The year began with opposition to EULEX on the basis that this new international mission in Kosovo would have executive powers and immunity, like UNMIK. On 22nd January, activists put stickers on traffic lights in Prishtina. On the red traffic light, the sticker read ‘NO EUMIK’ and on the green traffic light, ‘self-determination.

 

On 6th February, two days after the approval of the new EULEX mission in a Council Joint Action, which was based on UN Resolution 1244, activists wrote ‘EULEX’ with a large cross through it, on walls across Kosovo.

Opposition to EULEX continued throughout the year, culminating in two mass demonstrations against the Six Points, organized together with 20 other organizations. In addition, Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! produced two detailed analyses of the legal basis, the competences, the chain of command and the immunity of the international missions in Kosovo. On 13th October, 3,000 ‘J’accuse’ posters against Yves de Kermabon were put up across Kosovo. The posters showed him together with the Chief of Staff of the Serbian army, Dragan Paskas, whom he invited to his farewell ceremony in Kosovo in 2005 when de Kermabon was in charge of KFOR.

The Trial of Albin Kurti

Between the 10th February and the 19th December 2007, Albin Kurti was held in prison and in house arrest on charges relating to the 10th February 2007 demonstration, in which UNMIK police shot and killed Arben Xheladini and Mon Balaj and injured over 80 other people. In the trial against Albin trial, UNMIK was prosecutor, offended party and judge. Albin was arrested again on 30th January 2008 after refusing to respond to the court’s summons for court. A series of Albanian defense lawyers respected Albin’s non-recognition of UNMIK’s court system. They refused to take on his defense and this culminated with the refusal of Ramë Gashi, chair of the Kosovo Lawyers’ Association, to appoint another lawyer to the case. The trial was suspended.

On the 10th February anniversary of the demonstration, a commemoration service was held for Arben and Mon and a memorial plaque was placed on Mother Theresa Street, near the spot where they were both shot.

Opposing the Ahtisaari Plan

Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! has consistently opposed the Ahtisaari Plan throughout the year, calling on deputies to vote against the approval of the laws of the Ahtisaari Plan on 15th February by ‘special procedure’. The Movement has continually called upon the Government to reject the Ahtisaari Plan which was imposed on Kosovo as the price for Serbia’s recognition of independence. Opposition to the Plan has shaped the movement’s activities during the entire year. 

Declaration of Independence

Before and after the Declaration of Independence, Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! made clear that this Declaration would not bring true independence and territorial integrity to Kosovo. The Declaration was one step forward, because of the international recognition of independence, but three steps back, because it was tied to the implementation of the Ahtisaari Plan, to executive supervision by two international missions, and because it allowed Serbia to expand its control inside Kosovo.

Serbia’s extension of control occurred swiftly between the Declaration and the middle of March. Serbia’s parallel structures burned the two border posts 1 and 31, between Kosovo and Serbia; they occupied the railways of Kosovo; Serb police boycotted the Kosovo Police Service and they occupied the court of northern Mitrovica, killing a Ukrainian policeman. No one was charged for these crimes.

On 23rd March, Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! delivered a set of false teeth to the institutions of Kosovo, to symbolize their lack of political teeth. In addition, we listed ten steps to becoming independent. These included the creation of a Ministry of Defense and the transformation of the KPC into a real army; the formation of defense alliances with friendly countries and cooperation with Albania in all fields; full control of the police force of Kosovo; the departure of UNMIK and the EU missions and an end to executive international missions in Kosovo; and the rejection of the Ahtisaari Plan.   

Clarifying the Constitution

The Constitution of Kosovo was proclaimed on 15th June in another ‘special procedure’ which did not allow deputies to express their opposition publicly. The Movement attended all the public meetings held about the constitution in order to make people aware that its clauses were completely contradictory. Whilst declaring on the one hand that Kosovo was independent and democratic, it also stated that the Ahtisaari Plan is the highest legal document in the country and it provided executive powers to the international missions in Kosovo. The Constitution thus re-confirmed Kosovo’s dependence and its lack of sovereignty.

Opposing Serbia’s elections inside Kosovo

Serbia announced that it was going to hold national and local elections inside Kosovo on 11th May. Although UNMIK and Kosovo’s politicians stated that these elections and the structures they elected would be illegal, they did nothing to prevent the elections. They stated that they would not recognize the new leaders elected, yet now they are all cooperating with them. Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! organized a mass demonstration on 9th May opposing Serbia’s elections in Kosovo. Activists threw masses of rubbish into the UNMIK and Assembly and Government yards and sprayed their buildings with sewage water.

National Identity

One of the Movement’s objectives this year was to protect the right to express the Albanian national identity. While Serbs in Kosovo are becoming more Serbian, Albanians are required by the Ahtisaari Plan to become one of six multi-ethnic communities, despite the reality that 92% of the population of Kosovo is Albanian. This has been manifested for example, in the transformation of the national holiday of the 28th November into a “community day”, and the smuggling of a new flag for Kosovo into the Assembly, without any debate or voting procedure.

On 10th June, activists gathered in Prizren to mark the 130th anniversary of the Albanian League of Prizren. This League was the first national Albanian league which mobilized to fight against the decisions of the Congress of Berlin to annex Albanian areas. Activists unfurled a large Albanian flag up at the Castle of Prizren.

On 28th August, the movement joined with 17 other groups and organizations to talk about the political, economic and social challenges facing Albanians today. The outcome of the meeting was a decision to hold a series of lectures about Albanian issues, focusing on the concept of unification, and to observe the 28th November in Tirana, Shkup, Prishtina and Presheva. Three concerts were held in these cities and in Prishtina, a national fair celebrating Albanian products and culture was organized in Mother Theresa Street. This group has become called the Network of Albanian Organizations.

Toxic Sulphuric Oil in Mitrovica

Between 3rd July and 22nd August, activists joined the people of Mitrovica to protest against the dumping of containers of toxic sulphuric oil in a warehouse on the outskirts of Mitrovica. As a result of the continual protests, which included the blocking of the main road during which activists were arrested and beaten, the government finally arranged for the removal of the poisonous containers and their destruction outside Kosovo.

Against the Six Points

On 19th November and 2nd December, Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! co-organized two massive popular demonstrations against the Six Points of Ban Ki-moon and Serbia, and against the Ahtisaari Plan. Thousands attended both demonstrations which were co-organized by about 20 other groups and organizations from civil society in Kosovo. Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE! put forward proposals for how to re-take control of Kosovo’s territorial integrity and for the dismantling Serbia’s parallel structures inside Kosovo. We also proposed that instead of wasting 365 million euros on paying for just one year of the massive EULEX law and order mission in Kosovo, the EU should invest that money in the social and economic infrastructure of Kosovo, for example in a University or a hospital.

 

Vetevendosje Movement, led by Albin Kurti, opposes the international administration of Kosovo.