Kosovo – a new nation
Tuesday, 01 Jul 2008 00:00
A bombed-out car in 1999
Kosovo began the 21st century with a question mark over its future. In the immediate aftermath of the bloody 1998-99 conflict the international community could not answer questions about what to do with this small province. Only now are big players on the global stage finally settling the question of its final status.
The conflict and its aftermath
Serbia's nationalist leader, Slobodan Milosevic, is widely held responsible for instigating an attempt to reassert full control over Kosovo following Yugoslavia's breakup.
Having risen to power by emphasising the concept of Serbia as the main 'loser' following the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, his policies were met with armed resistance from Albanians fighting in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
This guerrilla force, determined to achieve its aims of an independent Kosovo, was met with a campaign of ethnic cleaning against Kosovo's Albanian population – 88 per cent of the province's total. Serbian military police and paramilitary forces destroyed property and carried out mass expulsions and killings. The international community intervened in March 1999, bombing Serbia in a 78-day campaign to force an end to the fighting.
The United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (Unmik) was tasked with helping the crippled province begin its recovery, initially working in conjunction with the Nato forces to maintain law and order.
Together with help from the European Union (EU) and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Unmik and Nato succeeded in helping democratic government return to Pristina.
Eventually, with society returning to normal, the time had come for attention to turn to the unresolved question of Kosovo's future.
Too many questions
UN secretary general Kofi Annan announced in October 2005 that a political process to determine "successor governmental arrangements" would begin.
But what would this consist of? Would Kosovo remain a part of Serbia? Would it maintain its semi-autonomous status gained after the breakup of the Yugoslav Federation? Or would it win full independence, as referendums clearly showed Kosovans preferred?
In February 2006 the UN security council's appointed special envoy, Marty Ahtassari, set up his offices in Vienna. He spent 12 months working on the problem, attempting to broker a potential solution acceptable to all sides, before outlining his proposals in March 2007.
In the end his report backed a fully-independent Kosovo as the "only viable option", recommending that initial autonomy be "supervised and supported" by an international presence.
Unsurprisingly, Kosovo Albanians were broadly supportive of the measure. Equally unsurprising was that Serbia opposed it.
In fact, pressure over the Kosovo issue appeared to be uniting Serbians in opposition to Mr Ahtassari's proposals.
Serbian opposition
In October 2006 Serbia indicated to the outside world its determination to keep Kosovo under its sovereignty. It approved a new constitution stating that the province was "an integral part of the country".
Popular approval for the policy was indicated first in a rubber-stamping referendum for the constitution and then, in January 2007, during elections won by the Radical Serbian party.
The new government was seen to stamp down on ethnic Albanians protesting in Pristina, where police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowd. Four days later the Serbian parliament rejected the UN plan by 215 votes to 15.
Decision time
Many Serbs argued the moves towards independence are illegal because the UN has no right to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.
Russia remained firmly on Serbia's side and analysts said Vladimir Putin's backing of Belgrade has made it more difficult for western nations to push through Kosovo's secession.
US president George Bush's recent visit to Albania sent a clear signal of where American support lies, however. It seemed clear a reckoning on the issue would have to come soon.
The carrot of EU membership would not be enough to win Serbian consent, however. As the tenth anniversary of the conflict passed, the "fair and sustainable" solution for Kosovo backed by UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon looked by no means guaranteed.
Breakthrough
The last two months saw an extraordinary transition in attitudes towards the future prospects of Kosovo.
On December 20th negotiators were finally forced to admit they had not been able to reach agreement on the province's final status after four months of intense talks with Serbia.
The impasse created uncertainty about the next step for Kosovo, with Serbia insisting it would do everything in its power short of force to prevent the threatened secession.
On January 9th Kosovans elected pro-independence former guerrilla leader Hashin Thaci as their new prime minister, paving the way for independence from Serbia within a few weeks.
Finally, on February 17th, the Kosovo parliament unanimously voted for a declaration of independence from Serbia, which immediately rejected the move.
Recognition from the US and key EU countries like France, Germany and Britain meant the province had finally won its independence as a new state.
Update – July 2008
The declaration, on February 17th, was equally momentous for the country it was seceding from.
Despite backing in the international arena from Russia the coalition government collapsed, leading to prime minister Vojislav Kostunica's resignation in early March.
By March 13th president Boris Tadic was forced to dissolve parliament to call early elections, which took place on May 11th. Moderates won the vote, but a scramble to establish a coalition government threatened their victory.
In Kosovo itself tensions remained high, with the divided town of Mitrovica seeing an attack on a police station in early June. The Kosovan prime minister's home was also targeted, but that did not stop Hajredin Kuci pushing through the country's new constitution.
This means greater powers for local authorities as envisaged by the Ahtisaari plan, which recommended greater autonomy. It was introduced on June 15th.
Alex Stevenson