Opinion: Has Serbia Made up Its Mind at Last?

March 16 - 29, 2012 Issue No. 84 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1

NEWS Macedonia Serbia “Playing Steps Back Kosovo Card for Electoral Reasons“ from the Brink > page 3 Fears of a recrudescence of large-scale ethnic con- NEWS flict are receding in Kurti: I am Macedonia after police Preparing for said the number of vio- Government lent ethnic-related inci- > page 4 dents had dropped in the NEWS last 48 hours. Spectre of Border See Page 10 Changes Still Haunts Balkans High-level KEK Corruption > page 6 FEATURE Albania’s Probe ‘Vanishes’ Nationalists Corner Evidence of high-level corruption at Kosovo’s energy firm appears to have been ignored while its alleged perpetrators Market in Graffiti still hold posts as state employees, an investigation by Prishtina Insight can reveal. European Anti-Fraud Office, the spokesperson is unable to confirm for electricity transmission. By By Petrit Collaku United Nations Internal Oversight whether the recommendations that point Ismajli had transferred Service Office in Vienna and the were followed or whether the file from KEK and become managing he EU’s Anti-Fraud Office, Italian Guardia Di Finanza, rec- was handed to prosecutors. The director of KOSTT. > page 12-13 OLAF, discovered in 2008 ommended in a letter sent to the EU rule of law mission, EULEX, Under the management of Tthat contracts between INSIDE PRISHTINA Kosovo’s public energy provide, UNMIK chief, Joachim Ruecker, in which inherited all UNMIK cases Vegim Gashi, a former AKR candi- KEK, and a firm connected with 2008 that further investigations at the end 2008, says it has received date for the post of Prishtina Prishtina Museum one of its senior officials, Fadil should be conducted and that the no information from UNMIK on Mayor in 2009, Komtel has since Ismajli, were awarded without records should be forwarded to this matter, while KEK knows been awarded a number of public under Investigation “fair competition” and in suspi- KEK so that disciplinary measures nothing of the investigation. tenders, including for KEK, > page 18 cious circumstances. would be initiated against Ismajli. A well placed KEK source, mean- Prishtina International Airport The investigators also accused “In view of the evidence while, has suggested that the case and the Constitutional Court. Ismajli of direct conflicts of inter- obtained it has been determined was “silenced” in the organisation, Despite investigators’ sugges- est. He was co-owner and general that there has been no fair compe- without elaborating further. tions that disciplinary measures director of Komtel until 1999 tition in the procurement process- A few months after the report be taken against Ismajli, he has before joining KEK, where he is es involving Komtel and KEK,” the was sent to the UNMIK special rep- remained head of KOSTT, which Kosovo’s only English-language alleged to have been involved in report reads. The evidence “direct- resentative, the suspected compa- pays him a salary of 42,000 euro newspaper is available: awarding a number of tenders to ly implicates” Ismajli, it adds. ny, Komtel, was awarded a con- annually. his former firm. However, the case appears to tract for 8 million euro by KOSTT, Delivered to A team of investigators from the have gone cold. UNMIK’s the public authority responsible continues page 2 Your Door

Kosovo Fritters Away Shrinking Former Minister Queries Kosovo From Newsstands Science Budget Power Station Plan across Kosovo “As education minister it is a distinct hon- Five days after the winning bid is Sent To our to testify before you on the commit- announced to build Kosovo’s new lignite- Your Inbox ment of the government of Kosovo to sci- fired power plant, Kosova e Re, its current ence and research.” So said Enver Hoxhaj station, Kosovo B, will be handed over to in 2010 while launching Kosovo’s National the private investor. From Research Programme, a five-year-plan For the next six years all profits will be col- our partners aimed at spearheading scientific progress lected by the winner as compensation for in the country... its capital investment... news page 5 economy page 7 see page 16 for more info

is supported by: 2 March 16 - 29, 2012 news High-level Corruption Probe at KEK “Vanishes” from page 1 ted to the [UNMIK] prosecutor’s According to the offer provided, office, which would have had to Datamat and Komtel had estab- According to his Asset decide to pursue criminal charges lished a joint venture called Disclosure submitted to the Anti- and, if so, it would have handed the Datkom. But Datkom was not men- Corruption Agency, he has also cases to EULEX prosecutors at the tioned in the “Technical and accrued considerable wealth end of 2008. Financial Evaluation” conducted through his business and public “If not, the prosecutor would by KEK in February 2001. The bid duties, including more than 100,000 have closed the case due to lack of submission report listed no entry euro kept in deposits in Kosovo substantive evidence,” spokesper- for Datamat, only for Komtel. banks, four flats and two cars. son Salgado said. The winning bidder was Ismajli has denied any wrongdo- Similarly, KEK, said it had no announced as Datamat, an Italian ing, saying that the allegations record of the case. Spokesman company with a bank insurance were aimed solely at damaging his Viktor Buzhala said the company bond issued by San Paolo IMI S.p.A reputation. was not aware of any report on Bank in Rome. There is no sugges- investigations into tenders award- tion of wrongdoing on behalf of Disappearing ed to Komtel. Datamat. Investigation: He said KEK neither received “The members of the panel for nor inherited from former manage- the a/m tender involved in that ment any requests submitted by evaluation process obviously did According to the investigators’ OLAF or any other local or interna- not know which company in the letter, obtained by Prishtina tional institution pertaining to end is the candidate of the said pro- Insight, their report was submitted Fadil Ismajli’s Wealth Komtel. cedure,” according to the report. on June 6, 2008 to two former heads “If KEK had received any “The evaluation board evaluated ith 100,000 euro cash a Nissan SUV and a Mercedes, of the UN Mission in Kosovo, its request related to tender irregular- a wrong company and awarded the deposited in Kosovo valued at 30,000 euro in total, and chief, Joachim Ruecker, and his ities, it would have immediately contract to the non-existing compa- Wbanks, two cars - a Jeep gold and silver jewelry worth deputy, Larry Rossin. undertaken measures to place the ny, 'Datacom'. At least the contract and Mercedes - four flats and a 6,500 euro. Investigations looked at a tender said company on the black list, was signed between EAR and plot of land in Croatia, Ismajli is Ismajli also owns shares in two for the supply of software and hard- deeming it unable to compete for Datamat S.p.A. for and on behalf of wealthy by the standards of firms - 20 per cent of shares in ware for KEK computers in 2001 val- tenders or partake in other process- the contractor Datkom.” Kosovo. Archlighting and 2.7 per cent of ued at 2.8 million euro. Investigators es,” Buzhala said. In his Asset Disclosure form shares in IGI Prishtine. also revealed that in 2001 and 2003 However, a source familiar with Komtel ex-director voted submitted to the Anti- The KOSTT Chief Executive Komtel was awarded other con- KEK’s bidding processes said there Corruption Agency, ACA, in Officer stated that he has 100,500 tracts to develop and implement the on Komtel contract: was pressure not to pursue the 2011, Ismajli declared he owns euro deposited in ProCredit “Central Accounting System” and charges against Ismajli. 1,470 square meters of land val- Bank, Banka Ekonomike, the “Customer Care Package”, val- According to investigators, “Komtel is connected with pow- ued at 125,000 euro. He also owns Raiffeisen Bank and NLB. ued at 450,000 euro, for KEK. Ismaijli was on the board that eval- erful individuals in Kosovo, so two 68 square metre and two 28 His annual income is around In 2006, the company was award- uated the tender, having signed an there was great pressure to silence square metre apartments in 70,000 euro, including 42,000 euro ed the contract to supply municipal- impartiality and confidentiality this case, regardless of the strong Prishtina, with a total value of from KOSTT, and dividends from ities with IT equipment for 149,150 agreement in which he stated that facts found and documented by 200,000 euro. Archlighting and rent from a euro and border police with equip- he held no connection to “the bid- OLAF,” a senior KEK official said. He also declared ownership of leased apartment. ment for 1.2million euro, all of ders, individuals implicated there- in or their sub-contractors”. which were funded by the European For KEK, it was awarded a con- Nonexistent company When investigators interviewed “Unfounded accusations”: Agency for Reconstruction. tract for “Supply of multifunction- Ismajli in October 2007 he con- UNMIK’s spokesman, Olivier won tender: al metering groups”, valued at firmed his past experience with Ismajli denies the allegations Salgado, was unable to explain to 231,000 euro in June 2011. Komtel, stating he was a business against him, maintaining that they Prishtina Insight what had hap- The investigators’ report raises The company also won a tender partner of the company, and that he are aimed at discrediting him. pened to the case. He said they had suspicions about the role of Ismajli at the Constitutional Court for had informed KEK’s executive “There is no truth in these alle- handed over all cases under their in a number of tenders awarded by “Supply and installation of IT board of this. gations. I had no influence on those supervision to EULEX, which was KEK to Komtel Project Engineering equipment for the second phase of The report notes that he had tenders,” he said. deployed in Kosovo after it declared and funded by European Agency for digitalization”, valued at 40,000 served as the general director and He confirmed he had been inter- independence in February 2008. Reconstruction. euro, in July 2011. was a co-founder of this company, viewed in 2007 regarding these Files were then transferred to the The investigators collected docu- Owner Gashi says that as it was established in 1994. issues, and said he had provided EU mission. ments from the KEK, the European not under official investigation “It is clear that Komtel, which them with adequate explanations. EULEX, however, says it had Agency for Reconstruction, EAR, there was no reason why it was not was only a small company with Ismajli said the decisions on bid received no such case from the United States Agency for eligible for the contracts. seven employees and obviously not awards were taken by internation- UNMIK. “The mission’s prosecu- International Development, USAID, In November 2008, in a consor- in the situation to undertake exten- als – UNMIK and EAR representa- tors say they have never received the Central Fiscal Authority and tium with French firm Alstom (for- sive IT supplies, was put in front of tives. this case or heard anything about the Kosovo Business Registration mer Areva), Komtel won the first the contractor Datamat,” the report He added that his position in it,” Blerim Krasniqi, EULEX Agency, ARBK, including external part of a capital project with reads. KEK and his friendship with spokesperson, said. audit reports on this issue. KOSTT for the installation of equip- “It was suspected that the IT pro- Vegim Gashi, his former business When Prishtina Insight asked The first tender related to KEK’s ment valued at over 8 million euro. curement procedures within KEK partner, could not have influenced UNMIK to clarify, it was unable to Central Accounting System and Ismajli, now KOSTT’s chief exec- had been overruled in order to the award of contracts to Komtel. confirm whether the case had been was awarded to Datkom on May 2, utive, again said he had no influ- favour Komtel.” “Kosovo is small. We have friends concluded before its handover to 2001 and valued at 2.8 million euro. ence in the award of this tender, Investigators also found that a all over the place,” Ismajli said. EULEX. According to this report, the fol- and sees no legal violation in previous audit by The director of Komtel, Vegim “If the investigation concluded lowing companies submitted bids: Komtel’s participation in this ten- PriceWaterhouseCoopers, PWC, Gashi, said he was not aware of the that a criminal offence occurred, Ingra Co., DTT, Elasag and Datamat der, regardless of the investigative uncovered similar issues. investigation or of the report the case would have been submit- S.p.A. issued in June 2008. Gashi denied report issued in June 2008. “In the course of the [PWC] inves- “Not only Komtel, but all compa- tigation on this transaction, they that awards of KEK tenders to Komtel were made illegally. nies awarded contracts by KOSTT, also became aware of another IT are subjected to a thorough selec- supplier selection process for the Komtel still thrives: tion process, weighed according to purchase of a computer and tele- the Law on Public Procurement in phone system, which resulted in Kosovo and rather strict selection Komtel being chose to install the Komtel Project Engineering has been awarded a number of tenders rules,” Ismajli said. “The selection system.” was entirely merit-based.” The final report by PWC, accord- since the issue of the investigation report in June 2008. KEK’s spokesperson, Viktor ing to investigators, also contained Buzhala, said that Komtel was “allegations against Fadil Ismajli These include a contract with Prishtina International Airport never on this enterprise’s blacklist as responsible KEK manager for and that as a result it had been energy trades being involved in sev- worth 70,000 euro for the “Supply of Microsoft Licences” in October forced to declare the winning bid- eral dubious contracts for import ders in accordance with the law. and export of electricity”. 2010.

