It is one of the most surreal yet symbolic scenes of the post-war Balkans. Every night a faint glow can be seen through the windows of the great, unfinished Serbian Orthodox Cathedral in the centre of Pristina, the capital of Kosovo.But the gentle light comes not from candles, ghosts or angels. Inside the church is a large tent. And inside the tent are three Royal Marines commandos. If you come at the right time, they will all be sitting on their sofa clutching mugs of tea and watching EastEnders. A fourth will be outside keeping guard, making sure the church is not razed by Kosovo's Albanians who see it as a symbol of a past and a people they hate.
Three weeks after Slobodan Milosevic fell from power, and a week before Kosovo's Albanians cast their votes in their first internationally supervised free election, everything and nothing has changed here. While there is little doubt British troops will be watching EastEnders and protecting Kosovo's Serbian churches and churchgoers for years to come, it is also clear the events in Belgrade have altered the political landscape…
Great memory you have. It very well could be. I doubt too many new churches would have been under construction, seeing as how Serbs were being driven out of Kosovo.