UNMIK ON AIR

16th December 2003

STANDARDS AGAIN IN KOSOVO

By Sputnik Kilambi & Zoran Culafic

 

 

Hello and welcome to UNMIK ON AIR

 

 

Kosovo has a new roadmap for the implementation of democratic reform prior to any talks on the province’s future status. The return of minorities and freedom of movement, economic reform and the rule of law are some of the areas in which Kosovo has to make progress in line with international expectations. The new plan, known as standards for Kosovo, was publicly unveiled last week by UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri along with Premier Rexhepi and President Rugova – Serbian representatives were conspicuous by their absence as were some senior Kosovan Albanian political leaders. The Serbs are clearly unhappy with the document with Prime Minister Zivkovic dismissing it as nothing but a wish list; Kosovo’s Albanian majority has problems with the operationalization of the standards, even though top government officials have said they are committed to its implementation.

Kosovo is in front of a clear choice, warned UNMIK chief Hari Holkeri at the public launching of the standards for Kosovo.

 

SRSG H. Holkeri: achieve the standards and the international community will in due course make the necessary decisions to consider Kosovo’s final status fail them and Kosovo will remain stuck, backward, left behind perhaps for decades to come.

 

UNMIK says the new roadmap spells out the international standards article by article. A key difference with the previous standards before status formula, argue officials, is that it contains both concrete indicators for fulfillment of the standards as well as a cut off date to judge Kosovo’s compliance with the roadmap.

Many analysts say the new document is not a revolutionary one, but that it is a significant move ahead towards the creation of a more tolerant environment in which the issue of final status could be launched by mid 2005. But equally, there are many questions that remain to be answered.

Dusan Janjic of the Belgrade based NGO Forum for interethnic relations.

 

Dusan Janjic: The whole document is written in the language of the future, but not a determined future, it is assumed that it’s mid 2005. But one has the impression that they are too idealistic or rather unreal ones. Take the first standard; you simply cannot believe that it refers to Kosovo – respect, democratic rules, and fair elections with the full participation of all. This is not attainable in a year and a half or two.

 

Fulfilling the standards doesn’t mean that the question of Kosovo’s independence is a foregone conclusion, adds Bashkim Iseni, lecturer in international relations at Lausanne University in Switzerland. 

 

Bashkim Iseni: The dimensions of this document are universal and they have a democratic and western character. However we should not create illusions that fulfilling these standards is something equivalent to independence for Kosovo. Because the recognition of Kosovo’s right to self-determination is a function of different political parameters and an issue that will be determined by western powers.

 

So much for Serbian complaints that the international community is creating an alternative reality in Kosovo.  But the launching of the roadmap is a sign that the international community is preparing to finally bite the bullet on the question of Kosovo’s final status. For Dusan Janjic, the time has come to open all issues, including the issue of final status.

 

Dusan Janjic:  We all know very well that this document was made on the basis of points brought by US undersecretary of state Mark Grossman. It is absolutely clear when one compares the texts. We can say that it was an American initiative with the key idea to buy time till mid 2005 when the US Administration will decide what to do according to their regional policy towards the Balkans and Kosovo.

 

In this context, Prime Minister Rexhepi’s recent comment that Grossman’s visit to Kosovo was the best thing that happened this year assumes special significance.

But to return to the short-term – one complaint is that the document still doesn’t spell out clearly enough who and what will determine whether the standards have been fulfilled or not. Perhaps the one point where Serbs and Albanians see eye to eye, though for different reasons. Bashkim Iseni again.

 

Bashkim Iseni: I think that the obligations and the competencies of local and international institutions should be defined as soon as possible. That is the methodology, which will clarify the duties of each part in this process and set the date for achieving some intermediate objectives that will lead towards achieving global goals.

 

Kosovan Albanian leaders have already said the transfer of more competencies to local authorities is vital for the proper implementation of the standards. But there are some areas where the majority community has to make substantial progress, and rapidly at that, argues Bashkim Iseni. Returns and freedom of movement.

 

Bashkim Iseni: We should not forget the fact that one of the arguments of the opponents of Kosovo’s independence is exactly disregard towards this issue not by politicians but by the people of Kosovo. So what is needed is a general public awareness on local and central level in order to realize these standards, which are of great political importance.

 

The problem according to Belgrade analyst Dusan Janjic, is not only that the document is too idealistic, but that there still is no political consensus amongst the various parties involved. The current divide between Belgrade and UNMIK is perhaps the most worrying, he says.

 

Dusan Janjic: I think it is a reaction highly motivated by election atmosphere in Serbia, but also by a feeling that they were manipulated. Holkeri exposed them to critics here that they betrayed Kosovo, because Serbs from Kosovo were not involved in it, not officially.

 

Belgrade’s reaction, says Janjic, was essentially aimed at domestic public opinion. He thinks different signals were sent to the international community, which explains why there hasn’t been stronger international reaction to Belgrade’s rejection of the standards document.

The fact is that time is running out – and the international community is determined to press ahead, regardless of reluctance or objections on the part of local actors. The final decision concerning Kosovo’s future status will be decided by the UN Security Council another reason for the people of Kosovo to make the standards their own.

And with that we end this edition of UNMIK ON AIR. Thanks for listening.