Posted on 08/26/2004 1:19:46 PM PDT by GeraldP
The EU Must Take Over Kosovo By Doug Bereuter and Thomas D. Grant* Wall Street Journal August 25, 2004
A spasm of violence orchestrated by ethnic Albanian extremists in Kosovo this spring put paid the notion that the troubled Balkan province is ready for full self-government. Yet a stumbling U.N. administration has failed to foster the institutions and economic stabilization that are essential if self-government ever is to be achieved. Caught between its own unreadiness and the disappointments of the present form of international tutelage, Kosovo needs a fresh approach.
As the international community faces a decision on Kosovo's status in mid-2005, consideration should be given to an option that would facilitate European integration of the entity while continuing international guarantees of minority rights. The United Nations should next year hand over the governance of Kosovo to the European Union itself, under the authority of the U.N. trusteeship system.
* * * Establishing a Trust Territory of Kosovo under the administration of the EU would be a creative mechanism to bring good government to Kosovo today. At the same time, it would put Kosovo firmly on the path to eventually become part of the EU without immediately prejudging whether it ultimately will enter the union as a part of Serbia or as an independent state.
Given the EU's own vision for integrating the Western Balkans into the Union, it makes sense to begin the arduous process of harmonization as soon as possible. But Kosovo is not like other European lands, because its civil service, government, and courts are not ready to handle the job of harmonization. Therefore, the EU itself should take over the civilian administration of Kosovo, while leaving NATO in charge of security in the province.
Admittedly, this idea is unlikely to be popular in the corridors of the EU institutions. EU officials will note that they have plenty on their plate at the moment, as they integrate the newest member states, seek ratification of the draft constitutional treaty, and prepare to assume the peace operation in Bosnia from NATO. We would expect little enthusiasm in Brussels for involving the EU in an economic basket case and political tinderbox. Nevertheless, an EU trusteeship in Kosovo holds out the prospect of bringing long-term stability to one of Europe's most troubled territories, and the overall benefits would greatly outweigh the short-term burdens.
An EU administration would have the authority to adapt Kosovo's legal system -- largely a leftover from Yugoslav communism -- to modern European law. In turn, a solid commercial code would facilitate foreign direct investment in Kosovo, essential if an economy currently suffering from 57% unemployment is ever to revive. The EU could also admit Kosovo, which already uses the euro as its currency, to the European Economic Area, reducing the cost of imported goods and facilitating Kosovar exports to the EU.
There are two possible challenges to such an arrangement. First, the U.N. Charter makes no explicit provision for an international organization other than the U.N. to administer a trust territory. Second, the Charter states, "The trusteeship system shall not apply to territories which have become Members of the United Nations," and Serbia and Montenegro is a U.N. member.
With respect to the first concern, the Charter plainly provides for international organizations other than the U.N. to discharge Security Council mandates. Add to this Article 81, which allows a trusteeship to be administered by more than one state, and it seems permissible to give the task to a regional organization like the EU.
As to the second concern, there may be two ways forward. First, it may be that the 1999 withdrawal of Yugoslav authorities left Kosovo without any government whatsoever, necessitating international administration. That would negate any argument by Belgrade that trusteeship violates its "sovereign" rights. Alternatively, it is possible that Serbia and Montenegro might agree to having Kosovo become a trust territory if Belgrade were persuaded that it was the only alternative to the inevitability of Kosovar independence and the best way to protect Kosovo's Serb minority.
* * * The most important step would be to gain the assent of the Kosovars themselves. There is no doubt that the Albanian majority prefers independence, notwithstanding all the international problems that it would almost certainly cause. Yet the violence of this spring demonstrated that some form of international administration is still needed to protect the Serb minority and to ensure that Kosovo becomes a responsible member of the international community. For an EU trusteeship to work, the international community, and the EU specifically, would have to persuade the people of Kosovo that the Union can deliver the rights and prosperity they long have sought. A European Union trusteeship may be the best way forward to help all of the people of Kosovo to enjoy those benefits.
About the Authors: Rep. Bereuter, a Republican from Nebraska, is chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe of the House International Relations Committee and president of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. Mr. Grant is senior research fellow in international law at Wolfson College, Cambridge University.
Looks like Kosovo is going to be the EU's Vietnam.
I don't think it is fair to mock the Eurinals....it is too easy?
The EU take over in Kosovo? They can't even take over the Paris suburbs.
