Serbs to resume protest on Thursday

I am glad that the Albanian public is staying calm and not responding to these provocations. This is a good sign and it clearly shows that the Albanians want to move forward without the use of violence.

What a great great great display of diplomacy the albanians are showing. Rebuild where ever they like and the serbs and other non-albanians arent allowed to...what is it exactly about the albanians that gives them a right to tread all over everyone and everything?

serbs arent a minority in kosovo, albanians are a minority in serbia!!!!!

I feel enormous contempt for EULEX. Why can't they stop with this outdated imperial protection of only K-Albanian rights and allow the same right-reciprocal rights- to the Serbs.
Tadic ought to make a statement here, for he is responsible for bringing EULEX in.
We demand his reaction, statement on EULEX criminal behavior and public support for K-Serb protest!!!

When the Albanians were knocking down a newly built school in the Gorani region, where were these KFOR troops with their stun grenades?

I appeal to the Albanian politicians to stop using these poor Albanian people for their political agenda. You are forcing them to return to the Serbian area just to provoke incidents because you are unable to establish control over the norther part of Kosovo. You know that they can get hurt but you still push them. You cannot establish good neighbourly relations with tear gas and shock bombs. Stop it before people get hurt! Or maybe that is what you're looking for?

It looks like Serbs are nitpicking here. Yes it is true that few Serbs have been returning to their homes but please spare me the excuse that they have been prevented by Albanians. Their greatest barrier has been the policies of Belgrade and their reluctance to return to a place where they, genuinely, cannot find stable jobs, just as their Albanian counterparts. The difference here being that Albanians have no other option whereas Serbs have the option of living under Serbia's welfare programs for K Serbs (interesting to point out that democracy in Serbia still favors a specific people). But Serbs have also until now been given funding by Kosovo institutions in order to rebuild. The matter of fact has been that these homes rebuilt by Kosovo funding have been sold by Serbs to God knows who.
Albanians have been the ones that have been neglected, and as soon as an Albanian start building HIS/HER OWN HOME, with HIS/HER OWN MONEY, here we have our 'law abiding' Serb diplomats using the same violence, provocations, and irrationality that they have denounced prior to this.

What is ironic, though, is that when Kosovo's declaration of independence was imminent, it was Serbs that were arguing that it would bring instability. Perhaps they are trying to make up for their poor judgment i.e. make sure instability occurs so they can say "I told you so". How gullible do you think the international community is?

Serbs can not and are not allowed to return, but albanians are with Eulex help. It can not be any more obvious and Tadic and the yellows say and do what? Nothing!! Oh noooo they would not want to ruffle Solana's feathers, it might hurt their chances to get into their beloved EU. Pathetic.

"This is a good sign and it clearly shows that the Albanians want to move forward without the use of violence."

I really wonder if Albanians would remain as calm if Serbs en masse were to start returning to their former homes south of the Ibar. If Serbs return and rebuild and no one cares, great. If a mob forms as I unfortunately suspect, then no one side is better than the other.

Without a formal compromise, Pristina is just as guilty as Belgrade in using settlers to score cheap points against the other side. I mean this is over 5 houses in northern Kosovo. Does anyone think this is going to tip the balance?

It is true that a great many Serbs have returned (some 10 -15,000 I believe, on top of the 150,000 at least), and it is also true that this is partly due to legitimate security concerns, due to a small minority of knucklehead Albanians who would cause them trouble. However, since March 2004, incidents have been few and far between, and serious incidents practically non-existent. To keep returning to that shameful two-day pogrom , 5 years ago, is the same as Albanians returning to the far more enormous pogrom they experienced 10 years ago (yeh I now, it never happened etc …). Overwhelmingly what stops most Serbs returning, or at least returning and staying, is lack of jobs. Ironically, the security concerns would be greatly lessened if large numbers of Serbs returned; it is when only a handful return that they may well feeless secure. And despite all the rhetoric on this list, no-one is stopping them returning, in fact the Kosova government has a Ministry of Returns headed by a K Serb, the right of return is written up front of the K constitution, and the K government and internationals fund their return and house reconstruction. And all this about alleged double standards of Kfor and Eulex etc – who provides security for the Serbs throughout Kosova for the last 10 years? Who buses the Serb returnees into their villages, into their rebuilt houses? Kfor. So far they haven’t had to fight off Albanian mobs determined to prevent their return with tear gas etc because such mobs have not appeared, unlike the Serb mobs in N Kosovo now. And indeed going back to 2004, who fought the Albanian pogromist mobs, who killed 11 Albanian rioters to protect the Serbs, who suffered some 200 casualties in doing so? Kfor, Unmik police and Kosova police KPS! Not a perfect job by any means, as they were taken by surprise, but nonsense that they “stood aside” is just that, nonsense – and I say that as someone who is no fan of foreign troops occupying an country, virtually out of principle, but the Serb rhetoric here is just ridiculous. Now none of that means that there aren’t still the odd Albanian crazy who still holds a grudge from’99 and before who can still make life uncomfortable for returnees, and they should be brought to order certainly, but any connection between such folk and the K government would have to be proven, and appears non-existent to me, and they clearly represent a declining species compared to the earlier part of the decade, and in any case cannot justify your claims about so-called biased action by international forces. Peace and return to all.

