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Kosovo ( ; also , transliterated ) is a region in southern Serbia which has been under United Nations Administration since 1999 . While Serbia's Sovereignty is recognised by the international community, in practice Serbian governance in the province is virtually non-existent (see also Constitutional Status Of Kosovo ). The province is governed by the United Nations Mission In Kosovo (UNMIK) and the local Provisional Institutions Of Self-Government , with security provided by the NATO -led Kosovo Force (KFOR). The Province of Kosovo borders Montenegro , Albania , and the Republic Of Macedonia . It has a population of just over two million people, predominantly ethnic Albanians , with smaller populations of Serbs , Turks , Bosniaks , Romani People , and other ethnic groups. Priština is the capital and largest city. The province is the subject of a long-running political and territorial dispute between the Serbian (and previously, the Yugoslav ) government and Kosovo's largely ethnic-Albanian population. International negotiations began in 2006 to determine the final status of Kosovo (''See Kosovo Status Process ''). GEOGRAPHY See Also: Geography of Kosovo With an area of 10,887 ) and a population of over two million on the eve of the 1999 crisis, Kosovo borders Montenegro to the northwest, Serbia to the north and east, the Republic Of Macedonia to the south, and Albania to the south west. The province's present borders were established in 1945 . The Republic Of Serbia has one other autonomous province, Vojvodina , located in the north of the country. The largest cities are Priština (), the capital, with an estimated 600,000 inhabitants, Prizren () in the south west with a population of 165,000, Peć () in the west with 154,000, and Kosovska Mitrovica () in the north. Five other towns have populations in excess of 97,000. The climate in Kosovo is continental, with warm summers and cold and snowy winters. There are two main plains in Kosovo. The Metohija basin (known as ''Rrafshi i Dukagjinit'' to ethnic Albanians) is located in the western part of the province, and the Plain of Kosovo occupies the eastern part. Much of Kosovo's terrain is rugged. The Šar (or Sharr) Mountains are located in the south and south-east, bordering Macedonia . This is one of the region's most popular tourist and skiing resorts, with Brezovica and Prevalac as the main tourist centres. Kosovo's mountainous area, including the highest peak Ðeravica (), at 2656 m above sea level, is located in the south-west, bordering Albania and Montenegro. The mountain range dividing Kosovo from Albania is known in English as the "Cursed Mountains" or as the Dinaric Alps (). The Kopaonik mountain is located in the north, bordering Central Serbia . The central region of Drenica , Carralevë/Crnoljevo and the eastern part of Kosovo, known as Gollak , are mainly hilly areas. There are several notable rivers and lakes in Kosovo. The main rivers are the White Drin (), running towards the Adriatic Sea ), with the Erenik among its Tributaries ), the Sitnica , the South Morava in the Gollak area, and Ibar (or Ibri) in the north. The main lakes are Gazivoda (380 million m³) in the north-western part, Radoniqi (113 million m³) in the south-west part, Batllava (40 million m³) and Badovc (26 million m³) in the north-east part. HISTORY See Also: History of Kosovo The last disputed region of the now defunct communist Yugoslavia, the province of Kosovo has an extensive and rich history. Inhabited by several different groups, it was initially (circa 1300 B.C.E.) inhabited by Illyrians , which eventually became incorporated into the Roman empire and subsequently the Byzantine empire. From c. 6th century AD it was settled by Slavs ( Montenegrins and Serbians) migrating from the north. It was conquered by the Ottoman empire during their take-over of south-eastern Europe. However, it was re-occupied by the Serbs after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire in the 1912-13 Balkan Wars . Kosovo has since been a region or province of modern Yugoslavia and its successor state of Serbia. Kosovo in the Middle-Ages See Also: History of Medieval Kosovo The Kosovo region has been taken, retaken, and ruled by several empires. It lies both on the outer fringes of the Byzantine Empire and directly in the path of Slavic invasions in the 5th and 6th centuries, culminating with the arrival of White Serbs in the first half of the 7th who formed the realm of Rascia , the center of which was in northwest Kosovo. From 863 to 971 , most of the remainder of Kosovo was ruled by Bulgaria , cementing the ''slavic'' character of Kosovo. Various Slavic rebellions wanted to restore the Bulgarian Empire, like the one from Macedonia in 976 to 1014 or the one raised in the 1040s. The Serbs from Doclea also tried in 1070 to 1072 to restore the Bulgarian Empire, but they were defeated in the Battle of Sitnica. From the 1090s, most of Kosovo is incorporated into the Grand Principality of Rascia under the Vukanović family. Although it would not be until 1208 that Grand Prince Stefan Nemanjić would finally conquer Prizren that Kosovo got fully incorporated