“The situation in Kosovo is one that could be best described as a political and diplomatic nightmare in the midst of a regional storm.”
By Ioannis Michaletos
Kosovo & Metohija has already been under United Nations control –At least nominally- and the whole experience can be considered as a total failure, so as to state mildly. The organized crime syndicates roam freely in and out the Province, whilst their power and resources have greatly expanded, based in narcotics and human trafficking. It is not overstating to name Kosovo as the “European Medellin”; a place where anomy for the heads of the “Mafia” has become the norm.
Moreover, the term named “Cultural genocide” is a well-known process in Kosovo where systematically all historical presence of the Serbian-Orthodox religious heritage, is being destroyed by groups of fanaticized Albanians. They are often supported by Wahhabi elements that found a safe haven in the area and regularly proselytize new members. Already since 2003 the US Congressional Task Force on Terrorism and Unconventional Warfare stated the presence of the so-called “White Devils” (1) meaning the recruitment of Albanians into extremist Islamic organizations directly linked to terrorism. These persons allegedly due to their Caucasian appearances would be more capable of conducting terrorist acts in Europe and move in relative ease than Asians, Africans or Arab descent would-be-bombers. The ex-security head of OSCE in Kosovo-Thomas Gambil- revealed on late 2005 that the area is filled with organized crime figures and there is a clear lack of power by the UN side to deal with these destabilizing forces that are a Pan-Balkan problem and not just a local one. He also added “Incidents of sexual violence, torture, arson, murder, kidnapping, and verbal threats were allegedly widespread as part of an organized and successful campaign conducted “right under the U.N.’s nose” (2). Further, it is essential to note the numerous threats and arsons made by Albanians towards UN and other international personnel during the past few years, despite the fact that the international community was the decisive factor of their newly born empowerment and a source of massive economic assistance. With the Kosovo status negotiations reaching their climax, the pressure towards UN reaches a dramatic level (3) and one wonders what will be the case for the security of the personnel involved in this international mission.
The KLA is still operational, albeit in a different mode and for a different reason. After the 1999 war, some of its armaments were handed into UN custody, most of it to be found in warehouses across the Province. Needless to say that these weapons can be relatively easily retrieved by KLA members in a matter of days, if not hours. There were approximately 25,000 KLA members active in mid-1999 and 5,000 of those joined the Kosovo Protection Corps (4) that are forming the official paramilitary forces of the Albanians. Moreover they serve as the nucleus in case KLA needs to re-establish itself.
The Kosovo Liberation Army was able to muster a considerable force in 1999 by alerting the whole of the male-Kosovo populous, aged from 18 to 50 years. The denial of service was often punished with summary executions, or house arsons and blackmails. It is interesting that KLA ordered all males to join its forces and that include those leaving abroad –USA, Germany, Belgium-. As a result quite of few resettled in Kosovo and having dual citizenship they are able to greatly assist the local Albanian guerilla forces in issue regarding “International logistics support”.
KLA had also its Jihad twist by the voluntary assistance of war-hardened Mujahedin that formed the guerilla unit in Drenica. There are reports from the United Nations (5) that present a worrying situation regarding the international Jihad mercenaries and the assistance for the Albanian guerilla warfare. Furthermore a reputable source from Canada (6) further attests to the short-sighted Western policy and the interrelation between KLA and international terrorism. Actually there are thousands of Open Source Intelligence information from American, French, German and Russian sources that fully confirm the link and depict a dramatic situation; as well as a danger to the European security. A real threat that may prove this spring to be a “Hot” one is the culminations between KLA-UCK and the Albanians in FYR Macedonia. More specifically there are various sources that indicate unofficially of a split between moderates and hardliners in Tetovo. The latter are eager to take direct action like the one in 2001 by the UCPMB organization, in case Kosovo is not declared independent. It is fair to assume that the internal Albanian political quagmires will have their ramification on the wider regional stability.
http://www.serbianna.com/columns/michaletos/012.shtml