Y M C +381 38 602042, +377 44 243367, +386 49 243367 K news March 16 - 29, 2012 3 Serbia “Playing Kosovo Card Editor’s Word Kosovo: The Silicon for Electoral Reasons“ Plain While Serbia says it is extending local elections to Kosovo out of respect for its constitution, electoral considerations are shaping the policy. of its former competences, including respectively. By Lawrence Marzouk over elections, to independent Kosovo. Serbian elections in Kosovo thus boil “The previous authority [on elec- down essentially to two rural munici- By Bojana Barlovac and tions] was UNMIK, but this has been palities, Zvecan and Zubin Potok, Fatmir Aliu passed on to the provisional institu- where locals hope the elections indeed osovo can strike a real blow to corruption, and put tions that then evolved into Kosovo’s go ahead in time. itself on the path to becoming a hub for the digital age, independent institutions,” Alexander Dragisa Milovic, Mayor of Zvecan, Kwith one key policy commitment. It’s called Open Data, degree of bluff and exaggera- Borg Olivier, former head of UNMIK’s said he saw no reason for UNMIK to put and it could just revolutionise the country’s economy. Let me tion hangs over Serbia’s Pillar I department, on justice and a stop on the polls. explain how. Aannouncement that local elec- “UNMIK was status neutral when the Hashim Thaci and his government may shout about their police matters, who has also advised tions on May 6 will be extended to Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, [Kosovo] Albanians held their local commitment to tackling corruption, but they’re rather quiet parts of Kosovo. told Prishtina Insight. elections, so I don’t see any reason why when it comes to transparency. While the speaker of parliament, “I can’t see how UNMIK can say that the same should not happen now,” Earlier this year we asked for invoices and receipts that had Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, on Tuesday Serbia’s elections in Kosovo are legiti- Milovic told Prishtina Insight. been submitted by various ministers for official visits, using said Belgrade would go ahead with the mate. UNMIK will say, as it said before, The Deputy Mayor of Zubin Potok, the Access to Documents legislation. controversial move because “We have that such elections are invalid and ille- Srdjan Djurovic, takes a similar stance. We were aware that credit card numbers would have to be an obligation to respect the Serbian gal,” he added. “I expect the Serbian authorities to removed, but the law is clear that the public has a right to Constitution and Resolution 1244”, in carry out all the necessary prepara- know what ministers, and the PM, are spending their – actu- reality only a couple of municipalities The Kosovo government in the tions so that the elections can be held ally, our money on while on official duty. in northern Kosovo are likely to be meantime has upped the ante, like they were in 2008,” he told What is there to stop the Prime Minister and his deputies affected. denouncing Belgrade’s move as an ille- Prishtina Insight. bathing themselves in Bollinger Champagne at each five star UN Resolution 1244, adopted in 1999, gal, illegitimate provocation. But if Belgrade fails to deliver, hotel they visit on international tours, all placed on their gov- which authorised the deployment of Serbia is provoking open conflict nudged by international opposition, it ernment credit cards and paid for by you and me? UN peacekeepers in Kosovo, does not with Kosovo and the entire region of would not be the first time. I have no evidence to suggest that they do, just as I have no authorise Serbia to hold elections in the Western Balkans may pay the price, Earlier this year Serbia declined to evidence to suggest that they don’t, because they refuse to Kosovo. Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim support a Kosovo Serb plan to call a reveal their spending. Serbia’s 2006 Constitution, on the Thaci declared on Wednesday. local referendum on February 15 and 16 Two ministers provided all of their receipts in a commend- other hand, clearly defines Kosovo as a “This is an attempt at aggression on whether local Serbs planned to able display of openness; the rest, including Thaci, decided to province of Serbia. According to arti- against the independent state of accept Kosovo institutions. release just their total spend, which is pretty useless. cle 182, Serbia has two autonomous Kosovo,” he added. The US ambassador to Kosovo, These are not the actions of a government committed to provinces, Vojvodina and Kosovo and Thaci said his government would Christopher Dell, meanwhile last week openness. Metohija. “use all our constitutional and legal said including Kosovo in Serbia's No country can rely on its rule-of-law institutions alone to Meanwhile the Kosovo government force to prevent such elections from spring polls would inflict more damage counter wrongdoing in public office. An active civil society, has vigorously contested the idea of being held on our territory”. on Serbia than on Kosovo. media and citizenry are also essential. Serbia holding elections anywhere on Belgrade has organised parliamen- The elections come at delicate time And in a country such as Kosovo, where these institutions Kosovo territory - and is likely to be tary and local elections in Serb-majori- for Belgrade, right after it obtained EU may struggle for various reasons, an eagle-eyed public is even supported by significant international ty areas in post-conflict Kosovo before, candidate status. more important. factors. in 2008. Brussels has been clear all along that So rather than create another task-force, or committee, or While Kosovo Serbs hope Belgrade Belgrade has organised parliamen- Serbia must cease support for “parallel focus group to sort out corruption in public institutions, Mr will stick to its guns, some observers tary and local elections in Serb-majori- insititutions” in the north of Kosovo if Thaci, how about empowering your citizens to do so? believe the embattled Serbian govern- ty areas in post-conflict Kosovo before, it wants to make the next step on its EU Embrace transparency and the growing Open Data move- ment, facing a tough election in spring, beginning in 2008. Before that however, path – getting a start date for accession ment, which advocates that information collected by the state is playing pre-election games. from 2000 to 2008 Serbia refrained from talks. – so already paid for by taxpayers – should be made public. Speaker Djukic Dejanovic has in fact doing so. Zoran Stojiljkovic, of Belgrade Data collected by the state are, in the right hands, hugely left open some doors to compromise, Holding local elections in the Serb- University’s Political Science Faculty, saying that Serbia “in cooperation with run northern districts is seen as espe- valuable. says calling local elections in Kosovo UNMIK will take all necessary actions cially problematic, as they will clearly A study by Dr Rufus Pollock of Cambridge University, UK, in connection with elections in the reinforce Serbia's so-called “parallel was a tactical move made ahead of on the value of the data held by the British government, esti- autonomous province of Kosovo and institutions” in the north. Serbia's spring elections. mated that its release would generate £6 billion to the econo- Metohija.“ These post offices, schools and He believes that the ruling centrist my. This appears to throw part-responsi- municipal administrations ignore the Democrats had no choice but to include One simple example of the positive impact that the release bility for the final go-ahead for elec- Kosovo government in Prishtina and Kosovo in the local elections if they of data can have is a demonstrated by a mobile phone applica- tions on the UN authority in Kosovo, depend for support and cash on were not to court the outrage of tion available to Swedish commuters which gives them real- UNMIK. Belgrade. Serbian nationalists. time updates on train times. The app allows people to use But UNMIK says it is no longer in In practice, Serbian elections “in “Voters would not forgive them for their time more efficiently, boosting the country’s economy. charge of elections in Kosovo - and the Kosovo” will not be noticed by the vast excluding Kosovo from local elections,” Could Kosovo become the Silicon Plain? With shrewd Serbian authorities have not contact majority of people in the country. he said. “And the opposition would investments and a government committed to the “Open Data” them on the issue. Over 90 per cent of the population is draw an advantage from the govern- movement, it can. “We have not been contacted by Albanian and a significant number of ment 'giving up' Kosovo,” he added. Everyone wants to be a “Silicon Something” these days. Serbia, so we're withholding comments the remaining Serbs live “south of the But Professor Stojiljkovic does not The original Silicon Valley has spawned many copycats, rang- until consultations with Serbia and Ibar” in Albanian-run Kosovo. believe that Belgrade will seriously risk ing from serious rivals to one-man-and-his-computer. We now other stakeholders have been carried Only four municipalities on the bor- its further EU progress over Kosovo. have Silicon Alley, Silicon Welley, Silicon Mallee, not to men- out,“ UNMIK spokesperson Olivier der with Serbia are likely to be affected “Belgrade will find a compromise tion Silicons Beach, Desert, Forest, Hill, Hills, Prairie, Glen, Salgado told Prishtina Insight on by the decision, two of whom, solution for the two tiny municipali- Gorge, Mall and Roundabout. Wednesday. Mitrovica and Leposavic, already held ties so that the elections are not held,” Belgrade even has its own Silicon Valley - Strahinjica Bana UNMIK says it has transferred most local elections, in 2010 and in 2009 he predicted. – although that has nothing to do with the concentration of IT start-ups and all about the concentration of It-girl up-starts. The Indians have already laid claim to Silicon Plateau, so by my calculation Kosovo is left with Silicon Plain. PRISTINA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT “ADEM JASHARI” OK, Kosovo has yet to establish itself as a hub for high-tech innovations, but I can already hear the buzz beginning. A Dutch outfit has just outsourced its programming to Prishtina for the creation of a mobile application for the Netherlands police force. And look at the remarkable work of the team of young pro- grammers who created prishtinabuses.info – the capital’s first website detailing bus routes. Because of a lack of any official help – and absence of information – they plotted the routes using GPS devices. This city is bursting with young, creative and talented peo- ple who could be offering their services to international clients. Just imagine what would happen if the authorities actual- WE ARE OPEN FOR ALL DEPARTING FLIGHTS • CALL US ON 038 594422 ly decided to help. 4 March 16 - 29, 2012 news Kurti: I am Preparing for Kosovo Ombudsman Government Seeks Probe Into Support for Vetevendosje is growing by the day, the leader of Vetevendosje Albin Kurti said in an interview with BIRN. Abused Serbs Ombudsperson says that he will demand an inquiry into police violence used against five men suspected of work- By Bujar Aruqaj ing for Serbia's Interior Ministry. five other alleged Serbian police lbin Kurti, the enfant terri- were ordered into 30 days' deten- ble of Kosovo politics, says tion, charged with pressurising Ahis party, once a street By Fatmir Aliu compatriots not to recognize the movement, is preparing to govern authorities of the Kosovo govern- Kosovo. ment in Prishtina. In an interview with BIRN’s tel- osovo’s public advocate says The prosecutor of the case says evision show, Jeta ne Kosove, he wants an official inquiry he suspects that the group also Kurti said that Vetevendosje is Kinto claims that Kosovo issued Serbian passports and driv- offering the only genuine opposi- police used excessive violence ing licences within the territory of tion to the government in parlia- against five Kosovo Serbs suspect- Kosovo, violating Kosovo laws. ment. ed of working for the Serbian But the Ombudsperson said that “Many have said that we will not police. regardless of the charges, any vio- know how to act within the institu- Ombudsperson Sami Kurteshi lence used against them was totally tions,” he said, referring to the told Prishtina Insight that after unacceptable. movement’s voyage from the his associates visited the five “After interviewing the streets to parliament. “But, we Serbs detained in Prishtina and detainees, we found out that the By Korab Basha Korab By Gjilane, they found evidence of police used violence and abused the were the ones who called the most Albin Kurti, Vetevendosje head, believes his party is often portrayed unfairly. motions in the parliament. We abuse on their bodies, which the detainees on an ethnic basis," he men claimed was the result of said. were the ones who took the most far from being perfect,” he said. prime minister about his meet- police beatings. "The second issue is that the sus- initiatives. We will also know how He insisted that people are ings with Serbian President Boris “The detainees showed us bruis- pects held in Gjilane, during the to govern when it will be our turn increasingly disappointed with the Tadic," he said. es, allegedly from beatings by the visit by our team, complained that to be in power.” current regime. In US diplomatic cables police. We have prepared a report no doctor visited them to record the He said that VV was developing a “Vetevendosje is the infrastruc- released by Wikileaks, secret and will file complaints to the violence they'd allegedly suffered,” programme which will harness ture for the dissatisfied,” he said. meetings between Prime Minister Ministry of Interior and the Kurteshi added. Kosovo’s strengths, and not a pas- “The number of our supporters is Thaci and the President of Serbia Kosovo Police Inspectorate, Days after the arrest, Serbia’s sive programme which waits for growing, but also the fear.” are discussed. “When they meet demanding that they investigate," Interior Minister, Ivica Dacic, “miracles to come from outside”. He said that the Prime Minister’s with other leaders it is every- Kurteshi said. admitted that four of the detained The media, he complained, does extreme statements in the run-up where on the media. Why were the Kosovo Police arrested six Serbs were indeed Serbian police not present the diversity of the to VV’s January 21 protests showed meetings with Tadic secret?” Kosovo Serbs last month in employees. activities Vetvendosje carries out, that Hashim Thaci was concerned. asked Kurti. Partesh/Partes, in the Gjilane The Ombudsman said EULEX focusing on its protests and atti- “There is no democracy if you He believes that the allegations region, saying they suspected they personnel had also interviewed the tude towards Serbia. only vote once every four years, against him were made in order to worked for Serbia’s Interior detainees and had the same suspi- He also questioned the silence of and even this vote gets stolen,” he deflect the attention of the public Ministry. cions about excess police violence. the country’s “intellectual elite” on said. “Sociopolitical statistics show from the latest worrying develop- During the raid, the Kosovo The EU rule of law mission the country’s major challenges. that there should be protests every ments in Kosovo. “They thought Police said they found distinctive spokesperson, Blerim Krasniqi, Kurti, however, conceded that day in this country." that they could blackmail me but Serbian police weapons and ammu- told Prishtina Insight that the VV’s protests had faded recently. Kurti also addressed recent alle- they can no longer blackmail me nition. detainees had “complained about “We are examining the causes,” he gations leveled at him by the PDK and no other member of One was later released, while the the police's behaviour”. said. “Perhaps we didn’t know how parliamentarian Bekim Haxhiu, Vetevendosje ,” he said. to do something. Of course, we are known as Kamishi. The former spokesman of the Haxhiu claimed to have Kosovo Liberation Army also crit- obtained various police reports icised some of its former mem- which detailed Kurti’s coopera- bers for misusing their reputation tion with Serbs. and enriching themselves in the Kurti said he would not discuss name of the war, now and for the www.prishtinainsight.com the veracity of the allegations, but past 12 years. “I have respect for hit back saying that half of the all those who contributed to the lib- Publisher: current PDK assembly members eration, but the KLA does not mean BIRN were former members of its secret amnesty: one year’s war, and 12 Balkan Investigative Reporting Network service, SHIK. years businessman. They are “The campaign was launched behaving like the population owes Mensa e Studenteve, first floor against us when we asked the them something, "said Kurti. Police found weapons when arresting members of MUP in Kosovo 10000, Prishtina Kosovo Phone: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 Kosovo War Crimes Trial Postponed Fax: +381 (0) 38 22 44 98 [email protected] Prishtina’s District Court postponed without any explanation Tuesday's session in the Klecka case trial. Editor-in-Chief: court, whether the diaries of the cutor of having gathered all the evi- mainly on the testimony of the deceased witness Agim Zogaj will dence in the Klecka case illegally, deceased Zogaj, who killed himself Lawrence Marzouk continue to form the foundation of and argued that Maurizio Salustro last September in Germany. [email protected] By Fatmir Aliu his case or if he has other evidence. was not authorized to raid the house Zogaj, known as “Witness X”, was Editorial Team: Sources from EULEX have unoffi- of his client for war crimes. a prison guard at the Klecka prison Ana Petruseva, Gordana Igric, cially told BIRN that the trial has In April 2010, EULEX raided the during the Kosovo war in 1999, and Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, Kosovo court was expected been postponed because the panel of ministry of transport during made notes in his diary about to decide on Tuesday judges needed more time to assess Fatmir Limaj’s tenure as minister. events there. The notes have provid- Petrit Collaku, Shengjyl Osmani, Awhether the “Klecka case” Salustro’s response. That investigation relates to road ed the key testimony in the war Artan Mustafa, Florina Hajdini, and can be sustained without the testi- The source said that the trial construction tenders issued crimes trial against his alleged com- Donjeta Demolli. mony of the key witness, which the defence counsels argue was should resume next week, “most between 2007 and 2009. mander Fatmir Limaj and nine probably on Monday.” Limaj’s defence team claims that other defendants. Marketing, Sales & Distribution: taken illegally. However, the hearing has been Ten former Kosovo Liberation the prosecutor abused the legal Fatmir Limaj has already been [email protected] postponed without any official Army fighters, including their com- process during the raid by confiscat- tried and acquitted by the Hague Design & Layout: “Rrjeti” explanation. mander Fatmir Limaj, have pleaded ing photos of the war, and the mili- Tribunal in 2007, for war crimes Arben Grajqevci Two years after he initiated the not guilty to charges of war crimes tary uniform of Fatmir Limaj, with- committed in another prison camp. Y investigation, the Special against Serbs and Albanians at the out a proper court warrant relating Prishtina's District Court is Prosecutor of EU rule of law mis- M Printing: Lindi Printing Center Klecka detention centre committed to the suspicion of war crimes. expected to decide later this month C sion to Kosovo, EULEX, Maurizio in 1999. The case, heard in front of whether or not the testimony of Copyright © BIRN K Salustro, will have to explain to the Limaj’s lawyer accused the prose- Prishtina’s District Court, rests Agim Zogaj is relevant to the trial. news March 16 - 29, 2012 5 Kosovo Fritters Away Shrinking Science Budget Money set aside for scientific advances in Kosovo has fallen sharply in recent years – and much of what remains has dis- appeared on foreign research trips and the printing of patri- otic novels, Prishtina Insight has discovered. euro, well below the 2.4 million and 3.4 million euro that had been bud- geted. By Petrit Collaku This means that the government allocated just 0.03 per cent of the 2011 budget – 400,000 euro – to scien- As education minister it is a tific research. distinct honour to testify Half of this sum went on funding “before you on the commit- nine research budgets. The rest ment of the government of Kosovo went on some 14 foreign trips, the to science and research.” So said publication of historic, patriotic Enver Hoxhaj in 2010 while and poetry books and the purchase launching Kosovo’s National of an online library. Research Programme, a five-year- Among the researches funded plan aimed at spearheading scien- was the work of Agni Dika, a doc- tific progress in the country. tor of electronics and computer sci- But an investigation has uncov- ence and professor at the ered that two years on the scheme University of Prishtina. He Funds aimed at sparking innovation in Kosovo have mostly been spent on historical research. remains underfunded. Meanwhile received 25,000 euro for a two-year large amounts of the funds that project to create software that have an immediate impact. euro. tion on science. have been provided have been spent reads scanned texts in Albanian. “The National Programme is The majority of these trips fell But another established library, on sending academics to foreign Hysen Bytyqi was awarded good but it cannot be realised, under the Programme’s fifth, and EBSCO, is already available and conferences and on publishing 22,000 euro to study a local breed of knowing the [small size of the] lowest, priority: “language, cultur- had cost only 9,015 euro. This patriotic and historical books. cow, the Basha, which is in danger country’s budget,” Osdautaj said. al and historical studies”. online library also provides the Prishtina Insight can also reveal of extinction in Kosovo. But some university professors The ministry handed out 50,000 newest information for research that some members of the Ministry Sejdi Rexhepi obtained 30,000 aren’t impressed with how the euro from the same fund for publi- organisations. of Education, Science and euro for a project labelled “local National Programme has been run. cations of different books. One was Experts say that the time has Technology, MEST, including the economic development and its Isa Elezaj says that even with a biography of the political activist come for businesses and science to manager of the fund, have benefit- impact on social welfare”. this small amount of money, the Ismail Dumoshi written by Izber become closely linked. The ed from these grants. Two promi- Another project dealt with vet- science budget could have been bet- Hoti. President of the Kosovo’s Chamber nent politicians who receive erinary issues, namely ter managed. “Kosovo needs Even Osdautaj, director of the of Commerce, Safet Gerxhaliu, salaries from the state budget also “Salmonella’s prevalence in poul- research in agriculture and food project, and Malush Mjaku, head of said the public-private partnership received financing to publish their try farms infected with safety, in biology and medicine sci- the division for technology at the should be strengthened. books. Dermanyssus Gallina in Kosovo”, a ences,” he said. ministry, also received funds. “There is no future for a country Isa Elezaj, PhD and lecturer in one-year project costing 20,000 Osdautaj had 500 copies of his with ad hoc visions,” Gerxhaliu University of Prishtina, criticised euro. Foreign trips: book “Poetry in Literature” print- told Prishtina Insight. the allocation of funds. “I am sorry But the most expensive project ed. He says he took part in the com- Rasim Bejtullahu, maths and to say it but there are numerous was the study on “Epic on Knights - Half the funds went on financing petition for funds and his position physics theorist in the Faculty of cases of professors that have Albanian cultural heritage monu- trips to conferences, mostly on his- did not give him an unfair advan- Mathematics and Natural Sciences, received grants, thinking they ments in the Balkans, Kosovo, tory and religion in Albania. tage. agrees and is also critical of the would get rich,” Elezaj said. Albania, Montenegro, Macedonia Rexhep Doqi took part in a con- “My work was exposed to profes- scheme’s priorities. and Serbia”, by Zymer Neziri. He ference in Tirana, Albania, last sional review by two external “From what I have seen, it looks Lack of funding: received almost 60,000 euro for this October on the Pellazg civilisation, reviewers and exposed, as all other like building the pyramid from the project. an ancient Balkan people, at a cost competitions, to external evalua- tip up,” he said. The National Research Two senior officials from the of 330 euro. tion by the ‘ad hoc’ committee of Programme was aimed at injecting MEST also benefited from the Nuridin Ahmeti researched the Scientific Council of the min- large sums of money into, and funds allocated for science. One has National Programme’s five “Catholic Clergy and Bektashi in istry and the minister,” he said. coordinating, research in Kosovo. published a book, and the second priorities the Albanian National Movement, Mjaku received 1,500 euro for a It was prepared by the National one took part in a conference in 1908-1912” in Macedonia in project that took him to Bosnia. “I Council of Science, which was cre- Bosnia. 1) Natural resources, energy December 2011 at a cost of 1, 500 applied and the commission decid- ated as part of the law for scientific Among the financed authors and environment euro. ed to finance my project. I have activity, which came in force in were two well-known politicians, 2) Agricultural production Frasher Demaj went to London applied several times but this time February 2005. The government Arsim Bajrami and Bajram and food safety from December 2 to 25 to research I was accepted,” Mjaku told and parliament approved the pro- Kosumi. 3) Scientific research in med- “The stance of British diplomacy Prishtina Insight. gramme in 2010. The director of the science and icine towards Albanians, 1878-1914”. The The ministry also paid another But funding for the scheme has technology department in the min- 4) Social and economic stud- cost of this research was 1,500 euro. 56,000 euro to establish an online fallen well short of planned levels. istry, Murteza Osdautaj, who is ies Afrim Gjeleja went to Austria library called ISI Web of In 2010 the programme received the responsible for the funding, told 5) Linguistic, cultural and last November to research on infor- Knowledge, a research platform to requested 1million euro, but in 2011 Prishtina Insight that the govern- historical study mation technology at a cost of 1,500 find, analyse and share informa- and 2012 the funds fell to 400,000 ment was interested in studies that Kosovo Women Want Justice, Not Flowers Kosovo’s Women Network called on Serbia to apologise for the crimes its police and paramilitary forces committed during the war in 1999. girls raped during the conflict. girls raped during the war,” she International Women’s Day, were representation of Kosovo. Kosovo’s Women Network direc- said. holding banners displaying mes- The women protesters said that tor Igballe Rogova, who organised Scores of women and girls were sages such as “Serbia should apol- the last agreement the Kosovo’s By Fatmir Aliu the protest, told the crowd that raped and sexually abused during ogize for the crimes committed in government signed with Serbia ever since the end of the war, the 1998-1999 Kosovo conflict by Kosovo” and “We don’t want flow- made them ashamed. women victims have been isolated both sides, the majority of them ers, we want justice for raped “Instead of asking for compen- by the negligence of the authori- Kosovo Albanian women. women during the war.” sation for war damage all these n a protest in Prishtina last ties both in Prishtina and Human Rights Watch found that Kosovo declared independence years, they should have been ask- Thursday, hundreds of women Belgrade. rapes were used as a weapon of from Serbia in February 2008, a ing for justice for the raped Igathered for over an hour in “We’ve been neglected, hurt and war and as an instrument to ter- secession which Serbia does not women," said Rogova, adding that front of Kosovo’s government blamed for 13 years. But the rorize the civilian population. recognise. Under EU brokered the Prime Minister Thaci, through Y building, asking for a pro-active women victims have nothing to be The protesters who preferred to talks, both parties agreed on a the integrated border manage- approach in talks with Belgrade, M blamed for. But they are not alone, demonstrate rather than, as they range of issues relating to freedom ment deal, has opened Kosovo's and justice for all the women and C we want justice for all women and said, receive flowers on of movement, and the regional borders "for our rapists to return." K 6 March 16 - 29, 2012 news

