Kosovo Accused of Fixing Key Highway Contract from Page 1 Ments and Was Backed by the Oshp

Opinion: Can a Kosovo-Serbia Deal Cheer up the Balkans?

November 10 - 24, 2011 Issue No. 75 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1

NEWS Police Kosovo’s “Secret Lobbyists” Beating > page 3 NEWS Complaints Arrests Following Pile Up Gun-Toting Video Police in Gjakova routinely beat up suspects to extract confessions, vic- > page 5 tims have told Prishtina Insight – but while this BUSINESS practice is illegal, no Central Bank Buys action has been taken. Cars From Alleged See Page 5 Fraudster > page 6 - 7 NEIGHBOURHOOD Kosovo Accused of Fixing Serbian Privatisation: Criminals Still Cashing In Key Highway Contract > page 8 - 9 Construction of Kosovo’s new highway to Albania was left unsupervised for more thana year and a half as the Transport NEWS Ministry attempted to rig the tender process to ensure its favoured candidate won, a failed bidder has alleged. Kosovo Struggles in confusing circumstances. weekend. Ministry of Infrastructure com- By Petrit Collaku The process has also led to two The supervisors were to be plained that cancellation of the with Spike in Drug official complaints, the interven- brought in to ensure that the first tender, which was under Addiction ne the world’s largest con- tion of the then Minister of construction was being carried review at the time due to an sultancy groups has Infrastructure Fatmir Limaj to out to the initial design and that appeal, would lead to “enormous Olaunched a blistering attack stop a contract being signed and materials being used were labo- losses” to the country. on Kosovo’s Ministry of one High Court hearing between ratory tested. As a result, Kosovo’s procure- Infrastructure, accusing it of warring state institutions. The ministry said it had carried ment review board, OShP, allowed “manipulating” the contract to As a result of the rows, there out the tests while waiting for the the deal to go ahead, only for the supervise work on the country’s was no supervision of work on the international experts to be then Minister of Infrastructure, biggest infrastructure project – the Albania highway until September, appointed. Fatmir Limaj, to put the process on > page 12 1 billion euro highway to Albania. almost a year-and-a-half after con- According to the tender dossier, hold again, ensuing a lengthy bat- Chris Germanacos, European struction began. Even then there a key element of the supervision tle between the two institutions. Director for Louis Berger, charges still wasn’t a full-time project contract is ensuring that taxpayers Louis Berger’s claims that the the Ministry of Transport with leader. get “value for money” and that whole process was slanted in Hill fixing the tender to favour a rival The first 40km section of the so- costs do not escalate, as they did on International’s favour appear in a Kosovo’s only English-language company, Hill International. called Patriotic Highway, built by the Albanian side of the highway, letter obtained by Prishtina Insight, newspaper is available: The lengthy process to appoint a Bechtel-Enka, running from the also constructed by Bechtel-Enka. which was lodged at OShP in June. supervisor has involved two ten- Albanian border to Qafa e Duhles, Last September, a year before Delivered to ders, one of which was cancelled near Suhareke, is due to open this the supervision work started, the continues page 2 Your Door

‘Life in Kosovo’ Faces Ban on Kosovo Tax Dodgers Flourish in From Newsstands State TV Corridors of Power across Kosovo

Kosovo’s most watched current affairs An investigation by Prishtina Insight Sent To show could be taken off the national televi- has uncovered proof of what many Your Inbox sion station, RTK, under a new law being Kosovars have long believed – that their pushed by the leading party. assembly is full of tax-dodgers. The Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, Kosovo’s lawmakers, we can reveal, From led by Hashim Thaci, wants changes made appear relaxed about breaking the law our partners to the draft law on RTK, currently before when it comes to protecting the country’s news parliament, banning... page 5 business tax revenues... page 6-7 see page 16 for more info

is supported by: 2 November 11 - 24, 2011 news Kosovo Accused of Fixing Key Highway Contract from page 1 ments and was backed by the OShP. The firm was then engaged in It ordered the Ministry to sign the an unsuccessful attempt to over- deal or face a fine in February 2011. turn the contract award. The move The ministry appeared to ignore by Paris-based Louis Berger SAS, this warning and was fined 20,000 which is part of Berger Group euro by OShP. Holdings, the third largest private The ministry still cancelled the sector partner to USAID, failed. tender with Merlino on March 12, Two procurement experts urged ensuring that a new process would cancellation of the tender, but the have to start. The ministry then OShP board decided against this, lodged an indictment in the High Kosovo’s government plans to open the first 38 km of the highway on 12 November. citing the “national interest”. It Court against OShP regarding the said the costs to the country would fine and the order to sign the con- The average lab price offer for the public interest can [also] be to supervise the project without a be far greater if a supervisor was tract with Merlino. the three other bidders was 3,800 taken into account.” permanent project manager, job not secured. The High Court rejected the min- euro, whereas Hill International Another procurement expert, adverts seen by Prishtina Insight istry’s indictment in May. Krasniqi put in a figure of just 747 euro per who asked not to be named, said the indicate. Tender number one: told the court that he had “wanted test. lab test issue should have been Hill International launched an to sign the contract” with Merlino The first attempt to secure a Louis Berger said this price was “sufficient reason to cancel the ten- international campaign to find a but had been told not to by the supervisor for the highway project so low it should have led to the can- der, and indeed has been the most team leader only as it began work Minister. was launched in spring 2010, as cellation of the process because at contentious point”. on the highway. It is not clear “All the responsibility about construction of the highway got that price it would be an “unper- However, the expert conceded whether one is now in place as nei- underway. these investigations has been taken formable tender”. that “it is still good that supervi- ther Hill International nor the In August that year, an Italian by the minister [Limaj] himself Germanacos said it raised ques- sion of the highway has started”. Ministry of Transport has clarified and not me as a public procure- firm, Merlino-Progetti & tions about “Hill International’s Counting the costs: the point. Politecnica, was selected after put- ment manager,” he said, according manipulative strategy and poten- Yet, the post of project manager ting in a bid for just under 7 million to the official summary of the pro- tial collaboration with regard to The Albanian government is a key one, and the experience euro. Hill International had also ceedings. taking advantage of an unfair prac- brought in Bechtel-Enka to build a and qualifications of the candidate bid. The second round: tice employed by MI [the ministry] key section of its Patriotic was one of the main areas evaluat- Louis Berger appealed against to the disadvantage of other opera- Highway in 2006, running from the ed during the tender process. It the award, claiming it had been A second bidding process mean- tors”. port of Durres to the Kosovo bor- would have contributed to Hill unfairly disqualified. OShP reject- while started in April and in June He added that the ministry had der, at a cost of 418 million euro. International’s top score for its ed this appeal, although its pro- Hill International emerged as win- not specified the amount of lab As with the subsequent contract technical proposal. curement experts did find a num- ners with a deal worth 6.95 million testing which was to be carried out for the Kosovo section, the deal was The Ministry said Hill intended ber of irregularities in the tender euro. Merlino did not bid the sec- for each material, which made it “re-measureable” in that the price to bring in an expert called Michael process. ond time. impossible to provide accurate fig- was not fixed, and it changed as Beer, but he fell ill and the firm was The Ministry of Infrastructure, Louis Berger again complained. ures. work went on. The final bill was forced to find a replacement. then called the Ministry of In a letter to OShP, it said that both He said that had Louis Berger more than 1 billion euro. Rame Cupeva, director of infra- Transport, told the OShP that can- tenders had been biased in Hill been aware of how the ministry Concerns were raised when structure within the ministry said: celling the tender would lead to International favour. was planning to calculate the lab Kosovo entered into a similar deal “Hill International originally pro- “enormous losses”. Berger recalled that it had testing points, it would have offered in 2010, but the government batted posed Michael Beer as project man- The OShP agreed and gave the offered 5.9 million euro for the con- a price of “0 euro” for the tests, as away criticism. Eversheds’, the ager, but due to illness… Beer has ministry a green light to sign the tract. But it had lost out after Hill these tests only represented a frac- government’s own legal advisor on not been able to take part in the contract with Merlino. International offered a lower price tion of the total cost of the supervi- the highway contract, revealed in a project.” But then Transport Minister for laboratory testing and scored sion work. letter to the government that it Hill had since replaced Beer with Limaj delayed the contract. He is slightly better in its technical pro- “This is precisely how Hill feared costs would balloon as a Peter Sockett. This replacement now under house arrest awaiting posal. International manipulated the ten- result of the deal negotiated. “was performed only with the trial for war crimes. He is also Germanacos wrote that “Hill der scoring framework, with preju- One measure to counter poten- approval of the contracting author- under investigation for corruption International was favoured with dice and price levels that are not tial cost overruns was the employ- ity as proposed staff must meet all involving road tenders. bias throughout the tendering and performable, as their unit prices ment of an internationally conditions set by the selection of In a letter seen by this newspa- retendering process, including the for laboratory testing are far from renowned supervising team. the tender”, Cupeva said. per, Limaj raised concerns about technical scoring”. market prices and standards,” The tender dossier stipulated Fidan Kalaja, of the anticorrup- the authenticity of financial state- He said that the ministry’s Germanacos said that the government sought a part- tion NGO Fol, which has been mon- ments provided by Merlino in the “marking down” of Louis Berger He added that the process had ner to ensure that the project was itoring the highway issue, said the bidding process. He said he was on technical issues, compared to created “room for deliberate “completed in a timely and cost- whole process, including the award waiting for the company to provide Hill International, was typical of manipulation by operators at the effective manner, maximizing of the tender to Bechtel to con- more information, including its “corrupting practices [done] in cost of public funds, thereby elimi- “value for money”. struct the highway, had lacked financial flows over the last three order to favourably advantage one nating most cost effective practices But because of delays to the transparency. appointment of a supervisory team years, before allowing the deal to go of the operators”. and competitive bidding without “It turns out that two deputy Louis Berger raised particular after two lengthy tender processes, ahead. prejudice”. presidents of this company [Hill] The Italian firm protested that it concern about the inclusion of a Hill International only started in the US, Robert Burnet and had supplied the necessary docu- new criterion in the second tender Go-ahead made work in September, more than a Mohamed El Zahabi, worked for by which firms were graded on the in ‘national interest’: year after the project began. years in Bechtel,” he said, adding costs of laboratory tests. The government has meanwhile that this raised issues of potential Toll to be Charged While the tender dossier was The two procurement experts, refused to reveal how much the conflicts of interest. on Highway clear that the price of laboratory Nazmi Statovci and Arsim Citaku, first 40km section of the highway This information is confirmed tests would account for 10 per cent who reviewed the case and found has cost, although the price tag for by a press release on Hill he Ministry of of the total score given to bidders, irregularities, have declined to the whole motorway inside Kosovo International’s website. Infrastructure has con- detail concerns beyond those they has risen from an initial estimate Tfirmed that Kosovo’s first it also asked for cost estimates for “Having this in mind, it will be a submitted to OShP. of 700 million euro to 1 billion euro. highway will charge a toll, more than 50 different types of serious challenge to the govern- although this will not apply to tests. The experts wrote that including A conflict of interest? ment to reassure citizens that this the first 38 kilometres, to be In the case of Berger, the the laboratory test price “set a cri- company [Hill] will objectively opened on Sunday. Ministry calculated the average terion that cannot be weighed” as On top of concerns about the ten- monitor the construction of high- Tolls are expected to begin price based on the 50 different tests. the ministry did not “determine der process, and delays to the way,” Kalaja said. next year. Officials said that the But Berger said the method was objectively the amount of laborato- appointment of a supervisor, Prishtina Insight gave Hill money is needed for highway unfair, as not all tests would be per- ry tests”. Prishtina Insight has also discov- International, Louis Berger and maintenance. formed the same number of times. Statovci told Prishtina Insight: ered further questions over Hill the Ministry of Infrastructure The amount to be charged It also described Hill “OShP’s reviewing panel decided to International’s work so far. more than two weeks to respond to has not yet been determined. International’s pricing for tests as continue with the award of the con- After obtaining the contract this queries regarding the case, but abnormally low. tract because according to the law, summer, Hill International began none provided comment.

Y M C +381 38 602042, +377 44 243367, +386 49 243367 K news November 11 - 24, 2011 3 Kosovo’s “Secret Lobbyists” Editor’s Word

Prishtina Insight has also discov- needed to remain secret as the cial representative to the Kosovo ered that PM Hashim Thaci met “nature of the work that this com- Status Talks in 2005, where he Miti Patton Boggs’ foreign affairs advi- pany will perform for Republic of played a crucial role in negotiating By Petrit Collaku sor, Frank Wisner, in the US just Kosovo is of a confidential nature Kosovo’s independence. two months before Thaci put the and cannot be made public". Frank Wisner, who is Patton deal with the lobbyists to his cabi- Skenderi also explained that Bogg's foreign affair advisor, met net for the first time in September Patton Boggs could help Kosovo Thaci in United States in July 2010. By Lawrence Marzouk osovo’s ministry of foreign 2010. only if acts confidentially “other- According to a press release they affairs attempted to keep The government was then forced wise it can perform and cannot discussed “current political devel- Kits $600,000-a-year deal to cancel that decision after it offer results promised”. opments in Kosovo and the achieve- with Washington lobbyists secret, he Myth of Christmas is dead! emerged that they had not followed However, all details of this agreements up to now of Kosovo’s insti- Prishtina Insight has discovered. Fear not, unclasp those hands It had attempted to avoid reveal- any public procurement proce- ment can be found online by visit- tutions”. Tfrom your child’s ears, I plan ing any information to the public, dures before attempting to sign the ing http://www.fara.gov This is the second time that not to obliterate the legend of the arguing to the country’s Public deal. /docs/2165-Exhibit-AB-20110831- Kosovo’s government has launched bearded one with his bulging sack. Procurement Agency that publicity In July, the Ministry of Foreign 33.pdf. this tender when in September 2010 I’m talking of the Daily Mail, could hinder the work of lobbyists Affairs revived the contract and MFA and Patton Boggs signed a the government’s cabinet voted to Britain’s grumpiest newspaper, and Patton Boggs. asked for the green light from the one-year contract on 29 August employ Patton Boggs at a rate of its apology this week for an “inaccu- The ministry made the argu- former procurement agency to worth $600,000. 50,000 dollars a month, 38,000 euro. racy” which may at first glance ment despite the fact that lobbyists launch a secret single-source ten- The company will be engaged in The cabinet was then forced to appear to be a minor slip-up, but in the United States are obliged to der to employ Patton Boggs. “fostering investments and trade cancel the decision at the next actually led to the creation of a myth make all their dealings with foreign The government is required to opportunities for Kosovo, as well as meeting in November. This fol- of monstrous proportions. governments public. justify to the agency why it planned gathering funds from foreign aid lowed revelations by the sister For years, the myth of In fact, details of the contract to carry out a single source tender programs”. newspaper Prishtina Insight that Birmingham City Council’s between Patton Boggs and the in secret. Patton Boggs’ foreign affairs the move appeared to have broken ‘Winterval’ festival has burned Ministry are published online by On July 21, the ministry, on adviser is Frank Wisner. The for- the law on public procurement as bright in the minds of those in the law in the US, and can be found out behalf of the Secretary General mer US Secretary of State under Patton Boggs had simply been United Kingdom who are not xeno- the website of the Foreign Agents Nagip Skenderi, explained to pro- George Bush, Condoleezza Rice, selected to do this job by the cabi- phobic, but who don’t like foreigners Registration Act, www.fara.gov. curement agency that the deal appointed Wisner as the US’s spe- net. very much, especially the ones who refuse to exchange their complex ethno-religious background for a EU 'Losing Patience' on Divided North Kosovo British passport and an England foot- ball shirt. Europe says the blame game over Serb-run northern Birmingham had a whole host of Kosovo must end and the two sides need to return to the events lined up for the winter season of 1998, some religious some secular. negotiating table. To promote all of these shindigs, an the north be put on the agenda of official called Mike Chubb came up the talks. with an amalgam, a Frankenstein By Fatmir Aliu and Prishtina has refused to consid- phrase, of winter and festival: Jeta Xharra er this demand on the grounds Winterval. that the north of Kosovo is an The devious minds of the press internal issue. then set about distorting this pretty European diplomat says Kosovo’s Albanian-led govern- boring tale into a travesty for Europe wants mutual accu- ment has never controlled the far Christian Britain. The bureaucrats Asations to end between were so fearful of upsetting the for- northern sliver of Kosovo, where Kosovo and Serbia over who is eigners that they even banned responsible for tensions in north- Serbs form the majority and local tough opposition from local Serbs. leaving the negotiating table, and Christmas, the story went. ern Kosovo -and both sides should authorities refuse to have any links The EU began facilitating a tech- will make its irritation clear in its And as the story went from local restart their stalled EU-mediated with authorities in Prishtina. nical dialogue between Kosovo and report on the assessment of the newspapers, to news agencies, to dialogue. “Both parties should demon- Serbia in March. According to a dialogue. national newspapers and the BBC, it A source from Brussels told strate commitment to finding a UN General Assembly resolution, “European opinion over the sum- changed subtly, article by article, Prishtina Insight that the EU compromise on the dialogue, this means normalizing relations mer was quite anti-Kosovo because before it scarcely resembled the ini- Foreign Affairs Chief, Catherine including on the north," the same between the parties while they of the [Special Police] action in the tial report. Ashton, is trying to break the dead- EU diplomat told Prishtina Insight. both move towards European inte- north and Prishtina got the mes- According to the Guardian news- lock in the dialogue between "Both parties are right about the gration. sage that such unilateral opera- paper this week, between them, the Belgrade and Prishtina in which issue but they should move on with The EU Envoy, Robert Cooper, tions are harmful. Times and the Sunday Times man- neither side can agree on the con- a plan on how to get out of this has since then brokered five deals, "But all those Serb barricades aged to repeat the myth 40 times tent and agenda of the next round limbo, since the situation is unac- mainly on trade, freedom of move- erected later on the roads and since 1998, only surpassed by the of discussions. ceptable and unstable. ment, and cadastral registry. Belgrade’s failure to deal seriously Daily Mail, with 44 mentions. But all Belgrade left the negotiating "The blame games between the But only one agreement was with the matter have changed opin- the other newspapers also took part. table in July after the Kosovo gov- two should end; they don’t lead actually implemented till now by ions. Now the Albanians are less With time, the myth, or miti in ernment sent a team of Special anywhere,” the diplomat added. Serbia, as a result of which Kosovo blamed than the Serbs for the ten- Albanian, grew and grew, and media Police to assert its authority over The same source said some EU says the EU should reward sions in the north,” the European outlets and their readers started talk- its northern border with Serbia. member states have started negoti- Prishtina for its “cooperativeness” diplomat said. ing about how “councils” up and Since then, local Serbs in north ating with both Kosovo and Serbia and punish Belgrade for not respec- EU Envoy Cooper will issue to down the country were banning Kosovo have erected numerous to find a solution for the north, ting the deals it has agreed to. his evaluation of the implementa- Christmas and outlawing barricades on roads and Serbia where the EU’s rule of law mission The European official said the tion of the agreements reached Christianity in an affront to honest, has demanded that the situation in in Kosovo, EULEX, is encountering EU was “furious” with Serbia for during the talks by November 20. white Brits. This myth then became a portman- teau for a series of new, slightly dif- PRISTINA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT “ADEM JASHARI” ferent myths about how authorities and the “politically correct” brigade were dropping Christian and British customs by the bucket-load. The most recent example was how a TV series of Thomas the Tank Engine had removed all references to Christmas so Muslims would not be offended. This turned out to be false too. Decent newspapers, which would never dream of writing anything overtly xenophobic, build these myths by stretching the truth to breaking point and thus encouraging underlying xenophobia. Journalists should be challenging these myths, not perpetuating them, if they are genuinely to inform and WE ARE OPEN FOR ALL DEPARTING FLIGHTS • CALL US ON 038 594422 not just titillate their public. 4 November 11 - 24, 2011 news Police Beating Complaints Pile Up

