-
By:
Profit Gas
- August 9, 2024 21:00
- Share to:
In addition to the lack of agreement on the opening of the bridge between the Government of Kosovo and the European Union, the determination of municipal boundaries between South and North Mitrovica remains an unresolved issue. Determining the municipal boundaries was part of the agreements that dealt with the opening of the Bridge over the Iber, which the current government recently put back on the agenda despite international opposition.
In two of the three Brussels documents dealing with the issue of the Bridge over the Iber River, part of the arrangements was also the determination of the cadastral boundaries between the Municipality of North and South Mitrovica. Just like the Bridge which the Government updated recently with the warning that it will open it for the traffic of cars, the determination of municipal boundaries has remained hostage to the lack of agreement between the parties.
The first agreement refers to the conclusions on the removal of the barricades and the revitalization of the bridge in Mitrovica, reached on July 22, 2014 in Brussels. There it was determined that the parties refrain from setting up obstacles and that the EU will start the commitments for the revitalization of the bridge.
On August 25, 2015, the parties also agreed on the other document that contained five points. While the first four talk about the restoration of the bridge and the surrounding space, the fifth point talks about the cadastral boundaries that must be established between the two municipalities.
"Until October 10, 2015, the maps of the administrative boundaries of the cadastral areas in the area of Suhadolli and Kroi i Vitaku will be decided through the Memorandum of Understanding for Municipal Development Plans, the Municipal Zonal Map and the Detailed Regulatory Plan between the relevant ministries and the two municipalities". writes in the 2015 Agreement.
On August 5, 2016, the EU Plan for the implementation of the Mitrovica Bridge Agreement was also approved.
also
The Government's plan to open the bridge in Mitrovica does not repel the internationals
As for the cadastral borders, another deadline was set for resolving the dispute, October 2016.
"On the issue of the implementation of Article 5 of the agreement on the Mitrovica Bridge, the relevant ministries and the two municipalities will find a solution by October 14, 2016," it says.
And, officials of the Government of Serbia insisted at that time that the arrival of the agreement on the administrative borders between the municipalities is a condition for the start of the works and the opening of the Ibri Bridge. The official Belgrade intends that, in addition to Suhodol, Kroi i Vitaku will be transferred to the Northern Municipality.
Representatives of the two municipalities that are now led by Albanians have not answered TIME's questions about this issue. They did not even show if they had coordination as the government took steps to open the bridge, testing its durability. Neither the Government of Kosovo nor the European Union provided explanations for the non-implementation of this point on Friday.
The tests that must be done on the bridge were also part of the EU plan for its revitalization.
"Mitrovica Bridge will be opened for pedestrians and vehicles in both directions in accordance with the recommendations of the technical evaluation and architectural design agreed by both parties in June 2015", writes in the Implementation Plan.
Even Albanian politicians from the north say that the signing of the memorandum defining the border between North Mitrovica and South Mitrovica has remained hostage to disputes about the administrative line. The village of Suhodoll, located on the northern side of the Ibër river, became the cause.
"I have the idea that both the Northern Municipality and the population should have as much territory as possible, so that there would be some balance. But no, there is still no exact line as to how it should be divided, but it was part of two municipalities", said Skender Sadiku, deputy chairman of the North Mitrovica Municipality. According to him, this issue remained unresolved mostly due to the fault of the locals.
also
The EU says that the bridge has been ready since 2019, it does not consider the Government's retests contrary to the agreements
"This does not depend on the foreigners as the two municipalities had to make the territorial division as this helped the population census, because you have on both sides who can disrupt the balance of voters and the number of inhabitants. In this matter, the Ministry of Local Government Administration should also offer its help", said Sadiku.
Although the Law on Administrative Boundaries states that "the border between North Mitrovica and South Mitrovica will be the defined line that will pass through the cadastral area of Suhodol", this was opposed by the former mayor of North Mitrovica, Goran Brandy.
In the discussions that took place in November 2016, the northerners claimed that Suhodolli belongs to North Mitrovica and that it cannot be a dividing line, they asked to return the case to Brussels.
Based on the comprehensive proposal for the solution of the status of Kosovo, known as the package of the president Martti Ahtisaari, the city of Mitrovica has been divided into two municipalities. The plan on the basis of which Kosovo declared its independence specified that two new municipalities had to be established, with municipal boundaries defined in an appendix to this document. The appendix indicated that the North Municipality consisted of three cadastral areas: North Mitrovica, Upper Suhodoll and Lower Suhodoll. He did not include Suhodol in it. The law on the administrative boundaries of municipalities was drafted based on the provisions of the Ahtisaari Package. Even there, the same cadastral areas are described to Northern Mitrovica, while Suhodolli is described to the Southern Municipality.
The European Union and the United States have expressed concern about the possibility of the return of tensions on the Ibri Bridge, after the Government's warning that it will be opened for vehicle traffic after stability tests are carried out. The European Union will also consider increasing sanctions against Kosovo, "if the Government of Kosovo continues with unilateral and uncoordinated actions".
The bridge over the river Ibër, or as the French KFOR soldiers had baptized it, "Austerlitz", as a synonym of the bloody battle of 219 years ago against the Austro-Hungarians, continues to be a symbol of the ethnic division between Albanians and Serbs.
Historically, the bridge has been a source of tensions and conflicts. In September 2009, it was partially reopened to traffic, but reinforced with local and international police forces. But the bridge was concreted with sand and stones by local Serbian residents in July 2011, in opposition to official Pristina's efforts to establish authority in the north of the country and take control of the border points in Jarinje and Bërnjak. A policeman of the Kosovo Special Unit was killed in this action.
After removing the sand stones, the northerners built a so-called "Peace Park". This park, which replaced the barricade, only left the bridge free for a few hours. But with another agreement, the parties agreed that the park barricade will be removed and the revitalization of the bridge will be done by the European Union.
also
The people of Mitrovica accuse the West of not respecting their will for the opening of the bridge
The construction of a two-and-a-half meter high wall within a week had brought back tensions all around. The barrier was placed in the middle of the road by the North Municipality. To avoid the use of force by Prishtina, the northerners demolished it. This happened in February 2016 after the multilateral agreement between the Government of Kosovo, the Municipality of North Mitrovica, the European Union and the United States of America. At the same time, the EU restarted the works for the revitalization of the bridge and the local government of the north resumed the works for the return to the promenade of "King Pjetër" street.
Although the works have been carried out for years on both sides, the European Union has repeated several times that the decision to open the bridge must be taken within the Brussels dialogue.