This kind of return to the place of origin in not sustainable. You cannot do it by force, you have to involve the receiving community and have their consent and support, otherwise you're just wasting money on the reconstruction of houses that will never be used. I was involved in the return process in Kosovo some years ago and we never did it like this. Things must have changed in Kosovo in the meanwhile. Please read the Manual for Sustainable Return issued by UNMIK and UNHCR in Kosovo and you'll see that the dialogue with the receiving community is vital for the sustainability of any return.

Guido,
The fact is that there is a Kosovo government policy to support Serb return to their homes.
Now, the two hundred Serbs in Mitrovica want to stop the return of Albanians to their home in the north, unless same rights are provided the Serbs to settle to the south. This appears to be a superficial demand and a negation of the reality on the ground. One has to assume that these Serbs have other agendas in their mind and that is why EULEX does not support them.

Dear Albanians - territory of Ibarski Kolašin is in fact outside Kosovo's authority. You need to serbian recognition of Kosovo independence - but first You must recognized fact, that territories of Ibarski Kolašin, Sirinićka Župa, Gračanica, Novo Brdo and Parteš are still serbian territory. This is reality dear Albanians...

Based on comments here, I would say Milosevic may be dead but his spirit lives on.
Wonder why UNSC still thinks that 1244 is still as much a necessity as in 1999? Could it be the danger is still there.

"He added that a delegation of Serbs from Brđani would be discussing the matter with government representatives in Belgrade tomorrow."

What has Belgrade to do with the rebuilding in Kosova? Well tells a lot because these "protesters" act on instructions from Belgrade. These people care less about stability in Kosova. The government in Kosova should be fair and firm with these "protesters" whom to are extremists.

Great comment Zoran!

This proves that EULEX want Serbs to be ethnically cleansed even in the Serb dominated parts of Kosovo. There is no need to instigate peaceful protesting. Eulex is doing the same thing China was doing to Tibet. What a joke.

Belgrade is the biggest disappointment of all!

Belgrade needs to wake up and if you lost Kosovo then don't lose North Kosovo. DO SOMETHING AND HELP KOSOVO SERBS!!!

"You may justify violence based on your hypothetical scenario but, fortunately for us the US and the EU are not making decisions based on somebody's dream world.
(BH_NYC, 29 April 2009 20:30)"

I make no justifications on violence or any other harsh measures. I wish I could say that the "hypothetical scenario" and "dream world" you accuse me of having was little more than the product of a careless imagination, but you know as well as I that there's more than enough evidence to point to Albanians in Kosovo being just as hostile towards Serbs and no better in ethnic co-existence. If Serbs visiting graves still need to be escorted by KFOR soldiers, if churches continue to be robbed, and if Serb returnee homes continue to be conveniently set on fire, then Albanians are not all that interested in seeing Serbs return to their midst, so let's dispense with assumptions we know aren't there.

Now I can't really say I understand, or even agree with, the severity these Serbs are approaching the issue of just 5 Albanian houses being built in northern Kosovo. One would like to think that for all the hype Serbs like to make on northern Mitrovica being more multiethnic than its southern half, and Albanian graves in the north not being touched whereas Serbian graves to the south have all but disappeared, that this should be a testament to Serbs' alleged acceptance of all communities. But it's apparently not, and I do suspect that there's more than just simple anger at Albanian families returning to the region. But you can't possibly think that Albanian communities, based on what has happened over the last 10 years and what most objective observers know, are going to be any less hostile to Serbs returning to their homes, and you can't possibly think that a group of Serbs armed with building materials and setting out for the center of southern Mitrovica is not going to cause alarm among the Albanians in the area. To think that, based on all we know and all that has happened, is an insult to your intelligence. To berrate me for not thinking likewise is an insult to mine.

Mike : if Serbs en masse were to start returning to their former homes...

You may justify violence based on your hypothetical scenario but, fortunately for us the US and the EU are not making decisions based on somebody's dream world.

Peace and return to all.
(DimTuc, 29 April 2009 18:06)

on whose terms is still the question.

