Warlords square up for power struggle
By Jessica Berry
British troops liberate Kosovo
RIVALRIES between factions of the Kosovo Liberation Army could result in
newly liberated Kosovo being plunged into a civil war between warring
Albanian clans.
Nato intelligence reports suggest that the hostilities between the three hopefuls
for Kosovan premiership - Hashim Thaci, Ibrahim Rugova and Rexhep Qosja
- which were apparent during the peace talks, will erupt as all three vie for
power. America has been keen to promote consensus between the three
leaders but a vicious power struggle is expected in the weeks ahead, both
within and between their factions.
Nato officials believe that Kosovo will be divided into departments within
weeks, each run by different warlords. Those KLA members who spent the
war inside Kosovo are already jockeying for position. The warlords, whose
income depends largely on arms and drug-smuggling cash laundered in the
West, will be unlikely to want to relinquish power to KLA recruits under the
control of politicians who fled to safety in Albania.
The KLA's agreement to "demilitarise" as opposed to decommission will
effectively mean that no weapons will be handed over. One intelligence
source, forecasting civil war, said: "It will be run by powerful clan families
under the patronage of the KLA. It will be nothing more than anarchy, just a
bunch of armed thugs running around."
Latest European intelligence operations have established that several different
funds have been set up abroad, ostensibly for resistance against the Serbs,
each controlled by different factions with varying methods of persuasion for
collection. The Democratic League of Kosovo, or LDK, connected to
Rugova, is said to have funds worth up to £3 million.
The Popular Movement for Kosovo, or LPK, also has an international system
of bank accounts. Such funds available among the different factions are a
recipe for chaos. Kosovo could very easily turn into another Mostar where a
European Union police force was in charge, according to Mary Kaldor, the
director of the Global Civil Society programme at the London School of
Economics. She said: "There the troops simply went from green uniforms to
blue police ones. The Croats were some of the worst possible criminals and
peacekeepers faced a completely impossible task."
The vital difference is that in Kosovo the refugees will be encouraged to
return. Much will depend on how quickly life can return to normal. One
diplomatic source said: "The KLA factions will be looking for any scepticism
and will thrive on it. The honeymoon with Nato will not last."
telegraph.co.uk
Right Wing Press of course, Robert?
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