Sian MacLeod. Remember the days when the tiny closed state of Albania was known from Orwellian Radio Tirana broadcasts picked up on a crackly short wave radio?
Although things are very different now Albania remains a relatively rare destination for British visitors, so on my first visit I made sure to find postcards for my family. My first impression, arriving along a motorway that had cut six hours off the Pristina to Tirana journey, was of spectacular mountain scenery, cultivated terraces, and zigzagging cattle paths.
To illustrate their approach they introduced me to an innovative all-woman team of provincial judges who have improved public access to justice simply by increasing the transparency and efficiency of their courtrooms which, incidentally, must compete for the best view of any in the world. In Mitrovica I visited the main river crossing, symbol and reality of divisions left by conflict. In Pristina and Mitrovica I met people inching towards the reconciliation, institution building and human rights protection essential for enduring security and stability.
Each practical step may appear small, even mundane, but the personal conviction and courage needed to take them in this post-conflict environment is not.
I was reminded both of the patience of those who brought peace to Northern Ireland and the years ahead when peace will need to be nurtured, long after the shooting stops. As I heard of the measures being taken to repair the threads of every day life I started to understand better the OSCE role providing a neutral backdrop for reknotting those broken threads. The aim of my visit was to understand better the work of OSCE field operations. But I also left Kosovo with something else: a small, precious insight into human nature and the post conflict environment.
