Kosovo mourns president

PRISTINA – Kosovo Albanians yesterday began five days of mourning and the search for a new president to lead the disputed Serbian province into independence talks after Ibrahim Rugova died, leaving no clear successor.

Rugova’s death aged 61 on Saturday of lung cancer left the 90 per cent Albanian majority leaderless on the eve of direct talks with Belgrade to decide whether Kosovo becomes independent or remains part of Serbia, as Belgrade insists. A charismatic and powerful figurehead, the former literature professor has no obvious replacement as president or at the helm of the Kosovo negotiating team.A continuous flow of mourners filed past Rugova’s hillside villa, where he died.Albanian national flags hung at half-mast across the capital.He will be buried on Thursday, Jan.26 in the Kosovo capital Pristina, delayed from Wednesday – the day negotiations were due to begin – at the request of his family.His body will lie in state in the Kosovo parliament from today.The talks in Vienna were postponed to early February.Parliament has three months to vote in a new president but Kosovo’s Western backers want Rugova’s party to overcome bitter factionalism and nominate a successor sooner.The world urged unity, mindful of the divisions that have plagued Kosovo’s postwar politics.”We express our hope that Kosovo will continue to follow the legacy of President Rugova and that the political leaders will stay united during the following period in order to face the upcoming challenges,” the European Union envoy in Kosovo said in a statement yesterday.- Nampa-ReutersA charismatic and powerful figurehead, the former literature professor has no obvious replacement as president or at the helm of the Kosovo negotiating team.A continuous flow of mourners filed past Rugova’s hillside villa, where he died.Albanian national flags hung at half-mast across the capital.He will be buried on Thursday, Jan.26 in the Kosovo capital Pristina, delayed from Wednesday – the day negotiations were due to begin – at the request of his family.His body will lie in state in the Kosovo parliament from today.The talks in Vienna were postponed to early February.Parliament has three months to vote in a new president but Kosovo’s Western backers want Rugova’s party to overcome bitter factionalism and nominate a successor sooner.The world urged unity, mindful of the divisions that have plagued Kosovo’s postwar politics.”We express our hope that Kosovo will continue to follow the legacy of President Rugova and that the political leaders will stay united during the following period in order to face the upcoming challenges,” the European Union envoy in Kosovo said in a statement yesterday.- Nampa-Reuters

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