Vikend, Belgrade, Yugoslavia
September 9-10, 2000

Does Kouchner support the Socialist Party of Serbia?

Bernard Kouchner, the chief of the UN civil mission in Kosovo, has finally
managed to satisfy all Serbs. His decision to allow the holding of federal
elections in Kosovo and Metohija, despite his refusal to organize them, was
unanimously greeted among the Serbian political public as a long-awaited
recognition of the territorial integrity of FRY in the southern Serbian
province. However, despite their joy at the long-awaited actual implementation
of Security Council Resolution 1244, the opposition part of Serbia is of the
opinion that Kouchner's acquiescence to Yugoslav elections in Kosovo and
Metohija gives Slobodan Milosevic the opportunity for a repeat performance of
manipulation of Kosovo votes because two weeks before the elections, how
elections will be conducted in the Province still remains an unknown.

The episcope of Raska and Prizren, Artemije (Radosavljevic), the president of
the Serb National Council of Kosovo and Metohija, sees the "election" decision
of Bernard Kouchner as the only possible compromise solution between the
postulates of Resolution 1244 and the assignment of the UN mission in Kosovo.
"Even if UNMIK were to forbid federal elections, the authorities in Belgrade
would not have to recognize this. Belgrade began its pre-election campaign in
Kosovo without waiting for UNMIK's decision," says Bishop Artemije, assessing
that the upcoming Yugoslav elections in the southern Serbian province will be "a
terrible manipulation of the unfortunate people who remain here".

Vojislav Kostunica, the president of the Democratic Party of Serbia (DSS) and
the presidential candidate of the opposition, besides welcoming "the creation of
the possibility for Serbs in the north of Kosovo and in the enclaves to vote as
they like," also cited the negative sides of Kouchner's decision. "Voting will
obviously take place in private houses because UNMIK has already advised that it
will not allow the opening of polling booths in public buildings. Even worse is
the fact that voting will take place with ballots and other election materials
delivered by officials of Milosevic's regime. No one, practically, will be able
to check these and it will be difficult for anyone who does not belong to the
socialist government to control the election process," emphasizes Kostunica.

Andjelko Trpkovic, the chief of the election staff of the Serbian Renewal
Movement (SPO), believes that no attempt has been made to explain or clarify the
story of elections in Kosovo. “Kouchner’s declarative acquiescence doesn’t mean
that that elections will actually take place. We don’t know the number of
polling booths, what is going on with election ballots, the municipal
documentation has been relocated elsewhere. Under these circumstances,
Kouchner’s decision allows manipulation of the number of voters and can be
understood as support for the SPS,” explains Andjelkovic.

The same doubts are repeated by Slavisa Kostic, president of the regional SNC of
Central Kosovo and Momcilo Trajkovic, the leader of the Serbian Renewal Movement
and the DOS candidate for representative in the Chamber of Republics. Both point
out that UNMIK at the local level is cooperating with representatives of the SPS
and that the leaders of the ruling parties, unlike the rest of the Serb
population, regularly are provided with KFOR escorts. Despite doubts in the
intentions of the international mission in Kosovo, many, such as Momcilo
Trajkovic, nevertheless see the greatest problem in the domestic regime which is
utilizing the situation to its own political advantage.

Commenting on the claims of Gorica Gajevic, the SPS secretary general, that 500
to 600 polling booth will be open in Kosovo and Metohija, Momcilo Trajkovic says
that voting will be possible only in approximately 100 locations primarily in
the northern and central part of the province while in other Serb enclaves,
especially in the Mt. Sar region, conditions for elections are practically
impossible.

Unlike the SPO and the Democratic Opposition of Serbia whose lists of candidates
for the federal parliament include representatives of the Kosovo Serbs as well,
primarily from the Serb National Council of Kosovska Mitrovica, the regional SNC
for Central Kosovo and the Serbian Renewal Movement, the SNC of Kosovo and
Metohija has taken the same position with respect to the federal elections as it
has toward local elections called by UNMIK for October.

“We cannot participate in these elections because we are denied basic human
rights: the right to life, freedom of movement, the right to the possibility of
a pre-election campaign. I don’t know how the leaders of the SPS are travelling
around Kosovo but I know that those of us who live in Kosovo do not have the
possibility of freedom of movement, therefore, the possibility of a pre-election
campaign, therefore, the possibility of participating in any kind of elections,”
explains Bishop Artemije. Representatives of the SNC of Kosovo and Metohija who
are also members of individual opposition parties, Rada Trajkovic (Democratic
Christian Party of Serbia) and Randjel Nojkic (Serbian Renewal Movement), say
that they rejected the offers of their respective parties to represent them on
the ballots out of principle, based on the position that the Serbs in Kosovo are
not safe.

In addition to inter-Serbian election dilemmas and accusations, another
unavoidable factor in the federal election calculations in the Province are the
Kosovo Albanians. The Pristina Albanian-language press, as well as Serb sources,
write that Kouchner’s decision and even more so Milosevic’s announced visit,
have caused great unrest among the Kosovo Albanians. Prognoses that the UNMIK
chief would draw the wrath of the Kosovo Albanians upon himself by his decision
to allow the elections were confirmed at the very next session of the Kosovo
Transitional Council. Kouchner, it’s true, did not make any great effort to
defend himself from Albanian attacks, citing the authority of his bosses, claim
the sources of “Danas”. The leaders of all major parties of the Kosovo Albanians
are in agreement that “they will not recognize any elections organized by the
Serbs”.

Even though SPS officials claim that all citizens will participate in Kosovo
elections, including the Albanians, and the state media have even printed the
news that election ballots have been printed in the Albanian language, Momcilo
Trajkovic claims that this all means nothing.

“The most important thing is that everyone who participates in the election
process does so in the best interests of the citizens and of democracy, if that
is possible, instead of talking about manipulation. The international community
only needs to provide security for the elections which will be organized for all
citizens of Kosovo. How this will actually be implemented in the field is
another matter. The SPS is helping everyone to participate in elections on an
equal basis,” stated Zoran Andjelkovic, the president of the Temporary Executive
Council of Kosovo, commenting on accusations against the SPS.

Jelena Tasic

Translated by S. Lazovic (September 19, 2000)


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