The In Your Pocket guide to Kosovo does a great job of breaking down and reviewing the clubs, restaurants, hotels, and even parks that are available.  They certainly did their research and I know that anyone planning to visit Kosovo or come on mission will find the guide a welcome help!

UN staff can pick up a copy in the Dardania cafe bar at Admin HQ.  Or you can pick up your copy downtown at the booksellers by the Grand Hotel :)  An abridged version is also available and you can download it for free!  The actual guide does only cost 3 Euros so I recommend to go out and get the full version. However, if you can't find a copy, there is a ton of information available in the downloadable abridged version.

Okay, so the Albanians aren't celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ (seems odd that predominantly Muslims would...of course, I'm not forgetting that there is a small Albanian-Catholic community) but rather they are celebrating the Kommerical Kosovo Kristmas (hey, I like that!)  Kosovo Kommercial Kristmas (a new holiday coined by MTCowgirl) is all about giving presents, decorating with lights, and good ol' Saint Nick (doh, Saint Nick???  Ummm...just have to call him Klaus!)...and good ol' Kosovo Kristmas Klaus! 

The recent tradition of kelebrating Kosovo Kommercial Kristmas is a new phenonemom that kicked off a little bit last year but this year it was impossible not to notice the lights, Klauses, and general Kommercial spirit.  Honestly, I will have to go out with my camera and try to get some photos over the holidays...it's pretty wild!

Nothing really new is happening and I don't expect that there will be any significant news besides the normal blah-blah about the status and UDI so if I don't blog again before the New Year, Happy Holidays to everyone!

At the end of last week, it was hoped that KEK would bring Kosovo-B back online and the power situation would stabilize.  However the power problems continued through the weekend because when KEK brought K-B back online, Kosovo-A went down!  I think of the phrase "you just can't win" when I think of the situation.  I'm still interested to see what will happen when the government changes because there are still people who think that Thaci will be able to deliver the 24/7 power he promised while campaigning!

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News...

• Kosovo Struggles to Forge an Identity, the article talks about how Albanians and Serbs have a hard time creating a national identity compared to their ethnic one
• Mega-star rapper 50 Cent visits Pristina for launch of IPKO's new mobile phone service (I'll be there!)
• Smuggled arms threaten new danger to independent Kosovo
• EU leaders agree on 1800-strong police mission in Kosovo
• Russia says EU Mission illegal without UN resolution
• Austrian chancellor backs decision to expel Kosovo teen

MTCowgirl's Kosovo Independence News...(guess I can create a new category of news since there's so much lately!)

• Kosovo PM says independence a "matter of weeks"...but oops, Kosovo President says days!
• Serbia says EU Mission unacceptable
• Canada opposes Kosovo independence
• Romania will not recognize Kosovo independence
• Russia warns west on Kosovo independence

The timing of the power plant going down is interesting because in just about ten days when Thaci takes over as Kosovo's new PM as one of his campaign promises there is supposed to be 24/7 power in Kosovo.  Reportedly, some guy who obtained a doctorate from a university somewhere has studied the management of KEK and come up with a plan that will give Kosovo power all the time by making some changes.  The fact of the matter is that the current Kosovo power plants simply cannot produce enough power to supply Kosovo!  Of course, after 8 years I would think that different managers have already tried to change things for the better so I don't know how this new person will manage unless he has ideas for new power imports!  

Meanwhile Kosovo Serbs are weighing the options and many do not welcome Kosovo independence.  Kosovo Serbs living in refugee camps in Serbia are giving up hope of returning home.  Some Albanians also do not see a future with a multi-ethnic society and there have been isolated incidents across Kosovo against minority populations (a Serbian house was set on fire with the message "Death to Serbs" spray-painted on it in Gjilane).  The Norwegian Refugee Council's Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre has warned that the risk for displacement in Kosovo is growing as the deadline for decisions pass.  Additionally, there are reports that the UN is fearing that Serbia and the Serbs in northern Kosovo will disrupt an independent Kosovo by walking off the job as KPS officers or interfering with power/water supplies.

The UN is not surprisingly quiet on the day that the troika report was due to be released.  American, British,  and EU officials meanwhile have been adding their support to Kosovo's independence.  Cyprus maintains its deadlock with other EU nations regarding Kosovo.   Russia continues to object to a UDI by Kosovo and warns of a "chain reaction". 

I enjoyed CNN's Analysis: Kosovo on a knife's edge, especially the conclusion of the article which has been one of my questions for a long time.  Why is it necessary to break up Kosovo and Serbia when both someday hope to join the EU???  Will 5-10-15 years of being apart mend the apparent psychological scars that prevent the two from living together? 

Serbia has requested another round of negotiations with Kosovo to determine the final status.  Kosovo has outright rejected holding any further talks and is still planning on a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI is the new acronym, I guess people got tired of trying to say the entire phrase).  Serbia's PM Kostunica also issued a warning to Kosovo Albanians against an "illegal" independence move and offered to host the next negotiations in Belgrade.

MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles

• Kosovo: a divided land where hatred is passed down the generations, Times Online takes a look at the continued ethnic tensions between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo. 
• Independence Jitters Grip Kosovo (makes me wonder if anyone will get cold feet?!)
• Partition Kosovo, Telegraph features an editorial that argues for partition of Kosovo, an option that most independence-backers say is not going to be considered (but sometimes I wonder if Kosovo's independence isn't a bit like partitioning part of Serbia...so basically what's the difference?!)
• Pope hopes for secure peace in Kosovo

Other Kosovo News

• Russia issues new warning on Kosovo citing a "slippery slope" to instability
• NATO pledges to stay in Kosovo and maintain troop levels
• EU negotiator slams Serbia for strong rhetoric on Kosovo
• Troika report given to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon, Security Council expected to discuss on 19 December
• del Ponte loses hope of capture of Mladic due to Kosovo independence

The International Crisis Group believes that Kosovo will be granted conditional independence in May 2008 if the United States and EU back the decision decisively.  The group urges the countries to act on the Ahtisaari plan despite opposition from Serbia and Russia.  ICG also believes that the EU can start taking over the mission in early 2008 if the transition is approved by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon. 

Other Kosovo News...

• Cold War Deja Vu, the LA Times looks at the stand-off between the US and Russia over Kosovo
• NATO prepares for unrest, articles have been popping up over the past couple of days on how KFOR is preparing for possible unrest in Kosovo following the troika's announcement on 10 December
• Additionally, countries backing Kosovo independence are seeking a firm pledge from NATO to maintain current level of operations
• Richard Holbrooke does an interview with Council on Foreign Relations about Kosovo
• International Community Fails Kosovo, About.com features an article about US foreign policy
• Serbia maneuvers to block Kosovo Albanians from speaking to UN Security Council
• Serbia also has launched an ad campaign against Kosovo independence using quotations from world leaders
• Ethnic Serbs fear independent Kosovo, the Daily Comet takes a look at perceptions in some of the enclaves
• Best answer for Kosovo is EU membership, Serbia too, says an editorial in the Guardian Unlimited
• And finally, Kosovo signals the age of the micro-state, analysts believe that countries will become smaller over time

There is a brisk breeze today, the kind that makes you think that you walked out of the house without your pants.  Otherwise, the weather has been good this week with no fog since Sunday.  I'll keep my fingers crossed for those that are traveling for the holidays that the cold spell will last and there won't be any fog in the next few weeks when most of the UN-ers are leaving to see their families! 

And finally, again some promotion...just want to send a big thank you to all of the people who have donated towards the Dj Vegas Annual Toy Drive.  We've already filled up my big box in just a bit over a week!!!  There's still lots of time and I think we're going to make a bunch of local kids very happy over this holiday season!

I've been hearing a bit about the Macedonian police shutting down a heavily armed Albanian group and finally found some articles with photos.  The weapons seizure is quite impressive and I can't help but think "thank goodness those are secured" as tensions are mounting as 10 December gets closer.  Additionally, KFOR seized replica Serbian uniforms from a group that allegedly was planning on instigating incidents in Kosovo and blaming it on Serbia. 

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles...

• The Africanization of the Balkans, an editorial piece about Kosovo's upcoming independence and the fight between the East & West
• Women hurt by war get a helping hand, a heart-warming piece about assistance being given to victims of war
• Balkans head for another eruption, the world braces for fireworks
• Wars, lies, and mass rape charges, don't know how to describe it but it definitely falls under the interesting article category.  As I've said before, these articles do not necessarily reflect my thoughts but as I come across articles, I post them here so you can also read some of the different opinions out there :)

The Strategy Page focuses on Who's Who in Kosovo, giving a brief summary of different groups in Kosovo from KPS to Serbian paramilitary groups (ie...Guard of Tsar of Lazar (that name truly trips me up when I try to say it!))  The article is very short and I would have liked to see a more in-depth look into the groups but it's a good start!

The trial of Ramush Haradinaj came to an end yesterday with witnesses still citing fear for safety as a reason for failing to testify against the former KLA-commander.  The court has been criticized for failing to protect witnesses who have received death threats and in some cases suffer post-traumatic stress syndrome. 

The recent spat of heavy rain and snow has caused substantial flooding in Kosovo.  Four rivers have broke their banks and flooded surrounding villages.  In the larger cities, residents are having to deal with overflowing sewers and raw sewage on the streets.  Surprisingly, with the flooding officials have stated that there may be shortages of water as well as electricity (if readers recall the power plant actually flooded last spring and that caused all sorts of power problems). 

And finally, my last tidbit today is self-promotion!  With 44% living at or below poverty level and 14% living in extreme poverty, the winter and holidays can be difficult for families in Kosovo.  For the past several years, through my alter-ego Dj Vegas, I have been holding a charity toy drive to help families in need around Kosovo.  Toys and clothing, new or gently used, are being collected at my office and at several parties over the next few weeks.  Thanks for your support!

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles...

• Albin Kurti says Bush lies to Kosovo Albanians

• Czech News:  Don't treat Thaci as a democrat

• Serbia prepares rude reception for independent Kosovo

MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles...

• The Balkan Bad Boy, Serbia warns the US and Europe
• Albanian National Army (AKSH) claims to have Kosovo-wide support & reports to be carrying out patrols along border
• Free Kosovo without a fight, urges Christian Science Monitor

Other Kosovo News...

• Kosovo Dream Fans Fear of Balkan Unrest
• UNMIK looks for weapons in northern Kosovo & comes up empty-handed
• Round table on Kosovo discusses extremisms in Kosovo and Serb boycott of elections

Besides the funky weather, I missed out on the Kosovo elections of which former KLA-commander Thaci won the biggest portion of votes at 34%.  Having so many political parties vying for power means coalition governments must be formed and it's expected that Thaci's party will form a coalition with former President Rugova's party.  With the lowest voter turnout since the end of the conflict, only 45% of registered voters turned out showing just how disenchanted the local people are with their politicians. 

Could Kosovo's status be put on hold until 2020 in exchange for billions of Euros in aid and an eventual referendum?  BIRN takes a look in Kosovo's Moment of Truth at what the decision might mean for Kosovo.  Kosovo's PM Agim Ceku has already rejected the idea stating that Kosovo's independence is not for sale.  However, given that Kosovo will face tough economic times and possible isolation following a unilateral declaration of independence, other politicians might want to think twice before rejecting the plan so quickly.  However, is the whole 2020 plan just a hoax???  The US State Department denies that there are any new plans for Kosovo's status other than the implementation of the Ahtisaari proposal.

Snippets of other Kosovo News...

• The Times published an article on Kosovo militias and the threat they pose towards progress and peace.  The article takes a look at militias from both sides of the Kosovo argument in this interesting piece.
• B92 has an article about how some members of the Serbian parliament questions the multi-ethnic idea in Kosovo
• Serbia is urging Kosovo-Serbs to boycott the upcoming elections
• As a response, UN tells Serbia to stop intimidating Kosovo-Serbs who want to vote in the elections
• A poll of Serbs shows that they believe the coalition government will collapse over Kosovo

The employees of the Minor Offense Court have been striking in favor of raising their salaries.  By my experience with the local economy, I would estimate that the employees of the court probably make somewhere in the range of 120-180 Euros a month which is essentially peanuts.  It truly baffles me when I try to figure out how the locals live on their measly salaries.  When I look at the new Mercedes, cell phones, warehouses, and other luxury lifestyle choices of the local population I really wonder how many of them cope!  Of course most internationals are paying between 350-600 Euros a month rent on their accommodations so there is a bit of a compensation if you can rent out a floor of your house.  Anyways...just some meandering thoughts for the day :D

With the dropping temperatures and the typical maintenance problems at the power plants, the new power schedule for Pristina is 5:1 (five on, one off) which isn't that bad although you'll still hear people whining as they've become accustomed to 24/7 power since last year.  C-areas which are mainly villages and minority areas have a 3:3 schedule which means they essential live with power for half of the day.  It is expected that the tender for the new Kosovo power plant will be completed sometime this year but it will still be many years before the power situation gets better as the current power plants are fairly old, poorly maintained, and the quality of the management is questioned by many.  But at least I can say that over the years the power situation has gotten much better and I believe that credit should be given to those that worked hard to repair the plants and better the living situation.  Back in the beginning of the mission, we would go days without knowing when the power would come back on and there was no published schedule.  Now you can be guaranteed that you'll have power at least half of the day and you can also visit the KEK website to see when the power will be on. 

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles...

• Who Restarted the Cold War?  An interesting look at the US-Russian relations with a touch on the Balkans

With the upcoming elections, Kosovo's politicians have been declaring their net worth.  Almost all of the candidates are worth more than a million Euros each while one has topped the 400 million Euro range.  So far, the public has not been able to receive a disclosure from the politicians as to where the wealth has come from and there have been many allegations of corruption at the highest levels of politics with one source stating that following the "liberation" of Kosovo, "all the leading KLA commanders immediately 'liberated' the most attractive business premises and cafes".

An ex-KLA fighter has been arrested on suspicion of murdering 14 Serb farmers back in 1999.  Mazllum Bytyqi was arrested in 2002 for the same charges but was later released due to a lack of evidence.  KPS now says that new evidence has emerged in the killings of the farmers who were allegedly tending their fields when they were gunned down with an automatic weapon in Staro Gacko.

A new advertising campaign by Telecom Slovenia has stirred some ire when they referred to Kosovo as a state.  In response to criticism, the company released a press statement explaining that the usage of the term "state of Kosovo" was in reference to the market and the company was not interested in the politics but rather their users.  An interesting note at the end of the article is that in new atlases in Austria, Kosovo is already shown as an independent country.

The Albanian National Army (ANA) is stepping up their political rhetoric by issuing a statement that said if by 1 November KFOR, UNMIK, and KPS fail to take control of areas in northern Kosovo controlled by Serbs, they will step in and take control.  North of the Ibar still has many parallel institutions and there has been criticism that the area is still under heavy influence of Belgrade. 

A student union of the Pristina University called Student Initiative for Independence Kosovo has announced plans for a peaceful demonstration on 10 December.  The students plan on demanding the Kosovo parliament to declare immediate independence and the demonstration will supposedly last until the parliament does so.  Additional student groups have announced that they will hold similar protests on the same day as they do not belong to the Initiative group. 

Other Kosovo News...

• International Crisis Group makes recommendations on how to maintain peace in Presevo Valley
• Belgrade reports that the EU is changing policy away from US-based plans regarding Kosovo
• Serbia offers near complete autonomy to Kosovo, but no independence
• Russia says talks must continue past 10 December
• Messy endgame delays US plans for withdrawal from Kosovo
• Serbia warns of "frozen conflict" if Kosovo declares independence

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles...

• A Serbian writer talks about the calamitous relationships between ethnic groups in ex-Yugoslavia in an article titled "Our negroes, our enemies"...this is probably one of the more interesting articles I've read for quite some time!

Probably my most interesting experience was back when I lived in Gracanica.  Basically, I decided that the hot water tank needed to come out of the shower because I didn't feel like electrocuting myself while bathing.  The hot water tank is located inside the shower area of many a flat in Kosovo and most are probably safe enough but in my old place in Gracanica, the power cord was not contained in the wall but was hanging outside the wall.  So I asked the landlord to bring an electrician or plumber to move the tank into the storeroom next to the bathroom.  Naturally the guy showed up without tools!  I was able to find the variety of different sockets and screwdrivers the guy needed to complete the job.  Unfortunately, I didn't have the necessary brackets or screws however to mount the tank on the wall of the storeroom (silly me!) so the guy decided to leave the hot water tank sitting on the floor of the storeroom upside down! 

Now, most elementary children know that heat rises so I'm not exactly sure what the worker expected to happen when he set up the tank upside down...maybe the hot water would magically sink to the bottom of the tank and the freezing cold water would float to the top to heat up??? Yeah, didn't happen...So for a couple of days (before really giving it to the landlord and demanding that the worker or someone else come back to fix the so-called installation) I had warm water for about two minutes into the shower before the heated water was exhausted and the bone chilling water came shooting out of the faucet. 

Doh, sorry folks, I got sidetracked by work when I promised to upload my photos & video!!!  I finally have gotten around to downloading photos off my camera of the International Children's Festival towards the end of September.  You can view my Kosovo Photo Album and watch a compilation video of the parade and some traditional dances performed by the children.  Due to the size of the video, it will take a bit of time to download and the quality is reduced. 

Many of us are wondering what the power situation will be like this winter as it has been forecasted that the winter will be long, cold, and harsh.  I've donated an old generator to a family living in a C-area for the winter as I expect that the people in the villages are going to suffer with just a couple hours of power a day if KEK does not import power from abroad.  Last winter the situation wasn't so bad perhaps due to the mild weather...Gracanica (C-Area) had pretty much constant power during the coldest month, in fact the power situation has been downright spectacular compared to how it used to be in the beginning of the mission! 

1640 CET:  A bit over one hour after the security alerts went out to the staff, KFOR EOD has responded to Mission HQ to inspect the suspicious package...

1620 CET:  UN Mission HQ has been closed due to the finding of a suspicious package underneath a vehicle. 

1525 CET:  For some "ongoing security incident" at Mission HQ, everyone has been asked to leave the compound and the compound has closed.  UN Security is advising everyone to stay away from Mission HQ as well as Police Avenue at this time.  In fact, Police Avenue is closed to all vehicle and pedestrian traffic.  If I find out exactly what is going on, I will update!

I've also noticed a statement given yesterday by KFOR's Commander Xavier Bout de Mamhac.  The French general has given mid-January as a date for Kosovo's status to be settled and said that it was the duty of Kosovo politicians to explain this to the general public.

1420 CET:  Well, yeah, it does look like the protestors here don't like the rainy cold fall weather.  While some reports say there were 1100 demonstrators, only about 150 people actually marched through the city.  It looked almost as if the students were in a hurry to get back to their warm dorm rooms as they didn't even stop in front of the UN Mission HQ to protest but just continued straight on down the road at a fairly brisk pace!

Earlier in the Day...It looks like fall is finally upon us with the rain and clouds that came over the weekend.  Today's grey skies and constant drizzle are certain to put a damper on the planned protest of the Albanian Student Union in Pristina.  The USSH (Albanian acronym) announced that they would be protesting the "the further delays of independence of Kosovo, as well as against the negotiations which threaten independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Kosovo".  Estimates for the demonstration have been put at between 5-10,000 people although many of us doubt that there will quite that many people, especially since previous bad weather protests gathered few people (hmmm, so does that make the Kosovars fair-weather protestors?)

In the news, Kosovo's PM Agim Ceku has again stated that if there is no agreement by 10 December, Kosovo will unilaterally declare independence.  The UK and US are expected to recognize the independence but the EU is likely to split over the the issue, an outcome some conspiracy theorists say is the whole idea behind the US' policy.

Serbia has arrested 56 neo-Nazis during a Kosovo protest in Novi Sad after a fight broke out against anti-fascists who were holding an counter-demonstration.  The demonstration had been banned by the government but organizers went ahead   One liberal parliament leader in Serbia has blasted his fellow lawmakers and demanded the resignation of several key members such as PM Kostunica for their failure to appear at the anti-fascist rally.  The parliament session had to be recessed due to harsh verbal exchanges between the liberals and Kostunica's supporters. 

A Swedish diplomat and a Swedish KFOR escort are being accused of illegally smuggling a Kosovar family into Macedonia.  The family was detained at the Skopje airport and being sent back to the Macedonia-Kosovo border for clarification of how they entered Macedonia without receiving entry stamps when the Swedish KFOR convoy took off and crossed the border into Kosovo without stopping leaving the Swedish diplomat stranded.  It is suspected that the Kosovar family entered Macedonia using the auxiliary border crossing at Blace reserved for official KFOR vehicles.

The conflict in Kosovo has gone all the way to football (soccer).  Serbia has officially opposed the Kosovo Soccer Association playing international matches as a national team.  The Serbian Football Association plans to lodge a complaint with FIFA and UEFA and wants the Kosovo association first to receive permission to play as a national team. 

There has been a series of arrests at the Pristina Airport over false documents.  A few KPS officers along with regular civilians, and an airport employee have been arrested in connection to a ring producing and selling Slovenian travel documents.  In total, six people have been arrested in the past week for involvement in the ring.  A KPS Border Police officer is accused of assisting people using the fake documents to cross the border.

Two of the August Dubrava escapees were re-arrested in Pristina on Friday.  During the search operations, several items of interest were confiscated including sub-machine guns and silences in addition to pistols and several boxes of ammunition.  The sister of one of the escapees, a KPS officer, was also arrested under suspicion of aiding & abetting a fugitive along with two Kosovo-Albanians and an Albanian citizen (errr, how would you politically correct identify a citizen of Albanian in comparison to Kosovo Albanian???  Would it be K-Albanian and normal Albanian???  Somehow that doesn't sound quite right!) 

Other Kosovo News...

• Fears of violence in Kosovo tug-of-war, would also make a good blog title, this article discussed the recent TV broadcast of the ANA and recent news that countries are being asked to take in Serbian refugees
• Croatia asked to take in Kosovo Serb refugees and keep them out of EU/NATO territories if Kosovo flares up
• Kosovo leaders warn against extremism
• Albanian National Army (ANA) video gathers much attention and PDSRSG questions authenticity
• US donates $1 million for restoration of historical sites in Kosovo including religious sites and Ottoman baths
• Romanian police acquitted for involvement in deadly Feb 2007 riot

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles...

• From Military Disaster to Moral High Ground, an opinion-editorial that looks at Kosovo and Iraq
• Kosovo PM Agim Ceku states he is ready to forgive but not forget (reminds me of the song by Garth Brooks where he sings that they "bury the hatchet with the handle sticking out" *grin*)

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles...

• Wag the EU, a commentary in the Wall Street Journal looks into Serbia's accession to the EU
• The UN's political prisoner, a Hungarian interview with Albin Kurti
• In another article on Kurti, BIRN states "...Legal Headache for UN in Kosovo"
• Kosovo falls short on funds for statue of Bill Clinton (oh no!)
• Kosovo: Convert or Die, an editorial in the Newropean Magazine responds to another editorial titled Splitting Kosovo
• Kosovo Jewish community ponders the future

Other Kosovo News

• Poll shows that Serbs prefer Kosovo over EU
• Another poll shows 10% of Serbs support war in Kosovo
• Minister of Education called before parliament over headscarf ban
• Kosovo lawmaker seeks political asylum in Belgium
• Ramush Haradinaj released to attend funeral in Kosovo
• EU may send force without UN vote and EU must be ready to take over in December

I've come across a couple interesting news articles...again I want to reiterate that these articles don't necessarily reflect my opinion but they do offer some interesting insights into Kosovo and its people.

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles!

• Wahhabism tightening grip over Kosovo, New Europe takes a look at radical Islam in the Balkans
• Stand firm on Kosovo urges an opinion writer in the UK's Guardian Unlimited
• Greek forces protect "miracle" monastery in Kosovo

Other Kosovo Articles

• UN investigates KPS involvement in deadly explosion
• Serbia fuels stalemate, even the comment section is an interesting read as they spiral downward into a war of words over what version of history is correct :)
• Serbian paramilitary group warns that it will target UN and NATO forces if Kosovo allowed to secede
• UN Appeals Court upholds acquittal of two ex-KLA fighters and conviction of 3rd
• Confederation may save Kosovo from further strife
• Austrian decision to deport Albanian family to Kosovo questioned
• Serbia warns that Kosovo independence would destabilize the world

There is something about the Kosovo state of mind that just baffles me a times.  Following the closure of a portion of Bill Clinton Boulevard due to the recent fatal explosion traffic downtown has been a bit of a mess due to diversions.  But the local population, and the occasional head-in-the-clouds international, have a tendency to exuberate the situation even more by being just ...well...plain stupid for lack of better description!

