Opinion: Ramush Haradinaj - Justice Delayed is Justice Denied

May 11 - 24, 2012 Issue No. 88 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1

NEWS Socialists British Airways Flex New “Recognises” Muscles in Kosovo’s Independence Post-Election > page 4 Serbia NEWS Once a marginal force in Limaj Found Not politics, Ivica Dacic's Guilty in the Klecka Socialists have doubled their seats in parliament Case by profiting from the > page 5 weaknesses of their NEWS rivals and playing the nationalist card. Marty Testimony See Page 2-3 in Medicus Case Undecided ‘Salary’ For Mayor’s Widow > page 5 FEATURE Albania Politicians Splash Out on US Causes Confusion Lobbying The widow of the murdered Mayor of Suhareke has continued to receive his salary since his death in 2002 - while other widows of mayors receive nothing, Prishtina Insight has discovered. > page 15 have never addressed this issue. the flat in central Suhareke given level. INSIDE PRISHTINA By Lulzim Ahmeti Meanwhile relatives of two to her by the municipality follow- Since then his family has con- other late mayors, Ismet Rraci in ing her husband’s death. tinued to receive his salary of 360 “Unnecessary” and he widow of murdered Klina and Fadil Ferati in Istog, She earns a total of 22,000 euro a euro a month, costing the local mayor Uke Bytyci, herself a have received nothing. year while her two sons, based in budget around 30,000 euro since Already Patched Up Tleading politician, has con- Attempts in the Suhareka’s local Switzerland, earned 96,000 euro 2002. tinued to receive his salary since assembly to overturn the pay- and 40,000 euro a year in 2011. It would have amounted to – Kosovo’s his death in 2002 ments in 2008 and again in late She was fined 200 euro in around 40,000 euro had the pay- Spaghetti Junction Since 2002, following a decision April were rejected. January this year for initially fail- ments not been suspended in 2008 of the local assembly, she has Kimete Bytyci became an MP in ing to declare her wealth to the and 2009, when the municipal > page 18 received a total of around 30,000 July 2011 for the Democratic agency. treasury cast doubts on the legali- euro. The family was also given a League of Kosovo, LDK. ty of the payments. flat in town. She is also member of the A Widows’ Pension The local authority decision in The decision by the municipali- Parliamentary Committee for 2002 to keep paying the salary ty of Suhareke in that year stated Human Rights, Gender Equality, Mayor Bytyci, who also was states that it is based on the that the mayor’s salary would be Missing Persons and Petitions. president of the LDK branch in “Regulation for Municipal Self- Kosovo’s only English-language transferred to the family until the According to Kimete’s most Suhareka, was killed on October Governance in Kosovo 2000/45 and newspaper is available: government ruled what pensions recent declaration of assets to the 27, 2002, while passing through the Statute of the Municipality”. such families should receive. Anticorruption Agency, she has a the village of Leshan, celebrating Delivered to But government institutions home worth 200,000 euro as well as his recent victory at municipal continues page 2 Your Door

Sink or Swim for Flotation of Roma Eviction Sullies From Newsstands Kosovo’s Marble Wealth? Belgrade’s Image across Kosovo

UK-based Fox Marble Company has More than a thousand Roma, many from Sent To drawn up plans to exploit Kosovo’s estimat- Kosovo, have quietly packed their belong- Your Inbox ed 16billion euro of marble reserves. ings and got on buses that drove them far But plans for the company to float in from their old homes in Belgrade in the November, raising 13 million euro, appear last few days. From to be on hold, despite backing for the plan At least half were not sure where they our partners of famous UK businessmen... were being taken... economy page 7 news page 6 see page 16 for more info

is supported by: 2 May 11 - 24, 2012 news ‘Salary’ For Mayor’s Socialists Flex New Muscles Widow Causes Confusion in Post-Election Serbia

from page 1 blies have no legal right to delegate Once a marginal force in politics, Ivica Dacic's Socialists have doubled their salaries or permanent pensions to anyone. seats in parliament by profiting from the weaknesses of their rivals and In addition to the salary, the decision also Kimete Bytyci told Prishtina Insight: commits the town to protect the name and “We have been given the status of a fami- playing the nationalist card. the works of Bytyci. ly of a martyr.” “Uke Bytyci is declared posthumously She confirmed that they had received Honorary Mayor of the Municipality of 360 euro from the municipality of Suhareke,” it reads. Suhareka, and had been given an apart- By Bojana Barlovac “The Picture of Uke Bytyci shall be ment in the city. placed in the Office of the Mayor, the On the widow’s payment, she said: “The Deputy Mayor, the Chief Executive Officer, municipality is obliged to proceed with erbia's Socialists celebrated their sur- Directors of Departments, and the this payment until the assembly decides prise success in the May 6 general, local Municipal Assembly room.” differently.” Sand presidential elections in front of The decision also states that the town’s She added that following the murder of party headquarters on Sunday with fire- Culture House will be named after him and her husband she was forced to encourage works, pistol shots and trumpets. that a statue of the former mayor will be her eldest son, Valon, to work in It turned out that the party, once led by erected in front of the Municipal Switzerland. Slobodan Milosevic, was the only major Assembly. party to have any real reason to celebrate the The current Mayor of Suhareka, Blerim Other Cases Treated Differently results. Kuci, said continued payment of the may- In the biggest upset of the general election oral salary to the family was legal as it was On April 24, 2001, Ismet Rraci, chair- the party has emerged with 45 of the 250 a decision of the assembly, and the funds man of the municipal assembly in Klina seats in parliament. for the salary come from the Mayor’s budg- and of the LDK Branch in the municipali- Its leader, Ivica Dacic, also did well to come et line. ty, was killed while going to work. His third in the presidential election, taking 15.3 “This support of 360 euro per month for killer has never been found. per cent of the vote. the wife and children will be paid until the Officials of Klina municipal assembly The ruling Democratic Party won 23.2 per central authorities regulate the issue,” told Prishtina Insight that Rraci’s family cent while the opposition Progressives won A spoilt Serbian ballot with a modern-art twist Kuci said. receives no financial support. 24.7 per cent of the vote in general elections. He added that the 2002 municipal deci- The family of the former Mayor of Three reasons have emerged as to why the “However a number of sectors, both public sion remained binding on him as mayor. Istog, Fadil Ferati, who passed away in party of the discredited former Yugoslav and non-state and the EU, were involved in “This decision can only be repealed by office after a serious illness, also receives strongman has succeeded in rising from the this,” Milic told Prishtina Insight. the municipal assembly if it believes it is no financial support from the municipali- ashes. Dacic has also been pushing social issues appropriate,” said Kuci, from the Alliance ty. The first is that it simply listened to the that dovetail with EU policies, including gen- for the Future of Kosovo, AAK. Mayor Haki Rugova, also Vice-President pulse of the people. The second lies in the der equality and gay rights. The gay rights The 2002 decision to continue financial of the LDK, said Istog municipality has no weakness of its opponents, as both the activist Boris Milicevic joined the party and support for the family of the former mayor, legal basis to provide financial support biggest parties, the opposition Progressives soon become a member of the party’s Main according Sali Asllanaj, chair of the for the family of a former mayor. and ruling Democrats, are widely believed to Board. Municipal Assembly at the time, was a “If we provided support it would be have disappointed their core voters. Slavica Djukic Dejanovic of the Socialists, “political solution of the time”. against the law,” he said, urging that the The third factor is Serbia’s overall politi- meanwhile, became the second woman in According to Asllanaj, the decision also issue be regulated by law. cal culture in which reformers tend to lose Serbian history to head the country’s parlia- obtained a “green light” from the former “However, support [for the family] is and the status-quo options do well. ment. UNMIK Administrator in Suhareka. provided individually because he made a Although Dacic has been working hard to Asllanaj noted that although this salary tremendous contribution,” Rugova added. A changed party: distance the party from Milosevic’s legacy, was paid regularly for several years, it was Besnik Osmani, Secretary of the he has never apologized for it. suspended in 2008 and 2009, when the treas- Ministry of Local Government Milosevic’s death in a detention unit of the Zarko Korac, psychologist and deputy ury questioned the legal basis for it. Administration, MLGA, said the ministry Hague tribunal, ICTY, in December 2006 prime minister in the government of the late Although UNMIK Regulation 2000/45 is not aware of any financial support for a marked the beginning of the revival of the Zoran Djindjic, says Dacic “has introduced a allows municipalities to govern their budg- former mayor or for his family. Socialists. conditional tense into the Serbian political ets, neither this regulation nor the Law on He said a law on salaries of political Dacic, a former Milosevic spokesperson, scene.” Local self-government, nor Article 39 of appointees is currently being drafted and took over and began modernising the party, He was referring to Dacic’s statement in the Statute of the Municipality of it will deal with compensation issues. putting its old war-mongering nationalist January, when he said that he “could apolo- Suhareka – which is used as the basis for “Currently, payment for municipal ideology behind it. gize” for the problems in 1990s because his the decision – refer to any obligation to political appointees is regulated by the The party distanced itself from the politics party was partially responsible for the prob- help the families of dead municipal offi- Administrative Instruction No. 16/2008 on of the former leadership, backed Serbia's lems. cials. Salaries for Political Staff, which also reg- passage towards the EU and - by advocating Although he did not refer to Milosevic in An initiative to quash the payments was ulates the compensation for mayors,” he social justice, free education and social secu- the election campaign, Dacic did use his for- launched by the municipal assembly on said. rity for all - went on to win 7.58 per cent of mer boss’s well-tested populist methods to April 26 2012, but failed to obtain enough “This Instruction does not regulate votes in the 2008 general election. get votes. votes. compensation of salaries after cases of This was enough to enter a post-election In March, he made waves by ordering the The initiative obtained support in the eventual deaths while exercising their coalition government under Boris Tadic's arrest of two Kosovo Albanians, in blatant assembly from the Democratic Party of terms.” Democrats, with Dacic becoming the Interior retaliation for the earlier arrests of Serbs in Kosovo, PDK, the New Kosovo Alliance, But Osmani said municipalities had the Minister and Deputy Prime Minister. Kosovo. AKR, and an independent, but was opposed right to plan funds for families-in-need With these two powerful portfolios, Dacic Kosovo police had arrested the men for by the members of Alliance for the Future from their own revenues. has been a major player in the government allegedly carrying material to be used for of Kosovo, AAK, and the LDK. “Municipalities can regulate this mat- and a key partner of President Tadic, espe- Serbian local elections on May 6, elections The motion was initiated by Gezim ter with local legislation, defining the cri- cially in the fight against organised crime that Prishtina vowed to prevent being staged Gega, a member from the Socialist Party of teria, timeframe and amount of support and corruption. on its territory. Kosovo, PSK. to be provided through this assistance Party as a reward for this drive, the EU The play on the nationalistic card included He says the assembly has committed a scheme,” Osmani continued. granted Serbia visa-free travel in December rhetoric that did not differ much from the violation by placing pictures of former Prishtina Insight asked him to give a 2009. language the Milosevic regime once used. mayor in all offices of municipal direc- legal interpretation of the transfer of the Not everyone is impressed with Dacic’s “Fighting fire with fire,” he said referring torates, Deputy Mayor, CEO and the salary of Uke Bytyci to his family. role. Jelena Milic, from the Center for Euro- to the arrests of Kosovars in Serbia. assembly hall. “In the case in question, regarding the Atlantic Studies, believes Dacic has misused “These [pictures] are all regulated by Municipality of Suhareka, we are not his ministerial position by taking credit for Lucky in his opponents: the Law on the President of the State and able to confirm the legality of the action, all the ministry’s work, including numerous are not for mayors,” Gega said. as this is in the competence of internal arrests in the fight against organized and Dacic's other key card was the perceived According to him, municipal assem- or independent auditors,” Osmani said. corruption and visa liberalization process. weakness of his main opponents.

Y M C +381 38 602042, +377 44 243367, +386 49 243367 K news May 11 - 24, 2012 3

Serbia's Disgruntled Voters Editor’s Word Make Fun of Elections About 150,000 Serbian voters decided to cast Butchering invalid ballots in the Sunday’s elections, many of them doing it with style and originality. the Media

