Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi has notified that the deployment of EULEX will begin on December 9, 2008 and urged the mission to be established in the north of the country.

Karen Limdal, spokesperson of this mission, confirmed to Radio Kosovo the new delay of EULEX: “On December 2, 2008, we will start what we call 'the launching of the operational capacities'. In few days time, we will be operational with the EULEX Mission. This is supported by EU member states and it was clearly stated in the statement of the future EU Presidency, France.”

According to her, the full outreach of EULEX will take place by the end of winter. Today EULEX will begin with the first signs of its establishment, but not in the whole of Kosovo territory as recently announced by the EU in the approved Action Plan.

Although EULEX has made plans to open a “small technical office” in Belgrade, it is yet to open a planning office in northern Mitrovica, which it has done in the rest of Kosovo. EULEX vehicles do not cross the bridge dividing Mitrovica into the Serb-controlled part. EU hopes that it can get Serbia to reign over the extremists in northern Mitrovica, although there are indications that no such cooperation will be forthcoming from Belgrade until the six-point plan, which Serbia negotiated with the UN and tied to the EULEX deployment, is put into place first.
 
However, Kosovo PM Thaçi said that there is full support for the establishment of EULEX in the country but emphasized that this mission should expand its authority in the northern Mitrovica because otherwise, the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo will declare it as a disputable mission and it will make it dislikable for the people of Kosovo.

“If EULEX does not start with the installation from the first day then I say that this mission loses its meaning. Institutions of the Republic of Kosovo will have a very critical view and the opportunistic [EULEX] behavior will be unacceptable for the institutions, and the people of Kosovo,” Thaçi stated.

Kosovo Prime Minister said that he is aware of the very complex situation in the north due to the functioning of parallel Serb structures but he specified as unacceptable the tolerance towards such conditions there.

“Of course, EULEX’s path to the north will not be paved in flowers but this created condition is due to the conditions and the circumstances which tolerated the parallel structures, illegitimate structures and the maintenance of the status quo. Continuation of such conditions is intolerable,” Thaçi emphasized.

According to Thaçi, institutions of the Republic of Kosovo have the potential and are dedicated to achieving the law and order in the north.