EULEX facing numerous hurdles ahead of scheduled deployment

05/06/2008

An EU mission is supposed to take over from UNMIK on June 15th, but officials now say this may not happen as planned.

By Igor Jovanovic for Southeast European Times in Belgrade – 05/06/08

EU security chief Javier Solana said on Wednesday (June 4th) that he expects progress on the EU mission "soon". [Getty Images]

The EU mission to Kosovo (EULEX ), meant to launch operations on June 15th, may not meet its own deployment schedule, leaving the UN mission on the ground in the newly independent country.

According to EU representatives, disagreements on dividing responsibilities between the the UN and EULEX could delay the deployment. EULEX is awaiting authorisation to take over the country's police and judiciary, but objections from EU member states that have not recognised Kosovo's independence are stalling it, according to EU security chief Javier Solana.

The countries want a clear signal from UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on what steps to take regarding Kosovo. So far, only Spain has publicly addressed the issue. Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, at an EU ministers' meeting in Slovenia on March 29th, requested the implementation of international law in the matter.

Speaking on Wednesday, Solana said he expects progress on the EU mission "soon". "We are in permanent contact [with Ban] to see how this can be done, and I hope very much that in a few days I will report progress in that direction," he said.

Late last month, Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel said that Ban would face "serious reprimands" if he accepts the EU's initial idea of EULEX immediately replacing UNMIK in all of Kosovo.

The EU's plan was to send a mission comprising 2,200 members to oversee the police and judiciary in Kosovo. The initial idea was for the mission to start operating by June 15th, when the new Kosovo Constitution takes effect. Unlike the UN, whose mission has been deployed since 1999, the EU intended to transfer most of its authority to Kosovo institutions, while retaining jurisdiction over the judicial system and police.

To work through the problems, Solana and NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer met with Ban last week but failed to reach an agreement.

"What we at NATO are interested in is to clarify the roles and responsibilities and to ensure that those who are to guarantee peace and stability in Kosovo know what their responsibility is," NATO spokesman James Appathurai said.

Russia has refused to accept the EU mission's deployment without Security Council approval. Serbia also opposes the deployment of EULEX, demanding that the mission obtain a UN mandate first.

Serbian Minister for Kosovo Slobodan Samardzic says Belgrade and the Kosovo Serbs "recognise only the UN mission" and will not co-operate with EULEX.

"The objective of EULEX cannot be legalised in the UN, because that objective is the implementation of Kosovo's independence, whereas the UN's goal is to implement the essential autonomy of Kosovo. Those are two different goals that cannot be harmonised," Samardzic said.