By Nemanja Cabric By Lawrence Marzouk

ccording to the NGO that monitors elections, he media have been particularly intro- CeSID, about 4 per cent of the voting ballots were spective recently. There’s been plenty of Ainvalid, because they were either empty or filled Tporing over two clauses in the new crimi- in a wrong way. nal code which have been widely condemned The director of CeSID, Marko Blagojevic, told Balkan and now dropped. Insight that the number of spoiled ballots has increased These clauses threatened journalists’ ability to in comparison to previous elections, but he could not protect their sources and could have put reporters, A voter in Kosovo, where the OSCE organised elections. comment further as the results are not official yet. as well as their publishers, at risk of criminal “This year there are 2 or 3 per cent more of invalid prosecution. While the Democrat-led coali- in it, which creates fear of any votes, but it is nothing unusual,” said Blagojevic. We have also had libel cases, controversial com- tion won 102 seats following the sudden changes. Asked to comment on the fact that lot of voting ballots ments in parliament, and in the middle of all this 2008 elections, on May 6 the “Serbia has always rejected were spoiled with funny or insulting messages directed World Free Press day. Democrats – this time without the reforms,” he said, recalling to all of the parties competing for the next Serbian gov- To mark May 3, Freedom House, the interna- United Regions of Serbia, part of Serbian opposition to the package ernment, Blagojevic said that “people have always put tional NGO, released its yearly report, claiming the coalition in 2008 – won only 68 of pro-Western and pro-market insolent stuff into ballot boxes”. that the situation for the media in Kosovo had seats. reforms proposed by Ante The movement Anonymous Serbia posted pictures of improved. Voters punished the Democrat- Markovic, the Yugoslav prime some of the spoiled ballots on their Facebook page. “Kosovo,” the report stated, “had benefited from led government for high unem- minister at the time of the break- a continuing trend of fewer attacks on journalists ployment, at 24 per cent, average up of the country. and greater ownership transparency”. salaries of only about 350 euro a Markovic’s reform agenda Serbian Presidential Race The first may be true – but it’s worth remember- month and falls in the value of the clashed with the rising power of ing that you don’t need to beat up a journalist, or dinar. The government has also the Serb nationalist government of Enters Second Round threaten to do so, to stop the truth being published. faced corruption scandals. Milosevic – and was defeated. Media outlets remain vulnerable to the spend- Experts believe many disap- The former prime minister ival Progressives and Democrats have started the ing power of big business and the government. At pointed Democrats cast blank bal- Djindjic also laid a path for second round of the presidential campaign with Prishtina Insight and Gazeta Jeta ne Kosove, we lots on May 6 to show their anger. Serbia's modernisation but was Rboth leaders expressing confidence in victory. have on a number of occasions been offered adver- Some 150,000 or 4.3 per cent of slain before achieving his vision. The second round of presidential elections in Serbia tising in exchange for dropping damaging stories. votes cast were blank. Today, he added, Serbia has no has started a day after Democrat leader Boris Tadic won Luckily, we have been able to turn down this But the main opposition appetite for radical changes, on the largest percentage of votes in the first round, on 26.7 kind of offer because we survive not on advertis- Progressives fared little better. In top of which “about one third of per cent, closely followed by the Progressives' Tomislav ing but on donor money from philanthropic funds reality, both parties had similar the electorate is nationalistic” – all Nikolic who won 25.5 per cent. and charitable states. I fear, although I have no pro-EU oriented programmes. The factors favouring Dacic. Tadic and Nikolic therefore will go into the second proof of this, that some in the commercial sector Progressives, who won 78 seats in “In Serbia those who offer no round of presidential elections on May 20. would find it much more difficult to refuse adver- 2008, on Sunday won 73 seats. change, or only slow and gentle According to the law on the financing of political tising money. Milic told Prishtina Insight that change, always triumph,” he con- activities, each participant in the second round is enti- Forgo the moral high ground to meet commer- party leader Tomislav Nikolic’s cluded. tled to 445 million dinars [about 3.9 million euro] from cial imperatives only once and you will be unable April hunger strike – in support of the national budget. to return to that lofty plain. his demands for early elections – Secondly, litigation can also force ‘troublesome’ backfired with voters, who clearly journalists and their newspapers into line. Media felt unimpressed. Albanians Face Losing Seat in Serbian outlets facing a barrage of court suits and hefty The party also suffered for payouts tend to lose some of their cut and thrust. critising the government’s eco- Parliament I am completely baffled by Freedom House’s sec- nomic record while having no ond point, as there has been no change in owner- clear plan about how to resolve the Albanian leader in southern serbia says he will go to court if his community ship transparency as far as I can see. problems. On the plus side, EULEX confirmed on World The Progressives may have also loses its one seat in the national parliament. Press Day that it was going ahead with the trial lost nationalist votes as a result of sents Bosniaks, and the votes and that his party, against Skenderaj Mayor Sami Lusktaku, and their pro-EU turn, and by appear- Democratic League of according to his calcula- members of Infopress, who carried out a 10-day ing to welcome the arrest of the Croats in Vojvodina, ran in tions, won about 15,000 votes. campaign of intimidation and threats against former Bosnian Serb army com- By Gordana Andric coalition with the But Halimi said the results BIRN Kosovo, and in particular BIRN Kosovo mander Ratko Mladic, arrested on Democrats, while the Roma from some polling stations Director Jeta Xharra. This is an important mark- war crimes charges on May 26, Party was in coalition with had not been sent to the er that the press and politicians have responsibili- 2011. the Progressives. Republic Election ties as well as powers when publishing and mak- f six ethnic minority This is believed to have created While the threshold to Commission in time. ing statements. parties that competed room for Dacic to play the nation- enter parliament is 5 per “According to our calcula- Then President Atifete Jahjaga returned the alistic card more sucessfully. Oin Serbia's general new criminal code to parliament because of the elections on May 6, four have cent of the votes, this does tions we have passed the not apply to ethnic minority threshold and now we are controversial anti-media clauses. entered the parliament, win- So the picture is mixed. A conservative society: ning eight seats. parties. waiting for the Republic On Thursday, Berat Buzhala gave an indication The Alliance of Vojvodina They enter the parliament Election Commission to see Psychologist Zarko Korac of what lies ahead. The former Express editor and Hungarians, which won 1.77 if they pass so-called natural what will happen," he said. explains part of Dacic's success in now PDK MP spoke in parliament to attack the per cent of the overall votes, threshold, which is calculat- "If the final results show the elections on Serbian political President’s return of the criminal code, while will have most of them - five ed by dividing the number of that our calculations are culture. pointing out that the media is no “sacred cow”. seats. voters who voted in the elec- right, and the Commission He believes that Serbian society Many rightly fear that those in power do not just The Party of Democratic tions by number of seats in does not award us a seat has an “inherent conservativism” want to remove the media’s supposed status of Action of Sandzak, which the parliament, which is 250. we’ll go to the court,” Halimi “sacred cow”, but want to squeeze the life out of it. represents Bosniaks, or Briefcase Scandal Near Miss: But so far the lists of the told Prishtina Insight. They’d rather see it hanging from the butcher’s Muslims, won one mandate, Coalition of Albanians of The deadline for the hook than impeding politicians as they whiz vica Dacic narrowly avoided as did the Together coalition, the Presevo Valley and the Republic Election around Prishtina in blacked-out cars. being caught up in the which represents Montenegrin Party have not Commission to announce I do not doubt that there will be more protests I“briefcase scandal” case, in Hungarians, Croats and passed the threshold. the final results for the gen- ahead and attempts to eviscerate the more critical which former National Bank Slovaks and a Vlach minori- Riza Halimi, leader of the eral and presidential elec- elements of the media. Deputy Governor Dejan Simic ty party. and Socialist Party official Coalition of Albanians of tions expires at 8pm on May But the media should not see itself as above the Some minority parties Vladan Zagradjanin were the Presevo Valley, the only 10. law. joined pre-election coalitions accused of accepting bribes in Albanian in the last parlia- After the the 2008 elec- We have a duty not only to protest for our rights, with major parties, such as 2006. Dacic left Simic’s flat ment, hopes one representa- tions, Vojvodina Hungarians but also to show that we are reporting fairly and the Democratic Party and moments before police raided tive of his community will won four mandates, a coali- responsibly. Serbian Progressive Party. it. In 2010, a Belgrade court get in. tion of Bosniak parties won By setting ourselves high standards we also The Social Democratic ruled the defendants not guilty. He says that the natural two seats and a coalition of make it more difficult for our voice to be silenced. Party of Serbia, which repre- threshold is about 13,800 Albanian parties won one. 4 May 11 - 24, 2012 news Haradinaj Returns to Kosovo Kosovo Media Hail Kosovo’s former Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj President's Action arrived in Prishtina on Thursday, after the Hague on Law Code Tribunal, ICTY, provisionally President Atifete Jahjaga has met journalists' concerns released him pending the about the new criminal code and returned the bill to par- final verdict in his retrial. liament for review. Association of Professional Journalists in Kosovo, AGPK. “Freedom of the press has By Fatmir Aliu By Fatmir Aliu been saved, as it was jeopard- ized by the content of the cur- rent Criminal Code,” Arben aradinaj was met at the Ahmeti, chairman of the Prishtina International o the relief of the media AGPK, said. HAirport “Adem Jashari” by community, President the EU Rule of Law Mission to TJahjaga refused to sign the According to the reporters, Kosovo, EULEX, police. new draft criminal law and has the law doesn’t explain which returned it to parliament. Around 20 people gathered at criminal offences journalists The new law code threatened to Prishtina's airport to greet Ramush Haradinaj returned to Kosovo yesterday, but has shunned the media. could commit clearly enough, Haradinaj when he arrived from penalise journalists for libel leaving it open to judges and the Hague. However Hardinaj, Criminal Tribunal for the former kidnap, torture and rape of and obliged them to reveal prosecutors to interpret the escorted by EULEX police, slipped Yugoslavia, ICTY, for a partial Serbs, Roma and Albanians their sources. code differently. out unnoticed by using an alter- retrial after the prosecution con- between March and September The draft law, which parlia- A number of international nate gate, leaving well-wishers to vinced an appeals judge that it 1998. ment adopted on March 20, media rights organizations, watch departing vehicles from had not been given sufficient During the conflict in Kosovo, according to the President’s including Reporteurs sans the distance. time to hear the evidence from Haradinaj was a commander of press office contains two dis- Frontieres and the regional At the request of the ICTY, two key witnesses. the Kosovo Liberation Army, putable articles, which need to South-Eastern Europe Media EULEX will assist the Tribunal The prosecution argued that KLA, Balaj was the commander be taken out. Organization, SEEMO, have in monitoring the conditions of Hardinaj and Brahimaj had been of the Black Eagles Unit within “Articles 37 and 38 [on libel supported AGPK and Haradinaj's provisional release. found not guilty because witness- the KLA, and Brahimaj was a and revealing sources] violate expressed worries about the Among the tasks that EULEX es were “threatened and black- KLA member stationed in the Articles 40 and Article 42 of law code. police will carry out are: escort- mailed” and could not deliver force’s Jabllanice headquarters the Constitution, on freedom Journalists announced a ing Haradinaj to and from objective testimonies. in the western Gjakove munici- of expression and freedom of boycott of state institutions on Prishtina airport, meeting him In 2008, Haradinaj and Balaj pality. media,” says the explanation. May 3, on the International once a week and keeping a hold of were acquitted of all charges of Haradinaj, 43, was indicted in Hundreds of journalists Day of Press Freedom. his travel documents. war crimes and crimes against 2004 while serving as Kosovo’s protested two weeks ago The AGPK has called upon According to local media, the humanity following a three-year Prime Minister and voluntarily against the two articles, saying all the parties in parliament to court decided on Tuesday that trial. Brahimaj was sentenced to surrendered to the Tribunal. The they would directly endanger meet the demands of the press six years’ imprisonment for cruel leader of the Alliance for the Haradinaj should be released their work. and remove the two articles treatment and torture. The trio Future of Kosovo, AAK, has after spending two years in the The President's decision to from the Criminal Code, say- in the case, known as Haradinaj received widespread political sup- detention centre in return the bill back to parlia- ing that “the freedom of the et al, were previously indicted on port in Kosovo. (See comment, Scheveningen. ment was welcomed by the press is non-negotiable”. The prosecution and the charges related to the murder, Page 20) defence teams have until June 11 to present their closing argu- ments to the court. Ramush Haradinaj, Lahi British Airways “Recognises” Brahimaj and Idriz Balaj were returned to the International Kosovo’s Independence More than four years after Kosovo’s www.prishtinainsight.com declaration of independence, British Publisher: Airways has decided to no longer lists BIRN its flights to Prishtina under “Serbia”. Balkan Investigative Reporting Network

Mensa e Studenteve, first floor 10000, Prishtina Kosovo By Bujar Aruqaj Phone: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 Fax: +381 (0) 38 22 44 98 [email protected] ritish Airways had initially rejected calls from a 3,000-strong Facebook campaign Editor-in-Chief: Bfor the airline to remove the option Lawrence Marzouk “Pristina, Serbia”. Grese Rexhepi, one of the campaigners, [email protected] wrote to BA saying that she was ‘slightly irri- Editorial Team: tated by’ the ‘mistake’ and called on the airline The new website of British airways now lists Kosovo as an independent country. Ana Petruseva, Gordana Igric, to ‘rectify this error’. Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, But BA wrote that it would not be able to At this stage I can only assure you that once tion of the website dedicated to Kosovo started Petrit Collaku, Shengjyl Osmani, make any amendments until Kosovo is recog- the UN, and IATA, recognise Kosovo as a sov- soon after the declaration of independence in Artan Mustafa, Florina Hajdini, and nised by the UN. A BA employee, who gave her ereign entity we will quickly make the appro- 2008. Donjeta Demolli. name only as Claire, wrote: “The challenge we priate changes to our website.” "Kosovo has not yet been issued a code with have on ba.com is that Kosovo, in spite of But on April 18, despite the fact that Kosovo two characters and this has been an obstacle Marketing, Sales & Distribution: being recognised by many countries as a sov- still does not have a country code, BA to the creation of the website dedicated to ereign entity, has not been allocated a two-let- launched its new Kosovo section. Kosovo,” said Hamzaraj. [email protected] ter country code by the UN because it does not “The website of ba.com dedicated to Kosovo The Republic of Kosovo currently uses the Design & Layout: “Rrjeti” yet have official UN recognition. gives the opportunity to passengers to reserve temporary code XK. Arben Grajqevci “Therefore, until we have a two-letter coun- and buy tickets with British Airways anytime On many official company websites, Kosovo Y try code, we can't set up the tables in our sys- and wherever they are,” said Anisa Hamzaraj, still appears as part of Serbia. M Printing: Lindi Printing Center tems that would enable us to remove Kosovo representative for British Airways for Kosovo British Airways has now joined Austrian C from Serbia. and Albania. Airlines and Turkish Airline by recognising Copyright © BIRN K “I know that this news will disappoint you. According to her, works on creating a sec- Kosovo’s independence. news May 11 - 24, 2012 5 Limaj Found Not Guilty Marty Testimony in the Klecka Case in Medicus Case A Prishtina Court has acquitted Fatmir Limaj, a former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army, KLA, and three other ex-fighters, in the Klecka case. Undecided Dick Marty's immunity from appearing in legal proceed- ings as a former member of the European Parliament and By Fatmir Aliu the Council of Europe Rapporteur may prevent him from testifying in the Medicus case. over his [Marty's] immunity," he mixed panel of European told BIRN, adding that the deci- and Kosovo Judges at sion should come from the Council APrishtina’s District Court announced last Wednesday that By Fatmir Aliu of Europe. they had found no evidence to jus- The EULEX prosecutor in the tify continuing the trial against Medicus Case, Jonathan Ratel, on he EU rule of law mission to the four remaining defendants in March 23, asked the Court to call Kosovo says it is awaiting the case, who had been accused of Marty as a witness, which was Tclarification from the then adopted by the presiding war crimes against the civilian Council of Europe on whether its population and prisoners of war. judge Arkadiusz Sedek. rules mean that former envoy, "Marty claims he has some The prosecutor of the case, Dick Marty, is not obliged to important information on this which is perhaps the most high- appear in a Kosovo court as a wit- issue so we will ask him what sort profile case for the EU Rule of Law ness in the Medicus Case. of information he has and what Mission in Kosovo, EULEX, has Marty has been summoned to the sources of this information announced that he will appeal the appear, but CoE guidelines state are," Sedek said. decision. that all its representatives have In December 2010, the Council of The panel, which was led by immunity from "arrest and all Europe adopted a report by Marty, EULEX’s judge Jonathan Welford- legal proceedings in the territories which alleged that a criminal net- Carroll, cleared Fatmir Limaj, of all Members, in respect of work linked to Kosovo’s current Nexhmi Krasniqi, Naser Krasniqi Limaj addresses the crowd outside of court (AP/Beta) words spoken and votes cast in the Prime Minister Hashim Thaci exe- and Naser Shala on all the counts debates of the Assembly or its integrity and health of an unspec- March 21, the court found that his cuted kidnapped civilians and sold against them, despite its assess- committees or commissions". ified number of Serb and testimony and diaries were inad- their organs after the 1999 Kosovo ment a month ago that there was The case centres on allegations Albanian civilians and Serb pris- missible. war. stills sufficient evidence to pursue that the Kosovo-based clinic oners of war held in a detention Limaj, the Vice President of the The report said that “numerous a separate trial against the four organised and carried out the sale centre in the village of Klecka.” ruling Democratic Party of concrete and convergent indica- accused. and transplant of kidneys from Prisoners were held in "inhu- Kosovo, has already faced a war tors confirm that some Serbians On March 30, the court acquit- poor donors to various wealthy mane conditions, which included crimes trial before the and some Albanian Kosovars were ted 6 defendants in the Klecka clients. keeping prisoners chained, cold International Criminal Tribunal held prisoner in secret places of Case: Behlul Limaj, Refki According to an indictment, 30 and hungry, in insanitary condi- for the former Yugoslavia, ICTY. detention under KLA control in Mazreku, Sabit Shaba, Shaban operations involving illegal kid- tions, and frequent beatings", read He was charged, along with Isak northern Albania and were sub- Shala, Arben Krasniqi, and Besim ney transplants were conducted at the indictment. Musliu and Haradin Bala, with jected to inhuman and degrading Shurdhaj. the clinic, by luring poor people Almost all of the charges were committing war crimes against treatment, before ultimately disap- The ten former KLA fighters from Istanbul, Moscow, Moldova based on the testimony of Agim Serbs and Albanians suspected of pearing. had been indicted on suspicion of and Kazakhstan on false promise Zogaj, known as Witness X, who collaborating with Serbia during ”Kosovo and Albania have con- committing war crimes against that they would get up to 15,000 killed himself last September in the Kosovo war. demned the trafficking and organ Serbs and Albanians at the Klecka euro for their organs. Germany, before the trial started. In November 2005, the ICTY harvesting claims as baseless but detention centre in 1999, during Nine persons have been charged Zogaj was a prison guard at the acquitted him and he returned have pledged to back the probe. the conflict in Kosovo. with human trafficking, organised Klecka prison and his diary about home to a hero’s welcome, with In his report, Marty said he had According to the indictment, crime and the unlawful exercise of events there was crucial to the street celebrations in the capital, found "credible, convergent indi- Limaj and the other nine co-defen- medical activities, including uni- prosecution’s case. However, on Prishtina. cations" that wartime organ traf- dants had “violated the bodily versity professor Lutfi Dervishi, ficking was "closely related to the who is accused of being the ring- contemporary case of the Medicus leader. clinic.” Dervishi, owner of the Medicus The Council of Europe Montenegrin Media Most Clinic, has accused EULEX of libel Communication Division told and said the indictment against Prishtina Insight it could not spec- him and his associates was politi- ify whether and how it will act on cally motivated. Free in Balkans, Report Says the EULEX request to call Marty EULEX spokesperson Blerim as a witness. Krasniqi said the Prishtina A survey of world media freedom in 2011 carried out by US-based watchdog Freedom EULEX sources say they “may District Court had sent the request well propose to Marty to testify via House put Montenegro in top place in the region. Kosovo has also moved up the rankings for Marty to testify “through diplo- a video-link.” matic channels. while Macedonia has moved down. The trial is set to resume on May “The judges are awaiting a deci- cantly compared to last year, when 78th place, Croatia on 84th; 10 at the District Court of sion of the competent authorities it stood in 104th place. It benefited Romania 87th; Bosnia 95th, and Prishtina. from a "continuing trend of fewer Albania in 107th place. By Bojana Barlovac, attacks on journalists and greater The countries in the Freedom Sinisa Jakov Marusic ownership transparency," the House report are ranked partly report said. according to legal criteria, which Serbia, which was in 72nd place concern the country's laws and he report by the in 2010, dropped to 77th place in regulations that "could influence Washington-based organisa- 2011. media content and the govern- Ttion on media freedom in the The worst rated is Macedonia, ment’s inclination to use these world in 2011 found little change in down from 96th to 115th place, "due laws and legal institutions to the Balkans from 2010. to the declining legal environment, restrict the media’s ability to oper- Ranking 197 countries' levels of including politicized decisions by ate." press freedom, based on legal, regulatory bodies and the lengthy Political criteria, including the political, and economic criteria, pretrial detention of a leading evaluation of the degree of politi- Montenegro came top in the opposition-oriented media owner cal control over media content in Balkans in 76th place. in a politically fraught tax case." the country, are also part of the Montenegro, which was in 80th Macedonia's most popular televi- assessment. Finally, economic cri- place in 2010, has made modest sion station and three affiliated teria focus on the structure of improvements by decriminalizing newspapers were forced out of media ownership, assessing ele- defamation and libel, according to business in 2011. The other coun- ments including the concentration Y the report. tries in the Balkans largely main- of ownership, and the costs of M Kosovo, listed in 98th place, has tained their scores from last year's establishing media. (See Editor’s C also moved up the rankings signifi- report, with Bulgaria ranked in Word, Page 3) The Medicus clinic is suspected of having been used for organ trafficking. K 6 May 11 - 24, 2012 news Roma Eviction Sullies Belgrade’s Image Mass eviction of Roma families, many originally from Kosovo, from the capital’s Belville settlement casts poor light on Serbia’s respect for international laws on human rights. Families sent out of Belgrade haven’t been provided with metal containers. | Photo by Beta By Gordana Andric A dozen other families were sent to Dren, a settlement some 20 kilo- metres from Belgrade. Most had no ore than a thousand peo- idea where they were going, as no ple have quietly packed one had explained to them where Mtheir belongings and got Dren actually is. on buses that drove them far from “That settlement is terrible. You their old homes in Belgrade in the go off from the main road, turn left last few days. and enter a swamp,” Danilo Curcic At least half were not sure from the NGO Praxis, which moni- where they were being taken. tored the eviction, said. In a drive to clean up the city, the “One part of the swamp is dried Belgrade authorities evicted about and they have put containers there. 250 Roma families from the infor- It is in a Belgrade municipality, but mal settlement in New Belgrade it is not Belgrade. It’s an hour from called Belville on April 26. The fam- the city,” he added. ilies were only informed they were “I don’t know what these people being taken away two days earlier. can do for work there.” About 110 of the families - either Families sent back to other cities official residents of the capital or across Serbia haven’t even been with the status of Kosovo refugees - provided with metal containers, were relocated to metal container nor did they all know where they homes in suburbs far from the city were going. centre. “I don’t know, I think it’s in Another 112 families were sent Bornik and I think mum and dad Many Roma refugees from Kosovo set up camp in Belville. They have now been forced to leave. back to their places of origin, are from there, but they don’t know mainly in southern Serbia. About 40 families are supposed while six members of one family ties say they cannot spend money where we are going to sleep,” one “My family got to go to Makis in to go to Bojnik, one of the poorest from Belville are put in a metal on social housing for Roma fami- eight-year-old boy said, mispro- a settlement that’s in the middle of municipalities in southern Serbia. container measuring 15 square lies while many other Belgraders nouncing the town where he is nowhere,” one Roma said. But six of the families never got on metres,” Curcic from Praxis said. lack apartments, the Belgrade being sent. “Six of us will share one metal the buses that carried the other Belgrade Mayor Dragan Djilas, Centre for Human Rights says pro- His grandfather, a thin Roma in container. I don’t want to go but do families to this distant town. who was also present at the evic- viding social housing is, in fact, an old but clean suit and hat, help- I have a choice? No. It’s like we are Almost all who went said they were tion, said the authorities aimed to cheaper than metal containers. lessly raised his hands in the air not human. I am Roma and I am a not planning to stay. improve conditions both for the “A simple calculation shows that and shrugged, as if he had nothing human being and I am a citizen of “I left Bojnik as I did not have Roma and their neighbours. social housing for about 100 to add. Serbia.” anything to do there and couldn’t “This is a question of law and Belville families would cost about Belgrade Mayor, Dragan Djilas, As he is being sent to Makis, a earn any money,” said 45-year-old respect of the rules in Belgrade and half of a million euro while the said the authorities aimed to settlement some 40 minutes far Sefik. anyone who does not comply will city paid about a million for the improve conditions both for the from the city centre, he is compara- “Nothing has changed; there is be penalised,” Djilas said. metal containers,” the Belgrade Roma and their neighbours. | tively lucky. no way I’ll be able to support my The Belville operation is the 17th Centre for Human Rights said. Photo by Beta family in Bojnik.” forced eviction in Belgrade since “Containers also can’t be used Representatives of the city in 2009. According to Amnesty forever and in two or three years charge of the eviction told the fam- International, none has been con- they will be useless.” ilies being sent from Belgrade that ducted with due respect for human NGOs say the government they will be provided with a one- rights. should adopt an action plan or a time grant of 20,000 dinars [€200]. “The Serbian government is fla- law that would set better standards They said the local authorities grantly violating international law for such resettlements. where they have been sent would by allowing the Belgrade city Amnesty International, mean- inform them about their prospects authorities to carry out this evic- while, has launched an initiative for accommodation and jobs. tion,” John Dalhuisen, Amnesty that aim to outlaw forced evictions. But families from Belville were International’s Europe and Central “We reiterate our call for a law not consulted prior to their evic- Asia Director, said. which would prohibit forced evic- tion. They also had no access to Both Amnesty and local NGOs tions and stipulate safeguards for legal aid. Human rights NGOs say maintain that the evictions con- all evictions to prevent the blatant that the metal containers are sub- ducted by Belgrade authorities are breach of international law we standard. not a permanent solution to the have seen again in Belville,” wrote “By law even prisoners are enti- problem. Amnesty after the carrying out of Bulldozers moved into the Belville camp last week tled to four square feet of space, Although the Belgrade authori- the eviction operation EULEX Confirms Trial of Kosovo Newspaper, Mayor EU’s rule-of-law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, has confirmed criminal indictments against the editor in chief and two columnists of the former Pristina- based newspaper Infopress, as well as the mayor of Skenderaj, Sami Lushtaku. comments towards BIRN Kosovo ment in order for the injured party, substantiation that Ms Xharra had program also included a feature on director Jeta Xharra. Xharra, to pursue the case through committed treason and the paper how its own camera team had been On Thursday, a EULEX judge at private prosecution. appeared to encourage vigilante chased away from the Lushtaku’s By Lawrence Marzouk the Municipal Court of Pristina The criminal offence of action against Ms Xharra. It Skenderaj municipality at gun- confirmed the criminal offence of “Violating Equal Status of issued an implicit threat in a point while trying to film a report making threatening statements for Residents of Kosovo” was also dis- newspaper article stating: “Jeta on local governance. he newspaper’s proprietor, Mayor Lushtaku; columnists Rizah missed. has herself chosen not to live a Infopress was associated with Rexhep Hoti, and four mem- Hajdari and Qani Mehmedi; and For 12 days in late May and early long life”. Kosovo’s ruling PDK party, of Tbers of staff at the paper, editor in chief Avni Azemi, but dis- June 2009, Infopress ran a cam- The campaign followed the which Lushtaku is a member, and together with the mayor of missed the charges for Rexhep Hoti paign against BIRN’s Kosovo direc- broadcast of a two-hour episode of has received government advertis- Y Skenderaj, Lushtaku, were and director Arizona Dibra. tor Xharra and BIRN’s “Life in “Life in Kosovo” on 28 May 2009, ing revenue during the party’s accused of violating the equal sta- M The criminal offence of defama- Kosovo” television show. which reported on problems of tenure in government. It has now tus of residents in Kosovo, as well C tion was dismissed from the indict- The newspaper alleged without freedom of speech in Kosovo. The been closed. K as making threats and defamatory economy May 11 - 24, 2012 7 Sink or Swim for Flotation of Kosovo’s Marble Wealth? A marble-mining company – part owned by the former head of the PTK – is looking to become the first firm linked to Kosovo to float on the London Stock Exchange – but the plan has been hit by delays.

