(Andra
Saula & Gezim Kasapoli)
Four years after the conflict, the security situation in Kosovo has improved but ethnically motivated attacks continue to be reported. The situation is especially fragile in two regions: Pec/Peja and Mitrovica.
Hello and welcome to UNMIK on AIR.
Mitrovica came under the spotlight after
the recent incident when premier Bajram Rexhepi and a visiting World Bank
delegation came under attack from a mob of angry Serbs. The incident become yet
another reason for political disputes but it did unfortunately underline that
freedom of movement in this region is limited.
But how do common people react to
violence? What are their fears and how do they think the violence can be
reduced? UNMIK on AIR talks to
Mitrovica residents from both sides of the bridge.
Ismet Idrizi: The level of violence in Mitrovica
is not that high in recent times. Maybe this is because the city is divided and
people do not have that much contact with each other. The other important thing
is that KPS and KFOR are present in most parts of the city and they do prevent
most cases of violence.
Ismet Idrizi, a lawyer from the southern part of the city. Maybe the fact that Mitrovica is still divided and the presence of protection forces are a buffer against violence, but the tensions in the city are such that anything can be a pretext for unrest, the continued existence of parallel structures further complicates the situation
Antagonisms are growing warns Nebojsa Vlajic, Ismet’s
colleague from the North.
Nebojsa Vlajic: The biggest obstacle is the
fact that we are two totally divided societies. There is no trust at all
between the two sides and the question is whether there is any willingness on
either side to fight those committing criminal acts against the other
community. Sometimes we wrongly believe that some crimes can be of benefit to
us but that’s not true.
It is clear though that the basic and most desperate wish for people on both sides is to live better, to have a higher living standard – a distant dream in Mitrovica today. Massive unemployment is something both the North and the South suffer from. Ismet Idrizi sees the economic situation as the main cause for the tensions.
Nebojsa Vlajic: Poverty and the economic
situation are the main factors that can lead to violence, for political
arguments and conflicts. I believe that if we start dealing with economic
problems first we will be able to prevent or at least decrease the level of
violence in Mitrovica and in Kosovo in general.
Abdyl Bilalli: Considering the division of
the town and economic problems, unemployment and poverty, I think that the
level of violence in Mitrovica is not that high.
Nikola Kabasic, a solicitor from the North calls for political moves. In his opinion, political leaders should and must take responsibility for the incidents.
Nikola Kabasic: If we want to reduce the level
of violence in Kosovo we have to work in two directions – one is political,
that means that politicians of all ethnic backgrounds should take
responsibility for the incidents even if they are not personally responsible
for example, Gorazdevac. I’m talking about Assembly speaker Nedjat Daci,
Ibrahim Rugova, and Mr. Prime minister Bajram Redjepi, they are not personally
responsible but they are politically responsible. We are expecting from them to
engage, to say publicly that it’s a shame what happened; that it is not in the
tradition of Albanian people; we are asking them to convict the perpetrators,
to share grief with Serbian victims.
Legitimate demands but it brings the ball right back
into the Serbian court, since K. Albanian people can also ask where is the sympathy
of Serbian leaders for Albanian victims in the past? Sonja Biserko, a leading
human rights activist from Belgrade says that Serbs have to recognize the
misdeeds of the previous regime, for their own sake and for the Albanians.
Sonja Biserko: I have to say that the attitude
towards Albanians is still very negative.
Serbia still has an extremist policy towards Kosovo and continues to
manipulate K-Serbs. It is a fact that Serbia was defeated in this war. Only by
admitting that failure, will Serbia be able to correct the perception that all
Serbs were involved in the war.
The suggestion by UNMIK chief Holkeri that a mutual
apology by both sides could go a long way in defusing tensions may appear
far-fetched and unrealistic to many – but if the future is to be secured, the
present calls for courageous moves.
In the interim, Kosovo citizens have no option other
than to put their trust in the forces of law and order. But this too is easier
said than done - Nikola Kabasic
probably speaks for a lot of people, Albanian and Serb.
Nikola Kabasic: The police are helpless, they
cannot find the perpetrators, either they don’t want to or they are afraid.
It’s a fact that Albanian policemen have been attacked a couple of times. We
have an ineffective judiciary. We have some cases where proceedings haven’t
begun for two years; we have witnesses who are unwilling to testify.
A situation that cannot continue if Kosovo is to adhere
to the standards set out as a precondition for discussions about its future.
That was it for this edition of UNMIK ON AIR. Thanks
for listening.