The peace negotiations for Kosovo, led by former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari, have been criticised for not having any women.
Speaking at a seminar of the Crisis Management Centre in Kuopio on Thursday, British expert Lesley Abdela, who specialises in the position of women in conflicts, noted that half of the population of Kosovo were excluded from the peace negotiations.
Abdela said that women are unlikely ever to be seen in peace talks on the national level, even though a resolution by the UN Security Council requires that women be taken into consideration.
According to the local newspaper Savon Sanomat, Abdela lamented that in peace negotiations it is easier to speak with war criminals and even the mafia than with women.
As a solution, she proposed gender quotas for peace talks.
