30 October 2011

KOSOVO: Oil Smuggling Feeds Border Violence...But Sometimes Ethnic Cooperation.

                                       NYTIMES/ D.CARVAJAL/
                                                   2 screens combined

     Carvajal reports that recent flareups at border crossings in northern Kosovo...which forced NATO to send-in troops...may be less about ethnic tensions...than protests about curtailing   oil smuggling.
    Oil smuggling across borders is estimated to be a $100mn business there.
    “Ethnicity doesn’t play a role when it comes to money,” said an EU prosecutor. “If the Serbs and Albanians can make money from crime, they will do a joint venture."
    That joint venture is reportedly led by Zvonko Veselinovic (above), a 30-something Serb with a shaved head...and a fierce reputation.