What a great great great display of diplomacy the albanians are showing. Rebuild where ever they like and the serbs and other non-albanians arent allowed to...what is it exactly about the albanians that gives them a right to tread all over everyone and everything?

serbs arent a minority in kosovo, albanians are a minority in serbia!!!!!

I am glad that the Albanian public is staying calm and not responding to these provocations. This is a good sign and it clearly shows that the Albanians want to move forward without the use of violence.

It looks like Serbs are nitpicking here. Yes it is true that few Serbs have been returning to their homes but please spare me the excuse that they have been prevented by Albanians. Their greatest barrier has been the policies of Belgrade and their reluctance to return to a place where they, genuinely, cannot find stable jobs, just as their Albanian counterparts. The difference here being that Albanians have no other option whereas Serbs have the option of living under Serbia's welfare programs for K Serbs (interesting to point out that democracy in Serbia still favors a specific people). But Serbs have also until now been given funding by Kosovo institutions in order to rebuild. The matter of fact has been that these homes rebuilt by Kosovo funding have been sold by Serbs to God knows who.
Albanians have been the ones that have been neglected, and as soon as an Albanian start building HIS/HER OWN HOME, with HIS/HER OWN MONEY, here we have our 'law abiding' Serb diplomats using the same violence, provocations, and irrationality that they have denounced prior to this.

What is ironic, though, is that when Kosovo's declaration of independence was imminent, it was Serbs that were arguing that it would bring instability. Perhaps they are trying to make up for their poor judgment i.e. make sure instability occurs so they can say "I told you so". How gullible do you think the international community is?

I feel enormous contempt for EULEX. Why can't they stop with this outdated imperial protection of only K-Albanian rights and allow the same right-reciprocal rights- to the Serbs.
Tadic ought to make a statement here, for he is responsible for bringing EULEX in.
We demand his reaction, statement on EULEX criminal behavior and public support for K-Serb protest!!!

I appeal to the Albanian politicians to stop using these poor Albanian people for their political agenda. You are forcing them to return to the Serbian area just to provoke incidents because you are unable to establish control over the norther part of Kosovo. You know that they can get hurt but you still push them. You cannot establish good neighbourly relations with tear gas and shock bombs. Stop it before people get hurt! Or maybe that is what you're looking for?

Serbs can not and are not allowed to return, but albanians are with Eulex help. It can not be any more obvious and Tadic and the yellows say and do what? Nothing!! Oh noooo they would not want to ruffle Solana's feathers, it might hurt their chances to get into their beloved EU. Pathetic.

Based on comments here, I would say Milosevic may be dead but his spirit lives on.
Wonder why UNSC still thinks that 1244 is still as much a necessity as in 1999? Could it be the danger is still there.

It is true that a great many Serbs have returned (some 10 -15,000 I believe, on top of the 150,000 at least), and it is also true that this is partly due to legitimate security concerns, due to a small minority of knucklehead Albanians who would cause them trouble. However, since March 2004, incidents have been few and far between, and serious incidents practically non-existent. To keep returning to that shameful two-day pogrom , 5 years ago, is the same as Albanians returning to the far more enormous pogrom they experienced 10 years ago (yeh I now, it never happened etc …). Overwhelmingly what stops most Serbs returning, or at least returning and staying, is lack of jobs. Ironically, the security concerns would be greatly lessened if large numbers of Serbs returned; it is when only a handful return that they may well feeless secure. And despite all the rhetoric on this list, no-one is stopping them returning, in fact the Kosova government has a Ministry of Returns headed by a K Serb, the right of return is written up front of the K constitution, and the K government and internationals fund their return and house reconstruction. And all this about alleged double standards of Kfor and Eulex etc – who provides security for the Serbs throughout Kosova for the last 10 years? Who buses the Serb returnees into their villages, into their rebuilt houses? Kfor. So far they haven’t had to fight off Albanian mobs determined to prevent their return with tear gas etc because such mobs have not appeared, unlike the Serb mobs in N Kosovo now. And indeed going back to 2004, who fought the Albanian pogromist mobs, who killed 11 Albanian rioters to protect the Serbs, who suffered some 200 casualties in doing so? Kfor, Unmik police and Kosova police KPS! Not a perfect job by any means, as they were taken by surprise, but nonsense that they “stood aside” is just that, nonsense – and I say that as someone who is no fan of foreign troops occupying an country, virtually out of principle, but the Serb rhetoric here is just ridiculous. Now none of that means that there aren’t still the odd Albanian crazy who still holds a grudge from’99 and before who can still make life uncomfortable for returnees, and they should be brought to order certainly, but any connection between such folk and the K government would have to be proven, and appears non-existent to me, and they clearly represent a declining species compared to the earlier part of the decade, and in any case cannot justify your claims about so-called biased action by international forces. Peace and return to all.

