discussions is to reach an agreement with Serbia, for concrete and operational results in a series of fields, so that UNMIK in the coming months will be able to manage the situation in Kosovo, within the context of Resolution 1244. You should make clear that the ‘status’ of Kosovo is not up for discussion, since this is an issue for individual states and their decision makers.”

- It states that the issues for discussion should include as a starting point those mentioned in Samardzic’s proposal and that of the letter of the foreign minister, Jeremic of 17th May and should “include: 1) police 2) legal system 3) customs 4) transport 5) control of the administrative border 6) religious, historical and cultural objects.”

- It states that “it can be expected that such a dialogue will not be popular amongst the Albanians of Kosovo. For this reason, UNMIK must keep informed the Albanian leadership of Kosovo and to seek their opinion in connection with the possible issues under discussion. Also it will be important to seek the approval of the Albanian leadership of Kosovo for a possible agreement.”

Debelldeh is part of KosovO

This weekend, a TV station in Kosovo published an interview with armed fighters near Debelldeh who claimed they were going to resist demarcation of the new border between Macedonia and Kosovo with force. In 2001, Serbia and Macedonia agreed, with the approval of UNMIK, to assign 2,500 hectares of Kosovo to Macedonia, including the village of Debelldeh. Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! has supported and is ready to help the villagers in their nonviolent resistance to this unjust border decision, but we believe that nonviolence is the only method through which this injustice can be stopped.

Vetevendosje (self-determination) Movement opposes international administration of Kosovo.
 

Outside Links:

• Vetevendosje movement 

Comments (6)

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BlueMonkey said:

The Ahtisaari plan is flawed and the portions of it that were meant to appease and cajole Serbs into acceptance of Kosava independence should have been dumped when the decision was made to proceed without Serbia's agreement. Input from Serbia on Kosova institutions should be politely ignored, and as it continues, should be adamantly rejected. UNMIK has long overstayed their welcome. But how far should this "self-determination" go? Should NATO say thanks and pull all of their foreign troops out, too? And I'm sure when there are no NATO troops and UNMIK police around Kosova will have no need for the light arms that GW Bush wants to sell (let's face it - give) it. What about the EU? Are they wasting their time with all their law and order nonsense? You don't need western imperialists and their ideas about rule of law when you've got rocks and banners and spray paint. And since when is throwing rocks at anyone or anything identified as a symbol of frustration the valid definition of "non-violent" protest? Kosova has been occupied by western powers and the officials of those powers have contributed to the corruption and dependence. But could the so-called "non-violent" form of resistance really secure independence from Serbia without the actions that were taken by the west? Regardless of the reasons and rightness or wrongness for the west intervening - they did and it changed the course of history. It happened and if it hadn't I doubt Kosova would be anything other than an ignored Serbian backwater. Kosova wouldn't be straining under UNMIK or EU rule, they'd be feeling crushed under Serbia. It sounds to me that the west's money for development is good enough, but any respect for those in the west footing the bill or western institutions is asking too much. Kosova citizens and politicians are pawns of the west (just as western citizens and politicians are pawns of global corporations). An exhausted Uncle Sam thumps his flabby chest again, this time in defense of "democracy and freedom" for Kosova. Meanwhile, the angry Russian bear, newly reinvigorated over the failures of its once greatest foe, snarls and paws back to defend its "good friends" in Serbia. BTW - many in the west want nothing more than for Kosova to succeed on whatever terms necessary. We're not all ignorant of what the policies of our governments and corporations inflict on the rest of the world.

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May 03, 2008
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Robert Steinberg said:

	I agree with Ron, so much brainwashing going on here! Man people please grow up and stop believing everything you hear and see on TV. Santa Claus is not real, and Kosovo is and always has been an intergal part of Serbia and Yugoslavia. George Bush doesn't give a damn about Albanians its all money.. More in his pocket!
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April 30, 2008
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Harry said:

When will Kosovars finally stop referring to themselves as Albanian Kosovars. A kosovar is a kosovar. Mentioning ethinic albanian only helps to continue to make this an ethinic issue. Also, the ethnic serbs living in kosova should at some point be compelled to be a proud kosovars also and this will be prevented if a kosovar identity is not built. Kosova is Kosova and any citizen living in the boundaries should be able to call themselves a Kosovar and all should be united in this pride. But if exclusionary thinking is used then the way will be longer sad and violent. A country must proudly include all of its citizens. have we learned nothing from the last 60 years of modern history?

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April 29, 2008
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Owen said:

	The legitimacy and objectivity of Guehenno's conduct of UN Peacekeeping is called into question by his behaviour over the investigation of UN peacekeepers in Congo who colluded with and armed local militia in return for gold.
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April 29, 2008
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Ron said:

	Guys, please stop this nonsense. The whole Kosovo independence is illegal. Kosovo is just a Serbian province.
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April 29, 2008
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hrb said:

	nice one, very informative and interesting article, even though I don't agree with political standpoint.
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April 29, 2008
Votes: +0