Police in Gjakova routinely beat up suspects to extract confessions, victims have told Prishtina Insight – but while this practice is illegal, no action has been taken.

apprehension, as well as slaps, punches, kicks [including to the genital], striking the person with By Petrit Kryeziu hard objects, or squeezing of the hand with a pencil being placed between two fingers, and beating hen police in Gjakova on the soles of the feet by police picked up Agim Domgjoni officers attempting to obtain con- Wand accused him of steal- fessions during questioning,” it ing from a factory three years ago, added. officer Sejfedin Shkreli beat him “In some cases, the severity of so badly that he had to be sent to the alleged ill-treatment was hospital, he told a court last such that it could easily be month. described as torture,” it contin- “Sejfefin ‘Sefa’ came to my ued. home at 11pm,” Domgjoni told “Overall, it would appear that Prishtina Insight. “He took me to the situation as regards to the the police station and beat me as treatment of persons deprived of The police station in Gjakova, where numerous beatings have taken place. hard as he could with punches their liberty by the KP has stag- and kicks to my stomach and nated if not deteriorated since there’s nothing wrong with him’, sations of police beatings aired because police should not have then opened a drawer and the 2007 [Council of Europe] and then we went back to the in court, prosecutors in the town been allowed to be present dur- showed me three wooden and visit.” police station.” have yet to take action. ing the interrogation of my plastic canes and asked me to The report added that in a Prishtina Insight visited the The Chief Prosecutor of client when I was left to stand ‘pick one’” he added. number of cases the medical regional hospital of Gjakova to Gjakova, Shpresa Bakija, said outside,” Barbullushi continued. “He then continued to beat me examinations of the persons con- secure the medical reports of she had now “requested all The Municipal Court of until I ended up in hospital.” cerned and medical files avail- persons who said they had been records from courts where Gjakova has declined to com- Domgjoni’s complaint is stan- able “were fully consistent with beaten by the police. defendants have complained of ment on allegations that they dard fare in Gjakova, where the allegations of police ill-treat- But the search was in vain; dif- the use of force by the police. use evidence obtained under Prishtina Insight has obtained ment”. ferent departments at the hospi- “I will also ask prosecutors to duress. similar allegations from 16 other Agim Domgjoni was found not tal each claimed that another explain why investigations have But the director of the witnesses who also said they guilty of theft at the municipal had the relevant documents. not begun on time,” Bakija said Kosovo’s Disciplinary Office for experienced beatings at the sta- court in Gjakova in October 2011, Some of those claiming to have Lawyer Ergjynet Barbullushi, prosecutors, Kadri Begolli, said tion. after which he decided to speak endured violent and unprovoked a regular at the town’s munici- if the claims were proven, it A report by the Council of out on BIRN’s Justice in Kosovo police beatings in the western pal court for criminal sessions, would be both a violation of the Europe last month described show, which was aired a fort- Kosovo town were teens. said police often maltreated his law and a major ethical violation beatings by Kosovo Police during night ago. Dede Shabani was only 15 clients in the police detention as well. arrests and at stations as a seri- But instead of launching an when police picked him up three centre. "We weren’t aware of these ous problem. investigation into police miscon- years ago and took him to the “Many of my clients have been case [in Gjakova] but now we In the course of its visit, the duct following the broadcast, station. beaten several times by the have been informed, we will ini- delegation “received numerous Gjakova police last week arrest- “Officer ‘Sefa’ doesn’t hold police and I have informed the tiate investigations to find out and consistent allegations of ed him again, accusing him of back,” was how 18-year-old prosecutors and the court, but it why they [prosecutors] have not physical ill-treatment by KP offi- having “threatened” a police offi- Shabani recollected the assault. has fallen on deaf ears,” undertaken work they are cers from persons who were or cer in one of the quotes he gave He was later cleared of wrongdo- Barbullushi said. obliged to do by law,” Begolli had recently been taken into cus- to Justice in Kosovo. ing. “The prosecution views the said. tody,” the report said. Pjeter Ndrecaj, another crime Prishtina Insight has defendants as devils,” he added. The commander of the police “The allegations concerned in suspect who was later released, obtained testimonies from 13 “They forget that defendants are station of Gjakova, Bekim the main punches, kicks and was also beaten at the police sta- other alleged victims of recent only suspects and should enjoy Avdija, told Prishtina Insight blows with batons at the time of tion in Gjakova, he said. police beatings in Gjakova. equal rights before the law along that he required permission “They grabbed my hair and They are Besnik Hoti, Ardenis with all other persons.” from the police spokesperson in punched and kicked my face Kamberi, Mirlind Hajra, Amir Barbullusi also claimed that Prishtina to comment on the until my lips were cut and my Vokshi, Enver Zeka, Shahidon the police regularly questioned claims. nose broken,” he recalled. Veseli, Bekim Dushku, Sylejman defendants without the presence The spokesperson in Prishtina “They sent me to Accident and Meqo, Blend Cermjani, Albert of a lawyer, which is illegal. then referred us to the regional www.prishtinainsight.com Emergency but the doctor never Morina, Sokol Vokshi, Jozef “I had a case where I had to police HQ in Peja, while police released a report. The police offi- Dushaj and Manol Deda. intervene at the level of the in Peja directed us back to Publisher: cer told the doctor, ‘He’s fine, In spite of the number of accu- Chief District Prosecutor Gjakova. BIRN Balkan Investigative Reporting Network

Mensa e Studenteve, first floor Kosovo Serb Killed in Clash in Mitrovica 10000, Prishtina A fist fight that escalated into a shooting spree on Wednesday night claimed the life of a Serb man in the tense northern Kosovo Kosovo town of Mitrovica, scene of frequent showdowns between Serbs and Albanians. Phone: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 Fax: +381 (0) 38 22 44 98 Insight. “Police went on patrol but when [email protected] they got to the middle of the By Fatmir Aliu crowd, someone shot from an auto- Editor-in-Chief: matic weapon, injuring three per- Lawrence Marzouk sons, two civilians and a police [email protected] officer. One civilian later suc- ne Kosovo Serb has died Editorial Team: cumbed to his wounds.” and two others were wound- The deceased Serb was named Ana Petruseva, Gordana Igric, Oed following an inter-ethnic as Savo Mojsic. Doctors say he was Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, shootout in the tense northern brought to hospital in northern Petrit Collaku, Shengjyl Osmani, Kosovo town of Mitrovica on Mitrovica in a critical condition, Wednesday night. and surgeons fought for his life but Artan Mustafa and Kanarina Shehu. A view across the divided city of Mitrovica. Kosovo police said the shootings could not save him. The two other started in the mixed Brdjani injured men are not in danger. Police meanwhile are investigat- demned the incident and called for Marketing, Sales & Distribution: (Vitaku) neighbourhood of north- Kosovo Albanian and Serbian ing who started the fist fight, calm in the tense northern part of [email protected] ern Mitrovica where Serbs and media have given different ver- which then escalated into a deadly the country, which has been a Albanians live in close proximity. sions of which side was to blame showdown. flashpoint of tensions between Design & Layout: “Rrjeti” “We were first called to inter- for starting the conflict. No one has yet been arrested Serbs and Albanians since the end Arben Grajqevci vene in stopping a fist fight and But local Serbs in Brdjani insist Y though police raided several hous- of the conflict in 1999. stone-throwing between the two that the gun shots were fired from M es in the neighbourhood in search- The Serbian government called Printing: Lindi Printing Center sides," Kosovo’s Police spokesper- the Albanian side of the neigh- C es for weapons overnight. for an international investigation Copyright © BIRN son, Besim Hoti, told Prishtina bourhood. K Kosovo’s government has con- into the incident. news November 11 - 24, 2011 5 ‘Life in Kosovo’ Faces Ban on State TV BIRN Kosovo’s flagship current affairs show could be pulled from the RTK schedule if amendments to law pushed by ruling party succeed. years while a mechanism to collect a licence fee is devised. The think-tank GAP Institute has published a study outlining By Lawrence Marzouk various options for RTK's financial future, and arguing for independent funding now, not in three years’ time. osovo’s most watched cur- GAP director Agron Demi said: rent affairs show could be “Prepayment for RTK by the citi- taken off the national tele- K zens, not by Kosovo’s budget, vision station, RTK, under a new should start from January 2012 law being pushed by the leading rather than three years later party. because people will be even less The Democratic Party of inclined to pay a subscription Kosovo, PDK, led by Hashim [then].” Thaci, wants changes made to the The draft Law on Public draft law on RTK, currently before Broadcasting allocates 0.7 per cent parliament, banning the commis- of the budget to RTK, which is sioning of “current affairs” from now about 10 million euros annu- independent producers. ally. Such a proposal, if adopted, would rule out Balkan Aferdita Kelmendi, director of Investigative Reporting Network’s another private television station, show, Life in Kosovo, the country’s RTV21, has questioned this figure. most watched current affairs pro- “We want to know why you gramme, as well as its recently decided that RTK will receive the launched Justice in Kosovo pro- amount of 0.7 per cent of the RTK risks losing it's most outspoken and independent voices if amendments to a new law are passed. gramme. budget, no more, no less,” she said It is not clear how many other at the public hearing on Nov 4. confirmed in the minutes of a given that this is the same party Journalists of Kosovo, AGPK, told “How do you know that RTK won’t productions would also be affect- meeting of the working group, that wanted us when they were in the committee: “In the end you can ed, but at least two others, Pa need more funding?” she asked. held in a Kosovo mountain resort, opposition and which now is try- write the law if you want, but if The government has sponsored Rrotlla and the Serbian current which Prishtina Insight obtained. ing to exclude us from RTK,” she you neglect the suggestions of two draft laws that are supposed to affairs program Slobodno Srbski, The minutes say that Xhevahire said, adding: "Why?" journalists, do not expect this law regulate the media in Kosovo; the are also believed to be under Izmaku, member of parliament’s Izmaku refused to explain. “I am to be supported by them and do not draft law on the Independent threat. Media Commission and head of not obliged to give any clarifica- expect international reports on Media Commission and the draft BIRN’s primetime programme the working group on the Law for tions regarding my proposals,” freedom of expression to be posi- Law on Public Broadcasting. was launched in 2005 and quickly the Public Broadcaster, suggested she said. tive about this.” Both laws have passed their built up a reputation for investiga- the change of wording. Rame Vataj, another PDK mem- The amendment to the Law on first reading in the Assembly of tive journalism and breaking The current article reads: “RTK ber of the commission, added: “We the Public Broadcaster is being Kosovo and are undergoing taboos. It has covered many con- shall commission at least 15 per are obliged to account [for our brought about to ensure independ- amendments at the hand of the troversial topics, such as homosex- cent of programmes but not more actions] to our voters, not to oth- ent financing for RTK, which has Committee for Education, uality, war crimes and freedom of than 20 per cent from local inde- ers.” been funded directly from the Culture, Youth, Sports, Public speech, and is widely seen as a pendent producers, television According to the rules and regu- budget since its licence fee, col- Administration, Local strong, independent voice. broadcasters, including obliga- lations of parliament, MPs are lected as part of electricity bills, Government and Media. But a working group commis- tions under Article 10, but with the required to provide explanations was scrapped in November 2009. The Media Commission formed sioned by parliament to review the exception of news programmes.” to the public regarding proposed The European Commission has the working group to work on pos- draft law, chaired by a member of Izmaku said that “news pro- changes to draft laws during pub- demanded action on the issue sible changes to these laws. grammes” should be replaced by lic hearings. from the Kosovo government. “As PDK, has proposed barring all The working group held a pri- “current affairs programmes”, Milaim Zeka, producer and pre- a matter of urgency, Kosovo needs independent producers from vate meeting in Prevalla, a moun- according to the minutes. senter of Pa Rrotlla, one of the to develop a solution for the sus- broadcasting current affairs tain resort in southern Kosovo, at In a public hearing held on this threatened shows, said he was con- tainable funding of the public shows on state TV. which various proposals emerged, issue on November 4, Jeta Xharra, cerned by the reports. service broadcaster: the current In late October, the PDK suggest- amongst others, to discontinue host of the Life in Kosovo pro- Zeka blamed the initiative on “a budget-only funding [system] ed that section 13.4 of the draft law, independent current affairs news gramme and director of BIRN group of MPs who are ignorant of undermines RTK’s independ- which prohibits the commission- programmes. Kosovo, sought clarification of the television - a group that watches ence,” it wrote in this year’s ing of “news programmes” by The Media Commission later proposal. only the main news and does not progress report on Kosovo, independents, should be replaced organised a public hearing to dis- “These suggestions, which will watch our programmes because released in October. by a ban on “information pro- cuss the draft amendments, which limit critical voices broadcast on we criticise them”. The current draft will mean grammes”, which refers to current were not sent beforehand to the RTK, are harmful to Kosovo as Arben Ahmeti, president of the RTK remaining dependant on the affairs shows. parties invited to the public hear- they are harmful for PDK as well, Association of Professional state budget for the next three The existence of the initiative is ing. Arrests Following Gun-Toting Video olice have arrested three people after a weapons. video was posted online showing The video made headlines after it was Pyoung men and children shooting broadcast on television and covered by guns, including a machine gun, in a crowd- newspapers. ed street, in broad daylight. Raids were also carried out in four loca- With hundreds of young men and boys in tions, and weapons seized. These include the street, the scene from the Youtube video light machineguns and two Kalashnikovs. of Dumnica, near Podujevo, could almost be described as carnival like, as the end of Eid, this year in September, was celebrated. That is except for the constant gun firing with a range of weapons. The video was posted online Y last week, and police later M arrested three persons and seized several C A scene from the disturbing video. K 6 November 11 - 24, 2011 business Kosovo Tax Dodgers Flourish in A café in parliament, a restaurant owned by the Deputy Prime Minister Behgjet Pacolli’s family and another owned by the family of a senior figure in the governing party, Shaip Muja, are among the thousands of companies that are breaking the law by not properly declaring taxes. 1,000 euro each. The machines record each purchase and supply data directly to By Besiana Xharra the Kosovo Tax Administration, ATK. They are being introduced as part of a drive against Kosovo’s n investigation by black economy, estimated to be Prishtina Insight has worth about 700 million euro a year. Auncovered proof of what Prishtina Insight has discovered many Kosovars have long believed that only one in five businesses, or – that their assembly is full of tax- 12,000 out of 60,000 firms, have dodgers. heeded repeated warnings to Kosovo’s lawmakers, we can install the equipment. reveal, appear relaxed about And only 1,145 businesses have breaking the law when it comes to been fined since the deadline of protecting the country’s tax rev- last September, according to the enues. latest figures. Under the law on tax adminis- The Shqiponja has a string of How a fiscal receipt should look. tration, introduced last summer, contracts with government insti- both businesses and consumers tutions and is owned by a leading On the second visit, Diamond and restaurants under the Swiss “I am very interested to know if are required to tackle the black trade unionist, Fehmi Nika, head Diplomatik also could not issue a Diamond label and formerly that happens and how and I’m also economy - all customer-focused of the union at the Ferronikeli proper bill for our cake and coffee, owned a newspaper, Lajm, which planning to install programs to firms were required to install fis- metal plant. but did issue a printed bill typed was in the same building as avoid anything being done manu- cal cash registers, and consumers Despite his role fighting for on a computer. The cash till would Diamond Diplomatik. ally,” he added. are legally obliged to ask for a workers’ rights and the café’s posi- be “fixed soon”, they said on this As well as owning Diamond “It is absolutely not a question receipt, or face a 20 euro fine. tion at the heart of political power, occasion. Diplomatik, Islam Pacolli is a of trying to avoid taxes as that is But the Shqiponja restaurant in Nika’s outlet is breaking the law On the third visit, the eatery manager of Mabetex, which has not how the state is built.” the middle of parliament has yet and, as a result, the ATK is unable provided a proper receipt – but the also been involved in major proj- Similarly, Naim Muja also to install a fiscal cash register, to know whether tax is being paid receipt also suggested that the bar ects in Kosovo, including work on claimed that he had a fiscal cash making every assembly member on the hundreds of macchiato and had issued just six of these in the Rilindja government building who has enjoyed a coffee there a other drinks purchased every day total. and the Iliria Hotel. lawbreaker. by parliamentarians. According to the official busi- A spokesman for Behgjet All businesses were legally This newspaper also paid three ness register, the owner of Paciolli, the former president and obliged to install fiscal cash regis- visits to the restaurant of the Diamond Diplomatik is Islam leader of the New Kosovo ters by last September or face Pacolli family, the Diamond Pacolli, brother of Behgjet, Alliance, AKR, told Prishtina penalties ranging from 150 euro to Diplomatik Bar, on UCK Street, in Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister. Insight that he was not in any way central Prishtina, and two visits to Rrahim Pacolli, Behgjet’s first connected to the bar. Ariu, a restaurant owned by the cousin, is also involved with the “Diplomatik restaurant is not brother of assembly member and business, and Behgjet is a regular managed nor owned by Mr senior PDK figure Shaip Muja. diner there. Pacolli,” he said, adding that he Neither was able to issue a legal Behgjet Pacolli is the owner of had “nothing to do with that receipt on these visits. On a third dozens of companies across the restaurant”. visit to both, and having confront- world, many of which are run or Islam Pacolli told Prishtina ed the owners about their break- part owned by his brothers and Insight that the failure of his staff ing of the law, a fiscal cash other relatives. to issue a receipt in Diplomatik machine was in use and the cor- Perhaps his best-known compa- was an error on the waiter’s part. rect receipt issued. ny is Mabetex, which made a for- “The bar does issue bills but if On our first trip the Diamond, it tune building palatial structures the waiter didn’t do that, he proba- was unable to provide any sort of in the ex-Soviet Union and reno- bly wanted to get away with it [not receipt. “Sorry, but we don’t have vating the Kremlin. using the register], and what can I one to give you,” a waiter said. He also owns a string of hotels do about that?” he asked. Central Bank Buys Cars From Alleged Fraudster