head of PTK in 2008. In 2009, his brother Naim, then a PDK MP, asked in parliament about an By Petrit Collaku alleged violent incident between the PM’s brother, Gani Thaci, and Etrur. But the PM was not present K-based Fox Marble and the issue has remained unad- Company has drawn up dressed. Uplans to exploit Kosovo’s Rrustemaj has been largely estimated 16 billion euro of mar- based in the UK, working with ble reserves. mining and telecommunications But plans for the company to companies, since his resignation. float on the London Stock Fox Marble has controlling Exchange in November, in order to shares in five quarries in Kosovo, raise 13 million euro, appear to be and is the first company entering on hold, despite backing for the Kosovo to be involved in a London firm from famous UK business- floatation. Plans were made for an man James Caan. Initial Public Offering to happen Fox Marble, including the for- A promotional page for Fox Marble, which is looking to raise funds on the London Stock Exchange. in November, but this has yet to mer CEO of PTK Etrut Rrustemaj happen. who is listed as a director, has The company emphasizes that through his company “Hamilton expected operations to start in Last year, Fox Marble purchased declined to comment on the firm’s the extraction process for the Bradshaw Capital Partners”, had January. the shares of two Kosovo compa- plans or the delays. majority of the marble, located on invested an undisclosed amount in “I am also personally in favour nies, “Granit-Shala” from Istog, the surface, is simple, but that part the company. of issuing licenses, however only for 3,000 euro, and “H&P” from Rrustemaj Returns to of initial tranche of revenue will The well-known English busi- with a clear deadline,” said Prishtina, for 2,500 euro. be used to build a new processing nessman, of Pakistani origin, has Kastrati, adding that after obtain- Kosovo Stock brokers Fox-Davies plant. earlier spoken of his journey in ing exploitation licenses, compa- Capital was then appointed to The document also mentions post-war Kosovo. Fox Marble originally listed for- raise 13 million euro in shares, nies should start operations after that after the Initial Public “In 2000, I visited Kosovo with mer Post Telecommunications of increasing the valuation of the three months. Offering, the company aims to Yusuf Islam (formerly Cat Kosovo director, Etrur Rrustemaj, company to £47 million. “We were told that they weren’t start operations in the last quarter Stevens) and was appalled by the as director of the firm. “In this phase we are still devel- able to start operations due to bad of 2012, and anticipates immediate suffering I saw there. I chose to oping marketing, therefore there weather. We have given them an profitability. adopt a village where 600 children is no confirmation date for the additional three months”, said [stock] listing,” Lisa Caires told Fox Marble has assessed that lived and gave the families a Kastrati. Prishtina Insight. “I will you keep when the plant reaches full pro- monthly allowance which helped Rex Marble obtained four up to date with any further duction, it will generate a pre-tax them rebuild their lives,” Caan exploitation licences on October progress.” profit of 25.9 million euro a year. said earlier. 31m 2011, expiring in 2036. The In a document prepared by Fox It is estimated that there are Another name involved in the locations which will be quarried Davis, Etrur Albani is described as between 91.3 and 235 million cubic company is Sir Colin Terry, a sen- are Bukovik (Gjilan), Cervenica, the director of Rex Marble – a sub- meters of marble resources in the ior military ranking officer of the Zatriq (Rahovec) and Antena. section of Fox Marble operating in country, according to studies. UK Royal Air Forces. Sir Colin has Kastrati said that Fox Marble Kosovo. However, in the records of According to the document, spent 37 years in the force, and was has willingly revoked its license in the Kosovo Business Registration Golder Associates has put an esti- promoted to Air Marshal. He holds Zatriq in Rahovec, as they didn’t Agency (KBRA), this position is mated valuation of the indicated the position of a non-executive find good quality marble there. held by Christopher Gilbert and marble resources at 16.5 billion director in Fox. “However, the company should Etrur Rrustemaj, former director of PTK Hysen Shahini, the latter being a euro. also submit their analysis from Slovenian national. Kosovo Commission Banja municipality of Peja. They But in more recent paper work Marble Attracts Dragon’s Expects Concrete Steps have a licence for this location, but his name was changed to Dr Etrur Fox’s Ambitious Marble the site is rich with thermal Albani. Contacted by Prishtina Den Businessmen The Kosovo Independent waters. The analysis should clear- Insight, Rrustemaj said he didn’t Plan Fox Marble’s CEO Christopher Commission of Mines and ly indicate that the exploitation change his last name to conceal Gilbert is a renowned business- Minerals, ICMM, provided an will not affect such waters,” said his identity. A 27-page document prepared man who has set up and sold many accelerated procedure for Rex Kastrati. “I have changed my last name for Fox Marble by brokers Fox “We are waiting for them to sub- from Rrustemaj to Albani, as I Davies, dated March 7 , 2012, companies worldwide in various Marble to obtain site exploration mit such analysis, and they must wanted to leave my children with speaks of the marble potential in sectors, particularly in music, licences for marble in Kosovo, it an Albanian surname,” said Kosovo from the five quarries. with recording companies. said. start their operations. They either Albani. Two of the quarries have white Last year, Gilbert told the media Xhevdet Kastrati, member of have to start their investments, or Rrustemaj stepped down as marble (white breccia) and red in London that James Caan, star of the governing board at ICMM, told otherwise we would suspect they marble resources, it reveals. the BBC Show “Dragon’s Den”, Prishtina Insight that ICMM are licence dealers,” he added. Glencore Wins Trepca Tender Again osovo’s Mining Giant Islands, to buy Trepca’s with the approval of the Trepca is to sell its 5,000 tonnes of lead and zinc board of the Privatization Kminerals to Glencore ore for the year. Agency, PAK. Bislim Muqa, International AG for the Trepca confirmed on who organised the bid, said third year running. Monday that Swiss-based that the tender had attracted The controversial mining Glencore was the winner of 12 companies. firm beat off opposition from the bid "However, only two com- Y one other qualified bidder, The tender for the sale of panies competed with com- M First Capital Group, based lead-zinc concentrate was plete documentation.” Muqa C in the British Virgin opened on March 5, 2012, added. K 8 May 11 - 24, 2012 neighbourhood business

Montenegro Sells Bankrupt Steel Mill to Turkey

ontenegro has sold its bankrupt Zeljezara steel mill in Niksic to a MTurkish metals company, which will help the Adriatic country to reduce its debt burden. Turykey's Toscelik Profil ve Sac Endustrisi in brief News AS bought the smelter in the northern city of Niksic for 15.1 million euro. The mill was declared bankrupt last year with debts of some 193 million euros. Two previous tenders for the company failed to attract any bidders. The government this year took on debts of 32 million euro from the steel mill and another 132 million euro from the country's aluminium producer Kombinat Aluminijuma Podgorica, KAP. Taking on the debts from these two compa- nies forced Montenegro, a country of 680,000 people, to revise down its growth forecast last week from 2 per cent to 0.5 per cent in 2012. In 2006, the British-based MN Specialty Romania Hopes to Reap Steels Limited paid 5.2 million euro for a 66.7 per cent stake in the then state-run Zeljezara Niksic. In 2008, MNSS, a Dutch private equity fund, acquired a majority stake in the firm. Windfall From Football Final CEZ Faces Major Losses in Country hopes to earn around 20 million euro from Spanish fans watching the Europa League football Albania final in the capital. accommodation, gifts, restau- policemen, firefighter and Western Europe. EZ recalled that in December 2011 rants and bars. security forces on the streets The trophy, a 15-kilogram Albania’s Energy Regulator Agency, “We estimate that Spanish for the event. silver cup on a yellow marble CERE, had issued a decision setting new By Marian Chiriac fans will spend nearly 20 mil- Restaurant owners were plinth, went on display in sev- tariffs for the following three-year regulation lion euro during their stay, savouring the prospect of eral areas of the city before period. including the money spent on heavy sales of food and drink. the game. “The decision is at odds with several princi- round 30,000 football travelling to Romania,” “I wish one of the British It is the first time ples contained in the Declaration on fans, mainly from Mircea Sandu, the president teams was playing as their Bucharest has hosted such an Regulation, which has the form of a law from ASpain, travelled to of Romania’s Football fans are known for their event. 2009,” the company said. Romania to attend the UEFA Federation, FRF, said. appetite for beer. But even The city was chosen to host “Application of the new tariffs would have a Europa League on Wednesday The mayor of Bucharest, with the Spanish supporters the Europa League final on in Bucharest’s new Arena negative impact on CEZ Shperndarje of up to Sorin Oprescu, on Sunday we expect to triple our sales,” the back of constructing one Nationala stadium. CZK 10.15 billion in the years 2012–2014,” CEZ asked the Education Ministry one sport bars owner in of Europe’s best new stadi- The final was an all- added. to cancel classes on May 9 as Bucharest said in advance of ums. Spanish affair, pitting In 2009, Albania sold 76 per cent of its shares the municipality wants to the game. With a capacity of 55,000, Athletic Bilbao against in Operatori i Sistemit te Shperndarjes, OSSH, Atletico Madrid. avoid traffic jams in the city Despite the fact that most the Arena Nationala is a company that managed the electricity distri- Romanian officials said the centre. Bucharest hotels and restau- impressive both inside and bution of up to 1 million consumers, with rev- match was expected to boost The authorities also set up rants have increased prices in out, and has received rave enues of over 300 million euro per year. local businesses, with fans a special task force to handle recent days, they are still reviews from fans and football OSSH was sold to CEZ for 102 million euro spending money on travel, the final, with over 5,000 much lower than averages in journalists alike. but the government helped smooth the sale by transferring new assets to OSSH and taking responsibility for 60 million euro of the compa- ny’s debts. Qatar Mulls Buying CEZ Shperndarje is a member of CEZ Group, a multinational corporation that is among the ten largest energy companies in Europe, both in terms of installed capacity and number of Macedonian Power Company customers. Delegation from Qatar is pondering buying 49 per cent of Macedonia’s state-owned power producing EU Probes Romanian Power company, ELEM, the government says. ELEM, which mostly manages the coun- The visit follows a Macedonian busi- Company Tarrifs try’s coal and hydro power plants, ness promotion in Qatar in early April remained under state control. that was led by Prime Minister Nikola he European Commission has opened ELEM is one of the last big state com- Gruevski. five in-depth investigations to assess By Sinisa Jakov Marusic panies that has not been privatized in Mizo said that they had discussed Twhether the state-run hydropower pro- the last 20 years since the transition other projects with the Qataris, ranging ducer Hidroelectrica bought or sold electricity epresentatives of several Qatari from a Socialist economy to a free mar- from the opening of gas stations to at preferential tariffs to several electricity state companies are in Macedonia ket. investments in food production. traders, industrial clients and electricity pro- Rreviewing the financial conditions ducers. and technical potential of the The county could be fined or face other Macedonian company, Viktor Mizo, head penalties if it is judged that Romania breached of the government Directorate for EU rules on state aid. Technological Industrial Development The Commission wants to determine Zones, said. whether the country’s biggest energy producer Mizo said the deal is expected to has thus indirectly subsidised clients, either by “bring up to 1.2 billion euro that will be selling them electricity at prices below market used to construct new energy facilities levels or by buying from them at prices above that will meet the interests of both the market levels. country and the investor”. "Indirect subsidies that reduce the normal On Tuesday representatives of Qatar Holding, Qatar Petroleum, Qatar Water operating costs of companies can be just as dis- and Electricity are to visit ELEM’s facil- tortive of competition as outright grants," EU ities near the capital, including the three Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia hydro power plants, Matka, St Petka and said. Kozjak. "We have to check whether the preferential After dividing its old state-run power tariffs granted by Hidroelectrica put the clients operator ESM in two, Macedonia sold the Y that benefited from them on a better footing power distribution grid to Austria's EVN M than their competitors in the internal market." in 2006. C The power production company, K Marian Chiriac Qatar is interested in investing in Macedonia neighbourhood news May 11 - 24, 2012 9 Bosniaks Want to Change Electoral Law in Srebrenica Bosniaks are worried that unless the electoral law is changed the next mayor of Srebrenica could come from a party which does not recognize the Srebrenica genocide. agreement in the next few days, we [SDA] are considering to boycott local elections,” Tihic said. By Elvira Jukic Bosniaks want the voting to be allowed according to the 1991 cen- sus when the town of Srebrenica had a predominantly Bosniak pop- he four Bosniak parties met ulation. Before the war, out of the victims’ associations at some 37,000 people, 80 per cent Tthe Potocari Genocide were Bosniaks. Memorial on Friday and pledged Following the 1995 massacre of to fight for a change in the elec- more than 7,000 Bosniak men in toral law that would allow people the town of Srebrenica in July originally from Srebrenica, but 1995 by the Bosnian Serb army, who do not live there now, to vote most local Bosniaks have either in the local elections. been killed or have left, and the Bosniaks fear the next mayor of Srebrenica may not recognise the genocide. As stated in current laws, voting town remains for most Bosniaks a is currently allowed only accord- would mean “the start of legaliz- candidate, for whom all Bosniaks meeting in Potocari that the only deeply sensitive symbol of their ing to the place of residence. ing genocide”. would vote and thereby assuring possibility to solve a problem wartime suffering. Sulejman Tihic, leader of the “If that happens, the genocide the majority. regarding the local elections in According to the current esti- Party of Democratic Action, SDA, would be rewarded, and those The election law was amended Srebrenica is to ask the High mates out of 6,000-7,000 people who spoke of the fears of local responsible would be Bosniak in 2008 for the local elections in Representative in Bosnia to use actually live in the town of Bosniaks that due to their minori- politicians,” reads a press release order to enable Bosniaks no his powers and reintroduce the Srebrenica, some 30 per cent are ty, a Serb candidate from the rul- from one of the associations. longer living in Srebrenica to rules from 2008. Bosniaks and the rest are Serbs. ing Bosnian Serb party which Besides changing the election vote. But that change was valid “That would be fair. If that The representatives of the vic- denies that the 1995 killings in law, another option was men- only for that year's local elec- [keeping 2008 rules] does not hap- tims’ associations stated that if Srebrenica was genocide, might be tioned as a solution for tions. pen, then we have to assure that people from Srebrenica who are elected as mayor. Srebrenica, which is for all Mirsad Djapo, from the Social as many people from Srebrenica non-residents could not vote it “If we do not achieve a good Bosniak parties to have a single Democrats party, said after the register here,” Djapo suggested. Macedonian Miss Bulgaria Stripped Firms Told To of Crown