I can just picture in my mind the brave and gallant EU troops! This has the makings of a soup sandwich!
Are there still US troops stationed there? My understanding was that the US pulled our guys and gals out of there a while back, but left the logistics infrastructure.
That being the case, leave the French and German's to do what they will there. They can hardly pull out without threatening the security of continental Europe.
For our folks who are still there, we simply tell the Europeans bye bye, we'll be out in 8-months. Do what you need to do. Take care of your own logistics.
The US should let Europe know that we will be happy to provide training for any Kosavar military via NATO, but will not undertake it in the province itself.
You are so right Brilliant, the place is a no-win.
They should turn it into their capital district for the EU. It would solve several problems.
I think this could be a win for us if the EU takes over Kosovo. It will not be a win for the Eurinals or the Kosovars. But when a teensy tiny eensy weeny little bit of Kosovar 'hard power' crushes all the 'soft power' all of Europe can muster, it might just possibly, shake them out of their intellectual laziness and moral cowardice.
>>>Albanians (who sympathise with al Qa'eda, at the very least)
That is nonsense. Albania was one of 4 nations to contribute troops during the war phase in Iraq. One can make a case that they were noncombat troops, or that the Albanians were doing this only to gain favor, however as someone closely familiar with the situation, I have to say that Albanians are one of the most pro-US peoples out there. The notion that they are Al-Qaeda sympathisers does not fare well when compared with reality.
What, Clinton didn't have a plan for post-war Kosovo? The war was over five years ago, and the future status of the region remains uncertain; and people talk about a quagmire in Iraq . . .
>>>I was quite evidently referring to the Kosovar Albanians, who do have ties to al Qa'eda, the K.L.A. (they are the terrorists who got Madeline Albright to bomb a sovereign country) foremost among them.
Well, you are entitled to your opinion of the KLA, no armed (rebel) movement could be painted with a soft brush in the modern world. The AlQaeda connection story, however, has been pushed by certain Balkan nations without any sort of foundation other than their own agenda. I have to tell you that from everything I know, it seems implausible at best, and ridiculous at worst.
This 1990 National Geographic article goes much to tell the underlying story, and is actually quite prophetic in retrospect
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/kosovo/9008.html
LOL and the euro's accuse us of empire??
I feel the need to point out to you that Macedonia is one of those Balkan countries with an agenda. Well, more precisely, a certain segment of Macedonia. This segment was particularly active in trying to link ethnic Albanians with Islamic fundametalism at the time of the article.
This farce: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3674533.stm
was indeed staged for that explicit purpose.
>>>I think it unlikely that I will convince such a fervent pro-Albanian of the connexion; but that does not lessen for one moment the existence of such a connexion.
Your assumption is understandable, I am of Albanian extract therefore pro-Albanian. This is not the case at all, however. I have not hesitated to condemn violence by Kosovars, or the corruption and criminality so widespread among Albanians in recent times. However, I deny the Islamic fundamentalism connection because of what I know and not because of what I wish. I will point out to you that the one instance of Islamic fundamentalist attack in Kosov@ was the act of a Jordanian UN policeman with ties to Hamas.
The EU taking over in Kosov@ might theoretically seem like a good idea. First, it is about time that the Europians take some responsibility in their own backyard. Second, it would be very helpful as US troops are redeployed to face the "new" realities of the War on Terror. Third, well it would preclude having to deal with that whole final status issue.
I tend to think that the issue is a bit more complex than that though. It is a fact that the people (of both nationalities) are very skeptical of the EU and especially the two countries who are seeking to dominate the EU. Furthermore the US is seen as a more honest broker, maybe not as much by Kosov@ Serbs, but definitely so by the Kosovar Albanians. In light of this a symbolic US presence might go a long way to "nip in the bud" any outbreak of violence.
Why does it matter to us. Let the holier than thou Germans and French make the hard choices. We have no dog in this fight.
Soooooo "The Republican Policy Committee" is influenced by some certain Balkan nations...???
Interessting...!!!
Look what I found:
Reports on Islamic Terror Links
The KLA's main staging area is in the vicinity of the town of Tropoje in northern Albania [Jane's International Defense Review, 2/1/99]. Tropoje, the hometown and current base of former Albanian president Sali Berisha, a major KLA patron, is also a known center for Islamic terrorists connected with Saudi renegade Osama bin-Ladin. [For a report on the presence of bin-Ladin assets in Tropoje and connections to anti-American Islamic terrorism, see "U.S. Blasts' Possible Mideast Ties: Alleged Terrorists Investigated in Albania, Washington Post, 8/12/98.]