were not convinced by the expla- Auto Color was registered on July by Kacandolli. Kosovo’s Central nations of the procurement board 14, 2000. Although its registered The Law on Public that they had been unaware of the name 11 years ago was Procurement, applicable in 2009, Bank awarded a By Prishtina Insight problems. Particularly as com- “Independent Artisanal Shop – disqualifies people from participa- plaints about the initial cars were Auto-Service”. tion in tenders in the event that tender to a car held back until the second deal The same business registration their directors are late with pay- usinessman Skender was awarded and were then sent number is held by Auto Color in ment of taxes in Kosovo. salesman who had Kacandolli was awarded a to the second firm set up by the list of businesses deactivated But the Central Bank sees no been struck off for Bdeal for 80,000 euro in Kacandolli, as the first had been by Kosovo Tax Administration. In legal violations in the way it October 2009 to supply the Central struck off for non-payment of tax. accordance with deactivation operated. “In both procurement Bank, KCB, with cars, despite hav- In November 2009, the CBK pro- rules, ATK divides businesses in procedures four bidders have tax evasion and who ing earlier sold the Bank vehicles curement office awarded Auto two groups, one including the applied and in both cases the which had to be taken off the road Kacandolli, owned by Skender businesses indebted to them and least expensive one was chosen,” had sold them because of defects. Kacandolli, an 80,000 euro deal to the other deactivated businesses said its spokesperson Besnik The contract should also have supply three 4x4 vehicles through that have no debts towards ATK. Kada. defective vehicles been cancelled based of the fact his firm. Even today, Auto Color remains “Naturally, the notice for the that Kacandolli’s firm, Auto Color, On October 22, 2009, the tax listed as a deactivated business award of contracts, bid opening in an earlier deal, which had sold KCB the cars, had administration had placed Auto that is a debtor of the Tax and publication of the contract been “deactivated” by the Tax Prishtina Insight Color on the list of taxpayers reg- Administration. award were conducted in con- Authority of Kosovo, ATK, as it istered prior to 31 December 2006 Despite this, three weeks after formity with the procurement had failed to pay its dues. has discovered. which had not declared any taxes the deactivation of Auto Color, procedures, and none of the bid- Y The issue was raised in the since January 2007. namely on November 9, 2009, the ders filed any complaint regard- M Bank’s own internal auditors, The Ministry of Trade and Central Bank signed a contract ing these two procurement C seen by Prishtina Insight, who K Industry’s register shows that with Auto Kacandolli, also owned processes.” business November 11 - 24, 2011 7 Corridors of Power

Shaip Muja, Senior PDK figure

register but that it was the waiter’s fault that no receipt was given, despite repeated requests. He said: "I bought the machine two weeks after the law was adopted. It works perfectly well, so it’s not true that it doesn't function. "It is the responsibility of the client to ask for a receipt, but the waiters can also hide it from them because they tend to steal. We have had cases when we needed to dis- miss waiters. "You can come at anytime, and Law-maker or law-breaker? The cafe in parliament does not issue fiscal receipts and is thus breaking the law, as are all of those drinking there. we can verify that we have it.” When it was pointed out that we breaking the law although we have campaign by the ATK since last have artificially inflated the price institutions sets a bad example to had visited twice and on both occa- not printed their names as the year and the threat of fines. of the tills. This issue is under other businesses,” Limani noted. sions had been told be the waiter practice is so widespread. ATK officials said they did not investigation. Agim Shahini, head of the that no receipt was available, he One café owned by a senior wish to comment on specific cases, In a bid to increase the number Kosovo Business Alliance, said the blamed the waiters. politician and - unusually - using but their inspectors were continu- of businesses equipped with fiscal huge size of the black market seri- His brother, Shaip, a senior fig- the correct equipment is the Strip ously checking businesses and cash registers, the ATK has held ously undermined Kosovo’s budget. ure in the governing PDK and an Depot, owned by Deputy Foreign handing out fines. seminars across Kosovo in recent He said research carried out by assembly member, is not listed as Minister Petrit Selimi. “This includes all businesses, months, in Ferizaj, Gjilan, his alliance and other internation- an owner of the business, Our reporter was not immedi- also those that conduct activities Gjakova, Pristina, Peja, Mitrovica, al organization estimated the although he is a business partner ately offered a receipt when pay- inside the government, parliament Prizren and elsewhere. annual value of this illicit trade at of Naim's in other ventures. ing, which is an offence in itself, or the municipalities,” spokes- “The seminars have gone well, 700 million euro. “I have five brothers and many but the waiter was able to provide woman Hava Ademi said. and we hope they were useful for Economist Muhamet Sadiku cousins, and they are adults, and I a fiscal receipt when asked to. Ademi told Prishtina Insight businesses which have not ‘fis- said he believed about 40 per cent don’t know why I should be taken The manager of Shqiponja, that the results of their campaign calised’ yet,” Ademi continued. of all economic transactions in as a reference for what is their Bedri Nika, brother to Fehmi, said were satisfactory, even if only one But some economists say the Kosovo were illegal. business. his firm ran two restaurants in in five firms had now installed the take-up rate remains scandalously Taxpayers, meanwhile, are “It might happen that the wait- parliament and both now had fis- correct equipment. low. angered by the apparent unwill- ers steal as well. It happened to me. cal tax registers, though he admit- “During 2011 alone, the ATK “Not using fiscal cash boxes ingness of the private sector to pay What can you do about that? Go ted one was only installed recently. issued 1,145 fines to businesses inside [public] institutions shows its dues to the state. check with the waiter’s school, He could not explain why our that are not equipped with fiscal how this process has failed,” eco- “All strong states are built on those who issue their certificates. reporter was unable to get a prop- cash, or do not issue tax receipts,” nomic expert Isa Mulaj said. taxes,” Bedri Gola, a resident of Deal with the origin of the prob- er receipt at one of the venues, she said. “I’m sure the Ministry of Prishtina, said. “There is no state lem, not its effect. despite asking for it. “The point of the fiscal cash reg- Economy [which has overall without taxes, but illegal business- “Kosovo is growing and the Officials in parliament declined ister is: fair competition in the responsibility for taxes] is aware es will continue to operate freely implementation of law is getting to answer Prishtina Insight’s ques- market, payment of taxes, exami- that this coffee bar [could be] evad- while Kosovo does not have func- better. Things cannot be done in a tions on this issue. nation of the origin of goods, and ing taxes, yet they do nothing - for tioning laws, judiciary and police.” day.” so on,” Ademi explained. who knows what reason?” Adrian Lima, another resident Prishtina Insight visited dozens Black hole in the economy: Three companies are licensed in Another economist, Musa of the capital, said he doubted the of other restaurants, bars and Kosovo to sell the tills, which cost Limani, also questioned whether wrong will be rectified any time shops in Prishtina, many frequent- Strip Depot remains in the around 700 euro each, although the government drive was serious. soon. “Whenever I buy something, ed by Kosovo’s top politicians. minority in its use of fiscal cash many businesses have complained “Not using fiscal cash registers I never receive a proper invoice,” Most of these also appear to be register, despite a high profile that the firms act as a cartel and in bars that are inside [public] he noted.