A Bulgarian jury has Instal Revivers revoked its decision to give the crown of Miss Bulgaria Companies voice dismay over new government provision 2012 to Ina Mancheva after that orders them to purchase machines to revive people it was established that a hacker attack manipulated who have suffered heart attacks. the online vote of the audi- financial crisis,” they said. ence. Venco Filipov, from Macedonia’s The news was announced Union of Textile Companies, says last Thursday by TV7, By Sinisa Jakov Marusic his firm will be hit hard by the pro- which was the main organ- vision. He suspects that to avoid izer of the pageant. having to buy this equipment some The new Miss Bulgaria is acedonian companies companies might sack people, to cut have criticised a sudden now the first runner-up, the number of employees to below Gabriela Vassileva. Mdecision that obliges them 100. The audience vote count- to purchase expensive health and “This provision will devastate safety equipment. ed as three points, but a low-profit businesses, like the tex- A letter from Health Minister check by the organisers tile businesses, which already Nikola Todorov sent to businesses revealed the manipulation struggle to sell goods and maintain says that from June 1 it will be and showed that Vassileva the already low capital levels,” mandatory for any company with had actually been one point Filipov said. more than 100 employees to have an ahead of Mancheva. According to the State Statistical onsite machine to revive stroke and The votes for Mancheva Office, some 19,500 companies have heart attack sufferers. had come in large numbers over 100 workers in Macedonia. If the company has 200 employ- from some very strange Asked recently in parliament ees it will have to purchase two places such as Bangladesh whether some firms close to the such machines. and Pakistan, the jury government stood behind the deci- Each firm is also required to des- noted, admitting their own sion, Todorov denied it. ignate five of every 100 workers to mistakes and promising “I categorically say this is not receive free six-hour training ses- that next year they will true... the purpose of this govern- sions in the use of these machines ment is strictly to put companies' close the online vote two at their local Red Cross stations. work in order,” Todorov said. days prior to the conclusion The defibrillators themselves, Meanwhile, some doctors say of the pageant in order to whose cost varies from 1,500 euro that while the plan in general is have time to count and veri- up to 5,000 euro for the more sophis- good, brief training sessions in the fy the results. ticated, ones, will not be free. Red Cross to use this equipment “This decision hurts my The Union of Employers and the might not be enough. self-esteem but has made me Economic Chamber of Macedonia “Operators need to be trained in wiser... This pageant must say the decision adds to the heavy heart revival so they can recognise be honest. I wish Gabriela burdens placed on the private sec- whether the patient is breathing luck at the world contest. I tor. and still has a pulse,” Dr Lidija feel offended because these It will “unnecessarily burden Popovska, from the cardiology clin- results ought to have been companies that already struggle ic in Skopje, noted. checked earlier,” Mancheva with the effects of the European commented. Ina Mancheva has been stripped of the title of Miss Bulgaria 10 May 11 - 24, 2012 neighbourhood Searching for Buried Truth at RTS Delays and “missing” documents damage hopes for an official inquiry into NATO attack on state broadcaster.

War crime allegations: By Marija Ristic and Gordana Andric The attack on the RTS building was one of the most controversial strikes during NATO’s 78-day hirteen years after a NATO bombing campaign. The alliance air-strike killed 16 RTS Temployees, Serbian officials went to war against Belgrade are facing fresh criticism over when Milosevic refused to back their failure to address the suspi- down over the province of Kosovo, cion that lives were deliberately where his security forces had been put at risk. accused of persecuting the ethnic Campaigners want to examine Albanian majority. whether the government of the According to Serbian official time, led by Slobodan Milosevic, data, the NATO campaign killed ignored warnings of an attack on between 1,200 and 2,500 people, the state broadcaster because it including 89 children. About 120 intended to use civilian casual- people were working in the RTS ties as propaganda against NATO. building on the night that it was The relatives of those killed in bombed. Of the 16 who died, most were production staff. the bombing on April 23, 1999, The authorities support commemorations of the RTS attack – but cannot lay to rest doubts over the deaths. (Beta) asked for an inquiry more than Describing RTS as Milosevic’s five years ago, with the backing of “ministry of lies”, NATO said the In an interview with BIRN in doubt whether their case will investigation has been champi- legal activists and NGOs. broadcaster had been a legitimate April, Djorovic insisted he had reach a court before the statute of oned by several other groups in However, despite recent assur- target because it produced propa- seen the key documents. “I gath- limitations expires in 2014. recent years, including a Serbian ances by officials, no trial date ganda in support of the regime. ered the file and marked it myself. “In 2006, Zoric said the prosecu- independent journalists’ associa- has been set. BIRN has also Serbian officials condemned the I have not made a mistake. I know tor would look into the case – and tion and NGOs such as the uncovered uncertainty over who attack as a war crime. Amnesty what is in it. I know where it lies in nothing happened. And now we Humanitarian Law Centre and the is in charge of prosecuting the International also said the the ministry,” he said. are in 2012 and we hear the same Helsinki Committee for Human case, casting doubt on whether a alliance had failed to abide by the Campaigners say they have yet thing,” said Stojanovic, the moth- Rights. preliminary investigation has laws of war in its targeting of a to receive a response to their er of one of the people killed in the The European Parliament’s made any progress. civilian institution. requests for the key documents. bombing. rapporteur for Serbia, Jelko The campaigners now fear time Soon after the bombing cam- The requests were submitted “We have spent the last ten Kacin, also recently sent a letter is running out for judicial action, paign ended, the families of the under freedom-of-information months having discussions in the to the defence minister, urging an with the statute of limitations set people killed in the RTS building laws. office of the prosecutor for organ- investigation into the deaths at to expire in two years’ time. They accused Milosevic of “sacrificing” “There is no doubt that these ised crime,” she told BIRN. “There RTS. have accused the authorities of lives in order to score propaganda documents exist,” said Milan are no new details in this case. Colonel Djorovic, the military impeding their efforts to hold an points against NATO. Antonijevic from the Lawyers’ There is only a tonne of old evi- official who gathered evidence for inquiry. Milosevic was overthrown amid Committee for Human Rights, dence that no one has followed the Milanovic trial, is certain that Their suspicions have been street protests in 2000. In 2002, the YUKOM, one of the NGOs working up.” the truth behind the deaths of the fuelled by reports of an internal former director of RTS, Dragoljub on behalf of the families of the However, doubts remain over 16 RTS employees will be memo which supposedly con- Milanovic, was sentenced to 10 dead. which prosecutor is managing the revealed. “One day, someone will firmed that defence officials years in prison for failing to carry RTS case, or indeed, whether it is be held responsible for what hap- knew beforehand of plans to tar- out an order to evacuate the broad- Ticking clock: being managed at all. pened that night and for all that get the RTS building. However, caster’s offices. The special court for organised followed,” he told BIRN. the defence ministry has denied The relatives of the dead, and Some campaigners suspect that crime, which liaises with the pros- Several claims made by top the existence of any such docu- the NGOs who had campaigned politicians who are currently in ecutor in the same field, said it had Serbian officials suggest they had ment. along with them, were not satis- power are obstructing their quest not received any information on advance knowledge of NATO’s “There is no political will to fied with the verdict. They argued for the truth. The outgoing coali- the case since the end of the bombing plans. that Milanovic was effectively a tion government includes Milanovic trial. Maja Kovacevic Momir Bulatovic, the former scapegoat, as he would not have Milosevic’s old party, SPS. Tomic, a spokeswoman for the president of Yugoslavia, wrote in acted against the wishes of superi- court, told BIRN that while all his book, Rules of Silence, of lis- ors who were known to exercise According to Jelena Milic from investigations were handled pri- tening to an intercepted commu- direct influence over RTS. the Centre for Euro-Atlantic marily by the prosecutor, “what I nication between NATO pilots Over the last decade, the war Studies, another NGO that is aid- can say is that we would know if during a visit to a Serbian com- crimes trials of Milosevic and his ing the families of RTS victims, the case was being investigated”. mand centre. allies at The Hague have repeated- the delays in the case are partly Zoric also told BIRN he did not Colonel Momir Stojanovic, a ly cited their tight control over down to “the fact that some people know which prosecutor was in former head of military security, state institutions such as RTS. who were working during the war charge of the case. “Maybe they told the Nedeljni Telegraf news- are still active in the army and in are doing it together,” he said. He paper in 2003 that his team was Dispute over File 466: politics”. was also unable to confirm able to stay abreast of NATO’s whether the material handed over plans. The campaigners’ hopes were While officials from the SPS did by the ministry included the full “We knew when the bombard- bolstered by reports that a docu- not respond to BIRN’s request for contents of file number 466. ment would start, how it would go ment, held by the defence ministry, comment, the defence ministry “I don’t know exactly what docu- on, what targets NATO would hit. proved that the Serbian authori- insists it is co-operating over the ments have been sent by the We informed the army and state Zanka Stojanovic ties had ample warning of the case. “The ministry has submitted defence ministry, but I do know leadership about this all the attack on the RTS building. all documents to the prosecutor they sent us everything,” he said. time,” he was quoted as saying. deal with these political mur- The claim was made by Colonel and now the case is in the hands of In an interview with Tanjug Amateur radio operators in ders,” Zanka Stojanovic, the Lakic Djorovic, a legal officer from the judiciary,” a spokesperson told news agency on April 6, Zoric Serbia were also able to pick up mother of one of the victims of the military who was tasked with BIRN. sought to allay concerns that time NATO communications and pass the bombing, told BIRN. gathering evidence for the The public prosecutor’s office was running out to bring a prose- them on to the authorities. Leaders from Milosevic’s Milanovic trial. He said a certain also recently said it had received cution. Numerous buildings were evacu- Socialist Party of Serbia, SPS, file, numbered 466, contained the documents from the ministry. “Determining the truth is a pri- ated on time. The offices of TV are key players in the current papers showing that an army com- The statement by Tomo Zoric, a ority for the prosecutor’s office Vojvodina in Novi Sad were hit by coalition government, whose mand centre had overheard NATO spokesman, was the first official and we will take further steps. The NATO on April 4, after all its term expires before elections this pilots’ plans and passed the infor- confirmation from the prosecu- office is taking care about time employees had left. month. mation to their headquarters. tor’s office that it was looking into limits," he said. He added that The Usce business complex in While the SPS did not answer However, the defence ministry the RTS case. It was issued in there was "no fear" that the case Belgrade was bombed on April 21. BIRN’s calls for comment, the denied the existence of any such April, just before the 13th anniver- would expire under the statute of Although it had not been seen as a defence ministry has said it is co- document, in response to a request sary of the NATO strike – and limitations. possible target, the building was operating fully with prosecutors by an information commissioner some five years after the prosecu- evacuated before the raid. NATO Y and has passed on to them all and by the families of the dead. tor was first presented with evi- Advance knowledge: also bombed Milosevic’s resi- M material that is relevant to the The ministry also published sever- dence by the campaigners. dence on April 22. The president C inquiry. al papers which it said were the The families of the victims The families’ campaign for an was not there at the time. K entire contents of file number 466. neighbourhood May 11 - 24, 2012 11 Albanian University Naked Emperor Embarrasses Quizzed Over Bossi Some Romanians A new statue of the Roman Dodgy Diploma Emperor Trajan carrying a Questions are growing over the diploma that the son of Dacian wolf has failed to the Italy's right-wing Northern League leader, Umberto impress some inhabitants of Bossi, received from an Albanian university. the Romanian capital. stopped Bossi’s son from seeking a degree in Albania. According to the Italian media, By Besar Likmeta Renzo received his degree from By Marian Chiriac Kristal University on September 29, 2010, passing 29 exams. oubts have emerged over Doubts have been raised about the business management how he managed to be admitted to I have never seen anything so Ddegree obtained by Renzo grotesque. It looks like a mon- the college and finish his three- Bossi from Tirana’s Kristal year-degree, having only obtained “ster that escaped from University. his Italian high school diploma a Chernobyl,” said Maria Vasilache, The issue of the questionable 30, passing a newly erected statue The controversial statue in Bucharest year earlier. diploma has emerged as Italian in front of Romania’s National Renzo Bossi had earlier failed from the public. birthplace. prosecutors investigate his politi- Museum of History. his high school final exam in Italy But some artists are enthusias- The statue in Romania com- cian father for alleged abuse of “I’m not an art specialist or a several times, leading his father to tic. “It is a modern work from one pletes a series commemorating party funds. prudish person but such a statue complain that he was being dis- of our best sculptors and is of Trajan’s victory over the Dacians According to the Italian daily La should never have been erected impeccable professionalism," in the year 107AD and the inclu- Repubblica, Renzo’s degree was criminated against for his political here,” she added. Mihai Oroveanu, director of the sion of the area that is roughly found in the safe of the treasurer ideas. The source of the offence is a National Museum of now modern Romania in the of the Northern League, There is also no record that statue of the Emperor Trajan, con- Contemporary Art, said. Roman Empire. Francesco Belsito, in a folder Renzo ever attended Kristal sidered one of the forefathers of "I think these people who insult The statue was officially inaugu- named “the family”. University. the Romanian people, carrying a the statue would even object to rated on the stairs of the National Umberto Bossi, founder of In a statement to the media on Dacian wolf, thus representing the Constantin Brancusi [a famous Museum of History in Bucharest Northern League, resigned as Thursday the college denied that myth of the Roman–Dacian gene- sculptor of Romanian origin] last week. party leader last month after a cor- the diploma was a fake and said sis of the Romanian people. these days,” he added. The public may not be offended ruption scandal hit the party. Bossi’s admission had met the The problem is that the emperor The statue is the work of Vasile for too long. Based in the wealthy north, the requirements of Albanian law. is depicted naked. Gorduz, a sculptor and teacher The director of the museum, Northern League is known for its “Renzo Bossi was admitted on The strange posture and nudity who died in 2008, and is part of a Enest Tarnoveanu, earlier said the hostility to southerners and for- the basis of the documents that he of the emperor, carrying a wolf series of three identical pieces cre- statue might not be there for too eign immigrants. Albanians living presented during the academic with an alien-like appendix com- ated by the artist. long as it had proven so controver- in Italy have been frequent targets. year 2007-2008, in accordance with ing from its mouth - in fact it is a The other two are in Seville, the sial, even though it was erected But antipathy towards Albanian Albanian legislation,” the univer- scarf recalling the Dacian flag - nearest modern city to Trajan’s with all the necessary approvals. immigrants seems not to have sity said. have drawn many critical remarks marketing

English Language Teacher

SPARK/IBCM is looking for a fulltime (40 hrs/week) English Language Teachers (m/f) to work in Kosovo for a period of three months with a possibility of extension. The ESL instructors help prospective students to meet the requirement of entering English language post-secondary vocational education in June 2012. Earlier experience has shown that new students have problems with English language. Therefore, a transitional three-months programme will be organised to prepare freshmen for the entrance examination.

