15 June was Kosovo's Constitution Day - the day that the Kosovo constitution, passed in March, entered into force.
The Kosovo government organised a ceremony with the first public performance of the new Kosovo National Anthem. The Anthem was written, purposefully, without words. Called 'Europe', it reflects an aspiration that all Kosovo's ethnic groups can agree to - the desire to be seen, once again, as an integral part of European society. And without words, it avoids the potential controversies involved in finding words that everyone could feel proud of.
More concretely, the constitution provides a good basis for the two challenges - and goals - ahead of Kosovo now: the implementation of UN Special Envoy Ahtisaari's Comprehensive Settlement Proposal , and preparation for integration into international structures, most importantly, the EU. To show how the constitution speeds this process forward, President Sejdiu signed 41 'Ahtisaari' laws on the day, a role that, until now, has been fulfilled by the head of UNMIK.
However, other than an official concert, there were no public celebrations; nor were there protests from the Kosovo Serbs who, seeing the constitution as a symbol of independence, have rejected the move. This lack of public fanfare adds to the business-like feeling of the day; rightly, this was seen as helping Kosovo's people to govern Kosovo themselves - an important, but practical, step.
Posted at 12:36 18 June 2008 by Ruairi O'Connell |
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