into Serbia. During the rule of the Nemanjić dynasty, many Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were built throughout Kosovo. Kosovo became the core of the Serbian realm in the second half of the 13th and in the 14th century; the Nemanjić rulers alternatively used both Prizren and Priština as their capitals. Large estates were given to the monasteries in Metohija (Western Kosovo) (which included parts of modern-day Albania and Montenegro). The most prominent churches in Kosovo - the Patriarchate at Pec , the church at Gračanica and the monastery at Visoki Dečani near Dečani - were all adopted during this period. At the end of the 13th century, Pec became the center of the Serbian Orthodox Church , which became a Patriarchate in 1346 . Kosovo was economically important, as the modern Kosovo capital Priština was a major trading centre on routes leading to ports on the Adriatic Sea . As well, mining was an important industry in Novo Brdo and Janjevo which had its communities of émigré Saxon miners and Ragusan merchants. Ethnic identity from the Middle Ages was somewhat fluid throughout Europe, and people at that time do not appear to have defined themselves rigidly by a single ethnic identity. Those of Slavic origin, particularly of the Serbian background, appear to have been the dominant population culturally and were probably a demographic majority as well. In the second half of the 14th century the Serbian Empire fell into feudal anarchy on the death of Tsar Stefan Dušan and local fiefdoms rose to power and prominence in their respective lands, with Kosovo becoming a Lordship under the Branković dynasty. The Ottoman Emirate took the opportunity to exploit Serbian weakness and invaded, with the epic Battle Of Kossovo occurring in 1389 . In 1455 , the Ottoman Empire conquered Kosovo from Serbia. Ottoman Empire See Also: Vilayet of Kosovo See Also: History of Ottoman Serbia The Ottomans brought Islamisation with them, particularly in towns, and later also created the Vilayet Of Kosovo as one of the Ottoman territorial entities. Ottoman rule lasted for about 500 years, in which time the Ottomans were the absolute paramount power in the region. Many Christians adopted Islam, particularly many Bosnians and Albanians, whose populations became predominantly Islamic. The Ottomans administered through a ''millet'' system- based on religion- whereby Muslim subjects received more tax concessions and personal liberties compared to Christians and Jews The Balkans: from Constantinople to Communsim. Dennis P Hupchick . Kosovo was taken temporarily by the Austrian forces during the War of 1683 – 1699 with help of Serbs. After the Austrians retreated, many Serbs had to flee from Kosovo to evade Ottoman reprisals. In 1690 , the Serbian Patriarch Of Peć Arsenije III , who previously escaped a certain death, led 37,000 families from Kosovo, to evade Ottoman wrath. The people that followed him were mostly Serbs —but they were likely followed by Christians of other ethnic backgrounds. The Albanian people of the area also continued to intermittently struggle against occupation, yet suffered less reprisals at the hands of the Ottomans. Quite a few rose to prominence in the Turkish system, as administrators and as soldiers. During this time, many Albanians moved into Kosovo, filling in lands and houses vacated by fleeing Christians the Balkans: from Constantinople to Communism . Whilst relations between Serbs and Albanians were peaceful initially, this eventually deteriorated. At the outset, Christians and Muslim-converts celebrated each other's religious holidays together. However, later, many young Albanian Islamics participated in Turkish massacres of Christians Alex Dragnich and Slavko Todorovich. Serbs and Albanians Under Turkish Rule , which in turn would be retaliated upon by the Serbs when they got the upper hand. This period has by many been identified as the catalyst of the subsequent deterioration of the relationship between Serbian and Albanian peoples. Apart from religious tensions, the subsequent political outlook changed for the two people. As the Ottoman empire began to collapse, Serbia aimed to re-incorporate Kosovo into the heart of its realm, whereas many Albanians were content with their new-found authority within the Ottoman system. With ongoing oppression from the Ottomans, migrations of Christian people out of Kosovo continued until the Ottoman empire finally collapsed. Many Serbs (and Vlachs) moved to Vojvodina and the Krajina region. Also, many of the minority of Albanians that remained Christian also migrated to towns in Dalmatia. Modern era See Also: History of Modern Kosovo of Socialist Serbia inside Socialist Yugoslavia , 1974-1990]] During the 19th Century part of modern Kosovo was reintegrated in to 'Old Serbia' following a Peace Accord of 1878 which brought the cities of Priština and Kosovska Mitrovica under Serbian control whilst leaving the remainder of Kosovo under Ottoman authority. An ethnic-Albanian Prizren League was formed which sought to unite all of the Albanian provinces of the Ottoman Empire, but which was ultimately defeated by Ottoman forces. During the First Balkan War of 1912 most