The following reports note the presence of foreign mujahedin (i.e., Islamic holy warriors) in the Kosovo war, some of them jihad veterans from Bosnia, Chechnya, and Afghanistan. Some of the reports specifically cite assets of Iran or bin-Ladin, or both, in support of the KLA. To some, "mujahedin" does not necessarily equal "terrorists." But since the foreign fighters have not been considerate enough to provide an organizational chart detailing the exact relationship among the various groups, the reported presence of foreign fighters together with known terrorists in the KLA's stronghold at least raises serious questions about the implications for the Clinton Administration's increasingly close ties to the KLA:
"Serbian officials say Mujahideen have formed groups that remained behind in Bosnia. Groups from Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and Chechnya are also involved in Albanian guerrilla operations. A document found on the body of Alija Rabic, an Albanian UCK member killed in a border crossing incident last July, indicated he was guiding a 50-man group from Albania into Kosovo. The group included one Yemeni and 16 Saudis, six of whom bore passports with Macedonian Albanian names. Other UCK rebels killed crossing the Albanian frontier have carried Bosnian Muslim Federation papers." [Jane's International Defense Review, "Unhealthy Climate in Kosovo as Guerrillas Gear Up for a Summer Confrontation," 2/1/99]
"Mujahidin fighters have joined the Kosovo Liberation Army, dimming prospects of a peaceful solution to the conflict and fuelling fears of heightened violence next spring.. . . . Their arrival in Kosovo may force Washington to review its policy in the Serbian province and will deepen Western dismay with the KLA and its tactics. . . . 'Captain Dula', the local KLA commander, was clearly embarrassed at the unexpected presence of foreign journalists and said that he had little idea who was sending the Mujahidin or where they came from; only that it was neither Kosovo nor Albania. 'I've got no information about them,' Captain Dula said. 'We don't talk about it.' . . . American diplomats in the region, especially Robert Gelbard, the special envoy, have often expressed fears of an Islamic hardline infiltration into the Kosovo independence movement. . . . American intelligence has raised the possibility of a link between Osama bin Laden, the Saudi expatriate blamed for the bombing in August of US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam, and the KLA. Several of Bin Laden's supporters were arrested in Tirana, the Albanian capital, and deported this summer, and the chaotic conditions in the country have allowed Muslim extremists to settle there, often under the guise of humanitarian workers. . . . 'I interviewed one guy from Saudi Arabia who said that it was his eighth jihad,' a Dutch journalist said." ["U.S. Alarmed as Mujahidin Join Kosovo Rebels," The Times (London), 11/26/98]
"Diplomats in the region say Bosnia was the first bastion of Islamic power. The autonomous Yugoslav region of Kosovo promises to be the second. During the current rebellion against the Yugoslav army, the ethnic Albanians in the province, most of whom are Moslem, have been provided with financial and military support from Islamic countries. They are being bolstered by hundreds of Iranian fighters, or Mujahadeen, who infiltrate from nearby Albania and call themselves the Kosovo Liberation Army. US defense officials say the support includes that of Osama Bin Laden, the Saudi terrorist accused of masterminding the bombings of the US embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam. A Defense Department statement on August 20 said Bin Laden's Al Qa'ida organization supports Moslem fighters in both Bosnia and Kosovo. . . . The KLA strength was not the southern Kosovo region, which over the centuries turned from a majority of Serbs to ethnic Albanians. The KLA, however, was strong in neighboring Albania, which today has virtually no central government. The crisis in Albania led Iran to quickly move in to fill the vacuum. Iranian Revolutionary Guards began to train KLA members. . . . Selected groups of Albanians were sent to Iran to study that country's version of militant Islam. So far, Yugoslav officials and Western diplomats agree that millions of dollars have been funnelled through Bosnia and Albania to buy arms for the KLA. The money is raised from both Islamic governments and from Islamic communities in Western Europe, particularly Germany. . . . 'Iran has been active in helping out the Kosovo rebels,' Ephraim Kam, deputy director of Tel Aviv University's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, said. 'Iran sees Kosovo and Albania as containing Moslem communities that require help and Teheran is willing to do it.' But much of the training of the KLA remains based in Bosnia. Intelligence sources say mercenaries and volunteers for the separatist movement have been recruited and paid handsome salaries. . . . The trainers and fighters in the KLA include many of the Iranians who fought in Bosnia in the early 1990s. Intelligence sources place their number at 7,000, many of whom have married Bosnian women. There are also Afghans, Algerians, Chechens, and Egyptians." ["Kosovo Seen as New Islamic Bastion," Jerusalem Post, 9/14/98]
