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Death of Kosovo's president leaves vacuum
(AP)
Updated: 2006-01-22 08:56
President Ibrahim Rugova died of lung cancer Saturday, leaving Kosovo's
fractious political scene in disarray just before the start of crucial talks on
whether the province should gain the independence from Serbia that was his
lifelong dream.
Kosovo's Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi leaves
the presidencial residence in Pristina after visiting the family of late
president Ibrahim Rugova Saturday, Jan. 21, 2006. Rugova, who died
Saturday from lung cancer at the age of 61, was elected president in 2002,
three years after a NATO bombing campaign ended a crackdown on ethnic
Albanian separatists by Yugoslav troops. To many, he embodied the ethnic
Albanians' struggle for independence from Serbia.
[AP] |
His departure leaves a leadership
vacuum at the most sensitive time since the Kosovo war ended in 1999.
International leaders appealed for calm and unity in the disputed
U.N.-administered province. The Serb government expressed fears that Rugova's
successor might not share his commitment to nonviolence.
The much-anticipated start of talks between ethnic Albanians and Serb
officials to determine Kosovo's future had been scheduled to begin Wednesday in
Vienna, Austria. But the talks were postponed until February following the death
of the man who came to embody ethnic Albanian aspirations for independence.
Rugova, 61, was surrounded by family at his home in Pristina when he died
just before midday, said his spokesman, Muhamet Hamiti.
Rugova seen at a
news conference in Vienna, on October 14, 2003.[Reuters]
| "He carried his battle with cancer with great dignity and courage until his
last breath," Hamiti said.
The flag at Rugova's hillside residence was lowered to half-staff, and
tearful employees, bodyguards and neighbors gathered outside his home.
Pristina's streets were empty, with people glued to their radios and television
screens.
Rugova often was called the "Gandhi of the Balkans" — an allusion to the
Indian leader's epic nonviolent campaign for his nation's independence. He had
been at the center of Kosovo politics for more than 15 years, leading the
nonviolent struggle against repression under former Yugoslav President Slobodan
Milosevic.
With his trademark scarf wrapped around his neck, Rugova had gained cult
status among some ethnic Albanians. The chain-smoking politician, whose 2002
election made him the province's first president since the United Nations took
over Kosovo's administration, was diagnosed with cancer in September.
While he was undergoing treatment, Rugova continued to lead the province's
negotiating team for what he hoped would be the final countdown with Serbia. He
maintained regular meetings with Western politicians, insisting on recognition
of the province's independence even as he struggled at times to catch his
breath.
His death comes as the restive province of 2 million embarks on a delicate
process of negotiating a solution that ethnic Albanians — a 90 percent-plus
majority — hope will end in full independence. The Serb minority in Kosovo and
in Serbia insist the province they view as the cradle of their culture remain
part of Serbia-Montenegro, the union that replaced what remained of Yugoslavia.
Kosovo has been run by the United Nations since NATO launched a bombing
campaign to end a Serb crackdown on ethnic Albanian rebel separatists in 1999.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said he believed Rugova's death "will not
disrupt this process," and his envoy appointed to oversee the difficult status
talks, former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, said he hoped they would soon
resume.
"I'm certain that President Rugova would have liked to see that we will
proceed with the status negotiations," Ahtisaari said in Helsinki. "I also
express the hope that the situation will remain calm."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said "the people of Kosovo have lost a
great leader."
"President Rugova led his people through challenging times and earned the
world's respect for his advocacy of democracy and peace," she said. "The United
States will continue to work with all the people of Kosovo to build a society
based upon the principles of democracy, human rights and inter-ethnic tolerance
that President Rugova valued so deeply."
French President Jacques Chirac urged those involved in the talks to continue
in Rugova's "spirit of realism, tolerance and dialogue."
Kosovo's main leaders made a joint statement with the province's U.N.
administrator, Soren Jessen-Petersen, attempting to assuage fears about the
future.
"Together with the people (of Kosovo) we are united in our determination to
see Kosovo continue on its path toward a peaceful and prosperous future," said
the statement read by Jessen-Petersen.
However, the Serbian government expressed anxiety that Rugova's successor
would not share his commitment to nonviolence. The Serbian government
representative for Kosovo, Sandra Raskovic-Ivic, said from Belgrade that other
Kosovo Albanian leaders had been involved in attacks against the province's Serb
minority.
"I do not trust them very much" she said. "I am worried if someone from that
echelon takes his place, somebody who would incite unrest and violence to
achieve independence."
Nexhat Daci, the head of Kosovo's assembly, likely will serve as acting
president. While greeting mourners at Rugova's residence, he pledged the
province will "not lose its drive and its calm."
"Kosovo is in deep mourning," said Daci, sitting in a chair next to the one
usually reserved for Rugova.
Rugova's death leaves ethnic Albanians grappling with possible succession
battles.
No other Kosovo politician has been held in such high regard. He won
international respect through his peaceful opposition to Serb dominance, in
contrast to other Kosovo Albanians now in positions of leadership, who were part
of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army.
The party he created, the Democratic League of Kosovo, is fraught with
divisions that could be exacerbated by his death. The party currently is in a
coalition with the smaller Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, led by Ramush
Haradinaj, a former rebel commander indicted for war crimes by a U.N. court in
The Hague, Netherlands.
Rugova is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
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