SPARK is an independent not-for-profit foundation, based in Amsterdam, with field offices in Belgrade, Mitrovica, Pristina and Skopje. SPARK aims to support the ongoing processes of transition and reconstruction in post-conflict societies. An important way to facilitate these processes lies in the strengthening of educational and economic institutions. SPARK aims to contribute to sustainable reform of educational and economic institutions in post-conflict societies in a way that is lasting and demands the pro-active participation of local communities.

Requirements and assets:

- Recognized English Language Teacher Qualification - TEFL, CELTA, DELTA, TESOL (or recognized equivalent) - Some experience preferred; - Good communication and social skills and able to work in a multicultural setting; - Good team worker while able to work independently; - Available for at least three-months full-time - Willingness to live in Kosovo

SPARK/IBCM offers:

- 40 hrs/week contract ( incl. some evenings); - Remuneration of 700 euro/month; - Included accommodation and return flights; - International working environment; - The opportunity to be part of an exciting project

For more information, please visit the IBCM website: www.ibcmitrovica.eu or contact Mr. James Leigh: [email protected].

If you are interested, please send your letter of motivation and CV before 15.05.2012 to (Reference: English Language Teacher)

12 May 11 - 24, 2012 macedonia in focus Macedonia’s Arrests of ‘Terrorists’ Leave

While police confidently claim that radical Islamist were behind the recent mass killing in Skopje, some experts feel far from persuaded. IVZ warned that radical Islamist groups, following Wahhabi teach- ings, were trying to take control of key mosques in Skopje. By Sinisa Jakov Marusic These claims prompted police to say that they were monitoring the situation and there was no cause acedonian police on for alarm. Thursday said they had The claims of radicalism were Missued arrest warrants later attributed to hostilities through Interpol for two alleged between the leaders of the IVZ and “terrorists”, Alil Demiri 27 and a breakaway Imam, Ramadan Afrim Ismailovic 33, from Skopje, Ramadani who was accused at the who they believe took part in the time of propagating extreme murders on the outskirts of views. Skopje on April 12. The hostilities seemed to sub- Police said they believe five peo- side after August 2010 when both ple were directly involved in the sides issued statements of recon- murders and arrested three of ciliation and unity in honour of them in raids on Tuesday that the Muslim holy month of ended with the detention of 20 Ramadan. alleged radical Islamists, all eth- Ramadani today acknowledges nic Albanians. that Macedonia might attract On top of murder charges, the some people with radical beliefs police have pressed terrorism because of its visa-free regime charges against all five. with EU countries, enabling them But police claims that some of to use Macedonia to penetrate fur- the arrested men belonged to an ther into Europe. organized terrorist group motivat- But he is sceptical regarding the ed by radical Islam have raised do not believe in these stories and Tensions peaked four days after could be said to match the usual police claims concerning the latest more questions in public than they nor does the international commu- the murders when police battled to profile of radical Islamists. arrests, saying that the facts sup- have closed. nity,” Dulovi told Prishtina prevent a mob of Macedonian He also notes that neighbours of porting them look “slim”. While most experts acknowl- Insight. youngsters from moving across the other arrested people, from the “The murder was not accompa- edge the threat of radical Islam, The killings of five men near the the Vardar River towards an area village of Aracinovo, told the nied by any demand or announce- they pinpoint inconsistencies in capital on April 12 have sharply of the capital mainly populated by media that the arrested suspects ment, which goes against the the police story that do not add up. raised tensions between Albanians. were not known for their religious usual practice of radical Some question whether the inves- Macedonians and the country’s This Wednesday, following the devotion. Indeed, some were local- Islamists,” he noted. tigation is on the right track. large ethnic Albanian minority, police arrests, an investigative ly known for often consuming Dulovi takes the same line. “In Lirim Dulovi, a veteran journal- after rumours soon spread that the judge detained nine of the 20 alcohol and not visiting the the last few years in Skopje there ist and editor, is one of those killers were Albanians. alleged radical Islamists, all eth- mosque. have been cases of different types expressing open reserve. Police discovered the bodies of nic Albanians, for 30 days. “There are many questions, of preaching Islam, but so far the “I don’t exclude the possibility Filip Slavkovski, Aleksandar The court released immediately which the relevant institutions debates and incidents related to that among them [the arrested] Nakjevski, Cvetanco Acevski and one elderly woman in whose house should answer in public so that this have remained exclusively there might be another ‘Anders Kire Trickovski, on the northern the police had found an arsenal of there are no misunderstandings,” within the Muslim community,” Breivik,” he said, referring to the outskirts of the capital at a popu- weapons while the other ten were he said. he says. Norwegian mass killer who is now lar fishing destination. sent home after spending 48 hours The country’s Islamic Religious The murder of five on trial. All the victims were aged in police custody for questioning. Community, IVZ, had so far Macedonians, which was unprece- “But I cannot buy the story that between 18 and 20. The body of 45- But Dulovi says that some key refused to comment on the events. dented in the country’s recent his- 20 people like Breivik organized year-old Borce Stevkovski was a facts about the arrests of the 20 do The IVZ will formulate a response tory, reminded many of the begin- and committed this monstrous act short distance away from the rest. not add up. in a few days when its senior offi- ning of the armed conflict without being noticed by anybody The murders happened two days He questions whether a 60-year- cials return from a trip abroad, between Albanians and from the state security services,” ahead of Orthodox Christian old woman or a 64-year-old retired Abaz Islami, the IVZ spokesper- Macedonians in 2001. he added. Easter, which added to the atmos- carpenter, from the village of son, said. That year Macedonia experi- “Even Macedonians themselves phere of suspicion. Otlja, both among the detainees, On several occasions in 2010 the enced a nationwide insurgency, Minister Says Killings Won't Terrorise Macedonia Police Minister says a 'mature society' will not be paralyzed by such shocking acts as the recent killings of five people on the outskirts of Skopje. They say the men were “radical tol that they believe were used to Islamists” intending to spread fear kill the five victims near Skopje. and undermine ethnic cohesion But they insist that even with- By Sinisa Jakov Marusic between Macedonians and the out them, they have other evidence large ethnic Albanian minority. to prove the guilt of the murder Police say three of the alleged suspects in court. acedonia's Police Minister killers are behind bars. They have The killings of the five on April said the recent killings of asked Interpol to help track down 12 sharply raised ethnic tensions Mfive people on the out- the other two. between Macedonians and skirts of Skopje would not be Last week police detained 20 Albanians after rumours spread allowed to paralyse ordinary life. alleged radicals in relation to the that the killers were Albanians. “We should never exclude the killings and the courts later Police discovered the bodies of possibility of new attacks but ordered detention for nine of Filip Slavkovski, Aleksandar Macedonian society has shown its them. Nakjevski, Cvetanco Acevski and maturity,” Gordana Jankulovska About 1,000 young ethnic Kire Trickovski, on the northern said, speaking on Police Day, Albanians protested on Friday in outskirts of the capital at a popu- May 7. Skopje, saying Albanians were lar fishing destination. All four Police last week pressed murder being unjustly framed as terror- were aged between 18 and 20. The and terrorism charges against five ists. body of 45-year-old Borce people for the crime. All were eth- Police said they have not found Stevkovski was a short distance nic Albanians. the two automatic rifles and a pis- away from the rest. macedonia in focus May 11 - 24, 2012 13 Questions Unanswered

migrants try- ing to get to Report Corruption Western Europe for work. Macedonian offi- cials were accused of deliberately killing the men in order to enhance Macedonia’s status in the US war on terror. Boskoski who also holds Croatian citizenship, is being pros- were ecuted in Pula, Croatia, for the “close- killings in a trial that will start in ly follow- October. ing details “I fear that in time this case of the arrests might have the same fate as and the ongoing ’Rashtanski Lozja,’” Pendarovski investigation as says. described by the At her last press conference, Minister of Interior. Police Minister Gordana “It is important that any Jankulovska said the police had suspects for these terrible determined all the circumstances murders – regardless of their about the killings but would wait identities, ethnicities, or religious for the trial to start before reveal- affiliations – receive due process A protest in Skopje last Friday against the recent arrests of Albanians in connection with the murder of five Macedonians. ing details. under the law in order to ensure “Macedonia is on the terrorist pitting the security forces against quarter of country’s 2.1 million. ethnic sphere, the Macedonian that, ultimately, justice is served.” map because of its participation an armed and highly effective eth- Orthodox Christian Macedonians authorities might be deliberating “If we read statements from the in NATO-led operations,” she said, nic Albanian guerrilla force. make the majority of the popula- taking “a less painful option” for EU delegation and the US embassy referring to the fact that the coun- The fighting ended with the bro- tion. the sake of the country’s ethnic in relation to the police action we try has more than 160 soldiers in kering of the Ohrid Accord, which But strains between the coun- stability. will notice a significant note of Afghanistan. guaranteed greater rights to try’s two main communities has He says that the police restraint in them,” Dulovi points She repeated her conviction that Albanians who make up about a been rising since February, when announcement, that it had busted out. the killings were carried out by an off-duty Macedonian policeman a group of Islamists, might also be It will be up to the police to “followers of the radical Islam” shot dead two young Albanians in seen as an attempt to position the prove its claims before the courts. who deliberately chose the day of the north-western town of country as a key ally of the US in Macedonia’s chief prosecutor, the murders to coincide with Gostivar. the global war on terror. Ljupco Svrgovski, has said that his preparations for Orthodox Easter. The murder was immediately “We should wait and see what office will demand the severest She admitted that police have portrayed as having an ethnic evidence the police have to present penalties for the suspects, which still not identified the murder dimension and Albanians took to to the court, and whether it is con- means life in jail. weapon among the seized stash the streets of Gostivar in protest. vincing enough to persuade it that “I hope the police will file sub- during the busts. After that the country experi- the arrested were indeed radical stantial evidence based on biologi- Her confidence about the facts enced its worst inter-ethnic gang Islamists,” he said. cal and material evidence that and motives behind the killings is violence in years, with gangs of Observers point out that they have collected,” Svrgovski not shared by US and EU represen- hooligans from both ethnicities Macedonia has a poor record when told reporters. tatives whose statements have attacking people on streets and in it comes to the fight against • One of the detainees held in expressed more reserve. buses. Muslim terrorists. relation to the killing of five peo- The European Union delegation The violence subsided in the In March 2002 Macedonian spe- ple near Skopje on April 12 has to Macedonia on Wednesday urged second half of March after police cial police forces killed six men in revealed details of the crime to the the authorities to bring the killers arrested some suspects and seized Rashtanski Lozja near Skopje. The investigation, a police source told to justice “regardless of the ethnic caches of weapons. then police minister, Ljube Balkan Insight. Haki Haziri, 28, or religious background of the vic- Stevo Pendarovski, national Boskoski, immediately claimed from the Skopje municipality of tims and perpetrators”, adding security advisor to former presi- that the dead men were armed ter- Shuto Orizari, has told the inves- that they will continue to follow dents Boris Trajkovski and rorists whose intention was to tigative judge in Skopje that he the process. Branko Crvenkovski, says that by attack the US embassy. drove the vehicle that the murder In a statement issued the same searching for the murder motives Later it turned out that the suspects used in the killing. day the US embassy said that they in the religious rather than in the police had killed some Pakistani Teuta Arifi: Europe is Macedonia’s Best Hope tutions carry out this process in a we must not judge beforehand.” professional and correct manner. “In a sensitive multiethnic We should restrain from com- society like Macedonia, it takes By Fatmir Aliu menting at least until we get a effort to build cohesion and more complete picture from the enable progress and it does not judicial institutions such as the take much for things to go wrong. prosecution and the court,” Arifi “We are a multiethnic society ticking to the path of says. European integration offers with all the fragilities that such a An ethnic Albanian herself, she society carries and with all the Sthe best hope for Macedonia agrees that ethnic Albanians to overcome the tensions aggravat- tensions that our region implies. should not be judged collectively ed by the recent killings in On top of that we also have other, for crimes committed by few indi- Skopje, says the Vice-Prime economic problems that can viduals. Minister in charge of European always take on another dimen- “We cannot accept collectiviza- Affairs. sion. tion of guilt. There cannot be col- In an interview with Prishtina “Because of this, we should Insight, the vice-president of the lective guilt on the basis of eth- nicity or religion”, she says, strongly abide by our Euro- largest Albanian party in Atlantic agenda that strengthens Macedonia, the Democratic adding: “We should also bear in internal cohesion within Union for Integration, DUI, a jun- mind that all the people treated in Macedonia and overcomes ethnic ior partner in government, says it relation to this case are just sus- and religious divides. This agen- Y is vital that due process is fol- pects, so we have to maintain the da also gives us a collective sense M lowed. principle of presumption of inno- “It is very important that insti- cence. Until it is proven by the of stability that we all obviously C institutions that they are guilty, need.” Teuta Arifi, vice Prime Minister, has called for calm. K 14 May 11 - 24, 2012 culture ‘Clip’ Shines Grim Light on Belgrade’s Suburban Youth Young Serbian director Maja Milos is raising eyebrows with her debut film, which uses explicit sexuality to portray the alienated world of adolescents in Belgrade suburbs.

