Madam, – Your Editorial on Kosovo independence (February 2009) quite rightly asserts that the valuable contribution of the Irish Army and Garda contingents to the international peacekeeping forces in Kosovo deserve “greater recognition”.
This is so especially at a time when similar crucial missions might be in jeopardy as Lisbon Treaty opt-outs for Ireland from the EU’s Common Security and Defence policy are being reviewed. As Daniel McLaughlin’s reports from the region indicated last week, the ongoing Irish contribution to peacekeeping in Kosovo gives vital reassurance to the remaining Serbian and other minority communities.
But the wellbeing of Kosovo’s minorities is not solely about the protection offered by peacekeepers. The biggest scandal in Kosovo today relates to its Roma minority, approximately 500 of whom have been abandoned by the international community since 1999 in two lead-contaminated camps at Osterode and Cesmin Lug in northern Kosovo. They were built on the tailing stands of the lead mine of Trepca. Eighty inhabitants have already died since 1999, either directly from poisoning by lead and other minerals, or indirectly from damaged immune systems. The immediate evacuation of these camps, as well as all necessary urgent measures to secure the long-term health and wellbeing of the families in a secure location with proper access to education and job opportunities, must be a priority for the EU now that Kosovo is under its supervision.
With the Lisbon Treaty debate soon to recommence, more than the consideration of opt-outs to facilitate an Irish Yes vote is at stake.An EU that continues to promote an image of itself as a beacon of human rights can surely not leave such a glaring scandal unresolved on its watch. – Yours, etc,