Criminals, not politicians have the final word in Kosovo

By Thomas Brey Aug 6, 2011, 2:06 GMT

Pristina/Belgrade - It is organized crime, not politics, that keeps the world wary of the former Serbian province of Kosovo, General Erhard Buehler says.

The German, who has commanded the NATO peacekeeping mission in Kosovo (KFOR) for almost a year, has repeated his view so many times that it has almost become his mantra.

Criminals control everything in northern Kosovo, and ignite ethnic tensions to create conflict whenever their interests are under threat, Buehler says.

Criminals belonging to the Serbian minority and the Albanian majority work seamlessly together, according to the general, who believes that 'the criminal structures have the final word.'

Organized crime uses violent extremist groups for its own purposes. It has mobilized 'soldiers' to erect roadblocks and even paid Serbs to 'defend' those barricades, Buehler says.

Organized crime was also behind the burning a week ago of the Jarinje border checkpoint, a point of dispute between Albanians and Serbs, KFOR says.

The mission says it has detected members of extremist Serbian organizations, such as the 'Serbian National Movement 1389' and the 'Movement for Serbian Fatherland Obraz' (Honour) as well as football hooligans, among demonstrators in northern Kosovo.

In addition to criminals and extremists, various Serbian security services are also believed to have played a role in the turmoil.

Albanians make up 90 per cent of Kosovo's 2 million inhabitants. But in the northernmost section, the 55,000 Serbs outnumber the Albanians six to one or more.

Encouraged by Belgrade, they resist, violently when necessary, any authority coming from the central government in Pristina and are equally hostile to the European Union law-enforcing mission, EULEX.

The area is economically moribund, and it is unclear how many residents are involved in activities linked to the extensive criminal networks.

An estimated 2,000 criminals run the networks which keep much of the world - the EU, NATO and the United Nations, all the way to the Security Council - on its toes.

Where does all the money come from? Because there is almost no economy in northern Kosovo, it depends on the roughly 200 million euros (285 million dollars) that Serbia pumps out to Serbians in the region.

The population may depend on handouts from the 'Fatherland', but the money flows through murky, opaque channels from which an unknown amount spills into private pockets.

In the almost lawless zone, the smuggling of just about anything, ranging from AK47 rifles to drugs, migrants and women, brings huge profits to those managing the business.

Smugglers also target fuel, which is significantly cheaper in northern Kosovo, because Serbia exports it there tax-free.

Criminals export the same fuel back to Serbia or sell it to buyers elsewhere in Kosovo. Similar illicit dealings go on in the construction material and medicine sectors.

With only a handful of EULEX judges to enforce laws, Kosovo - with its porous borders not just toward Serbia, but also Albania and Macedonia - has become an important hub in the trafficking of people, drugs and stolen cars.

Cars without registration plates, non-existent administration and unpaid utility bills reveal a legal vacuum, where the power rests with the so-called parallel authorities.

But even if they were created by Belgrade, the parallel structures are now far from being fully under Serbian control. The latest spate of violence erupted at the worst possible moment for Belgrade, as it hopes to be recognized as an EU membership candidate and to start accession talks.

Only about 20 per cent of the goods that Serbia sends to Kosovo at favourable prices - meaning that it loses money on them - reach the Kosovo Serbs. The rest is passed on for sale in the rest of Kosovo.

No wonder northern Kosovo is colloquially known as Europe's 'largest duty-free shop.'

The criminal swamp of northern Kosovo should have been drained a long time ago, Buehler frequently complains.

That was the task of the highly-trained and equipped EULEX, which has operated task forces of police, customs officials, prosecutors and judges since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

But, the 100-million-euros-a-year mission has since hardly made a dent in the criminal machine in northern Kosovo.

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