By Andrej Klemencic

hen Clip managed to sell out at Belgrade’s Sava WCentar, which rarely hap- pens with domestic film premiers, director Maja Milos was propelled instantly to the top of Serbia's film world. After receiving an award at the Rotterdam film festival, she is cer- tain that a bright future awaits her first feature. This young woman dedicated her previous two short films to exploring female sexuality in con- temporary Serbia. While in Dust, she mixed images from casting sessions of young actresses with a woman relaxing nude at home, her second short “Si tu t’imagine“ was much more vio- lent and made it clear that Milos is on a quest to address the way that Serbia's post-war turbo-folk society swallows the tender side of female sexuality. While that film addressed the The cast of Serbian film Clip at the Rotterdam film festival, where it was awarded a prize. problem of suburban women currently more fascinated by during the German siege, Milos plentifully in the film. Milos in autumn, but she discloses no forced into prostitution, Clip shows aggression than sex. says she has not exaggerated a bit. believes that this musical genre, other details. a frail suburban teenager forced Five years ago, Milos saw some “I did not want to make a ‘post- which once was a subculture tied As a director who started with into sexual games in order to find clips on the internet of Belgrade card’ from Serbia. This is how it in with war criminals and cheep artistic nudity and ended up with romance. adolescents partying, taking drugs really looks. We filmed on real loca- entertainment, is now the musical shots of explicit despair, Milos The director does not hide her and having sex. In a couple of tions. I did not want to go all mainstream that all youngsters lis- joins a line of Serbian directors conviction that sex lies at the cen- weeks she wrote a scenario for Clip romantic, nor did I want to drama- ten to. who during the past three years tre of her own interests. “I am and spent two years looking for tize. Most Belgraders can only “I was anything but a fan of this launched works like Serbian Film, aroused by explorations of sexuali- suitable actors. afford to shop in a Chinese shop- music but I had to grow to love it, Life and Death of a Porn Gang, or ty, predominantly female sexuali- “I wanted to make a love story ping mall and that is our reality,” so now you can seeme on Belgrade Who the Fuck is Milos Brankovic. ty,” Milos says. that takes place in the least she insists. rafts dancing on tables,” she says. All of them depict early-21st-cen- “In the 1960s and 1970s, Yugoslav favourable circumstances,” she In contrast to the studiedly real- The film does its best to show it tury Serbia as a Sodom and film dealt much more with sexuali- emphasizes. istic surroundings, Milos opted not has an edge, which Milos achieves Gomorra, where people are rou- ty, which is best seen in works of In Clip, we follow Jasna, 14, who to cast real suburban youngsters. mostly by portraying scenes tinely raped, killed or in other Dusan Makavejev, Zelimir Zilnik lives with her sick father, working “After two years of casting, and involving explicit sexuality. ways humiliated. and Zivojin Pavlovic. mother and younger sister in a sin- after more than 2000 teenagers “I am unaware whether Serbia While all these works try to “But the wars and transition ister-looking Belgrade suburb. At came to auditions, one day I saw legislation protects underage depict the gruesome nuances as brought about a new trend whereby school, she falls for a boy who Isidora Simijonivic and I knew teenagers from onscreen nudity,” graphically as possible, their weak- people seem to fear sexuality on seems only to have a sexual interest immediately that she was my lead. Milos answers, when asked why ness is that they deal little with the film because it triggers emotions,” in her. As they struggle through the “She and all other actors have no the credits begin with a sentence issues that caused these problems. Milos adds, noting that American levels of this impersonal relation- suburban background. They all “No children were involved in But in contrast to the apocalyp- sex comedies are easier to digest in ship, we see a picture of the despair come from good Belgrade families, scenes depicting explicit sexuali- tic ends to the three films named that sense, simplifying sex by por- that is contemporary Serbia. but are not unaware of what goes ty”. above, which offer no resolution, traying it either in a humorous or Asked if she really believes that on around them. With the actors, I “I merely put that sentence in to the heroine of Clip finds love. This vulgar fashion. every school in Serbia looks like an looked for acting quality, rather protect the actress who was 14 at makes her voyage worthwhile and In her opinion, sexuality in abandoned Eastern-bloc military than authenticity,” Milos says. the time,” she says. The director is your trip to cinema, where the film Serbian film has been reduced to barrack, and every medical institu- Preparations included adopting currently looking into other proj- is being shown, at least morally, if “rape in a haystack“, as society is tion looks like Leningrad hospital turbo-folk music, which features ects that she may start working on not cinematically justifiable. Balkan Henry VI at the Globe Theatre he three plays that make up alone play. Also, I see this as a good market- universality of the play lies in the agreement has not been reached Shakespeare’s Henry VI are Speaking at a press conference ing move,” Milivojevic said. fact that it applies not only to yet. Tgoing to be performed by the in Belgrade on Friday, the Serbian Milivojevic chose to simplify Serbia but to the whole world, and “We considered that all three Serbian, Macedonian and director, Nikita Milivojevic, said the play by leaving out all the com- that this version is simplified plays would be performed on con- Albanian national theatres at the that there has not been any syn- bat scenes and the scenes of ordi- enough so it could be understood secutive nights in Belgrade, and London Globe in mid-May. chronisation with the Albanian nary life, and focused only on in a political context. then in Bitola and in Tirana so As a part of the Globe to Globe director Adonis Filipi, and John political scenes at a round table The director of the National that the audience could see the festival, the Serbian National Blondell, who directed the third where the decisions are made. Theatre, Bozidar Djurovic, was whole trilogy. I think it could hap- Theatre will perform part 1 of, part. “At the beginning I came up pleased that the premier of the pen in October, but we have not what the organisers call, the “From the very beginning the with the idea that the round table play will take place at the Globe reached the agreement yet.“ Balkan Trilogy on May 11 and 13. deal was that everyone would do should represent the one at the theatre. The Globe to Globe festival is Part 2 will be performed by the their own play, which do not need United Nations. That idea further “I am very happy that for the taking place from April 21 to June National Theatre of Albanian to be synchronised in any way,” developed, so now throughout the first time the Serbian language 9 2012. Over the course of six Theatre and part 3 by the National Y said Milivojevic. play the round table constantly will be heard at the Globe.” weeks all of Shakespeare’s 37 Theatre of Bitola in Macedonia. M “I like the name Balkan trilogy, changes its meaning”. Although originally it was plays will be performed by select- Each part of Henry VI will be C because this Henry has something Slobodan Bestic, who plays planned for the whole trilogy to ed international theatre compa- performed in London as a stand K in common with Balkan history. Richard Plantagenet, said that the be presented in the region, the nies. feature May 11 - 24, 2012 15 Albania Politicians Splash Out on US Lobbying Albanian politicians spend huge sums annually on US lobbying, trying to impress voters with their access to policymakers - but what do they achieve and where does the money come from? Albania’s junior government part- “Any suggestion that there was ner, had just survived a corruption anything more than a brief intro- trial in the Supreme Court, follow- duction is false,” he added. ing the publication of an embar- In similar fashion, when the By Besar Likmeta rassing secretly filmed video in mayor of Tirana, Lulzim Basha, January 2011. visited the US in January, the pro- Meta’s acquittal on January 16, government media claimed he had Berisha’s government has spent large sums of public money on US lobbying lbania PM Sali Berisha and 2012 raised eyebrows in Brussels gone on the official invitation of the arranged by lobbying firms that place with the lobbyists present, US Secretary of State where officials have been pressing mayor of Washington, Vincent represent Albanian officials. and many of those lobbyists are AHillary Clinton the need for Albania to take a Gray. Data released through FARA, long-time contributors to or Prishtina Insight has obtained tougher line on corruption if it A spokesperson for the US mayor, and compiled by the US-based fundraisers for members of records which show that Albanian wishes to join the EU. Doxie McCoy, told Prishtina Insight Sunlight foundation, show that all Congress or former colleagues of parties spent hundreds of thou- The LSI said that Meta visited the that no such invitation had been of Albania’s main political par- State Department officials,” sands of dollars in recent years lob- United States to attend an economic forwarded. ties, from Berisha’s Democrats to Allison noted. bying firms in Washington to gain forum and held high-profile meet- “A resident of Albanian descent Edi Rama’s opposition Socialists, While the lobbying firms access to top US officials and inter- ings with members of Congress asked Mayor Gray to grant the have sizable contracts with influ- charged hundreds of thousands national media coverage. and State Department officials. Albanian Mayor a courtesy visit ential lobby firms. for their services, it is unclear It is unclear what this costly lob- One particular meeting stood and Mr Gray complied, as he often They include Podesta Group, where this money has come from. bying achieved for one of the poor- out, with the head of the US Drug holds these kinds of meetings with Blue Star Strategies, Dutko In 2009 and 2010 alone, Albania’s est countries in Europe, while the Enforcement Agency, DEA, Michele visiting dignitaries,” he explained. International, BKSH & Associates government and its main parties sources of the funding for the Leonhart. Like Meta, Basha is a controver- and Rasky Baerlain Strategic spent 1.38 million dollars in lobby- expenses remain obscure. A party statement on March 28 sial figure in Albania, who had Communications. ing in the US. The data, disclosed through the said Leonhart hosted Meta in a been elected mayor only months Even the relatively small Justice Watchdog organizations say it Foreign Agents Registration Act, meeting where the two officials dis- before the US visit in a poll marred and Integrity Party, which repre- will be hard to source this money FARA, appear to show that some of cussed “the excellent relationship by allegations of fraud and irregu- sents Albania’s Cham minority, as the financing of Albanian polit- Washington’s most influential lob- between law enforcement agencies larities. has its own agent in Washington. ical parties in general is far from bying firms have worked tirelessly in Albania in the war against Prime Minister Sali Berisha was The forms compiled by the transparent. to secure meetings between organized crime and illegal traf- the latest in a series of government Foreign Influence Tracker A study by Transparency Albanian leaders and US officials. ficking”. officials to visit the US on April 24. Database show that most contacts International released in But the evidence uncovered by The LSI said Meta had a long list Berisha was invited to America made by agents of the ruling November 2011 said the funding of Prishtina Insight seems to suggest of suggestions for Leonhart on how by the historical US-Albanian asso- Democratic Party with US officials Albanian parties is poorly moni- that at least in some cases the to strengthen the war against ciation, Vatra, for its 100th anniver- were to secure meetings or dinner tored while legal gaps enable ille- Albanians gained nothing more organized crime in the Balkans, sary. Once there, Berisha held meet- invitations for Prime Minister gal donations to continue flowing than photo opportunities. from opening a DEA regional office ings with high-level officials, Berisha and parliamentary speak- in. Back in pro-American Albania, in Tirana, to rehabilitating drug including Secretary of State Hillary er Jozefina Topalli. Alison underlines that because however, these simple meetings, users and strengthening regional Clinton. The Socialists’ agent, Rasky meetings arranged by lobbyists where nothing more than pleas- cooperation. However, it was noticeable that Baerlain Strategic occur behind close doors they are antries were exchanged, are pre- However, when Prishtina Insight weeks before Berisha’s trip the Communications, meanwhile, sent anything but transparent. sented to local audiences as major contacted the US Justice Albanian government had given dozens of requests to internation- “The fear is that US government diplomatic achievements. Department, the latter vastly Vatra 3.6 million lek (25,700 euro), a al media in 2010, in an effo rt to officials won't be as forthright as played down the significance of the donation intended to cover the cost arrange interviews or to discuss they should be because of the con- Vanity trips: meeting. of the festivities that the Prime the political crisis in Albania. nections that a lobbyist has,” he “Mr Meta was introduced to Ms Minister would attend. “What Albania appears to be said. When former deputy Prime Leonhart and they exchanged brief doing is using people with access “The message from US govern- Minister Ilir Meta embarked on a pleasantries but there was no Where’s the money coming to ensure their own access to ment officials at these meetings trip to the US in late March, he was organized meeting where anything from? Washington policymakers,” Bill should include an insistence on not the most popular politician in of substance was discussed,” Alison, editorial director of the transparency and accountability Albania. Lawrence Payne, a spokesperson Meta’s, Basha’s and even Sunlight Foundation, said. from Albanian government insti- The head of the Socialist for the DEA, said. Movement for Integration, LSI, Berisha’s US trip were all “These meetings generally take tutions.” Two Decades Since Expulsion of Vojvodina Croats Twenty years after the expulsion of ethnic Croats from the village of Hrtkovci in the Serbian province of Vojvodina began, Serbia has still not prosecuted those responsible. Although there are no official num- unbearable national shame in Serbia, bers, according to the estimates of the the fact that ethnic cleansing was con- human right NGOs approximately ducted on the territory of a country in By Marija Ristic 30,000 ethnic Croats left Vojvodina dur- which there was no war continues to be ing the conflicts in the former ignored,” stated an announcement by Yugoslavia. the NGO Women in Black. t a party rally on May 6,1992, the The leader of the Radicals is being They added that the authorities leader of the Serbian Radical tried in front of the ICTY for these should determine the exact number of AParty, Vojislav Seselj, read out a crimes. According to Seselj, however, people who left Vojvodina under the list of “undesirables”, mainly ethnic these acts were not ethnic cleansing but threats of the then nationalistic govern- Croats, living in the village Hrtkovci in “humanitarian resettlement”. ment. Vojvodina, near the border with Serbia has only prosecuted the former A number of villagers left behind Croatia. local community leader, Ostoja Sibincic, their property, which was later taken by Hrtkovci was one of many villages in but the court found him not guilty. the state, and so far their requests for Vojvodina where members of the Humanitarian NGOs have called upon the return of their property have not Serbian Radical Party conducted a cam- the state authorities to prosecute the been fulfilled. paign of intimidation against ethnic perpetrators, urging the president and The property issue is one of the Croats, Slovaks and Hungarians the government to apologize publicly to biggest strains on current Croatian and through hate speech and threats. all those who were expelled from their Serbian relations, since there are thou- Y These acts forced a part of the local homes in Vojvodina on the basis of their sands of unsolved property claims by M Croat population to leave the area in ethnic background. both Croats from Serbia and Serbs from C 1992. Most of them resettled in Croatia. The Catholic churcgh in Hrtkovci, Croatia “Two decades after the start of this Croatia. K 16 May 11 - 24, 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 May 11 - 24, 2012 17 in Prishtina Timeout Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like your event to feature or to advertise your venue. Email [email protected]

Exportart 40. Gallery

In The Land Of Blood and Honey Every day at 8 pm and 10 pm

Kino ABC has started screening the movie “In the land of blood and honey” by the director Angelina Jolie. During the Bosnian War, Danijel, a soldier fighting for the Serbs, re-encounters Ajla, a Bosnian who's now a captive in his camp he oversees. Their once promising connection has become ambigu- ous as their motives have changed.

The Descendants Fighting Human-Trafficking Workshop leaders: Drew Every day at 6 pm Through Art –Net/2012 Cameron (USA), Drew Luan Exhibition Matott Curated by Zeni Ballashi Moderator: Nick Dubois (UK) The exhibition is open until ABC Cinema has started screening the movie The May 17, 2012 Descendants which won the Best Adopted Scenario in 16:00 – 17:30 - Panel: Oscar. Literature and remembrance International Literature Festival Ute Friderich (D), Alida Bremer Director: Alexander Payne Polip, Prishtina 2nd edition Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Mary (D), Kruno Lokotar (HR), Halil Birdsong, Nick Krause, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges. Matoshi (RKS), Agron Tufa (AL) Where: Qendra Multimedia St. Moderator: Roman Ehrlich (D) With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating Idriz Gjilani 7/9 – 1 Dardania (In accident, Hawaiian land baron Matt King takes his daugh- front of Primary School 20:00 – 00:00 – Readings: ters on a trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront the young “Xhemajl Mustafa”) Agron Tufa (AL), Kujtim Paçaku real estate broker, who was having an affair with Elizabeth (RKS), Lindita Harapi (AL), before her misfortune. Day 1 – Friday Nenad Joldeski (MK), Alida 09:00 – 12:00 - Parnassus Bremer (HR), Miloš Živanović Paper: (SRB), Idro Seferi (RKS), Ivana For any further questions or reservations call at 038 243 238 or visit them at www.kinoabc.com Kujtim Paçaku (RKS), Ivana Simić Bodrozić (HR) ć ć Simi Bodroži (HR), Marko Moderators: Kruno Lokotar (HR) č Poga ar (HR), Olimbi Velaj (AL), & Qerim Ondozi (RKS) ć ć ć ć Olja Ivan evi Savi evi (HR) Music: Klopka za Pionira (SRB) Oda Theatre Workshop leaders: Drew Cameron (USA), Drew Luan Day 3 - Sunday Matott If It Was a Play 12:00–14:00 – Panel: Moderator: Nick Dubois (UK) Every Tuesday at 8 pm Subversive literary practice sur- rounded by rigid politics Every Thursday 8pm 19:30 – 20:00 - Official opening Tre Gjermanët e Tomislav Marković (SRB), of the polip Festival: Trashë II Shpëtim Selmani (RKS), Elvana Based on the drama by Almir Sasa Ilić (SRB), Elisabeth Desta (Three Fat Germans II) Imshireviq. Director: Agon Myftari. Zaimi (AL) (D), Jeton Neziraj (RKS) Enes Kurtovic (BiH), Robert On bus number 4, during wartime Alagozovski (MK) Thanks to this play you in Prishtina, a 26 years old, wearing Opening of the Graphic Novel Moderator: Jeton Neziraj (RKS) will understand “What did jeans, is near Hotel Union, when a exhibition: Brigel say when he asked sniper bullet breaks the glass and Elisabeth Desta (D), Sonja Lau 16:00 – 17:30 - Play readings: for a drink?”; “Why Hans shoots the youngster in the neck. A (D), Ute Friderich (D) Doruntina Basha (RKS), Maria didn’t let him drink lady wearing white, who was next to Karaklaić (SRB) Mojito?”; “How did Gani him starts to scream. When she sees 20:00 – 00:00 – Readings: Moderators: Bekim Lumi (RKS), experience his 21st snow?”; the blood in her shirt she faints. Olimbi Velaj (AL), Marko Jeton Neziraj (RKS) “Is Vukashin really Two hours later she is seen again at Pogačar (HR), Olja Savičević č ć Ukshin?”; “Does KFOR-ja the Great Mosque, near caffe Ivan evi (HR), Dragana 20:00 – 00:00 – Readings: ć still work for KFOR or she “Romantika”, but this time in the Mladenovi (SRB), Sibel Halimi Halil Matoshi (RKS), Blerina ć just loves him?”; “How did company of a younger friend who (RKS), Dragana Tripkovi Gaxha Rugova (RKS), Shpëtim ć Hekuran boil eggs in the middle of the North Pole?”; These and tells her “I sometimes do it even (MNE), Tomislav Markovi Selmani (RKS), Roman Ehrlich other events you can see in the play “Tre Gjermanët e Trashë II”. fourteen times!” (SRB) (DE), Arben Idrizi (RKS), Saša ć Starrimg Rebeka Qena, Adrian Moderation: Saša Ili (SRB), Ilić (SRB), Jeton Neziraj (RKS) Adelina Berisha (RKS) Author: Lirak Celaj; Producer: Florent Mehmeti; Roles: Naser Morina, Armend Ismajli, Besnik Unplugged: Edona Reshitaj & Rafuna, Adrian Morina, Kushtrim Sheremeti, Lirak Celaj, Fisnik Krapi. Moderators: Kruno Lokotar (HR) Ademi, Ard Islami, Arta Selimi, Florent Mehmeti. Faruk Banjska & Qerim Ondozi (RKS)

