EULEX commander visits Serb enclave

05/06/2008

EULEX commander Yves de Kermabon called his visit to a Kosovo Serb enclave "very fruitful".

By Blerta Foniqi-Kabashi for Southeast European Times in Dobratin/Lypjan -- 05/06/08

The EU's mission to Kosovo was to deploy in mid-June, but may be delayed. [EU]

Yves de Kermabon, the commander of the EULEX mission, arrived Tuesday (June 3rd) on a visit to Kosovo. The trip was intended to demonstrate international commitment to Kosovo, amid last-minute snags that could delay the start of the mission's work.

"Talks between the EU and UN on a possible reconfiguration of the international presence in Kosovo are under way, but it's not my place to discuss political matters," de Kermabon said during a visit to the Serb enclave of Dobratin, 10km from Pristina. "My job is to be on the ground and to keep tuned into people's expectations."

"The reason that I am here today is to hear the citizens, to learn what they expect and to assuage their doubts," he said, adding that the meeting with villagers was very fruitful.

De Kermabon spoke with Nesha Stojanovic, who works for a parallel institution headquartered in Gracanica and financed by the Serbian government. His daughter works for the Kosovo government.

According to Stojanovic, unemployed Serbs receive 130 euros monthly from Serbia, while Serbs working for parallel structures in Kosovo earn 250 to 300 euros. "Serbs should integrate into the new reality of Kosovo," he said.

Meanwhile, Kosovo Labour and Social Welfare Minister Nenad Rasic, who accompanied de Kermabon on his trip, said he will do everything possible to improve the living conditions of Kosovo Serbs. Rasic said that the visit to Dobratin aimed to inform the community about the EULEX mission and its technical functions.

He vowed that Kosovo, in co-operation with EULEX, will do everything it can to provide solid prospects in security, justice and economic development to the ethnic Serb community.

De Kermabon said the groundwork for deployment of the EULEX mission across all of Kosovo is continuing. Regarding potential problems in the north, de Kermabon said his visit to heavily Serb villages such as Dobratin shows that EULEX is planning to deploy throughout Kosovo and serve all its citizens. He added that the mission will support Kosovo's institutions.