During the daylight hours of November 28, NATO forces - reportedly German and Austrian troops - launched a large scale effort to remove barricades manned in north Kosovo by the local Serb community. The KFOR action also sought to cut a crucial road link between the Serb-majority municipalities of North Mitrovica and Zvecan with Zubin Potok on the boundary with Serbia. The action appeared aimed at isolating and fragmenting the northern Serb community and breaking its resistance to efforts to impose rule from the Albanian dominated government in Pristina.
KFOR used tear gas and heavy machinery and also fired rubber bullets at those peacefully on the barricades. The Serbs responded with stones and video showed them also using sticks to beat back soldiers with plastic shields. Shots were fired with reports of who did what conflicting. KFOR claimed various injured with two from gunshots. Dozens of Serbs were reportedly injured, some seriously. Perhaps copying tactics used elsewhere, NATO also reportedly set fire to tents used by the protestors.
KFOR asserted its action was to gain freedom of movement (FOM) for itself and EULEX. The local Kosovo Serb leadership reaffirmed its commitment to KFOR FOM. But they continue to deny FOM to EULEX because it still seeks to impose Kosovo customs at the northern crossings.
Under pressure from the Quint, KFOR seems bent on bringing the northern Kosovo Serbs to their knees before December 9. The EU is due to decide on Serbian membership at that point. The US and Germany apparently are pushing to deny candidacy for Serbia unless it has accepted losing Kosovo and surrendering the north. If the barricades can be taken down by then, the EU could give Serbia candidacy (without a date probably) and help President Tadic save face. If Serb resistance is not overcome by the 9th, the EU would have to face the decision to stiff Serbia and deal Tadic a stinging rebuke or swallow the threats and grant candidacy anyway. Some in the EU may favor the latter. Either way, the EU will lose some near term leverage and hardliners Germany and the US seem to prefer going for broke now.
It still comes down to what happens on the ground in the north. The Serbs show no sign of being ready to surrender. On the other hand, each NATO provocation ups the ante on violence. The situation in the north remains very tense and Kosovo may have passed over the brink on the 28th. KFOR's actions could be the undoing of any possibility of peaceful compromise.
NATO has no UN mandate to support EULEX efforts to install Kosovo customs on the boundary without a prior political agreement.
EULEX should either act in a status neutral manner or the UNSC should revoke its mandate for rule of law. The UN Security Council will coincidently discuss Kosovo on November 29. But action there to reign in the NATO Kosovo force and repossess UNMIK's mandate from EULEX would likely be prevented by a US veto.
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=11&dd=28&nav_id=77535
http://www.tanjug.rs/news/25513/locals-clash-with-kfor-in-jagnjenica.htm
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2011&mm=11&dd=28&nav_id=77524
http://www.emg.rs/en/news/serbia/169675.html
Posted by iPhone.
KFOR commander Drews is a sly fox.
ReplyDeleteEverytime when he presents himself diplomatically to the media, soon after there is violence and shootings and the blame is on radical Serbs. His lies about the shootings and his diplomatic talk to the media are a tactic to break Serb resistance with armed force. You know Drews is in a hurry, he will use everything to win this: lies, more lies and armed force...
Serbs did not shoot at KFOR soldiers, KFOR is taping everything. There is no videotape of the shootings, it's all tactics to crush the Serbs mentally and physically.