For instance, I needed to turn away from the bumper-to-bumper traffic bypassing Bill Clinton in order to do some errands.  Rather than stop to allow traffic to turn left off the main road, the local drivers coming onto the main road chose to instead pile up one after another which the end result was to completely block the intersection even though there was no room for them on the main road due to the stopped traffic.  To make matters even more...interesting...several drivers became impatient and decided to attempt to go around the car in front attempting to come onto the main road so that the turning traffic had to weave its way through about three lanes of traffic coming onto a one-lane road!  The vehicles in front of me managed to inch forward until they blocked the other traffic.  It's just strange that no one here seems to think of anyone but themselves...in fact they get downright impatient when I stop for pedestrians on the crosswalk or decide not to block an intersection.  I have had instances where I've stopped before an intersection because the traffic is stopped on the other side just to have some numb-nuts come and cut in front of me and block the intersection for the traffic trying to go the other way.  It's almost amazing sometimes to look in the mirror and discover that my hair is not yet snow white after all these years of driving in Kosovo traffic!!!

MTCowgirl's Interesting News

• Kosovo towards the end of the experiment?  from Global Research
• Author finishes novel while serving in Kosovo
• Trio from Kosovo paint mural in New Castle, Colorado

Other Kosovo News

• US and EU ready to recognize unilateral declaration of independence from Kosovo
• Kosovo is looking forward, the International Herald Tribune publishes an article by Kosovo PM Agim Ceku
• Expectations vary among Kosovo citizens, B92 provides quotes from Kosovars about the status

1700 CET:  The explosion that was reported downtown was caused by some sort of gas or propane.  There still is not much information to go on but that's what I know so far.

1600 CET:  There is word that there has been another explosion in downtown Pristina at the Pristina University.  Reports are that one person was killed.  Currently there is little information available but I will update as I find out what happened :(

Earlier in the day...

Hitting on the economic situation in Kosovo, Bloomberg takes a look at the bid for independence ties into the hopes for a better economy.  The common thought is that once independence is achieved, foreign investors will pour into Kosovo, there will be many jobs, rainbows, sugared candies, and puppy dogs for all!  In all reality, things are likely to change very slowly and it will take a long time for the Kosovo economy to get out of the slumps it is in now. 

I  noticed the complaint by the author about blackouts darkening the city every day but since the beginning of Ramadan nearly two weeks ago, I can't recall a single power outage in Pristina and even before that, it was only when KEK took Kosovo-B offline for maintenance that the power was rationed in Pristina.  Please, folks, don't ever EVER complain about the power situation in Pristina!  If you were out in one of the villages, then okay you can complain about spending several hours a day without power but it absolutely drives me mad to hear a person whine about a 20-60 minute power outage in the capital.  I always think back to how it used to be in Kosovo in the beginning of the mission.  Forget about whining about a short power outage, back then you wouldn't know which day the power would be on!  Constant water shortages, burning piles of garbage on the streets, packs of wild & aggressive dogs roaming the streets...that was the tough life!

MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles...

• The Daily Star features an interesting article that could be summed up as "look before you leap".  The article explores the perceived "perils" of recognizing Kosovo's independence.
• Kosovo Board erupts into war of words, lawmakers trade insults and accusations
• Reuters Factbox breaks down the composition of KFOR
• Hope for Kosovo's fate fading fast
• Alice in Blunderland, an editorial piece on the prosecution and trial of Albin Kurti
• NATO gives Serbia cluster bomb target information for 1999 bombing campaign

Other Kosovo News...

• 2001 Kosovo bus bomber to stand trial
• Deputy PDSRSG Steven Schook under investigation for "unprofessional conduct"
• Serbia to offer 95% autonomy in face-to-face talks with Kosovo
• The EU, Kosovo's Wild Card?

In another tragic event, two people were killed and five were injured when a passenger vehicle collided with a tractor near the village of Prilep on Saturday (22 Sept).  Tractor traffic is common on the roadways in Kosovo giving headaches to other drivers due to the slow moving traffic but when the sun goes down, the traffic is quite dangerous as in this case, the tractor had no head or taillights.  It is believed that the vehicle slammed into the back of the tractor as it was not visible in the darkness. 

Kosovo students are protesting a ban on headscarves and three students were expelled from local schools last week.  The argument over secular states and religious rights has carried over from Western Europe to Kosovo particularly since some believe that being seen as overly Islamic could damage the province's bid for independence. 

In a rare instance of cooperation between Kosovo and Serbian authorities, a Kosovo Albanian arms dealer with ties to suspected extremist groups has been arrested.  Serbian authorities issued a request for assistance to Kosovo police in stopping the sale of weapons to groups in Serbia's southern borders with Kosovo.  The suspect was arrested in Mitrovica by KPS officers and is being held on illegal sales of weapons.  The Sandzak area of Serbia is thought to be one of the new breeding grounds for what has been dubbed "white al-Queda", the term for European Muslims who are being recruited into extremist groups.

Regarding the question of Kosovo's Status...the commander of KFOR has said during a press conference that he does not believe that Kosovo's status will be decided in 2007.  Stating "Everyone in Kosovo was speaking in February 2006 about independence by July. Today we are in 2007 and still with a big question mark ahead of us", the commander added that KFOR is ready for any threats.  Then China's Foreign Minister has said while visiting Belgrade that his country respects the UN charter and supports the talks between Kosovo and Serbia, a statement welcomed by Belgrade. 

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News Update...

• Kosovo: Going around in circles takes a look at the current talks with the troika
• Independence for Kosovo is off the agenda according to the UK's Independent
• Kosovo talks should be finite and flexible say Western officials talking to Reuters
• Russia warns that unilateral recognition of Kosovo will destabilize the Balkans...nothing new here!

So okay, everyone has their different opinions but you can't just ignore what other people say or respond "you're stupid" (really, folks, that's not a convincing argument!).  You have to read everything you can to get a better grasp of the situation.  Sure some of these articles are inflammatory and far from being partial, but this is someone's point of view and other people are reading it...so to share some unique points of view, here are what I dub, MTCowgirl's Interesting Articles...

• Kosovo status could be resolved using Hong Kong model...interesting idea!!!
• Crossfire War, definitely not an unbiased publication in my book, yet still interesting to read takes a look at the current Kosovo negotiations

Over the past week the electricity situation has taken a downward turn when KEK took the B-plant offline for maintenance.  However now with the beginning of Ramadan, it looks like some power is being imported because the power cuts have stopped.  With the ABC scheduling, A-areas have 24/7 power, B-areas are supposed to have 5:1, and C-areas will either have 5:1 or 4:2.  The power schedule can be checked on KEK's website each day.  Related to the power situation, I found an article on the Trading Markets website about how the power cuts have affected Kosovo businesses. 

Also as expected, the water situation has been bad over the past couple of months.  I don't notice it so much due to a huge water tank at the flat but my other friends in the neighborhood have been complaining about frequent water cuts during the daytime and of course, the normal cuts from 11pm-5am each day.  There are predictions that because we have had a long, hot summer this winter will be long, cold and there will be lots of snow.  That hopefully will help refill the water reservoirs for next year although I do believe that the local population needs to be taught water conservation techniques. 

Around Kosovo in the past week or so a couple interesting things have happened.  The first is that KPS discovered a document forger during a vehicle checkpoint last week.  During a vehicle search, officers found numerous passports and other official documents.  Following up with a warrant, the police searched the home of the suspect and found more documents issued by both Yugoslav and UNMIK authorities.  The investigation continues and it seems that KPS is searching for associated suspects.

A memorial to an Albanian murdered in 2000 was demolished by a group of persons driving Serbian-plated vehicles in northern Mitrovica causing concern in the Kosovo parliament.  Several MPs accussed Serbia of being instrumental in the destruction of the Avni Hajradinaj memorial and calling it a bid to destabilize Kosovo. 

Vetevendosje is back to defacing property again.  Over the weekend, activists defaced the blast barrier outside UN MHQ stating "UNMIK is manipulating children" evidently in reference to the painting of the blast barrier on UN Ambassador's Day by local children.  Yet other than that, the group has been suspiciously quiet over the past few months since they toss the "Go to Hell" box over the gate of the UN.

And as usual, there has been the typical political banter over the status.  Kosovo PM Ceku has been in the press again stating that Kosovo will be independent by the end of 2007 even if it means a unilateral declaration.  Serbia has suggested that the EU warn Kosovo against a unilateral declaration and also demanded explanations from the US on its policy of supporting a unilateral declaration.  Meanwhile, Kosovo will be presenting a peace treaty during negotiations in London to Serbia that calls for good relations.  Then PM Ceku is in the news again as he has asked for clarification from EU's envoy Wolfgang Ischinger on his statements to Britain's The Independent that Kosovo was no longer being offered supervised-independence.  And of course, we can't forget the Russians who are warning that a unilateral declaration would start a chain reaction!  It's nearly enough to make one's head not only spin but perhaps pop off due to the high velocity that could be attained by trying to keep up with the never-ending onslaught of he-said-she-said...but faithful readers fear not as I will continue to be your personal bobble-head in search of the latest news on Kosovo :)

Finally, what blog post is complete without my MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles...especially when I've missed nearly two weeks!

• Kosovo:  Thinking outside the box, an editorial in New Europe takes a look at the perceived urgency for Kosovo independence
• Kosovo: Silent Land Swap, an editorial featured in Reuters that looks into how minority enclaves are becoming more mono-ethnic
• Rising tensions in Macedonia attributed to Kosovo's unresolved status
• Transitions Online takes a look at how countries in the Balkans view NATO integration
• The EU's Catch-22 is an editorial in the Guardian Unlimited that takes a look at how the EU has handled the Kosovo issue

Contrary to some popular belief UN employees do actually work and I've been busy so I haven't had as much of a chance to update on the news from Kosovo...but here are some of the latest happenings: 

Last Thursday, a KPS officer serving in Close Protection was murdered in Pristina in broad daylight.  I have on good authority that the officer had previously served on an organized crime/criminal gang taskforce and had made some powerful enemies in Kosovo.  It is also rumored that the officer dated the girlfriend of the owner of one of the Kosovo's casinos (as well as pop-singer Adelina Ismalji) and was instrumental in the closure of the casino...and that the casino owner is in detention and has confessed to the murder.  The local paper Koha Ditore has reported about the murder confession but I am not certain if the person mentioned is the one I was told about from my source.

The UN has set the date for local elections in Kosovo.  The elections will be held on 17 November.  The date could possibly be changed if the UN sees that it is interfering with the status negotiations currently under way.  The elections would only be the third round since the UN took over in 1999 for the 120-seats in the PISG (Provisional Institution of Self-Government).  So far, the last two elections both resulted in coalition governments between the largest three parties in Kosovo however there are a couple new parties that have been gaining momentum in Kosovo. 

MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles 

• An editorial in Cleveland's Plain Dealer says shame on you (to Albanians, Serbs, and the US!)
• Albin Kurti, leader of Vetevendosje, says things will be better when the local institutions take over...then he goes on to say that once Kosovo becomes independent, Albanians will stop regarding Serbs as a threat
• Reuters UK looks at how Kosovo tensions simmer through long, hot summer
• Disillusioned Serb refugees look towards Kosovo in the International Herald Tribune
• Foreign Policy in Focus describes Kosovo like a bad cold that won't go away and looks at three possible outcomes

Let's talk about life in general in Kosovo for a change :)  Life isn't easy.  People here seem to age quickly.  When most Westerners are getting ready for early retirement and living the golden life, people in Kosovo are having to worry about all sorts of health problems due to living their lives in an unnaturally polluted environment.  I'm often shocked to hear of the various health problems that face a typical 50-year-old Kosovar. 

But not everyone is living a difficult life.  There are plenty of people who seem to be well off.  All you have to do is go out in Pristina and take a look at all the new BMW, Audis, and Mercedes sedans that are running around (often going the wrong way down the one way street which is always guaranteed to grab my attention!)  There seems to be a disproportionate number of people who are filthy-stinking rich and those that are living far below the poverty line in Kosovo.  I would say most people are oblivious to the differences in living standards because few ever step outside the comfort of Pristina...but it's there and a glaring problem that will eventually need to be addressed.

Stepping outside the news about Kosovo's status, the Washington Times featured an article titled Kosovo's grim future which explores a report on how the economy is stuck in misery and the youth are basically faced with criminality as their "solo career choice".  It is an interesting read and I would like to further explore the reports that the article is based on.  As usual, posted for your reading pleasure and opinion formation process!!!

Also, an interesting look into life in Kosovo is an article on the summer tradition of Sunet, a festival held high in the Kosovo mountains.  Held every five years, Sunet is a four day festival during which a mass circumcision of young boys is performed.  Often two villages will combine their celebrations.  Seen as a rite of passage, the traditions roots have been lost in the passing of time yet there still are deep feelings of pride as it symbolizes the unique culture of the villages that celebrate Sunet.  Often even after going abroad for a better life, villagers will return with their children to take part in the festival. 

The UN has called for probe into prison break.  UN officials have requested an independent inquiry into how seven inmates at Kosovo's high-security prison managed to escape with the help of prison guards.  The inquiry would look into conditions at the prison and ensure that safeguards are put in place to prevent a repeat of the past weekend's events.  There is little hope that the inmates will be discovered in Kosovo as it is thought that they have already slipped across the porous borders to Macedonia or Montenegro.

Last night, I tried out a restaurant called Mozaik (038 247 634) near the "opera house" off of Ramiz Sadiku street.  It's hard to describe exactly how to get there, but if you were walking on Mother Theresa going towards the government building, you would turn off to the right on a small road once you passed the large statue of the guy with the AK-47.  When you reach the end of that road, turn left and then turn right at the end small road.  Mozaik would be right in front of you as the road jogs off to the side since there is a huge red apartment building in the middle :)  We didn't actually look at the menu since a friend suggested that we order salads and meat to share.  The waiter was quite attentive and the food was fantastic.  The salads were quite impressive especially the creamed spinach and broccoli starters.  The combination meat platter was nice and the grilled veal cutlet I had was cooked to perfection, tender and juicy!  We must have drank about 5-6 bottles of the Hoya de Cardenas wine from Spain which I would recommend to wine lovers...at 12 Euros a bottle, you can't go wrong with this superb wine.   

I also noticed that the Indian Food & More restaurant (038 248 592/044 799 791) was open and grabbed a menu as we walked past.  The restaurant is just off of Mother Theresa on a small road called Korriku (first right going towards the government building after passing the AK47 guy statue).  There is everything from pizza to traditional curry dishes on the menu.  I can't yet attest to the quality of the food but I'm hoping to try it out in the next few weeks.

MTCowgirl's Daily News Break ...

• The Washington Post takes a look at Albin Kurti who continues to remain under house arrest. 
• The Wall Street Journal asks if Moscow's support for Serbia is paying off, questioning whether or not diplomatic support has been traded for economic prospects. 
• A senior Russian leader urges the world to resolve older self-determination conflicts (Palestine, Cyprus, Soviet-bloc) before Kosovo
• Under-Secretary Nicholas Burns says that US hopes Kosovo will be independent in 2007
• BIRN looks at how the Bosniak and Goranci communities in Kosovo are struggling

The UN has implemented conservation efforts by informing everyone that they can only have their car washed once a week (we do our part in my office by never getting the cars washed until we can't see out the windows at night from the layers of dust on the inside of the windshield *hehe*)  Yet the whole thing that I don't understand about all the conservation efforts is that the UN will issue a directive about the cars but then they will bring in a water truck during the middle of the day to wash the roads in the compound or water the grass (which is really stupid because the heat & rays from the sun magnify in the water and end up frying the grass!).  I say let the stupid grass die and let's save the water for showering next week!  Or at least bring the trucks in at night when the temperatures are down and you don't end up killing the grass in your efforts to keep them green!  That's real UN-efficiency and UN-thinking for you :o)

While I was on my way back to Kosovo, there was a bit of excitement at Dubrava prison.  Seven inmates escaped on Saturday (18 August) in a apparently well-organized plan that seems to have involved armed "rescuers" and prison guards.  Five guards have been detained or arrested in conjunction with the escape.  One of the inmates has escaped three times prior to this latest escape.  All the escapees have been identified, one is accused of murdering a Russian KFOR soldier.  The charges of the inmates range from acts of terrorism to kidnapping and robbery.  Kosovo's minister of justice visited the prison following the breakout and promised that there will be rigorous changes to prevent a repeat of the weekend escape.  An investigation is ongoing into the escape and KPS is still actively searching for the inmates in a manhunt that involves several hundred officers.   

Current PM Agim Ceku has announced that he will not run for office in the upcoming elections.  In his weekly address, Ceku said that he would not participate in elections held before the status resolution and urged politicians participating to "show individual and institutional responsibility and not let their political differences affect the process of establishing the future status of Kosovo".  The date for the elections will be determined in two weeks at the beginning of September.  The Kosovo government has requested that the elections be held the third week of November. 

MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles

• Kosovo negotiators receive death threats from ethnic Albanian group
• What if Kosovo is recognized, an opinion piece in the Sofia Echo
• The UN's Flawed Kosovo Plan, an opinion piece in the Wall Street Journal
• Kosovo Albanians only coming to Serbia for passports, another article on Kosovo citizens visiting Serbia for travel documents
• Kosovo celebrates Bill Clinton's 61st birthday - Ha, gotta love it!!! :o)

Serbia has proposed the return of their security forces to Kosovo for the first time in more than eight years. Serbian forces have not been in Kosovo basically since the end of the NATO bombing campaign in 1999. Under the UN Security Council resolution 1244, Serbia does hold territorial rights to Kosovo as well as the right to send a limited number of security forces to Kosovo. Following the March 2004 riots, there was discussion of having Serbian forces return but UNMIK and KFOR negotiated with Serbia.

Meanwhile, former Kosovo PM Bajram Rexhepi has suggested that if Kosovo will be partitioned, the Kosovo government would only agree if Presevo Valley was integrated into Kosovo. Rexhepi also stated that he did not believe that the 120-day period of negotiation would bring Belgrade and Pristina closer on their positions which continue to be diametrically opposed on autonomy vs. independence.

UNMIK has kick-started the process for local elections due to be held this November in Kosovo. PDSRSG Steven Schook signed an executive order yesterday that authorized the elections commission to begin preparations for the elections. In a statement, he cautioned that the elections should not interfere with the negotiations on status...which seems kind of like wishful thinking. Citizens are probably more likely to vote for candidates who appear to be able to deliver on the promises of independence which means the current government is going to have to prove that they are on the right track. Already there has been speculation that PM Agim Ceku is on his way out because of failures to deliver independence by his constantly moving deadlines.

And finally, how about MTCowgirl's Interesting News Stories???

• The Epicenter of Islamofascism?, a rebuke of Julia Gorin's Kosovo articles in FrontPage Mag
• Passports in Serbia, an interesting article in b92 about the continued flow of Kosovo citizens to Serbia who are applying for passports
• Kosovo waiting on funds , MSNBC takes a look at the economic limbo in Kosovo and plans for the future
• Lessons from Kosovo kids, the residents of Corning, NY get a glimpse of the US through different eyes
• Federalization in Macedonia?, a look at the situation in neighboring Macedonia and the link between Kosovo's independence and possible federalization

The three representatives from the Contact Group, have arrived in the Balkans to begin the new 120-days of negotiations. It still is not clear whether or not there will be face to face talks between Belgrade and Pristina. Frank Wisner from the US is again involved in the talks along with German envoy Wolfgang Ischinger, representing the EU, and Russia's Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko. In a meeting with Serbian officials today, the troika was presented with a proposal that offers Kosovo wide autonomy and representation in world organizations. The Contact Group troika is due to meet with Kosovo officials on Saturday who have already threatened to pull out of the talks if independence is threatened. Some deadlines have been tossed out such as 10 December but as before, it is difficult to predict when exactly the status will be resolved.

Meanwhile, in other news, OSCE has issued a statement condemning a Kosovo newspaper of irresponsible and unprofessional reporting. If you recall my blog a few months ago about a newspaper printing names of Serbians living in minority areas and accusing them of crimes during the fighting. A series of articles appeared in Infopress newspaper and gave names and other details about Serbs who allegedly served in reserve units. Even after receiving warnings about the articles, the newspaper published more and more names and articles of the same fashion between 30 May and 4 August.

And finally, KPS has reported an increase in the number of attacks on religious and spiritual sites in Kosovo but states that the attacks are criminally, not ethnically, motivated. There have been 52 attacks on religious/spiritual sites since the beginning of the year and KPS has managed to solve 18 of the reported cases.

The EU may be considering proposing that Kosovo and Serbia form a confederation that would last several years before Kosovo became independence. The proposal is thought to be an alternative that may be put forth as a compromise to satisfy both Belgrade and Pristina. Ideally, it may follow a similar model to the loose ties between Serbia and Montenegro when they were considered one country. Under the possible proposal, Kosovo would have equal rights as Serbia but Kosovo would have the opportunity to self-determination through a new constitution. It's an interesting alternative and I would actually like to see it proposed to see how the parties would react.

An opinion piece in Indonesia's Jakarta Post wonders if the stand-off over Kosovo will result in WWIII with Kosovo unilaterally declaring independence and Serb ultra-nationalists going to war with Russia as an ally (as Russia is upset at the West, particularly the US who has said they would recognize if Kosovo declared...but I do believe those declarations were kind of retracted at later dates.)

As I was traveling, I forgot to pass on information about the high-profile meeting between Kosovo leaders and US Secretary of State Connie Rice. The leaders of Kosovo promised to not declare independence unilaterally without consulting its allies.The US reaffirmed its support for Kosovo's independence during the meeting and promised to continue to push for quick resolution within the next months, possibly before the conclusion of the 120-days of negotiations.

Also due to my travels, I missed news about a bus being hit by a booby trap on 20 July. The bus was transporting 10 Albanians in northern Kosovo and supposedly drove over a rope that was attached to a grenade. No one was injured in the blast and KPS is investigating the incident.

Wildfires are continuing to ravage Kosovo. Some 100,000 hectares have been burned in Kosovo over the past few months. KFOR has stepped in to assist in battling the fires.

Meanwhile, some international peacekeepers from Slovakia have been busted trying to smuggle cigarettes and alcohol from Kosovo after serving in Kosovo. Around 450 liters of alcohol and 320 boxes of cigarettes were found by Hungarian officials in a truck that was transporting Slovak soldier's luggage back to their home country following the conclusion of their peacekeeping duties in Kosovo.

Authorities in Kosovo have discovered an illegal water bottling plant in Kosovo. The plant was discovered producing the Serbian brand "Heba" without a license and without a license to conduct business. The water is currently being tested for quality and 3000 liters of water has been seized. Also, authorities expect that the tender for Kosovo's "C" power plant will be announced later this year. It is expected that the construction of the billion dollar plant will make Kosovo a big player in Southeast Europe's energy market. It will be a big change from the current situation where Kosovo must pay to import power during the winter to meet the demand.

KPS has brought in a good sized haul during a recent operation targeting arms smugglers and organized crime in Pristina and Podujevo. Approximately 500 guns and 2000 rounds of ammunition were seized during raids and two people were arrested. A KPS spokesperson is quoted as saying that most of the weapons came from Macedonia.

With the UN failing to push through a resolution, Kosovo's leaders are looking to make a unilateral declaration. The target date set by Kosovo PM Agim Ceku is November 28th, which strangely also happens to be the day neighboring Albania celebrated their independence. Hmmm?!

And please forgive any obvious formatting or spelling errors over the next several weeks as I am home in the US and borrowing computers, I am actually working on the code rather than using a webpage editor. There also won't be any real good personal Kosovo stories but you can check out my travel pages as I am doing quite a bit of jet setting around!

It comes as no great surprise that Russia has rejected the resolution introduced by the EU/US.  Russia continues to oppose the resolution because the text still holds a hidden path to independence.  Now the big question is, what's next?  The resolution spells out that the negotiations would be carried out by diplomats of the Contact Group (US, UK, Italy, Germany, France, Russia) and the EU.  However, South Africa's ambassador questioned how the EU could negotiate fairly as it has been a strong supporter of independence.  The Security Council is due to debate Kosovo behind closed doors on Thursday.

MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles...

• Chinese human trafficking ring broken up in Kosovo, eight arrested
• Summer of Discontent by Antiwar.com
• Kosovo Example Spurs Hope for Transdniestria, Nagorno Karabakh
• Hiding Genocide in Kosovo, a new book is available from American Council for Kosovo
• General Must Not Lie, what really happened in Racak???
• Serbia charges Kosovo Albanian with war crimes

The US and EU have formally introduced their third attempt at a resolution to the Security Council in an apparent attempt to gauge the mood and possibly test the Russian threat of a veto.  By formally introducing the resolution, it means that there can be a vote within the next 24 hours or possibly not at all.  Diplomats are said to be waiting for Russia's reaction before deciding what to do.

There are rumors on both sides that the Kosovo status will leave the UN.  Several different sources say that the EU is drifting towards solution outside the UN and a couple others say the Kosovo debate will not leave the UN.  There is also discussion that the Contact Group may take over the issue of Kosovo's status.  The idea of the Contact Group taking over would be to allow negotiations between Pristina and Belgrade to continue in the hopes that they could reach a settlement...but that idea is likely to fail as both sides remain diametrically opposed. 

It appears that the UN Security Council has reached an impasse and is deadlocked on Kosovo following closed door consultations yesterday where Russia again rejected attempts by Western countries to get a resolution to vote.  Western diplomats now are trying to figure out whether or not they want to press the issue of a vote but with Russia's ambassador commenting on the possibility of the measure passing by saying "the chances of that are zero" things are not looking good. 

Stepping up pressure on the international community, Kosovo's president Fatmir Sedijiu has stated that Kosovo is prepared to take "alternative steps" while opposition leader Hashim Thaci is quoted as saying the "role Security Council has weakened".

MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles....Now don't be writing to me and saying that you don't like what I've posted.  These are real news articles published in international news media outlets and I'm just posting them for everyone to read and form their own opinion!!! 

• Editorial titled Kosovo conundrum requires new thinking
• Julia Gorin Letters from the (Kosovo) Front -- While I do agree with some of what the author states from time to time, sometimes the author comes off a bit too strongly.,,
• Italian magazine focuses on Kosovo with pretty pessimistic views...I didn't see the article (and it's in Italian!) but here's a link to Limes Plus
• Putin: From US Ally to Global Tyrant...while the article is not about Kosovo, I think it has some bearing on the situation here :)  Overall I found it a very good read.

I am going to be leaving on Friday for a month long vacation.  With the possibility that the mission will be closing down, a lot of UN staff, myself included, are finally trying to use up the leave we've accumulated over the years.  I won't be resting on my laurels though as I bounce from state to state visiting family who all want to see me.  I will however take a week of me-time and join a good friend in Tobago for a week of scuba diving.  You can bet that I'll be taking lots of pictures under and above water!

There was a little bit of interesting news over the weekend.  One thing that happened that grabbed my attention is a shoot-out between unknown suspects and the local police near the north western boundary.  Villagers reported seeing men in Serbian-style uniforms with weapons.  When KPS showed up to investigate, they came under fire.  No injuries were reported and the suspects escaped.  As a response, KPS has stepped up patrols in the area.

The next tidbit of news really grabbed my attention because it stuck me as a bit silly.  Veton Surroi, an opposition party leader and member of the Unity Team, has urged the West to ignore Russia and allow Kosovo to become independent.  Part of the argument is that Russia should not have a say in European affairs...but then one could easily turn around as say, well neither does the US!  There are also reports that maybe the US will bypass the UN regarding Kosovo's independence but that's likely to cause major waves in the international swimming pool.

Kosovo PM Agim Ceku says that he is ready to declare independence and expects some sort of go-ahead during a meeting with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that is scheduled to take place next week.  One interesting quote that I came across from Ceku is "If you start to draw borders in the Balkans where do you stop?" but then I would ask, isn't declaring Kosovo an independent state basically drawing in a new border where one didn't exist before??? 

It's kind of amusing that as I read over the news about Kosovo and the frustrations of the Kosovo Albanians, I look to my daily desk calendar and see Dilbert's boss saying "You are not allowed to lie, but I expect plenty of omissions, misdirections, exaggerations, unjustified optimism, lost documents, unclear explanations, gray areas and tactical ignorance.  Oh, an say that we have other offers." 

MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles...

• An editorial in The Progress Report asks Independence for Kosovo? Why?
• The UN prepares plan for unforeseen possibilities
• The Boston Globe looks at A tradeoff for peace in Kosovo
• EU wants UN Resolution for Kosovo

In a somewhat laughable press conference, Kosovo PM Agim Ceku has suggested that the EU sidestep the UN and give Kosovo independence and take over the mission.  Almost immediately Ceku's statements were shot down by EU foreign policy chief Javier Solano who stated that the EU was united in its position with the UN Security Council.  Ceku has stated "we need to stop pretending that the Security Council has the answer to every question" in which Solano responded that the EU doesn't share the same "sort of intrinsic pessimism about the United Nations".

The UN has banned the use of rubber bullets in all peacekeeping missions following reports on the deadly February 2007 demonstration in Kosovo where two Vetevendosje protestors were killed by Romanian riot police firing into the crowd.  A directive issued by the Department of Peacekeeping Operations headquartered in New York temporarily suspended the carriage and use of rubber bullets and bean-bag rounds by UN peacekeeping forces until further notice.  Other UN missions with rubber bullets (East Timor, Ivory Coast, Haiti, Congo, Liberia) have been ordered to secure the suspended ordnances in a safe location until otherwise directed.

MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles of the Day...

• Wealthy Albanian Americans combine patriotism with profit in Kosovo
• Major powers nudge Kosovo towards partition...
• Albin Kurti placed under house arrest (AGAIN!)
• Kosovo Serbs get new political party

Will Kosovo's status be delayed until 2008?  According to Daniel Fried who made statements in Croatia suggesting that there will be no quick solution to Kosovo's status and that most likely the issue would be settled in the months leading up to the April 2008 NATO Bucharest Summit.  This is the first real hint that the status will be postponed beyond 2007 and there is likely to be a bit of posturing by Kosovo politicians.

And thinking of posturing, a few of the Kosovo political parties have issued statements warning that further delays will cause Kosovo to destabilize.  Also in the news, Kosovo PM Agim Ceku's "plea for self rule" to the EU and request to set a deadline for independence.  Ceku has suggested that if the deadline is set and no UN resolution is passed, Kosovo will be allowed to unilaterally declare independence.

MTCowgirl's Interesting News Articles of the Day...

• Foreign Policy takes a look at why you might have to buy a new atlas.  It's an interesting look at independence movements in the world.
• Southeast European Times takes a look at the "What if's" in Kosovo.
• Global Research takes a look at US-Russian relations and the Kosovo issue

So, with the old mantra of "if at first you don't succeed, try try again", there is an attempt to pass though a new resolution in the UN Security Council which calls for more talks between Kosovo and Belgrade.  Unlike the resolutions that were earlier rejected, this new resolution does not specify any results following the new negotiations.  China, Indonesia, South Africa, and Russia all believe that Kosovo cannot be separated from Serbia without its consent.

Meanwhile, KLA veterans are upping their posturing with new threats of taking up arms if Kosovo does not gain independence.  In a statement in Kosovo newspapsers on 8 July, the letter also warned international organizations, particularly the UN, not to try to block the process.  There was a meeting of Albanian "intellectuals" in Tetevo over the weekend.  Representatives from Kosovo, Albania, and Macedonia attended the meeting with called for national unification of Albanians starting with Kosovo's independence.  If independence was not granted soon, one of the reps said that the NLA of Macedonia would join the KLA and they would win Kosovo's freedom with guns.  Again I pose the same question to the supposed intellectuals asking "who do you expect to fight against?"  It's not like there are any Serbian troops left to fight...are you going to take on NATO who doesn't plan on leaving anytime in the near future???  Hmmmm!

An opinion article in Russia's RIA Novosti criticizes recent statements by EU officials and discusses the perceived threat to international law in Kosovo.  The article seems to be a response to recent statements by the spokesperson for Javier Solano who stated that if the UN cannot find a solution the EU may take matters into their own hands.

It appears that there were no conclusive results on Kosovo during the meetings between Bush and Putin.  The presidency of the Security Council has also changed to China at the beginning of July and it looks like decisions on status are going to be put off until September at the earliest.  There is still hope that the US and Russia will be able to reach some sort of agreement but in the meantime leaders are urging Pristina and Belgrade to engage in negotiations.

In a strange snippet in the news, Kosovo police have stepped up security and detained a man who allegedly made threats against US interests in Kosovo.  The man reported that masked men with guns approached him and forced him to act out against the "interests of a foreign state" but the police believe that the report is false and are holding the man pending an investigation. 

Another odd item to report is that during yesterday's US contingent medal parade, those giving speeches were instructed that they could not use the word "independence" due to the current tensions.  Ummm, but the holiday is called Independence Day!  So I guess in the age of political correctness, we will no longer be able to refer to our national holiday as Independence Day because it might offend someone's delicate sensibilities in Kosovo.

It is disappointing to report that Kosovo is going ahead with plans to exterminate dogs in Pristina by shooting them.  The government has set aside 10,000 Euros for the program that involves two companies.  One vet interviewed said the best option would be to open a shelter...but duh, there's already a shelter!  Listening to gunshots in the middle of the night is not really therapeutic to citizens who have recently gone through a war.  Plus there are the fact that it is always the friendly dogs that are killed first because the aggressive dogs are less likely to come near humans and more difficult to shoot.  Then if you wound an aggressive dog, the problem is exuberated because now the dog knows that humans will hurt him.  Why the Kosovo government couldn't take the money and invest it in a program to capture and humanely take care of the problem is beyond me.

I noticed that McCafe across from Mission HQ appears to be closed.  It's unfortunate because they did have nice sandwiches and soup for lunch.  Plus it was a great place to sit and relax without getting smoked-out by cigarettes.  I have been told that there is a nice Slovenian restaurant that opened last week near the King Casino.  And thinking of the King Casino, it has been closed down.  Rumors are that the owners were laundering money and also cheating on games.  I've also seen that for some reason the "Swiss" from Swiss Casino sign has been taken down...perhaps it's just Casino now :)

Today I think I'm going to take a step back from the news and politics and discuss life in Kosovo...particularly one of our favorite mission topics: driving!  It's difficult to describe what it is like to drive in Kosovo with all the different nationalities on the road and the unique style of the locals.  But I've been thinking that I've never shared one particular individual local driving style that really makes me wonder where on earth people come up with their ideas! 

I live on a one-way street but there is always traffic coming the opposite way.  The KPS officers stationed at the consular offices are more decoration than real police so they usually just watch.  Sometimes it's even the local police that come down the wrong way, stopping in the middle of the road to talk to their friends...never mind any traffic that might be backing up in front or behind!  But the thing that really makes me go "hmmm?!" is there seems to be a belief that if your vehicle is pointing in the right direction, you can drive wherever you want.  I see this over and over on my one way street.  A person will back-up the street, their vehicle pointing the correct direction, but driving in the opposite direction for several blocks.  I mean, if you are really going to go down the street the wrong way, just do it...don't try to make it look like you aren't breaking the law by driving in reverse! 

Oh and of course, if you happen to miss your turn, just throw it into reverse and back-up.  If someone comes up behind you, don't move, just wave your hands around and make them back up too until you reach your destination.  This doesn't just apply for city driving but also on the highway if you happen to miss your turn.

Another interesting thing that we come across while driving in Kosovo is that people will just arbitrarily block the road for deliveries, construction, parking, and sometimes even shopping.  You can be happily driving along and suddenly find a huge mound of dirt in your lane for the building that is being constructed pretty much right on the side of the road (Building codes...ha, what building codes!!!  If you can build your structure so close to the road that people have to step out into traffic to get around, you've done a good job of utilizing your land!  But I digress, back to driving!)  You'll have to go around...if there's no traffic coming the opposite way...or maybe a guy backing in the other lane because he missed his turn a block down.  You'll also have to dodge vehicles that suddenly decide to pull over in front of you and often children playing football in the streets (the huge park two blocks away is just too inconvenient I guess!)

And today there was a celebration at the US office in Pristina and clusterf---k is the word that comes to mind when I think about the situation on the street outside.  We made the mistake of trying to drive downtown through Dragodan as we usually do but there were all sorts of KPS units and civilian vehicles going the wrong way up the one way street (of course!!!) 

There is an interesting article by a former Australian government official titled Serbia owed justice in Kosovo that explores Serbia's past back to WWII and touches on the propaganda war that was waged in Kosovo.  As usual, I'm throwing it out there to you readers!

I spent part of the weekend down in Peja/Pec and Decani so I have new pictures to share!  Next weekend I'm planning on visiting the Marusha waterfalls near Djakova/Gjakova and will try to get some more nature to share.

The court in the Hague has adjourned for a summer break and former PM Ramush Haradinaj has requested to be allowed to return to Kosovo.  The court previously released Haradinaj for a period of two years following his initial indictment and allowed him to limited activity in Kosovo politics.

Last week I came across a short snippet from a newspaper who alleged that UN envoy Ahtisaari received a bribe of US$1 million from the Kosovo's billionaire Behgjet Pacolli.  Then there was another short snippet where the speaker of Serbian parliament called for an inquiry into the allegations.  Finally an article in Serbianna, which I cannot say is really an unbiased news source for Kosovo, looks a bit deeper into Pacolli's past and other possible bribes made.  As usual, I'm throwing it out there for you readers to take a look at and make your own decision :)

The St. Vitus' Day celebrations went without incident.  The police searched the buses and confiscated "inflammatory" t-shirts.  By our estimates, there were probably around 1000 people at the celebration even though the news reports only said hundreds.  In Mitrovica, a new statue was unveiled but the SRSG did not approve the inscription as it was provocative.  I'm going to try to go see the new statue which is said to be of an angel with some sort of lights.  The SRSG also issued an executive order the day before the celebrations banning the Guard of Tsar Lazar from attending the festivities. 

KPS has announced that it has broken up a criminal gang of Serbian KPS officers who were forcibly stopping vehicles in the Kosovo Polje and Gracanica area and robbing their victims of vehicles, cash, and other valuables.  Three officers were arrested and a fourth remains at large.  The group has been operating since 2000 which makes one wonder what they got away with over the past seven years!

Over the past week, I've been reading a series of articles published in English from Sweden.  At best, the articles are very critical of the UN in Kosovo as well as many of the staff.  In regards to the accusations about UN-staff ripping off landlords, I know that the police officers must have a statement signed by their landlords that the bills are paid before they are allowed to check-out.  I am going to check with our office to see if regular UN-staff are required to do the same.  And despite what the author alleges is the UN's ignorance of landlord's claims, the UN does hold a portion of the staff's final salary which can go towards the payment of any landlord claims after the person's departure.  I did feel that the picture the author painted of UN staff was a bit unfair as I know many that are working to make Kosovo a better place and busting their butts to help the local population...sure there are some that don't care about Kosovo but to say everyone is the same isn't right.  I'm also not exactly sure when or where the author stayed in Kosovo but there aren't severe power problems for about the past six months as was described so it makes me wonder if the author wasn't just over-exaggerating many things.  Yes in the past there have been power problems but if the articles were really written last month (25 June is the date displayed), the author wouldn't have experienced continuous power outages other than one day when KEK was working on Kosovo B.  Anyways, the articles are interesting so I'd like to share the articles titled Colonial Kosovo. 

Anyways, I tried three times with the wrong pin number and the machine spit the card out and told me that I had to go visit a local branch.  So today, I went to the Admin HQ branch and spoke to the teller.  She informed me that since I had picked up my card at the downtown branch near OSCE I would have to go back to that branch to put in a request for a new pin code and it would take three weeks.  Sorry, three weeks???  And there is no way you could just unlock the card and allow me to use the old pin number???  No, sorry, you have to go downtown.

Sheesh, what's the point of saying that you have branches all over Kosovo if a customer can't take care of their business at any of the branches?  I've been a customer of the bank before it was even Raiffeisen back in the good ol' days of the American Bank of Kosovo...and there was only one branch during that time and it was downtown.  What if by chance the branch downtown burned down???  Would I then be stuck and never be able to get a new ATM card or pin number because the other branches feel incapable of assisting me as a customer?  It seems strange to me that I am allowed to withdraw my money at the bank but they are unable to help me with other bank business at any other branch than the one that I registered with.

The anniversary of the 1389 Battle of Kosovo Polje will be celebrated tomorrow.  The critical crossroads of the Balkans were located in Kosovo at that time.  The Serbian forces of King Lazar met those of Sultan Murad in a clash that totaled approximately 40-70,000 men.  Both leaders were killed, Lazar during the course of battle and Murad sometime after the battle.  The details of exactly what happened in the battle are sketchy at best due to a lack of historical records but the Ottoman forces pushed back the Serbian forces.  The defeat ushered in the 500 years of Ottoman rule in the Balkans although the forces eventually retreated from Kosovo, most likely due to the fact that the Sultan was killed and the new one had to return to be crowned.

BIRN features an article titled Moving Beyond Status and the author takes a look at policymakers in Kosovo who have been focusing essential on independence while delaying or ignoring rampant problems in Kosovo.  As I have often said, once the status is resolved, Kosovo faces a continuing uphill battle in areas of social reforms, corruption, and improving the quality of life for the ordinary citizens.

Meanwhile the Serbian PM Kostunica has been warning that US-Serbia relations are deteriorating over the US support for Kosovo's independence.  The US and Serbia re-established diplomatic relations in 2000 following the arrest of Milosevic and Kostunica is warning the US that if it wants to have good relations with Serbia, they need to "respect Serbia's territorial wholeness".

And article in Russia's RIA Novosti argues that a hasty decision on Kosovo's status would ulimately harm both Kosovo and the EU.  The author explores the old issue of standards before status as well as looks into the accusations about Ahtisaari's objectivity.

Indonesia has proposed a solution to Kosovo's status.  It is not know whether or not the proposal is so far just discussion or whether or not there is an actual resolution prepared on its basis.  The proposal is that the UN develops a timeline for Kosovo independence without interfering with the sovereignty of Serbia.  Because Indonesia is dealing with two separatist movements of its own, the country wants to ensure that the UN will not set a precedent for future conflicts.  Indonesia has also suggested that the EU and NATO treat Kosovo the same as other ex-Yugoslavian countries and do not punish Serbia for rejecting Kosovo's independence.  Instead, Serbia should be offered EU membership as an incentive according to the foreign minister.

The Serbian militia group Guard of Tsar Lazar (say that three-times fast!) is thought to be attending St. Vitus Day celebrations on 28 June which has caused KFOR and the UN to worry about escalating ethnic tensions.  KFOR has stated that they are going to be carefully watching the celebrations and warned that no paramilitary groups would be tolerated. 

The KLA and Guard seem to be destined for a clash as the Guard is said to have arrived yesterday in Gazimestan after a two-week march from Belgrade and the KLA is threatening to settle "accounts" with the group who they labeled "guard of criminals" and warned KFOR not to try to protect the Guard. 

It is also rumored that the KLA and TMK are planning on lining the roadway as the buses of Serb celebrators travel to their enclaves.  It seems to me that indicates nothing but aggression and intimidation but we will just have to see.  Being that TMK is supposed to be a multi-ethnic organization, using common sense I would devise that they would not be permitted to engage in such acts but then as we often say, "common sense ain't so common anymore!"

Due to maintenance of the Kosovo-B plant, a new power rationing schedule has been put into effect.  A-areas such as Pristina are supposed to have five hours of power and then one off (5:1), B-areas are 4:2, and C-areas get 3:3 for the next day or two.  With few houses with air-conditioning and many of us relying on fans, that one hour in the capital without power means it gets stuffy in the house at night!  Last night we discovered that our water is being shut-off at nights when the power went out and we no longer had the water from the tank.  Talking with friends, I guess water rationing in Pristina has been in effect for several months now which makes sense due to the water shortage problem facing Kosovo.  The water schedule now looks to be off from 10pm - 5am in most parts of Pristina.

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News Update...

Fears or tensions whatever you want to call them are rising as the Kosovo status talks seem to be stalled.  KLA veterans are threatening renewed violence and stating that they have only been in a "ceasefire".  Vetevendosje is preparing for a protest on Saturday which many fear is bad news in light of the past demonstrations that have turned violent.  In an effort to prevent the vandalism of the blast barrier outside the UN Mission HQ downtown, the UN will be having children from around Kosovo paint a mural on the wall.  We are all keeping our fingers crossed that the activist groups will respect the work of the children and not deface the wall anymore.

As with many other Kosovo governments, there are fears that the current coalition will fall due to broken promises.  In my six years in Kosovo, several of the last Prime Ministers have promised independence will be granted while they were in office.  Of the last two, I recall Kosumi promising independence by June 2006 and then Ceku saying December 2006, January, April, May, June, July(???) 2007.  Former KLA leader Hashim Thaci, a often back-scenes political figure in Kosovo compared to the President & Prime Minister but present since the beginning, has stated "The time was yesterday. Today is already too late. Tomorrow is dangerous.�

A local newspaper has again started printing the names of Serbians who served in the military.  The newspaper claims that it is pointing out who was a commander and who was responsible for war crimes, there is no evidence that any of the people listed actually committed any crimes.  A Kosovo newspaper has published similar lists before and in 1999 a young Serbian translator whose name appeared on the list was shot in Pristina.  The newspaper editor, Rexhep Hoti, has stated that "we are giving the names of people in the military and police at the time massacres occurred" and offers no apologies for publishing the list.  Zivorad Zdravkovic from Lipjan whose name appears on the list admits to being in the Serb military as many were during that time due to the requirement to serve upon completion of school but denies ever being involved in any war crimes much less fighting in Kosovo.  It is his belief that the newspaper is just seeking a new way to intimidate the remaining Serbian population.

Meanwhile, KPS arrested several people in Vushtrii/Vucitrn on Sunday for hanging up flyers of the banned Albanian National Army (ANA in English, AKSH in Albanian).  KPS spokesperson Veton Elshani stated that while it was not illegal to distribute flyers, the message contained was a serious threat.  The flyers stated that "The AKSH is here, we wait for you with bullets". 

MTCowgirl's Kosovo Update...

Most of the news about Kosovo is that Russia has rejected the new proposal put forth by Western countries for 120-days (4 months) of new negotiations because the proposal states that if no agreement is reached, the Ahtisaari plan would be implemented.  Questions were raised on the practicality to negotiate if Kosovo would know that the plan was implemented at the end of the four month period.  Besides suggesting new negotiations, the proposal calls for parties to refrain from unilateral decisions, a point directed at the Kosovo Albanian leadership. 

Members of the Kosovo government are reacting to recent news of further delays and statements made by chief UN prosecutor Carla del Ponte.  Kosovo President Fatmir Sediju criticized Russia for holding Kosovo hostage and requested the Security Council to set a clear date for independence.  Kosovo PM Agim Ceku has stated that "negotiations are over" and Kosovo is refusing to consider any more talks with Belgrade. As for del Ponte's suggestion over delaying the vote on the UN resolution, the Kosovo government lashed out at her with a statement that she has "violated in the most terrible way her mandate"

Analysts are warning that Albanians may revert to violence to express dissatisfaction with the progress on independence and Kosovo leaders are likely to lose face if the status is not decided soon.  Radical group Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) has called for street protests on 30 June.  One analyst even said that there may be uncontrolled riots as March 2004.  Such actions would seriously undermine all the efforts of the Albanians in showing the international community that they are prepared for independence and ready to respect minority rights...in fact IMHO it goes to show that there is no black and white or good and evil sides of the conflict in Kosovo.  There is no denying that Serb military forces killed innocent civilians but there was a great deal of revenge attacks on innocent Serbs by Albanians as well.

The EU has issued a warning to the Kosovo government against a unilateral declaration of independence and possible violence.  A spokesperson stated that it would be "a huge step backwards" if there was an "irresponsible" declaration.

MTCowgirl's Kosovo Update...

