EULEX: No more delays

UNMIK officials have confirmed that EULEX will be deployed in December and that there will be no further delays. The Serb community, however, opposes the mission. EULEX: No more delays Should there be opposition to the mission in northern Kosovo, EULEX officials will try to remedy the problem with the help of local politicians, with the aim of avoiding any form of violence. Should EULEX fail in this attempt, it will be a setback not only for the project of independence, but also for the earlier established goals, believes the EU’s Civil Representative to Kosovo Pieter Feith. Feith says that he has not come to Kosovo to partition it. The EULEX mission has already begun to deploy, and Feith hopes that European customs officials will be stationed on the administrative line too, which has thus far been a bone of contention for Belgrade. “We have two crossings in the north: crossing 31 and crossing 1, near Leposavic. Both these crossings will soon be opened. We hope to have good cooperation with the Serbian customs authorities,“ he says. Talks are already under way between EULEX officials and Serb political leaders in Kosovo in order to avert any physical confrontation. EULEX officials will be stationed in the already formalized institutions of the Kosovo system. EULEX spokesman Victor Reuter explains that the mission’s role is of an advisory nature: “The goal and one of the biggest principles of the mission is supervision and advising. The best way for this is to sit down with the local population to whom the these principles will be applied.“ EULEX and UNMIK face a four-month period of transfer of responsibilities. UNMIK spokesman Alexander Ivanko said in Caglavica that EULEX had already begun to deploy and that as the EULEX contingent grows, so the UNMIK mission will decrease, and that once the EU mission was deployed throughout the province, there would be no more UNMIK police. B92 Kosovo Seb assembly to debate EULEX The Kosovo Serb assembly will debate the EULEX deployment at a session today in northern Kosovska Mitrovica. Assembly members are expected to give their position on the looming EULEX deployment, scheduled for December 9. In the summer, a petition of some 70,000 signatures was submitted by Kosovo Serbs against the deployment of the EU mission. However, the change in the Belgrade administration’s position towards the mission is expected to allow the assembly to give positive signals to EULEX. Assembly Deputy Speaker Marko Jaksic said that the delegation would announce its stance at today’s session. Jaksic said that he would support the view of the assembly’s majority, but that he would continue to oppose the deployment of EULEX. EULEX Deputy Chief Roy Reeve said that the deployment would begin on December 9 in northern Kosovo too, warning that police would respond to any attacks or violence on EULEX officials. Reeve said that EULEX officials were talking with Serb political leaders in Kosovo in order to avert any physical clashes. The Serb National Council in Kosovo said that no security problems were expected on the Serb side once EULEX started working in Kosovo. The president of the Serb National Council in Northern Kosovska Mitrovica, Nebojsa Jovic, said that Belgrade had accepted the conditions, and that it would be pointless to waste energy on obstructing EULEX again. The Kosovo Serbs, Jovic said, must find common ground with the state, not only for the sake of of the Serbs themselves, but in order to secure peace in Kosovo.

EULEX: No more delays

Should there be opposition to the mission in northern Kosovo, EULEX officials will try to remedy the problem with the help of local politicians, with the aim of avoiding any form of violence.

Should EULEX fail in this attempt, it will be a setback not only for the project of independence, but also for the earlier established goals, believes the EU’s Civil Representative to Kosovo Pieter Feith.

Feith says that he has not come to Kosovo to partition it.

The EULEX mission has already begun to deploy, and Feith hopes that European customs officials will be stationed on the administrative line too, which has thus far been a bone of contention for Belgrade.

“We have two crossings in the north: crossing 31 and crossing 1, near Leposavić. Both these crossings will soon be opened. We hope to have good cooperation with the Serbian customs authorities,“ he says.

Talks are already under way between EULEX officials and Serb political leaders in Kosovo in order to avert any physical confrontation. EULEX officials will be stationed in the already formalized institutions of the Kosovo system.

EULEX spokesman Victor Reuter explains that the mission’s role is of an advisory nature: “The goal and one of the biggest principles of the mission is supervision and advising. The best way for this is to sit down with the local population to whom the these principles will be applied.“

EULEX and UNMIK face a four-month period of transfer of responsibilities. UNMIK spokesman Alexander Ivanko said in Čaglavica that EULEX had already begun to deploy and that as the EULEX contingent grows, so the UNMIK mission will decrease, and that once the EU mission was deployed throughout the province, there would be no more UNMIK police.

Kosovo Seb assembly to debate EULEX

The Kosovo Serb assembly will debate the EULEX deployment at a session today in northern Kosovska Mitrovica.

Assembly members are expected to give their position on the looming EULEX deployment, scheduled for December 9.

In the summer, a petition of some 70,000 signatures was submitted by Kosovo Serbs against the deployment of the EU mission.

However, the change in the Belgrade administration’s position towards the mission is expected to allow the assembly to give positive signals to EULEX.

Assembly Deputy Speaker Marko Jakšić said that the delegation would announce its stance at today’s session.

Jakšić said that he would support the view of the assembly’s majority, but that he would continue to oppose the deployment of EULEX.

EULEX Deputy Chief Roy Reeve said that the deployment would begin on December 9 in northern Kosovo too, warning that police would respond to any attacks or violence on EULEX officials.

Reeve said that EULEX officials were talking with Serb political leaders in Kosovo in order to avert any physical clashes.

The Serb National Council in Kosovo said that no security problems were expected on the Serb side once EULEX started working in Kosovo.

The president of the Serb National Council in Northern Kosovska Mitrovica, Nebojša Jović, said that Belgrade had accepted the conditions, and that it would be pointless to waste energy on obstructing EULEX again.

The Kosovo Serbs, Jović said, must find common ground with the state, not only for the sake of of the Serbs themselves, but in order to secure peace in Kosovo.