Spectre of Border Changes Still Haunts Balkans New policy paper suggesting frontiers may yet have to be adjusted in the region has revived debate on a hoary topic that never quite goes away.

the signing of the 1995 Dayton skeptical about changes in fron- the problems will stay,” agreed future. peace agreement for Bosnia and tiers. “If nothing radical changes Darko Trifunovic, from the “With Bosnia on one side, only Herzegovina in 1995, voices saying in Europe I do not see a possibility Belgrade-based Faculty for the Albanian issue is in the pic- By Darko Duridanski the two-entity state is not viable for change of the Balkan borders Security. ture. But that can be solved with a have regularly been heard. in foreseeable future,” he told “If this culminates, it might eas- peace conference where all Other hotspots include north- Prishtina Insight. ily overflow into Macedonia which Southeast European countries he German Institute for western Macedonia, populated Krenar Gashi, director of the is very fragile when it comes to agree to warn Albanian national- International and Security mostly with Albanians, Serb Kosovo’s Institute for interethnic relations,” he adds. ism that new borders are not TAffairs, GIISA, has stirred Northern Kosovo, Southern Development Policy, told Prishtina But after Belgrade and acceptable,” he says. controversy by suggesting that Serbia, where the majority is Insight that new borders would Prishtina reached an interim Prishtina-based analyst Gashi border changes are likely in future Albanian, Serbia’s Sandzak mean that 20 years of peace-build- agreement at the end of February also thinks the big problems can in the Balkans. region, which has a majority ing in the Balkans had passed in and Serbia resolved one of its last be resolved by countries in the Bosnia, Kosovo and Macedonia Muslim population, the north of vain, which no major internation- hurdles preventing its closer Western Balkans progressing were cited as the countries most Vojvodina in Serbia, where there al players are ready to swallow. access to the European Union, towards the EU. likely ones to face ethnic-political is a big Hungarian minority, parts But he says that the rise in ten- experts say the Kosovo issue has Although the European Union conflicts, according to the insti- of Montenegro, which have a sig- sions in some areas must not be been put on one side at least for a is slow to act and lacks unity, it tute’s research paper entitled nificant Albanian community, and underestimated. while. must not leave Balkan countries “Expect the unexpected”. even western Greece, home to a “Seeing that so many tensions Pendarovski thinks it is impor- out of the enlargement process “Another round of border large Albanian population. and conflicts in the Balkans tant for Kosovo to stay on the EU since “this leaves more space for changes is in the offing in the While Bosnia, Kosovo and remain active, I would not rule out integration road. nationalism to spark again. “The Western Balkans,” Dusan Reljic, Macedonia are clearly the that the big international players Otherwise, if Kosovo remains in EU through its foreign and Serbian analyst for GIISA wrote in hotspots, trouble could be avoided would consider it [a change in bor- a state of disintegration and is not enlargement policy could once his part of the paper entitled, if the countries stay firmly on the ders] at some point,” Gashi said. recognized for a longer time, this and forever be the guarantor of “Border Changes on the Cards EU path, experts say. Stevo According to Reljic’s paper, could prompt it to bid for territori- the current borders,” Gashi main- again in the Western Balkans”. Pendarovski, former security Bosnia is out of frame for now al compensation in south Serbia or tains. “Kosovo and Bosnia advisor to two Macedonian presi- because the possibility for recon- in Macedonia. “Macedonia then is Srecko Latal, an International Herzegovina are still fragile politi- dents and professor at the Skopje- ciliation there is greater than it is the weakest point and this kind of Crisis Group analyst based in cal entities, lingering in the status based University American in Kosovo and Macedonia. development can create big prob- Sarajevo, Bosnia, thinks that of Western protectorates, as is the College, believes the weakest point Reljic wrote that no serious lems in its western parts,” ideas about border changes Republic of Macedonia,” he is Macedonia but he does not see political force in Zagreb or Pendarovski says. should be seen mainly as specula- writes. border changes as likely. Belgrade supports the secession He says positive developments tion, as political maneuvers or A recent upsurge of tension in “We will not see any change in and then the annexation of in the region can come with just as the concerns of ana- Serb-run parts of northern Kosovo borders in the foreseeable future. Bosnia’s Serb or Croat regions. Serbia’s EU integration, which lysts. The roots of these radical has additionally rung alarm bells But if the borders really “move” in “Even more importantly, will be conditioned on Serbia cut- ideas lie in the unresolved ethnic, concerning possible new border Western Europe as mentioned in Bosniaks (Muslims), Serbs and ting relations with the Northern political, economic and social changes in the region. Such ques- the publication by the German Croats, speak the same language Kosovo Serbs who cannot survive issues in all Balkan countries, he tions have been on and off the institute, why should it not happen and share a great deal of cultural without Belgrade’s help. maintains. table in the Balkans for more than in the Balkans?” he told Prishtina commonality,” he wrote. “The second positive develop- Countries in the region can 20 years, ever since the dissolution Insight.“However, a change of bor- “Albanian, on the other hand, is ment is if Kosovo also obtains full make progress only by internal of the Yugoslav federation. ders in the Balkans is not possible a completely different language external recognition, then the agreement, tolerance, respect for This began in 1991 and during in a peaceful manner; the big pow- from Serbian or Macedonian and chances of an overflow of the cri- differences and stronger efforts to the 1990s resulted in the formation ers won’t allow it,” he added, not- the culture and traditions of the sis to the south will be drastically approach the EU, he opines. of six republics, followed by ing that the international commu- largely Muslim Albanians have lit- reduced,” he continues. “Otherwise, intolerance, ethnic Kosovo, which seceded from nity has invested great efforts into tle in common with the over- Trifunovic believes that the and political, will lead to margin- Serbia in 1999 with Western sup- gluing matters together in the whelmingly Orthodox Slavic eth- only way to halt talk of border alization, poverty and new agonies port. Balkans. nic groups,” Reljic wrote. changes for good is for all South for all peoples, ethnic communi- But ideas about new borders Balkan correspondent for the “There is a lot of hatred in East European countries to sit ties and citizens of the Balkans,” have never ceased to appear. Since Economist Tim Judah is equally Kosovo and if this doesn’t change round a table and agree on the Latal says. Kosovo Police Arrest Four PDK Officials Three municipal directors and a municipal assembly member in Vushtrri, all members of the governing Democratic Party of Kosovo, have been arrest- ed on charges of organised crime. Kosovo Police spokesperson abusing their official positions or In raids on a number of private municipality. Brahim Sadriu told Prishtina authorizations, influencing bids houses and other localities in The fourth arrested individual Insight that the Special Anti- and organized crime,” Sadriu said. Vushtrri, police confiscated one – the Municipal Director of By Fatmir Aliu Corruption Task Force raided the Sources from Vushtrri told revolver, ammunition, documents Public Services according to local offices of the officials and seized Prishtina Insight that the suspects and a laptop. media reports – was released on documents relating to the case. are the director of municipal A pre-trial judge at Mitrovica the order of the prosecutor. our senior municipal offi- “After several months of investi- inspectorate, the director of prop- District Court ordered restrictive All four individuals continue to cials in Vushtrri in northern gation, police raided the offices at erty and cadastral office and a measures on three of the sus- remain under investigation relat- FKosovo - three company the municipality of Vushtrri and member of the local municipal pects. ed to various criminal offices Y directors and a local assembly arrested four persons,” he said. assembly. All belong to the gov- The order prohibits them from including “Unlawful Occupation member - were arrested last M “The four are suspected of the erning Democratic Party of approaching the other defendants of Real Property, Abusing Official Tuesday on suspicion of organized criminal offences of illegal expro- Kosovo, PDK, led by the country’s in the case, as well as approaching Position or Authority, Trading in C crime and corruption, police said. K priation of municipal property, Prime Minister, Hashim Thaci. officials and the offices of the influence, and Organised Crime”. economy March 16 - 29, 2012 7 Ex-Minister Queries Missing Millions in Kosovo Power Station Deal

Former Energy Minister Justina Pula-Shiroka is criti- cal of plans to hand all prof- its from the Kosovo B power plant for six years to the private developer of Kosovo’s new lignite-fuelled station.

