Kosovo Drafts Constitution

The UN is set to pull out of Kosovo on 15 June, as stipulated in the new Kosovar Constitution, a draft version of which was signed on Monday, 7 April. The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, otherwise known as UNMIK, entered Kosovo in 1999 after extensive fighting between Serbs and Kosovars threatened to destabilise the Balkan region. UNMIK was responsible for overseeing the police, promoting and protecting human rights, and providing the administration for interim self-government. As stipulated in the new Kosovar Constitution, the EU will take over UNMIK’s operations.

UNMIK’s tenure in the troubled region was not without controversy. At times it was impossible to protect the human rights of all Kosovars and Serbs living in Kosovo. Spies and militiamen from Serbia still operate in the region, and Kosovo became a thriving marketplace for trafficked women from other post-Soviet states. Corruption within the UNMIK structure was endemic, further contributing to the distrust of Kosovars.

UNMIK will be replaced by the European Union Rule of Law in Kosovo (EULEX), as envisioned by Marti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish prime minister who tried to engineer a peace settlement between Kosovo and Serbia, which included a stipulation on Kosovar independence. EULEX will attempt to retain law and order in the nation, while preparing it for a possible accession to the EU in years to come. EULEX will be carried out jointly with the UN, as it stems from UN Resolution 1244 – stipulating the boundaries of any international presence in the breakaway province.

The Kosovar Constitution establishes the area as an “independent, sovereign” republic with equal rights for all. The official state languages will be Albanian and Serbian, while Turkish, Bosnian, and Roma are all recognised as official on the municipal level.

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Establishing Law and Order After Conflict: For Kosovo, see pp. 27 -61

Hello, Kosovo

On 17 February 2008, the Serbian-controlled territory of Kosovo formally declared its independence from Serbia in the Kosovar Assembly. Previously, Kosovo had been administered as an Autonomous Province by the United Nations, who stepped in after the disastrous 1999 Kosovo War, which saw Serbs and Kosovars kill nearly 10,000 people.

Serbia immediately closed its borders and refused to accept Kosovar independence, claiming Kosovo as a vital part of the Serbian homeland and vowing never to allow the breakaway province its freedom. Subsequently, the Serbian government soon collapsed, as tensions over how to address the Kosovar crisis left the cabinet in a deadlock.

The quick secession of Kosovo met a varied international response. The US quickly recognized the new nation-state, as President Bush hailed its “embrace of multi-ethnicity“ and trusted it would bring good governance. European states also quickly recognised an independent Kosovo, while critics worried it would further alienate Serbia and drive it into Russia’s sphere of influence.

As expected, Russia stood by its ally, Serbia, and refused to acknowledge Kosovo as an independent country, saying that Kosovo had “opened a Pandora’s box” by unilaterally declaring independence. Russia is concerned that this act will encourage other separatists in the area – Abkhazians in Georgia, Dagestanis in southern Russia, and Chechens – to follow Kosovo’s lead.

Serbia is now concerned over a significant Serbian population in the northern town of Mitrovica, which has been the location of a few riots and violent protests since the 17 February declaration. At one point, the Serbs of Mitrovica even invaded the new Kosovo Court (formerly a court of Serbia) and demanded a return to Serbian control. Events like these have raised concerns of Kosovo’s ability to protect all its citizens, not just the ethnic Albanians who comprise 90% of the Kosovar population.

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Kosovo Declares Independence

Russian Reaction

Russia & EU Disagree on the Future of Kosovo