On November 19, between 30,000 and 50,000 demonstrators took to the streets of the capital of Kosovo, Pristina, to protest against the planned deployment of a new European Union law and order mission, EULEX. The proposals, which were drawn up by the United Nations with the support of the European Union and the Serbian Government, cover six different areas: policing, justice, border controls, customs, transport, and cultural and religious heritage.

The protest was called by more than thirty organizations, from the independence movement Vetëvendosje! to the anti-corruption watchdog Çohu, from the Kosovo Women's Network to the Kosovo Liberation Army Veterans' Organization. Under the slogan "Protect sovereignty", protestors claimed the six-point plan would lead to a third of Kosovo being surrendered to parallel institutions set up by Serbia when Kosovo declared independence in February. These parallel institutions are not recognized by the Kosovar Parliament.

The organizers of the protest say the plan would let Serbia meddle with Kosovo's internal affairs. Leader of the Vetëvendosje! movement, Albin Kurti, said that "Kosovo did not need the EU mission, rather the government should have jurisdiction" over the entire territory. Kurti went on to criticize the Kosovar executive, which has proposed an alternative to the United Nations six-point plan but supports the deployment of the EULEX mission "as soon as possible."

On November 18, Prime Minister Hashim Thaci said that Pristina would co-operate with the European Union "soon", but that the Kosovar people and their institutions "cannot accept" the six-point plan. If the EULEX mission as it is stands were put in place, the country would effectively be divided into two separate entities, since - at the request of Belgrade - the European Union police and judiciary would have no authority in majority Serb areas. Thaci has therefore called on the EU mission to be deployed throughout Kosovar territory.

Imatge: Demonstration in Pristine (www.newkosovareport.com)

Further information:

• New Kosova Report: Tens of thousands march in Kosovo against six-point plan
• B92: Protest in Priština against UN plan
• BalkanInsight.com: Protest Against UN Kosovo Plan in Pristina
• emportal (Beta news agency): Pristina prepared for EULEX, rejects U.N. Plan
• MónDivers: Manifestació a Kosovo per reclamar la sobirania efectiva del país
• See the demonstration manifesto at New Kosova Report.