Now that the long awaited talks on the final status of Kosovo have begun supposedly on a positive note , it seems that Kosovo?s internal politics may make that process more difficult. For years, the Albanian majority has pushed for talks by claiming that since 1999 when Kosovo, technically still part of Serbia and Montenegro , became a UN protectorate, they have made enormous strides in self-government and state building and that making Kosovo an independent state was the only way for it to move forward. While grateful that the international community saved them from the clutches of Serb forces, Kosovars believe that it is time to remove the bonds of protective custody and stand on their own. The government of Serbia and Montenegro strongly feels that Kosovo should remain part of their country and that an independent Kosovo or a de facto Albanian majority rule would stamp out the rights of the remaining Serb minority.
Yet, Kosovo?s government is problematic. If there are such issues right now, it belies the claim by the Kosovar Albanians that they are ready to rule themselves. At issue is a proposal for Agim Ceku (see photo above) to take up the post of prime minister and to form a new government. Kosovo cannot seem to keep a prime minister in office. Former Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi has stepped down after less than a year in office in order to preserve the government?s coalition. His party, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, had criticized him, and there was a good deal of infighting with the main government party, the Democratic League of Kosovo. He was also widely viewed as not living up to the expectations of previous Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj , who, in turn, stepped down from office after being indicted for crimes by the ICTY. None of these moves inspires confidence in the government. Kosumi was a key member of the Kosovo future talks, and it is unknown how his ouster will affect those negotiations.
However, Ceku becoming prime minister would surely polarize the status talks. To the Albanians, Ceku is a dynamic and charismatic leader, someone they feel they need. He is the head of the Kosovo Protection Corps, considered a civil defense organization, and the precursor organization to an army for Kosovo. He also commanded the now disbanded Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) . During hostilities, Albanians saw this organization as their protection against Serb forces; the Serbs and others viewed the organization as a terrorist organization. The Serbs also claim that Ceku is guilty of war crimes against Serbs in Croatia and Kosovo and that he should be on trial for his actions and not awarded a political office. Ceku denies any wrong-doing, and he has not been indicted by the ICTY. The Serb view the Ceku proposal for prime minister as a slap in the face to the negotiations and believe it illustrates that the Albanians deliberately are being provocative: not a positive sign for good faith negotiations.
Whether the Serbs are justified in their label of Ceku as a war criminal it does not help the negotiations by appointing such a controversial figure to be prime minister. To build a future Kosovo, it may be in the best interest of both Albanians and Serbs to find a new, less controversial candidate to run Kosovo and not focus on old heroes or villains.