For more information call +381 (0)38 246 555 or write [email protected]. Day 2 – Saturday Music: Shpat Deda 10:00 – 12:00 - Parnassus Paper: Idro Seferi (RKS), Arben Idrizi (RKS), Nenad Joldeski (MK), Dodona Theatre Shpëtim Selmani (RKS), Sibel PRISHTINA DIARY Halimi Every Thursday 7.30pm Workshop leaders: Drew Prishtina Diary Cameron (USA), Drew Luan Çifti i Hapur is being staged with the text of Italian Matott Friday, May 11, 2012 authors Dario Fo and Franca Rame, directed by Kushtrim Moderator: Nick Dubois (UK) Koliqi Hamam Jazz Bar at 9 pm A man proposes to his wife to eliminate the concept of 12:00 13:30 - Panel: Mosique De Chach marital loyalty and create an “open relationship” in their Status of the independent intel- lives. The woman rejects this and after several attempts at lectual in Kosovo and Serbia Saturday, May 12, 2012 suicide, she decides to accept her husband’s offer because society it’s the only way to remain married. The man is happy. He, Saša Ćirić (SRB), Shkelzen Hamam Jazz Bar at 9 pm no longer needs to hide his girlfriends and is released from Maliqi (RKS), Blerina Rogova Zig Zag Orcherstra feelings of guilt. Now everything is democratic and open. Gaxha (RKS), Marija Karaklajić Everything goes well until the day when the woman finds (SRB) the love of her life, which is what her “modern” husband Moderator: Saša Ilić (SRB) cannot accept. Cast: Edona Reshitaj and Besart Sllamniku; Costumes and the 14:00 – 16:00 - Parnassus setting: Njomza Luci. Composer: Trimor Dhomi; Paper: Blerina Rogova Gaxha (RKS), ć Y For more details email [email protected]; Tomislav Markovi (SRB), Enes M [email protected] Kurtovic (BiH), Lindita Arapi (AL) C K 18 May 11 - 24, 2012 inside prishtina Europe Day Celebration

he European Union organised a tion, as well as enjoy quizzes, street fair along Prishtina’s music, performers and work- TMother Teresa Boulevard to mark shops. Europe Day on Wednesday. Samuel Zbogar, Head of EU Visitors were able to pick up informa- Office, was joined by German Ambassador Ernst Reichel, French Ambassador Jean- Francois Fitou, Italian Ambassador Michael Giffoni, Charge d'Affaires of Swedish Embassy Ingrid Johansson and Charge d'Affaires of the Finnish Embassy Anne Meskanen, among other dignitaries.

“Unnecessary” and Already Patched Up –

Prishtina’s 14.5 million euro super junction is already being patched up with bricks, instead of asphalt, less than a year after being opened to the public.

The biggest roundabout in areas”. Kosovo, located next to the bus “We are waiting for four other station in Prishtina, has already suspensions parts to arrive from By Bujar Aruqaj cost 14.5 million euro and taken Croatia. People see only the upper three years to build. metal part of this suspension. In And despite not being complet- fact there is a whole mechanism ed, it is already showing signs of within the two connecting ele- major transport intersec- damage. Holes in the tarmac have ments that lowers the pressure tion on the edge of recently been filled in with when heavy vehicles us it,” he APrishtina remains unfin- bricks. Two of the planned fly- said. ished three years after building overs have also not been connect- “The project is not yet finished works started, over-budget and, ed to the central roundabout. and we are still waiting for other according to senior officials in the Myrtaj said that temporary work to be completed. Therefore ministry of planning, could have solutions have been taken while we have had to take a temporary been built for significantly less Cracks have already started to appear in the 14.5 million euro roundabout. they wait for specialist material. solution” said Myrtaj, referring money. “There is no damage on the to bricked up areas. Myrtaj “There is no roundabout like ing to complete it.” “We proposed that the round- roundabout [itself] - where we see rejects as “nonsense” the idea this anywhere in the region and it But not all government officials about should be built on the temporary material is on the that the roundabout could have is very unique,” said Lahudin agree. A high-ranking figure from ground,” said the official, who roads connecting to the main been built at ground level. Myrtaj, head of roads at the the ministry of environment and asked not to be named. “The roundabout,” he said. “This official must have no Ministry of Infrastructure. “Was planning told Prishtina Insight expenses would have been much But he admits that work has understanding of architecture Y there space for it to be made even that the project was unnecessary, cheaper, the works would have been delayed and the project is and buildings,” he said. “How M better? Of course there was, but it as the roundabout could have been finished much earlier and still incomplete, including no would someone drive to Mitrovica C remains a very important project been built at ground level, rather we would not have had these prob- than raised. lems we have today.” lighting and an absence of “green if the roundabout would not be K for Kosovo and we are still work- inside prishtina May 11 - 24, 2012 19 Thomas Vanke Legal Coordinator, Contested Claims at Kosovo Property Agency Prishtina through the Eyes of: the Eyes through Prishtina

What surprised you most about Prishtina? New York? No, Prishtina How nice and welcoming the local population has been to our little family. Kosovars are some of the The full moon rises behind Statue of Liberty replica atop of a Hotel Victory in Kosovo's capital friendliest people I have ever met. Prishtina on Saturday, May 5, 2012. On Saturday, the moon was a "supermoon" or perigee moon, as the moon was at its closest What's your favourite hangout? City Park/Italian Park. A green oasis close to the approach to the earth. ( AP Photo / Visar Kryeziu ) centre, but yet largely unknown to internationals.

What is the best thing about Prishtina? The people, both locals and internationals. Kosovo’s Spaghetti Junction What is the most annoying thing about Prishtina? The anarchy/greed ruling the construction busi- ness, seemingly without any plan or consideration.

If you were mayor of Prishtina for the day what would you change? Start the implementation of the urban plan. Oblige building owners to finish facades/paint buildings with colors as was done to spruce up Tirana.

How many macchiatos do you drink a day? Never drank coffee before coming to Prishtina. Now I am a heavy addict, emptying two to three cups of double espressos a day

What's your favourite Albanian word and why? “A je lodh" “Are you tired” - The standard ques- tion the guard asks me each day. Very considerate, and a majority of times my mumbled answer is indeed po/yes. How does he know?

What landmark do you use to tell taxi driv- One of the flyovers leading to the roundabout has been patched up with bricks. ers where you live? Have moved around Pristina four to six times, aboveground? How could we over- Kosovo-Croatia consortium of Arda- when further cash was required. but the current landmark is Slovenia sport and the pass the railway?” Rei and Dinarik for 12.7 million The firms were given the extra aforementioned City Park. For expat male drivers The contract to build the round- euro. A further tender worth 1.8 mil- funds despite not finishing the proj- the Irish pub is also a good point of reference. about was initially handed to the lion euro was awarded to the firms ect with the stipulated 18 months. 20 May 11 - 24, 2012 opinion Ramush Haradinaj: Justice Delayed in for the Former Yugoslavia, spent two years in detention in The Hague, and another year under By Shirley Cloyes house arrest in Prishtina before the DioGuardi Tribunal acquitted him on April 3, 2008, on all counts of being involved in any unlawful conduct while he fter languishing in prison was a commander in the Kosovo for almost two years with Liberation Army. Athe duration and outcome The Trial Chamber found that of his partial retrial unknown, there was insufficient evidence to Ramush Haradinaj has been establish the existence of a “joint released from prison temporarily criminal enterprise,” and acquitted by the The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Haradinaj, Lahi Yugoslavia (ICTY). The Appeals Brahimaj, and Idriz Balaj of any criminal liability through such an Chamber made this decision after A banner poster in Prishtina backing Ramush Haradinaj during his most recent spell in The Hague the Prosecution rested its case last enterprise. Brahimaj was found month in the partial retrial of guilty of torture and sentenced to to the principle of non bis in idem, Jablanica,” he said. “I can swear some legal and human rights Haradinaj and his co-defendants, six years in prison. a person who has been tried at the about that.” Kabashi pled guilty to experts around the world, to lose Lahi Brahimaj and Idriz Balaj, and As soon as Haradinaj returned to Tribunal must not be placed at the contempt of court and was sen- faith in the ICTY. It is widely after the Chamber held a status Kosovo in 2008, the Prosecution risk of being thought guilty of an tenced on September 16, 2011, to believed in Kosovo that the re-trial hearing on May 2. appealed the acquittal, insisting offense of which he has been two months in jail. amounts to political posturing on At the status hearing, the judges that he had been freed because the acquitted, or of being treated as As the Defence had argued in its the part of the West towards Serbia. also decided to hear closing argu- Tribunal’s “mismanagement” had guilty in any sense.” July 2011 “Pre-Trial Brief on This is an issue that needs to be ments from the Defense on June 25 prevented the Prosecution from Furthermore, “the doctrine of Behalf of Ramush Haradinaj” addressed, but not apart from the and 26, in advance of which obtaining evidence from two key res judicata entails that matters (para. 27), the Prosecution could not recognition that Ramush Haradinaj Haradinaj will be returned to The witnesses—witnesses that they decided having passed judgment claim that Jablanica was a KLA would never have been rearrested, Hague. claimed had been threatened and must be accepted as true…and can- stronghold, because it was overrun re-incarcerated, and retried with- Ramush Haradinaj, the former were afraid to testify. not be re-litigated by the same par- by Serb forces at least three times out the tacit permission of all of Prime Minister of Kosovo and a The Appeals Chamber respond- ties in a subsequent proceeding.” during the operative period of the the actors in post-war Kosovo, well-respected Kosovo Liberation ed by upholding 31 counts of the Robinson concluded that the indictment. including the Kosovo government Army commander, was acquitted of acquittal. But, in support of the Appeals Chamber violated its own And even though there was an under Hashim Thaci. all war crimes charges before the Prosecution’s appeal, it ordered a rule that it “would not lightly over- armed conflict between Serbs and ICTY in 2008. retrial on 6 counts of murder, cruel turn decisions based on the Trial Albanians during the period mate- Belgrade Has Been In an unprecedented turnaround, treatment, and torture at a purport- Chamber’s discretion.” rial to the six counts, “There was Haradinaj was rearrested in July edly KLA-run detention facility in not any orchestrated retaliation by Successful in Steering the 2010, after the Appeals Chamber Jablanica in the spring and sum- The Appeals Chamber the KLA against either the Serb ICTY away from Its Original convinced the Tribunal that a par- mer of 1998. It also agreed that the Erred when It Called for a civilian population or against civil- tial retrial was in order—purport- trial judges had not given the ians from other ethnic groups.” Mission edly because the Prosecution did Prosecution enough time to secure Partial Retrial Moreover, neither the Trial Robert Churcher, a post-conflict not have enough time to persuade the testimony of Shefqet Kabashi Chambers at the ICTY nor the specialist who testified at the ICTY two crucial witnesses to testify. and the protected witness known as The Appeals judges decided that Prosecution had suggested that trial for KLA Commander Fatmir This made Haradinaj the first “Witness X.” the partial retrial was necessary such a campaign existed in any of Limaj, insists that “Serbian offi- defendant since the ICTY was The Appeals Chamber did this after the Prosecution convinced the previous cases related to Kosovo cials have been spoon feeding the established in 1993 to have his even though Haradinaj had been them that Shefket Kabashi and in which Serb commanders had Prosecution with spurious evi- acquittal on all charges over- acquitted of all counts at his origi- “Witness X” had been intimidated been tried (paras. 29 and 30). dence from the beginning,” and he turned. nal trial and even though there was during the original trial—witness- The Defence further stated in its In December 2010, Haradinaj was no evidence whatsoever that he had es who had opposed the KLA during pre-trial brief that there was no deplores the fact that the court has denied provisional release by the interfered with any witness. Two the war. But then the Chamber credible evidence of Haradinaj par- been willing to receive it. “As a sop Appeals judges at the ICTY to be years later, Haradinaj found that he went a step further in favour of the ticipating in or knowing about mis- to Belgrade,” he said, “the with his wife, Anita Mucaj, when had no choice but to return to the Prosecution when it agreed to allow treatment (para. 41), and that the Prosecution is attempting to retry she gave birth to their third child ICTY’s detention center. new witnesses —not just the two KLA in the Dukagjini region was a the Haradinaj case from scratch.” in January 2011. (Surprisingly, pre- In my opinion, the ongoing pros- from the original trial—to testify “rudimentary and fledgling organi- To some extent, the ICTY has siding Judge Patrick Robinson, ecution of Ramush Haradinaj, and also to permit allegations to zation” working to organise been a willing accomplice because who had partially dissented after his original trial at the ICTY remain in the indictment that had defences in response to Serb of Serbia’s successful propaganda against the retrial, argued that concluded that there was no evi- no bearing on the six counts. attacks (para. 43). campaign against the KLA since Haradinaj might take advantage of dence linking him to any crime or If for no other reason than this, Therefore, there was no evidence the end of the Kosovo war in June his release to intimidate witnesses.) any victim, is problematic from the rationale for the retrial of of a “joint criminal enterprise,” and 1999. Haradinaj’s partial retrial began both a legal and moral perspective. Haradinaj merits closer scrutiny. they said that that it was very doubt- While the establishment of the on August 18, 2011. It was halted First, there was no reason to As Roland Gjoni has argued, the ful any new evidence would surface International Criminal Tribunal shortly thereafter and resumed on keep Haradinaj in pre-trial deten- ICTY should not have granted the in the re-trial that would provide for the Former Yugoslavia was an February 13, 2012—only to be tion, when he had a proven record Prosecution “an open-ended oppor- adequate grounds for overturning important step in bringing those abruptly halted once again when of responding to the ICTY and tunity to improve a weak case and the decision at the original trial. responsible for crimes against one of the Prosecution’s key wit- there is no risk of his absconding. retry an acquitted defendant.” In Meanwhile, allegations that humanity and genocide in the nesses, a protected witness, failed to Second, the structural, legal doing so, it has “cast a long shadow Sheqet Kabashi and a protected Balkans to justice, unfortunately in appear in court. problems in this case have been over the Tribunal’s ability to witness had been intimidated were collusion with pro-Serb elements in Although the decision to grant well documented by international administer justice.” never confirmed. the European Union, Belgrade has Haradinaj provisional release is a law expert Roland Gjoni in his At the opening of the partial As Ben Emmerson, Haradinaj’s been successful in steering the salutary one, I nevertheless believe “ICTY: Favoring Prosecution over retrial in August 2011, Prosecutor lead attorney, told Rachel Irwin of ICTY away from its original mis- that it is time to revisit Haradinaj’s Justice?” (Open Democracy, August Paul Rogers stated that the KLA the Institute for War and Peace sion of addressing the atrocities case before the Tribunal—to ask 9, 2011). Gjoni explained that was a “legitimate force” when it Reporting on August 19, 2011, committed in the Former why it was reopened, and why there Haradinaj’s partial retrial was a fought for Kosovo’s independence “Despite some rumors, there are no Yugoslavia. has been an unreasonable duration departure not only from “funda- from Serbia in 1998 and 1999, but suggestions that Mr. Haradinaj was In the process, it has contributed of judicial proceedings. mental principles of international that it had used “illegal means” ever responsible for intimidating to creating a false parity between The latter is a violation of the law,” but also a contravention of against its Serbian, Roma, and witnesses, directly or indirectly.” the perpetrators and the victims of European Convention on Human previous decisions made by the Albanian opponents.” Emmerson added that in the case the Balkan wars of the 1990s. Rights’ requirement for the exami- court in Dusko Tadic (1993) and To substantiate this claim, he of Witness X, if he decides to testify To satisfy a need to be seen as eth- nation of a case in a reasonable Naser Ori (2009). (In both cases, brought to the stand Shefqet at the partial retrial, he “will be nically balanced, the ICTY has ended up casting all parties in the period of time. To explore these the ICTY barred the retrial of an Kabashi, alleged to be a former exposed as a liar and a perjurer.” Balkan wars as equally responsible, questions, it is necessary to review acquitted defendant.) Gjoni con- prison guard in the Jablanica But in another blow to the even though Serbia started all of the history of the case. cluded that the reversal of the camp. But in a setback to the Prosecution’s case against acquittal in Haradinaj’s case Prosecution, Kabashi, whose testi- Haradinaj, Witness X, whose testi- the wars and Milosevic’s military History of the Case against amounted to “double jeopardy”— mony was supposed to be central to mony and paramilitary forces were an indication that “the ICTY may its case, repeatedly refused to testi- was also supposed to be the justi- responsible for most of the atroci- Haradinaj be bending fundamental legal prin- fy, just as he had done on two occa- fication for the partial retrial, failed ties that were committed. To be ciples in favor of the prosecution.” sions during the original trial. to show up in court in February sure, sporadic, terrible incidents After only 100 days in office as President Robinson made a simi- Kabashi also contradicted his 2012. This resulted in the termina- occurred on the Kosovor side, but Y Prime Minister of Kosovo, lar observation in his partial dis- previous statements to ICTY inves- tion of the trial until further notice. nothing amounting to moral equiv- M Haradinaj resigned his position in sent of the Appeals Chamber’s deci- tigators. He denied that the It is not surprising that the retri- alence between the KLA and C 2005, surrendered to The sion to retry Haradinaj (May 31, Jablanica camp even existed: al of Ramush Haradinaj has caused Serbia. K International War Crimes Tribunal 2011, pp. 16-17, para. 3): “Pursuant “There was no prison in many Albanians, not to mention As former ICTY law clerk and opinion May 11 - 24, 2012 21 Justice Denied Outside In project director of the NGO No accountable. But by bringing justice to the victims of the Tribunal for the Former Peace without Justice Niccolo KLA defendants like Ramush Balkan wars. The US govern- Yugoslavia…and am confident Dacic, the Figa-Talamanca said before the Haradinaj to the ICTY, the inter- ment, now in a final push to that truth and justice will pre- opening of the first trial of national community has unwit- resolve the conflict between vail. However, any attempt—be Haradinaj, “We are witnessing a tingly helped to create a revi- Belgrade and Prishtina, and to it by the ICTY with the best of misguided attempt by the ICTY sionist view of history, in which leave the Balkans in the hands of motives, or others with the Kingmaker to prosecute all groups—Serbs, the victims of Milosevic cam- the European Union, has de facto worst—to morally equate Croatians, Bosniaks, and paign against Albanians are supported this position. But the Milosevic’s state-sponsored ter- Kosovors—even-handedly, irre- repositioned as the perpetra- Serbian-Albanian conflict can- ror with the actions of the spective of the scale of the tors. Retrying Haradinaj after not be resolved in this way. Kosovo Liberation Army in crimes committed,” and the his acquittal on all charges puts As Ramush Haradinaj wrote defense of Kosovar Albanians result is “an attempt to rewrite the burden of proof on the court in his December 1, 2004, op-ed in will only make the task [that lies By Kreshnik Hoxha history and to negate the true to deny this. The Wall Street Journal Europe, ahead for Kosovo] more difficult. measure of responsibility for With Kosovo still lacking sov- just before he was chosen by “For the need now is to look the horrors of the Balkan wars.” ereignty as a state, I believe that Kosovo’s Assembly to become forward rather than back, to cre- s France turns to a socialist president If the goal is to achieve lasting The Hague Tribunal, under pres- prime minister: ate an inclusive, democratic and Greece punishes the parties which piece in Southeast Europe then sure to seem politically balanced, “[...] I am proud of the part independent state in Kosovo Abacked austerity measures imposed by the international community and in the effort to get Serbia to that I played in protecting my that respects the rights of all of the EU, tough times lie ahead for Brussels. should not be party to creating a turn over Bosnian Serb com- people from Slobodan Milosevic its citizens and is both just and Faced with a deep financial crisis and shifting revisionist view of history in manders Ratko Mladic and and his henchmen, and I am tolerant.” political powers, the perception of the EU from which the victims of Milosevic’s Radovan Karadzic, which it has ready to defend my actions the Balkans may change. There are many who reign of terror are repositioned since done, felt that it had to re- against criticism and innuendo. Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi is claim that the European Union and aspira- as the perpetrators. There is no incarcerate Ramush Haradinaj. “I therefore welcome the Balkan Affairs Adviser to the tions to join this union have been a key factor question that those who com- But, in so doing, it has abdicated scrutiny of my war record by Albanian American Civic in making the Balkans “behave”, and refrain mitted crimes should be held its historical mission to bring the International Criminal League. from the tensions and the violence of the 90s. However, changes in the EU will inevitably impact on the way the Balkan peninsula sees its future within the European family, and this could in turn bring new developments within Mercep and Vukovar the Balkans. Dynamics within the Balkans Mercep’s responsibility for Vukovar crimes may never be investigated. itself will no doubt contribute to the Europhilia or the Europhobia. responsible for some of the crimes commit- The election results in Serbia, with the ted in eastern Croatia, there are no more Democrats and Progressives going into a sec- major names linked to war crimes. ond round of presidential elections, and the By Drago Hedl Seks was the commander of the so-called growing support for the Milosevic’s Socialist Crisis Headquarters for Slavonia and Party, is likely to change the political balance Baranja [a region in eastern Croatia with in the Balkans. he public is following the trial of Osijek at its centre], in other words, the per- Serbia is a pivotal factor of stabili- Tomislav Mercep, a former wartime son who was also responsible for military Tadvisor to the interior minister, ty/instability in the region. The coalition lead- action in the area. charged with the torture and death of 43 ership which will soon emerge in Serbia will The question of his responsibilities there, civilians, with indifference. determine the country’s future path. together with his alleged involvement in the There are no street protests, while the An important outcome from Sunday’s elec- crimes committed in Osijek [for which response of the war veteran associations – tions is the fact that the Socialist Party of Glavas was sentenced to eight years in usually so noisy about these things – has Serbia led by Ivica Dacic, who built his politi- prison], could be raised if Mercep is tried not been muted at best. There are no posters in cal principles under the mentorship of just for the crimes in Pakracka Poljana, but support of Mercep, and the media reports Slobodan Milosevic, received increased sup- also for the murder of Serb civilians in from the trial are both sporadic and brief. port. Upon delivery of preliminary results, Mr Vukovar in the first half of 1991, prior to the There are three reasons why the story of A bullet-ridden tower in Vukovar Dacic alluded to the fact that he will be the fall of the town to Serb forces. this war crime trial is unfolding the way it next Prime Minister of Serbia, due to his posi- The question though is whether Mercep, is, and why it is not surrounded by the usual killed in Pakracka Poljana between early tion as “kingmaker” in the sealing of the coali- (and only then even Seks), would ever be folklore like earlier, similar trials, when gen- October and mid-December 1991. Mercep tion deal. tried for those crimes, given that Vukovar erals Mirko Norac and Branimir Glavas allegedly ordered their arrest, torture and The empowering of a political party which, has left such a deep emotional scar on execution. found themselves before the Croatian judici- other than by remaining silent, has shown no Croatian public life. Because war crime trials are always ary, for example, or when the trial of the sign of distancing itself from the legacy of The memory of those horrific crimes, exceptionally sensitive political issues, generals Ante Gotovina, Mladen Markac Milosevic is indeed a worrying trend. The pop- when members of the Yugoslav People’s Mercep probably won’t be put on trial for the and Ivan Cermak began. ulist/nationalist rhetoric employed by this Army, JNA, and Serb paramilitaries, killed crimes in Vukovar, unless there is pressure Firstly, the trial of Mercep is completely party during the election campaign poses over 200 wounded, prisoners of war and from the international community. overshadowed by the spectacular trial of a many questions regarding Serbia’s direction civilians after the town’s fall in November A trial that addressed the crimes in much “bigger fish”, the former Croatian under the potential premiership of Mr Dacic. Prime Minister Ivo Sanader and his former 1991, is still fresh. Vukovar would leave Vladimir Seks vulner- Political developments within Belgrade will be party, the Croatian Democratic Union Tomislav Mercep’s criminal career is able. Although his political power is not closely watched across the region. (HDZ), who are charged with siphoning alleged to have begun in Vukovar, where as even close to that of 10 or even five years The Kosovar leadership is adamant that money from state companies to a party one of the most prominent local members of ago, Seks still retains exceptional influence political developments in Belgrade have slush fund and with stealing several mil- the HDZ he was in charge of defence. over the judiciary, as he was deeply involved absolutely no effect on Kosovo’s position inter- lions of state money. Mercep’s people led away the Serb citizens in the appointment of judges and prosecu- nationally and its statehood. These naive com- Secondly, as opposed to Gotovina, Norac, of Vukovar for interrogation and they never tors during the many years the HDZ were in ments are more likely the result of Kosovar and even Glavas to a degree, Mercep has came back. power. politicians desire to prove that Kosovo’s inter- never been popular with the public and was According to the data collected by the It is interesting that Seks, during his nal political development is a separate process never considered a war hero. Thirdly, the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights, recent testimony at the trial of Mercep, tried Croatian public has started to accept the fact there were at least 19 such disappearances. to minimize Mercep’s role in the war and to the policymaking in Serbia, rather than a that Croats too, although fighting a defen- Some other non-government organisations thus help him in the trial proceedings. The firmly held belief. sive war, committed war crimes. consider that number to be much higher. question, however, is what would happen if Still, with northern Kosovo on the brink of a That fact became abundantly clear after The extent to which Mercep abused his Mercep were to be tried for crimes in conflict and the growing international pres- the Glavas trial, where the horrific cruelty position, and the brutality of his actions, is Vukovar as well, since at the time those sure on resolving this issue diplomatically, of some of the murders, in which victims evident from the letter that was sent to the crimes were committed his superior was Prishtina must carefully observe develop- were forced to drink battery acid, was central authorities in Zagreb in early sum- none other than Seks. ments in Belgrade. This is especially the case proven in court. mer 1991 by the highest representative of In recent years, whenever someone raised considering that in the EU-facilitated negotia- Mercep’s trial is probably the last great trial the local Vukovar civilian authorities. the issue of Croatian crimes in Vukovar, tions, Prishtina has generally been the one giv- of a significant commander from the Croatian He asked for the urgent removal of Mercep Mercep always said that – if he were to be ing in to the stubbornness of Belgrade, often to side, responsible for crimes committed in the from Vukovar, which is why President tried for those crimes – he would speak up its disadvantage. war which began with the dissolution of Tudjman ordered Mercep’s transfer to about everything he knew. The EU holds the key to a brighter future for Yugoslavia in 1991 and ended with two large- Zagreb. However, he was appointed to a sen- That is why it is probable that Mercep, if the Balkans. But Serbia’s political positioning scale military operations by the Croatian ior position in the Interior Ministry there, he is sentenced, will only be jailed for the is also likely to determine Kosovo’s path to the Army – Flash and Storm, in 1995. where he soon created his own combat unit crimes in Pakracka Poljana. The problem of EU. Kosovo’s leaders must be aware of this, With the exception of Vladimir Seks, the and went to Pakracka Poljana with it. punishing those responsible for war crimes and ready to shift their approach depending on former speaker of the Croatian parliament, He is now on trial for the death of 43 peo- in Vukovar – due to its political sensitivity – who will be crowned in Belgrade later this who Amnesty International considers ple who, according to the indictment were may forever be swept under the carpet. month.

