Switzerland plays new role in Kosovo

The attention of the international community has turned to establishing democracy in Kosovo, now that the situation in the territory is calmer now than it was in the days after the conflict earlier this year.

With the situation in Kosovo much calmer now than it was in the days after the conflict there, the attention of the international community has turned to establishing democracy in the territory.

Switzerland is playing a major role in that process. It chaired round table discussions this week, organised by the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, aimed at promoting the development of political parties in Kosovo.

The first session was held in Pristina, and it was billed as the first time representatives of all the province’s nationalities had sat around the same table.

Professor Wolf Linder from Berne university co-chaired the talks, and declared them a success, “On the second day we talked with the ethnic Albanian side and they said the parties are willing to get together in future. It was also a success in the sense that relations with the OSCE and the political parties became clearer.”

But Linder warned that democracy “doesn’t just fall from heaven”, indicating the process could be a long one.