Guido,
The fact is that there is a Kosovo government policy to support Serb return to their homes.
Now, the two hundred Serbs in Mitrovica want to stop the return of Albanians to their home in the north, unless same rights are provided the Serbs to settle to the south. This appears to be a superficial demand and a negation of the reality on the ground. One has to assume that these Serbs have other agendas in their mind and that is why EULEX does not support them.

"This is a good sign and it clearly shows that the Albanians want to move forward without the use of violence."

I really wonder if Albanians would remain as calm if Serbs en masse were to start returning to their former homes south of the Ibar. If Serbs return and rebuild and no one cares, great. If a mob forms as I unfortunately suspect, then no one side is better than the other.

Without a formal compromise, Pristina is just as guilty as Belgrade in using settlers to score cheap points against the other side. I mean this is over 5 houses in northern Kosovo. Does anyone think this is going to tip the balance?

"He added that a delegation of Serbs from Brđani would be discussing the matter with government representatives in Belgrade tomorrow."

What has Belgrade to do with the rebuilding in Kosova? Well tells a lot because these "protesters" act on instructions from Belgrade. These people care less about stability in Kosova. The government in Kosova should be fair and firm with these "protesters" whom to are extremists.

When the Albanians were knocking down a newly built school in the Gorani region, where were these KFOR troops with their stun grenades?

Mike : if Serbs en masse were to start returning to their former homes...

You may justify violence based on your hypothetical scenario but, fortunately for us the US and the EU are not making decisions based on somebody's dream world.

This kind of return to the place of origin in not sustainable. You cannot do it by force, you have to involve the receiving community and have their consent and support, otherwise you're just wasting money on the reconstruction of houses that will never be used. I was involved in the return process in Kosovo some years ago and we never did it like this. Things must have changed in Kosovo in the meanwhile. Please read the Manual for Sustainable Return issued by UNMIK and UNHCR in Kosovo and you'll see that the dialogue with the receiving community is vital for the sustainability of any return.

Dear Albanians - territory of Ibarski Kolašin is in fact outside Kosovo's authority. You need to serbian recognition of Kosovo independence - but first You must recognized fact, that territories of Ibarski Kolašin, Sirinićka Župa, Gračanica, Novo Brdo and Parteš are still serbian territory. This is reality dear Albanians...

Great comment Zoran!

This proves that EULEX want Serbs to be ethnically cleansed even in the Serb dominated parts of Kosovo. There is no need to instigate peaceful protesting. Eulex is doing the same thing China was doing to Tibet. What a joke.

Belgrade is the biggest disappointment of all!

Belgrade needs to wake up and if you lost Kosovo then don't lose North Kosovo. DO SOMETHING AND HELP KOSOVO SERBS!!!

Peace and return to all.
(DimTuc, 29 April 2009 18:06)

on whose terms is still the question.

"You may justify violence based on your hypothetical scenario but, fortunately for us the US and the EU are not making decisions based on somebody's dream world.
(BH_NYC, 29 April 2009 20:30)"

I make no justifications on violence or any other harsh measures. I wish I could say that the "hypothetical scenario" and "dream world" you accuse me of having was little more than the product of a careless imagination, but you know as well as I that there's more than enough evidence to point to Albanians in Kosovo being just as hostile towards Serbs and no better in ethnic co-existence. If Serbs visiting graves still need to be escorted by KFOR soldiers, if churches continue to be robbed, and if Serb returnee homes continue to be conveniently set on fire, then Albanians are not all that interested in seeing Serbs return to their midst, so let's dispense with assumptions we know aren't there.

Now I can't really say I understand, or even agree with, the severity these Serbs are approaching the issue of just 5 Albanian houses being built in northern Kosovo. One would like to think that for all the hype Serbs like to make on northern Mitrovica being more multiethnic than its southern half, and Albanian graves in the north not being touched whereas Serbian graves to the south have all but disappeared, that this should be a testament to Serbs' alleged acceptance of all communities. But it's apparently not, and I do suspect that there's more than just simple anger at Albanian families returning to the region. But you can't possibly think that Albanian communities, based on what has happened over the last 10 years and what most objective observers know, are going to be any less hostile to Serbs returning to their homes, and you can't possibly think that a group of Serbs armed with building materials and setting out for the center of southern Mitrovica is not going to cause alarm among the Albanians in the area. To think that, based on all we know and all that has happened, is an insult to your intelligence. To berrate me for not thinking likewise is an insult to mine.