What people are wearing in Mitrovica

Photo Credit - Reuters/Yahoo

We are still being advised not to travel in north Mitrovica, so I can't get close enough to take photos myself.
But apparently what people are wearing are Serbian military hats - at least when attending a rally to protest that is.

The rallies in north Mitrovica have been relatively peaceful and calm, a few thousand people utilising their right to demonstrate.
Every day for six days so far.

Will they have enough outfits to keep it up much longer?

Unrest

The atmosphere in Mitrovica is now tense to say the least:

Reuters reports that NATO steps in as Serbs torch Kosovo border post

"NATO peacekeepers in newly independent Kosovo intervened on Tuesday as Serb mobs opposed to its secession attacked border posts and police fled."

This was apparantly a reaction to a plan to erect Kosovo flags at the border points today.

BBC reported about the protests and small explosions

"As they marched they took up the children's chant: "Kosovo is the heart of Serbia"

B92 reports more about Explosions in northern Kosovo

"A Kosovo police spokesman confirmed that the blasts took place, one at the OSCE mission offices in Kosovska Mitrovica, that caused minor damage to the building and vehicles parked outside.

The second explosion took place in another Serb town in the northern part of the province, Zvečan, when unknown perpetrators set two UN vehicles on fire.

The third incident took place in northern Kosovska Mitrovica in the neighborhood of Bošnjačka Mahala, when a device exploded in a yard, causing damage to a house, a garage and a private car. "

Pavarësia - Independence

Even Australia's Prime Minister Rudd is backing the declaration of independence by Kosovo.

The ABC news site goes so far as to claim that

"The Federal Government has formally recognised the independence of Kosovo..."

Protests are occurring today in Serbian enclaves in Kosovo, including north Mitrovica, and Belgrade has seen violence directed at embassies and consulates of countries supporting the declaration.

The South East European Times writes that Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica

called on Serbian citizens "to come together and show the whole world that we do not acknowledge the creation of a false state on our territory"

Last night saw explosions in north Mitrovica at property associated with the UN and the incoming EU mission.

But the south part of the city is quiet, and celebrations last night were quite subdued in comparison with the capital, Pristina. Posters urged "Celebrate with dignity for a good beginning"

An historic day

Its a bitterly cold, snowy but sunny day in Mitrovica. Car horns, fireworks and folk music fill the air and traffic jams abound in the south. The north, however, is very quiet.

See these stories:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/europe/the-symbol-of-kosovo-an-eagle-with-two-faces-ndash-each-looking-a-different-way-783396.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/02/17/2164930.htm
http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200802/r224737_889420.asx

An eery unease

It may be just me, but I feel an eery unease here at the moment.

Kosovo is likely on the verge of declaring independence from Serbia this weekend. In south Mitrovica (as through much of the province) there is already preparations for celebrations, two days ahead of the expected announcement. Flags of Albania, USA, EU and France fly in the streets and giant cakes are being baked.

The north is relatively quiet this afternoon, though it is also a kind of holiday for Serbia today which could explain it.

Many internationals here are a bit unsure what to think or believe, rumours are rife and concrete information is scarce.

I am feeling quite nervous with both excitement and fear, a very weird feeling indeed. Alert, not alarmed perhaps...

After so many years of uncertainty, to be on the verge of a defined 'status' must be overwhelmingly emotional for the majority Albanian Kosovars, I wonder if knowing one way or the other and getting some certainty will be any kind of relief for the minority Serbian Kosovars?

Sorry

Another surge of that fluttery heart feeling of a kind of pride today as the new Australian parliament said sorry to the stolen generations of aboriginal children and wishes for reconciliation.

It was a long time coming and says so much about the change we have seen with the new government in power.


But can someone smack Nick Bryant? The BBC World Correspondent gets my goat every time, that snarly face and his attempt at 'balanced reporting' missing the point by a mile. His story just now found some crotchety old farmers saying 'they' should be saying thank you to 'us' for educating them so they don't have to spend their days digging witchety grubs... classy mate.

Status?

"Status" has been imminent ever since I arrived, almost a year and a half ago.
Every few months a new date was rumoured to be the day the UN Security Council would make a decision. But it never happened.
"Status"(that is, the decision on the official status of Kosovo as an entity within or independant of Serbia) has recently fired up again as a topic, and is being talked about in a different way - as a Unilateral Declaration of Independance by the Kosovar Albanian majority Parliament.

February 08 is widely tipped to be the month this will happen... but then again so was December 07.
The latest published information is outlined below:

Pristina media quote unnamed senior Kosovo officials laying out the most likely scenario for the timing of an upcoming independence declaration. They expect the following series of actions to be based on what they say are clear signals allegedly already received from Washington and Brussels:
a declaration on 17 February; an immediate first wave of recognitions led by Slovenia to be followed over time by at least two subsequent waves; an EU Foreign Ministers (GAERC) meeting on Monday 18 February to approve sending the ESDP mission.

Media also cite a Reuter’s article suggesting that the dates may be accelerated in case of
victory by Serbian Radical Party candidate Nikolic in the second round of Serbian
presidential elections on 3 February. “If (Tomislav) Nikolic wins, it's the 9th
or 10th [February],” a senior political source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
Austrian diplomat Albert Rohan told Koha Ditore that “Proclamation of
independence will take place in mid-February and Kosovo is ready for it regardless
of problems that may come up”.

According to Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, Kosovo will declare independence within days of this weekend's Serbian presidential elections, he said on Wednesday. “The developments in Serbia
do not have any influence on Kosovo. Kosovo has its own path,” Thaçi told journalists after meeting with senior police officials.
- UNMIK Division of Public Information