UNMIK ON AIR

29 December 2003

STANDARDS – WHAT PEOPLE THINK

(By Zoran Culafic & Valon A. Syla)

Earlier this month UNMIK head Hari Holkeri and Kosovo PM Bajram Rexepi publicly promoted a new roadmap for Kosovo – Standards for Kosovo, which includes the rule of law and the return of minorities, will be the benchmark for future talks about the final status of the province.

Hello and welcome to UNMIK ON AIR

As usual in the Balkans and from the outset, the 2 sides involved did not agree about the new document. Belgrade political representatives abandoned the Standards claiming that UNMIK chief Hari Holkeri did not consult with them. K-Albanian political leaders for the most part embraced the standards while calling for the transfer of more competencies in order to fulfill the benchmarks.

But what do the people of Kosovo think – after all, it is in their name that politicians on either side are negotiating. UNMIK on AIR talked to several “ordinary” people from all communities. One thing all seem to have in common is that they are not informed enough about the essence of the standards and that their opinions are predominantly based on their communal and political affiliations.

For Serbs in Mitrovica, the most important thing is not the issue of independence but securing the sustainable return of internally displaced people.

Vox-Pop: I’m not sure if the standards are leading to an independent Kosovo and Metohija, probably it does if the majority of the Albanian community supports the standards, but for me, the most important thing is the return of minority communities to Kosovo and Metohija, the Serb minority, and the Roma and others. There was no mass return of internally displaced people. Serbs cannot travel freely through the central part of Kosovo, while Albanians cannot go to the northern part.

Vox-Pop: I think that if they don’t secure the return of internally displaced people in Kosovo then the standards won’t be fulfilled.

The recent visit of US Undersecretary of state Mark Grossman brought the standards home to many Kosovo Albanians. The media too has focused a lot on the importance of achieving the 8 standards, but many cannot name them all.

Some K-Albanian citizens believe that fulfilling the standards means a return of the Serbs to Kosovo. Others think they represent the road to independence. The majority seem convinced their government can deliver on the standards, but equally, there are many who think that they are too unrealistic.

Vox-Pop: The standards set out are very ambitious, if we compare them with the reality in Kosova and the region. But still I believe that Kosova can get a positive evaluation in the year 2005, if the criterion is how far they have progressed in reaching the standards, even if they are not totally fulfilled.

Vox-Pop: I think that of the Kosovo budget is used with intelligence, the standards will be fulfilled, especially the standard concerning the economy. But if we consider freedom of movement and the standards that deal with interethnic problems, these, in my opinion, will be more difficult to achieve.

The economy is an issue of concern for the Serbs too, given that they have very limited access to jobs in Kosovo. Their unemployment rate is higher than 55 percent. Property is an issue of most concern for both K-Albanians and Serbs.

Vox-Pop: I heard something about standards but I don’t know much about them. For me, the most important thing is the property issue everything we had we left down there, in the southern part of the town. I have heard that HPD might close down, but if the Kosovo institutions are given more competencies, then we can forget about our rights.

The most important standard in the view of Kosovo Albanians is the rule of law and the return of the displaced people.

Vox-Pop: I think that the most important standard is the Rule of Law, this standard also is the most important demand of the European Union. Achieving progress in this area would make the fulfillment of the other standards much easier.

Vox-Pop: One of the most important standards I think is the Return of displaced people, which is a right that should be respected.

There are many practical issues of great concern for all the citizens, no matter what their ethnic origin. Many of them suffer from the lack of jobs; many have no proper access to medical care. This is a special problem in the enclaves, according to this girl from north Mitrovica.

Vox-Pop: As for pregnant women, for example, I have no words to explain the conditions they live in; you would not believe it, they lack basic health care, and there was a case when a woman gave birth in an armored vehicle and that’s horrible.

Many K-Albanians believe strongly that the fulfilling of standards will lead to independence and eventual integration into European Union. The Serbs, however, are concerned about the fact that mechanisms for measuring the achievement of the standards are yet to be defined. A context that leaves much room for political manipulation, they believe.

Vox-Pop: I think that it leads to the final status, but whether it is independence remains to be seen. I think that the Kosovo government and the people of Kosova are ready to fulfill these standards and once that is done, I believe that it will lead to independence and to the integration in the European Union.

Vox Pop: Actually we don’t know who is going to measure whether the standards have been achieved or not. If it is in the hands of UNMIK and the representatives of Kosovo institutions, you can compare it to a student about to graduate from University but decides himself what grades he should have.

Much room for debate and discussion then but it seems that the people of Kosovo need to be informed a great deal more if they are to make the standards their own.

That does it for this edition of UNMIK ON AIR. Thanks for listening.