". . . By late 1997, the Tehran-sponsored training and preparations of the Liberation Army of Kosovo (UCK -- Ushtria Clirimtare e Kosoves -- in Albanian, OVK in Serbian), as well as the transfer of weapons and experts via Albania, were being increased. Significantly, Tehran's primary objective in Kosovo has evolved from merely assisting a Muslim minority in distress to furthering the consolidation of the Islamic strategic axis along the Sarajevo-to-Tirane line. And only by expanding and escalating subversive and Islamist-political presence can this objective be attained. . . In the Fall of 1997, the uppermost leadership in Tehran ordered the IRGC [Revolutionary Guards] High Command to launch a major program for shipping large quantities of weapons and other military supplies to the Albanian clandestine organisations in Kosovo. [The supreme Iranian spiritual leader, the Ayatollah] Khamene'i's instructions specifically stipulated that the comprehensive military assistance was aimed to enable the Muslims 'to achieve the independence' of the province of Kosovo. . . . [B]y early December 1997, Iranian intelligence had already delivered the first shipments of hand grenades, machine-guns, assault rifles, night vision equipment, and communications gear from stockpiles in Albania into Kosovo. The mere fact that the Iranians could despatch the first supplies within a few days and in absolute secrecy reflect extensive advance preparations made in Albania in anticipation for such instructions from Tehran. Moreover, the Iranians began sending promising Albanian and UCK commanders for advanced military training in al-Quds [special] forces and IRGC camps in Iran. Meanwhile, weapons shipments continue. Thus, Tehran is well on its way to establishing a bridgehead in Kosovo. . . The liberation army was to be only the first phase in building military power. Ultimately, the Kosovo Albanians must field such heavy weapons as tanks, armoured personnel carriers, artillery, and rocket launchers, if they hope to evict the Serbian forces from Kosovo. . . . The spate of UCK terrorism during the Fall of 1997, . . . should be considered intentional provocations against the Serbian police aimed to elicit a massive retaliation that would in turn lead to a popular uprising. Thus, the ongoing terrorism campaign in Kosovo should be considered the initial phases in implementing the call for an uprising. Iran-sponsored activists have already spread the word through Kosovo that the liberation war has already broken out. If current trends prevail, the increasingly Islamist UCK will soon become the main factor in overturning the long-term status quo in the region. Concurrently, the terrorist activities have become part of everyday life throughout Kosovo. Given the extent of the propaganda campaign and the assistance provided by Iran, the spread of terrorism should indeed be considered the beginning of an armed rebellion that threatens a major escalation." ["Italy Becomes Iran's New Base for Terrorist Operations," by Yossef Bodansky, Defense and Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy (London), February 1998. Bodansky is Director of the House Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare. This report was written in late 1997, before the KLA's offensive in early 1998.]
>>>To some, "mujahedin" does not necessarily equal "terrorists."
And "mujahadeen" does not equal AlQaeda. Let me say that Islamic fundamentalism is our enemy no. 1 regardless of whether it bears that dreaded name AlQaeda or not. There are, however, plenty of dopes in the Islamic world who consider it their "religious duty" to help out their "fellow Muslims". Not all of them, or even the majority of them would be the AlQaeda type. For that matter, I encourage you to read about nonMuslim "revolutionary" types who went to fight in Kosov@.
Hindsight shows that the Mujahadeen connection in the KLA was spotty and tentative at best. Rumors exist about an Iranian, or a Chechen, etc. here and there, but overall there has been no confirmed (i.e. not given by one of the Balkan countries above) presence of a noteworthy number of mujahadeen.
More significant is the current situation. It has been 5 years since the Kosovo War, and note the absence of any terrorist attacks on the international presence in Kosov@. And note that there was no anti-war demonstration in Kosov@ during the run up to the Iraq War as opposed to all other Muslim countries and even our allies. The only demonstration was in fact pro-US. They even volunteered some "troops", which was of course rejected since the Serbian government would have gone nuts about it.
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