Friday, February 7, 2003
Just days after the
dissolution of Yugoslavia into a looser federation now called Serbia and
Montenegro, Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic of Serbia has begun pushing for a
resolution of the delicate and long-deferred issue of Kosovo. On Wednesday he
appealed for an international conference to be convened by June, when he would
most likely press for the province's eventual reincorporation into Serbia, even
though its majority ethnic Albanian population favors independence.
Djindjic's motives are rooted in Serbian politics. With his chief rival,
Vojislav Kostunica, now temporarily sidelined by losing his position as Yugoslav
president, Djindjic has chosen an issue popular among nationalist voters who
have not previously given him strong support. His timetable is clearly
premature, as United Nations and European Union officials said Thursday in
response.
There is little chance that the climate will be right for determining
Kosovo's future this year. But Djindjic's appeal is a useful reminder that after
nearly four years of NATO occupation and United Nations administration, the
crucial question of the province's political status cannot be deferred
indefinitely. There is a real danger that efforts to build a civil society and
healthy economy in Kosovo could be stunted if the uncertainties about status
aren't addressed soon.
Kosovo became an international ward in 1999 after President Slobodan
Milosevic of Yugoslavia tried to drive out or slaughter the province's ethnic
Albanians and NATO stepped in. The UN resolution ending that conflict left
Kosovo's future vague. The two simplest options, reincorporation into Serbia
without guarantees for the Albanians, or independence without guarantees for the
Serbian minority, are both unacceptable. Finding a compromise all Kosovars can
live with will require negotiations among the leaders of the province's main
communities, with the participation of interested neighbors.
In response to Djindjic, a tentative timetable for those discussions should
be set, linked to progress in Kosovo. The main criteria should be reconciling
ethnic communities, reducing violence and establishing reliable protections for
minority rights. Some small steps have already been taken. A (largely powerless)
local assembly has been elected, two rounds of municipal elections have been
held and United Nations authority has been extended to the Serbian enclave of
northern Mitrovica. The appointment of judges and prosecutors from minority
communities has been particularly encouraging. But violence among ethnic
Albanians and attacks against Serbs are still serious problems.
Michael Steiner, the chief United Nations administrator for Kosovo, has set a
series of targets that need to be met before status questions can be resolved.
Many have still not been reached. The sooner they are, the more quickly
discussions about Kosovo's political future can begin.
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