Skender Kacandolli did not 2500 and 4500 kilometres,” he said. respond to any question related to CBK did not provide an answer the taxes undeclared by Auto to the issue raised by Kaqandolli. Color. According to the CBK Commission Claims spokesperson, the contract with Ignorance Auto Color Company was worth 32,400 euro. He added that this An internal report by the offer was the least expensive. Central Bank's auditors in 2010, When asked whether CBK had which Prishtina Insight has seen, held Auto Color accountable for investigated the manner in which the problems with the cars it had CBK granted Kacandolli’s compa- sold, Kada said that the firm “ful- nies two tenders. filled all obligations stipulated in The head and a member of the the provisions of their contract”. bid evaluation committee, Nezir “Vehicles bought from ‘Auto Lokaj and Flamur Mrasori, told Color’ Company were brand new, the auditors that they were not with no kilometres on the clock aware that vehicles purchased and without any defects,” said from Auto Color had broken down Kada. in October before they agreed to Kacandolli, however, said the select Auto Kacandolli. cars were not new. “The question But the internal auditors Auto Kacanadolli - despite the problems, the Central Bank kept coming back for more. about vehicle defects should be expressed doubt that the head of made to the Bank’s gasoline sup- the Procurement Committee, February 11, 2010, that the Central ‘Auto Kacandolli’, as the former ond tender award. plier, as the low quality gasoline Lokaj, who was also chief admin- Bank sent a complaint about the company had been deactivated. Another two Suzuki vehicles Y damaged five vehicles belonging istrative officer, was unaware of vehicle defects. The complaint But the two vehicles had bought from Auto Color, according M to the Central Bank, three of the problems. about two Mitsubishi vehicles required repairs since October 23, to the internal auditors, have not C which had passed only between It was three months later, on from ‘Auto Color’ were send to 2009, one month prior to the sec- been in use since February 2010. K 8 November 11 - 24, 2011 neighbourhood news Albania to Protect its Serbian Privatisation: Banks from the Eleven years after embracing capitalism, Belgrade has cancelled almost 30 per cent of all privatisation deals Greek Crisis because of corruption or mismanagement. Yet the system remains open to abuse. once had offices throughout the former Privatisation Agency. By Stevan Doj inovi Valjevo, Yugoslavia. As the newly-privatised company Belgrade, Podgorica and Warsaw Today, the building is locked up with remained subject to state supervision, By Besar Likmeta heavy chains but it is just possible to peer only the agency could formally sign-off into the courtyard. The factory is derelict the sale, which it duly did on November 15, ust two years after serving a prison and abandoned; the windows broken and 2005. new bill presented in Albania’s parlia- sentence for attempting to kill four set in half-crumbling walls. Masinoservis was originally privatised ment aims to force foreign banks to trans- Jpolice officers during a gun battle in On paper, Masinoservis continues to in December 2002 with Krunic paying Aform their branches into local sub- Belgrade, Milan Lazarevic decided it was employ 12 staff, all of whom say they have around 40,000 euro for the firm. He says he high time he cashed in on Serbia’s privati- sidiaries. not worked or been paid in nine years. couldn’t turn the company into a prof- sation programme. The draft law, which is expected to pass through Locals in outlying villages who once itable enterprise and was unable to pay the Seeing no reason why his criminal Albania’s parliament this week, is targeted at depended on the factory for work have workers, all of whom were on strike at the record should hold him back, Lazarevic Greek banks which own a sizable share of the been forced to scrape a living doing odd time of the resale to Lazarevic. set his sights on buying a newly-privatised local market. jobs whenever possible. During Krunic’s time as owner, the machine-parts factory, Masinoservis, in By transforming branches of local banks into Milivoj Savić, 60, was the only worker Privatisation Agency inspectors filed two his home town of Valjevo. subsidiaries, Albania is attempting to protect brave enough to speak out. His wife critical reports over his management of Turns out he was right his criminal past local depositors from a possible default of the protested throughout the interview at the company; one in October 2003 and would be no hindrance to the sale. Serbia’s mother financial institution. their home near the centre of Valjevo, another in June 2004. own Privatisation Agency signed off on Foreign companies currently control 95 per angrily saying: “Only fools talk.” Both reports state Masinoservis work- the deal in November 2005. cent of Albania’s banking market. Austria's Just mentioning the name Lazarevic ers’ had not been paid since privatisation In stark contrast to other former com- Raiffeisen, Italy's Intesa Sanpaolo, Greece's Alpha strikes fear in the hearts of people here. and that production had ceased, warning munist EU states such as Poland, Serbia Bank, France's Societe Generale and the National Undeterred, Savić, nicknamed Bosanac, the company might have to be taken back was slow to introduce background checks Bank of Greece, NBG, are among the largest. insists that talking to a journalist is pretty under state control. on buyers to prevent criminals profiting Only Credins bank is owned by a consortium of much his last option. Partially-paralysed Extraordinarily, just five months later, from the sale of state companies. local investors. after suffering a stroke, he can neither inspectors revisited the factory that had This lack of state control created a per- Greek banks like Alpha and NBG, whose local work nor retire because Masinoservis been under Lazarevic’s ownership for just fect environment for widespread criminal branches in Albania currently control 23 per cent never paid his salary or pension contribu- a few weeks to find the workers unwilling activity, including illegal asset-stripping of the banking sector, are facing increase difficul- tions after privatisation. to complain about anything at all, despite and money laundering. ties at home, as the public debt saga in Greece He says from the moment Lazarevic still not having been paid. The scale of corruption and misman- continues. arrived at the factory, there was little evi- agement was such that Serbia has, to date, dence the new owner intended to invest Asset Stripping cancelled 629 out of a total of 2,281 privati- and try to turn the company around. sation deals because the new owners Instead, the new boss met the workers and According to former owner Krunic and stopped production, stripped assets and told them to go home. employees, Lazarevic immediately set failed to pay workers. “Lazarevic said: ‘I have all your phones about stripping Masinoservis’ assets. Macedonia Thousands of Serbian workers have here in the company and when I find some Krunic claims Lazarevic sold key also lost their jobs as a direct result of mis- work, I will give you a call.’ However, he machinery worth 10,000 euro within the managed privatisation. sold all the machines and there's nothing first few months of taking control of the Sets Record While would-be investors are now left down there [at the factory],” says factory. required to obtain certificates stating they Savić. Lazarevic also allegedly sold one of the do not have a criminal record and are not Desperate, Savić finally managed to factory buildings for 41,000 euro in cash, Budget for facing charges, there are still loopholes in meet Lazarevic and pleaded with him to at according to charges brought by Serbia’s the system that allow criminals to profit least pay his pension contributions so he tax office. They claim he sold the structure from sales. could retire. without declaring the sale, so evading pay- 2012 Lazarevic, who secured state approval to “How do you want me to beg you, like a ing tax. buy Masinoservis, is now back in a prison father, like a God, like a boss? He told me: BIRN has obtained records that show cell on trial for allegedly running a racket- ‘Bosanac, you are the age of my father, I’ll Lazarevic mortgaged the factory site, Centre-right government is confident eering enterprise that extorted payments respect you for that and have no worries’… although it has so far been impossible to and favours from Valjevo’s bar and restau- it will be able to balance the books, but he never paid,” says Savić. establish exactly when he took the mort- rant owners. He was the only worker brave enough to gage or the sum borrowed against the managing next year's largest ever He is also accused of ordering the seek a face-to-face meeting. land. murder of a local underworld rival state budget. Lazarevic has not directly commented and has since been charged The Deal on any of the allegations or on his owner- with tax-evasion, insur- acedonia has set next year’s budget at ship of Masinoservis, but his lawyer, ance fraud and misappro- about 2.77 billion euro, with revenues Lazarevic bought Miodrag Duricic, told BIRN that there is priating government Mestimated at about 2,58 billion. the company in “no evidence against him”. funds. This mean running a deficit equivalent to 2.5 September 2004, Regarding Lazarevic’s management of per cent of the Gross Domestic Product, the same paying the then Masinoservis, Đuricic said that produc- as this year. ‘Only Fools Talk’ owner, Vladan tion and administration problems predat- Compared to this year, the budget for 2012 will Krunic, 13,000 ed his client’s ownership of the firm. Twenty-five years be some 150 million euro bigger, money that the euro in cash. While extreme, the Lazarevic sale is far ago, Masino- government plans to collect through increased He was duly from unique in Serbia. This was just one servis was a suc- revenues from taxes and investments. granted of thousands of small enterprises sold off cessful state- The draft budget “is realistic and attainable power of by the state, many of which will have been owned enter- considering the present circumstances, namely attorney, giv- subject to illegal asset stripping and other prise, employing the economic situation in Europe and across the ing him full con- criminal activities. 130 people in globe,” Finance Minister Zoran Stavreski said trol of the com- Not to mention the many Serbs who lost Valjevo, 100 km from after the government passed the draft. pany, until the their livelihoods in a country where the the capital Belgrade. The government hopes it will achieve growth of sale could be offi- unemployment rate stood at 20 per cent in The fac- 4.5 per cent, despite projections from various cially approved by 2010. The number of jobless is expected to tory world financial institutions that it will not surpass Serbia’s continue to rise in Serbia, as the global 3 per cent. recession bites further. Stavreski maintains that growth will be boosted Serbia has not yet completed the privati- by big increase in capital investments financed sation process and has another 435 compa- from the budget for next year. The draft foresees a nies to sell, according to Privatisation 28 per cent rise in capital investments compared to Agency records. this year. This forms part of the government's strategy of Fake Buyer Background compensating for expected reduced demand for Certificates Y Macedonian companies and products on the world market. M Despite introducing tougher meas- The government has envisaged inflation run- C ures to prevent criminals using the ning at 2.5 per cent. K Milivoj Savic has lost his pension as a result of privatisation. neighbourhood news November 11 - 24, 2011 9 Criminals Still Cashing In privatisation process to launder es, gaps and holes,” says Vladimir money or for other illegal purpos- Goati, a politics and economics es, the system remains open to expert who is also director of abuse. Transparency Serbia. Although buyers have been “Dozens of companies were required since 2008 to present cer- sold… without established condi- tificates from the police or the tions that the owner is obliged to courts stating they do not have a act responsibly toward the compa- record, criminals can still circum- ny and its employees.” vent the system. Verica Barac, president of Some bidders use proxy buyers Serbia’s corruption council, who do not have any criminal past, agrees: “It enabled tycoons and many place bids via offshore com- criminals to formally, by buying panies and others even forge the companies, actually come into certificates. vast estates.” “If someone comes with a forged But Barac says the biggest prob- certificate, how could I know that lem with the current system is it is counterfeit? These are crimi- that there is still no real external nal acts; it must be for someone control over the privatisation else to investigate,” says Dusan process. Belanovic, director of the “The Privatisation Agency is a Privatisation Agency’s communi- government body without any approach him through a front per- which oversees the privatisation In June last year, the EU cations centre. accountability. They create, imple- son. process, acknowledges progress demanded Serbia re-examine 20 Asked why they don’t send the ment and control the privatisation “Tycoons do that, they find has been slow but underlines they deals suspected of either involving certificates to the police for process, but they are not con- someone who you know and then put a great deal of effort into find- high-level corruption or of failing checks, Belanovic says the agency trolled by any one,” she says. that person tells you ‘hey Branko, ing solid investors. to comply to privatisation rules. doesn’t have enough staff to con- Branko Pavlovic, a former direc- this businessman just asked me, “When we are selling a company To sweeten the pill, however, the duct these types of checks. tor of the Privatisation Agency, do you want to go to dinner with we go to 15 different countries. We Serbian government also received In addition, Serbia is unable to says the law is also flawed because us’ and I would say not dinner but go to every financial centre… we in July a 2.2m euro EU grant to ascertain the origin of money it allows buyers to pay for compa- he can come to the agency and we have our own internal services help the state more effectively used to buy businesses through nies in up to six separate instal- can schedule a meeting,” says that track potential investors. If combat money laundering. offshore companies. ments, giving the new owner time Pavlovic. we have any doubts about whether Vincent Deger, the EU ambassa- Fugitive Darko Saric was to sell off assets before completing But Pavlovic claims that as soon it is a legitimate investor, we dis- dor to Serbia, notes that countries charged in 2010 by the Serbian the purchase. as he tried to terminate a suspi- qualify them,” he says. in transition to capitalist authorities on suspicion of run- “After they get the money [from cious privatisation deal that he Walenczak says that off-shore economies are at greater risk of ning an international drugs ring, asset stripping] it does not occur to was certain involved corruption, companies have been excluded money laundering because of the thought to have smuggled around them to pay the rest of the pur- he was immediately fired along from the privatisation process for privatisation process, but warned 3.5 tonnes of cocaine into Europe, chase price,” he says. The state is with the economy minister who some time in Poland, because they the situation was of particular and of laundering as much as 30 then forced to take back a virtual- appointed him. cannot track the origin of the concern in the Balkans. million euro through Serbia’s pri- ly worthless shell of a firm. Today he works as a lawyer and funds. “Three to five per cent of the vatisation process. Barac and Pavlovic say that the adviser to minority shareholders Unlike in Serbia and many gross domestic product is from Documents obtained through laws were effectively approved by of companies in the process of Balkan states, the work of the min- money laundering activities [in the state prosecution service and the World Bank and both claim the being privatised. istry is subject to constant review Serbia]. It’s a high risk… it threat- business registers in the US and bank put Serbia under pressure to The situation is not much differ- by various agencies, including the ens the smooth functionality of Serbia, show Saric managed to get the privatisation process ent in other Balkan states, where powerful Central Anti-Corruption the economy and affects the whole buy Serbian firms through off- rolling quickly. privatisation has offered a perfect Bureau (CBA). of society,” he says. shore companies registered in the “[The law] is the concept of the opportunity for shady deals, as The CBA targets high-level cor- Despite making much noise over US state of Delaware. World Bank, based on liberal eco- witnessed in Bosnia, Macedonia ruption and reports directly to the Serbia’s willingness to confront Because the Privatisation nomics. It was important just to and Montenegro. prime minister. the criminalisation of its privati- Agency did not attempt to estab- privatise, which meant institu- In Montenegro, it is almost “We are a unique agency in the sation process, not everyone’s con- lish the origins of the offshore tions were not important, the impossible to gauge the level of EU because only our bureau has vinced. company funds, the authorities property was not important, the corruption because the details of such powers,” says Pawel Barac, the anti-corruption coun- claim Saric could have freely laun- processes were not important, the sales are shrouded in secrecy, Wojtunik, director of the CBA. cil chief, is particularly unim- dered millions of euros earned by origin of money was not impor- since the state hasn’t made the “We can work like the police… and pressed and doubts that even pres- illicit means. tant,” says Barac. records public. use all ‘special measures’ as the sure from the EU will make much The importance of robust buyer The man who drafted the pri- Podgorica began its privatisa- secret service does. We can check difference. background checks has been vatisation legislation in 2001, tion process back in 1997 and the highest officials in Poland.” “The council has shown a num- demonstrated time and time again Aleksandar Vlahovic, failed to around 85 per cent of companies The CBA also investigates sales ber of privatisation cases and in Serbia. This failure enabled respond to numerous requests for are now privately-owned. NGOs that seem suspiciously low priced, delivered documentation to the Zoran Copic to buy more than 15 an interview placed via his assis- have claimed many of these deals ensuring the state gets the best prosecution, but so far there companies in Serbia and Bosnia tant at his private consulting com- have been subject to high-level, return possible and rooting out haven’t been any investigations,” since 2005, despite being tried for pany Eki Investment. serious corruption. corruption. Offshore companies she says. cigarette smuggling at the time of give Poland a wide berth as they As Lazarevic sits in prison, fac- the purchases. Privatisation Chief Slow but Sure Sales in often don’t want to attract the ing numerous charges of contin- The trial opened in 2004 and is ‘Forced Out’ Poland attention of the CBA. ued criminal behaviour, he yet to be concluded. He was arrest- “We had one such case involving remains the official owner of the ed in Bosnia this April and the privatisation of shipyards,” now devastated machine-parts fac- “I had pressure from all sides,” “If we have any doubts about charged with money laundering says Wojtunik. “A firm from a tory. says Branko Pavlović, former head whether it is a legitimate investor, offences and is expected to stand ‘risky’ country was interested in While the man the state granted of Serbia’s Privatisation Agency. we disqualify them,” says trial soon. the sale until the media published ownership made thousands out of Pavlovic was director of the Krzysztof Walenczak, Poland’s Copic was also charged by the information that the CBA was the Masinoservis by selling assets Privatization Agency for just four deputy treasury minister. Serbian police in late 2010 with looking into the case. The firm and mortgaging land, many work- months between April and July It couldn’t be more different in illegally mortgaging and stripping withdrew its offer.” ers have been reduced to scraping 2004. Poland, where the state has taken assets from some companies. a living and surviving day to day. Initially appointed by Dragan its time over privatisation. Serbs are wondering when their Marsicanin, the then minister for Warsaw has developed a system EU Demands Serbia Law ‘Riddled with leaders will finally ensure compa- the economy, he claims he was focused on rooting out corruption Investigation nies, and their livelihoods, are not Weaknesses’ sacked because he tried to reform and organised crime over the two placed in the hands of ruthless how the privatisation agency was decades since its transition from “Three to five per cent of GDP is criminals out to make a quick “The Privatisation Agency is a run and to confront crime in pri- communism to capitalism. from money laundering activities buck. government body without any vatisation. Twenty years after beginning its [in Serbia]” says Vincent Deger, accountability,” says Verica Barac, Pavlovic says that from the privatisation programme, five per EU ambassador to Serbia. Stevan Dojčinović is a Belgrade- president of Serbia’s corruption moment he was appointed director cent of Polish companies are yet to While it seems clear that the based journalist. This article was council at the agency, he was immediately be sold, says Ireneusz Jablonski, Poles see crime-free privatisation produced as part of the Balkan At the heart of the problem lies being pressured from all sides, an economics expert and member as essential for the state and the Fellowship for Journalistic badly drafted and poorly enforced “politicians, international organi- of the Adam Smith Institute in economy, looming EU membership Excellence, an initiative of the privatisation laws. sations and domestic tycoons”. Warsaw. appears to be more of an incentive Robert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE “Privatisation is riddled with According to Pavlovic, shady Krzysztof Walenczak, deputy for Belgrade to revisit its privati- Foundation, in cooperation with incomplete regulations, weakness- businessmen would attempt to minister at the Polish Treasury sation process. the Balkan Investigative Reporting 10 November 11 - 24, 2011 neighbourhood Bosnia Terror Attack Pushes

Young Serb-born Muslim’s shootout in Sarajevo raises fresh questions over the extent of Islamist extrem- ism in Bosnia and Serbia’s mainly Muslim Sandzak region.

By Eldin Hadzovic and Zoran Maksimovicin Sarajevo, Novi Pazar

n the courtyard of a house of the outskirts of Novi Pazar in Isouthwest Serbia, an old man sites visibly shaken. Sahin Jasarevic, a respected man in this overwhelmingly Muslim community, is not used to police searches. But on October 29 Novi Pazar police combed both his homes in Novopazarska Banja, searching Mevlid Jasaresiv has been linked with Wahhabi groups in Novi Pazar. every corner. He does not hold it against them, from there that he came back with these days and reluctant to talk to that most are young people. Parliament. but he is appalled about the reason a beard, talking about Islam and journalists. While Serbia’s minority Bosnia’s politicians, Serb and for the search – the recent actions urging his family to take up reli- Members of the Wahhabi move- Muslims glumly ponder the conse- Muslim, are well known for ritual- of 23-year-old grandson, Mevlid. gion. ment, in their trademark beards quences of Jasarevic’s actions for ly blaming the country’s political “I couldn’t believe it when I saw A source from Bosnia’s Ministry and short trousers, have been less their community, over the border logjam on each other. on television what Mevlid had of Security echoed this line to in evidence since recently. in Bosnia a lively debate continues Whether Bosnian Serbs are real- done,” he recalled. “The news of Prishtina Insight: Jasarevic Semiha Kacar, head of the on whether the authorities could ly to blame for failures to upgrade his attack on the US embassy in allegedly met Wahhabi extremists Sandzak Committee for Protection have done more to prevent the rise security legislation or not, terror- Sarajevo caught us all by sur- in Austria and his radical Islamic of Human Rights and Freedoms, of radical Islam in general. ist attacks are on the rise in prise.” groups from Vienna probably emphasises that most people are Sources in Bosnia’s state securi- Bosnia and Herzegovina. Mevlid Jasarevic is now famous financed his subsequent activities. appalled by news of the shootout. ty structures say Mevlid spent the Haris Causevic “Ox” and his for all the wrong reasons in Novi The same source said uncover- “This act is harmful for all last two months in Gornja Maoca, accessories are currently on trial Pazar. ing the precise links in the chain Bosniaks [Muslims], not only in a notorious hamlet in southeast before the country’s state court for Two weeks ago he held centre of would be the most difficult part of Bosnia and Herzegovina but in Bosnia where locals follow radical a bomb attack on the police station Sarajevo under siege for almost an the investigation, Bosnia’s level of Sandzak as well,” she says. Wahhabi or Salafi version of in central town of Bugojno, which hour, firing 105 shots at the US cooperation with the Austrian Aida Corovic, director of Urban Islam. killed a policeman, Tarik embassy and seriously wounding authorities was poor. In, a local non-government organi- “I am certain that he [Mevlid] Ljubuskic, and wounded his a policeman. Sahin Jasarevic reiterates that sation, agrees. acted as an individual but that female colleague, Edina Hindic. A sniper took him out with a he tried to “set his grandson “Radicalisation is not good. does not mean that we see this case Another trial is ongoing against well-aimed bullet in his thigh. straight” on several occasions but Because of everything that has as an isolated one in relation to the group of Rijad Rustempasic, Video footage showed Jasarevic failed to do so. happened, people see us [Novi earlier recorded terrorist actions charged with preparing a terrorist wearing a long dark coat, firing a “That Wahhabi path I did not Pazar Muslims] in a very bad in Bosnia,” Sadik Ahmetovic, attack where? Kalashnikov. support,” he maintains. “We light,” she says. Minister for Security, told Nusret Imamovic, an informal Sahin recalled that Mevlid had fought to get him over here but “This is a poor region, and no Prishtina Insight. Wahhabi leader in Gornja Maoca, been born in his house, was taken then he left for Bosnia and for a one wants to invest here because of Ahmetovic said the ministry immediately after Jasarevic's ram- to Austria as a small child and had long time I did not know where he stories like this. Everyone heard has repeatedly proposed changes page in Sarajevo condemned his lived in recent years in Bosnia. was or what he was doing.” that he [Jasarevic] is from Novi to the Law on Money Laundry and act. “The last time we saw him was Pazar and from Sandzak,” she Financing of Terrorist Activities. But Imamovic's lectures, which in June when he came to visit us,” Not such ‘isolated’ cases: adds. But he blamed opposition MPs can be found on the Internet, at the elder Jasarevic says. She does not believe that the from the smaller of Bosnia’s two Putvjernika.com, support radical He believes Mevlid first got into On the streets of Novi Pazar, the number of Wahhabis in Novi entities, the Republika Srpska, for Wahhabi action in Bosnia and contact with radical Islamic largest town in Serbia’s remote Pazar has actually increased in not supporting the law and the fail- even suicide attacks. groups in Austria, because it was Sandzak region, locals are worried recent years but agrees with Kacar ure to get it through the State The official Islamic Community Macedonia Plans to Better its Battered Railways

overnment plans to buy will be operational by 2013, the explaining the sometimes absurd new rolling stock and head of the state-owned several-hour delays on the short Grepair lines as part of a bid Macedonian Railways-Transport network of less than 300 kilome- to upgrade its decayed network company, Oliver Derkoski, said. tres. that has been starved of invest- “For a small country like The only branch of the railway ment for the past 30 years. Macedonia, this would significant- system that has continued to make Macedonia plans to purchase ly improve the existing situation,” a profit over the years is the cargo five new locomotives and about 20 Derkoski said. service, which supplies industry passenger cars after more than 30 The company currently has with raw materials and transports years of practically no investment some 30 locomotives but many are the country's goods abroad. in the railways. In addition, the out of service or are used only for The last attempt to buy new government says it will buy some cargo transport. This leaves only a trains was in 2009, when the gov- 160 new cargo wagons. few locomotives available for com- ernment set aside money from the The new rolling stock is costed muters travelling in and out of the budget for that purpose. However at some 45 million euro, money capital, Skopje. the government soon dumped the An aging locomotive in Macedonia. that the government hopes to The last new trains to enter plan, faced with the challenges of government plans to start a major towards Bulgaria in the east. secure through loans and grants service were purchased back in the global financial crisis that project to reconstruct the lines as Last year several trains in Y from the European Bank for 1979. started that year. part of the country’s north-south Macedonia came off the rails, M Reconstruction and Development, “The old trains brake far too In addition to poor trains, the pan-European transport corridor causing minor injuries to passen- C EBRD, and other banks. often and we have no appropriate rail infrastructure has also 10. It also plans to start construct- gers. The incidents were blamed K If all goes well, the new trains replacements”, says Derkoski, decayed over time. Next year the ing a new railway spur, running on old infrastructure. neighbourhood November 11 - 24, 2011 11 Wahhabi Threat to Fore

of Bosnia and Herzegovina has 4,000 members of Wahhabi move- also come under scrutiny. ment are active in the country The community condemned today. Jasarevic’s actions in Sarajevo, Ahmet Alibasic, lecturer at the but some experts criticise its per- Faculty of Islamic Sciences and ceived failure to rein in the director of the Centre for Wahhabis and other extremists. Progressive Studies, says the Partly this is because the com- Islamic Community reacted tardi- munity is reluctant to lose gener- ly in dealing with the threat of ous financial aid from Saudi Islamic extremists. Arabia, home to the Wahhabi Professor Alibasic recalled the movement. failure of his own attempt to When quizzed on size of the organise a discussion on the donations from Saudi Arabia, Wahhabi at an institutional level Mustafa Ceric, head of the Islamic in the Islamic Community. That Community of Bosnia and remains the only attempt to open Herzegovina, replied: “One should up a debate on the topic within the not cut off the branch on which Islamic Community in Bosnia, he one sits”. says. Since the end of the 1992-5 war Vlado Azinovic, professor at the in Bosnia, Saudi Arabia has Sahin Jasarevic, Sarajevo Faculty of Political poured in money for the construc- grandfather of the 'terrorist'. Sciences and an expert on terror- tion of mosques and Islamic cen- ism, believes that “isolated inci- The Jasarevic's compound in Novi Pazar tres, some of which have spread began arriving, joining the dents“ simply are now too fre- the Wahhabi ideology. Muslim-led Army of Bosnia and quent to be seen as “isolated” any Herzegovina in war,” the professor there are Wahhabis, you will get The Wahhabi movement began Herzegovina. longer. added. the latter, because their ideology is penetrating Bosnia and Serbia’s Numbers were small. It is esti- “Our problem is that our imams A former Wahhabi and member so violently intolerant,” he says. Sandzak region in the early 1990s, mated that no more than 400 came are not prepared to debate with of the El Mujahidin squad in the “In the long term, the big prob- as civil war engulfed Yugoslavia. to Bosnia, and most left after the these radicals. When we studied, Bosnian Army, Adnan Mesanovic, lem is the Wahhabi installed in As Bosnia’s hard-pressed war. But their fellow-thinkers we prepared for discussions with says Jasarevic’s terrorist act will high positions within the Islamic Muslim-led government appealed resumed their spread of a highly atheists, not with militants,” he certainly draw fresh attention to community, as well as in state to the Arab world for aid against intolerant version of Islam. recalled. “the boys in long beards and short institutions.” the militarily superior Serbs, so- According to the Ministry of “We were too late in realising trousers. called Mujahedin fighters from Security of Bosnia and the role of Mujahedin in the ranks “Not every Wahhabi is a terror- Valerie Hopkins in Sarajevo also Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria Herzegovina, between 3,000 and of the Army of Bosnia and ist,” he cautioned, “but while contributed to this article.

