Why the Swiss are set for a long stay in Kosovo

Swiss soldiers are set for the long haul in Kosovo Keystone Archive

In November 2001, the party of the Kosovar-Albanian leader, Ibrahim Rugova, won Kosovo's first parliamentary elections in 12 years.

But the Democratic League of Kosovo – or LDK – failed to secure an overall majority, getting 46 per cent of the vote. The LDK now needs some coalition partners, and there has already been plenty of political wrangling during attempts to form a government. The situation is far from stable.

Many Serbs took part in the poll, under heavy pressure from the post-Milosevic leadership in Belgrade. This was in spite of their misgivings about their security in an ethnic Albanian-dominated Kosovo.

Swiss concern about organised crime in Kosovo

The LDK’s two main rivals at the polls were the two big parties, which emerged from the KLA. The larger of the two, the Democratic Party of Kosovo, (PDK) led by Hashim Thaci, had expected to do well based on the fact that it claimed the mantle of the KLA and its fallen fighters.

Many Kosovars’ admiration for the KLA vanished after former commanders were accused of using their positions to seize businesses and property. Some commanders were accused of murder.

The families of both Thaci and Ramush Haradinaj, the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), the second most important party to emerge from the KLA, were also suspected by investigators of having links to organized crime.

Some 150,000 Kosovar Albanians are still living in Switzerland. Most have close ties with their families in the province. The Swiss government hopes that by maintaining a presence in Kosovo, it will be able to check on and try to combat organized crime, while contributing to the stability of the province.

Economic boom

Large scale reconstruction in Kosovo has created a small economic boom in the construction industry. But despite the impression of wealth and progress, Kosovo still ranks as one of Europe’s poorest areas.

The boom is based on two main sources of income. The first is the money that flows from the Albanian diaspora, mostly in Switzerland, Germany and the United States. A recent report suggested more than $750 million had been sent to Kosovo by the diaspora.

Billions of dollars are also generated by the international community in the form of aid, expertise and the personal spending of tens of thousands of peacekeepers and civilian administrators.

Kosovo would wither without either source. So there are no immediate plans to leave the province to its own devices.

Challenges

Rugova has said he would insist on Kosovo’s independence being recognized as soon as possible. For the time being, that is not an option the international community wants to consider.

Elections were held under UN Resolution 1244, which acknowledges Kosovo as being part of Yugoslavia.

Albanians may wish to view the establishment of a parliament as a transfer of power, but the final say on key matters, particularly security and the province’s final status, rests with the United Nations’ chief in Kosovo.

Major Olivier Savoy, Swiss intelligence officer and security adviser to Swisscoy, believes the final political solution should serve the interests of the whole of the Balkans and not just Kosovo.

Ethnic hatred

The former UN chief in Kosovo, Hans Haekkerup, said Albanians and Serbs, as well as other ethnic communities, had to overcome the hatred created by past atrocities, and accept that their future is together in Kosovo.

When that happens, he said, maybe it would be possible to reach a final settlement acceptable to the majority in all communities.

Economic reforms

Apart from ethnic reconciliation, there are painful reforms to be carried out. Kosovo’s failed industries need to be closed down and new businesses started. But it will be difficult for Kosovo to attract investors in the present climate.

Analysts expect a honeymoon period for the newly-elected parliamentary deputies. Then the hard work will begin and the world will see whether Kosovo is capable of managing its own affairs.

But there is a chance that the patience of the Albanians will run out before then, as calls for the UNMIK to get out grow louder.

Serbs await their chance

Savoy believes that if KFOR pulls out of Kosovo, 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.”

Swisscoy’s National Contingent Commander, Lieutenant Colonel Walter Schweizer, estimates that it will take up to ten years for real stability to be achieved in Kosovo.

The Swiss will continue to take part in KFOR peacekeeping operations for as long as it suits their interests. It could be a very long mission.

by Julie Hunt