By Parim Olluri

ive days after the winning bid to build Kosovo’s new lig- Fnite-fired power plant, Kosova e Re, is revealed, Kosovo’s current power station, Kosovo B, will be handed over to the new plant’s private investor. For the six years, all profits from Kosovo B will be collected by the winner of the bid as compensation for making capital investments in building the new 600Megawatt facility, Kosovo e Re. A former energy minister, Justina Pula-Shiroka, has queried whether this represents a good deal, saying she opposed it when Kosovo A is set to be decommissioned as part of the government's plans to hand to build a new power plant. it was ratified by parliament. But Shiroka-Pula says the gov- Indonesia, AES Electric should continue to go to the state “Another benefit derived from Since leaving the government ernment estimates the profit for Ltd/Demir Export AS, from the budget, but this was not support- this, perhaps the biggest benefit, last year, she has become vocal in Kosovo B for six years is between US and Turkey, Park Holding, ed by the then transaction advisor is that if we have a single owner her opposition to the deal, also 162 to 340 million euro. from Turkey, and PPC/Contour [PWC]. we will avoid administrative bur- criticising what she calls med- “This amount exceeds the pro- Global LLP, from Greece, Britain “Giving Kosovo B allows for the dens and protocols and contracts dling by international advisors. jected capital investment in the and the US. investment of profits in the con- for common use,” PWC advised. As part of the plan, a new construction of the new power This tender is scheduled for struction of New Kosovo,” PWC A power purchase agreement power company, “Gen Co”, will be plant,” Shiroka-Pula said in a completion in 2012, led by a new said in answers given to Shiroka should be signed between “Gen formed, of which 75 per cent of July 2010 letter seen by this news- transaction advisor Raiffeisen Pula on July 27, 2010. Co.” and the company running shares will be privately owned paper and submitted to the gov- Investment AG, who will provide “In such a way the overall price the distribution network of KEK, and 25 per cent held by the gov- ernment-backed steering commit- advice during the year. is deducted for the construction of which is also being privatised. ernment. tee of the project. Pula-Shiroka, who was part of the new power plant. Through the Energy This new private firm will build “The calculations performed by the steering committee, rejected “The contribution of Kosovo B Regulatory Office, the govern- the new power plant and will at the transaction advisors [PWC] on the recommendations of the orig- in ‘Gen Co’ also enables the ment will have an indirect role, the same time refurbish Kosovo B. Kosovo B’s value are not convinc- inal transaction advisor, PWC, Government of Kosovo to ensure according to PWC, in monitoring This will then allow for the clo- ing and are unacceptable,” she regarding the six-year plan. a share in ‘Gen Co’ without hav- the agreement, including over sure of Kosovo A, which has been added. “The government is providing a ing to invest government funds, price rises. branded Southeast Europe’s According to the plan, after location and water for the private which are currently limited,” Meanwhile, civil society worst polluter. Kosovo e Re, which means “New investors who will build the new PWC wrote in documents seen by groups are also demanding that According to Pula-Shiroka, Kosovo”, is built and after Kosovo power plant,” Shiroka-Pula told this newspaper. Kosovo B be treated independent- transaction advisors B has been renovated, profits will Prishtina Insight. The government had planned PriceWaterhouse Cooper calculat- be distributed along the 25/75 per “It is unreasonable to add in initially to hold a separate trans- ly. ed that for Kosovo to retain 25 per cent of shares. Kosovo B in order to have 25 per action process for the privatiza- Nezir Sinani of think-tank cent of the shares in Kosova e Re, Despite the then minister’s dis- cent of the shares in ‘Gen Co’,” tion of Kosovo B. INDEP told Prishtina Insight that the private firm should receive 70 approval, parliament approved she added. But according to the transac- because Kosovo B remains prof- million euro from Kosovo B prof- the decision to add the Kosovo B She says the winning company tion advisor, PWC, this posed a itable, it should be privatised sep- its in order to fund its capital plant as part of the tender pack- will be able to obtain credit from risk, because it was possible that arately. investment in the new power age for the construction of the international financial institu- failure in one could derail the “There is no logic for Kosovo B plant. This would cover, they said, new plant in April 2010. tions to build the new plant and other. to be sold in a tender alongside all profits for six years. Four international companies will be able to pay off the loans PWC said linking the two this Kosovo e Re, thereby creating a PWC says this is the value of have meanwhile prequalified for with the profits drawn from con- would ensure better coordination monopoly of power generation, the profit that it estimates that the tender for the project. sumers’ electricity bills. between the rehabilitation of which at the end of the day will Kosovo B will make over that peri- These are Adani Power/PT The ex-minister two years ago Kosovo B and the decommission- disadvantage consumers,” he od. Adani Global, from India and proposed that Kosovo B’s profits ing or closure of Kosovo A. said. Kosovo Taxman Targets Petrol Pumps osovo’s tax authority will launch this The new cash registers will be linked to systems in Italy and Albania have been tions, but that the new registers could month a drive for new cash registers the petrol pump and provide details of the successful. prove too costly. Kto be installed at petrol stations amount of fuel supplied to the tax adminis- But petrol station owners are concerned "These devices, according to calcula- across the country. tration. of the price to install these new machines. tions, would be costly and difficult to Some 760 business are targeted as part of Behxhet Haliti, of the tax administra- Al Petrol already uses the original fiscal apply to all sales points in Kosovo,” he Y the drive to raise more tax through petrol tion, told Prishtina Insight that by June registers. said. M stations, which are already bringing in 4 they expect fuel pumps to be connected to Financial director Tahir Zogaj said He called on the government to provide C million euro a year. these new registers. He said that similar these aren’t well adapted to petrol sta- funding for the roll-out. K 8 March 16 - 29, 2012 neighbourhood - business Serbia “Leads” Rest of Bosnia Federation Balkans in FDI in 2011 Orders Probe into Foreign investors appear to see Serbia as the best place to invest in the Balkans right now thanks to its cheap labour and tax exemptions. Top Drugs Firm Bosnia's Federation entity government has ordered Edin Arslanagic's removal as head of Bosnalijek pharmaceuti- By Bojana Barlovac cals and ordered financial police to investigate the compa- ny forcorruption. erbia attracted more than 2 Bosnalijek's largest shareholder billion dollars worth of is the government of the SForeign Direct Investment in Federation entity, which holds 19.3 2011, the Chamber of Commerce has said. By Elvira Jukic per cent of the company. Other shareholders include Large foreign companies that funds and banks, which own some came to Serbia in 2011 include: 5 to 9 per cent of shares, and sever- Belgian retailer Delhaize, he director of Bosnia's top al companies and employees. German electronics company pharmaceutical company, If the supervisory board does Bosch, Italian manufacturer TBosnalijek, is to be removed not remove Arslanagic and the Benetton, US rubber and tire com- from his post and the company rest of the management, including investigated for financial irregu- pany Cooper Tires and Austrian one of his sons, the Federation’s larities and possible corruption, crystal company Swarovski. ministry of industry will urge the Federation government decid- The total net inflow of FDI in shareholders to decide whether ed at the session on March 7 in Serbia in 2010 amounted 1.16 bil- they trust Arslanagic. Sarajevo. lion dollars. Regardless of the decision of The decision was unanimous Milan Kovacevic, an expert in the supervisory board, financial after months of information gath- foreign investment, told Prishtina police are to conduct the investiga- ering raised questions about the Insight that the FDI figure includ- tion. management methods used by ed both direct investment and Bosnalijek is a successful com- Serbia's is proving popular with foreign investors, such as Benetton. Arslanagic, who has been running acquisitions (when a foreign com- pany which recorded a 2011 rev- the firm for the past two decades. pany purchases shares in a the amount of FDI it attracted last tax exemptions for foreign compa- enue of 55 million euro, 5 per cent “Our first conclusion is to call domestic company). year. nies," Kovacevic told Prishtina up from 2010. Their net profit that the supervisory board to organize With a sluggish economy and a Neighbouring Croatia used to Insight. year was around €3 million, which an urgent session and decide to high unemployment rate of was about 42 per cent up on the lead Southeastern Europe in for- According to auditing firm remove the whole management of almost 24 per cent, Serbia is previous year. eign direct investment before the KPMG, Serbia has another advan- the company,” Prime Minister At the beginning of 2012, counting on foreign investments 2009 global recession struck. tage - the lowest business taxes in Nermin Niksic said. Arslanagic said more than 50 per as a means to move forward and But, according to Kovacevic, Europe. “We are demanding that the cent of the company's total rev- halt the rise in joblessness. foreign investors now prefer The government also pays up to financial police investigate the enues in 2011 came from exports, In February, Serbian Prime Serbia instead. "Serbia has a good 13,000 dollars for each new job or business of Bosnalijek, as well as which increased by around 22 per Minister Mirko Cvetkovic potential for investors as it has a up to 20 per cent of the total some other related companies like cent in 2011, totaling some 28 mil- declared that Serbia had become big market, salaries are quite low investment in capital invest- Brstanica, Rhea and Royal lion euro. the regional leader in terms of and the government still provides ments. Express,” he added. Black Sea Gas Finds Boost Romania's Energy Prospects Major discovery of gas reserves in Black Sea gives Romania hope of becoming fully self-sufficient in energy. The Balkan country currently produces about 11 billion cubic metres of gas a year, representing about 80 per cent of its annual By Marian Chiriac needs. It imports the remainder exclusively from Russia. Bucharest is looking to reduce its newly discovered natural gas deposit dependence on Russian energy, mainly by in Romanian territory in the Black Sea diversifying gas supply routes. Amay offer the possibility of temporary Romania was a major oil producer back in total self-sufficiency in energy, as its reserves the 1930s. In 1937, when it produced 7.2 mil- are estimated to be six times Romania's annu- al consumption. lion tons, Romania ranked seventh in the Preliminary estimates put the undersea gas world in terms of oil production. deposit at anything between 42 and 84 billion Nowadays, Romania still produces some oil, cubic metres. Furthermore, four or five other at around 3.5 million tons per year, but this gas deposits will soon be revealed in the same level of production isn't nearly enough to area, according to officials. make the country self-sufficient. Romania has the prospect of obtaining total Now, facing a growing need for cash, energy independence. If several other Bucharest is planning to award new oil and deposits... have the same amounts of gas, as gas concessions in the Black Sea region. we suspect they do, our country will become a Alexandru Patruti, head of Romania’s source of gas for other countries in Europe as Mineral Resources Agency, ANRM, said well, President Traian Basescu said early this recently that the global crisis had kept week after visiting a drilling ship belonging investors away from auctions held last year, to energy company ExxonMobil. but he hoped that new blocks put up for auc- Exploitation of the Black Sea "Neptun" tion would attract investors. field, where ExxonMobil together with Romania awarded exploration licenses for Austria’s OMV Petrom will drill, is expected five offshore blocks in 2010, with OMV Y to start in 2015, after more examinations. Petrom, Exxon Mobil Corp, Petro Ventures M According to an initial estimate, the total Europe BV and Russia's Lukoil among the C amount of investment needed to exploit the companies searching for oil and gas in the K gas deposit could be about 10 billion dollar. Black Sea. Gas rigs could be built in the Black Sea to fuel Romania's energy needs. neighbourhood March 16 - 29, 2012 9 Imam’s Dismissal Divides Muslims in Albania Sacking blamed on leadership of Albanian Muslim Community's intolerance of more Arab-influenced followers. The split between the two groups started in the wake of the 9/11 terror attacks on America, when the government was forced By Gjergj Erebara to examine the background of for- eign Islamic charities operating in the country. lbania’s Muslim communi- While Arab organizations ty is embroiled in a row fol- propped up the cash-starved resur- Alowing the dismissal of gent Islamic community in the Lulzim Plloci, imam of the immediate aftermath of the col- "Mosque of the Madrasa" in lapse of Communism, Turkish Tirana, and its khatib, or preacher, Ferid Piku. religious doctrines have gained The move is perceived as part of favour since. Turkish Islam is regarded as an attack by the leadership of the culturally more in step with Muslim Community, MCA, which Albania’s Muslims and less vul- favours a so-called Turkish brand Albania's Muslims are embroiled in a battle between different factions. nerable to radicalized religious of Islam, on clerics educated in interpretation. Arab countries. the increase, while Arab influence criticizing the decision. "clan" interests, which aim to Private Islamic Turkish chari- Reacting to the dismissal of the is on the wane. “These Nursist are taking over destroy the multi-cultural nature ties have established religious and The MCA ruling removed the the whole Muslim Community,” of Albania’s Islamic community. two religious leaders, their follow- non-religious schools in Albania mosque from the authority of the said another, referring to the “The dismissive tendencies ers have taken to the social net- that have become known for good mufti of Tirana and placed it Turkish religious scholar transmitted by the MCA leader- works questioning the decision. discipline and high academic stan- under the authority of the Bediuzzaman Said Nursi, which is ship, will only bring conflicts Condemnation of the dismissals dards. madrasa, leading to the dismissal considered the inspirational fig- among believers, disturbing social has also come from the League of The madrasa of Tirana, like oth- of the two clerics. ure of the Gulen Movement. peace among them, while brewing Albanian Imams, a splinter group ers in Albania, is controlled by the “Imam Luli [Plloci] is not a bad Confirming his dismissal, Plloci unnecessary hatred,” the League from the MCA, which favours an SEMA, the religious foundation imam and in this mosque he has told Prishtina Insight that his sup- said in a statement. Arab brand of Islam. run by the Turkish Gulen move- done a lot of good work,” one of porters were organizing a group to “Imams are guides and educa- The MCA was founded in 1991 ment, which is known for building his supporters wrote on Facebook. oppose the decision. Meanwhile, tors for their followers and cannot following the collapse of Albania’s internationally educational sys- “Now we are learning that his the MCA declined to comment, be treated as mosques administra- Communist regime, which had tems. problem is that does not wear a arguing that the decision was not tors, which can be moved around, banned religious organization for According to observers of Western suit and won’t cut his newsworthy. dismissed or transferred as they 34 years, proclaiming Albania the Albania’s religious communities, beard in exchange for a mous- The League of Albanian Imams were working for a private compa- world's first atheist state. Turkish influence is definitely on tache,” the same supporter added, said the dismissals were based on ny,” the League added. Macedonia’s A1 TV Owner Words of Serbia's Late Jailed for 13 Years PM Djindjic Live On A Skopje court sentenced the owner of the now defunct pro-opposition A1 TV Nine years have passed since the death of Serbia's pro-Western Velija Ramkovski to 13 years in jail on four charges of tax evasion, criminal asso- Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic, but his bon mots live on. ciation money laundering and misuse of office. ented prime minister, Djindjic, who was assassinated in front of the government dants in the same case and gave one a probation building on March 12, 2003. sentence. Sentences vary from two years and By Bojana Barlovac At the same time, his thoughts and By Sase Dimovski, Sinisa Jakov three months to seven years. witticisms have been clogging up Marusic “The court found that the defendants con- erbian officials laid wreaths and Twitter and Facebook feeds, as many ducted criminal acts from 2006 onwards Serbs marked the anniversary by post- through the accounts of A1 TV and several flowers today at the grave of the Scountry’s first democratically ori- ing their favourite quote. he high-profile trial that started a year ago other companies” said Judge Pavlina Hristova was one of the largest and most controver- while pronouncing the verdict. Tsial in recent years. The court ordered that all the property of the Here are some of the most famous citations: The court jailed 21 of the 22 other co-defen- defendants be frozen and that they pay a soli- darity fine of a million euros in total. • “There are weeds in every country, but only in Ramkovski’s defence said it will appeal the Serbia they are being watered.” • “To be popular you must accept the risk of verdict in a higher instance court. unpopularity.” Ramkovski pleaded not guilty to all charges. • "If anyone believes that the enforcement of laws He claimed he was set up by the government of will be stopped if I am done away with, they are Prime Minister Nikola Gruevski for political very wrong, because I am not the system." reasons. • "Our objective is to have a transparent govern- He insisted that the evidence against him ment, as transparent as glass." was forged as the computers and documenta- • "The only answer to the lack of energy is – the tion from his firms were seized outside legal accelerated circulation of energy." procedure. • "Don't ask what your country can do for you. Ask The closures last summer of his A1 TV sta- yourself what you can do for yourself, and your tion and his three daily newspapers were wide- country will help you do it." ly blamed on government pressure. • "Once you start overtaking vehicles, hit the gas. Gruevski has denied this, saying the govern- Do what you believe is right, and not what the ment had nothing to do with it. Tax inspectors majority would support." said the outlets owed large sums in unpaid • "No more sleep. You cannot be world champions taxes. by sleeping. Sleep five, six hours, you do not need Ramkovski and seven of the 22 accused have more. You will sleep when you retire." spent almost 15 months in detention after • "When people are constantly being told: I love you police arrested them in December 2010. as you are, then such populism will get support, Most of the others were released after spend- and that is indeed irresponsible." ing several months in detention after rights • "We are still in the position of those who cut the whole forest and planted some groups voiced concern for their wellbeing. seedlings, and now are surprised that there is no shade." Police are still searching for Ramkovski's son • "As a man who had been kept under water for 50 years, wishing to gasp some air, Hedi and five others wanted in relation to the Serbia cannot be stopped on its path to oxygen, and that is Europe: a family of democratic, modern and developed countries." case. In absentia Hedi received a 7-year sen- • "Enlargement must not stop at the Balkans but must include the Balkans." Velija Ramkovski, above, will appeal is sentence. tence in jail. 10 March 16 - 29, 2012 Focus Macedonia

Macedonia Steps Back from the Brink Fears of all-out conflict may be easing in ethnically divided Macedonia, but no cure is in sight for the country’s endemic tensions. in 2001. pants in a village carnival in west- chosis that is being left to boil”. ruling parties, open or secret, That year Macedonia suffered a ern Macedonia donned masks However, as fears spread on the resulting in concessions on a cou- nationwide insurgency pitting the mocking the Muslim faith. internet of some kind of “spring ple of heated ethnic issues. security forces against ethnic The bad-taste parade angered offensive” on the part of ethnic One hot issue for ethnic By Sinisa Jakov Marusic Albanian fighters. the country’s predominantly Albanians, Pendarovski dismisses Albanians is the question of state The fighting only ended after Muslim Albanian community and this speculation as unwarranted. pensions for the former Albanian the brokering of the Ohrid soon after an Orthodox church The latest incidents “have no rebels in the 2001 conflict. ears of a recrudescence of Accord, which guaranteed greater was set on fire near the southwest- potential for wider destabilization Another is renaming streets in large-scale ethnic conflict rights to Albanians who make up ern town of Struga and a of the country or causing a similar the capital after ethnic Albanian Fare receding in Macedonia about a quarter of country's popu- Macedonian flag was torched. conflict to that in 2001,” he says. heroes and notable personalities. after police said the number of lation of about 2.1 million. The tensions gained further “The groups behind the violence Both issues have already been violent ethnic-related incidents However, while Macedonia momentum on February 28 when do not have serious backing from opened, and Albanian parties had dropped in the last 48 hours. seems likely to avoid civil war, a an off-duty Macedonian policeman influential political parties to want them pushed forward. The welcome news follows a cure for the country’s endemic eth- shot dead two young ethnic cause a wider stir,” he adds. But even if deals ensue on both week of Albanian-Macedonian nic tension in nowhere in sight. Albanians in the western town of Pendarovski blames Prime topics, “the mechanisms of the “incidents” in the capital and “Violence among ethnic Gostivar. Minister Nikola Gruevski and his ruling party for dealing with eth- other towns that have sparked Macedonians and Albanians is not Protesting Albanians later centre-right VMRO DPMNE party nic tensions will not improve in worries about the future of ethnic new but is a consequence of sys- described the killings as ethnical- for allowing tensions to mount by the next years”, Pendarovski pre- harmony in the country. tematic segregation in the schools ly motivated and accused the ignoring the need to nurture the dicts. Police say they have arrested and elsewhere, conducted over a police of downplaying their signif- ethnic relations. And some go further, including more than 30 suspects so far, con- number of years,” Xhabir Derala, icance. “The Macedonian side has total- the possibility of an escalation. fiscating a sizable arsenal of head of Civil – Center for Last week more reports arrived ly forgotten the spirit of the 2001 “The violence won’t stop and the weapons and even some firearms. Freedom, a local NGO, says. of continuing low-level violence. accord, which dictates close con- security situation will get worse,” While current tensions may be “On top of that, young people in Victims included an 18-year-old sultation with the Albanian com- Derala, from the Civil – Center for easing in the short term, some this country are pumped full of youth and a 19-year-old, stabbed by munity over important issues,” he Freedom, warns. observers lament a long-term nationalism by institutions of the unknown perpetrators in Skopje maintains. “Metal bars and baseball clubs trend towards poor political man- state,” he adds. in two separate incidents. Mono-ethnic projects centred on may easily be replaced by guns,” agement of Albanian-Macedonian Derala’s organization has been On Wednesday masked men the Macedonian majority, such the he adds. relations. at the forefront of a nationwide armed with baseball bats stormed “Skopje 2014” project, intended to Prime Minister Gruevski mean- But while those same experts campaign against the widespread a commuter bus in Skopje and beat revamp the capital, have “alienat- while on Sunday rubbished accu- blame the politicians for foment- civil use of firearms. up several young ethnic ed Albanians from the state,” he sations that the authorities have in ing ethnic intolerance, they do not Macedonia’s ethnic relations Albanians. adds. some way condoned the attacks so believe the incidents will spiral up have been put to the test since the Hours later there were two other Security expert at Skopje’s that they can later appear as “fire- into a repetition of the armed con- start of the year when partici- similar fracases on other buses, Faculty for War and Peace Studies, fighters” and as heroes. flict that the country experienced resulting in more injured people Biljana Vankovska, sees a degree "I've heard that such claims are ending up in hospital. of orchestration behind the inci- being made, especially on social “I do not exclude the fact that dents, and a conscious attempt to networks and I’m stunned,” the some people in Macedonia wish to show that Macedonians and Prime Minister said. disturb inter-ethnic relations,” Albanians cannot live together. “I dont think I’ve never heard Police Minister Gordana “This is no spontaneous out- more stupid statements.” Jankulovska said on Wednesday, burst of rage from ordinary people But Derala says that the claims urging “a calming of tensions”. who all of a sudden decided to put are missing the point. But despite the appeals for calm hoods over their heads and start “The government does not have coming from politicians and inter- beating people,” she says. to be the actual and physical national representatives, violence “This is an obvious tactic of organizer of ethnic hatred and continued. destabilization and it is astonish- violence in the country while still In the following days several ing how easily they have succeed- being responsible for it,” he main- minors were beaten or stabbed, a ed,” she adds. tains. policeman sustained light knife “Each group hits innocent and He argues that both Gruevski injuries intervening in a brawl random targets, intentionally and his Albanian coalition part- and a man in his sixties was spreading the psychosis and pro- ner, the Democratic Union for attacked. voking the same kind of reply Integration, DUI, have nurtured Stevo Pendarovski, political from the other side,” she notes. nationalist resentment amongst Y advisor to former presidents Boris Observers predict that the their supporters - while at the M Trajkovski and Branko recent tensions may be defused by same time happily sharing the C Crvenkovski, laments a “bad psy- fresh political deals between the spoils of government office. K Police have been seizing weapons off the streets of Skopje. Focus Macedonia March 16 - 29, 2012 11 New Street Battle Splits Macedonia’s Capital A bid to rename hundreds of streets is stirring a heated ideological and ethnic debate in Skopje.

