Prishtina Insight
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Interview: Deputy PM Kuci - My Biggest Regret is Getting Involved in Politics February 25 - March 10, 2011 Issue No. 58 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1 NEWS US Ambassador Slams Media for “Intercepting” Conversations > page 2 NEWS Krasniqi: Presidential Vote Broke Rules > page 3 BUSINESS Book Claims Serb Ancestry of Cuba’s Castro Russian Past Haunts > page 9 FEATURE Snowboard Cup Kosovo’s New President Lands in Kosovo Billionaire businessman Behgjet Pacolli’s controversial history, including his links to the Kremlin, corruption investiga- tions and description of Serbia as ‘wonderful’, dog the recently elected head of state President by the narrowest of Despite this small electoral Fatmir Limaj, the PDK’s second By Petrit Collaku, Lawrence Marzouk margins on Tuesday, gaining just mandate, Pacolli was able to most popular member, according 62 votes in the 120-strong assembly demand, and secure, the job of to election results, and Jakup n an extraordinary turn of at the third, and last, attempt. president after the country’s sec- Krasniqi, the speaker of parlia- events, even for Kosovo, the He owed his shot at the top job to ond, third and fourth largest par- ment, who had wanted the Icountry’s new first lady hails a deal signed last week with ties said they would not work with President’s post for himself, have from its most influential and pow- Kosovo’s main governing party, Prime Minister Thaci. since revealed that they were erful adversary, Russia. the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Kosovo’s new coalition govern- among those who voted against > page 14 Behgjet Pacolli’s marriage to 33- year-old Maria, or Masha as she is PDK, of Hashim Thaci. ment brings together Thaci’s PDK, Pacolli. known, has raised eyebrows in After forming a bewildering Pacolli’s AKR and a range of eth- Pacolli was forced to give his Kosovo. But his choice of spouse is coalition with a host of smaller nic minority parties. But it still maiden speech to a half-empty par- only one of many aspects of the parties in December elections, has only 65 seats in parliament. liament after the opposition, Swiss-Kosovo billionaire’s life that including the Greens and the reli- This wafer-thin majority was which opposed his ascent to the Kosovo’s only English-language have made him an unpopular gious Justice Party, the AKR coali- further weakened after the PDK lofty heights of politics, earlier newspaper is available: choice for the post of President. tion received just 7 per cent of the split over the choice of Pacolli as walked out. The leader of the New Kosovo vote. Pacolli himself won only 4 President. Delivered to Alliance, AKR, was elected per cent. The former transport minister, continues page 2 Your Door Insurance Companies Failing Kosovars Party On, With From Newsstands to Pay Out Little to Celebrate across Kosovo Three months have passed since Three years on from independence, peo- Sent To Herolind Krasniqi’s parked Mercedes was ple on the streets of the Kosovo capital, Your Inbox hit by a passing car, causing 1000 euro of Prishtina, took to the streets to party. damage. The main Mother Teresa Boulevard was He immediately submitted a claim to his thronged last week with traders and flag- From insurer, but to date he has received no com- waving revelers, celebrating the day when our partners pensation and his vehicle Kosovo’s declaration of inde- news remains parked... page 7 feature pendence was... page 6 see page 16 for more info is supported by: 2 February 25 - March 10, 2011 news Russian Past Haunts Kosovo’s New President from page 1 nessman’s name for the nation because they are wonderful Central Election Commission tracts in Kosovo for Mabetex. Presidency, denounced him. people,” he said. “They and we are prior to the December election, he One of these contracts was for Mufail Limani, a Pristina-based Tribuna Shiptare branded Pacolli like brothers that argue constantly holds 37 million euros in cash in the renovation of the govern- political commentator, said the an autocrat on its front pages, con- while they share a property and banks in Kosovo, 100 million euros ment’s Rilindja building. new government already faced a demning his recent trip to meet until they build their own houses. in shares in international compa- In December 2004, the project crisis of legitimacy following the Libyan dictator Muammar Only then can real brotherly love nies and earns 500,000 euros a year was awarded to the firm Clirimi troubled December general elec- Gaddafi. start.” from various businesses. for 12 million euros. Works began tions, which were dogged by fraud When Pacolli first entered poli- The veterans’ group said Pacolli Much of his wealth has been in December 2004 but halted in claims. tics in 2006, Kosovars