of Kosovo was retaken by the Kingdom Of Serbia while the region of Metohija (know as the Dukagjini Valley to ethnic-Albanians) was taken by the Kingdom of Montenegro. Populations of ethnic Serbs and Albanians tended to shift following territorial conquests. During World War I, Kosovo was occupied by the Bulgarian and Austro-Hungarian forces following a serious defeat of Serbian and allied armies in 1915. Returning in 1918, the Serbian army pushed the central powers out of Kosovo as the war came to a close. Following WWI, the Kingdom Of The Serbs, Croats And Slovenes was formed, bringing together Serbian Kosovo and Montenegrin Metohija within the new kingdom. The partition of Yugoslavia by the invading Axis Powers from 1941 and 1945 awarded most of the territory to the Italian-occupied Greater Albania , and a smaller part of it to German -occupied Serbia and Greater Bulgaria . Both wars were occasions for inter-ethnic violence and both voluntary and forced population shifts. Following the end of the war and the establishment of Tito 's Communist regime, Kosovo was granted the status of an autonomous region of Yugoslavia in 1946 and became an autonomous province in 1963 . With the passing of the 1974 Yugoslavia constitution, Kosovo gained self-government. Throughout the 1980s tensions between the Albanian and Serb communities in the province escalated.Reuters 1986-05-27, "Kosovo Province Revives Yugoslavia's Ethnic Nightmare"Christian Science Monitor 1986-07-28, "Tensions among ethnic groups in Yugoslavia begin to boil over" The Albanian community favoured greater autonomy for Kosovo, whilst Serbs favoured closer ties with the rest of Serbia. There was little appetite for unification with Albania itself, which was ruled by a Stalinist government and had considerably worse living standards than Kosovo. Beginning in March 1981 , Kosovo Albanian students organized protests seeking that Kosovo become a republic within Yugoslavia. Those protests rapidly escalated into violent riots "involving 20,000 people in six cities"New York Times 1981-04-19, "One Storm has Passed but Others are Gathering in Yugoslavia" that were harshly contained by the Yugoslav government. Serbs living in Kosovo complained at discrimination from the provincial Kosovo government (run by the ethnic-Albanian dominated Communist Party of Kosovo)New York Times 1982-07-12, "Exodus of Serbians Stirs Province in Yugoslavia" and neglect from the Federal authorities in Belgrade.New York Times 1987-06-27, "Belgrade Battles Kosovo Serbs" In August 1987 , during the dying days of Yugoslavia's Communist regime, Kosovo was visited by Slobodan Milošević , then a rising politician. Milošević capitalised on this discontent to consolidate his own position in Serbia. In a staged event, having drawn huge crowds to a rally commemorating the Battle of Kosovo, he pledged to Kosovo Serbs that "No one should dare to beat you", and became an instant hero of Kosovo's Serbs.http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2000/kosovo/stories/past/milosevic/The Economist, June 05, 1999, U.S. Edition, 1041 words, What's next for Slobodan Milošević? By the end of the year Milošević was in control of the Serbian government. In 1989 , the autonomy of both Kosovo and of Vojvodina were drastically reduced by a new Serbian constitution which allowed a Multi-party System , introduced Freedom Of Speech and promoted Human Rights . Though later subverted by Milošević 's abuses, the new constitution was a significant step forward from the previous Communist constitution. However, the new constitution also significantly reduced the rights of the two previously autonomous provinces, giving control of many areas directly to the Government of Serbia, including control of the police, the court system, the economy, the education system and language policies. Differing viewpoints see either an attempt to gain control of a crisis-ridden province or a cynical exploitation of nationalist politicsReuters 1988-07-30, "Yugoslav Leaders Call for Control in Kosovo, Protests Loom". When called to ratify the new constitution in March 1989 , the assemblies of the provinces were met with tanks and armoured cars, effectively forcing the delegates to accept the amendments. Kosovo Albanians boycotted state institutions and elections and established separate Albanian schools and political institutions. On July 2 1990 , an unofficial Kosovo parliament declared Kosovo independent, though this move was recognised only by Albania . In 1992 , the parliament organised an unofficial referendum, observed by international organizations not recognized internationally, which saw a 98% vote of the Kosovo Albanian majority for independence. Kosovo War See Also: Kosovo War Under the leadership of Ibrahim Rugova, the Albanians in Kosovo conducted a peaceful resistance to Serb rule. In 1995, after the Dayton Agreement which ended the Bosnian War, but did not address Kosovo, many Albanians became disenchanted with Rugova's peaceful strategy. Consequently, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was formed in 1996 with the goal of attaining an independent Kosovo. Other KLA factions fought with the goal of uniting all