Trading with the enemy in Mitrovica, Kosovo. - RUhosting

In Pristina this new Albanian approach seems to be working well for inter-ethnic relations: It is no problem
for Serbs to live there, and Serbs can freely walk the streets and talk Serbian without being bothered (field
notes). Many Serbs who went to Pristina or even lived in there after the war were positively surprised or
even really liked it (field notes, respondent #2, #4 & #10). Most Serbs do not know this, and believe going to
Pristina as a Serb is still highly dangerous, according to respondent #10, a Serb from Belgrade. He blames
this wrong perception on the Serbian media and politicians who still promote the image of Albanians as
violent and enemies. It must be added that large cities, and capitals in particular are known in general for
their more cosmopolitan attitudes. It is to be expected that other Albanian majority areas in Kosovo are less
“Serb-friendly”. Serbian respondent #2 gladly goes to Pristina, but is afraid to go to Mitrovica south. He is
not alone in this (field notes, respondent #4), although it is unclear how dangerous it really is to go to these
areas.
That Pristina might be a positive exception becomes clear when one looks at Prizren, a city in the south of
Kosovo. Albanians are actively removing any traces of Serbian history in that area. Respondent #13, an
international located in Prizren working for the ICO is worried that without the presence of the international
community Albanians would erase all (Serbian) Orthodox buildings in the Prizren area. According to him
politicians find themselves in a tense position between the obligation to implement the Ahtisaari plan on one
hand and on the other hand their local power base. There is no real commitment to the Ahtisaari plan: “they
just try to write nice reports”. 'This is the cost of independence' is a big consensus among politicians. The
politicians just want to get it over with but the plan is not well imprinted on their minds so not much
happens. An example is the new Logo of Prizren which only represents the Albanian majority but not any of
the other ethnic groups. “They do not seem to understand”.(respondent #13)
Another issue are the minority laws. “The Minority laws are also made to entice Serbs to come back but the
perception is that minority rights come at the cost of Albanians. Everywhere in Kosovo people are fighting
for their own rights. There is no sympathy for others” (respondent #13). This view that Serbs are getting too
much aid and rights at the cost of Albanians is something I heard quite often from Albanians themselves
(field notes & respondent #3). Respondent #3 tells how Serbs are being helped first with return to their
homes and how this frustrates Albanians. Another Albanian frustration is “We pay everything, Serbs pay
nothing.” according to her. Respondent #14, an international program director for an NGO in Mitrovica
understands the Albanian concerns: “It's the best (minority rights) pack in the world. If Serbs want to play
ball they can have a lot of power. There are already huge losses in the Ahtisaari plan for Albanians.” Serbs
on the other hand believe Albanians are getting much more support from the international community and
especially from the United States and European Union (field notes). Both groups are probably right to some
extent, but they are focussed only on their own group.
Since the independence Albanian resistance to foreign influence has been growing, which hit a recent low in
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