If you would like your NGO to appear in our Making a Difference feature, please email [email protected] 22 May 11 - 24, 2012 Community Focus Real Kosovars Do Cry A NGO is helping young Kosovar men break away from macho Balkan images to shed a tear and turn a cheek. Conflict in the Western Balkans – started in 2007 in Bosnia & Herzegovina, Croatia and Serbia and expanded into Kosovo in 2010 By Bujar Aruqaj with support from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The inspiration for this project Many boys were struggling to came when CARE and its local live up to some unhealthy partners began to notice issues “image of what a man should impacting boys and young men’s be within society,” says John development in the region. Crownover, an advisor for the Work with women’s organisa- One of the events organised by Young Men Initiative Young Men Initiative, YMI. tions around gender equality and “These ideals often led to harm- combating gender-based violence and men,” said Crownover. there were always an atmosphere Change the Rules and focused on ful attitudes and behaviors around were common, but little had been These negative attitudes lead of trust the young men challenging the the use of violence, equality in done for boys. young men to “believe that vio- “Every group of participants at prevailing norms and values in relationships and different health “When we started to look more lence is sometimes acceptable in the end of the 20 workshops got society on how a man should act.” risks.” closely we also began to see how deciding disagreements or when knowledge about how it is to be a The project is trying to create The Young Men Initiative – the these gender norms around mas- honour is threatened”; thinking real man, how real men are not safe spaces for young men to step formal name of the project is the culinity and manhood were also that “men should have more violent and have respect,” he outside of the box that traditional Young Men as Allies in the having negative effects on boys power in relationships”; “that vio- added. forms of masculinity often trap Prevention of Violence and lence against girls and women “Their attitude, mind set, and them into. may is ok under certain circum- the way of thinking started to “We know for many young peo- stances”; and that “boys and men change and we have some very ple violence has become a part of should not cry or show emotion”. nice stories that they told us of everyday life, this includes bully- The aim of the project is to help what they did after they finished ing, family violence and or gender influence the views of young men the workshops,” he continued. based violence” said Crownover between the age of 14 and 18 The young men initiative deals In Kosovo the project is work- years. with issues like gender, sexual ing with two NGOs - Peer “It is my first time working and reproductive health, emotion- Educators Network, PEN, and with only young men, usually the al health, homophobia; alcohol Center for Communities groups [I work with] are mixed and drugs; violence and conflict. Development – and another six with boys and girls,” said Petrit “Through both educational local NGOs in the Western Balkan Bejdoni, who is coordinating the workshops and the “be a man” region. programme in Kosovo. “I found it campaign we seek to promote atti- The plan is for this work to con- very interesting working only tude and behaviour change,” said tinue on a long term basis. PEN is with men and they were very Crownover. “The campaign this developing itself as a resource open about sensitive topics and year was called “Be a Man – centre for young men. Frank discussions are held at the YMI gatherings. Having a Viennese Ball Prishtina’s first Viennese ball was held on April 27 in the opulent surroundings of the Swiss Diamond Hotel.

Austrian Ambassador in Kosovo. Xhenet Syka, a moderator from By Shengjyl Osmani Dukagjini Radio, Peja, and Peter Rapp, an Austrian TV star, led the ball through the night. he event, attended by 250 people Austrian food specialities, such as including President Atifete Wiener Schnitzel, Schweinsbarten, TJahjaga, raised 3,000 euro for the Kaiserschmarrn, Sacher Cake, Goulash Paediatric Clinic in Prishtina soup and many other famous dishes; Some 3,000 euro was raised for charity during the evening. It was organised by the Austrian were served alongside Austrian wines. Kosovo Association, under the patron- The night ended with a fashion show age of Michael Häupl, mayor of the city by the most popular fashion designer in of Vienna, and Johann Brieger, Kosovo, Krenare Rugova.

Y M C K Dance is a key component of the Viennese Ball. Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga at the ball. May 11 - 24, 2012 23 Classified Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like to advertise Email [email protected]

Embassies and Liaison Offices in Prishtina

American Address: "Nazim Hikmet" no. 30 Arbëria/Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 549 516 Austrian Address: "Ahmet Krasniqi" no. 22 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 249 284 Belgian Address: "Taslixhe" I, 23 A 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 734 734 British Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 6 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 254 700 Bulgarian Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 12 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 038 245 540 Dutch Address:" Xhemal Berisha" no. 12 Velania, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 224 61 Finnish Str. Perandori Justinian No. 19 Pejton 10 000 Prishtina Phone: +386 43 737 000 French Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 67 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 22 45 88 00 Greek Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 68 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 243 013 German Adress: "Azem Jashanica" no. 17 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 254 500 Italian Address: "Azem Jashanica" no.5 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 244 925 Japanese Address: "Rexhep Malaj" no. 43 10000 Prishtina Alcoholics Anonymous Personal Trainer Phone: +381 (0) 38 249 995 (English speaking) will meet every Luxemburg Classified Ads Thursday at 20.00hrs. Address: "Metush Krasniqi" no. 14 Mentor Azemi - 044 811 921 Do you have a flat to rent? Position to fill? Students to find for a language NGO LABYRINTH Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina course? Why not speak directly to Kosovo’s international community Personal attention and Phone: +381 (0) 38 226 787 Str. Gazmend Zajmi (former Dubrovnik through Prishtina Insight’ classified ads. training schedule Malaysian street) no:42, Almost every international organisation, embassy, NGO and many oth- Time and place of your Address: "Bedri Shala" no. 48 (along the street where Iliria College ers subscribe to Kosovo’s only English language newspaper, which is also choice 10000 Prishtina is.Opposite to Innovations Lab 3 per week = 150 month Phone: +381 (0) 38 243 467 on sale at newsstands in seven cities and received in electronic format by (UNICEF) Office) scores of paying clients across the world. 5 per week = 200 month Norwegian Contact : Erik - tel nr. : 044937397 (Other schedules possible) Address: "Sejdi Kryeziu" no. 6 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 232 111 00 Saudia Arabian Easy Medium Hard Address: Dardania SU 7, building 2, #1 y| y |y | 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 549 203 7 48 82 Slovenian Address: "Anton Ceta" no. 6 184 97 46 8 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 244 886 92 7 5 1327371Swedish Str. Perandori Justinian No. 19 83 72 84 93 9273Pejton 10 000 Prishtina 6945 26 84 29Phone: +381 38 24 57 95 Swiss 51 79 75 98 15 7 4 Address: "Adrian Krasniqi" no. 11 10000 Prishtina 36 85 439 8 94 8 Phone: +381 (0) 38 248 088 674 57 793 Turkish Y Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 59 M Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina C 7 12 24 Phone: +381 (0) 38 226 044 K 24 May 11 - 24, 2012 advert

AMAZINGLY AFFORDABLE PRICES

Prishtina ››› Stuttgart › München › Hamburg › Köln › Berlin › Düsseldorf › Hannover › Frankfurt ›

Prishtina ››› Zürich › Genève › Vienna

Skopje ››› Zürich › Düsseldorf

www.flyksa.com Y 038 220 220 M C K