At UN, Serbia's Long Shot Request for more UNMIK Before ICJ Rules Foretold

By Matthew Russell Lee
www.innercitypress.com/un1mitrovica070610.html

UNITED NATIONS, July 6 -- As Serbian president Boris Tadic finally began speaking in the UN Security Council, five days after the deadly grenade attack in Mitrovica which triggered the “emergency” meeting, what he would say had been foretold. Radio Srbija, hours before the meeting, reported that Tadic had asked for a UNSC condemnation of the attack.

The contested office opening in Mitrovica, which the Radio Srbija story calls “illegal,” is the real issue. Will it be opened before the International Court of Justice rules on Kosovo's Unilateral Declaration of Independence?

Will the UNMIK mission, whose shrinkage foreshadowed that of MONUSCO in the Congo, step forward to perform a peacekeeping role? At 10:55 a.m., Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic told Inner City Press that the meeting would be open. At 11 a.m., Tadic began. Watch this space.

Update of 11:15 a.m. -- Tadic's speech closely tracks Radio Srbija's foretelling, or vice versa. He calls the ICJ case the "largest in history."

Update of 11:19 a.m. -- Tadic says that no democratic government in Serbia will ever accept UDI. He emphasizes, at always, that the fight back is diplomatic. It brings to mind today's taking hostage of UN staff in Colombo by a Sri Lanka government minister and mob...

Update of 11:28 a.m. -- Lamberto Zannier of UNMIK runs through an account of the grenade attack, asking the Council to join him in expression of concen for the shot Serbian MP Petar Miletic.

Update of 11:33 a.m. -- EU speaker also describes the grenade attack "600 meters from the office." Also speaks of Petar Miletic. Says EULEX has been threatened in Northern Kosovo.

Update of 11:38 a.m. -- "Kosovo is sovereign, determined to exercise its authority, regardless or ethnic or religious background." Kosovo says the "violent protest" obviously had the support of Belgrade.

Update of 11:47 a.m. -- Kosovo says its office in Mitrovica "will continue."

Update of 11:50 a.m. -- those hand grenades were most probably thrown from the very protesters, Kosovo says.

Post meeting update: after the meeting was over, and Tadic and Jeremic left without speaking with the Press, Skender Hyseni of Kosovo came to take questions. Inner City Press asked him to respond to Tadic's statement that the office in Mitrovica is unpopular. It's very popular, he replied.

Why not wait until the ICJ rules? There is no connection between the office and the ruling, he replied. We'll see: watch this site.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1mitrovica070610.html

Kosovo "Respects Dual Citizenship," But Dodges Abkhazia Question, Downed Drone Deferred

Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
www.innercitypress.com/un1udis042108.html

UNITED NATIONS, April 21 -- Kosovo's prime minister Hashim Thaci was asked on Monday what he would do face with a request for recognition by the breakaway republic of Abkhazia. "We will see very carefully," he said, walking away from the microphone. Video here, at Minute 7:09.

The exchange highlighted the fall-out from Kosovo's February 17 unilateral declaration of independence and subsequent entropy in Georgia, even Bolivia and the Far East. Georgia has requested an emergency Security Council meeting on the situation in Abkhazia, including what it calls Russia's shoot-down of a Georgia unmanned drone. Monday morning Inner City Press asked Georgian Ambassador Irakli Alasania about reports the Abkhaz shot it down. We have proof, Amb. Alasania said. Asked about reports of electricity being cut to the Russian CIS peacekeepers, he said he hadn't heard about it. Video here.

Late Monday the Security Council decided that the requested Georgia meeting will be held Wednesday, although participation by the Abkhaz has still not been determined. Previously, Russia complained that the U.S. declined to grant visas to Abkhaz representatives. Russia's Ambassador Vitaly Churkin late Monday alluded to countries which talk a lot about free speech but don't want all sides to be heard.

While many at the UN on Monday said there was "no news" in the Council's meeting on Kosovo, at the stakeout afterwards several things emerged. The UN Mission in Kosovo, which the U.S. says is winding down but Serbia and Russia say must remain, as apparently backed off from opposing Serbs in Kosovo voting in Serbian parliamentary elections on May 11. Since UNMIK's Joachim Ruecker never came to take questions from reporters, Inner City Press asked Kosovo's prime minister Thaci for his position on the elections. "We respect dual citizenship," he said, but "local elections" by Serbs in Kosovo "would be illegal."

Some say that these too will be allowed, and may even benefit UNMIK and Pristina -- how else would they know who to deal with, going forward, other than through elections? Inner City Press asked Serbian President Boris Tadic about the elections, and he said there "is no problem" with the parliamentary elections, and that about the local, they will talk to UNMIK.

At the UN's noon briefing on Monday, Inner City Press asked about reports that UN Under Secretary General for Peacekeeping Jean-Marie Guehenno will travel to Belgrade for meetings. Afterwards an answer arrived by e-mail, that you "asked whether Jean-Marie Guehenno will visit Belgrade. Yes, he expects to visit Kosovo and the region soon, in his role as head of peacekeeping."

Later Monday, Inner City Press asked President Boris Tadic what Serbia would be asking Mr. Guehenno for. "I'm not going to meet Mr. Guehenno," Tadic said. "Some other members of our government are going to, they are in charge."

Sources tell Inner City Press that Guehenno requested a one on one meeting with Tadic, and was turned down. Meanwhile, on his way into the Security Council, UNMIK's Joachim Ruecker was asked, "Are you resigning?" He answered, "Should I?" For more on Ruecker, click here.

And see, www.innercitypress.com/un1udis042108.html