Headmen north “ins of zeros”

According to them, the challenges to exercise functions, confronting infrastructure problems and others will begin after these solemnities.

The Kosovo government has announced Wednesday that, for security reasons, the new mayors will swear in public buildings in these municipalities, not in municipal municipalities.

Constituent sessions for Zvecan and Leposaviqi municipal assemblies will also be held in public buildings.

The new leaders all Albanians have emerged from April's extraordinary elections, which have been boycotted by the Serb community, following his main party's request, the Serbian List.

The new chairman of northern Mitrovica, Erden Attic, was sworn in before the municipal assembly on May 19th.

The North Mitrovica municipality has its object, while in the other three municipalities, so far, municipal facilities have operated both municipal institutions according to the Kosovo system, as well as so-called temporary organs under Serbia's system.

The recognition of political developments in Kosovo, Nenad Radosavljevic, estimates that the new mayors have the right to work in major municipal facilities.

Arton Demhay, from the nongovernmental organisation Getre, says the new mayors of municipalities in the north, but even municipal assemblies will have a lot of difficulty exercising mandates and functions.

Zubin Potok's new chairman, Izmir Zeqiri, is expected to take the solemn oath in the village of Caber of this municipality, at the site of the municipal office for communities.

He tells Radio Free Europe that the offices for civil registration are at this facility, for issuing passports, social affairs directorate and others.

This office complex, according to him, is sufficient as a starting point for the work and exercise of municipal functions. But, he adds, in the event there is no handover of office by the former mayor and the acceptance of office by him -- the assets that the municipality has -- cannot be exploited.

There is also a large part of the cars of various directors, which are municipal property. Then there's the seal, protocol. These are the first challenges, but we'll work. We, at first, should warn [former municipal leaders] to surrender these things or make admission-over. If not, then there are also” other forms, Zeqiri says, but unequivocally what other forms he is referring to.

Zvecan Mayor Ilir Peci will take the solemn oath in the village of Boletin, at primary school “respectively. Isa Bolatini”, where the Assembly of this municipality will be held. He says the municipality's work will begin at community offices in the village of Lipa.

We're going to start by tomorrow. But for the warden and all, it's a little bit... there's not enough space. We start everything from zero. We don't have the principal, who was earlier, or the secretary of the municipality, or at all. From the beginning we have to prepare everything slowly. It's going to be a little complicated, but I hope we're going to be able to make it”, says Peci for Radio Free Europe.

In the Leposaviqi municipality, the elected chairman, Lulzim Hetemi, will take the oath in the village of Bistrica, at the object of primary school “Kadri Bistrica”. But, he says the function is expected by the mayor's office in the main object of the municipality.

You can't work for Leposaviqi citizens from Bistrica. We intend to go, sit at the mayor's seat where we have won, in the city facility where it is today. I don't believe... I'm convinced there will be no problems”, Hetem says about Radio Free Europe.

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Speaking at a media conference Wednesday, Local Power Management Minister Elbert Krasniqi did not directly answer the journalists' question of where to exercise their positions in mayors in northern Kosovo.

He said the “chairmen will exercise their constitutional and legal mandate in the municipality where” are selected.

The mayor is mayor everywhere. But, of course, the mayor will also be chairman in the office and will continue to work and run the municipality, to fulfil his constitutional and legal duties from where he has participated in the” election race, Krasniqi said.

Radosavlevq: The mayors are not allowed physical access to objects
Political developments in Kosovo, Nenad Radosavlevlik, currently Radio-Television Director Mir (Peace) in Leposaviq, estimates Leposaviqi's elected chairman, Lulzim Hetemi, but the heads of two other municipalities -- Zvecan and Zubin Potok -- have legitimate and legal rights of access to the sites in the respective municipalities.

He says that people belonging to Serbia's provisional organs, who mostly come from the Serbian List, work at the Communist Assembly facility in Leposaviqi. Some of them, he adds, continue to work even according to the Kosovo system. He does not believe they can prevent newly selected municipal structures from working on this facility.

Are they willing to do something? I don't think so, because in any case, whatever it takes, there would be legal applications. This, then, could be criminal responsibility, maybe not at that moment. But any ban on access to the facility, I think it can't happen. They can't do that. Those people live here. Police are here and the law exists”, Radosavlevic says.

He adds that the structures that are in the facility of the Leposaviqi municipality can protest, but do not believe that one can take the courage to prevent physical access to the municipal object.

Demhaya: No action uncoordinated with US
Arton Demhayan, from the nongovernmental organisation Geta, says that the very oath of the new mayors of three municipalities in the country, as well as the constitutionalisation of two municipal assemblies will be made in public objects and not in municipal objects, is signal how difficult the exercise of positions by young mayors will be.

Demhasa suggests that the mayors, after taking the oath, be co-ordinated with Kosovo's international partners to overcome possible challenges.

I think even the elected mayors in the north, but also the assavists who have received the mandate there should be careful about any action they take. They should always do this in close cooperation, especially with the United States, with its embassy here, so that it doesn't happen that the actions and decisions they make will lead the north back to a deadlock. The consequences will follow. So we have to be careful”, Demhasa says.

US Ambassador to Kosovo Jeffrey Havenier has said 18 May that no force should be used to gain access to municipal buildings in northern Kosovo.

Elections for mayors of four municipalities in the north have been held on April 23rd, after the Serbian List has left Kosovo institutions, in recognition of a Kosovo Government decision to reregister vehicles with Serbian illegal license plates.

The issue of license plates has caused successive tensions in the north last year, which have culminated in road barricades.