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The embassies of the United States, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom together with the Office of the European Union in Kosovo and the Mission in Kosovo of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe expressed their regret on Thursday for the decision of the government of Kosovo to expropriate over 100 plots of land in municipalities with a Serbian majority in the north.
On May 31, the government of Kosovo approved the final decision for the expropriation of some properties in the municipalities of Leposavič and Zubin Potok, inhabited by a majority of Serbs. According to the government, the decision is in accordance with the all-powerful judgments of the courts of Kosovo and that the expropriation was done in order to implement "Infrastructural Projects of Public Interest" in these municipalities.
The expropriations of properties in the north also provoked reactions from Serbian citizens who said that the authorities in Pristina are intending to build police bases on the expropriated lands. Some of the owners went to court and at least 8 hectares of land were exempted from expropriation.
In a joint communiqué, the diplomats said that "the government has violated its own laws and regulations due to procedural and technical deficiencies during the expropriation process. We note that the judicial system of Kosovo has identified similar legal concerns with the previous expropriation decision, which the government has not yet addressed".
Diplomats said that while some of the properties of the owners who appealed to the court were excluded from the final expropriation decision, the Kosovo government did not wait for all open court proceedings to be completed before making this decision.
"It is essential that the government make efforts to ensure that expropriation activities are in accordance with the law, that the proper process is followed and that the property rights of the owners are fully respected," states the reaction of the diplomats, in which it is emphasized that the expropriation bill is not in accordance with Kosovo's commitments arising from Martti Ahtisaari's plan, on the basis of which Kosovo declared its independence.
"We encourage the government of Kosovo to adhere to the rule of law and good governance, which are the foundations of democratic societies. Furthermore, we call on the government to reaffirm its commitment to the principles of Ahtisaari, including the protection and promotion of the rights of non-majority communities," the Quint countries' response reads.
Even the Committee for Politics and Democracy of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, after the approval of the report on Kosovo in March, which paved the way for the next steps towards membership in this Council, demanded that the land expropriations in the north of Kosovo be carried out "with respect the strictest of the law" and in full accordance with Mr. Ahtisaari's plan. / VOA
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