Five people were arrested yesterday in a suspected human trafficking ring in Malisevo and Ferizaj.  Weapons as well as fake documents were seized in the raid.  A considerable amount of tritol explosives and a mobile phone detonator were also found.

The EU is looking into the possibility of replacing the UN in Kosovo without a resolution.  Despite some EU officials stating that the UN resolution is "vital" to the creation of the EU mission in Kosovo, some believe that the EU may create a mission without a resolution on the status.

An editorial called "Perhaps it's just best we let bad nations be bad" takes a look at Kosovo Albanian's bid for independence, the NATO bombing, and the politics of the UN.

Former SRSG Bernard Kouchner, the new foreign minister of France, is planning to push forward with a plan to postpone resolution of the status for six months in an effort to win international consensus.  The French proposal at the G8 summit was rejected as it suggested acceptance of the Ahtisaari plan if the six months of negotiations failed to produce any results.

The chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Tribunal for former Yugoslavia (ICTY) Carla del Ponte has stated that it is preferable to the court if a decision on Kosovo is delayed as Serbia has been cooperating by arresting those accussed of war crimes.  The two biggest suspects, Karadzic and Mladic, are still at large and believed to be in Serbia or within Serbia's reach.  de Ponte believes that if a decision on Kosovo comes out that is not favorable to Serbia, the country will end its cooperation with the court.  ICTY has a mandate to finish its court cases by 2008 and the appeals process by 2010 and is under pressure to wrap up the court cases.

Several diplomats visited Kosovo over the weekend.  US envoy, Frank Wisner, urged Kosovo politicians and citizens to be patient and wait for the UN to adopt a resolution stating that the resolution would "set the state for recognition and will open the door for your acceptance into NATO and the EU".  Wisner met with both the Kosovo President and PM.

Meanwhile, Albanians in Presevo have rallied over the weekend and demanded the succession of three areas of southern Serbia in an effort to join Kosovo.  Approximately 500 people attended the rally.

The UK is investigating Albanians who say they fled fighting in Kosovo but may have actually been from neighboring Albania.  The Home Office requested that the immigrants surrender their passports while their asylum claims are verified.

On Saturday, the SRC Sports Committee is having the Beach Volleyball Tournament Finals followed by a FREE (yup, F-R-E-E!) BBQ.  There were 17 teams registered for the tournament two weeks ago so the games went on until dark.  Now we have to hold the last seven games of the tournament!!!  The BBQ will begin at 1700 hours and includes all drinks and food.

The debate about Kosovo's flag continues with an article in BIRN where Albanians say they will not use the state flag but continue to fly the Albanian flag as a national symbol.  Unfortunately no Serbians or other ethnic groups were interviewed for the article to see how they feel about the restrictions on the competition and what they think about the contest.

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News Update...

Russia is protesting being excluded from talks on Kosovo.  A spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry stated that the private discussions between leaders of Western countries leads "one to think that unilateral scenarios for Kosovo's independence are being prepared". 

Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch has released a report that the UN has undermined its legitimacy due to a lack of accountability.  The report goes on to discuss the lack of remedies for human rights violations by the two organizations.  Despite all appearances of having mechanisms in place to investigate or deal with complaints, the offices are weak with little authority to do anything in regards to citizen complaints.  In 2006, the Ombudsperson Institution was stripped of its ability to investigate complaints against UNMIK or KFOR.  The report also tells the EU mission planners to avoid arrogance and make itself accountable to Kosovo courts.

There are always reports of people being denied exit from Kosovo due to fake or altered travel documents however in an interesting case yesterday, 19 Albanians from Kosovo were arrested by Macedonian police after attempting to cross the border with fake Swedish passports.  I don't recall ever seeing a report of so many people arrested with the same kind of fake document.

Meanwhile, Serbian politicians have lashed out at the US policy towards Kosovo stating the the US needs to find another way to express its love of Albanians besides giving away Serbian territory.  Ouch, but well said!  Serbia also has welcomed the resumption of EU accession talks but has linked what the EU contends are two separate issues, Kosovo and Serbia's EU status. 

The competition for Kosovo's national symbol is now underway.  Kosovar and foreign entrants have until June 27th to submit their ideas that incorporate the multi-ethnic makeup of Kosovo and create a symbol that "must not utilize the representation of any eagle symbol, particularly with regard to such depictions in the symbols of other states, and must not exclusively use a red and black color scheme, or a red, white and blue color scheme."  The winner of the contest will receive 10,000 Euros with second and third prize receiving generous prizes as well.

However, Serbia's government issued a statement that Kosovo's future is in the hands of the UN Security Council, not the US and that Belgrade is enjoying the firm backing.  Russia stated they was pleased that now the other G8 countries were taking its arguments seriously and perhaps now realizing that Russia was serious about using its veto powers.

Meanwhile, Kosovo politicians are under pressure to unilaterally declare independence and deliver on the promises that they've made to the citizens over the past years.  The radical Vetevendosje group has called for protests on 30 June because of the delays in the status settlement.

The French plan proposed by President Sarkozy was rejected by most of the G8 countries so there will be no six month plan for delay...but with the continued distance between positions, it would be no great surprise if the status was delayed for that period of time or longer.  Russian president Vladimir Putin will visit Bush in Maine on 1 July.  Kosovo is likely to be a hot topic of discussion. 

The alleged mass grave in Serbia has turned out to be not as expected.  Initial reports were that there were 350-500 bodies buried in an abandoned rock quarry in Serbia but after four days of digging, crews have not come across any signs of a mass grave and the government has called off the search in that section of the quarry.  The investigator are still looking in other parts of the rock quarry as witness statements are that four trucks dumped what were believed to be Albanian bodies in the rock quarry.

Today's MTCowgirl's Kosovo Update!!!

France has proposed that the Security Council delay voting on the Kosovo resolution for six months and allow Pristina and Belgrade to work out a solution.  If no solution is worked out, then the SC can vote on the resolution.  This proposal has not made Kosovo PM Agim Ceku happy and he has warned the West not to "betray" the trust of the Albanians. 

Meanwhile, Kosovo negotiatior Veton Surroi says that the SC should vote on the Kosovo resolution Russian veto or not.  Surroi believes that Kosovo will make a move to unilaterally declare independence if the vote is delayed because the Albanian government has "two obligations towards Kosovo citizens - the process of independence, and the partnership with the international community".  While the US has indicated that it will recognize Kosovo should it declare independence, the EU would likely be split.  The Economist briefly looks at how a delay in voting may pan out.

BIRN features an article calling Albanians to show their support for the Ahtisaari plan through peaceful means.  The author warns that unless the government organizes the people to support the plan people like Albin Kurti will mobilize...and create problems that could adversely affect Kosovo's independence bid.

An author writing in FrontPageMag talks about how he saw many UN staff walking around in "full hijab Islamic head coverings" and that worried him because the "U.N. is suppose to protect the Christians who live there if they are attacked".  He even placed a picture of a UN staff member driving in her vehicle who happens to wear a head scarf and dress.  The implication that this UN staff member is unwilling to do her job in protecting minorities is quite undeserving.  And of the many UN staff this reporter says he saw, the staff member that he took a picture of is the ONLY staff member that I know who chooses to wear the head scarf.  In the course of my six years in Kosovo, I have only ever known two staff members who wore Islamic dress.  You'll find many more in African traditional clothing than Islamic!  How one person making a choice to wear the scarf boils down to many people running around in Islamic dress and the UN being unwilling to protect minorities because somehow our religion prevents our objectivity is quite an interesting jump from reality to fantasy.  Further incorrect facts in the authors article made me realize that he really has no earthly idea what he is talking about and probably needs to spend more time in the Balkans learning the facts...and not going around looking for information to support the conclusions he has already drawn up.

And on another point...there is a common misperception that all Albanians are Muslim.  The correct phrase is predominantly Muslim as there are several thousand Catholic Albanians.  In fact, around 4000 Catholic Albanians participated in a youth festival about a week ago held in Letnice, a cool little village near the Macedonian border.  If I remember the story correctly from my visit many moons ago, Mother Theresa, an ethnic Albanian, lived in the nunnery in the village for a time.</soapbox>

Anyways...on to the "real" news...

Albanians in Presevo and Bujanovac municipality have decided to form a joint body to negotiate with the Serbian government to join Kosovo.  Statistically, Presevo is around 85% Albanian but Bujanovac is more 50/50 Serb/Albanian.  The "National Council" will supposedly negotiate directly with Belgrade rather than become an issue in the Kosovo negotiations.

BIRN features an article on the economic viablity of an independent Kosovo.  The author argues that the UN and local government are to blame for the current economic problems because they failed to create good conditions for a stable economy.  The author then goes on to discuss some of the economic possibilities in Kosovo should it become independent.

Serbian authorities are looking into an apparent mass grave of Albanians in Serbia.  The grave may contain as many as 350-500 bodies and could be the victims of the 1998-1999 war.  Reports of four trucks unloading bodies was reported and the possibility of the grave first came to attention a few months ago.

And the new rumors...

So far there has been no progress during the G8 summit in the area of Kosovo.  The US and Russia still remain far apart in their ideas of the right solution.  Estimates are now that a vote could happen after the G8 summit and Russia will veto.  Or...the vote will be delay until after meeting between Bush and Putin at the beginning of July.  In speaking to an officer working on coming over with the EU, the earliest that the EU police mission could come to Kosovo would be around the beginning of August. 

The following goes under the rumor corner because I cannot find any news in English...but to share what I've heard...here goes!  Russia has stated that there are three stipulations that must be met before they will agree to any resolution on Kosovo.  The first is that Russian troops will come back to Kosovo to protect the Serbian minority.  The second is that Kosovo will be called by its historical name of Kosovo-Metohija.  And the last is that Kosovo will not be allowed to join the UN for a set number of years. 

The issue of deciding Kosovo's status seems to boil down to a situation much like after you've gone all in at a poker game and you are looking around the table to see what everyone else will do.  Thinking of poker, to a degree the West has been criticized for not taking Russia's threat to use its veto seriously enough...perhaps they thought to call a bluff when the other side wasn't really bluffing. 

The situation does make one wonder if the countries who have been pushing to resolve the status are really overly concerned about what the Albanian population wants.  IMHO it's more about "what's in it for me".  For the US, it's the creation of a Muslim-state in the "heart of Europe" and proving that our country and government isn't waging a war on Islam just terrorists (who happen to be Muslim?!)  For Russia, well it goes both ways, they'd probably be happy with any decision because they can apply it in Chechnya or other breakaway provinces who want to rejoin Russia. Indonesians are looking at how the situation can be applied to them and their two provinces that are vying for independence. 

MTCowgirl's Kosovo News Update -->

Albin Kurti was indicted yesterday for having a role in organizing the violent protest on 10 February which resulted in the deaths of two protestors.  He also is facing charges for obstructing police and "calls to resistance" according to a UN statement.  Kurti was released some time ago from his pretrial detention but was re-arrested shortly after being placed on house arrest for speaking to the media and leaving his home without permission. 

Reuters AlertNet takes a look at What's Wrong with Ahtisaari's Plan and the Jakarta Post looks into how some Indonesians seem to be more concerned about Muslims abroad (Kosovo) than at home (Aceh).  The LA Times features an article on how the future of Kosovo independence cuts two ways, the Albanians get what they want but the Serbs say it diminishes their chances of returning.

When it comes to separatist movements elsewhere in the world, many politicians have said over and over that the Kosovo situation is unique but others have compared Kosovo to say the Kurdish territory in Iraq and drawn many parallels.  No matter what the diplomats or Security Council says, movements around the world are carefully watching the situation and waiting to see if they can apply any decisions made to their own causes.  The Washington Times looks into some of the different groups watching Kosovo.  The leaders of breakaway republics Abkhazia and South Ossetia signed a joint statement on Monday that states that they have "more rights than Kosovo to be recognized independent".  The statement was addressed to the Secretary-General of the UN and Council of Europe as well as the heads of various international organizations in order to "represent Abkhazia's and South Ossetia's position" on the independence of Kosovo.

First for the UNPol (aka Civpol), yes I saw the memo that we aren't supposed to refer to you as Civpol officers anymore less we offend someone in NY who hasn't cared what we have called you for the past eight years but I digress...I've heard that those of you who need extensions are going to receive some sort of extension to October 2007.  After October you will go to month by month technical extensions and the two-year limit on contracts will no longer be enforced.

Next is for the mission itself...seems that the UN Security Council doesn't know what to do.  Maybe no one took Russia seriously when they threatened to use their veto.  Since the UK's plan was rejected, new rumors are circulating that there isn't going to be any decision soon and the UN mission will be extended another year and the EU mission will be delayed.  I know that the national (aka local...I'm sure there is a memo about that too) staff have already received one year extensions of their contracts.  Many of the international staff whose contracts expire at the end of June are still waiting to see what kind of extension they will receive.  It's all a hurry-up-and-wait kind of deal.

The Beach Volleyball Tournament and BBQ was a big success.  The members of the Sports Committee really busted our butts to get the event organized and in the end, we had 17 teams registered to play volleyball.  So much for getting the entire tournament done in one day!  We decided in the evening to postpone the quarters, semis, and final for two weeks to allow us to prepare another party and finish off the tournament in the light.  So be on the lookout for more information about our next big party at TSS!!!

In the news, Kosovo Railways is facing a serious theft problem and should it continue they may be forced to shut down.  Thieves are stealing infrastructure from railway ties to platform speakers to sell on the black market.  In the first three months of 2007, thefts have cost the company more than 90,000 Euros in damages and in 2006, the company lost 740,000 Euros to thieves.  A professor of philosophy at the University of Pristina stated that he doubts that the police will be able to stop the thieves but rather an educational program needs to be developed to teach a moral code on public property and perhaps respect for the rule of law.  In the 51 cases of theft, Kosovo police have only solved 7 cases. 

There is a long but interesting piece on resolving Kosovo's status in the American political newsletter CounterPunch called How to Make a Bad Situation Impossible: Great Power Meddling in Kosovo. 

Dj Vegas is returning to the Phoenix Bar on Friday to mix up the best of the hits from the 70's, 80's, 90's, electronica/dance, and maybe even a bit of country music for my fellow Americans (if you show up!!!)  It may turn into a regular event and I'll keep you posted :)

On Saturday, the SRC Sports Committee is having a Beach Volleyball Tournament followed by a FREE (yup, F-R-E-E!) BBQ.  There are currently 14 teams registered for the tournament with room for 2 more so get your forms in now if you want to play this weekend!!!  The BBQ will begin at 1600 hours and includes everything from food to beer & sangria :)

In Kosovo news, Russia has rejected the joint US-EU resolution put forth in the Security Council.  The resolution introduced by the UK makes some concessions to Russia such as creating a special representative to look over minority returns while continuing to support Ahtisaari's proposal for supervised independence.  However Russia insists that the Security Council must find a solution that is mutually agreed upon and so far Belgrade has rejected Ahtisaari's plan.  It was hoped that a vote would take place this week however now it seems unlikely that there will be any voting before a G8 summit that ends the 8th of June.

Eight people were arrested in an organized crime investigation into business dealings of the Private Bank for Business (BPB) in Kosovo.  One of the eight was identified as the former chairperson of the Board of Directors.  Some of the others were also members of the Board of Directors.  The eight will face possible charges of misusing authorizations and funds.  The individuals are thought to have cost the bank more than 10 million euros in business deals designed for self-profit.  The bank's new management is thought to have insisted on the investigation when the Kosovo Central Bank found irregularities in August 2006. 

In a rather interesting article, Serbia is accusing the West of ethnic cleansing of the Kosovo-Serb population by offering immigration visas to those living in enclaves.  Serb representatives state that NGOs have been touring enclaves and luring away young Serbs by promising and delivering quick immigrant visas to European countries.  According to one Serb rep, in the past year 300 Serb couples have been granted immigrant visas to northern European countries. 

Today is International Children's Day.  I recall stumbling upon a celebration a couple years ago on Mother Theresa Street and being able to capture some of Kosovo's children performing traditional dances in full dress.  It was quite enjoyable and I wonder if there might be another street party.  Unfortunately I haven't seen any advertising...only a brief article on how OSCE is supporting the day.

Yesterday, the Kosovo government announced a two-week contest for the design of a new state symbol, required by the Ahtisaari proposal.  The new symbol must reflect the multi-ethnic nature of Kosovo according to the proposal.  The contest will begin 4 June.  In the meantime, it has been decided that Kosovo will issue passports without a crest but the words "Republic of Kosovo".

It is estimated that there are some 40,000 illegal weapons in Kosovo.  That number includes everything from AK-47s to long-range sniper rifles illegally sent to Kosovo from the US.  Hand grenades and other UXOs are continually being found in fields and destroyed by KFOR. 

In other news, I'm happy to announce that Kosova Airlines in partnership is Adriatic Eagle Air now has a direct flight from Pristina to New York- JFK for approximately 750 Euros round-trip.  Tickets can be booked online though their website or purchased at Reisburo Pristina near Illiria Hotel (and possibly across from OSCE).  The schedule appears to leave Pristina on Wednesday and return on Monday. 

My grandmother passed away Friday evening in the US.  It was difficult to make the decision not to go home for the funeral services but due to the travel time, I would not have made it home in time for the services after getting emergency leave approved.  Instead, I will wait until a planned trip this summer to pay my respects.  But it is difficult to mourn a loved one from so far away and I'm not there to receive one of the many comforting hugs that my family are giving to each other.  I've been having trouble sleeping, too many thoughts on my mind about the woman who was so kind and loving toward me and reminiscing of all the fond memories I have of spending time with my grandma.  It is rather fitting that it was Memorial Day weekend, a time to remember our loved ones that have passed on before us.

Thinking of funky things, I came across an article about how Kosovo crazies have threatened the leader of the gay community in Kosovo.  I wouldn't put Kosovo up there in the rankings of tolerant places so it does not come as a surprise that the gay community has received death threats.  The article mentions that the local police (KPS - Kosovo Police Service) opened a flawed investigation...but by my own experiences, probably most of their investigations are flawed! 

If you think about it, KPS really has only existed since the end of the war...and the program didn't begin right away.  The new police officers had to be trained in everything as most had no experience whatsoever in police work.  So really the most experienced police officer in Kosovo has what 7-8 years of experience???  A common complaint from international officers training KPS is that once they finish the 3-month police academy the KPS officers think they know everything about police work and don't want to listen to more experienced officers.  Anyone who has seen some of these guys direct traffic would know that they still have a lot to learn :o)

Add into that low wages, although consistent with the local averages, corruption is a problem.  I recall in 2000 when the UNMIK police used to tow illegally parked vehicles they had to go to a strict company rotation policy because off-duty KPS officers were riding with the tow companies and getting kickbacks from towing cars if they responded first. 

Another problem is efficiency.  A simple example is in 2001 when I got Smokey a few of us pitched in to have one of the maintenance guys build us a big doghouse for the puppies.  It took two grown men to carry the darn thing and one weekend it disappeared from our backyard in the UN compound!  I went to UN Security to report the doghouse as stolen but because it was personal property they did not want to do anything.  That was okay, I told them, but the fact that they had a breach in security and didn't notice someone carrying a doghouse out of the compound was a bit alarming.  Then later that day a fellow colleague from IT asked me if I had given the doghouse to some local kids who had adopted one of the puppies because he had seen it on his way to work that day.  I asked him where it was and went to verify that our doghouse was with the kids...and it was.  So I went to the downtown police station to make a report and see if I could get an officer to go with me to recover the doghouse.  I filled out the report and then the person taking the paperwork said "thank you we'll contact you in a few months".  (A few months?!?!)  I explained that I knew where my stolen property was and that I just needed assistance in recovering it but the person told me that before they did anything they had to take my report and translate it into Albanian and Serbian.  Then they would investigate and contact me.  (Ummm, no investigation needed, I know where my property is!)  Being the pushy international that I am *hehe* I asked to speak to the station commander who just happened to be an American as well.  I explained the situation and he sent me to the house to recover the doghouse with two Albanian KPS officers who couldn't speak English so communication was interesting.  As it turns out, the kids thought it was okay for a group of them to climb over the wall of the UN compound and take the doghouse while no one was there.  As for UN Security doing anything about the breach well let's just say that we don't joke that they are un-security for nothing!!!

Going further into the debate about the national symbols of Kosovo, BIRN discusses the attitudes over the national identity of Kosovar.  One would think that Albanians would be happy with the creation of their own state, Kosovo, but that is not the case...some are vehemently against the creation of a national flag as the only flag for them is the Albanian one (never mind that little fact that it actually belongs to another country!)  So if the Albanians are against the creation of the Kosovar national identity, where does it put the people residing in the soon-to-be newest country in Europe???

Again in BIRN, Balkan author Tim Judah takes a look at Kosovo Diplomacy in Suspended Animation.  Judah looks at the Russian position and explores some of the possible solutions that may come about.

Time features an article on the possible Russia veto of the Security Council resolution based on Ahtisaari's plan.  There are also a series of articles about Indonesia and the difficulties they are facing in making a decision.  As the largest Muslim country in the world, a great deal of the population of Indonesia want the country to support the Muslim Albanian's bid for independence but at the same time the government faces a dilemma as there are two provinces that have been trying to break away, Aceh and Papua.  It is expected that a vote will happen in the next several weeks on the US-EU resolution and that the resolution does not actually contain the word "independence" (like the Ahtisaari proposal) but instead it leads down a path towards independence.

Channel 4 News from the UK reports in their Kosovo: State of Denial about that while the fighting has stopped, the communities in Kosovo still remain far apart.  Going to Mala Krusha and N. Mitrovica, the report takes a look at how both communities have suffered the ravages of war and just how difficult it is to get the groups to not just live next to each other but live together.

One of the reasons why the state symbols needs to be addressed is because after the 120-day transition period, the travel documents issued by UNMIK will no longer be valid and Kosovo will need to reissue documents to its citizens.  I imagine that the identity cards issued by UNMIK will also be invalid following the transition.  Ceku has said that the issue of symbols is delicate and requires political and civil consensus but the clock is ticking!

According to the Ahtisaari proposal, the state symbol must also reflect the multi-ethnic make-up of Kosovo...so the flag on the left will no longer be used to represent Kosovo.  I rather doubt that the flag will disappear from use though, it's likely that the Albanian population will continue to use it to represent their ethnic identity.  In contrast, it is interesting to see that Albanian movements in Serbia have developed a unique flag to represent their group.

The EU mission in the news as well.  Officials have reiterated that the EU mission cannot and will not exist unless there is a UN Security Council resolution.  Also, Turkey has blocked NATO-EU cooperation in the future mission in protest for treatment by the EU.  Turkey is a member of NATO but has so far had little progress in its EU ascension negotiations.  Turkey wants more say in EU common defense policy and wants to be consulted more on EU security policies.  Formal cooperation between NATO and the EU has been rocky due to political tensions between countries like Turkey, Cyprus, and Malta.  The two organizations rarely share intelligence or operational information.

NPR published an article that outlines how some Serbs feel about the looming decision about Kosovo.  The article looks at several different viewpoints and emphasizes the complexity of the situation. 

Also, Macedonia is looking to Kosovo as ethnic problems continue between Macedonians and Albanians.  A small Albanian party has joined in with the Macedonian goverment after boycotting since January.  The larger Albanian party DUI, an offshoot of the rebel NLA who fought in the nearly civil war in 2000, are still refusing to participate in the government citing abuses by the Macedonians.  The one thing that I find interesting is that the name of the country is Macedonia but still some populations do not consider themselves as Macedonian but rather by Albanians, Roma, or whatever...that's an interesting outlook to say the least.  Would that be like me calling myself a "Montanan" or "Las Vegan" and not American???  It kind of speaks to me as people do not want to identify themselves as patriots of the country they live in...  Not discussed in the article are fears that independence for Kosovo will cause further problems in Macedonia.  The Albanian minority is currently at around 20% of the population and is highly concentrated near the Kosovo border and in certain sections of Skopje (like the Old Town).  It is thought that Albanians in the border areas in Macedonia and Preshevo will attempt to break-off and join Kosovo...even though politicians from Kosovo and Albania say there will not be a "Greater Albania" they have can't control movements in those areas if people want to inflame tensions...but as most things in the Balkans, we'll just have to wait and see!