after the ancient warrior king as well as after his father, Philip. Although last year’s decision to erect a By Sinisa Jakov Marusic giant statue of Alexander in Skopje angered neighbouring Greece, which says Alexander is an exclusively Hellenic figure, the VMRO or the first time in the two decades DPMNE government of Nikola Gruevski still that have passed since Macedonia insists that he belongs in Macedonia’s own Fdeclared independence from pantheon and thus deserves a street or two. Yugoslavia, the capital is getting ready for Another novelty is the inclusion of names mass changes in the names of its streets. of 19th and 20th-century nationalists who in On Monday the city council of Skopje, the Communist era were denounced as reac- working behind closed doors, approved tionary servants of foreign interests. some 240 new street names proposed by the Such figures include Todor Aleksandrov ruling centre-right VMRO DPMNE and its or Vanco Mihajlov, both members of the ethnic Albanian junior partner, the Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Democratic Union for Integration, DUI. Organization, VMRO, which fought for Officials from both parties say that a list Macedonia’s independence from Ottoman of about 1,000 new names is in the pipeline. rule but was in some periods closely linked to While the ruling parties, holding a majori- Bulgaria. ty on the city council, justify the move by Both were previously considered too pro- appealing to a need to reflect the reality of Bulgarian in their beliefs and thus undeserv- Macedonia’s statehood, others are deeply ing of hero status. concerned. Interestingly, while the ruling party has The main opposition Social Democrats say A row has erupted over plans to rename streets in Skopje. not forgotten to include one former they suspect that the move forms part of a Macedonian Communist leader, Krste In a recent interview for the daily newspa- Trencevski, head of the Dostoinstvo bid to write off important figures linked with Crvenkovski, it also wants a street named per Dnevnik, the DUI vice-president, Izet [Dignity] veterans association, said, refer- Yugoslavia’s anti-Fascist wartime struggle “Victims of Communism”. Mexiti, revealed that his party has already ring to the National Liberation Army, the and subsequent Communist history - and None of that is music to the ears of the made a “gentlemen’s deal” with VMRO armed formation of the former Albanian replace them with controversial names that Social Democrats, the party seen as the DPMNE concerning the inclusion of rebels. fit the ruling party’s nationalist ideology. direct successor to the old League of Albanian heroes. Trencevski says it is wrong to equate for- An additional, separate controversy con- Communists of Macedonia. Streets named after the 15th-century mer rebel paramilitaries with the security cerns the battle to include names drawn from They fear that the renaming process forms Albanian warrior George Kastrioti forces of the state. the Albanian community, who make up part of an agenda to create a different nation- Skanderbeg, the prize-winning writer Ismail The small rightist opposition VMRO- about a quarter of the country’s population al identity for Macedonia, which includes Kadare, former Albanian Prime Minister People’s Party holds the same line. It recent- as well as about a quarter of the population discrediting important figures from the past Hasan Prishtina and the 19th-century ly proposed 58 street names, honouring of Skopje. who made a real contribution to the country. Albanian revolutionary Dervish Cara are Macedonian war veterans killed in the con- The inclusion of their heroes may prove “Important elements of Macedonia’s state- thus likely to be approved by the city council, flict in 2001. most problematic of all as a little more than hood are being put into direct question,” sources told Prishtina Insight. But Besim Hoda, from the Association of a decade ago, in 2001, the country saw a short Gordan Georgiev, vice president of the Social There have also been proposals to name Albanian War Veterans, says his people want but bloody armed conflict between Democrats, complains. streets after the Albanian capital, Tirana, their version of the struggle commemorated. Macedonians and Albanian rebels. “The ruling parties have an obligation to and the Kosovo capital, Prishtina. “Our struggle was for the improvement of As the bidding for new names heats up, respect the deeds of historic figures who con- But VMRO DPMNE remains cagy about the the position of the Albanians, not for street observers urge caution, arguing that too tributed to the formation of the Macedonian terms of the deal, which could yet unravel. names,” he says. “But it would only be fair if much ethnic and ideological bickering over state,” he adds. Macedonia saw an armed conflict between our killed fighters got their own monument street names could lead Macedonia into Albanian insurgents and Macedonian secu- in Skopje as the Macedonian veterans did uncharted territory. This party says now is not the right time to rity forces in 2001. The conflict ended the last year.” But government officials say something draw up new street names en masse, and it same year with a peace accord that guaran- They, too, have supporters on the city coun- has to change. charges VMRO DPMNE with being too secre- teed greater tights to Albanians and amnesty cil. The ethnic Albanian opposition “Many streets in Skopje were named after tive about the entire operation. As an alter- for the Albanian fighters. But the whole issue Democratic Party of Albanians, DPA, has people or events steaming from the old native, the party proposes that all new names remains controversial and sensitive. included names of dead Albanian fighters in Communist ideology,” one VMRO DPMNE be put to a referendum. According to Mexiti, one of the main its own proposals. member of the city council told Prishtina The last attempt to rename some 40 streets points of the deal was that both parties have Meanwhile scholars advise caution. Insight. in Skopje in 1993, shortly after Macedonia agreed not to propose names that might irri- Violeta Ackovska, history professor at “There is no point in honoring bureau- became independent, ended in fiasco when tate the other side. Skopje University, says changing street crats from the past regime and with this the Constitutional Court annulled this move, This includes names of fighters, or sol- names is a natural process that must be han- move we aim to change that.” citing procedural errors. diers, killed in the 2001 conflict who may be dled with delicacy. The official did not wish to give his name, As a result, Skopje’s central square, which martyrs in the eyes of one community and “Unlike some countries like Britain, which partly because the ruling party has not clari- then was renamed "Macedonia Square", is terrorists in the eyes of the other. have not changed their political system for fied its position on the future renaming of still formally named after the former Neither war veteran organization is happy centuries, history in the Balkans is turbulent the streets. Yugoslav leader, Marshal Tito. One novelty in the proposals is the inclu- So is Macedonia’s main street, which peo- with that announced compromise as both and each change in the political system sion of figures from the Classical Antiquity – ple now call “Macedonia Street” but is offi- ethnic Macedonian and Albanian veterans brings its own heroes,” she notes. all designed to fit the government ideology cially still listed as “Marshal Tito Street”. think their heroes are being unjustly omit- She argues that a consensus needs to be that today’s Macedonians are the heirs to Apart from the ideological clash between ted. reached that a person chosen for the honor of Alexander the Great. the two main parties, the announcement that “The deal between VMRO DPMNE and having his or her street has played a positive They want streets and boulevards named Albanian heroes will be included has trig- DUI is shameful because it puts us in the role in the country’s history. gered additional controversy. same basket as the NLA,” Zvonko “One needs to be very careful” she says. Question Mark Hangs over Nigeria, Uganda Recognitions The recognition of Kosovo’s independence by Nigeria and Uganda remain unconfirmed, months after they were announced by Deputy PM Behgjet Pacolli.

acolli, who has been touring African Insight that “the verbal notes are pending”. at 85. notes, but he was unable to provide copies of states seeking recognitions, announced Opposition politicians have said that Vjosa Osmani, member of the opposition them to Prishtina Insight. Pthe diplomatic successes following Pacolli’s announcements were “frivolous” LDK party and former advisor to ex-presi- “What I can tell you is that we as an office official notes from the presidents of both and risked angering countries which were dent Fatmir Sejdiu, said: “This is contrary have good cooperation with the Ministry of country. about to recognise Kosovo. to diplomatic practice and can irritate these Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Kosovo. But Kosovo’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to receive the “verbal note”, which While on the MFA’s website there are 88 states, who perhaps are truly willing to With this cooperation, we consistently redi- indicates the formal establishment of diplo- countries listed as having recognised recognise us.” rect all correspondence with the countries of matic relations. Kosovo's independence, at the last meeting Jetlir Zyberaj, advisor to Pacolli, said that the world, with which we work for the recog- Officials from the MFA told Prishtina of UN’s Security Council the figure was put the MFA was misinformed about the verbal nition the Republic of Kosovo,” he added. 12 March 16 - 29, 2012 feature Albania’s Nationalists Corner

Graffiti in most countries is part of the artistic weapon- ry of the rebellious, leftwing counter-culture – but not in Albania, where so far it’s mainly being used to send nationalist messages.

By Marjola Rukaj

eso and Sane are graffiti artists from Albania. Both Breturned home after many years spent studying and living abroad. But there is a significant differ- ence between them, for Beso uses graffiti to express nationalist viewpoints while Sane paints weird-looking creatures and believes art has a social and politi- cal context. Graffiti artists are a new phe- nomenon in Albania. But in the last few years their work has start- ed penetrating Albania’s urban milieu, especially the cities of Graffiti by the Albanian football supporters - Kuq e Zi - often has a nationalist flavour. "It's good to be an Albanian," reads the graffiti. Durres and Tirana. Most graffiti artwork in Albania Hip hop or nationalism: live everywhere. But I am Illyrian, I’m a nationalist and want to sup- graffiti are maps of ethnic, or so far has been done for “Tifozat Tirana is my home, so I came port Albanian nationalism,” he greater, Albania, and accompany- Kuq e Zi” (“Red and Black”), a Beso, one of Albania’s best- back,” he explains. told Prishtina Insight. ing similar slogans. nationalist group. known graffiti artists, grew up in Concerning his graffiti, he One of the Tifozat Kuq e Zi But not all graffiti makers are It seems like a bid by the group Rome, where he studied law. expresses a very different point of members that didn’t want to be part of the nationalist movement. to make itself look more attractive Part of a multi-cultural graffiti view from that of the Roman com- named said “We spread our mes- Some feel more part of the hip-hop to the kinds of youngsters who group in Rome, he belonged to var- munities of which he was once sages through graffiti tags. At the world and use their art to express like graffiti and hip hop. ious subculture communities and part, which tend to espouse typical beginning there was just Beso and feelings of rebellion. Other than that, Albanian graf- centres before moving back to hard-left views. few other boys, but now there are One teenage graffiti writer from fiti rarely have much of a political Tirana recently. “I’m out of politics but I some- many of them”. Kukes who works under the name or social message. “In Rome I learned that I could how do politics with my graffiti. He adds that the most common of Crime Game says he learned his Schengen Red Light Leaves Romania Despite strenuous diplomatic efforts, Bucharest again failed to secure entry into the passport-free zone, leaving Romanians wondering who is to blame – Brussels or their own leaders? Romanians. zone. On February 2, the day Serbia the European Union in January “Romania is not trying to veto “The decision to block Serbia’s that officially won EU candidate 2007, had hoped to be part of Serbia's candidacy but we do want accession to the EU could be a tit- status, European leaders again Schengen by 2011. But France, By Marian Chiriac to stand in defence of minority for-tat retaliation against the delayed a decision about Germany, Finland and The rights in the Western Balkans,” Netherlands for blocking its mem- Romania’s entry into the Netherlands opposed the move. Foreign Minister Cristian bership of the Schengen area," Schengen area, this time until The first three countries have Diaconescu claimed. journalist Elena Vijulie speculat- nternational relations are September. since dropped their opposition but Two days later Romania with- ed. often likened to a complex Romania and Bulgaria joined the Netherlands has remained drew its veto after both countries She recalled that Romania once Igame of chess. Players move their pawns in one direction so signed a protocol on minority threatened to stop Croatia’s acces- that their bishops or queens can rights, beefing up protection of the sion to the EU if various countries move in another - and clinch a sur- 40,000-strong Vlach community, did not reconsider their opposi- prise victory. only some of whom consider tion to Romania joining the Romanian officials have been themselves Romanian. (Others Schengen area. playing their own diplomatic think of themselves as Serbs). To most diplomats in Brussels, chess game lately - but if there is a Belgrade finally clinched its Romania’s diplomatic perform- grand strategy, no one can quite coveted status as an EU candidate ance was unimpressive. work out what it is. country on Thursday night. “You have to be a 19th-century At a meeting of EU foreign min- Romania’s opposition to Serbia nationalist to believe this sort of isters in Brussels on February 28, came as a surprise as the two garbage,” one diplomatic source Romania unexpectedly held up an countries are generally considered was quoted in the Economist mag- agreement on awarding Serbia EU allies. Romania is one of only five azine as saying, referring to candidate status, annoying the EU countries that have refused to Romania’s sudden concern for the other diplomats present. recognise Kosovo's independence. position of the Vlach minority in Bucharest queried the decision As far as most analysts were Serbia. on Serbia, demanding fresh guar- concerned, Bucharest’s motives in And while Romania was trying antees concerning the rights of Brussels had little to do with the to score points by drawing atten- Serbia’s Vlach minority, an ethnic position of the Vlachs in Serbia tion to the Vlach issues, it failed to minority group who speak a and more to do with Romania's win over opponents of its entry Romance language and who are frustration about being excluded into the passport-free Schengen considered by Bucharest as ethnic from the passport-free Schengen area. Romanians still need a passport to travel into the Schengen zone. feature March 16 - 29, 2012 13 Market in Graffiti

craft from a cousin abroad. His graffiti are among the most elabo- “I’m not a nationalist though I’ve done rate to be seen, representing strange fanta- graffiti for Tifozat Kuq e Zi,” he says. “But sy creatures. He has done graffiti for many the main reason I do graffiti is because I’m of the trendiest bars and shops in Tirana. part of the hip-hop subculture.” He says he doesn’t feel part of any par- “Nero”, a 16-year-old graffiti artist from ticular subculture, and explains that in Tirana, has other motives. “Most of us Albania the critical and social context for write our names everywhere. I think graffi- that is lacking. ti consists in that - the fact that I can write “I don’t think there is a hip hop subcul- my name everywhere. It’s an expression of ture in Albania. We don’t have a true my rebellion,” he says. ‘underground’ scene because we all are underground, and we’re not demanding Social context missing: changes,” he explains. Robbery Sk, the only female graffiti Hidden in the sea of nationalistic mes- artist in Albania, studied art in Florence sages, other forms of graffiti art are to be and paints mostly in Durres. Her graffiti seen, mainly the work of artists who have are the most socially engaged ones to be come back from studying abroad. seen in the country. Graffiti by Crime Game Meanwhile, Sane, one of the oldest graf- “To me graffiti is very direct way to com- fiti writers in Tirana, studied art in the municate with the public. Graffiti should inspired by Albanian reality, and less by Netherlands, where he emigrated aged 13. be inspired by reality, and communicate to American movies about hip hop. He came back to Tirana three years ago, people,” she says. “If artists say they’re not interested in No legal problems aged 25. Unlike most other graffiti artists, this 22- social and political reality, what they’re ometimes graffiti are painted “I’m an artist, and graffiti is to me a year-old takes a keen interest in Albanian doing is just decoration, not art,” she away by the authorities, but no technique, like any other, to express myself politics and social problems. maintains. Sofia Kalo, an Albanian scholar in Sgraffiti artist has yet been with,” he says. She feels graffiti artists should be more Massachusetts and an expert on Albanian arrested because of graffiti writing. contemporary art, is critical of the new As graffiti are relatively new to phenomenon in Albania. Albania, they are not described in the “Most graffiti in Albania are just slo- Albanian penal code. Paragraph 154 on gans,” she says. violation of property, doesn’t even men- “Most of what graffiti writers do in tion it. Albania reflects the passivity that “I have never had problems with the Albanians themselves show towards social authorities though it is part of the injustice, abuse, suffering and corrup- excitement while writing. The worst that tion.” has happened to me is that people had This article is funded under the BICCED painted my graffiti away the next day”, project, supported by the Swiss Cultural Programme. says Beso. marketing

Graffiti by Sane Frustrated 

NATIVEENGLISHSPEAKER/TEACHERWANTED adamant, calling for more tangible Treaty, we are not asking for a blank progress in the fight against corruption. cheque,” Basescu said. TheLearningInstituteinKosovo(LIK)isthefirstlanguageschoolinKosovotoofferEnglish In defence of their position, Dutch offi- Bucharest insists it now meets all the languagetuitionprovidedsolelybynativespeakers. cials cite repeated European Commission technical criteria needed to control its  progress reports on stalled judicial more than 2,000km-long border, including Established during the summer of 2011, LIK has quickly earned a reputation of providing reforms and inefficient battles against cor- with non-EU countries Ukraine and               ruption in both Balkan countries. Moldova. qualityinstructionandthedemandforitsserviceshavegrown. Last week, the President of the President Basescu has crossed swords  European Council Herman Van Rompuy with Holland before in recent months, LIKislookingforanenthusiastic,nativeEnglishspeakertojoinitsteam.LIK’snewteam did have some consolation for Romania pointing out that Holland, not Romania, memberwillbeflexible,andpossessexcellentinterͲpersonalskills. and Bulgaria, saying the EU had made had legalised prostitution and drug use. progress regarding the two countries’ Reacting to Dutch worries over  Schengen accession bids. Romania’s ability to guard the EU’s bor- Ifyouareinterestedandwouldlikefurtherdetails,pleaseemailyourCVto: "After intensive preparatory consulta- ders, Basescu said in January: “The main  tions in the last weeks, we now have a harbour for drugs entering Europe is roadmap,” a Council press release cited info@learningͲinstituteͲkosovo.com Rotterdam, not Constanta [on the Black him as saying.  Sea] or Tulcea [on the Danube River].” European Commission President Jose Not everyone in Romania is happy with Youmusthavetrainingand/orteachingexperience,andbecertifiedtoteachEnglishasa Manuel Barroso was equally placatory, the way Romania is conducting its own foreignlanguage. saying that accession to Schengen was a matter of time and trust. “The time has particular diplomatic chess game.  come to lift all obstacles and this must hap- “The President’s remarks were inappro- ClosingdateforapplicationsisFriday,23March. priate and will only worsen relations with pen soon,” he said. Allcandidateswillbenotifiedofthestatusoftheirapplicationby7April2012. Despite these soothing words from key The Netherlands and other powerful EU EU officials, Romania’s reaction was still countries”, political analyst Bogdan  angry. Chireac predicts.  Speaking at the end of the two-day “We need to understand what happened, European Council meeting in Brussels, and stop lying to ourselves that we meet President Traian Basescu said Dutch the technical criteria,” he adds. opposition to Romania’s accession to the “The current government and Traian Y border-free area was an abuse of an EU Basescu have to take responsibility for the M member country. fact that Romania’s Schengen entry has C “We expect Holland to respect the EU been delayed again.” K 14 March 16 - 29, 2012 feature Trailer About Tito’s Space Plans Thrills Ex-Yugoslavs The trailer for a Slovene docudrama that suggests America bought its space programme from Tito’s Yugoslavia has had almost a million net views. Prishtina Insight spoke to authors Bostjan and Ziga Virc.