Suspect Refuses to Recognise Court: Crackdown on Sandzak Wahhabis: Who is Mevlid Jasarevic?

n his interrogation before the country’s state court, the Court of erbian police shot dead Ismail Prentic, sus- evlid Jasarevic, son of Izet Jasarevic, was Bosnia and Herzegovina, on October 31, Jasaravic was defiant. pected of being a Wahhabi leader in born on December 20, 1988, in Novi Pazar in I“Beside Allah’s court, I don’t recognise any other, all this does not SSandzak, in spring 2007 in Novi Pazar. Msouthwest Serbia, where his residence is reg- exist for me,” he said. A month before the shootout, on the Ninaja istered, according to police. Asked for his name, he replied that he did not differentiate between mountain, close to Novi Pazar, police discovered On several occasions in the last two years he visit- his “official” name and “Abdurahman”, as he now called himself. what they called a Wahhabi camp containing ed Salafi gatherings in the village of Gornja Maoca. Prosecutor Dubravko Campara told Prishtina Insight that Jasarevic’s quantities of weapons, ammunition, explosive The director of the Serbian government’s media statement, given in hospital, where he was recovering from being shot devices, military equipment, medical material office, Milivoje Mihajlovic, described Jasarevic as an in the thigh, was confusing. and food. extreme member of the Wahhabi movement, closely “For now we cannot say this incident has any political background or In September 2007, Serbia’s Special Prosecution linked to the community in Gornja Maoca, Bosnia, that it is related to a concrete event,” prosecutor Campara said. for organised crime indicted 15 suspected where he owns a house. Senad Dupovac, Jaserevic’s court-appointed lawyer, said his client Wahhabis from Novi Pazar with terrorism. Six years ago while living in Vienna, Jasarevic was had not wanted to hurt anybody - only to become a martyr. The jail terms were drastic. The special depart- sentenced to three years of imprisonment after steal- Dupovac said his defendant had no known accessory to the crime, and ment of the Belgrade District Court sentenced 12 ing 100,000 euros. Later, he was expelled from Austria. no one had known about his plan when he drove in a grey Opel Kadet members of the group to 64 years in prison total “After that, Jasarevic lived in Sarajevo and Tuzla, from the Bosnian village of Gornja Maoca with Dino Pecenkovic and for “planning terrorist actions and unauthorised and last year he stayed in Novi Pazar, where the police certain Ahmetspahic to Sarajevo last month. carrying of weaponry.” apprehended him on November 29 because he was Both men have admitted driving Jasarevic to Sarajevo for money, but The leader of the group Senad Ramovic was carrying a knife in the vicinity of a group of diplo- maintain they knew nothing about his intentions. sentenced to 13 years in prison , while the other 11 mats and the US ambassador to Serbia,” Mihajlovic State prosecutor Campara declined to talk about the involvement of members of the group were given sentences that said. possible accessories, or about potential networks that Jasarevic might range from six months to eight years in prison. Over the past year Jasarevic spent most of his time have belonged to, citing “the interests of the investigation”. The other three members were released. outside Serbia, he added. Serbian Extremists Join Neo-Nazis in Poland erbian rightist are travel- Every year on the port Serbia's bid to regain its Meanwhile, Serbian Police ing to the annual Neo-Nazi Independence Day of Poland, former province of Kosovo, are monitoring the Serbian Sgathering in Warsaw after November 11, extremists organ- which declared independence in rightists' movements after which they will hold a rally ise a march in the streets of February 2008. receiving a tip from Polish entitled "Kosovo is Serbia". Warsaw carrying such slogans "As part of Serbia, Kosovo Interpol that they should check Members of the far-right as "All of Poland will be white" will be presented in the proper to see whether extremists from group 1389 are packing or "Enough of Jewish occupa- way at a meeting on November Serbia plan to attend the Neo- brochures on Kosovo and tion." Anti-fascists, anarchists 12," Misa Vacic of 1389 told Nazi rally. posters titled "Kosovo is Serbia" and other human rights activists Prishtina Insight. “If we find that there is a secu- for their Warsaw trip on also gather in large numbers to According to Vacic, 1389 has rity threat, then we will react, November 11 and 12. prevent them. developed lasting cooperation which may mean the ban on The group of 10 is due to join Last year the police had to with extremists from the Czech leaving the country,” Serbian extreme right-wing organisa- intervene as more than 2,000 Republic, Slovakia and Poland. police said in a statement. tions from Poland, the Czech extremists clashed with about “No 1389 action has been car- Serbia's constitutional court Republic, Slovakia and Hungary 3,000 leftist opponents. ried out without the support of has started collecting informa- at a far-right conference on This year the organisers will Czechs, Slovaks and Poles,” tion on 1389 to see if its activi- November 11. hold a special meeting to sup- Vacic said. ties are unconstitutional. Nationalist graffiti in Serbia. 12 November 11 - 24, 2011 feature

Kosovo Struggles with Spike in Drug Addiction Lying at the crossroads of smuggling routes to Western Europe, Kosovo is seeing a rise in addictions that health services are failing to address.

Kouchner, then head of the UN “We are cooperating with both on drugs of various kinds, from he says, died a few weeks ago after Mission in Kosovo, said in 2000. schools and parents to increase cannabis to heroin, the youngest is a heroin overdose, and SH was By Jeton Musliu In 2001, authorities seized just awareness of the danger of drugs only 13 and the oldest is 57,” he recently diagnosed with Hepatitis 0.8kg of heroin in Kosovo. But by in society,” he said. said. “Their average age is 24 to 26.” C, which causes liver inflamma- 2007 that figure had increased sev- The Europe Union’s Progress According to him, the most tion and can lead to death. enfold to 6.9 kg, and last year it Report for 2011, released in prevalent drug in Kosovo is It is likely that SH became he pleasure from his first stood at 55kg. October, also notes the growing cannabis, which causes psychologi- infected from a dirty needle. heroin hit, injected directly It is unclear how much of this problem. “The domestic market cal dependence, unlike heroin and “Now I’m just glad I’m alive. A Tinto a vein, has never left huge increase can be explained [for drugs] has also grown, notably cocaine. close friend of mine died from an him, even though it was 33 years through improved policing, or for cocaine,” it reads. “But most of those seeking help, overdose,” he said, shaking his fist ago. whether the increase also indi- The European Monitoring more than 95 per cent, are depend- in distress. But the constant search to cates Kosovo’s growing role as a Centre for Drugs and Drug ent on heroin and those are the “No one helps us,” he said. reawaken that feeling has stopping point on various smug- Addiction reported this year that more serious cases,” he said. “When you don’t have money, you destroyed his life, says SH, now a gling routes to western Europe. “increasing amounts of heroin “In the last three years the num- need to use other people’s 48-year-old addict from a town near Different agencies, international smuggled are retained in Kosovo ber of users of this type of drug syringes,” he said, showing his left Prishtina. “I have no words to and local, see the situation differ- for use by local clients”. has increased, as has the number of hand, which is scarred from describe that moment of happi- ently. But reliable statistics on the addicts using needles,” he added. repeated injections. ness,” he said. What is clear is that the number number of addicts in the country “The authorities don’t help us,” SH, who has asked to remain of people in Kosovo struggling are hard to come by. Addicts going without he added. Drug users have two anonymous, got his first heroin with addiction is on the rise. Kosovo Police puts the figure at choices, according to SH: to steal, dose in Split, Croatia, at the age of help: Earlier this year, Kosovo Police roughly 10,000 while Labyrinth, or to beg. SH admits that his only 15. and the EU rule-of-law mission, one of the few NGOs working in friends steal, but says he does not. But Kosovars no longer need to Labyrinth offers psychiatric EULEX, launched a campaign, this field in Kosovo, alongside As for begging, he does not deny it. travel that far to experiment with counselling, therapeutic services “Don’t close your eyes”, to tackle UNICEF, put the figure at 20,000. “I take what people give me,” he drugs. Their country now lies on and substitution treatment, as drugs in society. Safet Blakaj, a founder of says. the crossroads of a number of traf- well as psychotherapy for an indi- In his opening remarks at the Labyrinth, established in 2002, says Six years ago, a new unit was set ficking routes, bringing cannabis vidual, family and group basis. launch, Reshat Maliqi, then the number of people addicted to up to help addicts within the and heroin through Kosovo on the But it’s not a clinic and the NGO is Director General of the police, said heroin is on the rise. Drug users Department of Psychiatry at way to the lucrative markets of virtually alone in Kosovo in offer- the number of drug users in seeking help from Labyrinth have University Clinical Centre in Western Europe. ing services to addicts. Kosovo was increasing, and the increased from 500 in 2009 to 800 Pristina But while experts fear there are SH is among those using problem needed to be treated more this year. But the unit’s own head com- up to 20,000 drug addicts in Kosovo, Labyrinth’s services. His friend, seriously. “Of these 800 persons dependent plains that it still does not func- the state-run addiction clinic says tion properly today and that infec- it has treated just 40 people so far tious diseases such as HIV and this year. Hepatitis among addicts are on the As this miss-match makes clear, rise. the sudden increase in the avail- “This department is more like ability of drugs, creating many an improvisation because we don’t new addicts, has not been matched have a specific institute,” Dr by adequate changes to the services Shaban Mecinaj complained. on offer. “After patients leave, we don’t For example, Kosovo still has no even have methadone to offer comprehensive methadone treat- them,” he said. ment programme, the replacement “So far this year we have had 40 drug used across the world to wean people in the department, most of people off heroin. And as drug whom were addicted to heroin, addiction remains taboo, too many alcohol, as well as other soft people feel inhibited from seeking drugs,” Dr Mecinaj added. help. “Infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B and C are on the rise.” A growing trend: Faik Hoti, chief spokesman at the Ministry of Health, says that Ten years ago talk of Kosovo as by law doctors can prescribe a drugs hub was widely dismissed methadone. as propaganda emanating from He added that the Ministry of Serbia. Health is also participating in “There is no drug problem in Y implementing a government strat- Kosovo because no drugs have egy, the Drugs and Action Plan, M been seized since the [UN] mission which started in 2009. C was established,” Bernard “Treatment with methadone K Derelict homes sometimes used by drug addicts in Prishtina feature November 11 - 24, 2011 13

“Of these 800 persons dependent on drugs of various kinds, from cannabis to heroin, the youngest is only 13 and the oldest is 57. Their average age is 24 to 26.”

Safet Blakaj The addiction clinic, which is poorly resourced, according to its head. The taboo surrounding drug taking is also clan links in Kosovo to facilitate heroin traf- and the Czech Republic, where he feels drugs keeping many people away. ficking to Albania,” it continued. are more readily available than they are in “There is shame and a stigma about visit- An April 2011 report by Europol, the Kosovo. ing a psychiatric clinic,” he continued. European Union’s criminal intelligence SH lost his wife six years ago because of “People associate it with insanity, so they do agency, also emphasises that the “Kosovo his addiction but still holds out hope that he not come.” region, in particular, are [sic] important will be able to rebuild his life one day. Blakaj, of Labyrinth, agrees that the locations for storage and repackaging. “Of course I believe I can build a family,” taboo surrounding drug addiction is a “Cannabis grown in Albania and the he said. “I do not think I'm too late.” major obstacle to treatment. Kosovo region is distributed in Greece, Italy, “Drug users are often thrown out by their Slovenia, Hungary, and also trafficked to Drug routes: families,” he says. “The families try to hide Turkey, where it is exchanged for heroin,” it it at first, then for a few years they are sup- adds. Heroine: From Afghanistan to Europe via portive, but ultimately they give up.” Hoxha, however, does not believe that Turkey, then Bulgaria and criminal groups in Kosovo are as powerful Macedonia/Serbia or Kosovo. Is Kosovo a drug haven? as some international reports suggest. Cocaine: Often reaches Kosovo by post or “After patients leave, we don’t even “As we are not part of Europol or Interpol, through couriers from Serbia and South While Kosovo is facing an increase in drug we still have no opportunity to show our American countries. (Source: European have methadone to offer them,” abuse, it remains far from the picture some facts, so these reports are more political Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug have attempted to portray as a country than real. Others speak for us,” he said. Addiction.) awash with heroin. SH also believes that the availability of Cannabis: Five to ten per cent is cultivat- Shaban Mecinaj Even if the high-end figure of 20,000 drugs in Kosovo is exaggerated. He says he ed in Kosovo while the rest comes from addicts in Kosovo is accepted, that is still has travelled to France, Germany, Hungary Albania. (Source: Kosovo Police) only 1 per cent of the population. Kosovo Police also beg to differ with the marketing view of Kosovo as a problem area. Gazmend Hoxha, head of the police’s Department of Organized Crime, says the increase in seizures is down to better policing and does not necessarily reflect an increase in trafficking. However, he does accept that Kosovo lies on the so-called Balkan route along which heroin passes from Afghanistan to Western Europe. “In 2009 we caught 36kg of heroin and in 2010 56kg of heroin, but that doesn’t mean that drug trafficking has increased,” said “In 2009 we caught 36kg of heroin Hoxha. “We are just working better.” He says that no police force in the region and in 2010 56kg of heroin, but that focuses more on narcotics than the Kosovo doesn’t mean that drug trafficking Police. has increased,” “Why would drugs come through Kosovo when they can just as easily enter through Bulgaria and Macedonia?” he asked. Gazmend Hoxha “With visa liberalisation, there are almost no limits [on drugs] heading towards Central Europe,” continued Hoxha, refer- also takes place in secondary health care ring to the relaxation of visa controls on cit- institutions such as regional hospitals, and izens of most Balkan states, bar Kosovo, there is psychiatric care from mental health seeking to enter the EU’s so-called Schengen professionals” he insisted. zone. But the EU is critical of the services on But international reports suggest that offer in Kosovo. “There are serious short- while a great deal of heroin goes to Europe comings in addressing the challenges of via Bulgaria and Serbia, Kosovo plays a role. local drug demand, including inappropriate It is mentioned as a base for storage and in-treatment capacities in hospital,” it repackaging, and also lies on a separate found in its latest Progress Report. “The route to Western Europe via Albania and methadone maintenance programme Italy. remains unavailable.” A July 2011 report by the United Nations Dr Mecinaj says he is particularly con- Office on Drugs and Crime reads: “Kosovo cerned that people repatriated to Kosovo appears to act as a storage site for heroin aren’t being prescribed methadone on smuggled from the Former Yugoslav arrival. This includes a sizable number of Republic of Macedonia or Albania. people being repatriated after a stretch in “Heroin is often stretched and cut with jail, during which time they may well have adulterants and then re-packaged [there] become addicts. and sent westward through Serbia or “Repatriated people cause problems; we Montenegro.” have cases of people coming from the air- Kosovo also lies on the main route run- Y port and seeking methadone, as they did in ning through Bulgaria to Italy, it says. M Western countries, where it is free, but we “Albanian criminal groups use family or C don't have it,” Dr Mecinaj said. K 14 November 11 - 24, 2011 feature Croats Hold Roma and Muslims At least 40 per cent of Croats wouldn’t want to share a home with a Muslim or a Roma, our survey reveals, highlighting the extent to which racial and religious prejudice remain alive in Croatia.

