President of the Republic of Kosovo, Mrs. Atifete Jahjaga, signed today the decision to establish the ad hoc commission of international experts, which will evaluate the demarcation process between the Republic of Kosovo and Republic of Montenegro.
This evaluating commission, which starts work today, consist of three experts from United States of America, Germany and Great Britain. These experts, during the coming weeks will hold talks with all political and institutional actors on the demarcation process and will also review the documentation and will conduct field visits in order to obtain a clear view of this process. The work of the experts will conclude with an evaluation of the demarcation process and procedures carried out on that occasion. The evaluation results will be delivered to President Jahjaga, in who’s Office will this commission also be based.
The evaluating commission is established on the initiative of President Jahjaga, after concerns raised in relation to the agreement signed last year between Kosovo and Montenegro on establishment of state border.
President Jahjaga calls upon all political subjects, institutions and citizens, to cooperate with the international experts, in order to enable the commission to reach an exact and all encompassing evaluation of the demarcation process.
Members of the Commission:
Mr. Fletcher M. Burton, senior US Diplomat (retired), has spent most of his career in Balkans. His last appointment was as an Ambassador and Head of the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 2011 till 2014. He was engaged in Kosovo in mid 1990’s. He was also a member of the American delegation during the 1998 Prishtina-Belgrade talks and has served as Deputy Chief of Mission of the US Office in Prishtina during 2001 and 2002. Just before the Kosovo’s declaration of independence, he was part of the multinational team which established the International Civilian Office, where he later served as Deputy International Civilian Representative from 2008 to 2010. In 2009, Mr. Burton has overseen the engagements for determination of the border between Kosovo and Macedonia. Mr. Burdon holds an Amherst College University Degree and a Postgraduate Degree from Princeton University. He has also studied in Germany as a Fulbright Scholar.
Dr. Ing. Herbert Wilmes is a German citizen. He has a university degree in Geodesy from Bonn University and is an evaluator of topographic maps. Mr. Wilmes has worked as an assistant lecturer at the Institute for Theoretical Geodesy at the University of Bonn (1976-1982), as a research scientist at the German Geodetic Research Institute (DGFI) in Munich and later at the Federal Agency for Cartography an and Geodesy in Frankfurt. From 1998 to 2015 he has served as a member of permanent border commissions with neighbouring countries Austria, Czech Republic, Netherlands and Poland, and as technical adviser in evaluator issues for borders with Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Switzerland and Denmark. He has retired from active service in July 2015.
Mr. Fred Newton has served for 25 years at the United Kingdom’s Port and Borders Police and in other countries of the world. He was responsible for, and chief officer to, on behalf of the Committee of the Association of Chief Police Officers and Advisory Committee, coordinate the anti-terrorist measures undertaken in ports and land borders of the United Kingdom. He was also member of the National Security Committee of the British Prime Minister and member of the National Committee on Aviation and Maritime Security. He has on regular basis advised governments of various countries on security and border management and has worked with European Commission on related issues. He has drafted memorandums of understanding on international cooperation on border management.