with facts in Houston, We Have a and American publications. Problem, which intends to claim The authors insist they care that a Yugoslav space programme little about the fuss they have By Andrej Klemencic was sold to Washington just generated, saying they are focus- years before Apollo landed on the ing more on collecting money for Moon. the actual film and choosing loca- Key “facts” behind the project tions. wo young Slovenian film are documents that testify that Clearly aware that the trailer makers, Bostjan and Ziga Yugoslavia was buying rockets has had an impact, the brothers Virc, have not only given a T are somewhat secretive with from the US, the existence of an new dimension to conspiracy theo- their answers, saying only that ries about President Tito's role in underground military base near they hope the complete project the Cold War era space race. They Bihac, in northwest Bosnia, and will hit the screens in 2014. have also created one of the most Tito's visits to the US space significant Internet phenomena in agency NASA. Asked about the incredible years. The authors pay particular popularity of the clip, the broth- Judging by the immense popu- attention to a claim that Tito ers admit it has surpassed their larity on the Internet of the trailer received a rock from the Moon expectations. “We had no idea the for their forthcoming film, hun- from the crew of Apollo 11. trailer would become this popu- dreds of thousands of ex- Media in the region are having lar,” they say. Yugoslavs appear fascinated by the a field day guessing how much “We basically launched it to idea that their country played a money the US might have paid attract potential investors. We key role in the space race – and for this hitherto unknown also had no intentions to be delib- that Americans only landed on the Yugoslav space programme, host- erately sensationalist. We have Moon thanks to a programme ing shows where experts discuss been developing the project care- secretly purchased from what Yugoslavia's internal issues and fully, step by step.” was then a Communist country. foreign politics at the time. The Bostjan and Ziga say the proj- The Virc brothers freely admit subject has also received cover- ect began as something quite dif- ferent. “First Ziga wrote a that they are combining fiction age in several leading European screenplay for a feature that was supposed to be based on explo- Conspiracy or fiction. Did Tito really help the US put a man on the moon? rations of the Slovene space pio- neer Herman Potocnik,” Bostjan space compound. Despite accepting that there said. The US space historian Bill might well be a heavily fictional “We were interested in his Barry, meanwhile, says connect- element to their work, the Virc book, The Problem of Space ing up the facts about presiden- brothers do genuinely believe Travel, published before the tial visits and the arms trade in that Yugoslavia had its own space Second World War, which was such a way as to indicate that programme. then taken, probably by America’s space programme had “Many facts speak in favour of Americans, from Potocnik's its origins in Yugoslavia is to our claim. We can’t say to what Vienna apartment in 1945. “What wander very far from reality. extent Tito succeeded in his we wanted to do was a feature, The Virc brothers say they are space ambitions but we believe but when we started exploring not too hung up about facts, they he was a mediator for joint space the topic, we came on so many just want to make a good film. projects of the USSR and the US.” checkable facts that we decided “At this stage of the project, it The authors say no clear budg- to do a docudrama, combining is less important if all informa- et outline for the film is yet in fiction with facts.” tion we believe to be facts is accu- sight, but believe they will obtain It is what the authors call their rate,” they say. support from partners in “facts” that are mostly hotly dis- “We are mainly focused on Croatia, Austria and Germany. puted by various experts. making a good film. We are sure, They are also counting on The lawyer of Tito’s heirs, however, that many of the facts Slovenian and European film Goran Petronijevic, for example, will turn out to be true. After the funds. insists that no rock from the trailer was released we were The fact that Ziga was nomi- Moon is to be found in the list of approached by many people, nated in 2010 for the Honorary President Tito’s belongings. bringing valuable information.” Foreign film Award of Academy Bozidar Spasic, from the Asked to elaborate more on of Motion Picture Arts and Yugoslav secret service, also dis- that point, the brothers say that Sciences for best Student Film putes the claim that the Bihac more will become known when might attract potential finan- A new film delves into myths around Yugoslav involvement in the moon landing. underground air base was a the film is released. ciers. Survey Reveals Nostalgia For Life in Old Yugoslavia Many former Yugoslavs believe that life was better and jobs easier to get by in the old days - though Croats and Kosovo Albanians are not as nostalgic as Serbs and Bosniaks.

born in 1991, as Yugoslavia fell apart. political system of the former Yugoslavia or be strengthened within the EU. Apart from the younger group in Croatia joining the European Union, most Serbs Most people from both generations said By Marija Ristic and Kosovo, most of the other younger peo- prefer the old Yugoslavia option. contacts and good relationships with other ple believe life for their parents was better Bosniaks and Montenegrins viewed former Yugoslav countries were important. than their lives are today. either community equally, while citizens of Levels of trust between nations, especial- They also feel that there were better Kosovo said they would prefer life in the EU. ly between those that participated in the survey of attitudes towards the old employment opportunities in the past than However, the younger group in all coun- wars of the 1990s, remain low. Yugoslav state by the European Fund today. tries believe they will get better education People from Kosovo, Bosnia and Croatia Afor the Balkans shows that many peo- In spite of this nostalgia for the former within the EU than their parents got under have little trust in Serbs, while Serbs and ple - Serbs especially - look on the former Yugoslavia, most members of both genera- communism. Montenegrins least trust Albanians. socialist federation with a distinct feeling of tions see the disintegration of Yugoslavia as Most members of both generations say Over 4,000 people from Serbia, Croatia, Y nostalgia. inevitable, with the exception of the older EU membership will not influence their Bosnia, Macedonia, Kosovo and M The survey included two generations of generation of Serbs and Bosniaks. national identity while Kosovars, Albanians Montenegro participated in the survey con- C people, one group born in 1971 and the other Asked to choose between returning to the and Macedonians believe their identity will ducted in September and October 2011. K guide March 16 - 29, 2012 15 Hilltop University Threatens Ohrid’s UNESCO Status Prominent architects say plan to build a university in the heart of the town, called Plaosnik 2014, could jeopardise Ohrid’s place on UNESCO’s list of world heritage sites. ering 7,800 m2 of land, with an ini- Heritage Protection Office, Donka tial financial input of 9 million Bardzieva Trajkovska, says the euros, to be finished by 2014. location should not be treated as a By Aneta Risteska Architects say the grand project free building site but as an archae- is not aiming to reconstruct ological locality, protected by law. authentic buildings from the past. “We suspect that behind the They say its style strays far from ‘systematic archaeological ime may be running out for the town’s traditional architecture research’ that is preceding con- the lakeside city of Ohrid to and from the old Slavic church struction, the terrain is being Tstart taking due care of its building tradition. ‘swept’, so that room for new build- outstanding cultural heritage, They say it is also unacceptable ings can be created,” she said. which contains traces of early and to slap futuristic structures on top “If electric and telecommunica- Medieval Christianity at every of one of the country’s most val- tion installations are included, as step. ued archeological sites. well as the construction of addi- Ohrid risks losing its UNESCO status The Association of Macedonian Members of the association tional underground structures, Architects warns that if a change construction of buildings that “We are putting maximum have complained before that Ohrid the collateral damage [to the site] of heart does not happen soon, the completely fit into the architec- effort into protecting the terrain is being urbanized irrationally will be irreparable,” she warned. picturesque city of Byzantine ture of Ohrid and the Ohrid and more and more citizens are and without due consultation with UNESCO added Ohrid town and churches and basilicas could risk Archbishopric in the context of joining our cause,” she said. architects. Lake Ohrid as cultural and then deletion from the prestigious list sacral edifices from the 11th to “Given that we will abide by the In this case they argue that a natural World Heritage Sites in of UNESCO world heritage sites. 14th century, including the old city law, there is no danger that any location such as Plaosnik does not 1979 and in 1980. Architects say a compromise architecture still present in excavated remains will stay unpro- allow for any such urban expan- Ohrid is one of only 28 UNESCO needs to be reached concerning Ohrid,” Kuzman told OhridNews. tected,” Buntasevska added. sion, adding that UNESCO can World Heritage sites that are listed the conflicting demands to pre- “It all represents a symbiosis The head of the National hardly be expected to turn a blind as both cultural and natural rari- serve Ohrid’s authentic heritage that won’t disturb the ambience,” Commission of UNESCO in eye to such an intrusion. ties at the same time. The list con- as well as allow for its growth as a he added. Macedonia, Lidija Topuzovska, The protesters say the authentic tains 936 sites in total. tourist resort and as a modern He concedes that the project is maintains that following adoption architecture of Ohrid will be vir- Milan Gjurcinov, a member of town. not flawless but says its construc- in 2010 of a special law on manage- tually eclipsed by an estimated 20 the Macedonian Academy for The latest construction plan tion respects Macedonian and ment of the Ohrid Region as a new erections. Sciences and Arts, MANU, who worrying them is the project overall Slavic culture, adding that world cultural and natural her- One prominent medieval build- was born in Ohrid, says the gov- dubbed Plaosnik 2014, which and only time will tell whether itage site, and another such law in ing, the church of St Panteleimon, ernment project is an enormous envisages the construction of a this project is justified or not. 2011, Ohrid’s position on the is in most immediate danger, they mistake. university complex on the hill It is also maintained that all UNESCO list should be safe. say, as according to the plans it “Ohrid has been gradually los- above the old core of the city. archaeological relics uncovered She admits not having seen the will be surrounded by tall new ing its recognizable spirit, which The university is designed to during the digging at Plaosnik will exact architectural project for buildings. affects me as a citizen of Ohrid,” symbolise the resurrection of the be properly preserved and present- Plaosnik 2014 but believes every- Some earlier project versions he said. “No one consults scientif- old centre of Slavic literacy that ed. thing will match regulations. even included ultra-modern con- ic institutions for advice, nor can once existed there in the 9th and For now, activities are at a stand- “In case there is any oversight structions built of glass and metal. they influence the actions of the 10th century. still during the harsh winter but we would have no excuse because However, the authorities have authorities,” he added. The government-funded plan excavation will continue afresh in we have laws in place,” she said. since opted for plans whose But Pasko Kuzman, head of the envisages the erection of faculties spring, Tanja Paskaleva She suggests that what the proj- facades at least match Ohrid’s tra- Bureau for Protection of Cultural for theology and social sciences, Buntasevska, director of the ect needs now is strong supervi- ditional architecture. Heritage [under the culture min- museums, galleries, a conserva- Office for Protection of Cultural sion and strict adherence to the UNESCO is already on the alert. istry], and one of the designers of tion school, monuments and con- Monuments at the Ohrid Museum, law. During her visit to Macedonia last the project, disagrees. ference halls. says. “It is becoming increasingly dif- summer, General Director Irina He told the OhridNews news A so-called St Clement Garden, Also one of the creators of the ficult to maintain standards and Bоkova warned that any dramatic portal in August 2011 that the crit- named after the Byzantine-era Plaosnik 2014 project, she insists the supervision,” Topuzovska told and exaggerated alterations to the ics had not seen the real project scholar and missionary who 11 that the project won’t endanger Prishtina Insight. skyline could result in Ohrid’s plans but only “its interpreted centuries ago established the first Ohrid’s UNESCO status. The last time that UNESCO deletion from the UNESCO list. false depictions”. university in this area, is to be “The constructions aren’t tall deleted a city from its list was in “We should be very careful He says none of the planned planted in the pine forest on and also aren’t very near the 2009. when Dresden was crossed when it comes to the protection of buildings is higher than two Plaosnik hill. church of St Panteleimon,” she off after a bridge with four lanes heritage and its conservation, storeys and academicians, archi- The problem is that all this is noted. was built through the city’s pro- which is something we should tects, art historians and other supposed to be built on top of a She also suspects that many of tected core. work on, and maintain authentici- experts have taken proper care of valuable archeological dig. the critics have not seen the origi- This article is funded under the ty,” she said at the time. the design. The plan is for the project, cov- nal project but only some inaccu- BICCED project, supported by the The head of the Cultural “The selected project envisages rate depictions in the media. Swiss Cultural Programme. Albania Blast Trial Sentences Disappoint Victims expressed disappointment after a explosion occurred after workers, court in Tirana jailed Dritan often untrained and low-paid Minxholi, manager of the muni- women and children, tried to weld By Besar Likmetaa tions demolition plant, for 18 several metal carriages used to years. transport heavy munitions, close It also jailed the former head of to containers filled with explo- ictims’ families have Albania’s arms exports agency, sives. protested against the sen- Ylli Pinari, for 18 years while Immediately after the explosion Vtences handed down by Tirana district court for the blast Mihal Delijorgji, owner of Alba- it emerged that Alba-Demil, the on March 15, 2008 in the village of Demil, the firm managing the company that ran the factory, bla- Gerdec, which killed 26 people and plant, will serve ten years behind tantly disregarded safety rules. The scene of the devastating blast in Gerdec. wounded more than 300, saying bars. The investigation led to criminal done. verdicts for 19 defendants, includ- they were too lenient. The court sentenced Albania’s charges being filed against 29 peo- “Everybody can kill today in ing company officials, of impris- Family members of the dead former army chief-of-staff, Luan ple, ranging from abuse of power Albania for greed, because this onment between one and 18 years victims of 2008 explosions at an Hoxha, to six years in prison. to murder. Prosecutors had sought precedent shows that they won’t on charges of gross mismanage- ammunition disposal factory that The explosion ripped through a a life sentence for all three, who receive the proper sentence,” the ment and other related offenses. killed 26 people are seen at the former army barracks used as a were accused of murder. statement said. The series of explosions on March Tirana district court, Albania, collection point for old Chinese The families of victims who “With this verdict justice not 15, 2008 at the disposal factory in Monday, March 12, 2012 | AP and Soviet-made shells that a local were present during the trial only was late in coming but it has Gerdec, near Tirana killed 26 peo- Y Photo/Hektor Pustina company was demilitarizing to issued a statement condemning also failed to deliver,” the same ple, left 5,500 nearby homes dam- M Families of victims of the dead- extract the metal. the sentences as too light and com- statement added. aged or destroyed, and also injured C ly Gerdec blast in March 2008 According to prosecutors, the plaining that justice had not been The Tirana court issued guilty 302 people. K 16 March 16 - 29, 2012 Prishtina Insight

Where to pick up Prishtina Insight?

A taste of Napoli in Prishtina. Hotel Prishtina Prishtina Insight has After ten Hotel Prishtina’s teamed up with these years of mak- 43 charming guest excellent venues to ing pizza in rooms and suites Napoli, and are reminiscent of offer a limited num- only with love a small hotel in the to blame, European tradi- ber of complimentary Fatmir the tion. You'll immedi- copies of Kosovo’s chef returned ately feel at home to Prishtina. in our living room, only English-lan- His pizzas, sipping a glass of guage newspaper. made in a wine in our fine woodburn restaurant sur- Grab a copy of the stove, are defi- rounded by a publication and settle nitely genuine gallery of paint- napolitanas. ings by local down with a drink or For those who consider pizza to be boring, Fatmir has several artists. a meal to read it. pastas on offer, also a true joy for the taste buds. Napoli has an The hotel offers excellent selection of red and white wines or, for the more ambi- free, fast wifi inter- tious, one of the region's best quince raki. Napoli makes for deli- net, complimentary cious lunch, dinner or even after-theatre time out in the centre of breakfast, confer- Prishtina. ence room, swim- ming pool, sauna Pizzeria Napoli and laundry serv- off Luan Haradinaj, opposite Newborn ice. 044/409-402402

Hotel AFA Te Komiteti Located in a quiet neighbour- hood just outside the city centre, Te Komiteti’s large trees and a Hotel Afa can guarantee guests a beautifully garden, which sur- peaceful night while being within round the small outdoor terrace, walking distance of all the action. give you an impression of an The venue has won a host of awards exclusive place for ordinary peo- for its excellent service to cus- ple. And this is exactly what it is. tomers and offers a good range of From brunch to lunch-time snacks facilities, from an exclusive restau- and special evening meals, this rant and VIP bar to pretty, tranquil restaurant offers dishes compris- gardens. Rooms start at 45 euro for ing quality, varied ingredients, a single, and luxury rooms and combined to perfection. Alongside apartments are available. The one of Prishtina’s best ‘modern hotel’s rooms are well appointed European’ style menus, you’ll also and comfortable. find a good selection of wine, and great sangria and cocktails . 15, Rr Ali Kelmendi, Te Komiteti Sunny Hill, Prishtina Qamil Hoxha Street +381 38/225 226 Prishtina www. hotelafa. com +381 38 24 96 63

Restorant Brasserie Lura Paddy O’Brien’s

At 450-metres squared The staff at Paddy O’Brien’s have a saying: “It’s easy to walk in, but very hard Restaurant Lura is as spa- to leave.” cious as you get in Prishtina. And with its warm atmosphere, fantastic range of drinks and excellent food, it It’s also surrounded by the is easy to see why. towering trees of Germia There have been many attempts to establish a proper Irish pub in Prishtina, and offers a pleasant garden but this is the only one to hit the spot. where, in the summer, this From classic coffees to cocktails, via, of course, Guinness, you really wont eatery prepares food al fres- find it difficult to select the perfect co. It’s large meeting room is drink. also ideal for that private A mouth-watering menu of Irish lunch or dinner. specialties is also on offer, spanning The combined style of clas- from all-day breakfasts to Irish sical and modern interior stews at night. leaves you with an impression Options include shepherd’s pie, of refined taste. bangers and mash, fish ‘n chips, The newly opened restaurant is already famous for its Mediterranean special- and whopping great burgers. ties, exquisite seafood and fine selections of Italian, French and local wines. But Thursday is pub quiz night, but that’s not all, for music lovers, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night dinners there is always something going on at are accompanied by jazz, whereas on Saturdays local patriots can enjoy live tra- the pub, whether it is sport screen- ditional Albanian music. ings or just a good shindig. Lura Restaurant Paddy O’Brien’s Str. Nazmi Gaffuri • 10 000 Prishtina • +381 (0)38 763 763 ; +386 (0)49 763 763 • Tringe Smajli Street, by the Y www.lurarestaurant.com Illyria Hotel M [email protected] Prishtina: 045-420900 C K By Donjeta Demolli March 16 - 29, 2012 17 in Prishtina Timeout Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like your event to feature or to advertise your venue. Email [email protected]

Oda Theatre Dodona Theatre

Every Thursday 7.30pm Every Tuesday at 8 pm Alvin and the Chipmunks Çifti i Hapur is being staged Every day at 4 pm Tre Gjermanët e Trashë II with the text of Italian authors Kino ABC continues screening the movie “Alvin (Three Fat Germans II) Dario Fo and Franca Rame, and the Chipmunks” by the director Tim Hill. directed by Kushtrim Koliqi In a tree farm, three musically inclined chip- Thanks to this play you will understand “What A man proposes to his wife munks, Alvin, Simon and Theodore, find their did Brigel say when he asked for a drink?”; “Why to eliminate the concept of tree cut Hans didn’t let him drink Mojito?”; “How did Gani marital loyalty and create an down and experience his 21st snow?”; “Is Vukashin really “open relationship” in their sent to Los Ukshin?”; “Does KFOR-ja still work for KFOR or lives. The woman rejects this Angeles. she just loves him?”; “How did Hekuran boil eggs in and after several attempts at Once the middle of the North Pole?”; These and other suicide, she decides to accept there, they events you can see in the play “Tre Gjermanët e her husband’s offer because meet the Trashë II”. it’s the only way to remain frustrated married. The man is happy. songwriter Author: Lirak Celaj; Producer: Florent Mehmeti; He, no longer needs to hide David Roles: Naser Rafuna, Adrian Morina, Kushtrim his girlfriends and is released Seville, and Sheremeti, Lirak Celaj, Fisnik Ademi, Ard Islami, from feelings of guilt. Now despite a Arta Selimi, Florent Mehmeti. everything is democratic and poor house open. Everything goes well wrecking until the day when the woman first impres- If It Was a Play finds the love of her life, sion, they which is what her “modern” impress him Friday, March 16, 2012 husband cannot accept. with their At 8pm Cast: Edona Reshitaj and singing tal- Besart Sllamniku; Costumes ent. Based on the drama by Almir Imshireviq. Director: Agon Myftari. and the setting: Njomza Luci. Seeing the On bus number 4, during wartime in Prishtina, a 26 years old, wearing jeans, is near Composer: Trimor Dhomi; opportunity hotel Union, when a sniper bullet breaks the glass and shoots the youngster in the neck. For more details email for success, A lady wearing white, who was next to him starts to scream. When she sees the blood in [email protected]; both human and chipmunks make a pact for them her shirt she faints. Two hours later she is seen again at the Great Mosque, near caffe [email protected] to sing his songs. While that ambition proves a “Romantika”, but this time in the company of a younger friend who tells her “I some- frustrating struggle with the difficult trio, the times do it even fourteen times!” dream does come true after all. Starrimg Rebeka Qena, Adrian Morina, Armend Ismajli, Besnik Krapi. However, that success presents its own trials as their unscrupulous record executive, Ian Hawke, For more information call +381 (0)38 246 555 or write oda@teatrioda.com. plans to break up this family to exploit the boys. Can Dave and the Chipmunks discover what they really value amid the superficial glamor around them?