Roma. Then she insisted she was seeking a student. By Barbara Matejcic She told Mersiha that the apartment was already rented as soon as she heard her name. She did not set any conditions for me, was not ersiha stands in front of a interested in additional details and modernist apartment the apartment was, naturally, free. Mblock in the centre of She tried to persuade me to take it. downtown Zagreb in Varsavska Another woman, an older woman street and nervously rings the bell renting rooms in Bukovacka road, at the entrance for the umpteenth with a special annotation, “Urgent, time while calling the same mobile pets allowed”, went silent when number over and over. Dilfa told her she worked for the She sees the light on the fourth Roma association, adding that she flour where her potential home had already made other arrange- should be. The curtains on the ments. Six weeks later the apart- windows seem to be moving, and ment was still empty. someone up there is looking down, When Dilfa tried to rent an office but no one opens the door or space in Berislaviceva street for the answers the phone. Roma For Roma association, she It’s 9.30pm and half an hour has was told it wasn’t suitable for asso- passed since the arranged time to ciations, “only for companies.” view the apartment for rent. Croatian Muslims queue for food aid during the conflict in Croatia. But when I called and said I need- Mersiha finally gives up. “He must and employment, followed by the other citizens of Zagreb in terms of er, as you sound normal,” she told ed the space for the association for have seen me, which is why he does judiciary system, the police and social characteristics, according to me. fight against discrimination, I was not want to open up,” she tells me healthcare. a survey published this year by the She, like many of the others, told we could move in immediately. angrily later, meaning her head- But how ready are mainstream Council of the Bosniak National appeared keen to hide what seemed While most people who rejected scarf, not her personally. Croats citizens to interact with Minority of Zagreb. Few Muslim to be the real but unspoken reason Dilfa and Mersiha and accepted me When Mersiha gets hold of the members of other groups, in this women in Croatia wear religious for rejecting the “wrong” candidate. concealed their reasons for reject- owner the next day, he apologises case Muslims and Roma? To find it insignia such as headscarves. Common answers were that ing them, a smaller number openly that the apartment has unfortu- out, we answered one hundred ads. The office of Ombudsman, an apartment was already rented, that admitted they had a problem with nately already gone. But when I call Dilfa Orsus’s name was a pseudo- umbrella body set up to combat dis- the landlord would not want a Roma and Muslim tenants. him several minutes after the nym, as was Mersiha Alihodza’s. I crimination, says most of the com- Roma or Muslim tenant or that they Some students seeking room- apartment is still free. I can come worked under my own name. All plaints it received last year for dis- were seeking students or men. mates told Dilfa, who was born and and see it now. “Excellent”, I tell three of us answered the same crimination concerned race or eth- But when I called, those same raised in Zagreb, that they wanted him in a resigned voice. adverts and introduced ourselves nic background. “occupied” rooms were still free “someone from Croatia.” That mild-mannered, middle- in the same manner: as unmarried, An EU-wide survey of discrimi- and they had no objections or addi- One young women in the Siget aged man from old part of Zagreb working women in our late twen- nation and victimisation in every- tional questions for me. The only area, looking for an “employed, is one of many who during a two- ties with secondary school diplo- day life confirms that the main thing that interested them was quiet roommate of 25 to 35”, said month undercover investigation mas. grounds for discrimination in the when I could come and see the she had no problem with Mersiha refused to rent an apartment or As Roma names are not necessar- EU are ethnic and immigrant ori- apartment. being a Muslim but objected to the office, accept a roommate, or hire ily recognizable as such in Croatia, gin (93 per cent) and religion or There was an obvious shortage of headscarf, saying she wanted for work, people on account of we ensured that Dilfa always men- belief (64 per cent), according to interested people seeking to rent, “someone more like herself”. their racial or religious back- tioned having worked for an associ- the European Union Minorities but that did not make them want to Some of those who claimed they ground. ation called Roma For Roma, which and Discrimination Survey, EU- rent out to just “anyone”. did not care about nationality or Mersiha, a Muslim, and Dilfa, a she had done in the past. MIDIS, from 2010. Of those renting apartments, 30 religion asked Dilfa leading ques- Roma, posed on my behalf as Mersiha’s name was clearly Although Croatia adopted an per cent rejected both Mersiha and tions, such as how many people she would-be tenants, roommates and Muslim and she also wore a head- Anti-Discrimination Law in 2008, Dilfa and none rejected me. On no intended to share the apartment co-workers in order for me to be scarf for interviews. Both women research carried out last year by occasion was one of them accepted with, although she had already able to monitor the kind of dis- told prospective landlords, room- the government’s Human rights while I was not. emphasised that she would live crimination that minorities experi- mates or employers that if there office, the Ombudsman’s office and One middle-aged lady offering a there alone. ence routinely in Croatia and see was a problem, they wanted to be the Centre for Peace Studies two-room apartment for 400 euros a Others repeatedly tried to check how it manifests itself. told what it was. I called and went showed that around half of all month to “one or two females”, as whether she had a job and a steady I chose Muslim and Roma to interviews last, to avoid being Croats do not know that discrimi- she specified in Plavi oglasnik, salary, emphasising that she had to “testers” as their differences from chosen for the room or job first. nation in Croatia is illegal. offered me cookies after a short pay on time. Some made comments the mainstream community are One in five respondents couldn’t interview. such as, “I don’t want any whore- instantly visible and because dis- describe what discrimination was “All kinds of people have been Worst for Roma: house in there”, “You must be tidy”, crimination based on ethnicity and and one in four would not want calling these days but I can’t rent it “You don’t sound like a Roma”, or religious background are the most Most people we contacted their child to marry someone of to anyone, which is why I’d like you “Are you too dark?” widespread forms of prejudice in seemed more prejudiced towards another religion, nationality or to accept - someone from around Staff at a café near Selska road, Croatia. The number of Roma and Dilfa than Mersiha, probably skin colour. here, ours,” she said. seeking a waitress, asked Dilfa to Muslims in Croatia is also quite because Muslims are not as stigma- The passage of the Anti- When I asked what kind of peo- come over so they could see how similar. tised in Croatia as Roma. Discrimination Law was a result of ple had called, she answered: “You dark her skin was. The two women did not know But Mersiha still received more the pre-accession negotiations with won’t believe it but on the same day The most positive reactions came each other before and neither had direct rejections than Dilfa, EU. a Roma woman called and then a from people who had had some taken part in such an investigation. although most of those who reject- Muslim. I thought, ‘I’m out of luck’, experience with Roma and Dilfa was born in Zagreb while ed one rejected the other, too. In and then you called the next day. I 40 per cent said, ‘No’ Muslims. Mersiha has been living in many cases they were rejected have nothing against them but I “I am interested in what you Croatian capital for the last 17 point blank over the phone after The sharpest discrimination in don’t know them and I certainly wear in your heart and not on your years. saying their names. our survey appeared among those don’t want any trouble,” she added. head,” the owner of an apartment The plan was for three of us to Croatia is a fairly homogeneous seeking roommates. Around 40 per When I pointed out that she did- in Tresnjevka said, seeing answer a number of adverts placed country. Of its 4.4 million citizens, cent of our respondents rejected n’t know me either, she continued: Mersiha’s headscarf. mainly in the largest newspaper for about 89 per cent are both Croat either a Muslim and Roma woman “You are something else, I see you She said she too was a “believer printed advertisements, Plavi and Catholic, according to the 2001 as a potential roommate. They all are decent, we’ll get along fine.” and respected everyone who cared oglasnik. We were looking mostly census. accepted me. Formerly it was easy to rent out about their religion”. She liked for offers to rent rooms and apart- Roma officially number only One young woman seeking a flat- rooms and flats in the upmarket Muslims especially “because her ments but applied also for jobs. 9,463 but many do not declare their mate in Zagreb’s Vukovarska street west side of the city, but demand is sister was married to a Muslim.” Our goal was to check levels of real ethnicity. It is widely believed rejected both Mersiha and Dilfa on dropping because of the economic discrimination in arenas where that a more accurate number the grounds that she had someone crisis and falling incomes. No work for you: private life and business intersect, would resemble that of Bosniaks or else in mind already. Even so, people are still selective such as looking for a roommate and Muslims, who numbered 43,469 in But when I called again some about who they want to take on. Discrimination in the jobs sector renting real estate. 2001. weeks later she told me she was This woman didn’t know that I Y on the grounds of race and faith Previous surveys have shown Bosniaks and Muslims are gen- moving on after five years because knew that Dilfa’s interview with was harder to quantify in the M that discrimination in Croatia is erally well integrated into society she could not find a new roommate. her had gone well until she found investigation because the econom- C most common in the area of labour and do not differ significantly from “It’s a shame you did not call earli- out that she worked for Roma For K ic crisis had cut the number of feature November 11 - 24, 2011 15 Women behind the story: at Arm’s Length ilfa Orsus’s real name is Brigita Bajric (29). She was born in Zagreb where she finished trade school and hairdressing vacancies. being told that he would never get a ethnic Croats clients alone, not just Dschool. She used to work for Croatian NGO “Roma for Roma” but she is currently unemployed. Although she says she personally We applied for jobs that did not job because he is a Roma, he gave “citizens of Croatia”. didn’t face discrimination, she wasn’t surprised with negative atti- require special qualifications such up. Four agencies agreed to select tudes towards her in this investigation. “I have heard many similar as sales posts in boutiques, bak- Instead, they recycle waste, while candidates according to these crite- stories from Roma people I know. So I was aware of the fact that eries, babysitters and cleaning in the meantime Garip attends a ria without expressing surprise or Croatian society is not very tolerant. But what did surprise me was positions. course at the Employment Bureau protest. I had the right to choose some people’s readiness to express discrimination so openly,” says Many jobs were already taken. as a part of the project to stimulate who I wanted to lease my office Brigita. Thus, “only” 15 per cent of employ- Roma employment. space to, they said. Mersiha Alihodza is Djurdjica Cilic Skiljo (36), a professor of Polish ers we contacted could be said to “They teach us how to behave, Only one of the five contacted literature at Faculty of humanities and social sciences in Zagreb. have rejected a Muslim and Roma dress and talk, as if I don’t know!” agencies, Rost, rejected my request, Djurdjica is not a Muslim actually but she identify herself strongly on those grounds. she said. “Despite all the requests I saying the law forbade discrimina- with her role from the moment she was for the first time refused while But, not surprisingly, discrimi- sent, I did not get a single job inter- tion in that way. looking for a flat to rent. “It’s hard to accept that people can be so nice nation in employment is the most view.” to you on the phone and then not even want to talk to you when you frequent complaint voiced by mem- Croatia’s state Employment Dating your own people: meet in person. A headscarf, that tiny piece of textile on my head, bers of minorities. Bureau registered a total of 4,553 changed their perception completely.” I talked to several educated Roma Roma as unemployed in late 2010, Because of the large percentage women who have been vainly seek- which is almost half all the Roma in of people who have told other sur- ing jobs for years. Croatia numbered in the 2001 cen- veys that they would not want a relatively mild in Croatia com- noted. Usnia Garip, aged 30, lives in sus. non-Croat in the family, I tried test- pared to the ugly scenes of anti- “These agents would claim they Zagreb, where she finished second- Surprisingly, the Employment ing attitudes towards the idea of Roma violence across central did not discriminate because they ary school in agriculture with good Bureau said they had received no having a Muslim or Roma partner Europe. had to respect their client’s wishes grades. Garip is proud to be a Roma complaints from unemployed Roma on a well-known dating site. Attitudes in Croatia appears [but] such a defence is based on a but says potential employers about any form of discrimination. Iskrica has 371,021 members and comparable to those in Poland and very narrow understanding of dis- invariably lose interest when they In spite of the 2008 law outlawing the number is rapidly growing. Hungary, where over 40 per cent of crimination,” he added. realise “who she is” in ethnic discrimination in Croatia on the Thousands of messages are Roma respondents have also Croatia’s legal system, as well as terms. “They don’t see a poten- grounds of faith or ethnicity, exchanged on the site daily. reported experiencing discrimina- the EU system from which Croatia tial worker in me, only a many people either I opened profiles for three tion in relation to private services. inherited these guarantees, pro- Roma,” she said. appear unaware of women, named Dilfa, Mersiha and But according to an EU-MIDIS tects persons from discrimination In ten years of it or ignore it. Barbara. For Dilfa and Mersiha I 2009 Report, Roma experienced within a much wider scope. seeking work This became entered that they were Roma and significantly less discrimination “What is important is the result she had clear when I con- Muslim. Both of them, especially in those countries, compared to of unfavourable treatment, not worked for tacted five real Mersiha, received far fewer Croatia, when looking for an whether there is intent, or preju- only two estate agencies, ask- requests from interested parties apartment to rent or buy. dice, and whether the person is months, as a ing them to adver- than did Barbara, although the In Slovakia, Poland and Czech aware of it or not,” he explained. cleaner. tise renting an three profiles were similar, except Republic 10 to 13 percent of Roma Turning to the question of Her hus- office space for that one aspect. reported discrimination while awareness, Zagreb psychologist band had on condi- While men mostly did not contact looking for a place to live in, the Dinka Corkalo Biruski notes that qualified tion that Mersiha at all, Dilfa received sexu- survey reported. in Croatia, “People are less pre- as a they ally explicit messages that reflected The highest level of discrimina- pared to rent an apartment or waiter sent a stereotypical view of Roma tion against Muslims in EU coun- share with a person of other reli- but me women as generically wild and pas- tries occurred in employment, gion or nationality when that dif- after sionate. according to the same report. The ference is clearly pronounced, as “Roma women are hot fire”, figures were 18 per cent when look- in this research. “Pleasure with Roma woman would ing for work; 13 per cent at work “Tolerance develops in relations surely be something special”, “Isn’t and 14 per cent in private services to others, and [Croatia’s] national a relationship between Roma - at a bar, restaurant, shop or bank and religious homogeneity cer- women and men less condi- and by a landlord. tainly contributes to the closeness tioned by civilisation’s chains Goran Selanec a legal expert on of society,” she added. and more natural?” were three discrimination in Croatia, says, Corkalo Biruski believes that responses. discrimination against minorities only some of this “closeness”, and “Call me, I like Roma remains widespread in Croatia, rejection of otherness, is down to women, and you won’t find “regardless of us wanting to con- the country’s recent traumatic that too often,” was another vince ourselves of the opposite”. war. She also believes that it patronising message. Selanec says he is in no doubt reflects deeper and more historic that many of the people referred to cultural values. “We do not cher- Missing culture of dia- in this article broke the law. For ish a culture of dialogue which is example, real estate agencies that necessary in communication with logue: agreed to select clients on the differences,” she says. “After that basis of ethnic background were dialogue, differences wouldn’t be Anti-Roma or anti-Muslim prej- guilty of “classic direct discrimi- perceived as differences that much udice is not unique to Croatia. nation based on ethnicity”, he any more”. Indeed, hostility to Roma may be marketing

Y M C K 16 November 11 - 24, 2011 Prishtina Insight

Where to pick up Prishtina Insight? Hotel AFA Prishtina Insight has teamed up with these excellent venues to offer a limited number of complimentary copies of Kosovo’s only Located in a quiet neighbourhood just outside the city centre, Hotel English-language newspaper. Grab a copy of the publication and settle down with a drink or a meal to read it. Afa can guarantee guests a peaceful night while being within walking distance of all the action. The venue Jinglebells A taste of Napoli in Prishtina. has won a host of awards for its Cavallero Mexican Restaurant excellent service to customers and If your soul is affected by the grey sea- After ten years of making pizza in Napoli, and offers a good range of facilities, You can almost transport yourself to the son then pay a visit to Jinglebells, where only with love to blame, Fatmir the chef from an exclusive restaurant and Mexican coast, with soaring palm trees and an you will find all the colours that you’ve returned to Prishtina. His pizzas, made in a VIP bar to pretty, tranquil garden. immaculate five star resort, while dining at been missing. woodburn stove, are definitely genuine napoli- Rooms start at 45 euro for a single, Cavallero Mexican Cantina. Mouth-watering Jinglebells is a perfect one-stop-shop tanas. For those who consider pizza to be bor- and luxury rooms and apartments appetizers and savoury main dishes are nicely for internationals offering a selection of ing, Fatmir has several pastas on offer, also a are available. The hotel’s rooms are washed down with countless cocktail options books in various languages and the true joy for the taste buds. Napoli has an excel- well appoint- and even imported Mexican beer. Skopje-based quickest supply of international newspa- lent selection of red and white wines or, for the ed and com- ‘Los Ritmos’ entertain diners every Friday pers in town. It also offers souvenirs and more ambitious, one of the region's best Quint's fortable. and Saturday with their latin beats. For more gifts, such as raki. Napoli makes for 15, Rr Ali information, visit local handicrafts. delicious lunch, dinner Kelmendi, their facebook page, or even after-theatre Sunny or contact them. Jinglebells. time out in the centre Hill, Cavallero, Bookstore and of Prishtina. Prishtina Located next to the ex- more. +381 UNMIK building Ernest Koliqi Pizzeria Napoli 38/225 226 Prishtina 12, opposite off Luan Haradinaj, www. hote- +386 49 619 375 EULEX HQ opposite Newborn lafa. com Facebook page +386(0)49 741 170 044/409-402402

Hotel Prishtina Hotel Victory Te Komiteti

Hotel Prishtina’s 43 charming But Victory is more than a place to meet and do business. Its doors Te Komiteti’s large trees and a beautifully gar- guest rooms and suites are reminis- are always open for guests to enjoy the tranquility of our guest rooms den, which surround the small outdoor terrace, give cent of a small hotel in the and lobbies, and the finest cuisine in the region. The only hotel in the you an impression of an exclusive place for ordi- European tradition. You'll immedi- region where real plants, original art and fine solid furniture decorate nary people. And this is exactly what it is. From ately feel at home in our living the space and turn it into a homelike environment. Hotel Victory is brunch to lunch-time snacks and special evening room, sipping a glass of wine in our established to offer travelers the most complete, comfortable accom- meals, this restaurant offers dishes comprising qual- fine restaurant surrounded by a modation available in Kosovo and the region. Our professional staff ity, varied ingredients, combined to perfection. gallery of paintings by local artists. will offer guests the highest standard of service and support, and we Alongside one of The will use our resources to greater lengths to make your stay as com- Prishtina’s best hotel offers plete as possible. ‘modern free, fast Hotel Victory European’ style wifi inter- Mother Teresa menus, you’ll net, com- Prishtina, Kosovo also find a good plimentary Tel: +381 38 543 selection of breakfast, 277 wine, and great conference +381 38 543 267 sangria and room, Email: cocktails . swimming info@hotel-victo- Te Komiteti pool, sauna ry.com Qamil Hoxha and laun- http://www.hotel- Street dry serv- victory.com/ Prishtina ice. +381 38 24 96 63

