Florian Cehaja, Pristina analyst, about the recent arrests in Kosovo
Pristina, Belgrade – EULEX invest more efforts to cope with the number of cases to ensure that the most sensitive ones are to be found before the international prosecution and judges before the reconfiguration of the EU mission in June of 2014.
The idea is that most of these cases then take local prosecutors and judges, unless EULEX explicitly requires dealing with some of them, said in an interview with Danas Florian Cehaja, executive director of the Kosovo Centre for Security Studies in Pristina, commenting on the recent arrests in Kosovo.
Cehaja highlights that the potential backlog of cases is a burden for EULEX and the Kosovo society. He explains that this situation is a result of UNMIK’s inability to solve many cases. “UNMIK has intentionally shifted the responsibility to the other instances to preserve political stability, which was exaggerated. Therefore, the recent arrests I interpret as a sign that the coming months there will be new arrests, whether on charges of war crimes or corruption,” said Cehaja to Danas.
Representative of the KCSS specifies that it is not expected that EULEX completes its mission this year, but that probably will not remain in Kosovo after the 2016th.
– Mission of EULEX will undoubtedly be reduced, will act under a different name and with a somewhat altered focus. This change of focus is in line with the new situation on the ground, which means that the mission will continue to play a role in the justice system, but it is expected to play a very limited role in policing matters, with the exception of northern Kosovo, where its presence is necessary during integrations of MUP members into KPS – says Florian Cehaja.
Security risks and threats
Speaking about the security situation in Kosovo, Pristina analyst says it is “on a high level,” but there are certain elements that can lead to deterioration of conditions, especially in the northern part. “In addition to the problems in the north, I predict two more security challenges and risks in other areas, or the increased number of Wahhabis, including returnees from the war in Syria, and social unrest before the general elections,” Cehaja said.