The UN has overthrown a decision by the local government concerning building a protective wall around a church in Pec/Peja.  The local government ordered the work on the wall because the church allegedly did not receive permission to build.  The SRSG, Joachim Rueker, issued an executive order that the work can continue until the dispute is resolved.  The patriarchate of Pec stated that the wall is needed to protect the church and its inhabitants as the Italian troops and their sandbags would not stay forever.  In response to the SRSG's executive order, around 30 Vetevendosje activists attempted to march to the patriarchy but were stopped by police.

In other news, in Macedonia an ethnic-Albanian who worked for the Ministry of Justice was arrested for attempting to smuggle three Kosovo- Albanians across the border into Greece.  Menduh Kuci, a courier from the Tetevo branch of the ministry agreed to transport three K-Albanians to the Greek border in exchange for a payment of 130 Euros.  Because Kuci took a wrong turn, he was arrested at the Macedonian-Serbian border (he went north instead of south!) He reportedly mistook the border crossing for a toll-booth and showed his government ID card to pass the "toll".  The K-Albanians were deported as they were in Macedonia illegally.

On 2 June, the Sports Committee is going to hold a Beach Volleyball and BBQ at TSS.  Look on Lotus Notes and the Intranet for more details.  You can get a registration form online or at one of the Pristina UNWind Gyms.  Oh, and let me welcome the new American Civpol contingent to Kosovo :o)

Anyways, MTCowgirl's Kosovo Update...

The US has stated that it will not make moves for unilateral recognition of Kosovo and that Washington is going to continue pursuing a resolution in the Security Council.  These statements from Daniel Fried (I'm sure he pronounces it "Freed" but I prefer "Fried" which sometimes I thought his brain must be partly for the statements he has made in the past on Kosovo...but I digress!) came after talks between Russia and the US about various issues; the two biggest issues being the US' proposed missile defense systems in Eastern Europe and Kosovo's status. 

Kosovo PM Agim Ceku has made statements that Kosovo would be independent by the end of the month but then several PMs before him made similar promises which never were fulfilled.  Ceku also has stated that independence is the "only solution" that would guarantee stability and peace in the Balkans (a veiled threat if I've ever seen one!)  <soapbox>Ceku was on the Interpol Wanted List for war crimes in Croatia until some higher-ups in the UN convinced them to take him off the list.  The circumstances still are very suspicious and  Ceku seems to be too much of a thug than politician.  Ceku's continued threats of unilateral declarations of independence when a Security Council resolution is close just seem to be a waste of breath and effort.  I really wish he would get off his little independence bandwagon and actually start working on making things better for the citizens of Kosovo!</soapbox>

For those who don't know much about Eurovision, each year the contest is held in the previous winner's country.  Since Serbia won in 2007, the 2008 contest will be held in Belgrade.  In 2006, a band called Lordi singing "Hard Rock Hallelujah" from Finland won so in 2007 the contest was held in Helsinki.  In 2005, the contest was held in Athens after Helena Paparizou won with the song "My Number One" in Ukraine.  And before that, "Wild Dance" singer Ruslana won the contest in Istanbul in 2004...so you probably get the point...but just to show how long I've been following the contest, Sertab Erener won the contest in 2003 with "Everyway That I Can" which was a big hit in the clubs after the contest...I can recall the good ol' days of the Irish Pub dancing to the song at 2am :o) 

NATO is also investigating a female Swedish KFOR soldier for leaking classified NATO and UN documents to the man she was dating in Kosovo.  The man identified only as "X" reportedly worked as an interpreter for UNMIK before disappearing last year after being questioned by NATO.  It is not know if X was affliated with any government or organization but he received thousands of classified documents from his Swedish girlfriend and other sources. 

In the news, the US and EU have been urged by the International Crisis Group (ICG) to consider making revisions to the Kosovo resolution circulated last Friday that will include Russia's suggested Envoy for Minorities and a moratorium of two-years before Kosovo can apply for UN membership.  Meanwhile, Condeleezza Rice's visit with Russia's Vladimir Putin has resulted in an agreement that both countries need to tone down their rhetoric.  Kosovo remains a sticking point in relations with the US strongly pushing for a resolution by the end of May and Russia insisting that the solution must be agreeable to Serbia.

Barely beating the May 14th deadline for the formation of a government, three pro-Western parties agreed to to form a coalition.  The Serbian parliament has until midnight today to approve the new cabinet or elections will be called.  If you have been reading a few days prior, Radical member Nickolic was elected as parliament speaker.  The new coalition between the coalition parties called for his immediate resignation which is odd since Kostunica originally supported the election but perhaps it was all a political game in order to scare Tadic into forming a government that met Kostunica's demands.  There are still questions about how long the coalition government will last due to differences in party lines over the importance of Kosovo and EU ascension and only time will tell.

USA Today featured an opinion commentary on the rocky road that Kosovo faces after independence which is right on the money (pun intended...har-har) about the economic problems and corruption that the government must deal with in order to move forward. 

<soapbox>If the government fails to address the economic problems and corruption, life in Kosovo will not improve and there will continue to be civil unrest, but rather than demonstrating for independence people will demonstrate about the lack of jobs, corruption, and rampant social/economic problems.  Rarely do the Kosovo politicans address any of the social or economic problems they will face when (and it does seem to be more of a when rather than if now) they win independence from Serbia.  I have the sinking feeling that when Kosovo becomes independence the politicians will suddenly wake up and go 'holy crap' when they start looking at all the problems they face. 

There seems to be a misconception that the international community will continue pouring millions and millions of Euros into Kosovo and the economy will continue to be supported.  But if you start breaking down and thinking things over, it's not going to be so easy.  Take a look at the figures of how many people will be in the EU mission.  The numbers are between 1500 and 2000 civilians and police.  UNMIK employees around 2000 local civilians to work in the mission!  On top of that, there are a couple thousand internationals working for the UN under the different pillars!  The restaurants and landlords are going to see a sharp decline in the number of customers who demand their services.  </soapbox>

Other fun experiences in Kosovo with taxis really depend on the driver and whether or not the taxi is with a company.  If you are seeking adventure, I recommend going with a taxi driver without a meter and not part of a company.  Sometimes you will be lucky but many times you will have a great travel experience to share with your grandchildren later on!  As part of your story, you can tell about how after you climbed in the taxi, you noticed that the driver could not start the vehicle due to a lack of a car key and was trying to spark the wires together (just like in the movies) to get the car started.  After failing to do so after a few minutes of trying, the driver finally gets his buddies at the taxi stand to give you a push-start and off you go, vowing never to take that taxi driver again even if he is parked outside your house!  My wicked sense of humor, nope...it's true and one of those special "back when I was in Kosovo" stories!

In the news...beep, beep, da-ba, beep...MTCowgirl's Daily Kosovo Update (that's rather catchy and oh, yeah, I'm in a weather-is-great-and-it's-Friday mood!) :o)  Okay, so coming back to the news...

Albin Kurti, leader of Vetevendosje (Self-Determination Group), has been released from prison but was immediately placed under house arrested by the request of the prosecutor.  Kurti has been in prison since 10 February when two Vetevendosje demonstrators were killed by rubber bullets fired by Romanian riot police.  Kurti faced charges for inciting violence and endangering lives.  His first sentence of 30-days was extended.  While Kutri was in prison, his deputy Glauk Konjufca has taken charge but failed to bring in the same numbers as the charismatic Kurti.  Other than his Self-Determination activities, Kurti is well-known as a student activist against Serbian policies in Kosovo and was imprisoned in Serbia for some time during the war.

A Kosovo-Albanian man who left Kosovo in 2004 after alleged chastisement and harassment for his refusal to fight in the 1999 war has been stranded in Canada for the past two years.  Ardian Koshi was refused refugee status in 2004 but was unable to return to Kosovo due to a lack of valid documents.  Since he has no UNMIK-issued travel documents and the documents can only be obtained in Kosovo, Koshi has been trying to get deported from Canada for almost a year but so far has failed to return to Kosovo where he left his wife and child.

And the Transnational Foundation for Peace and Future Research featured an article that argues against Ahtisaari's plan.  The authors call the plan "un-fair, un-intellectual, and un-viable" and sort through problems with the international strategy and Kosovo's leadership.

Updated!
Kosovo Photos

Hitting the news yesterday is of course the story of Fort Dix in the US and the four Albanians from Kosovo who wished to go on a killing spree and "kill as many soldiers as possible".  The catchy phrase of "Jihad in Jersey" has emerged as the news reports and over-reports about the break-up of a non-terrorist-organization-affiliated group of misfits who gave a DVD of jihad messages to a video store clerk to duplicate who in turn alerted authorities.  However, one important point not widely mentioned in the news print is that the video showed ten men in the video but only six were arrested.

One of the accused has been described as a "sniper in Kosovo" which may mean that he was a former member of the KLA.  An interesting little fact is that Fort Dix was the home to some 4000 Kosovo Albanian refugees during the war.  Later it emerged that one of the suspects, Agron Abdullahu, was a refugee that came to Fort Dix.  Sedar Tatar, a suspect born in Turkey, allegedly knew the layout of the base due to delivering pizzas there although his father denied the deliveries.

The cousin, Elez Duka, of the three Albanian brothers (Dritan, Shain, and Eljvir Duka) from Kosovo said that the charges were ridiculous and denied that the brothers could have been involved in such a plot.  Elez even goes as far to suggest that "I expect an apology" as for a community of 15,000 cannot believe that one of their own would be involved in a terrorism plot in the US because "we were always thankful to America for its support during the wars in Kosovo and Macedonia".  Of course, a point that should be mentioned is that none of the brothers were actually in Kosovo during the 1999 war as they all entered the US some 20-years ago and overstayed their visas.  Another relative Ramiz Duka however stated that changes were visible in the brothers starting about three years ago.  The brothers reportedly began to lecture other Muslims about Islam and strained familial relations to the point where the brothers stopped associating with the rest of the family in America.

It will be interesting to see the information as it comes forward as for some time now, critics have been saying that extremist Islam has been taking a foothold in the Balkans and that White Al-Queda (or Islamic terrorism) is becoming more of a threat.  There have been several recent news stories about Wahabis and terrorist training camps being raided in Serbia.

Oh, I almost forgot, I've done a little update on my restaurant guide with updated phone numbers.  I've discovered a great little bakery in Dardania that sells fresh cinnamon rolls, cakes, croissants, and all sorts of other yummy treats!  It is called Joni and you can find it at the end of Dardania Tunnel.  If you go through the tunnel from near the Bill Clinton poster to the end and turn right, you'll find the bakery in the row of shops on the left side of the road towards the end.

The US and EU have released part of a proposal on Kosovo with 13 points of a possible resolution in an informal meeting of the Security Council at the French UN Mission.  The points include endorsement of Ahtisaari's plan as well as mentioning "urgent necessity" of refugee returns.  The new proposal would replace most of the points in the current UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and set new guidelines for setting standards for minority rights.  The authors of the proposal have stated that they are enacting the measures in Kosovo despite Belgrade's objections because the "violence and repression of the 1990's" creates a special case.

Meanwhile, Russia has also circulated a proposal that suggests a withdrawal of UNMIK and the establishment of an international civilian mission with the UN Security Council in charge of civilian and military operations.  The proposal makes no mention of independence and states that there has been insufficient progress made in reaching standards set by the international community.

Who is going to vote for or against the plan?  There is some news about how some of the non-permanent members may vote.  A senior fellow at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) had urged Indonesia in the Jakarta Post to vote against Ahtisaari's proposal not simply because of the argument of territorial integrity but rather as to not bow to the influence of the US and EU.  The head of the Kosovo negotiating team is hoping that South Africa will vote in favor of the plan as he believes that it will compel Ghana and Congo to also vote for Ahtisaari's plan.

An article in the International Herald Tribune briefly touches on the old slogan "Standards before Status" where Kosovo was to demonstrate progress towards achieving eight standards such as freedom of movement, promoting economic development, protecting minorities, and ensuring rule of law.  The old mantra was scrapped after international diplomats began to realize that they might have to wait a long time for the Kosovo government to meet the standards due to widespread corruption, deep divides between the communities, and a poor economic outlook.

The Serbian parliament has elected "Radical" leader Tomislav Nikolic to be speaker yesterday.  Western leaders fear that nationalism is gaining strength and Serbia may turn inward and away from European integration.  The EU is urging the formation of a pro-EU government between acting President Tadic and former-PM Kostunica.  If no coalition is formed by the 14th, Tadic will have no choice but to call for new elections.

In a sign that things are improving for Kosovo youths in the area of education, the University of Iowa has signed a three-year memorandum of understanding in the areas of archeology, geographic information systems, and human osteology.  In addition to this new exchange between the US and Kosovo, there also is the American University of Kosovo which is linked to Rochester Institute of Technology. 

When people ask me what I think about bringing their children to Kosovo...I find it difficult to answer the question.  There are certainly factors that need to be considered such as the pollution and access to quality health care.  In addition, there have been serious outbreaks of meningitis which is something to consider since it effects children the most.  Plus there are few parks for children to play in and the local children have a tendency to be turned out onto the streets to play.  However, with that said, I know of several expats who brought their children from infants to elementary age to come live in Kosovo to keep the family together.  Many have a stay-at-home parent so I don't know if there are any actual organized daycares in Kosovo.  I have seen private advertisements from internationals who are looking for a babysitter/care provider for their children so there may not be any daycare centers available outside the schools.

For those that are planning on bringing their children, there are some international schools targeted towards education of expatriate children.  Below you can find some of the international elementary and secondary schools in Kosovo offering education in English.

• One of the most "famous" is the American School of Kosovo which offers education between the ages of 4-18 under NAAS (Northwest Association of Accredited Schools).  Tuition is approximately 4200 Euros a year.
• The International Learning Group runs a school in Sunny Hill, targeted to expatriate children.  Classes from pre-school to grade 6 are offered by ILG. 
• Employing native English speaking teachers, Quality Schools International operates a non-profit education center through age 13 in the Dragodan neighborhood.
• Located a bit out of Pristina on the way to Gracanica, the Gulistan Education Center or International School of Pristina is found.  While ISP has no website, more information is available by email or telephone (038 516791/2/3).

Details have emerged that over the weekend an international working under UNMIK was robbed and beaten in a public park in Pristina.  The staff member is in stable condition in the French KFOR hospital.  There isn't much information available yet but it is an interesting case as this is really the first serious mugging of an international that I have heard about.  There have been other cases where bags were snatched and consquently a person was injured from the force of the bag being torn away but this weekend's case is something new.

The fact-finding mission to Kosovo by members of the Security Council reportedly "undermines quick independence plan".  Countries such as Indonesia, China, South Africa, Congo, and Ghana in addition to Russia will likely give support to continuing talks between Serbian and Kosovo Albanian authorities.  However, Kosovo PM Agim Ceku is still making statements that Kosovo will be independent within a few weeks making many think that the Albanian government is preparing to unilaterally declare independence and seek recognition from countries that have been pushing to adopt Ahtisaari's plan.  US officials have already stated many times that the US will recognize Kosovo if it does declare independence unilaterally bringing questions about the strength of the Albanian lobby groups in Kosovo and contributions made to US politicians.  But Germany has stated that it is opposed to any declarations of independence as long as the issue remains with the Security Council.

Serb politicians failed to form a coalition over the weekend leading many to believe that there will be a shift towards nationalism.  No party gathered enough seats to have a majority without forming a coalition and the more pro-Western parties so far have failed to reach an agreement.  Right now, the "radicals" hold 81 seats while acting President Tadic's party holds 64 and former PM Kostunica has 47 seats.  Following the ousting of Milosevic, Kostunica was the politician greatly supported by the West but over time he has been coming closer to what the West has labeled "radical" in his views on Kosovo and EU ascension. 

In the news, an article titled "The Coming Chaos in Kosovo" takes a look at what Kosovo might become if independent -- a crime-ridden mafia-controlled thug state.  While in "On a Blue Note in Kosovo" Time takes a look at the current ethnic tensions in Mitrovica.  Christian Science Monitor published an opinion commentary stating that partition is a better plan for Kosovo that what Ahtisaari proposed based on international law.  In the National Interest an article argues that Kosovo needs multilateral approach and warns that the US' support for unilateral independence can cause serious problems in US foreign relations.

The kids are now coming up to Smokey as he's trying to go to the bathroom and patting his head or back...sometimes giving his tail a gentle pull.  Luckily Smokey is so into finding things to pee on, he hardly pays any attention to the kids.  Every once in a while when he decides to change directions the kids shriek and scatter in all directions...they still seem to think that he'll go from happily peeing into some aggressive, slobbering monster bent on eating small children.  But I think that seeing me, a woman, out walking a dog has been a good education for the neighborhood children...now they know that not all dogs are aggressive and scary :)

But the new landlady (who is great and getting me fat off her excellent stuffed peppers!) is still pretty terrified of Smokey and won't even come upstairs onto our terrace without asking if Smokey is secured.  She has told us that she is very afraid of dogs so I wonder if she didn't have a bad experience after the war with one of the packs of dogs.  Lately there has been a pack of dogs running around the neighborhood at night barking but the biggest problem for me has been the blasted cats ripping up the garbage in the yard (dogs can't get in because of the fence) and when my shoes were muddy one of the darn things marked my shoes *gross*  The cats also have been getting into pretty impressive cat fights around dusk and you can hear them yowling and screeching all up and down the street. 

Meanwhile, the head of the UN fact-finding mission briefed the Security Council on the deep divide in Kosovo over the Ahtisaari proposal.  The mission found that while Albanians are confident about the future under Ahtisaari's proposal the Serb communities are largely apprehensive and that the creation of a multi-ethnic society would require sustained efforts by the Kosovo government.  The words "commitment and readiness" were used to describe the Kosovo politicians conveyed messages about building the said multi-ethnic society which seems to indicate that little progress has been made so far to bridge the gaps between the two communities.  So far the Serbian community has largely boycotted involvement in Kosovo politics and continued strong ties with Belgrade.  The Albanian community seems to function as if it was already independent and have been charging forward with development of everything from multi-story shopping centers to petrol stations (I believe the average was one every kilometer or two in Kosovo!) 

There was a peaceful march in support of Ramush Haradinaj in Pristina with approximately 600 people.  Several members of the government and Ramush's AAK party were present at the march.  There have been a few marches around Kosovo in recent weeks and posters with his picture and the words "Me Ramushin" (With Ramush) all around Kosovo since March when he returned to answer war crimes charges in the Hague.  Haradinaj was indicted in 2003 along with two other KLA associates for 37 different crimes.  Many of the Albanians do not believe that their "freedom fighters" should face charges for anything that happened during the fighting, in fact signs stated "Freedom for Liberators" during today's march in Pristina.   An article in the Chicago Tribune does a good job of outlining how complex the Haradinaj case is and how Kosovo politics have played a role.

Politicians in Serbia are alarmed and issuing warnings to Serbs in Kosovo who are planning on forming a militia.  The militia would reportedly take up arms to prevent Kosovo's secession and would be made up of volunteers from Yugoslavia's past conflicts.  Two groups, the United Serbian People's Movement and Serbian Veteran's Movement, are planning to swear in the first company of the militia on the 5th of May.  Officials, politicians, and the media have all expressed concern over the militia's formation and stated that it may "backfire against Serbia" however that they understood the reason for the militia's formation.

For the two fires near my house, KPS and the fire department responded but probably after discovering that the fires were intentionally set by celebrators both left and the fires continued burning.  However in Podujevo, five Albanians were arrested for assaulting four KPS officers and trying to prevent firefighters from extinguishing their fires. 

In Serbia, still no coalition government has been formed following the elections in January.  It has been suggested that lawmakers are hesitant to form a government as no one wants to take responsibility for "losing Kosovo" should it become independent.  Of course, the person who is ultimately responsible is Slobodan Milosevic but current politicians worry that if something happens on their watch, they will carry the blame.  If no government is formed by May 14th acting President Tadic is obligated to call for new elections.  Western leaders fear that if pro-Western leaders cannot form a coalition before then and elections are held, the more nationalistic parties will win a even larger percentage of the vote.

There was a conference in New York 12-15 April about the 120-day transitional period following approval of Ahtisaari's plan.  Speakers included Madeline Albright and Bill Clinton.  The conference titled "Developing a Strategy for Kosovo's First 120 Days" addressed the challenges that the Kosovo government will face in the transition period and the first years of independence.  So far, the government has been focused mainly on gaining independence not what to do after that goal is achieved. 

Now, the local government is answering citizen complaints about the stray population and hosting "culling contests" where local hunters are invited to shoot dogs on the streets of the towns and collect a prize of 7.5 Euros for each tail they deliver.  The hunters are escorted by local police and pubic service workers who supervise the hunt and clean up the bodies.  In Mitrovica, several hundred dogs have already been culled by hunters.

<soapbox>Previously, British and Norwegian KFOR organized culling programs but due to great criticism of the program and the cruelty both halted their operations.  The problem with these culling programs is that the people in Kosovo have suffered enough trauma and having packs of hunters going through the towns and killing dogs is a violent solution.  If the Kosovo government really wants to address the issue, they can organize "contests" to capture dogs and take them to the donation supported animal shelter by the airport.  Aggressive dogs that cannot be rehabilitated can be put to sleep (a much more humane method of culling) and those that are not aggressive but rather just left to unfortunate circumstances can be taken care of and hopefully adopted by a local or international.

The idea of the government actually sponsoring and giving a bounty for hunters to go around a city and shoot dogs honestly turns my stomach with disgust.  Shooting dogs is not a proper method of culling as often the shooter can fail to kill the dog with a single shot and the less aggressive dogs that are friendly towards people are killed first.  What is left after the culling are dogs that are injured and more aggressive towards humans because of the incident and dogs that were already aggressive towards people as they will not allow hunters to get near enough for a shot.</soapbox>

There has been a lot of discussion about what will happen if the Security Council does not agree to Ahtisaari's plan or at least a watered-down version of the plan which gives Kosovo independence.  The most interesting of the discussions is what I would term the "Balkan Domino".  Much like the domino effect that the US feared during the Cold War, the Balkan domino is a situation that many believe will occur if Kosovo Albanians decide to unilaterally declare independence and Western countries (like the US) begin to recognize it.  People believe that then the Serbs in Northern Kosovo will declare independence, then Presevo Valley in Serbia, and then Tetevo, and then part of Montenegro...etc.  They all will claim that a precedent was set by the unilateral declaration of independence and demand the same international recognition.  Whether or not this domino effect will become a reality is hard to say...but it is one theory that is being passed around the international community.

In a more serious light, today a Spanish KFOR soldier was killed and another injured in a serious car accident in northwestern Kosovo.  The soldiers were conducting a four-man patrol when their vehicle overturned.  No other vehicles were involved in the accident.

Vetevendosje activists were busy this weekend spraying 8-UN vehicles with the Albanian word for murderer/killer (Vrases) in Pristina, Prizren, and Mitrovica.  38 people were detained and questioned in Gnjilane, Mitrovica and Prizren over the incidents.  Most of the vehicles were parked when the activists painted them but the one incident in Pristina occurred when the activists stopped a passing vehicle. 

Two children accidentally drowned in Gracanica Lake over the weekend.  At least one or two children drown in Kosovo's lakes or pools each year that I can recall.  The most common cause of the drowning is just lack of adult supervision.  An investigation is ongoing into the recent deaths. 

On Friday, an iman from Kacanik reported that unknown persons threw a Molotov cocktail on his vehicle and caused minor damages.  Over the weekend, one Albanian was arrested in conjunction with the attack and another is at large.

There were two electrical fires in Pristina and Lipjan due to illegal electrical connections.  Several meters of cabling was destroyed in the incidents.  Illegal connections to the electrical network is commonplace in Kosovo, especially during construction or in villages.  It is interesting to watch how the local population hooks up to the network...they take a long pole with a hook on the end and toss it over the power line.  The most important thing for them to remember is to let go before it hooks...one friend witnessed what happens when they forget...not pretty.

On the topic of fires, there has been a series of forest fires in Kosovo.  A estimated 553 hectares of forest has been destroyed in the past two months.  The causes of the fires are both natural and man-made.  There is little education about fire prevention and some of the fires are thought to have been set accidentally or intentionally by humans.  Illegal woodcutting has also contributed to the problems.  The other factor having a lot of impact is the warm winter with relatively little snow.  The forests are a bit more dry than normal increasing the chances of fire.