Restorant Brasserie Lura Paddy O’Brien’s Olive Tapas Bar

At 450-square-metres Restaurant Lura is as spacious The staff at Paddy O’Brien’s have a saying: “It’s easy to After many tears running tapas bars in as you get in Prishtina. It’s also surrounded by the walk in, but very hard to leave.” England and Germany, as well as opening the towering trees of Germia and offers a pleasant garden And with its warm atmosphere, fantastic range of first of its kind in Prishtina, these guys no where, in the summer, this eatery prepares food al drinks and excellent food, it is easy to see why. their trade.Try to delicious tapas and while fresco. It’s large meeting room is also ideal for that There have been many attempts to establish a proper away on afternoon on the moorish san- private lunch or dinner. Irish pub in Prishtina, but this is the only one to hit the gria.Tapas and main courses include rocket The combined style classical and modern interior spot. salad, mixed cheese, Spanish tortilla, omelet leaves you with an impression of refined taste. From classic coffees to cocktails, via, of course, with vegetables and potatoes and deep fried The newly opened restaurant is already famous for Guinness, you really wont find it difficult to select the calamari. its Mediterranean specialties, exquisite seafood and perfect drink. fine selections of Italian, French and Local wines. But A mouth-watering menu of Irish specialties is also on Open Monday to Saturday 7 am until 12 pm that’s not all, for music lovers, Wednesday, Thursday offer, spanning from all-day breakfasts to Irish stews at Olive Tapas Bar: St.Fehmi Agani 48/1 and Friday night dinners are accompanied by jazz, night. Tel. +381 38 321 132 whereas on Saturdays local patriots can enjoy live tra- Options include shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, fish Cell +377 44 620 414 ditional Albanian music. ‘n chips, and whopping great [email protected] Lura Restaurant burgers. Str. Nazmi Gaffuri • 10 000 Prishtina • +381 (0)38 763 Thursday is pub quiz night, 763 ; +386 (0)49 763 763 • www.lurarestaurant.com but there is always something [email protected] going on at the pub, whether it is sport screenings or just a good shindig. Paddy O’Brien’s Tringe Smajli Street, by the Illyria Hotel Prishtina: 045-420900 Y M C K By Yllka Hoxha November 11 - 24, 2011 17 in Prishtina Timeout Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like your event to feature or to advertise your venue. Email [email protected]

National Theatre of

Kosovo ABC Cinema has started screen- ing the movie “In Time” pro- November 11& 14; from 8 pm duced by Andrew Niccol. Welcome to a world where time “Njohja” from Albana Muja; Directors: about his love for her. Olivia, believing Viola has become the ultimate curren- Kreshnike Osmani & Albana Muja(Small to be a man, falls in love with this handsome cy. You stop aging at 25, but stage) and eloquent messenger. Viola, in turn, has there’s a catch: you’re genetically fallen in love with the Duke, who also engineered to live only one more Saturday, November 12, from 8 pm believes Viola is a man, and who regards her year, unless you can buy your way as his confidant. out of it. The rich “earn” decades “Përgjuesi”, stand-up comedy with Adem at a time (remaining at age 25), becoming essentially immortal, Mikullovci(Small stage) November 20, from 8 pm while the rest beg, borrow or steal enough hours to make it through November 15 & 16; from 6 pm Solo concert: Ditë Hysaj– piano the day. When a man from the wrong side of the tracks is falsely “Majmuni i Diellit” – kids’ play from Sofia November 22, from 8 pm Freden; Director: Olle Tornqvist(Small accused of murder, he is forced to stage) go on the run with a beautiful “Çifti Martin” hostage. Living minute to minute, the duo’s love becomes a powerful Sofia Fredén was born in 1968 in Göteborg, November 23 & 24 from8 pm tool in their war against the sys- Sweden’s second largest city. She studied tem. writing for film and theatre at Dramatiska “Fizikantët” from Friedrich Durrenmatt, Justin Timberlake, Amanda Institutet, graduating in 1995. Since gradua- Director: Isa Qosja Seyfried, Cillian Murphy, Vincent tion she has written prolifically for the the- Kartheiser, Olivia Wilde, etj. atre and also managed to write for film and Directed by:Andrew Niccol radio. Her plays have been produced in most The story is set in the drawing room of the of the city and regional theatres in Sweden, oldest building in the Les Cerisiers sanatori- The movie will be screened as well as at the Royal Dramatic Theatre. In um, an idyllic home for the mentally ill, run every day at 6pm, 8pm and 2005, Sofia received the critics prize for by famed psychiatrist Mathilde von Zahnd. 10pm. Children and Youth Theatre, for three plays This drawing room connects to three sick For any questions or reservations call at 038 243 238 or visit them at www.kinoabc.com that played simultaneously at three differ- rooms each of which is inhabited by a single ent theatres; Bara Barnet(Only a Child), mentally ill patient. These three men, all Ruttet: a princess liv (Rotten: The Life of a physicists by trade, are permitted use of the Princess) and Solapan (The Sun Monkey). drawing room, where they are periodically monitored by the female nurses that are November 18, 19 and 21 from 8 pm charged with their care. The first patient is Theatre ODA Herbert Georg Beutler, and he believes that very Thursday, at theatre Dodona, “Nata e dymbëdhjetë” – William he is Sir Isaac Newton. The second patient is 7.30pm , “Çifti I Hapur” is being Sheakspeare play; Director: Ilir Bokshi Ernst Heinrich, who believes himself to be Eplayed with the text of Italian Albert Einstein. The third patient is Johann authors Dario Fo and Franca Rame, Like many of Sheakspeare’s comedies, this Wilhelm Mobius, and he believes that he is directed by Kushtrim Koliqi. democratic and open. Everything goes one centres on mistaken identity. The lead- regularly visited by the biblical King “What would you do if your partner well until the day when the woman ing character, Viola, is shipwrecked on the Solomon. When the play begins, “Einstein” suddenly opened his/her mind to have finds the love of her life, which is what shores of Illyria during the opening scenes. has just killed one of his nurses, and the intercourse with another person?” A her “modern” husband cannot accept. She loses contact with her twin brother, police are examining the scene. It is man proposes to his wife eliminating Actors are Edona Reshitaj and Besart Sebastian, whom she believes to be dead. revealed through their discussion that this the concept of martial loyalty and cre- Sllamniku, while the costumes and the Masquerading as a young page under the is the second slaying of a nurse by one of ating an “open relationship” in their scene are made by Njomza Luci. name Cesario, she enters the service of lives. The woman, of course, rejects and these three patients in just three months, Composer: Trimor Dhomi; Duke Orsino through the help of the sea after several attempts of suicide, she the first having been committed by Choreographer: Bruno Saqipi; Light captain who rescues her. Orsino has con- decides to accept her husband’s offer vinced himself that he is in love with the “Newton”. designer: Skender Latifi; Stage manager: because in fact it’s the only way to Bedri Maloku, Albert Bekteshi & Fadil bereaved Lady Olivia, whose father and remain “married”. The man is happy. All plays are in Albanian language, and for Gashi, Photographer: Arton Humolli. brother have recently died, and who will He, no longer needs to hide his girl- have nothing to do with any suitors, the ticket reservations call at Tel: 044 430 693, or For more details friends and in a way he’s released from Duke included. Orsino decides to use check:[email protected]; feelings of guilt. Now everything is “Cesario” as an intermediary to tell Olivia [email protected] [email protected] Prishtina Diary Friday, November 11, 2011 Filikaqa, Sports Bar orchestra. The orchestra plans to Thursday, November 17th, After moving to Milan in 2009, Hammam Jazz Bar, Every Friday, Filikaqa gets its launch its first album on the mar- from 7p.m it wasn’t long before she started The Bottleman (Zoran Madzirov) Karaoke songs going for all music ket, and will soon have its first Hacienda Bar (Pejton) - making her mark on the city’s is a Macedonian percussionist lovers. For reservations call 044 music video. Beaujolais Party flourishing club scene. A col- and the inventor of the 788 748. Offchestra has played in many Tickets on sale from November laboration with Giant Bass – a Bottlephone. Zoran performed concerts and festivals in Kosovo, 7th at the French Alliance for big party and promotion – with and has been honoured by Saturday, November 12, 2011 Macedonia, Albania, this celebration of the inimitable quickly led to her sharing the musical giants like Sting, Tito Hamam Jazz Bar, Montenegro, Italy, England and French wine. decks with big names such as Puente, Tina Turner, Harry “Offchestra” is a musical line-up Turkey. Drop the Lime and Dj Riot from Belafonte, Scorpions, Tommy /orchestra formed by profession- For more details see: Friday 18, November 2011 BurakaSomSistema and play- Emmanuel and others. He is also al instrumentalists, which per- www.facebook.com/OffChestra; Theatre Oda, 10pm ing huge parties such as the the founder of the group Les forms Albanian and Balkan www.myspace.com/off.chestra, Trock Caffe presents: Elisa Bee Magnolia Parade and the 1st of Barons Karamazoff in 1987 with music through the rhythms of www.youtube.com/OffChestra; from Milano May fest in Milan, as well as Edin Karamazov – guitar & lute - blues, jazz and many other music www.twitter.com/OffChestra; Promoter, radio producer, but DJing all over Italy. and Sasa Dejanovic on Guitar. elements of different musical http://soundcloud.com/offchestra first and foremost a DJ, Elisa At the end of 2010 she started For more details visit genres from all around the has experienced club culture her own party Beelicious with a www.zoranmadzirov.com world. Secret Lounge from pretty much every angle. The orchestra contains an elite of Luke Fair, DJ from Toronto will She first got into DJing in 2007 view to promote up and coming Gennci’s Caffe, professional musicians. perform in Prishtina on after getting her architecture international producers, such Leadership in cooperation with The main characteristic of our Saturday from 10 pm. Chosen by degree and her first set of as Highbloo and Tom Staar – Gennci’s Caffe will organize orchestra is the strong Balkan DJ Magazine as one of their decks. At the time she was still both playing in Italy for the Movie Night #1, which will con- rhythm backed by beautiful “faces to watch for in 2003,” Fair living in her native Sardinia, first time. tinue as a regular activity. This Albanian melodies and enriched has begun his assault on the which – apart from beach par- She has kick-started 2011 being time you can catch the movie “In with jazz harmonies which deliv- international dance music scene ties and boring winters – pro- appointed as producer of Babylon, a radio show on Time”. There will be only 40 seats er a unique sound. with an eclectic style that vided a fertile ground for her to Y in total, reservation is free and Such synthesis of instruments is includes twisted vocal house, experiment with electro house, Radio2 Rai, a breath of fresh M runs from Monday to Friday. another quality which is going to funky progressive and trippy UK garage and hip hop, as well air for Saturday night Italian C preserve the uniqueness of the electro-tech. as reggae and dub. radio. K 18 November 11 - 24, 2011 Inside Prishtina

Thaci “Assasination” Was Burglary he break-in to Hashim Thaci’s former house in Dragodan in June 2008 was a burglary, not an assassina- Ttion attempt, an EULEX prosecutor has ruled. Prosecutor Pascal Persoon said he had found no evidence to accuse Fazli Sejdiu of attempted aggravated murder of Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. Persoon filed a new indictment late last month saying that Sejdiu had entered the house to steal. During the break-in, Sejdiu was wounded by police officers who guard the home of Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. Shop Review: Afrodizia frican souvenirs are unsur- Afrodizia is located in downtown flowers within 15 minutes. Roses go prisingly rare in Prishtina, Prishtina, in front of Maroon Club, for 2 euro a piece, while a bouquet of Awhich put Afrodizia in a bit of behind Hamam Jazz Club, and close flowers costs 20 euro. a niche. to Kada Book Store and Hajdar Dushi Make you order at 049/045 888 080 So if its African accessories or Street. or at [email protected] or visit flowers you are looking for, there’s no You can pick up hand-made post their Facebook profile Afrodizia local better place to look cards, jewellery, home decorations, business. With over fifteen types of roses, summer accessories and fresh flow- exotic flowers and selected hand- ers, all imported from Africa, with Flowers and Gifts from Africa made crafts from Kenya, Tanzania, prices ranging from 2 euro for a key Afrodizia Uganda and Congo, Afrodizia is a chain, to 35 for a beautiful painted Close to Maroon Club good spot for present-hunting if you wall frame. 049/045 888 080 are looking for something original. Afrodizia offers to deliver your [email protected]

Counterfeit Money Ring Arrested Police arrested on Thursday in Prishtina three people suspected of organised crime and money forgery and found 5,000 euro of counterfeit bills.

By Prishtina Insight

fficials of the Police Department for Serious Crimes arrested the three suspects during three raids. OCounterfeit money, a gun and bullets were also found. “The directorate for investigations on serious crimes, while investigating the case, on 9th and 10th of November, carried out a police operation in the Regional Department of Prishtina,” police said in a press release on Thursday. “Three persons were arrested for undertaking, in cooperation with each-other, criminal activities of ‘organised crime’ and ‘money forgery’”. I.S. (1952), I. D. (1987) and F. B. (1969), all Kosovo inhabitants, were arrested. Two other locations were raided in the Prishtina region where a firearm and more counterfeit money was found. Y Police said it confiscated more than 50 100-euro notes and a M gun with 66 bullets. C The accused will be held in jail for 48 hour while investiga- K tions continue. 19 Inside Prishtina November 11 - 24, 2011 Qerimi –Burek King Teresa

By Gingerbread Man Reiter blogger at Kosovo 2.0 he highest step on Prishtina’s burek podium Tis admittedly fiercely con- tested in a town with dozens of neighbourhood bakeries, but, for me, there is only one rightful owner for that spot. I would like to introduce you to Qerimi, high on Sunny Hill. Many of you will know it, but if of: the Eyes through Prishtina you don’t, or have yet to sample it’s burek, you have yet to love. Here, overlooking some Communist tower blocks, and, on a clear day, the mountains to the subtle flavours of the stuff- the lumberjack – the stodgy heavy-bosomed friend. the south, you will find the pur- ing need to be just so if they burek. Sit in and enjoy the buzz of a veyor of Kosovo’s capital’s are to hit the right spot. It’s At Qerimi, this heart-clog- busy bakery and some yoghurt warmest, greasiest, most deli- also, unusually, a feast were ging meal is delivered in for the full experience. You will cious burek. greasy is good. mighty quarters, rather than not regret it. What surprised you most about Despite its simplicity, it is I’ve heard some lauding the the long-and-thin variety pro- Prishtina? after all just layers of puff pas- burek of Furra Lumi, which is vided by Lumi. The slightly Furra Qerimi That I immediately fell for the city try stuffed with meet or cheese, also a fine bakery, providing a spicy meat stuffing, and sour Enver Maloku, Sunny Hill, although it treated me really ungracious- the burek is a difficult dish to more interesting and sophisti- cheese, are peerless. Prishtina ly on the first day. It's like being in love deliver. cated range of goods. But it is the warm consisten- Open seven days a week, 6 with a bad boy. It is repulsive when cold and It is, however, a poor second cy which is most appealing, am until midnight. when it comes to the food of like a comforting cuddle from a 044 500 407 What's your favourite hangout? Dit e nat of course because it unites three of the most important things for my Fire at Popular Bar peace of mind: music, books and cake. What is the best thing about Prishtina? It's dubious charm and the improvised beauty of its buildings that only some of us can see.

What is the most annoying thing about Prishtina? Everybody knows you before you know anybody. It’s like a small village. I get loads of friend requests on Facebook from people I've never even seen before. Curiously enough some people I “met” this way are my best friends in Kosovo today.

If you were mayor of Prishtina for the day what would you change? I would build a youth center for the kids to hang and play music.

How many macchiatos do you drink a day? None. I'm probably the only journalist in the world who doesn't drink coffee.

What's your favourite Albanian word and why? My favorite and first Albanian word was “lopa”. Once I got lost on my way to a meeting and ended up somewhere in the middle of intense road building. There were a lot of cows grazing in the middle of the chaotic construction works and they couldn't care less for the ear-shattering noise and all the people running around there. One of them went a little way with me. So the first thing I asked at the meeting when I finally got there was what is the Albanian word for cow.

