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04 12 2008 This week’s Life in Kosovo show debated the dismembering of Kosovo’s
Protection troops and the formation of Kosovo’s new Security Forces.
With the entrance into force of the new constitution on June 15, Kosovo
is urged to establish its own security force. But many members of
Kosovo’s existing protection force, the TMK, are to remain outside the
new structure.
Is a mere “thank you” enough to show our
gratitude to these former KLA soldiers, or is there a need for a more
dignified, official and institutional thanks? How is the process of the
new Security Force inception going? When will a commander be appointed?
To debate these issues, led by Muhamet Hajrullahu were:
Agim Ceku, former Commander of TMK and leader of the Social Democratic Party in Kosovo;
Rrustem Mustafa, head of the commission for internal affairs and security in parliament;
Rexhep Selimi, a former general of the KLA;
General Major Rrahman Rama, vice-commander of the TMK;
Rexhep
Selimi said there is no way to guarantee TMK members a future, and
finding jobs for them will be difficult. Selimi said the fact that the
KSF head was still not appointed revealed the lack of organisation and
of seriousness on the part of the government.
“Kosovo’s
government didn’t even dare do something for this organisation, which
was very important for the country. There is no need for charity for
these people; they need legal, moral and financial support,” Selimi
said.
“There is a need to tell these people their future position in a new society”, he added.
Rama
also turned to the unexplained delays concerning the appointment of a
head of the KSF.According to him, this was discouraging for many TMK
members.
According to Ceku, the government has contributed aid
to the families of KLA soldiers and injured KLA members, which was a
sign that the government was taking care of these people.
“We
are being asked to create facilities for TMK members in terms of
health, business facilities, and the like. Kosovo’s government should
view TMK as an asset, not as a burden,” said Ceku.
“The delays around the creation of the KSF are not reasonable. The KSF is a part of our national identity,” he added.
Mustafa said the delays in appointing the new head of the KSF matched the delays in creating Kosovo as a state.
For
Selimi, the delay in appointing a commander-in-chief of the KSF
coincides with a time of heightened political pressure on Kosovo’s
status and Serbia’s claims to abrogate the Kumanovo Agreement.
“The
commander in chief of the KSF has already been appointed by Prime
Minister Hashim Thaci but the name is still not told in public”, said
Mustafa.
Ceku said the delay in proceeding with KSF
development sent a bad signal to the NATO officials who had sent their
experts in Kosovo to train the new members of the KSF.
“Military officials abide by deadlines and we risk giving a negative message to NATO, which is here to help us”, said Ceku.
Asked
what sort of Security Force Kosovo was creating, Ceku argued that this
is a creature of the principles set out in the Ahtisaari plan and the
other agreements signed with the internationals after the 1999
conflict.
“Kosovo aims to integrate its security forces into
international military mechanisms, which would bring respect and
prestige for Kosovo as a new country”, Ceku said.
For Mustafa,
Kosovo’s vision concerning its security forces is to provide security
with a limited number of staff, contrary to other countries in the
region, which spend huge sums of money on their military systems.
Right after the segment “Kosovo’s Son-in-Law”,
BIRN broadcast the municipality debate “Life in Suharekë”
Life
in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the
Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday,
starting at 20:20.
At the beginning of 2010 BIRN network published Digging Deeper - A Guide for Investigative Journalists in the Balkans, written in cooperation with Sheila Coronel, Director of the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism and professor of professional practice at Columbia University, New York.
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