Take Me Home Tonight Every day at 6 pm, 8 pm and 10 pm. ABC Cinema has started screening the 2011 movie Take Me Home Tonight by the director Michael Dowse, starring Topher Grace, Anna Faris and Dan Fogler. It's the late 1980s, when Wall Street is rid- ing high, and it seems PRISHTINA DIARY as if the entire coun- FRIDAY, MARCH 16, 2012 try is cash- Hamam Jazz Bar, 9 pm ing in on Oscar Salas Quartet bumper prof- For reservation call +377 (0) 44 its. 222 289 or +381 (0) 38 222 289 Disgusted Te Veni, 9 pm with the With the winner of The Voice materialism of Albania 2012 Rina that sur- Bilurdagu and Visar Kuqi For reservation call +377 (0) 45 rounds him, 361 210 Matt Hardrockers Club, 9 pm Franklin, a Hyperclown with Etrit Haxhiu brilliant - vocals/guitar, Astrit Abrashi young MIT - Lead guitar, Shpetim Smolica graduate, – Bass, Erin Godanci – Drums has walked out on his well-paid position at a local lab SATURDAY, MARCH17, and taken a low-level job as a video clerk, 2012 much to his father Bill's consternation. And Hamam Jazz Bar, 9 pm the crises keep piling up in Matt's life. His Nicolas Cante concert best buddy Barry has just been fired from his Nicolas Cante (FR) performs a job, his brainy sister Wendy is getting blend of jazz, pop, techno, and hitched to her vapid boyfriend Kyle, and the electro-acoustic with his gorgeous Tori Frederking, long-time object of piano. Matt's unattainable adoration, is suddenly For reservation call +377 (0) 44 back in the picture. Now, on one wild, woolly 222 289 or +381 (0) 38 222 289 and irresponsible evening, everything is Te Veni, 9 pm coming to a head, with explosive results. Live weekend with Pentagrami & Anita Ahmeti Y M For any further questions or reservations call at For reservation call +377 (0) 45 038 243 238 or visit them at www.kinoabc.com 361 210 C K 18 March 16 - 29, 2012 Inside Prishtina Kosovo Museum under Investigation Prosecutors are investigating whether 500,000 euro provided to Kosovo’s national museum has been misused, Prishtina Insight has learnt.

By Lulzim Ahmeti

he Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports suspects that funds from five Tprojects carried out by the museum were misused. The State Prosecution has confirmed that it is investigating the matter. The most serious charges relate to the fact that the museum failed to send bills for expenses, have made allegedly suspicious contracts for services and had spent money earmarked for capital investments on subsi- dies. Liridona Kozmaqi, spokeswoman for the state prosecution, confirmed that the muse- um was being probed. In 2010, the museum received 500,000 euro from the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports for five projects, including the digi- talisation of music. Shasivar Haxhijaj, adviser to the Minister of Culture Youth and Sports, said that the funds were provided on the basis of a mem- orandum signed between the two institu- tions. But the ministry believes that in all these projects, funds have been misused. “We have had our suspicions that these was a problem in the MYCS, that they are about this issue," he said. funds have not been used appropriately, and not pleased with the way the Museum has Hadri insists that the relations between for which they were intended,” said reported one year ago, and that they didn’t him and the ministry "are good". Haxhijaj. give any new project subsidies for 2011.” He added that the ministry has sought a But he said that he had refused to carry special audit by the Office of the Auditor out a special audit of the museum as that marketing General of Kosovo. was the responsibility of the ministry. According to him, appropriate measures He said that what was needed was a better will be taken depending on the contents of framework for the relationship between the the report. ministry and cultural institutions, some- “Reporting on the 500,000 euro has not thing he had lobbied for in 2010. been done properly”, said Haxhijaj. “What we have done earlier, in 2010 I An internal audit, carried out for the think, is presented a memo to the MYCS and Museum of Kosovo, in 2010, which Prishtina Ministry of Finance and we had a discus- Insight has seen, reveals several problems sion all three together about the need to with accounting process. have much healthier relations between the According to the audit, the museum pro- MYCS and culture institutions. vided a financial report without “invoices “The whole set-up of the culture sectors is and other evidence of expenditure”, and based on a legal framework that is very diverted funds to other projects. inconsistent, not up-dated at all, and which has clear contradictions between the estab- Auditor finds Irregularities lished laws for the culture institutions, the general law on cultural institutions, the law Auditor General Lage Olofsson said that on public financial management, so the an earlier audit had find irregularities in whole situation is very shady,” he said. accounting practices at the Museum but he This memo also revealed a number of said that it is the responsibility of the shortcomings in how the museum and the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports to ministry handled their businesses. manage its finances well. His organisation, He said: “When we were looking at the he said, will not be provided a special audit, museum we saw that were a number of the as requested. shortcomings on how the MYSC treated “They [The Ministry] should have agree- these things, we noticed procedures related ments with culture institutions of what to the way subsidies should be used and shall be done and how they should report. spent which were unclear, we saw that trans- “They should control the use of the subsi- fers were made between different categories dies – this is responsibility of the ministry within the ministry going outside of the and the ministry should also should assist normal responsibilities, [we saw] shortcom- them with the internal audit.” ing in the follow-up and monitoring of the He said that it is very clear that the min- projects. istry has a responsibility to take this matter “When it comes to the reporting from the to the prosecution if it believes there have Museum, we think that this should be devel- been irregularities, but it was not the Office oped to secure trust,” he added. of the Auditor General’s job to provide spe- “We saw a number of discrepancies when cial audits. it comes to evidence of the payments, we “When it comes to my responsibility: my saw that the use of services contracts leaves responsibility is to audit the MYCS doubt about whether the money goes to [Ministry of Youth, Culture and Sport] and third actors, a lack of clarity on reporting,” how their public financial system work in he said. “All these things we have reported Y practice. This we have started, as every year, to the minister.” in September and it will end in June. M Director of the museum Arber Hadri says “During this process under the interim C the matter was closed eight months. "When audit, we of course recognised that there K the auditor's report comes out we can talk 19 Inside Prishtina March 16 - 29, 2012 Abeja: Half a Century Charly Loufrani, a Journalist at ZFD Forum in Kosovo. Grooming Prishtina In his 50 years tending to Prishtina’s hair, Abeja has mastered styles ranging from “punk” to “Tarzan”, coiffeured three generations of the same family and picked up 300 God children. Prishtina through the Eyes of: the Eyes through Prishtina

What surprised you most about Prishtina? There is always something going on. By Korab Basha Korab By

ened the blades as we had no sometimes culled a mullet". "There What's your favorite hangout? razors then.” weren’t a lot of barbers who knew I like Tingell Tangell and Dit‘e’Nat, but I´m also a usual cus- Abeja is well known for his neat how to cut this style, " he added. tomer at Tirona and Martini. And Road 66 is great for hangover By Meti Hajrullahu shop and pristine appearance – he “If that time were to return, half food. always wears a tie. “Us artisans of the barbers today would drop had to set an example back then,” their job because they do not know Do you do anything cultural? Yes ! I´m learning to play Çiftelia! I usually like the exhibi- beja – arguably Prishtina’s he said. nor can finish these hairstyles In 1979 he opened his first shop off,” he said. “Neither do they tions in Tetris, The Alternative Cultural Center in Gracanica is best known hairdresser – also a great place. Ahas mastered all the styles Moda, which means fashion. It know how to shave with blades or in his five decades of scissor-based was easy to decide the name of the how to sharpen them.” What is the most annoying thing about Prishtina? artisanry. Tarzan, Italian, punk – shop as Abeja had become famous Abeja is nearing his 65 birthday. The smell of burning coal in winter he has been asked to recreate all for trendy hairstyles over the He still has a few old customers the weird and wonderful follicular years. that he grooms and shaves, but the trends of the past half century, he “I started on my own, and then majority is done by his sons today. If you were mayor of Prishtina for the day what would told Prishtina Insight. later on my kids would come after Now he spends most of his time you change? Only a few in Prishtina don’t school. So today they have their with his nephews, taking walks I would like to start a large building insulation campaign. it know his barber shop Moda in own apprenticeships. and following his religion, Islam. could create jobs, and people could save energy and stop having Dragodan, which he opened in “I have three boys who also work Abeja says that his children these insanely expensive heating costs in winter. 1979 by popular demand. in this artisanry and now even my have it easier. “Back then, working Among those regulars who come nephews have begun to take up the with scissors in order for you to How many macchiatos do you drink a day? to be groomed, shaved and art of being a barber ,” says Abeja. build up a hairstyle was very diffi- I can drink 6 or 7 in a good day.... trimmed are football legend Fadil Their shops are now scattered cult, now it is easier with an elec- Vokrri. throughout the city and Abeja’s tric machine, all you have to do is What's the tastiest Kosovar food? Most know him as “Abeja” – family has become synonymous set it to one or two depending on Fresh grilled trout, definitely! Then, tava, and homemade which means Uncle in Albanian with barbers. the length.” ajvar, of course. but is also used as a term of affec- Abeja has seen many changes For Abeja, hairdressing remains tion – but his real name is Bahtir over the years. Customers once an art. What landmark do you use to tell taxi drivers where you Berisha. came to him with a single request - live? It was in 1963 that Abeja first to dye their hair with an oil that Megasport. tried his hand at a shop owned by was known as “QiqkovoUlje”. Jusuf Gjilangjia. Barbers were not “There was a time when no one Spring in Your Step common then and Prishtina was left the shop without this oil,” said home to just five in total. Abeja. “While we shaved them, we Prishtina’s “My father liked to take me to would write up the haircuts that the barber. Jusuf, who owned the would be paid at the end of the alfresco cafes shop at the JNA road, was a friend month.” have sprung of his and there is where I learned He revealed that he has also cut the artisanry of a barber for five the hair for three generations of back to life years,” Abeja said. the same family. “I shaved the head after one of “Then I left for the military in of the house, he brought his son Split, Croatia. When I came back I and he brought his son. I am the the coldest worked where the statue of godfather of 300 children who have winters in Skenderbeg is, near the National had their hair cut for the first time Theatre.” by me,” he said. three His father’s suggestion then During Abeja’s time he has seen decades. became his profession and his pas- punk hairstyles, “Italian” and sion throughout the years. “Medium” cuts. “I have shaved Temperatures “It was different back then,” many politicians, now quite a lot are expected said Abeja. “You had to wake up of internationals as well,” he said. early. At 6am people left for work One famous customer of his is the to reach a and came by to get shaven and left celebrated football player, Fadil balmy 16 for work clean, unlike now. Vokrri, who was known for his “We had to open our shop early hair long. degrees this so that we could prepare the equip- The Youngsters once preferred weekend as hair in the style of “Tarzan”, ment beforehand. And we sharp- spring sets in. By Beta By If you would like your NGO to appear in 20 March 16 - 29, 2012 our Making a Difference feature, please Opinion email [email protected] Macedonian Salad Needs a Fresh Start Our response to the recent rise in ethnic tensions must involve rediscovering part of what we really are.