Yesterday many of us were trying to figure out why the streets were lined with Albanian flags.  It almost looked like Flag Day with all the street lights and poles decorated with a duo of the flags.  None of our Albanian friends knew what was happening or why the flags were hung up...but today I figured it out.  Yesterday there were several commemoration ceremonies around Kosovo for the victims of the fighting in 1999.  Around 600 Albanians in two different villages participated in the ceremonies organized by the KLA War Veterans Association.

The BBC focuses on Kosovo peacekeeping in the forth of their series on peacekeepers.  The article goes with French KFOR patrol enclaves in northern Kosovo, their area of responsibility.

Next week, the fact-finding mission will visit Kosovo next week.  Kosovo Serb representatives are unhappy that the mission will not be visiting minority enclaves and have labeled the visit "tourist" in nature.  The spokesman, Oliver Ivanovic, has questioned the nature of the visit and stated "our conclusion is that their intention is not to determine the facts" and goes on to say that the mission is just trying to reach the same conclusion as Ahtisaari, ignoring the concerns of the minority population.  Serbs from around Kosovo have stated that they travel to meet the mission in Mitrovica as it visits and refugees who were expelled from their homes following 1999 have said that they will attempt to return to their homes as the mission is visiting to demonstrate the problems they face.

Meanwhile, the EU has removed the topic of Kosovo from the next meeting of foreign ministers as disunity continues over support for Ahtisaari's proposal.  The topic of "Western Balkans" is expected to be put back on the agenda in May after the UN fact-finding mission visits.  Slovakia, Romania, and Greece expressed serious concerns over independence in Kosovo while Spain, Italy, and Cyprus have indicated reservations about independence based on the Ahtisaari proposal.

The shootings were deemed "unwarranted and unjustified".  The UN-appointed prosecutor, Robert Dean, has stated that "the acts of one, two, or three in firing rubber bullets improperly or in a criminal manner, which I think happened, cannot necessarily be imputed to all others" and urged the UN and the Romanian government to consider compensation for the families of the victims.

Yesterday afternoon, around 20 Vetevendosje supporters spray-painted two UNMIK vehicles downtown.  I think there was enough notification of the protest for people to avoid the area and prevent the vandalism of the vehicles.  In Prizren, another two vehicles were spray-painted with the word "Vrases" (Murderer/Killer).  

In Glogovac, around 200 former workers who were protesting the privatization of their company (Ferronickel) were able to negotiate with the managers and make a settlement where some would be re-employed.  The former employees protested for two days, blocking workers from entering the workplace yesterday.  Fortunately the issue was settled through negotiation and no incidents were reported.

Today's unusual Kosovo news is that a man reported that he was stopped by two people wearing KPS uniforms.  The unknown "officers" stopped his vehicle, robbed him, and threatened to kill him if he reported the incident to the police.  Ouch...

1300 CET:  Well, after reporting that things were quiet yesterday, Vetevendosje struck out at the UN again today.  Activists went downtown and spray-painted more vehicles.  I've heard that one of the vehicles that was sprayed in the last week actually belonged to the SRSG's protection team.   I'm just wondering how many of the activists participating today were from the group that are serving suspended sentences?

Vetevendosje activists were busy spray-painting UN vehicles over the weekend.  Roving groups of 20-30 activists sprayed �Vrases/Vrasjes� (Murderer/Killer in Albanian) on 14 UN and one private car (owned by a UN-employee) in downtown Pristina. An UNMIK International Police officer attempting to prevent the vandalism was sprayed. On Friday, around 25 activists attempted to spray-paint the blast barrier of Mission HQ but police intervened. A total of 21 activists were detained during the day. However, the blast barrier was sprayed again on Saturday/Sunday but no incidents/arrests were reported.  Fifteen of the arrested appeared in court on Saturday. One person was sentenced to 20 days for damaging property and obstructing police (probably the guy that sprayed the officer) while the others received suspended sentences. Two of the six activists remaining in detention declared a hunger strike, protesting against alleged Serbian products provided in the meals served.

Today (Monday) was quiet with no activities reported...maybe the fact that the police are now authorized to stop them from vandalizing UN property has made them think twice (finally!) Before UNMIK police were told that they could not stop the activists from putting up posters or spray-painting UN property but instead were supposed to try to take photographs so the activists could later be identified (should anyone decide that they would be arrested at a later time...which rarely happened). Now, the police commissioner has authorized the police to stop Vetevendosje protestors (it's about damned time!)  The building maintenance crews are tasked with repainting the blast barrier when it is sprayed and they've been keeping very busy.  If no one is going to stop the activists from spray-painting the wall and they only wait for the wall to be repainted before going and vandalizing it again...so what is the point?!  The UN is just wasting the time of the workers and money on the paint :P  But things like this is why we have the joke that we are a UN-efficient organization :o)

There are photos of the activists and the graffiti on Vetevendosje's photo gallery.  It is interesting to view the photos of the arrests.  Rather than go peacefully with the police, it appears that the activists tried to run away and resist arrest.  Plus, some of their fellow activists are standing around with digital cameras and taking pictures...absolutely bizarre!

So today at Sparky's, in an effort to get ranch dressing for my Chicken Ranch sandwich, I ended up going into the kitchen and speaking to the cook as the waitress was not able to understand what any of the three Americans were trying to explain :o)  As it turns out, the restaurant was out of ranch so I ended up with just a chicken sandwich...but, I do have to say the homemade honey mustard dressing made for a mean combination in the absence of the ranch :)  The experience does remind me of the phrase that we've coined in Kosovo though "order what you want and eat what you get".  In most places, if the restaurant was out of something, they'd come tell you...but not in Kosovo...if they are out of something, you get whatever the cook decides what to substitute!  It makes dining out an interesting affair at times :o) 

But would I recommend Sparky's American Grill?  Heck yeah!  With a great western (we are talking cowboys & country music!) atmosphere, nice food, and a slick pool table, I can see how the grill quickly became one of the most popular hang-outs for Americans in Mitro.  I have to admit that I'm looking forward to going back and trying the biscuits with gravy or the Spanish omelet :)

Today we were blessed with excellent weather and blue skies so I went out with my camera :)  There are a ton of new Kosovo pictures in my photo album from Pristina to Mitrovica.  Right now most of the photos can be found in the General Pictures section but I did find one special "Only in Kosovo" photo today :)  I will work on organizing the General section this week as it is getting large after all these years...but until then enjoy the many photos!

The Security Council has officially approved a fact-finding mission to assess Kosovo's future.  In addition, the mission will review progress in Kosovo since 1999, possibly reviewing the implementation of SC Resolution 1244, something that some politicians say has been violated since day one of the mission.  The point that is largely argued is that the resolution states that Kosovo is a part of Serbia and diplomats have been upset by the Ahtisaari proposal as they see independence for Kosovo a violation of Serbia's sovereignty and international law. 

Analysts have stated that partition might be the best and most realistic solution for Kosovo rather than straight independence as recommended by Ahtisaari.  Many believe that Ahtisaari's plan is not the most realistic and will be difficult to sustain, including Serbian President Boris Tadic.

Three Albanians were later arrested in connection with the attack.  One of the suspects was found with two grenades and a grenade launcher was found at the scene of the attack.  After questioning, an additional four Albanians were arrested and some more ordinance was recovered in Pristina.

There must have been a clearance sale on spray paint somewhere in Kosovo because the cars aren't the only UN property to suffer.  In the past couple of days members of the group have been actively defacing the blast barrier outside Mission HQ with the phrase "Free Albin Kurti" and "Vrasj�s" and some vehicles.  Yesterday, the activists spray painted the wall three times, four times the day before...I guess they basically waited until the paint dried and went out with fresh cans of paint during the day. The total damage in Vetevendosje's campaign was eight UN vehicles, a UN bus, and again several paintings of the blast barrier.  

The UN has hit one of its lowest ratings in popularity in Kosovo.  A survey has put approval of the UN at just 24%, just one percent higher than after the 2004 riots that left 19 people dead.  The reason for the low approval is that many locals (Albanian and Serbian) blame the UN for the political and economic limbo they have faced since 1999.  And even with the assurances for minorities in Ahtisaari's proposal, 10% of Serbs interviewed said they would leave if Kosovo became independent and another 30% had not yet decided if they would stay or go.

Other interesting Kosovo news includes a shoot-out between unknown males and KPS near the Albanian border in Decani.  KPS supposedly came under fire from two males who fled towards Albania after the officers returned fire.  There was also a large explosion in Suvareka near a restaurant that destroyed the doors and windows.  It is not yet know what kind of device was used.

Last night for our weekly Wednesday dinner, we decided to head north towards Obilic for dinner at Hotel Amazona (044 454 454).  Located on the Pristina-Mitro highway about one km after the second turn-off to Obilic (Kastriot/Besiane), Amazona has a beautiful outside seating area with a park setting (complete with fountains!)  The outside setting will be great when the weather is good (the indoor is clean and nice too but it is nothing special).  The food is good with the normal selection of steaks, trout, and traditional salads.  The traditional Albanian bread is a great treat but make sure that you order early as it takes some time for it to be prepared so order one up as you are deciding on what to eat/drink.  Try to ask for the garlic/butter sauce for the fish when you order too...we got our after everyone had already eaten most of their fish :o) 

Only 4 of the 15 members of the Security Council voted to support Ahtisaari's proposal in the first round of talks on the future status.  Senior Chinese and Russian diplomats are expected to visit Serbia next week to discuss the proposal.  Serbian President, Boris Tadic, has stated that Serbia will never accept an independent Kosovo and that exchanging Kosovo for entrance into the EU is unacceptable.

I remember when I went through orientation in 2001, the UN estimated that Kosovo was 99% de-mined.  However, to this day, new fields and new ordinance continue to be found all over Kosovo despite all the efforts to remove them.  There have been occasions over the past few years that the Serbian military has given coordinates for mine fields (I recall one of the last I knew about was around two years ago on the way to Prizren) and the area de-mined.  The problem with landmines and unexploded ordinance is that they are often placed and either the location is forgotten or incorrectly recorded. 

Some information has emerged about the one Kosovo lawmaker who voted against supporting Ahtisaari's plan last week.  Numan Balic, a Bosniak lawmaker, was the single dissenting voice against supporting the Ahtisaari plan stating that he does not understand why the Albanian lawmakers can give their blind support.  Balic fully supports independence but does not agree to the portions of the plan that gives special protection to the Serb population as it makes the minority equal to the majority.

Meanwhile, back in the US, several key politicians are preparing (or have prepared) a Senate resolution supporting Ahtisaari's proposal and urging Bush to increase pressure on the Security Council to adopt the proposal.  Well-known senators such as Joseph Biden and Lieberman and John McCain also want to quickly establish diplomatic ties with Kosovo.

Kosovo has also opened an informal diplomatic office in New York.  UN Security Council resolution 1244 which created the mission in Kosovo prohibits interim Kosovo institutions from opening diplomatic missions.  The opening has drawn criticism as Kosovo did not seek permission from UNMIK to open the new office.  However, Kosovo politicians are arguing that the office is an informal mission and therefore they did not need to ask permission from the UN.  The office will most likely be used to try to persuade members of the Security Council to endorse Ahtisaari's proposal. 

Yesterday, the Kosovo parliament overwhelmingly (100-1, 19 absent) voted to support Ahtisaari's proposal.  In addition to putting their support, Kosovo politicians pledged to "fully implement" the package should the Security Council approve it and welcomed the civilian and security personnel that would be created as part of the package. 

Meanwhile, Balkan Investigative Report Network published two articles on how the EU must be accountable when they take over the mission and how Ahtisaari's plan has taken the steam out of Vetevendosje's protests.

And the Supreme Court in Serbia has upheld a 13-year sentence for KLA fighter Anton Lekaj who was found guilty of torture and rape during the 1998-1999 war.  Lekaj's defense team was trying to appeal to have him sent back to Kosovo.  Lekaj and a group of Albanians attacked a wedding party of Romas and took 11 hostages as the Serb forces were retreating in June 1999.  They raped one girl and sexually abused a man before executing four of the hostages.  Most war crimes trials are out of the jurisdiction of Serbia and held in the Hague however Lekaj was arrested in 2004 while stealing cars in Montenegro and extradited to Belgrade to face charges. 

More news has emerged that the UN Security Council will most likely be sending a mission to Kosovo and Serbia sometime this month to do a fact-finding investigation of the situation on the group and possibly look into the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1244.  The mission would likely not be lead by a member of the EU but rather one of the 10 non-permanent nations currently serving in the council.  The mission would go to Belgrade and Pristina to determine if Ahtisaari's proposal is the "best way to move forward" and report back to the council.  After the mission was completed, a resolution could be expected but this will probably push any possibility for resolution to early May at best.

There was another explosion in Gjakove/Dakovica last night when an unknown person threw two hand grenades into neighboring Albanian yards.  One device exploded and the other one was found and destroyed by KFOR EOD.  Also, around 600 people attended a rally supporting ex-PM Ramush Haradinaj in Prizren.  Haradinaj is currently answering war crime charges in the Hague.  He still remains a popular and influential political figure in Kosovo.

Well, friends, it's pretty much official now.  I will be staying in Kosovo until the end of the year and then probably moving on to another mission.  There are a couple different options I am exploring (East Timor, Ivory Coast, and Sudan) but since I have a commitment to stay here until December it will be several more months before I have anything definitive in place for after the New Year.  I would like to go home for Christmas and New Year so I'm going to try to wrangle a little bit of time off in between the mission transfer.  But until I go, this blog will continue with stories of life in Kosovo and the politics of the ongoing debate about final status :o) 

Kosovo Photos Update

Meanwhile, Pavel Kandel, a department head of the Institute of Europe in the Russian Academy of Sciences has put forth that in the last battle of Kosovo there may be no winners.  The opinion article raised interesting questions about the current and future politics surrounding the issue of Kosovo's status.

Unknown persons threw two Molotov cocktails at municipal vehicles parked in a parking lot yesterday.  Damage was reported to one vehicle.  Someone also set fire to an electric pole connecting a minority village to the power supply.  Thefts of doors to power stations, cabling, and poles are frequently reported...but why anyone would steal portions of the electric company's infrastructure is beyond me!

I went out with my camera a bit on the weekend and got some photos of life around Pristina.  I finally got a decent picture of Clinton...I normally took photos when it was cloudy and grey which makes Kosovo look more depressing that people say it is :o)  And thanks to TW for the photo that I added to my "Only in Kosovo" section...I don't think any comment is needed!

Along the lines of NATO tightening security in Kosovo, read about NATO's new threat levels (it's a joke, okay!)

A blast in the town of Gjakove/Dakovica at a hotel injured an employee over the weekend.  When police arrived at the scene and searched the hotel, they found the body of a 25-year-old Albanian woman in one of the rooms.  The cause of her death is not yet known.  The explosion is thought to have been caused by a hand grenade and no suspects have yet been detained although the reports have identified the perpetrator as a male. In Gjilane, an explosive device was discovered attached to an Albanian's vehicle and KFOR was called.  The device had to be destroyed on the spot and when KFOR exploded the device, the vehicle caught fire (and was destroyed) and several windows in nearby houses were blown out.

The official number from the UN for the protest puts the crowd at just 800 people.  The group demanded the release of Albin Kurti, protested against Ahtisaari's proposal, and criticized UNMIK and PISG.  This protest did not have the same numbers as previous protests and was over rather quickly compared to other protests.  Kurti is a charismatic leader but his replacement, Glauk Konjufca, does not seem to be able to rally the group's supporters in the same way.  Kurti is facing charges for inciting violence and is reported to have gone on a hunger strike last week. 

It was brought to my attention that an organization (particularly dealing with American police officers in Kosovo) has taken a photo from my website and used my photo in a Kosovo presentations on their own website.  While I am flattered that my photos are good enough to represent life in Kosovo, I am disappointed that no one from the company requested to use my photos and no credit was given to my website.  I will be going through my photos and adding a link to the website to prevent this unethical type of web-theft.  I have given permission to others to use my photos with credit or a link back to my site and will continue to do so.  If you like my photos and want to share them, just shoot me an email and I can send you a photo without the watermark.  It's not that hard to give credit :P

Today Vetevendosje will protest at 1400 hours, calling for the release of their leader, Albin Kurti, who was arrested following the violent demonstration in February and of course against the Ahtisaari  proposal as it "gives concessions" to the Serbian population and continues with an international presence.  The group wants immediate and unsupervised independence, a dream at best.

<soapbox> In addressing the protestors, Konjufca asked "why won't they let us hold a referendum?" and then answered his own question "Because they know the outcome".  Konjufca, the international community does have an idea what the outcome would be if there was unsupervised independence in Kosovo.  Hence all the protection and rights from minorities in the Ahtisaari proposal!  Truth be told, the international community is not convinced that the Albanian population won't just turn around and start committing the same atrocities that they accuss the Serbians of doing to them during Milosevic's crackdown.  So, get ready to continue to be supervised by your new babysitter, EU.  Maybe when you can convince us that you are "grown-up" enough to behave yourself then you can be left at home alone :o) </soapbox>

There are rumors that Vetevendosje is paying people to come to Pristina to protest.  Supposedly those that show up are being paid 50 Euros a head...a good sum of money for a couple hours of standing around :)

Last night we tried a new restaurant on Fehmi Agani Street called Ex Restaurant (044 157 039/044 557 700).  The restaurant gets two big thumbs up from me and my friends.  The food and service were excellent...and the prices were absolutely rock-bottom for the quality (nothing was over 7 Euros!)  The restaurant is located about halfway up the street from Samurai or kind of kitty-corner from Panevino.  The menu is a mix of Thai, Mexican, and Chinese dishes with good traditional items like steaks or caprese salad.  I can recommend both the BBQ steak and the Chicken Mozzarella main dishes.  I'll be putting in a mention for the restaurant under my favorites in my Kosovo Restaurant Guide as I try more dishes!

Reliefweb carries a statement from Serbian PM Kostunica that real negotiations are the only way to determine the status of Kosovo.    Meanwhile, Olli Rehn, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement, gave a speech on the EU's future role in Kosovo.  In his speech, he estimates that the EU will have a civilian staff of approximately 1500-2000 people and that the EU will need to invest 1.3-1.5 billion Euros in the first three years of its Kosovo mission.

Vetevendosje has announced a new protest on 31 March, this coming Saturday.  On Tuesday, some of the group plastered Mission HQ with posters, covering the UN busstop and placed posters on each of the concrete barricades.  By Wednesday, all the posters have been removed so I'm disappointed to not get a photo (battery on the camera was dead)...however a friend said that the area by the Grand is still plastered with posters so we'll see what I can find tonight.  I did get a photo or two of a couple across from MHQ. 

In the legal form Jurist, a professor of law argues about why it may be legally and morally correct to partition northern Kosovo to the Serbian population.  The article focuses on both legal and human rights concerns with the settlement of Kosovo's status.

Meanwhile, a long time member of Senate who worked mostly in foreign policy has drawn conclusions that frozen conflicts in the former Soviet republics have more cause for independence than Kosovo.  With all the recent talk about determining the status, discussions about how independence here sets a precedent (or doesn't as some argue) increases exponentially.  There are plenty of people who believe that allowing Kosovo to become independent through a vote in the Security Council or by the Albanians declaring unilaterally means that other areas where there are conflicts should be able to break away and declare independence.

Thanks to a friend in the mission, I have two new "Only in Kosovo" photos of a vehicle that plowed into a two-horse drawn cart.  Little explanation is needed, the pictures say it all.  Then, for International AIDS Day, a crew went out in Pristina and interviewed people on the street about what they thought was better being "HIV positive or HIV negative".  I was quite surprised by the answers and the lack of proper education about HIV/AIDS in the Kosovo population.  It is an eye-opening piece for those of us who are here in mission about the differences in culture/education...and how when you ask a person a question on the street, they will try to give you an answer even if they have no clue what you are talking about!

I've decided to update my Kosovo Restaurant Guide.  I have a ton of business cards from different restaurants and I know that it's hard to find the telephone numbers and sometimes you are asking me...so I hope the information helps! :)

The International Herald Tribune carries an article about Ramush Haradinaj and how he is viewed by different groups in Kosovo, gives some of the history of his case and the support that certain high-ranking UN officials have given in the past.

An Israeli news site published an article the views the Kosovo issue from Serbia, but not the normal refusal of independence but looks at those in Serbia that might actually support Kosovo's independence and the reasons why they may feel that way.

Energia, a Greek energy and environment site, released an article about how Kosovo's economic future looks bleak, citing the high levels of poverty and the thriving black market as two problems facing the economy.

This is actually the first birthday I will physically celebrate in Kosovo.  Because of the vacation schedule in previous years, my after Christmas holiday always fell around the end of March or it was on a weekend so we opened up the Greek weekend season :)  I'm not sure what the plan is for celebrating but I'm sure somewhere in the plans is a stop at the Kukri/Phoenix for a few drinks with friends.

The status proposal was presented to the members of the Security Council.  The special envoy, Ahtisaari, will not yet be meeting with the members of the council until he receives an official invitation.  The date for his appearance in the council is speculated to be 3 April but nothing is set in stone yet.  Meanwhile, Serbia is preparing to launch a diplomatic offensive by lobbying members of the council to support the continuation of negotiations.

Thanks to a couple friends, we were able to complete my move to the new flat over the weekend and then have a BBQ yesterday to celebrate the clearing out of my old flat.  I'm quite happy with the new place although it is currently a disaster zone.  I envision myself working on straightening up for at least the next week (or two!)  I'll pick up Smokey from the kennel tonight so I'm interested to see what he thinks of the new place...I imagine that he'll be a little confused at first but he seemed to easily settle in after the move from Gracanica.  Fortunately we are in the same neighborhood so it won't be too shocking for him :) 

Over the weekend, there was an explosion in Mitrovica.  A grenade was thrown into the yard of a Serbian home in a mixed area of northern Mitrovica.  Two Serbians, Branislav Iekic and Srecko Antic, share the yard where two grenades were thrown.  One exploded, nearly missing an international police patrol in the area, while the second device did not detonate and was destroyed by KFOR EOD teams.  Iekic believes that the attack is the result of issues stemming from the construction of a Serbian house in the neighborhood that Albanian neighbors had been protesting.   

A member of the Russian Academy of Sciences published a thought-provoking article about the recent political manuevering and some of the statements issued by politicians in the recent weeks over the status of Kosovo.  The writer explores the Serbian position as well as some of the politics behind the push towards independence.

Last week, the Institute for European Politics, a Berlin-based think tank, released a report that damned the international community and warned that Kosovo faces a violent and chaotic future after it gains independence. 

There also has recently been a lot of mentioning about criminal gangs in Kosovo.  Groups are condemning what they see as a Kosovo government backed by criminal enterprises and wondering should Kosovo gain independence, what kind of country would it be with lawless criminals running the politics. 

The parking lot was flooded where my spot is so when we jumped out of the car this morning, the water rose above the rubber on my boots and the cold slush soaked in.  I guess it is time to waterproof the tops again!  I'm actually sitting at my desk right now without any shoes in the hopes that my socks will dry out before lunch *hehe* 

The weather will make moving interesting.  We are supposed to move the furniture to the new place tomorrow.  We are paying some university students to help take apart, carry it to the new flat, and put it back together.  They'll also have to rearrange the existing furniture in the flat as Bill and I are kind of attached to my furniture (I do have good taste after all!)  Then on Sunday, I've bribed all my friends to come over to help carry the last of the boxes, promising BBQ ribs and beer (but I think we'll end up cooking inside!)  Anyways, I'm looking forward to being in the new place on Sunday and hope the weather will improve soon so we can use that nice new terrace for BBQs!

Anyways, the road is closed this morning, probably for an ongoing investigation.  I will be interested to find out the story of what happened and whether or not they catch anyone...or anyone claims responsibility.  There were people dining inside the restaurant when the grenade exploded but no one was injured.  There were only minor material damages reported.

There been a series of protests over the past couple of days.  In Skenderaj, there have been protests for almost a week straight over socially-owned houses being distributed by the municipality.  Mini-bus drivers in Kacanik have been protesting a municipal decision to stop their services.  Every day seems to bring more people to the protest.  And today, 250 works from Ferizaj protested outside the KTA (Kosovo Trust Agency) about non-compliance with a court order concerning the steel tube factory where they work. 

