The European Union's rule-of-law mission to Kosovo has started deploying, but senior officials warned in March 2008 that the full rollout would take longer than originally planned.
Mission chief Yves de Kermabon confirmed that initial staff had departed the previous week, with roughly 20 senior personnel leading the first wave. He was in New York coordinating with the outgoing UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK). The 2,000-strong EULEX force, approved by Brussels on 16 February, one day before Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia, is tasked with training local police, judicial, and border personnel, with full deployment expected in stages by mid-June.
The chief complication is the absence of a UN Security Council resolution authorizing EULEX or formally ending UNMIK's mandate. Without one, the planned 120-day transition has no clear start. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said "things aren't where they were supposed to be," while Slovenian Foreign Minister Dimitrij Rupel, chairing EU talks under Slovenia's rotating presidency, acknowledged the handover would require considerable effort.
Serbia and Russia, which holds veto power at the Security Council, argue that Kosovo's independence and the EU mission both violate international law. The United Nations has governed Kosovo since 1999, following a NATO air campaign against Belgrade over its suppression of ethnic Albanian separatists.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in March 2008, in its own words.