questioned was an inappropriate choice for accrued through his Swiss-based February 2005 after which the “It is nonsense that a person who his close ties with Russia and an President because of these com- construction firm, Mabetex, which contract was terminated. has gained less than 4 per cent of earlier meeting he had held with ments. was involved in renovating the The deal was then put out to the votes can be elected President,” Serbian strongman Slobodan In response, Pacolli denied hav- Kremlin in the 1990s and has more tender for a second time and won Limani told Prishtina Insight. Milosevic in Belgrade during the ing made certain statements, recently been involved in con- by Mabetex in 2008 for 15 million He said politicians must accept Kosovo conflict. including that he wanted to be structing the new Kazakh capital, euros. the urgent need for “deep reforms” Among those questioning this “Kosovo’s Tito”. Astana, and the Kazakh presiden- Clirimi successfully sued the to the election law. meeting and earlier comments on He said that the Prishtina daily tial palace. government for 1.7 million euros Pacolli’s election to president the supposedly strong bond newspaper Koha Ditore, which He became embroiled in a case in damages. has been further mired in contro- between Serbs and Albanians have dubbed “Kremlingate” over accu- first reprinted the controversial Pacolli’s business dealings have versy because of a break taken been the Kosovo Liberation sations that he had bribed mem- comments, was running a hate led some to question whether his between the second and third Army’s War Veterans bers of Russian President Boris campaign against him. appointment as president match- votes. Opposition parties and the Organisation, OVLUCK, a group Yeltsin’s government to secure the “They are trying to denigrate my es demands from the internation- speaker of parliament, Krasniqi, with close ties to Thaci. profitable contract. personality, spark hate and endan- al community that Kosovo said the break was unconstitution- Pacolli has been criticised for The investigation was headed by ger the life of my family and appoint a government of clean al, though Krasniqi then allowed it his interview given to Croatian Carla Del Ponte, at that time myself,” Pacolli said in a state- hands. to take place. daily, Vecernji List, published on Switzerland’s attorney general, ment. Prishtina Insight also under- The opposition complaint has February 24, 2008, titled: “Pacolli, and lasted three-and-a-half years. His reponse has failed to impress stands that Pacolli’s close links now been referred to the it’s my dream to make peace his many detractors. During the It was closed in 2002 in Pacolli’s Constitutional Court, which could between Serbs and Albanians”. favour due to lack of evidence. with Russia remain a source of presidential vote, a group of stu- concern to some of Kosovo’s influ- force a revote. Pacolli said in the interview: “If dents protested outside parliament Pacolli’s business interests have parents [Serbia] do not behave not been limited to construction. ential foreign backers. holding placards displaying some “The norm for a clean govern- Sees Serbs as ‘Wonderful’: properly with the child [Kosovo], if of Pacolli’s comments in his now Company documents obtained by they abuse it, someone will take Prishtina Insight shows Pacolli’s ment, that was urged by US notorious interview. In recent weeks, Pacolli has their child away. involvement in dozens of Swiss- Ambassador to Kosovo, faced a barrage of attacks from the “This is now the case with To Kazakhstan, via the based firms, including a hotel Christopher Dell, and EU special media, with the independent-mind- Kosovo. They [Serbia] behaved chain, Swiss Diamond, and until representative to Kosovo Pieter ed Koha Ditore, the country’s most with cruelty and ruthlessly Kremlin: recently KazTransGas, a Kazakh- Feith, has been violated,” analyst respected newspaper, savaging towards Kosovo and they don’t based gas firm connected to the Limani said. Pacolli’s business deals with the deserve that anymore.” Pacolli is widely considered the government-owned KazMunay - “If Pacolli becomes a President Kremlin and controversial com- Kosovo media have criticised richest ethnic Albanian in the Gas, which has been working in why can’t Limaj join the govern- ments. Pacolli for saying in the same world but the source of his wealth Bosnia. ment?” Limani added, referring Even elements of the media tra- interview that he felt sorry for is controversial. He is also part owner of the to the former minister of trans- ditionally supportive of the PDK, Serbs. According to his declaration of Kosovo bank Banka Ekonomike port who is under investigation which had put forward the busi- “I feel sorry for the Serbian assets provided to the country’s and has won a number of con- for corruption.