And 20 activists of the new local anti-corruption NGO (COHU) protested outside the government building citing corruption in the bidding for the 2nd mobile phone operator in Kosovo.  Over the past couple of years, five or so tenders have been held for a new mobile phone operator in the province but the decisions have either been overturned by UNMIK or the government due to discrepancies or misrepresentations.  Vala is operated by PTK and the power behind the company is rumored to be none other than Ramush Haradinaj.

Thinking about Ramush, I think I forgot to mention that his court case began at the beginning of the month so he has gone to the Hague to answer war crimes charges for his time as a commander in the KLA (UCK in Albanian).    Posters and billboards have popped up all over Pristina saying things like "We are with Ramush" and showing him with children.  It is quite an impressive PR campaign!  I'll have to try to get a photo on some of the posters...but being that most are in the middle of the road, it will be tricky :o)

Beside the challenges from Serbia, the Turkish minority in Kosovo is also speaking up about Ahtisaari's plan stating that the plan borders on making Kosovo not multi-ethnic but bi-ethnic and that the rights of other minorities are being ignored in regards to language and education.

Western diplomats continue to stress the importance of quickly resolving the status question in Kosovo.  US Envoy for Kosovo, Frank Wisner, is quoted as saying that independence for Kosovo is advisable or else "Kosovo would burn and the victims will be the Serbs."  That doesn't really give much credence to the thought of an accepting multi-ethnic society.  Wisner continues to say that it is difficult to imagine Albanians returning to Serbian rule but actually no one has even suggested this.  Wisner should probably look up the definition of autonomy in the dictionary, for this is what Serbia has suggested.

Meanwhile, other countries are continuing to worry that independence for Kosovo would set a dangerous precedent for other conflicts around the world.  The EU has clearly stated that it would not use the Kosovo-model in frozen conflicts in former Soviet countries but that hasn't stopped officials in Azerbaijan from worrying about what will happen to their disputes.

Richard Holbrooke has been suggested by some that Russia will bear the responsibility should Kosovo return to violence because it blocks acceptance of the Ahtisaari plan in the Security Council and has suggested that if the Albanians do not gain independence, they will declare it unilaterally and countries such as the UN and other Muslim countries will recognize it as a state.  In a response to the editorial, Lev Dzugayev, goes through Holbrookes arguments and raises some new questions. 

B92 takes a look at both arguments in an article titled "Moscow will be responsible".  One of the features that I quite like about B92 is that the allow users to post comments on the news stories...usually they slide quickly downhill into political discussions about the "illegal war" and "big bad Serbs" but sometimes there are insightful comments :)

Some fear that the conflicting views of Russia and the West will ignite a new European War so we have to wonder, just how important is Kosovo to the world and what does all this political maneuvering mean?  Ahtisaari is quoted as saying that if the EU cannot support a solution for Kosovo, as countries are split, that the EU "can forget about its role in international affairs".  Ahtisaari is also openly recommending Kosovo succession from Serbia stating that after "careful consideration" he has come to the conclusion that the only viable solution is for Kosovo to be independent.  Ahtisaari is reported to have made the comments in a four-page letter sent to UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-Moon.

The Toronto Star published an article on the problems facing Kosovo from unemployment to the status, touching on the issues that keep hostility simmering.  The best parts of the article are those that touch on the economic problems that face Kosovo with its young but uneducated and unskilled work-force.  The education system is overwhelmed with too many students and with more than half of the population under the age of 25, there are tough times ahead should Kosovo become independent and find that it must stand on its own two feet (of course, we all know that the EU will help but there is only so much money one can throw at a problem.  The real solution is to work at fixing the problem rather than covering it with cash!)

Smokey has stayed at the kennel a bit longer until we complete the moving.  I think last time when I moved from Gracanica, he kind of started to freak out when he saw me leaving with all the clothes and furniture.  He normally has a good idea that I'm leaving for a vacation when he sees the suitcases going out but still willingly jumps in the car to go to the "doggy jail".  I do have to admit that I have missed him over the past half week that I've been back!  I'll be happy to bring him over to the new flat where he will have a nice big balcony to play on during the days and no way to get onto the roof!!!

I'm going to be updating my Tips for Newcomers today because over the weekend I was out house hunting.  I have some new inputs for the section on housing that I want to share.  It seems the magic number for a flat in Dragodan is 700 Euros a month, all inclusive (sometimes with central heating, sometimes without.  Often no water tank but they will always try to convince you that there are no problems with the suppy!)  Some people are trying to get even more rent but those places are staying empty longer.  The problem is that some internationals don't bother trying to negotiate and the locals see that there is always a sucker that will take the place for an extraordinary price.  It really has become a renter's market, something that the local population hasn't figured out very well yet but for some it is sinking in. 

In Dragodan the reality is that the flats are worth about 500 Euros a month at most.  Bill did find a nice flat a couple blocks from where we are now where the building is brand-new and so is the furniture but some of the renters are less-than-desirable neighbors...but everything was just 500 Euros.  When we went down the hill a bit further and looked at some really hole-in-the-wall type flats with basic furniture and few features people were still trying to convince us that 700 Euros a month was a good deal (special price for you my friend!)

Anyways, after meeting with the new landlady, I think we won't have any problems.  She seems very good at respecting renter's privacy and the rent does not change when there are more/less people living in the house.  Her son is also working to find some friends of his to help move my furniture down from my current flat as the person that is my landlord when I leave the mission will be gifted with the refrigerator, stove, dryer, entertainment shelf & matching bookcase, king-sized bedroom set with vanity and wardrobe, pantry, and china cabinet!  If I had to do it all over again, I think I probably would have insisted on my landlord furnishing better furniture or purchasing more acceptable things and deducting from the rent.  It has been a pain to move my things from one flat to another...and this is only the second time in six years!!!

After the medal parade, it was home to take a bit of a nap because everyone was planning on going out for drinks at the Phoenix to celebrate.  We kicked off the night around 9pm with everything from Guinness, Jameson, and Baileys.  A couple of us (pictured below are Billie V., Tom, and myself) even wore funny St. Paddy's Day hats.  Bill (not Billie...it can get confusing as there are three Bills in our group of friends!) refused to be pictured wearing one of the hats but at least he got into the spirit of things with his Trinity College shirt from Dublin.  I really got into it in my shirt that said "The leprechauns made me do it", the hat, and shamrock earrings :)  It only comes once a year so why not do a good job of partying it up?!  After a couple hours at the Phoenix (oh, yeah, the 10pm curfew has been lifted.  Now Americans can be there as long as they are not intoxicated...wonder how they will figure out who is and isn't!!!), Bill and I headed down to the Samurai but there was hardly anyone there.  After a couple more drinks, we decided to call it a night...but oh what a great night it was!

Oh, and before I forget, I want to say "Welcome" to Luna, author of the Kosovo2007 blogspot, who contacted me about using some photos of Kosovo life.  It's wonderful to know that someone else is posting information about Kosovo because the most common complaint I hear from people is that there is little to no information about what it is like to live here...and that's frustrating when you have thousands of internationals being asked to move away from home to come serve in the mission.

Also, amid the celebration, today marks the three year anniversary of the March 2004 riots that left 19 people dead, more than 800 homes, 35 churches destroyed, and all because of misinformation spread by the local Albanian media about events in Northern Mitrovica.

In life news, it looks like I will be moving again :(  My landlord wants 200 Euros more rent each month because Bill's schedule has lightened a bit and he is spending a bit more time with me.  So now the landlord thinks that we are using so much more electricity that we should up the rent to 700 Euros a month for a flat where I have the use of only one bedroom because the other two are full of his belongings!  The landlord even had the gall to suggest that if Bill and I don't want to share a bedroom, he can sleep upstairs in the other bedroom *LOL*  Anyways, now because my landlord is being greedy, we've looked at renting another flat in Dragodan for around same price that I'm paying now. 

The stories those of us who have been in Kosovo for a while will make the hairs on the back of some people's necks stand up :)  I know I've said it before, but sometimes the mentality of the people in Kosovo just takes you by surprise because they don't seem to consider the big picture, only the immediate here-and-now.  In fact now that I'm on a roll, I think that I'll share a couple of my favorite (or horrifying) Kosovo landlord stories...I'll leave out the ethnicity of the landlords but the stories are not limited to any one ethnic group!  These happenings occur all over Kosovo and elsewhere in the Balkans!

I had a friend that was living in one of the villages outside of Pristina.  His landlord was a very nice guy.  In fact, he brewed his own raki in a shed behind the house in big oil drums.  We always wondered what would happen if there was a fire...our belief is that the entire village would be wiped out.  After a while, my friend started noticing that his belongings were disappearing.  It turns out that a key to the house was left on the window-sill and pretty much everyone in the neighborhood was using the washing machine to do their laundry.  Basically, my friend made the unfortunate mistake of renting the community launder mat!  Additionally, when my friend went on vacation, the landlord's family moved into the flat and used up whatever food/drink that he may have left in the refrigerator without replacing them.

Another friend of mine had a similar experience with the landlord's family moving into the flat in his absence but also while he was away at work.  One day he returned a bit early to discover the landlord's son and the boy's girlfriend in his bed getting busy.  Needless to say, he slept on the couch that night and soon moved out to another house :o)

A girl-friend of mine had interesting experiences during a visit from her parents and then with her cleaning lady in one flat near the Grand Hotel.  When her parents came for a visit, her mother decided to help clean up the flat while she was away at work.  When the mother pulled the cushions out of the couch, she was shocked to discover a rather large collection of X-rated movies stashed underneath.  Evidently, the previous renter of the flat forgot to take the movies when moving out and the landlord didn't check under the cushions for left belongings (don't they know where to look for the spare change?!)  A couple weeks later, having forgotten something at home in the morning, my friend ran home at lunchtime and walked in on the cleaning lady trying on her bathing suits.  The cleaning lady was sacked and I doubt that the suits were wore before a really good washing :o) 

Now you have to understand that the landlords aren't bad people...they just have a funny way of thinking about personal privacy and what it means to rent a home.  There are many, many more humorous stories (I could probably write a bestselling book!) but alas, I probably so be off to gather more interesting stories about living in Kosovo!

The leader of Vetevendosje, Albin Kurti, remains in jail following last month's riots were two protestors were killed after police fired rubber bullets into the crowd.  His second-in-command, Glauk Konjufca, says that they will fight any type of imposed "harmful project" where Albanians are denied the right to self-determination.

An interesting quote came out of the protest about how in touch UN employees are with the local population.  31-year-old protestor Perparim Rama said that "UN employees sit on different levels.  You can see that in the salary difference" and he goes on to say that "here the economy is going down and United Nations employees are traveling to Greece every weekend for breaks". 

<soapbox>Now, these statements greatly amuse me.  Naturally if I am going to leave my home, friends, and family to go work in a place that lacks things like constant power, pretty much everyone that I know expects to be compensated!  I don't know anyone that would willingly maintain two homes (one in Kosovo and one in the home country) and that deal with less than ideal living conditions and not seek some sort of compensation.  But it's not just the internationals, the local UN employees receive very high wages compared to the others in the local economy as the jobs are considered temporary and those workers will be out of a job when the UN leaves.  As for the statements about the economy, well, the UN employees in Kosovo are a large part of the economy but you can't really expect everyone to want to stay in Kosovo on the weekends.  UN employees in Kosovo rent the flats to provide extra income at an inflated rate to the local population (yes, we know that the local population is taking us for a ride in regards to the inflated rent money.  We aren't fooled!)  We shop at the local markets, eat at the local restaurants, and patronize the local cafes.  Don't even attempt to feed me with some line of bull that the international community is not doing enough for the local economy!  Yes, the economy isn't that great but the locals can't honestly expect the international population to solve the problem for them.  We can only do so much to help you...tell your local politicians to start working less on independence and more on the social/economic problems!  As for spending weekends in Greece, heck yeah!  Judging by the fact that loads of Albanians are attempting to leave Kosovo for holidays or permanently (just check out the lines at the consular offices if you don't believe me) why on earth would anyone think that we would want to stay here if we didn't have to?!</soapbox>

The next Vetevendosje protest is scheduled for the 3rd of March and according to the spokesperson, will be peaceful but aimed at those responsible for the deaths of the protestors.  The spokesperson goes on to say that the group had nothing to do with the bombing and that the group "denounce violence that jeopardizes public safety".  <soapbox>Right, that's why you paint-bombed the government and UNMIK HQ three months ago and most of your protests have ended when police used teargas.  If that's not jeopardizing public safety, what is?!  Oh and by the way, bringing Molotov cocktails to protests is not a good indication of peacefulness! So if you plan on throwing any more of those during your "peaceful" protest forgive me for being a bit skeptical :-P</soapbox>

There was also a report in Ferizaj that two doors of an Albanian man's house were booby-trapped with hand grenades.  KFOR removed the devices for later destruction.  In Mitrovica, a hand grenade was rigged to a excavator that was parked near a gas station.  The device was designed to go off when the machine moved but was found beforehand. 

Meanwhile, over the weekend there were two explosions.  One in Pristina near Hotel Baci, located on the outskirt of the bullring, and the other in an international police officer's accommodation in Zubin Potok.  The explosion in Zubin Potok was rumored to not be an explosive device but some sort of firework.  Not much has been reported about the explosion in Pristina other than the vehicle of a KPS officer may have been the target. 

The new rounds of status negotiations are supposed to kick off tomorrow in Vienna.  One senior Albanian negotiator has warned of a "new Balkan war" if self-rule is denied.  This and with the Serbian delegation diametrically opposed to independence does not set a very good course for the conclusion of the talks.  The Serbian parliament has overwhelmingly rejected the proposal from special envoy Ahtisaari. 

The UN is facing criticism for the deaths of the two protestors over the weekend.  Official autopsy reports showed that the two men died of rubber bullet wounds to the head.  Information has been released that it was Romanian SPU (Special Police Units) that fired rubber coated bullets into the crowd.  PM Agim Ceku is continuing to say that police used excessive force during the protest but given the previous violent demonstrations and destruction of property that Vetevendosje has brought about, it may be hard to say that police should have acted differently. 

It has been a pretty big surprise for most of us in the UN but the SRSG has formally asked the police commissioner, Stephen Curtis, to resign.  However, from what I know, it was more told than asked.  The SRSG, Joahim Ruecker, was not in Kosovo during the protests and says that he assessed the situation yesterday and that asking the commissioner to resign follows the principles of political accountability.  Interestingly though, the SRSG (Harri Holkeri) did not resign following the March 2004 riots when many were calling for such action.  Instead he remained in mission until May 2004 and then resigned due to "personal issues".  In fact, I think this is the first time that someone has had to step down due to "political accountability". 

The trial of Albin Kurti has begun.  His detention time has been extended to 30-days by an international judge.  Kurti is facing approximately six charges ranging from inciting violence to endangering UN personnel.  The International Herald Tribune carries an article that describes why Kurti may be so popular with Albanians who face high unemployment and frustrations over the slow progress towards independence.  However, what is interesting is that analysts believe that Kurti would never be satisfied unless society itself was "crashing down around his ears".

Meanwhile, a political war of words is waging between AAK (Haradinaj) and PDK (Thaci) over the possibility that AAK may have supported Vetevendosje by arranging buses of protestors to come from neighboring countries (Macedonia and Preshevo Valley).  AAK officials rigorously deny the accusations that have supposedly been leveled by PDK leader Thaci.   Thaci has so far refused to comment on the accusations of AAK members that he made statements eluding to the fact that AAK had organized foreign protestors to come to Pristina over the weekend.

The restaurant itself is in the style of a typical brasserie or a cafe on the streets of Paris.  The walls are tastefully lined with bottles of wine and old black & white photos.  The interior of the restaurant can get a bit smoky.  There were vents on the ceiling but maybe they were not switched on because my clothes still reek of smoke :o)  But I think if you don't mind the smoke too much and are looking for a nice place to sit down and relax with friends, de Rada is the perfect place to do it.  The wine menu is extensive, the service is good, and the acoustics are balanced enough that you don't have to shout at the person across from you :o)

I got two interesting questions in my email the other day.  The first was would I feel safe in Kosovo if I wasn't with the UN and the second one was about unemployment and if it is visible...below is my answer.  Thanks for the questions...they were really good!

I would like to come back to Kosovo after I leave just to see how it has fared after the status is determined. I don't discourage people from visiting although sometimes this situation is volatile. The events of this past weekend were tragic but it shows you just how quickly things can go wrong here when a large group of people are encouraged towards violence. I have been asking my mother to come visit me for a week just so she can see what it is like...it can be difficult to describe Kosovo at times. It's modern but it also kind of old fashioned.

Unemployment is very high. I've heard figures as high at 70% although sometimes it is reported at 50%...whatever it is, it is high and it is visible. Each day I pass men waiting on the corners of streets. They sit there in groups of 8-10 with a tractor hoping that someone will come hire them for a day of work. Not only is unemployment high but the people that are employed earn very little. The UN pays its workers quite well but that is because the idea of the jobs is temporary. A normal police officer will make 250 Euros a month and a teacher/doctor can make as little as 150 Euros. The economic picture of Kosovo is pretty depressing and I know many people are hoping that once the status is finalized, foreign investors will come in and things will get better...but that will probably take a long time.

Around 800 Serbs gathered in the town of Strpce near Brezovica to protest against the Ahtisaari proposal.  The demonstration lasted about 30 minutes and was peaceful with no incidents reported.

As I mentioned yesterday, the blame game has commenced in Kosovo.  Local media is calling for the resignation of UNMIK officials such as the police commissioner, Stephen Curtis, and the deputy commissioner (there are a couple from what I know so I'm not sure which one).  A report on the events of the demonstration is expected in two weeks according to Kosovo PM Agim Ceku, who has been busy laying blame on the international police. 

There are conflicting stories about the number of dead.  Two have officially died of their wounds.  Vetevendosje released information that a third seriously injured person had died but officials at Camp Bondsteel , KPS, and the Pristina University say that it is not true.  Information has been released instead that a third person is in a coma. 

Vetevendosje is promising more protests in the coming month.  They state that their objective during the protest was not to target the government building or UNMIK but the "luxurious vehicles which are a materialization of the hard work of the people of Kosovo".  If they knew anything about the UN vehicles...they'd quickly find out that they aren't luxurious nor were they purchased from money from Kosovo.  Instead they were a donation from the country of Japan as part of their contribution to the Kosovo peacekeeping mission.  As for the government official's vehicles, well, that may be another story but it still does not give Vetevendosje the right to destroy property, whatever they say the intended target is.

Finally, the local newspaper Epoke e Re carries an interesting tale about how an international police officer supposedly tried to kill Albin Kurti but a protestor was able to steal the officer's weapon.  Um, right... 

Summary of the Weekend Events

According to UN sources, the demonstration on Saturday had approximately 4000 people.  International and local police sealed off the area near the government building, not allowing access to PISG or UNMIK compounds.  Violence broke out when protestors tried to get past the police barricade.  Stones, sticks, and even a Molotov cocktail were thrown and some protestors tried to use a minibus to break the police line.  70 people were treated for mostly tear gas inhalation although six people did suffer from more serious injuries.  Two people so far have died due to injuries sustained during the protest (identified as Man Balaj Arben Xheladini, aged 30 and 35 respectively).  A third person is also rumored to have died but there is no verification.  Five international police officers and six KPS officers were injured in the protest.  Three UN vehicles were damaged and there were reports of damage to some buildings, but the locations were not specified. 

14 protestors were arrested, 12 of which were sentenced to jail time of between 15-40 days.  The leader of Vetevendosje was also arrested but but he has not yet been sentenced.  Police did receive an extension of the time they are allowed to hold Kurti in custody.  Local police raided Vetevendosje's headquarters around Kosovo and confiscated computer equipment and documents.  Some people were arrested for resisting but a few were later released due to the fact that they were underage. 

On Sunday, approximately 200 people held a candlelight ceremony at the government building in remembrance of the two men that passed away.  The ceremony was organized by Vetevendosje.  The funeral for Arben Xhelandini will be held today in Dragodan at 1600 hours.

The blame game is going on strong.  Some people blame the UN, others blame the local government.  Some Albanians in Ferizaj stole the UN flag from the municipal building and burned it.  Kosovo PM Ceku has made statements to the effect that police used excessive force and that the fault lies with aggressive security at the protest.

The KLA war veterans association is calling for the resignation of the Interior Minister, the police commissioner, and the deputy commissioner.  The AAK (Ramush Haradinaj's party) expressed regret over the violence and the "tendency of some individuals to damage Kosovo institutions", a comment directly aimed at Kurti's group.  The Unity Team (Kosovo negotiators) blame Kurti for creating the situation.

Albin Kurti, the leader of the Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) movement, said that the police provoked the protestors.  His statement was that there were so many rows of police that they were letting the crowd know that "they were prepared to intervene".  One must wonder then, if Kurti figured this out...why the heck did he push the people to try to break through the police lines?  He is reported to have made statements in front of the crowd to the gist of 'they aren't listening to us, lets go destroy things to show them we mean business'.  Kurti has previously refused to meet with a police representative before the protests saying he would not participate in any meeting where an UNMIK representative was present.  He goes on to say after the protests that he does not feel guilty but "the Police and regime should feel guilty".

At 1600 hours, news emerged that the Kosovo Interior Minister, Fatmir Rexhepi, has resigned following criticism for the handling of this weekend's protests.  Rexhepi said he felt a "moral responsibility" for the response by the police which has been criticized as excessive.  The Kosovo government spokesperson, Ulpiana Lama, has also resigned her position although some local media reports conflict by saying she has only taken a couple of days off.

<soapbox> Any death during a demonstration is a tragedy but after this incident, it is time for the leaders of Vetevendosje to begin taking responsibility for their actions.  As I've mentioned before, most Albanians are happy with the proposal even with the concessions that must be given to the Serbian communities.  The leaders of the Vetevendosje group are nothing more than rabble-rousers.  As a government spokesperson said that there was no reason for Albanians to protest because things are going in the right direction.  Vetevendosje does not seem to have the interests of the majority of the Albanian community in mind.  Their ideas are unrealistic (a referendum for independence, no negotiation with the Serbs, and total withdrawal of the international community) and will never be achieved through the use of violence. 

Violence is not the right solution to voice displeasure over the status proposal.  Deflating tires, defacing public property, and violent protests are no way to gain the respect of those who are working to decide the future of Kosovo.  And unfortunately, whether or not the group likes it, UN, the special envoy, and the Security Council are the ones that will convince the world whether or not Kosovo gains its statehood and eventual independence.  A statement from diplomats from the Contact Group condemned the incident and went on to say that "there is no place in Kosovo now or in the future for violence as a means to secure political objectives" and that groups that resort to violence only damage their cause in world opinion.  They also expressed their disappointment that the "Vetevendosje protestors decided to endanger the personal safety of the police and the integrity of the Kosovo Assembly building".</soapbox>

Kosovo leaders have been condemning the protest yesterday saying that the group's actions may have negative consequences on the process of forming a new Kosovo state.  The leaders have also asked Kosovo's citizens to remain calm and contribute to the stability of Kosovo. 

An international worker from New Jersey, with possible Kosovo roots, has a large number of photos of the demonstration on Flickr. 

1730 CET:  A candle lighting ceremony is being held at government building for the two people who died as a result of their injuries.  The road has been closed and it has been advised for UN staff to avoid the area.

1800 CET:  A demonstration has been announced in front of the student center.  About 100 people (although other agencies are reporting hundreds) are reported to have gathered for the candlelight ceremony on Mother Theresa. 

2030 CET:  A demonstration appears to be occurring near the University as the intersection nicknamed "Suicide Junction" for its frequent accidents.  It is possible that the demonstration that started at 1800 CET may be progressing though town.  It has been said that a third person has died of their injuries.

The demonstration is expected to begin by the municipal government building at the beginning of Mother Theresa street.  Often the group will gather around the building and the Skenderbeq statute in the square.  The protest is then expected to go from the government building down to the Grand Hotel and loop down to the UN Mission HQ.  The important thing to remember about the protests is that the Vetevendosje group has never actually filed for the right to demonstrate as required by law.  President Fatmir Sedjiu said that the group had the right to demonstrate but not the right to "destabilize" Kosovo...however, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea if the government starts making political groups follow the rules for demonstrations.  Why the local government does nothing to stop the group that often turns violent, is a question on many minds but no one seems to know the answer.  Because the paperwork to demonstration has never been filed, it is difficult to actually know what the organizers have planned and the path of the crowd. 