the Albanian populated lands and some simply to defend Kosovo Albanians from Milosevic 's regime, but they were joined together by the common objective of defeating what they saw as Serb oppressors. They employed guerilla-style tactics against Serbian police forces, paramilitaries and regular civilians. Violence escalated in a series of KLA attacks and Serbian reprisals into the year 1999, with increasing numbers of civilian victims. Some sources allege that western security forces and Al Qaeda both had roles in supporting the KLA. Milosevic: a biography,Adam LeBor Bloomsbury,ISBN 0747560900 . In 1998 the Yugoslav authorities were forced to sign a unilateral cease-fire and partial retreat. Under an agreement led by 's actions. The subsequent Rambouillet conference fell apart after Milosevic refused to sign an Agreement which would give Kosovo equal status as a Republic and which purportedly would give NATO forces access rights to all of Yugoslavia . This triggered a 78-day NATO campaign in 1999 . At first limited to military targets in Kosovo itself, the bombing campaign was soon extended to cover military or related targets that supported military troops all over Yugoslavia , including bridges, power stations, factories, broadcasting stations, the transportation network, and various government buildings. During the conflict roughly a million ethnic Albanians fled from Yugoslav forces or were forcefully driven by Yugoslav forces from Kosovo, several thousand were killed (the numbers and the ethnic distribution of the casualties are uncertain and highly disputed). An estimated 10,000 ethnic Albanians and 3,000 Serbs are believed to have been killed during the conflict. Some 3,000 people are still missing, of which 2,500 are Albanian, 400 Serbs and 100 Roma.http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/781310.stm Kosovo after the war ]] The conflict ended with an agreement {Link without Title} signed by both , Council Of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Strasbourg, October 16, 2002, p. 30.. Many displaced Serbs fear to return and around 120,000-150,000 Serbs remain in Kosovo, but remain in a difficult security and economic situation. In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a Constitutional Framework for Kosovo which established the Provisional Institutions Of Self-Government (PISG), including an elected Kosovo Assembly, Presidency and office of Prime Minister. Kosovo held its first free, Kosovo-wide elections in late 2001 (municipal elections had been held the previous year). UNMIK oversaw the establishment of a professional, multi-ethnic Kosovo Police Service. In March 2004, Kosovo experienced its worst inter-ethnic violence since the Kosovo War. The Unrest In 2004 was sparked by a drowning of Albanian children in the Ibar river. Unfortunately the cause of this event has not yet been determined. Taking advantage of the situation, numerous Albanian extremists in several locations in Kosovo burned Serbian houses, Serbian Orthodox Church sites (including some medieval churches and monasteries) and UN facilities. Huge mobs of hooligans purged several Serbian villages. Kosovo Police established a special investigation team to handle cases related to the 2004 unrest and according to Kosovo Judicial Council by the end of 2006 the 326 charges filed by municipal and district prosecutors for criminal offenses in connection with the unrest had resulted in 200 indictments: convictions in 134 cases, and courts acquitted eight and dismissed 28; 30 cases were pending. International prosecutors and judges handled the most sensitive cases.U.S State Department Report, published in 2007 POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE See Also: Politics of Kosovo See Also: United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo Provisional Institutions of Self-Government UN Security Council Resolution 1244 placed Kosovo under transitional UN administration pending a determination of Kosovo's future status. This Resolution entrusted the United Nations Interim Administration Mission In Kosovo (UNMIK) with sweeping powers to govern Kosovo, but also directed UNMIK to establish interim institutions of self-governance. Resolution 1244 permits Serbia no role in governing Kosovo and since 1999 Serbian laws and institutions have not been valid in Kosovo. NATO has a separate mandate to provide for a safe and secure environment. In May 2001, UNMIK promulgated the Constitutional Framework, which established Kosovo's Provisional Institutions Of Self-Government (PISG). Since 2001, UNMIK has been gradually transferring increased governing competencies to the PISG, while reserving some powers that are normally carried out by sovereign states, such as foreign affairs. Kosovo has also established municipal government and an internationally-supervised Kosovo Police Service. According to the Constitutional Framework, Kosovo shall have a 120-member Kosovo Assembly. The Assembly includes twenty reserved seats: ten for Kosovo Serbs and ten for non-Serb minorities (Bosniaks, Roma, etc.). The Kosovo Assembly is responsible for electing a President and Prime Minister of Kosovo. The largest political party in Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), has its origins in the 1990s non-violent resistance movement to Milosevic's rule. The party was led by Ibrahim Rugova until his death in 2006. The two next largest parties have their roots in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA): the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) led by former KLA leader Hashim Thaci and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) led by former KLA commander Ramush Haradinaj. Kosovo publisher Veton Surroi formed his own political party in 2004 named "Ora." Kosovo Serbs formed the Serb List for Kosovo and Metohija (SLKM) in 2004, but have boycotted Kosovo's institutions and never taken their seats in the Kosovo Assembly. In November 2001, the OSCE supervised the first elections for the Kosovo Assembly. After that election, Kosovo's political parties formed an all-party unity coalition and elected Ibrahim Rugova as President and Bajram Rexhepi (PDK) as Prime Minister. After Kosovo-wide elections in October 2004, the LDK and AAK formed a new governing coalition that did not include PDK and Ora. This coalition agreement resulted in Ramush Haradinaj (AAK) becoming Prime Minister, while Ibrahim Rugova retained the position of President. PDK and Ora were critical of the coalition agreement and have since frequently accused the current government of corruption. Ramush Haradinaj resigned the post of Prime Minister after he was indicted for war crimes by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) in March 2005. He was replaced by Bajram Kosumi (AAK). But in a political shake-up after the death of President Rugova in January 2006, Kosumi himself was replaced by former Kosovo Protection Corps commander Agim Ceku . Ceku has won recognition for his outreach to minorities, but Serbia has been critical of his wartime past as military leader of the KLA and claims he is still not doing enough for Kosovo Serbs. The Kosovo Assembly elected Fatmir Sejdiu , a former LDK parliamentarian, president after Rugova's death. Slaviša Petkovic, Minister for Communities and Returns, was previously the only ethnic Serb in the government, but resigned in November 2006 amid allegations that he misused ministry funds." Kosovo: Serb minister resigns over misuse of funds ", Adnkronos international (AKI), November 27, 2006" Sole Kosovo Serb cabinet minister resigns: PM ", Agence France-Presse (AFP), November 24, 2006. Today two of the total thirteen ministries in Kosovo's Government have ministers from the minorities. Branislav Grbic, ethnic Serb, leads Minister of Returns and Sadik Idriz, ethnic Bosnjak, leads Ministry of Healthhttp://www.ks-gov.net/pm/?menuid=2&subid=20&subs=56&lingo=1 Kosovo status process See Also: Kosovo status process See Also: Constitutional status of Kosovo International negotiations began in 2006 to determine the final status of Kosovo, as envisaged under UN Security Council Resolution 1244 which ended the Kosovo Conflict of 1999. Whilst Serbia's continued sovereignty over Kosovo is recognised by the international community, a clear majority of the province's population would prefer independence. The , the United Kingdom and other European members of the Security Council , had been rewritten four times to try to accommodate Russian concerns that such a resolution would undermine the principle of state sovereignty.http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2007/06/29/nb-07 Russia, which holds a veto in the Security Council as one of five permanent members, had stated that it would not support any resolution which was not acceptable to both Belgrade and Kosovo Albanians.http://www.setimes.com/cocoon/setimes/xhtml/en_GB/newsbriefs/setimes/newsbriefs/2007/07/10/nb-02 Whilst most observers had, at the beginning of the talks, anticipated independence as the most likely outcome, others have suggested that a rapid resolution might not be preferable.http://www.ft.com/cms/s/985caa90-de5a-11db-afa7-000b5df10621.html | ||||||
| Image:Kosovo GovernmentjpgThe Building Of The | "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Government_of_Kosovo" class="copylinks">Government Of Kosovo in Priština |
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| Image:Erzengelkloster2jpg | "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Serbs_in_Kosovo" class="copylinks">Serb monastery, St Archangel, near river Bistrica |
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| Image:Gjakovajpg | "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Đakovica" class="copylinks">Đakovica |
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| Image:VeshjeKombetareJPG | "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Albanians_in_Kosovo" class="copylinks">Kosovo Albanian ethnic costume/dance |
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| Image:Pec 001jpgSerbian Monastery In | "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Peć" class="copylinks">Peć |
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| Image:Kosovo Polje Sizedjpg | "http://wwwinformationdelightinfo/information/entry/Kosovo_Polje" class="copylinks">Kosovo Polje |
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