tence; from Sweden, we can bor- Naum to Kriva Palanka, via row the model of the welfare Skopje, in the middle of a working state; from France, the conviction day. It worked in the Baltics, so By Igor Stefanovski that the people are stronger than why not the Balkans? After some- the government; and from thing like that, I doubt we would Portugal, the de-criminalisation believe in the choreographed, far- of all drugs (which Time and cical politics we have here, or in n certain parts of the world, Forbes magazines assessed as a those who orchestrate them. particularly in the success since it halved the num- I look forward to the day when IMediterranean and in South ber of drug addicts and gave the we accept that living in this coun- America, the name Macedonia police more time to chase real try requires interethnic coexis- conjures up images of a mixed criminals instead of beating up tence. The day when we realise fruit salad (Macedonia de frutas), teenagers in parks). that the fact that Macedonia also not of our region, or of Alexander We need something radical but means a mixed fruit salad is the Great, or the problems regard- positive. We need something uni- something that we should be ing the name of our country. fying, but not the kind of unity proud of, because there is nothing Thus, when I tell an Italian, that arises from tragedy. We need better than a freshly made fruit Frenchman or Mexican that I am civic action that will prove to our salad. Unfortunately, the fruit from Macedonia, within 10 sec- politicians that we are stronger salad that is currently on offer is onds they tell me what the word than they are and will make it far from appealing. We do not means in their language. I then Macedonian salads come in many forms. clear that they have gone too far want to see it, let alone eat it. explain that this is so because US until two years ago), and has Have we not had enough of with their games and manipula- Fortunately for us, the best fruit many different nations/cultures become a so-called demo- Hollywood-style choreographed tion. Something to show them grows right here, on Macedonian lived/live relatively successfully Christian state [as VMRO-DPMNE inter-ethnic fights on Skopje’s that we hold the power. That they soil! We just need to choose the in the region called Macedonia. describe themselves] in a multi- Kale Fortress, or broadcasts mod- are nothing without us. best and ripest crop, wash it and They smile and say “You learn religious/cultural/ethnic land. elling themselves on America’s One of the most inspiring acts slice it, and then mix it together something new every day, right?” Herein, arguably, lie the roots of Fox News, which set out to main- of people power that I am aware by following an old country Right. Life would be very the many internal problems. tain fear and convince us that our of is the Baltic Human Chain that recipe. tedious without some form of On the other hand, here on the neighbour is to blame for our sit- was made between Estonia, According to Wikipedia new information every day. But old continent, things are differ- uation? Latvia and Lithuania on 23 (Macedonia-food), our name was unfortunately, in Macedonia, ent. If we take a look at some We need a fresh start. We need August 1989, when 2 million peo- popularised as a reference to fruit we’ve been hearing the same old countries in the European Union, a new future in which we will not ple, organising themselves with- salad in the late 18th century, things in recent years; a broken we have Finland and Denmark, be held hostage by the current out the use of the Internet and alluding to the various peoples record, as the English would say: where over 85 per cent of workers impasse, a future in which we mobile phones, held hands over who lived in Alexander the “You have to change your name are members of unions (as will say, “Let’s try something new, 600 kilometres. In doing so, they Great's empire (as well as the before anything else"... opposed to 12 per cent in the US). something different!” Let us let the government in Moscow Ottoman one). If we really want “Tomorrow there will be inter- Then there is Sweden, a country adopt some of the liberal, know that they wanted freedom, that name for our country, why ethnic war"... “Growing mis- with one of the best administra- humane policies that are working democracy and a peaceful split not try to maintain one of the ery”... “This is not going to end tive and health systems on the well in the states of the club that from the Soviet Union, while at meanings that it has worldwide? I well"... planet. In fact, 19 European coun- we want to join, because clearly the same time they attracted glob- await the day when we bring out Meanwhile, the political par- tries are ranked higher than the the ones we have employed thus al attention. Perhaps most impor- our best fresh fruit and present to ties, who are well aware that this US on the global list of life far have not worked. tantly, they showed an unshak- the world the spectacular brand situation of a frightened, expectancy. We also find the And there is so much to choose able solidarity existed between that is Macedonia! repressed people suits their pur- example of Belgium, which, due from in the European Union: the peoples of the three countries. poses, blame one another, using to inter-ethnic problems between From the United Kingdom, which Just imagine a column made up Igor Stefanovski is a graduate the exact same vocabulary. In so the Flemish and the Waloons, pre- has the highest number of inter- of Albanians, Vlachs, of the Master’s programme at the doing they only serve to strength- ferred to spend 541 days without a racial marriages, we can take the Macedonians, Roma, Serbs, Institut Européen des Hautes en their own power and image as government rather than bowing example of interethnic coexis- Turks, all holding hands from St Etudes Internationales. the only saviours. to extremist calls for disintegra- Where has it brought us, the cit- tion. izens of Macedonia? To a situa- Furthermore, in one EU coun- tion of good guys and bad guys, try prostitution is legal, and this Space allocated for the New Kosovo power plant. patriots and traitors, war and is not in some grey and dubious peace - of everything being black Eastern European member or white. A blood feud lasting ad states, but in The Netherlands, infinitum. Worse, it appears that one of the six founders of the there is no escape, no light at the European Union! The Dutch end of the tunnel, while the dark- police also do not enforce the laws ness continues to deepen, even against marijuana (thus result- though we always say that it can- ing in de facto legalisation), and not get worse. all varieties of the "herb" are sold So, where is salvation and does in so-called "coffee shops" right it exist? Yes it does. As the saying next to police stations, while goes, it’s darkest before dawn. prostitutes work wall to wall with Then where should we look for expensive law firms. But visitors this salvation? Within ourselves, to The Netherlands do not find a of course. But whose example land full of junkies and syringes should we follow? lying on the street. It is a civilised Seeing that we are striving to country where the authorities enter the European Union, per- have simply concluded that crim- haps we should start there. inalising certain human “needs” Unfortunately, however, we have does more harm than good. been looking for salvation in a So, why not accept these open model on the other side of the and liberal sides of Europe? Why Atlantic. In fact, one of did we not embrace the European Macedonia’s biggest problems is form of capitalism, which we had the fact that it is following this to some extent under Yugoslavia model even though it is one of the (with a strong national health oldest parts of Europe. system, unions, protected work- Consequently, it is now a country ers' rights), instead of allowing where workers are treated like this merciless US version to take Y tools rather than human beings; a over? M country that until recently had no We should look to Europe, not C law on minimum wage (like the K across the ocean, for inspiration. March 16 - 29, 2012 21 Opinion If you would like your NGO to appear in our Making a Difference feature, please email [email protected] Outside In Has Serbia Made up Its Promaja – Mind at Last? By obtaining EU candidate status, Serbia has sent an important signal - but the real test will be the mem- The Wind of bership negotiations, as they will require a deeper transformation of society, writes Sonja Biserko, President of the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights of Serbia. Change Russia’s support and encouragement, peared from Serbia in the last two which featured prominently on the years. Serbian political scene throughout the By being granted candidate status By Sonja Biserko year, was of crucial importance. Serbia will be able to finance certain But the activism of the anti-European projects by gaining access to two new bloc at last prodded the international components of pre-accession funds – for By Kreshnik Hoxha community, above all Germany and the human resources development, encom- y meeting the conditions for EU United States, into action. On 9 passing education and social inclusion, candidate status, Serbia has at last December, the German chancellor, and for agriculture and rural develop- defined its strategic orientation n an attempt to tackle the scorching heat B Angela Merkel, blocked Serbia's bid for ment support. The second component is after nearly three decades. Being granted in the living room, my Kenyan housemate candidate status in order to round off official candidate status is the beginning of particular importance for Vojvodina. IMaureen decided to open a window. the process of recognizing Kosovo as an of the end of a policy that brought Serbia Serbia now faces serious challenges It was freezing cold outside, and a five second independent state and thus stabilize to a dead end and total isolation. because the forthcoming negotiations opening was sufficient for the alarm bells to ring that part of the Balkans. Although This policy was the result of Serbia's are much more demanding and will de in my head – what was this icy wind current? I Serbian strategists had not bargained failure to come to terms with the new facto call for a fundamental transforma- instantaneously dashed to the window in order for such a counter-stroke, they have international conditions that set in dur- tion of society. Following the granting to block the “Great Satan” from entering our realized that the Kosovo issue is an ing 1989-91. Serbia misinterpreted them of the candidate status, there is no abode. insurmountable obstacle on the coun- as an opportunity, as it could not gain deadline for opening negotiations: that “You can get dangerously ill from that!” I try’s road to candidate status. mastery of Yugoslavia, to reorganize depends on Serbia and on agreement yelled at Maureen. the Balkans to its liking. Although this In the aftermath of 9 December, the among EU members. anti-European bloc launched an offen- “What? From opening windows?” she replied, seemed possible in the 1990s, it has This is why it is important that a date confused. sive against candidate status and the for the start of negotiations be set as proven unrealistic. Ever since, the I, of course, was shutting out the dreaded evil EU. A leading part was played by former soon as possible. The negotiations are a international community has been feared by all Balkan grandparents, the scapegoat working to cut Serbia down to size, prime minister Vojislav Kostunica, major, challenging step, necessitating for many mums of the former Yugoslavia. Yes, something Serbia has resisted even whose book Zasto Srbija a ne Evropska serious reforms and controls and we were faced with Promaja. But, trying to since the downfall of Slobodan unija (Why Serbia and not the detailed negotiation of EU accession explain that to a Kenyan proved quite tricky. Milosevic. European Union), which advocates a terms such as the fixing time limits to “Are you seriously telling me that fresh air It took time for the international policy of neutrality, was widely promot- liberalize the market in certain seg- can be life threatening?” quipped Maureen. community to realize that a portion of ed by the media. The book gives expres- ments and transition periods for “It’s Promaja from the two windows! The the new democratic government contin- sion to the bloc’s policy and relies on achieving compliance with EU stan- the ideology of Dobrica Cosic and the whole Balkans knows it!” I replied. ued to pursue the old Milosevic policies dards. other academicians who are slowly “Promaja? Is that the Albanian expression for with “other means”. Zoran Djindjic and The lesson that arrived on the eve of departing from the stage. a permanently paranoid group of people?” she the small circle around him tried to being accepted for candidacy, when The reincarnation of Kostunica commented, snidely. reorient Serbia towards the goal of Romania threatened to exercise a veto reflects the depth of anti-European sen- In the eyes of the non-Balkaner this was an Euro-Atlantic integration. But, unfor- (over the status of the Vlach minority timent felt in the nation’s major institu- urban-myth-taken-out-of-proportion. In my eyes tunately, he was killed for his efforts. in Serbia), was a reminder of the delica- tions, such as the Academy of Sciences it was a matter of life or death. An anti-European current took over fol- cy and seriousness of the process on and Arts, SANU, the Church, the army Originally a Serbo-Croatian word, but also lowing his assassination, halting or which Serbia had embarked. and the university. They regard official widely used locally among Kosovar Albanians slowing Serbia’s march towards The matter of candidate status will candidate status as tantamount to trea- alongside its standard Albanian equivalent European integration. be put to the supreme test during son as they believe it stands in the way shkuji, Promaja can be best described as a draft It was not until the 2008 elections that Serbia’s forthcoming elections because of the national project. a pro-European government come to Belgrade is expected not to call them in created by wind blowing through two windows. power and signed a Stabilization and The dialogue conducted between Kosovo. Fixing a date for the start of Balkan medical evidence suggests that this draft Association Agreement. Consequently, Belgrade and Prishtina under EU negotiations will, in all probability, causes various illnesses such as numbness, it adopted a series of pro-European supervision has rendered Belgrade depend on this. This is not a “new con- colds, muscle stiffness and a fondness for leather laws, set up a variety of independent more accommodating regarding the dition” for Serbia, as it will probably be jackets macho men. Allegedly, it’s the silent bodies and announced its priorities. EU's demands in connection with interpreted as for public consumption; killer of the Balkans. These included the fight against cor- Kosovo. This has proved enough for the it is part of the process of normalizing “It is the Pandora’s box for the Balkans” I ruption and organized crime, extradit- EU to cut short the agony in which relations in the region. In other words, added, tetchily, at Maureen’s insults. ing persons charged by the Hague tribu- Serbia has found itself. it merely means respect for the so- “It must be draft from all those bullet holes in nal and other steps. This could be said to be a strategic the buildings” she retorted. “And I thought you decision on the part of the EU. called Copenhagen criteria that apply But little of this has been achieved. told me that the Pandora’s box was changing the Apparently, a rational approach has to all countries aspiring to EU member- The elites are still dominated by an borders?” prevailed in the EU's attitude: better ship – and this includes Serbia. anti-European current, bent on preserv- Could Pandora have had two boxes, I began to ing the status quo at any cost. Besides, include Serbia in the accession process At this moment, granting candidate think to myself ? But before I could come to a Serbia faces serious problems. The than leave it outside it so that it may status is also important in view of the conclusion, Maureen added: "If opening win- country’s political and social transfor- throw spanners in the works with planning of the European dows is dangerous, then how do Balkaners cope mation is still incomplete, demographic Russia’s support. Commission's budget for the next seven- with those scorching summers?" trends are worrying, young and educat- The agreement reached by the two year period. This means that Serbia I hit back: “It’s two windows that cause the ed people are still leaving the country, sides has created the conditions for will become a beneficiary of that budg- problem, not one.” judicial reform still leaves much to be both Serbia’s and Kosovo’s more rapid et as soon as the date for the start of desired, and everyday life is dominated European integration. Serbia has been negotiations is approved. And with a hint of victory in her smile, she by violence and social pathology. rewarded with candidate status and At this juncture, failure to obtain the said: “Actually, I’m slowly beginning to get this. A lack of human potential for change Kosovo with talks on the Schengen visa candidate status would have put the It’s kind of a genius idea: you Balkaners have has caused Serbia to stagnate and had system and the preparation of a feasi- wind in the sails of the anti-European been fighting each other far so long, maybe you led it to the brink of regression. This is bility study. This puts Kosovo on the bloc and thus have led Serbia into a new could use this superstition to stop.” not only due to the international eco- road to the EU already travelled by phase of uncertainty and helplessness. “What superstition?” I asked. nomic and financial crisis but, above other Western Balkan countries. The forthcoming elections in Serbia “Inventing a common enemy, even as bizarre all, to incompetence and lack of politi- Meanwhile, candidate status does not will show whether the country backs as the wind, may be just what you need to unite” cal will to reorient the country towards guarantee a considerable increase in opting for a pro-European orientation. she said, while pushing the windows wide open. reforms. This is why Serbia needs the EU funds or a deadline for EU acces- The victory of such an option would Maybe she is right, I thought, as the icy blast European Union. sion, both points on which the opposi- certainly stabilize the situation in started again: we would be better off focussing The whole of 2011 passed in efforts to tion has insisted. But it does represent Serbia. on what we have in common – even if it is a effect a partition of Kosovo and Bosnia, an important political signal and a nec- made-up enemy. And then my instincts kicked destabilize Montenegro and prevent essary step on the path to accession. Sonja Biserko is President of the in, and I slammed the window shut. Serbia’s own northern province of Further, it sends a good message to for- Helsinki Committee for Human Rights Perhaps we are not quite ready to embrace Vojvodina from obtaining autonomy. eign investors, who have all but disap- of Serbia. Promaja as the wind of change yet? 22 March 16 - 29, 2012 Community Focus Ecosovo Bottle Tops for Wheelchairs and the wheelchairs these caps will buy are destined for Kosovan families. They are German-made wheelchairs which cost By Elizabeth Gowing 450 euros on the market, and their trans- portation is being organized through the Turkish Embassy in Prishtina. It’s also the Turkish Embassy who is helping to ushtrim Ahmeti is clearly not an send the tops to the Muzaffer Pinarbasi average guy. Indeed, the Guinness Isletmeler recycling company in Izmir, as KBook of Records is counting him as a there are no companies in Kosovo who candidate and in June it will be decided recycle this kind of plastic. whether he can take his place alongside the The technicalities of plastic recycling world’s longest river (yes, that’s the Nile. can soon get so intricate as to put one off Oh, or the Amazon; discuss), the largest even trying to separate your rubbish – rubber band ball (over 4000 kg) and the even if we lived in a country where waste most eggs crushed with head in one minute (80, in New York). His claim to could be separately collected by munici- fame will be a lot more use than a four pal services. The crucial basic fact is that thousand kilogram ball though – he has the type of plastic used for soft drinks bot- collected 235 tonnes of plastic bottle tops. tles is different from the type of plastic ous Ecosovo articles) are able to compress the first wheelchair/s on 7 April, though And unlike the guy who crushed all those used for soft drinks bottle tops, so for the plastic and fit more into their wheel- they will continue the project as long as eggs with his head, Kushtrim has broken either to be recycled effectively they have barrows or trailers; the recycling process they continue to receive bottle tops, so get the record with the aim of doing some to be processed separately. This separa- is thus made more efficient. unscrewing and storing those caps. Caps good. Not only does he see his collection tion is labour-intensive, so by removing So for all kinds of reasons we should all of any colour and any size can be collect- saving bottle tops from the garbage as a the tops from the bottles yourself you are be collecting the bottle tops and passing ed. way of keeping all those rivers (Nile, already helping the recycling chain. In them on to the AUK Charity Club. As For more information or to arrange Amazon, and Drini i Bardh alike) and fact, you may even be making it a safer Kushtrim says, ‘with this project I hope delivery of bottle tops collected, you can their surrounding countryside clean, but place as plastic bottle tops cause accidents we can offer some help to our fellow citi- contact the AUK Charity Club on charity- he has been raising money through the to recycling plant workers if the tops are zens who have special needs, and we are [email protected] or you can bring your sales of the bottle tops to a recycling com- inadvertently left on before the bottles are contributing to creating a cleaner envi- bottle tops to the Green Drinks organized pany in order to buy wheelchairs for the crushed under a pressure which is great ronment, especially bearing in mind the by The Ideas Partnership on the second disabled. To date he has raised money enough to force off the caps, and shoot fact that plastic takes 400 years to decom- Thursday of every month at N’Kllapa bar. enabling him to have distributed 1180 them into the faces of those nearby. Not pose’. wheelchairs. The AUK Charity Club already have only that, but if you remove the caps Elizabeth Gowing is a founder of The Originally from Kosovo, Kushtrim is more than 80kg of bottle tops, collected by before waste plastic bottles leave your Ideas Partnership, a Kosovan NGO work- currently based in Turkey, but his project home, the people collecting the bottles for AUK students as well as private business ing on educational, cultural and environ- is now set to reach back to his homeland. recycling (in Kosovo’s case not municipal and NGOs, and are hoping that they will mental projects. She is also the author of By means of a connection with the waste services but the unofficial recyclers soon reach the 250kg of bottle tops needed the recently-published, Travels in Blood Charity Club at the American University who roam the city’s skips looking for for one wheelchair. They have identified and Honey; becoming a beekeeper in in Kosovo (AUK), bottle tops for his proj- resellable scrap – Agron and his col- eight Kosovan families where wheelchairs Kosovo. She can be reached at theideas- ect are now being collected in Kosovo too, leagues whom you may have met in previ- are needed and their plan is to distribute [email protected]

Ecosovo The Seven-week Vegan f we are worrying about green- and feel sorry for these carnivores main sources of protein. It would house gases, then as well as and all the wreckage they were be tough to give it all up, so I decid- Ithinking about our carbon foot- creating. ed to try on a temporary basis; print we should also pay attention Particularly in Kosovo, the con- even that would save some to our methane hoof-print. nections between what you eat and methane and some small part of Methane is a gas twenty times where it's come from are easy to our climate havoc. The lingering more effective than carbon dioxide make; if you go to the market habit of my church-going child- at trapping heat in the atmos- you'll see milk straight from the hood is Lent - seven weeks of phere, and thus twenty times more farm, sloshed from udder to old renouncing something before the of a risk to the climate. The largest Coke bottles to go in your fridge. celebrations and indulgences of source of human-produced Even in the minimarket, those Easter, so when 'fat Tuesday' – methane is the breakdown of tough plastic bags in which fresh Mardi Gras – came around a few garbage in landfill, but agriculture (pasteurised but non-UHT) milk is weeks ago I decided it was the is responsible for fourteen percent packaged have an udder-like feel, opportunity to try saying goodbye of the world's greenhouse gases - because of the belching and flatu- as they lurch in your hand. Unless to pancakes and ice-creams, gor- lence of ruminant animals (the you go for the fantasy blue moun- gonzola and cafe latte, yoghurts tains-branded imported UHT milk and cheese sauces. If I found I was though I can't pretend that an shall be celebrating with some of average dairy cow is said to pro- apple really gives me the sugar my old unhealthy habits, even duce more than 100 litres of (or the sunrise marking the invidi- strong enough then my plan was to ous imported 'milk drink' that isn't continue my abstinence for a cer- surge I was used to; I've stopped though I know what it does to me methane a day). We are urged to spiking on glycerine rushes and the balance of the planet - but reduce our consumption of red even actually milk), you can't help tain number of days a week even through the day. I've realised how I've proved something to myself; I meat, not just for the sake of our but be reminded of the fact that after Easter. many ways you can eat fasule always knew it would be better to health, but the health of the your milk (and therefore your So how am I getting on? How can beans, and I've learned to make be a vegan. I now know that it's ecosystem. chocolate, your cheese and your you be a vegan in Kosovo? houmus (yes, there are tinned possible, and it's possible in In fact, I've been a vegetarian butter) are a product of those flat- A large part of my answer to chickpeas available in most of the Kosovo. almost all my life, so this is one ulent climate-bashing cows. This that question is olive oil, which large supermarkets, and tahini in part of the carbon emissions con- fact gives a hypocritical edge to my has become my new indulgence - Albi - mysteriously stocked next to Elizabeth Gowing is a founder of versation where I can normally suggestion of vegetarian superior- and my skin feels better for it. (On the jams and honeys). Although The Ideas Partnership, a Kosovan feel smug. Even better, I'm not ity. a side note I've also learned some- the packet of soya chunks I bought NGO working on education, envi- even tempted by the bleeding steak But I love dairy. I love the cheese thing about the cheap olive is still unopened in the cupboard, ronmental and cultural projects, or the shrivelled suxhuk, so my that stuffs a pite, the maze cream 'pomace' oils or 'sansa di oliva' that I'm cooking more and snacking She is also the author of the recent- abstinence costs me nothing. I that the traditional peppers swim are on sale in shops here. Google it Y less. I've lost weight. And fewer ly-published Travels in Blood and thought I could sit back, munching in (and yes, my busiest days are yourself, and don't buy it.) I'm eat- M cows are farting. Honey; becoming a beekeeper in a cheese and tomato pizza, my but- fuelled mainly by chocolate). As a ing more (locally-grown) fruit, I don't have all the zeal of the Kosovo. She can be reached at thei- C tered toast, or a bar of chocolate, vegetarian, dairy is also one of my now I'm eating no chocolate, K convert - when Easter comes I [email protected] March 16 - 29, 2012 23 Classified Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like to advertise Email [email protected]

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