1545 CET:  Tear gas and rubber bullets were fired at the thousands of Albanian protestors as they tried to break through a police barricade.  One person was reported to be injured according to Reuters but there is no official count of protestors or injured persons yet.  The roads to UNMIK Mission HQ was sealed off from the protestors, perhaps to prevent any damage to the building like during the Flag Day demonstration.  International Civpol officers and Italian Carabinieri sealed off the roads with armored personnel carriers.  Approximately 500 riot police are reported to have been armed with water cannons near the government building.  I have to give it to those that planned the security for today...they did an awesome job of containing the protest to the government building area :)  It made my blood boil when I saw the face of my Mission HQ after the Flag Day demonstration...such tactics are unwarranted and immature :-P

1640 CET:  A crowd of protestors has attacked a UN vehicle parked on the street near Te Komiteti restaurant and is reported to be "trying to destroy it completely".  A couple minutes later, the car is reported to be damaged and KFOR responded to the scene.  UN Security had instructed staff to move their vehicles to "safe areas" this morning but I guess not everyone listened to the many, many messages that were sent out.  Security has again instructed the staff to remove their vehicles, particularly from the streets around the government building and OSCE HQ.

Movement in Pristina has been restricted and all staff have been instructed to stay at home.  So I guess there will be no trying out the new Home Restaurant in Sunny Hill :(  I guess tonight would be a good time to try one of my new recipes for desserts.  Forget dinner, life is short and I am way better at cooking cakes, brownies, and pretty much any kind of dessert.  One of my favorite recipes is for what I call "Death by Chocolate" which is a thick, small chocolate cake with a layer of dark chocolate frosting :oD

1745 CET:  Reports are coming out about the protest.  At least 20 people are reported to have been treated at the hospital after the crowd waving sticks tried to break through police lines.  Dozens of people are said to have been arrested in the demonstration as hundreds of Albanians started hurling rocks and bottles at UN police.  After the planned demonstration broke up due to the police action, smaller groups began to go around and attack vehicles.

1815 CET:  A count of 3000 Albanians has been estimated.  The demonstrators chanted "No negotiation, self-determination" and waved banners with the slogan of the Vetevendosje (Self-Determination in English) group.  The movement has stated that the plan does not meet the demands of the local population which they say deserves outright independence, not the package of statehood that special envoy Ahtisaari has proposed.  The group has stated that "freedom does not come in packages" and is criticizing Albanian politicians for participating in the next round of talks with Belgrade. 

1900 CET:  USA Today reports that 70 people required medical assistance, most from being exposed to tear gas, although four persons are reported to be seriously injured.  The KPS spokesperson says that 15 people were arrested during the demonstration and eight officers were injured.  We still are under restricted movement and I can hear helicopters flying around since this afternoon.  While I was out with Smokey a little bit ago I heard a burst of gunfire.  At least one UN vehicle was turned over and had the windows smashed out following the demonstration when protestors broke into smaller groups and started going through the side streets. 

2100 CET:  One of the people arrested in today's demonstration is rumored to be the leader of Vetevendosje, Albin Kurti.  This would not be the first time that Kurti has been arrested following a demonstration or prior to one.  A week or two before Flag Day, the offices of Vetevendosje were raided by police and Kurti was arrested for failing to appear in court to answer charges for a previous demonstration.  Most likely, if Kurti was arrested, he will be released tomorrow.  Breaking the law does not seem to carry the same kind of consequences that one might be accustomed to see in Western countries.

In political news, that status talks have been postponed as requested by Serbia until 21 February.  President Tadic promised that Serbia would have a team ready for the talks if they were delayed.  The EU's Javier Solano is rumored to have "upset" the Albanian government of Kosovo in accepting the delay in the talks. 

Not everyone is putting their support behind the special envoy's proposal like the US and many EU countries.  The president of Slovakia has criticized the UN plan stating that it is disadvantageous for Serbia and the leader of the Slovak National Party has labeled the plan as a "pile of trash" and likened it to the Munich agreement that permitted Nazi Germany to invade Czechoslovakia.  Russia is warning that the independence of Kosovo could open a "pandora's box" where other people who are not given independence will question why the same situation does not apply to them.

The protest in Mitrovica was peaceful with a reported 10,000 Serbs in attendance (The Post Chronicle/Daily India).  Another source (Focus News - Bulgaria) reported 5,000 Serbs.  Whatever the number, it was the biggest gathering of Serbs since 1999.  The crowd marched to near the bridge and no incidents were reported.  Tomorrow Vetevendosje will demonstrate at 1400 CET.  I would not be surprised if there is some damage to property during that protest as there was three months ago.

After more than 24 hours, the power has been restored in my area around 1800 CET.  The power went off yesterday in Dragodan due to a technical problem.  Luckily the central heating runs on diesel in my flat so it wasn't too cold although I did start to worry about the freshness of the food in my refrigerator!  The landlord ran the generator most of the night so I was able to use the internet and watch TV...and not sit in the dark and curse KEK :o)  I guess this "technical problem" has occurred in other areas of Pristina.  I mentioned to someone in passing and they told me that the same thing had happened in the area where their office was located last week.  Maybe some sort of maintenance was being performed by KEK and they just didn't tell anyone...who knows...but I can tell you that not having power for more than one day is pretty miserable.  I had to take a cold shower!

After lunch today, two colleagues and I went out in search of the Ahtisaari mannequin.  Unfortunately it has either been removed or is somewhere else besides by the government building.  But I did get many photos from around Pristina for my Only in Kosovo and General Kosovo sections of my Kosovo Photo Album.  Unfortunately it wasn't very sunny today (it's that depressing gray winter sky!) but I wanted to share the shots I got.  When the weather improves, I'll try to go walk around again :)  Thanks to Ed for the Vetevendosje photos!

Going out for dinner on Wednesday nights has become somewhat of a tradition this year for a group of my friends.  We normally can be found at Ciao in Caglavica but tonight we decided to try something different.  Mehana (Mexaha in Cyrillic) is a traditional Serbian restaurant that can be found near the monastery in Gracanica.  If you turn left after the bridge on the main road and just before the monastery, there is a small road that will lead you down to another bridge that crosses the "river" (it's more like a stream)...you will turn left at the bridge (it's almost a u-turn) and the restaurant is basically right in front of you.  You might not think it is a restaurant because it's just a big house...but there is a sign above the door reading Mexaha :o)  For the real traditional dishes, you need to call the restaurant ahead of time at 064 530 0000 or the owner Dejah (Serbian language is probably best) at 064 455 4755.

The traditional dishes that we had last night are a far cry different that the grilled meat selection found at most other Serbian restaurants.  We started out with Ivar (mashed roasted red peppers that is perfect for spreading on bread), corn bread (it was a bit hard...but maybe that's the way they make it?!), domestic cheese, Russian salad (that's the English name for it!), and a mixture of cheese and peppers in a spreadable paste.  After clearing the appetizer plates, out came the dishes of sarma (ground meat and rice rolled in cabbage leaves.  They were so big that I thought they were baked potatoes at first!) and Serbian goulash with mashed potatoes.  The goulash was not like other soupy types but rather was more like meat in a gravy sauce...and excellent!  Of course, we drank raki and vranac wine over the course of the meal.

The decor is nothing to rave about.  The restaurant has only been open for about a month and it looks like the owners just took the ground floor of a house and converted half into a seating area and the other portion into the kitchen.  The seating area is not large so it would be best to give a call ahead of time if you are planning on going with a group of people.  The other thing that I might caution people about is that towards the end of the evening it did get a little smoky as there was only one fan for ventilation but of course our company wasn't completely innocent in the cigarette department :o)  Still if you are interested in trying something new, I would recommend giving Mehana a try as the food was excellent and the service was quite friendly (the raki is not bad either! The guys say it is some of the better that they've had in Kosovo!)

If you are looking for information and/or telephone numbers to some of the best places in Kosovo, check out my Kosovo restaurant guide! I have a couple places that I've been meaning to check out (especially the new restaurant that the owners of Home opened in Sunny Hill!) so maybe there will be some more updates next week!

On Saturday, Vetevendosje is calling for massive protests in Pristina.  From previous news articles, I believe that their goal is to again blockade the UN Mission HQ and prevent people from entering/exiting the compound. 

There are reports of some rather nasty occurrences around Kosovo following the revelation of the status proposal.  A group of Albanians (unknown affiliation) are reported to have harassed Serbian residents of the Crvena Vodica village.  The group supposedly threatened forced expulsion stating that they were going to send all "Serbs to Serbia".  In Obilic, Serbian residents and police were allegedly intimidated by a group of Albanians whose slogan was "how much more do we have to pay you for independence". 

Meanwhile, the round of talks between Belgrade and Pristina have been scheduled for 13 February.  However, acting President Boris Tadic has requested a delay of at least 10 days.  Currently Serbia does not have a negotiation team as it was disbanded due to the expiration of their mandate. 

The UN embarked on a campaign about the necessity of washing your hands in order to be healthy last year.  But how do they expect people to wash their hands to kill the germs with freezing cold water?!  The problem is the same in our office "kitchen" (a converted storage closet with a sink and microwave).  There is simply no hot water connection so dishes are washed with cold water...not exactly what mother ordered but what she doesn't know won't hurt me! 

I do miss my old container bathroom at Mission HQ.  Each bathroom had it's own little hot water heater and room heater...ah, the good old days.  Now I have to suffer with freezing cold water and a freezing cold seat :(  Oh, the lack of heat in our current facilities is also a problem that continues to plague me in our offices.  There is a small central heating radiator at the entrance to the bathroom but when the maintenance people were installing a fan in the toilet area, they didn't exactly knock out a perfect square in the window so there is a huge jagged hole in the window were the fan precariously hangs :o)  It makes things a little miserable during the cold winter months!

Kosovo Photos

Meanwhile, following the unveiling of the status proposal, Serbia rejected the proposal almost immediately following Ahtisaari's presentation in Belgrade.  Pristina's Albanian government has for the large part accepted the proposal which puts them on the road to independence. However, approximately 200 members of the LDK party gathered to draft a document against certain parts of the proposal (most likely the decentralization portion). While the "I" word is not actually mentioned in the proposal as thought, the proposal does give Kosovo all the characteristics of an independent and sovereign state.

Approximately 30 Albanian members of the national party, registered in Albania, held a peaceful demonstration in Podejevo that called for unification with Albania, with the slogan "one language, one flag, one nation".  The group displayed both Albanian and American flags during the demonstration.  An additional 40 Albanians joined the march after it had begun.

The Vetevendosje (Self-Determination) group is calling for protests on 10 February in Pristina.  I still have to find the Ahtisaari mannequin.  I haven't gotten up to the government building before dark yet :)  The group has been seen around Kosovo handing out pamphlets calling for support for the demonstrations.  In addition to calling for the demonstrations, Vetevendosje has also been handing out information and hanging up posters against the proposed decentralization.  The group held a peaceful protest in Mitrovica in front of the OSCE headquarters denouncing the lack of sovereignty in the proposal and criticizing the protection of Orthodox heritage and minorities. 

In Serbia, acting Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica has publicly snubbed Ahtisaari and is refusing to meet with him to receive the proposal.  Kostunica insists that the special envoy should have waited until the new government is formed and that he is only a caretaker until the new government is formed.  Instead, acting President Boris Tadic will receive Ahtisaari and his proposal.

1200 CET:  The meeting between Ahtisaari and President Tadic is reported to have lasted a mere 45 minutes.  Details of the plan are going to be posted on the UN's website at 1600hrs.  The plan calls for another round of negotiations to be carried out but the deadline for the talks to begin is 13 February. 

1500 CET:  Canada.com has summarized the important aspects of Ahtisaari's report.  There are six proposed Serb municipalities (including one in N. Mitrovica).  The Serbs will be allowed to continue cooperation with Serbia-proper in addition to receiving financial and technical support.  The new "state" would have two official languages: Albanian and Serbian.  Additionally, some 40 Orthodox heritage sites will also be given protection under the proposal.  The Albanians will need to develop a flag and emblem and national anthem of their own that must reflect the multi-ethnic characteristics of Kosovo.  A new security force will also be built with around 2500 active members and 800 reserve members that will be responsible for crisis response, explosive disposal, and civil protection.

1600 CET:  Click to see the Executive Summary of the Status Proposal.

The NGO Mercy Corps says that Kosovo's Future is looking bright but cautions that the status agreement must be implemented correctly or we risk the chance of returning to instability. 

Meanwhile, countries from Russia to Finland are asking the question of what does Kosovo's independence mean to us?  In Finland, the question is of the independent Aland Islands...will their status need to be looked at again?  In the former Soviet Union, there are many break-away provinces and the issue of Chechnya (which Russia thinks is different than the others, meaning they support the breakup of other countries but not Russia.).

The toy drive went great.  Most of my colleagues and friends donated to the cause and we were able to fill a huge box (1.7m X 2m X 3m) with toys and clothing for children.  Due to an outbreak of meningitis in Magure, I was not able to make the donation to the social center in person but my friends in the DCA took the toys after I departed.  I am supposed to receive some pictures of the donation and I can't wait to see the smiles.  There is nothing quite like making a child smile :) 

Before I left, I met with Fahrush Neziri, the director of the Pristina office of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare.  Since there is only one orphanage in Kosovo (run by SOS Kinderdorf) according to the Ministry most of the orphaned children go to live with relatives or foster families.  The list of children that I received from the Pristina office had 56 children from the ages of 2-18 years of age that could use a bit of holiday cheer.  The morning before I left, I sent a large donation to the office to distribute to the children.  In addition to overseeing the placement of children with relatives or foster families, the Pristina office also operates a sort of meeting center where estranged parents can meet with their children in a neutral setting.  Outfitting the meeting center with toys for the children is my next goal in addition to continuing to help disadvantaged families with clothing and toys.

Back to SOS Kinderdorf!  This is one of my favorite charity organizations because I truly believe that they are the future and the key to ending conflicts around the world.  One thing that is sure to incite rage in MTCowgirl is the use of child soldiers, a personal cause of mine.  SOS Kinderdorf goes to many of the troubled places in the world and sets up shelters for abused or disadvantaged children.  In Kosovo, the organization runs a small orphanage (approximately 10-20 children) and now has opened two centers for disadvantaged families who are struggling to keep their families together after the end of the conflict.  The new program is designed to help families regardless of ethnicity and aimed at promoting awareness for creating a safe environment for orphaned, abandoned, or destitute children in Kosovo.

The weird thing that happened at Etc. is that they do not allow women to carry in their handbags.  I had to surrender my bag to the the "purse police" at the entrance...of course, removing wallet, cell phone, radio, and appointment book (basically everything that was in the bag!) before handing it over to be locked up by the attendant.  But as I saw, not a single lady in the market was allowed to take their handbag into the store.  I can foresee that causing some problems...I know that I won't be going back because of it...I don't want to have to take everything I need from my bag and hand it over every time I need to go buy toilet paper! 

The second thing that happened was that I had the misfortune of being kicked out of the American PX at Film City by two Italian MSU MPs.  Before today, there was never a problem with being an American and shopping in the PX...but for some reason there were MPs (who evidently have nothing better to do than check IDs in the PXs!) kicking people out.  Fortunately Bill was able to purchase the ranch dressing and batteries I needed (I'd die without my ranch!) before we retreated with our tails between our legs.  Guess I won't be going back there either!  Things are a-changing...guess there isn't the same sort of American camaraderie there used to be now that we're getting kicked out of our national PXs! 

I've heard some rumors (and I do qualify the below statements as being rumors...not fact set in stone!) about UNMIK getting kicked out of the PXs.  One is that the new chief of staff, an American up at Film City, wants to yank any access that us civilians (say that with as much contempt as possible!) may have had in the past.  The other rumor is the reason why we were supposedly kicked out of Bondsteel after the change-over.  I heard that two Americans from Ferizaj went to Bondsteel around Thanksgiving and started cleaning off the shelves when the PX wasn't expecting a shipment for a couple more days.  The staff at the PX supposedly told the guys that they had to put stuff back and then the attitude came out.  If this is true, personally I'd like to find out who these two guys were and pay them a nice little visit to express my appreciation for screwing things up for all the other Americans in Kosovo!  We've had the privilege of being able to shop down at Bondsteel for the past 5 1/2 years that I've been in Kosovo but it only takes two inconsiderate, stupid jerks to mess things up for 300 other people who just want Pepsi and Tostitos! :oP

Dj Vegas at the Phoenix?  Last night I was asked to dj at the Phoenix bar downtown.  Unfortunately my American police friends have to leave the bar at 10pm due to some stupid rumors about the owners going around and a new curfew.  Hopefully it will be a temporary restriction...I miss hanging out with my pals at the bar and I think it's one of the few places I can get away with slipping in some country music :o)

With threats of violence (even the term "war" has popped up) if Albanians are not granted some sort of independence this spring and the rumor of a mass exodus of Serbs if Kosovo is granted independence, it will be interesting to see what happens in the coming months.  Rumor still is that Ahtisaari will release some sort of document to the Contact Group on 26 January during a scheduled meeting and then the document will be officially released on 2 February to all.

Today also marks the one year anniversary of the death of Ibrahim Rugova, former President of Kosovo and peaceful activist for Albanians in Kosovo.  A crowd gathered in Pristina to commemorate his death and remember the man that was nicknamed "Gandhi of the Balkans".

This morning it was the same deal but I took pictures for those that don't believe me!  Check out what's new with the Crazy Stunt Dog...peeking down at me from two stories up while I was getting in the car to go to work :)

PS.  I was vindicated and received my driver's license back yesterday!

Most feedback that I get from the site is from people looking to see what it is like living in Kosovo or seeking advice on bringing visitors/family to Kosovo.  I do get the occasional "hate" email from someone who doesn't like my viewpoints but everyone is entitled to their opinion!  This website represents how I see living in Kosovo and some of my personal experiences in the past five and half years of working/living in the Pristina area. So for those that don't like what is written here, go ahead and email me but don't expect a response as I don't reply or waste my time with rudeness or attacks on my person.  I would be thrilled to hear from those that find the information useful and those that might know a place or two around Kosovo that I may have forgotten :)

Kosovo Photos

I've added some new Kosovo photos to my album in the "Only in Kosovo" and "General" sections :)  For other pictures from around Kosovo, visit my pal's website Kosovo in Pictures.

Vala has also gone through a re-branding, changing the logo and the name from Vala 900 to just Vala.  The 900 designation is for the frequency that Kosovo runs on but should the frequency be changed, the 900 would become invalid. 

The exact date of Ahtisaari's recommendation has not yet been decided but Kosovo PM Ceku is "confident" that the proposal will go before the Security Council at the end of February or beginning of March.  More and more, there seems to be agreement that Ahtisaari will propose some sort of conditional or supervised independence.  Meanwhile, Undersecretary for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns has stated that he believes that the entire status process will be concluded in April. 

Former congressman and president of the Albanian American Civic League (which already indicates the position), Joe DioGuardi, writes that the new Secretary-General needs to be strong and that conditional independence is not acceptable.  An article by US presidential hopeful Joseph Biden in the Jan 2nd Financial Times garnered attention from the website antiwar.com.  Biden had stated that "Opponents to a new Kosovo must be stopped" and Balkan Express goes through his arguments to refute the claims borrowing lines from Macbeth that "It is a tale/Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury/Signifying nothing".

Axis Information & Analysis breaks down the upcoming Serbian elections, citing polls that give a good indication of what the results may be following 21 Jan.  The analysis begs the question of whether Serbia will turn to Kosovo or towards Europe following the elections.  From the Financial Times, MSN states "Radical tide could spell disaster for Serbia" and goes on to examine just how radical the radicals are in Serbia.  You might be surprised at what is found :)

Should Kosovo be granted independence, neighboring countries with Serbian populations are welcoming those that may want to leave.  Bosnian lawmaker Sadik Ahmetovic said that a number of Serbs could be moved from Kosovo to Bosnia following a deal between Belgrade and Banja Luka. 

Kosovo Tips

Macedonian TV channel A1 reported that the operation was conducted by ethnic Albanian, Cavilj Sabani, who is serving a 40-year sentence in Kosovo prison for smuggling cocaine.  Another possible suspect named was Stanislava Cocorvska-Poletan who is the owner of two front companies.  One that participated in the transfer of the drugs and another that was the designated purchaser of the "paint".

Reportedly, the Montenegrin police notified the Kosovo customs officials that the truck was suspicious.  Kosovo customs did not find anything but they alerted the Macedonian customs officials as the truck passed the Blace border and the cocaine was discovered in containers labeled as acrylic paint.  There were 882 such containers containing packets of cocaine in the truck.  Police tracking the source of the drugs have found that the cocaine shipped from Venezuela to Montenegro's port city of Bar.  From there it was loaded in a truck bearing Macedonian registration and driven by a Macedonian citizen through Kosovo.

Every year I try to go back and look through my Kosovo Tips for Newbies to see if anything is changed or needs updating.  As usual, some things have changed so I've updated the page with various information about living in Kosovo (particularly Pristina) and what one can expect and some tips on where you can shop or get a haircut :o) 

Following the elections, Ahtisaari will present the proposal to the Serbian and Kosovo authorities and I believe the Contact Group. After both sides have time to submit their input, Ahtisaari will take the proposal the Secretary General and then to the Security Council sometime in March. The road to finalizing the status will not be easy once the proposal is announced. A win-lose situation will not be acceptable and a win-win situation is very difficult to foresee. The UN has been hoping to complete liquidation of the mission by the end of 2007 and turn over authority in Kosovo to the local and EU representatives. We will see how things progress over the next few months!

In other news, the former director of the Pristina airport has been charged in a "bribes for jobs" scandal. One might recall that UNMIK was criticized by UN auditors, the Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS), of failing to halt widespread fraud and corruption at the airport. SRSG at the time, Soren Jessen-Petersen, denied the claims stating that he did not have the authority to investigate the dealings at the airport. Back to the scandal though, Ian Woollett, the director between 2003-2005 is accused of accepting bribes from local businessmen in exchange for employment at the airport. Two employees were let go in May 2006 in connection with the scandal. The charges come at the conclusion of the two-year investigation following the criticism from OIOS.

The illegal occupation of minority homes is a large problem in Kosovo that both the UN agencies and local government continue to battle. Many refugees return to Kosovo to find that their homes or businesses are occupied by another individual that claims to have legal ownership. Approximately 60 Serbian families have returned to Klina to find their properties occupied by Albanians who claim to have legal paperwork for the ownership of the property. When one finds their property illegally occupied, they must file a report with the Kosovo Housing and Property Directorate in order to have the property returned. The Serbian family in Klina had just filed the needed paperwork the day of the attack which begs the question, what was the motivation for the attack?

If you want to go to a nice restaurant with good food and service, check out my Kosovo restaurant guide!

But things in Kosovo have also changed a bit for the worse, at least from an outsider's perspective. While trying to be European, the politics of Kosovo are strife with corruption and politicians in Pristina seem to ignore the plight of those outside the capital.

Also for several years now, certain groups of the Albanian population have been losing their patience with the pace of UNMIK in resolving the status issue. Those from democratic countries know that democracy does not come cheaply nor does it come quickly. In the US we are still perfecting our democracy with each election...and people in Kosovo can't expect that they can just *snap* and have an instantly working independent country. However, the impatience of the Albanian groups, especially Self-Determination, has created a feeling of unwelcome for many that makes some internationals unwilling to stay the course and continue working in Kosovo. I myself will stay in Kosovo at least until the end of June but I know many people who are leaving. Whether or not I stay past June does partly depend on the attitude of the local population in addition to the fate of UNMIK.

The SRC holds an annual party every year, usually to benefit charity.  This year the SRC held the annual party in conjunction with fundraising for HIV/AIDS education through the UN Health Clinic and other NGOs.  The SRSG Joachim Ruecker attended the event and posed for pictures with the fundraising group and members of the SRC.  From the pictures, you can see that SRSG Ruecker doesn't mind having a Peja beer every once in awhile.  It was a great honor for him to attend the event organized by the SRC and he was generous in making a contribution to our fundraising event along with the members of his staff :)

The fundraisers, a group of volunteers from the Health Clinic and around the UN, with the SRSG