Swiss note organised crime as they help keep Kosovo peace

Olivier Savoy says the Swisscoy mission is a positive mission for soldiers swissinfo.ch

Major Olivier Savoy is an intelligence officer and security adviser to the National Contingent Commander of Swisscoy.

His job is to assess the security situation in Kosovo and Macedonia, and to advise on whether a mission is possible.

Savoy is in favour of extending the Swisscoy mission in the region, and says it does not interfere with Swiss neutrality. He talked with swissinfo recently about the mission.

Why does Switzerland care what happens in Kosovo?

There are 150,000 Kosovar Albanians in Switzerland. We have to be interested in events in Kosovo and the Balkans, which are also hotbeds of mafia activity and organised crime. By being present in Kosovo we can fight organised crime in Switzerland. So it’s not just about showing solidarity with the international community by taking part in the KFor operation – it’s also about protecting Switzerland’s own interests.

Did Switzerland come under pressure to send peacekeepers, in accordance with UN Resolution 1244?

In June 1991, NATO rapid reaction forces under UK leadership entered Kosovo to improve security following the withdrawal of the Serb army. Switzerland had already decided to take part in the peacekeeping operation, which followed, under the auspices of UN resolution 1244.

Switzerland came under a lot of pressure internally to participate. There was also pressure at a high political level from the international community. There were comments that Switzerland had been very forthcoming with money, and humanitarian aid, and that the ICRC did a great job – but that was not enough.

Does the intervention in Kosovo represent a change in Swiss security policy?

No. Swiss security policy has been evolving over the past five years. The former Minister of Defence, Adolf Ogi, said it was no longer a question of using the army for purely military purposes, but for countering threats that civilian organizations can no longer handle on their own.

In Switzerland, we do not have a federal police force – just 26 cantonal forces. We cannot effectively deal with organized crime in a localized manner, as it transcends village and town borders. We need an organization capable of dealing with this on a wider scale, and the army can help with this.

We are not trying to change the status of the army from a militia to a professional (rather than conscripted) force, but rather to improve training so that we can react properly to threats inside or beyond our borders.

Why did Switzerland and Austria enter Kosovo as a joint force?

We were considering joining forces with Germany but we knew the Swiss people would never agree to us going in with a NATO member. Austria is neutral and has up to 40 years of experience of peacekeeping, partly in collaboration with the Swiss, for example on the border of North/South Korea. There has been close cooperation between the two armies in many respects, especially in training.

Is the fact that “neutral” Switzerland now has KFOR troops (soon to be armed) in Kosovo somewhat of a contradiction?

The issue of Swiss neutrality is of no consequence. The Austrians, Finns and Swedes are also neutral, but are taking part in peacekeeping operations.

Neutrality, in any case, no longer steers foreign policy. Even during the Cold War, the threat to Switzerland clearly came from the East. We never attended army training courses in eastern block countries. We clearly always aligned ourselves with the West.

Are you happy with the Swiss government’s decision to extend Swisscoy’s mission to the end of 2003?

Personally, I think it’s a good idea because I think it will improve the integration of the Swiss mission inside KFOR. It needs more time.

It’s the first time Switzerland has taken part in peacekeeping operation on this scale. Has it been a positive experience?

I think it’s very good for this army. We have done a lot of training but we don’t have that much live mission experience. It’s very good for the Swiss soldiers to see that living in a real mission is not exactly the same as being on military courses. It’s a good logistical experience, getting to know the real problems that an army can have in an operation of this scale.

Finally the best thing about the operation is the close cooperation with other armies. We can get to know other soldiers and compare what they are doing with what we are doing. And we notice that the Swiss army compares well with other good armies.

When will KFOR withdraw from Kosovo?

The international community hasn’t yet decided when to pull out KFOR troops, although there will be quite a big scale-down in troop numbers. However, I believe that if KFOR pulls out, the Serb army will move in. The Serbs still maintain that Kosovo belongs to Serbia. As long as KFOR stays here the region will remain safe. The final political solution should be focused not just on Kosovo, but on the whole of the Balkans.

But KFOR won’t move out completely. The Kosovo crisis represented a good opportunity for the United States to get a foothold in Eastern Europe. Their first priority was to get control of the situation in Kosovo, and to provide a stable peacekeeping force.

They also have their own strategic and economic interests at heart.

There are plans to build an oil facility in Turkey. The US would like to pump this oil from the Caspian to the Black Sea, and perhaps even across the Balkans to the Adriatic Sea.

They have leased their Bondstil base for 99 years. The base is strategically important, due to its proximity to the Middle East, although logistically it is complex to access. Everything has to be airlifted. But on a political level, there are no problems with surrounding states. So even if the rest of KFOR withdraws, US troops will probably stay. Washington also wants to continue to influence Kosovo’s development.

What are the chances of the Swisscoy mission being extended beyond 2003?

We should wait to see how the improved Swiss contingent arriving in autumn this year gets along.

I think they will also do a very good job and be very professional. I don’t think there will be any reason to stop the mission down here.

Why did Swisscoy come here unarmed?

The law in place at the time did not allow the contingent to be armed. The law was changed (by a referendum) in June 2001.

Does change in emphasis in allowing weapons represent change in Swiss military philosophy?

I don’t think it’s a change in the philosophy, but it will stop the regular questions, “Why are Swiss soldiers not armed?” Other colleagues – KFOR soldiers – and the civilian population cannot understand that there are soldiers down here without weapons.

So it’s for appearances only?

No, it’s for self protection and deterrence.

Is the Swiss army becoming more professional?

I think it’s quite professional, especially because it makes use of the considerable civilian skills of its soldiers.

KFOR still seems to be popular among the local people, while there are calls for the UN administration to leave. Why is this?

Kosovo Albanians are still dreaming of a politically independent state, even if they don’t know what they have to do to make it work. They still have to build up the administration and learn how to govern democratically. They don’t know how to do this yet. Even so, they want the UN civilian administration out so they can go it alone.

KFOR represents stability. Its soldiers are also setting an example of self-discipline in Kosovo. The people know that if a soldier is caught driving too fast by a radar control, he will be forced to pay a fine. If members of UNMIK are caught, it is a different matter.

What does the future hold for Kosovo, in your opinion?

There is a big difference between Serb and Albanian communities, in terms of their language and social structure. The Albanians are more family oriented and tend to base their life around the family or clan structure. The family is also important for the Serbs, but they have developed communities outside the family structure. The Albanians have to accept that their clans have to sacrifice power in order for institutions to gain power.

The real chance for Kosovo to develop lies with the next generation – those with no experience of war, who have not grown up under a communist system, or under the system of indoctrination that existed in the post-communist era.

Kosovo has to be dependent on its own money and not cash sent by people working in Germany on Switzerland. It will stay like this for many years but it cannot be the solution. The civilian population realizes that changes will have to be made in order to attract investors here.

What is Serbia’s approach to Kosovo’s economic development?

Serbia has a constructive approach towards the development of Kosovo. Ethnic Serbs in the province were encouraged to participate in the recent elections. Serbia realizes, perhaps, that its own economic success lies in trying to persuade Kosovo that together they could have access to the broader European market, perhaps even EU membership at some stage.

In what situations may Swisscoy be engaged in future – is Afghanistan an option?

These are political question, which the Swiss government and parliament will have to address. From my personal point of view, Afghanistan does not have the same strategic interest for Switzerland as the Balkans, and especially Kosovo.

It’s also a question of personal means. Being involved with the international community depends on what our means are and what we can provide for international cooperation in areas that are not of primary strategic importance for Switzerland.

Switzerland can be part of the international community in many ways – sending the army is just one way.

by Julie Hunt