What landmark do you use to tell taxi drivers where you live? Maybe the government building but to my advantage many taxi drivers in The popular bar, Papillon, in central Prishtina was badly damaged in a fire on Saturday night. Prishtina speak German fluently because they worked in Germany or my home The blaze was close to engulfing the surrounding buildings but was eventually quelled by firefighters. country Austria during the war. So I don't Y Police said the cause remained unknown. need to juggle with complicated descrip- M tions. C K If you would like your NGO to appear in 20 November 11 - 24, 2011 our Making a Difference feature, please Opinion email [email protected] Can a Kosovo-Serbia Deal Cheer up the Balkans? two major EU non-recognising uphold EU-shaped law across states – realise that following the Kosovo. ICJ ruling, denying Kosovo its sta- Belgrade is comforted in its tus as an independent nation-state refusal to cut a deal with Kosovo By Denis MacShane is pointless. by Russian and Chinese anti- In fact, Kosovo has a better Kosovo politics at the UN. Five EU record than many of its neigh- member states also refuse to bours. Its political quarrels do not recognise Kosovo. Each had differ- nlike most of the world's lead to people being killed in ent, and in their own eyes, justi- economic powers, Serbia demonstrations as in Albania. fied reasons for so doing. But the still does not recognise U Kosovan politicians have voluntar- five non-recognizing states under- Kosovo as a state. It will need to, ily gone to The Hague’s mine EU claims to run an effective though, before it can start down International War Crimes tribunal foreign or enlargement policy. the road to EU accession. in contrast to the Serb army’s When the EU cannot speak as one From the Alps to Aegean the decade-long protection of its on the relatively minor issue of Balkans are Europe’s unhappy General Ratko Mladic. Kosovo’s Kosovo it is unlikely that the region. Twenty five years ago BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India and Slobodan Milosevic unleashed the Prime Ninister, Hashim Thaci, is China - or even Washington, will nationalist rhetoric that plunged cooperating fully with an investi- pay any attention to Europe. the peoples of the former gation into allegations – so far Having been victims of Serb Yugoslavia into a decade of con- without evidence or a single wit- oppression for decades in the flict. Twelve years ago Nato ness – made by the now retired swerved round the UN to launch Swiss politician, Dick Marty. twentieth century, Kosovans are its ‘humanitarian intervention’ Kosovan public finances are in now seen as oppressors by the assault on Serbia. order – not the least because the minority Serb communities living Serbia and Kosovo have reached an impasse. Today there is no war but government cannot spend its inside Kosovo. Under the supervi- budget – in contrast to Serbia’s sion of the Nobel Peace Laureate Foreign Ministry team, peopled by separatist forces in the Iberian nationalist, clerical and ethnicist smart LSE graduates, are criti- peninsula. populisms still bedevil the region. mammoth public debt. Unlike Martti Ahtisaari, there is a bal- Skopje where handsome Ottoman anced plan allowing Serbs consid- cised, as is Hashim Thaci himself, Churchill noted that the Although Croatia has won its if they suggest reconciliation and Balkans produces more history prized entry into the EU, Albanian squares are being filled with erable autonomy and rights with- compromise with Serbia rather than it can consume. A move to let politics generate violent hate kitsch statues of Alexander the in Kosovo. The EU is unanimous than outright confrontation. Kosovo be Kosovo and, as William which should have no place in Great to whip up nationalist iden- that there will be no more parti- Now both Belgrade and Hague told the Commons, to allow European democratic politics. tity passion, Prishtina is multi- tions or population transfers. But Prishtina are at an impasse. both Serbia and Kosovo to start the Macedonia cannot agree on a cen- cultural with orthodox churches both Tadic and Thaci face political Serbia’s intransigence on Kosovo journey to EU accession, could sus lest the Albanian minority’s being rebuilt, a handsome pressure from nationalist radicals means it will make no progress in transform the region for the better. place in bi-partite governance Catholic cathedral and the most and, in Belgrade, a populist media its legitimate desire to follow comes into question. Bosnia- secular Muslims anywhere in the which whips up anti-Kosovo pas- Croatia in the EU. A breakthrough Denis MacShane was a Minister Herzegovina’s three communities world. The population is the sions. refuse to cooperate. Some Bosnian youngest in Europe with English- In Prishtina intellectuals play could happen if the EU could unite at the UK Foreign Office and a Croats are now talking of attach- language universities in Prishtina with language of “Greater around recognising Kosovo which Council of Europe delegate 1997- ing themselves to Croatia. turning out smart young men and Albania” or ridding Kosovo of its would allow President Tadic to tell 2010 and travels extensively in the Belgrade insists that Serb rights women for whom the Milosevic internationals, little realising that his people it was time to move on Balkans. His book Why Kosovo are upheld in both Bosnia- years are not even a memory. they echo and mirror the from the post-Milosevic era Serbia Still Matters is published by Haus Herzegovina and Montenegro. By any logic, Kosovo and Serbia Milosevic nationalist-ethnicist is trapped in. The incoming Publishing, £8.95 Serbia would like to start travel- should have the kind of relation- populism that caused such tragedy Spanish government could play a This article was originally pub- ling down the road of EU acces- ship that say Britain and Ireland, in the region. constructive role as recognising lished in the independent online sion as would the many friends of or more recently, the Czech Kosovo’s energetic young Kosovo has no implications for magazinewww.opendemocracy.net Serbia’s popular president Boris Republic and Slovakia fashioned Tadic in different EU capitals. But after the respective communities Citizens of Kosovo, now also with biometric passports. Serbia first has to come to terms went their separate ways. Instead with the existence of Kosovo. In the most pressing Balkan problem 2008 Kosovo declared its independ- remains the Kosovo-Serbia ence. Serbia with the backing of imbroglio. Russia and some EU capitals Belgrade accepts Kosovo as a brushed away Kosovo’s claim to be nation but resists recognition of a new nation-state as irrelevant – Kosovo as a state. This earned on a par with the claims of a South Serbia’s President Tadic a public Ossetia, Transnistria or northern dressing down from Germany’s Cyprus. Chancellor Angela Merkel when But last year the International she insisted that Serbia had to dis- Court of Justice issued a land- mantle the parallel structures it mark ruling that upheld Kosovo’s maintains in northern Kosovo. right to declare its independence. Serbia spends 200 million euro in In one of the longest most detailed subsidising north Kosovo. Serbs judgments to come from The elsewhere in Kosovo live at peace Hague, the ICJ dismissed one by if apart from their Kosovan neigh- one Serbia’s international legal bours much as Catholic and arguments. Protestant communities are sepa- As a result 85 nations, including rate in Northern Ireland but most of the world’s major democ- under a common law and adminis- racies and economic powers now tration. recognise Kosovo and have The one area where there is embassies in Kosovo. All the main close Serb-Kosovan Albanian European airlines fly to Prishtina. cooperation is in crime. Serb and At the UN, Russia and China main- Albanian criminals in the north tain their veto on Kosovo joining run an oil-smuggling racket that the UN. Greece refuses to vote for brings in 100 million dollars annu- Kosovo to join the European Bank ally. This money is used to pay for Y of Reconstruction and rent-a-mob gangs that throw M Development. But increasingly stones and worse at officials of C diplomats, and in private, politi- EULEX, the EU law and justice K cians in Spain and Greece – the operation which is meant to November 11 - 24, 2011 21 Opinion If you would like your NGO to appear in our Making a Difference feature, please email [email protected] Outside In Taking the Province out of Provincialism

By Kreshnik Hoxha

ver since 1999, Kosovo has commemorated those who died during the war. This is no different to many Eother countries worldwide, who express their appre- ciation and gratitude to their fallen. Some, like in the UK, mark this event with a poppy, while in Kosovo we mark it with provincialism. In Kosovo, these memorial events are scattered across the year and across the country, in a series of regional cer- emonies which fails to send a strong and unified national message. Politics has been closely intertwined with these events Jolie in Bosnia, which is experiencing a surge in popularity for movie makers. too. An example is Nata e Zjarreve, The Night of Flames, held every year in March in Prekaz, glorifying the Jasharri family, who were killed by the Yugoslav forces. This rather important event is attended by leading politicians of In Film at Least, Bosnia is Kosovo from PM Hashim Thaci to Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi, and many more members of their political party. Although the event is also attended by figures from Ramush Haradinaj’s AAK party, it is associated with Striding Ahead Thaci’s PDK and their electorate. Another example is Epopeja e Dukagjinit (The Dukagjini Epopee), a similar Recently published statistics about the nascent movie industry show that in one arena, Bosnia has kind of commemorative ceremony, which stresses the a story it can take pride in. importance of this region to Kosovo’s overall cause and is popular among AAK members and their electorate as it is items of information about film festi- Film production has therefore in their heartland. vals in the country, the institutions increased ten times in just eight years, Marking these days is undoubtedly an important ele- financing and supporting film produc- which is convincing proof that mat- ment in remembering our fight for freedom. However, this By Elma Tataragic tion and statistics about the growth of ters are moving forward. partisan approach perpetuates the regionalisation of the film production on the territory of This is not a signal to stop and be national cause and reinforces divisions between citizens of Bosnia and co-productions between proud of our cinema, but, on the con- different areas and political persuasions. Bosnia and other countries. trary, should be a signal to start devel- It has also become evident that the regional misappropria- t has been a year since film star There is also an extensive list of oping a lasting vision. What’s hap- tion of the KLA’s victory is part of a political game. The Angelina Jolie and her producers international films shot on location in pened in the past eight years is a pro- events are basically used as quasi-electioneering and are pep- Ifirst planned, then gave up, and pered with lengthy and often boring patriotic speeches aimed Bosnia in the past 15 years. duction boom that has formed a basis then partially shot her debut feature One of the key segments of this part for the future film industry. at garnering some extra votes. When the events end, howev- film in Bosnia and Herzegovina. of the guide is a comprehensive list of For this industry to become partial- er, politicians return to their lavish homes, leaving the affect- Have we learned anything from this all feature fiction films produced in ly self sustainable and profitable as ed families in poverty until the following anniversary. story? It is too early to say. But what’s Bosnia and Herzegovina, from No well as attractive for foreign produc- In the United Kingdom, a completely different dynamic different about the film scene in Mans’s Land in 2001 until today, with a tions, we all need to travel a long path, has developed, albeit it over a century. Bosnia this year is that the detailed list of awards received. which leads through a law on film, tax A fascinating and inspiring tradition of commemoration Association of Filmmakers of Bosnia has been in practice for more than ninety years in the UK and Herzegovina, in collaboration The figure is impressive: Bosnia has incentives, and other legislative and Commonwealth countries. The memorial event is with USAID/SIDA and Firma Project, received 125 awards for films made changes. known as the Remembrance Day and takes places at the have published a first guide promoting over the past decade. This should be done in parallel with passing of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month Bosnia as a location for filmmaking. Why is all this relevant? In a coun- the development of film production. since 1919, as instructed by the then monarch King George V. Shooting Location Guide of Bosnia try whose population was last meas- The issue of collaboration in produc- Every year a campaign known as the Poppy Appeal is and Herzegovina was published on the ured in 1991, and which has change tion between the country’s two enti- held and imitation red flowers are sold across the country eve of the 17th Sarajevo Film Festival, dramatically since then - and in a ties, the Federation of Bosnia and until to Remembrance Day, to raise money. All public fig- where it was promoted. country where it is all too common to Herzegovina and the Republika ures are expected to display their poppy with pride or face Apart from the fact that this is the hear statements without supporting Srpska, should also be opened up. The the revulsion of the public. first time that Bosnia’s filmmaking arguments, this is the first time - in role of each entity should be defined On Remembrance Day, national parades are held to potential has been presented in this film - that we have a publication based in the future development plan. remember the fallen of the country. way, it is also the first time that the on hard facts and statistics. For example, while the Republika The Poppy Appeal was initiated on November 11, 1921 results of cinema in Bosnia over the It comes from professionals who Srpska has a law on film, the have a lot to be proud of and who clear- Federation still uses the law inherited and it is a charitable campaign. The money from the poppy past ten years have been presented ly fear that everything, including the from the former Yugoslavia, while the purchases is collected by the Royal British Legion and is analytically. successes, is in danger of being forgot- Canton of Sarajevo, one of the cantons used for providing financial, social and emotional support The guide sets the basis for the ten. of the Federation, adopted its own law to those have served in the British Armed Forces or those beginning of a vision that could In fact, it is comforting to read this on film about ten years ago, but adopt- affected by the two World Wars. become reality over the next 10 years guide. Going through this publication ed it without prior consultation with Every year throughout the first two weeks of November, in terms of the development of Bosnians should feel privileged to live film professionals. one can sense the community spirit among Britons and Bosnia’s film industry. in such a beautiful and diverse coun- It is also necessary to increase the their pride of contributing to a humane cause, remember- This guide consists of two parts: one try. funds available for film production, ing the fallen and supporting the affected and their fami- presenting shooting locations and the It should remind people also that and open up possibilities to provide lies. second dealing with Bosnian cinemat- everything is not painted black, espe- funds for the development of an audio- Our country is smaller than Yorkshire - the biggest coun- ic data. cially if placed in concrete statistics. It visual development plan, work that ty in the United Kingdom, but we have so far failed to Four geographical regions are pre- is a fact that back in 1997 no films were only begins with such a guide. organise ourselves a national event and adopt such a strong sented in the first part. These are the produced in the country at all, while in Only when we pass this second stage unifying model of commemoration, which would allow regions that have most often been used 2003 that number was up to six (three can we hope that people of Angelina people to mark the sacrifices and help the families of those as film sets for local and international feature and three short films), while in Jolie’s status will see Bosnia and who have suffered. film productions. Apart from Sarajevo, the past year 60 films have been com- Herzegovina as a country that is com- Kosovo too has seen its battlefields replaced by seas of the capital, the other three are Banja pleted, including feature, documen- mercially attractive for film produc- poppies, just like the fighting grounds of northern France, Luka, Mostar and Gorazde. tary, animated, student and short tion but we’ve yet to grasp the unifying force behind the flower The second part contains various films. to raise money for the needy and mark the fallen. 22 November 11 - 24, 2011 Community Focus Ecosovo Belgrade Insight Duaje tënden – love what’s yours celebrates 100th Issue ith more than 100 friends and partners, Belgrade WInsight, the only English-language newspaper in Serbia, celebrated its 100 issue on By Elizabeth Gowing Tuesday. Numerous diplomats, representatives of NGOs, local media and businessmen among many efiqe smiles as she signs her ‘It’s like a kanaxheq’ they laughed others attended the celebration at guage newspapers were printed Reporting Network, publisher of name on the receipt. She at the first training session we held, the Museum of National Theatre, in Belgrade, Belgrade Insight has Belgrade Insight. Rtakes the euros that she’s referring to the women-only party including representatives of the distinction of being the The newspaper comes out given and tells me that this is the at a traditional Kosovan wedding, Norwegian, British, Slovakian, longest running. twice a month and is distributed first money she has ever earned. and I realized that there weren’t Slovenian and French embassies, “When we started in 2008, at more than 350 locations. The English woman who’s bought many other opportunities for these Air France, Atrium Consulting, Belgrade hosted Eurovision con- According to research conducted from her is smiling too because women to get out of their houses. Societe Generale Banka, Adria test, the city was crowded and in July this year by the agency she’s just sorted her Christmas It’s clear to see their enjoyment of Media, and the Fonet and Beta economic situation looked prom- Intelligence, Belgrade Insight has shopping. Meanwhile, I’m feeling the project. There is the satisfaction new agencies. ising. However, the economic a regular readership of around good because our ‘buy local’ soap- of a nice product, but also the pride Since the first issue was pub- crises hit the world later that 15,000 people. making project is officially under- in earning money for their families. lished in May 2008, Belgrade year, and media felt its conse- Belgrade Insight is read by the way. We’ve always been passionate All the women had children aged Insight, Prishtina Insight’s sister quences among the first. growing population of foreigners about local products, and the envi- nine years or more who had not reg- publication, has covered news, “However, with continuous residing in Belgrade and Serbia, ronmental as well as economic ben- istered at school before September. sports, travel, and culture and struggle and determination, we but also by tourists and a large efit they have for Kosovo. With the The Ideas Partnership NGO helped has also provided a day-by-day managed to survive, and I trust percentage of Serbs, making up a recent high profile ‘Duajë tëndën’ them to register their children and listing of events going on around that we will manage to print full 41 per cent of the readership. (‘love what’s yours’) campaign pro- we’re hoping that the soap-making Belgrade for the two weeks fol- newspaper for years to come,” The newspaper is considered a moting local production (you’ll have project is a way of supporting the lowing publication. says Gordana Igric, regional staple source of information by seen the slogan on the heart-shaped families financially without them Although several English-lan- director of Balkan Investigative 86.7 per cent of readers. stickers on products in the shops), relying on their children to work, we’re hoping that Refiqe’s achieve- and therefore miss out on school. ment can be part of a new achieve- The brand name for their essen- ment for Kosovo: fewer imports so tial-oil-fragranced, all-natural soap less transport pollution, lower car- is ‘Sa-punë’, a pun on the Albanian Residents Petition over bon footprints and more self-suffi- words for ‘soap’ and ‘what a lot of ciency and investment in the place work’. The soap costs 2 euros for a we live in. neat hand made drawstring bag con- Rrefiqe is one of five Roma, taining one bar or three guest soaps. Uncollected Rubbish Ashkali and Egyptian women in Individual soaps are available from Fushë Kosovë who have been [email protected] Residents of Neighbourhood 29 of Fushe-Kosove are petitioning the town hall over trained in soap-making and have and customized bulk buys are also years of uncollected rubbish near their homes. started up this micro-finance busi- available. our neighbourhood,” he said. rubbish,” added Berisha. ness. With start-up funding from the “We had one customer who “It’s more than enough. We But residents denied the claims Austrian Development Agency, the ordered 100 bags of soap. She want- always face the risk of getting a that ten trucks-worth had been women learned the extraordinary ed a label that said ‘Happy New By Mihane Mustafa disease from the trash.” collected, saying that the situa- process of combining special soda Year’ with her name on it, and she’s Some inhabitants complain that tion was still bad. and olive oil together with fra- going to give them as gifts to her because of the rubbish they can- Jakup Rama, manager of the grances to make soap of just the friends. We think there will be inter- not even get out of their gardens. cleaning company, backed the right consistency. national organizations and compa- ome 50 signatures have been Maliq Berisha, the head of the director of the municipal public ‘We learned from our mistakes nies, as well as hotels who will be collected in this neighbour- public service for Fushe Kosove services saying that the cleaning, during the training. We also learned interested in customizing the soap Shood, which is largely municipality, says that the town as he says, ‘was necessary’ and about how to be safe while you are like that, so we’re hoping for some inhabited by the Roma, Ashkali hall does not does not have a this project is a long term project. and Egyptian community, calling making the soap, heating the oil and bulk orders,” said The Ideas refuse collection service based on “The cleaning company took on the municipality to begin reg- keeping the ingredients away from Partnership’s Aurélie Viard who “minorities or majorities”. the initiative to help the [munici- ular refuse collections. children. We also tried out some dif- has been involved with the project He added that they had recent- pal] workers who have been Residents say that despite two ferent ideas for colouring and fra- from the beginning. ly picked up rubbish from the cleaning the neighbourhood with years of complaints and empty grances. And we had a lot of fun,’ The Ideas Partnership is particu- neighbourhood. tractors in order to remove the promises, nothing has been done. the women say. larly happy that the soap-making “In cooperation with the office trash from neighbourhood 29,” Jashar Gashi, who lives in the initiative has been able to partner [company] for rubbish collection said Rama. area, told Prishtina Insight that with another micro-finance initia- we have started collecting that He added that the residents did this time they expect the munici- tive in the Roma, Ashkali and rubbish. Only in the last week we not pay their bills for rubbish col- pality to deal with their appeals. Egyptian community of Srbobran, have picked up 10 or 15 trucks of lection. near Istog. There, women were “The trash ruins the look of given sewing machines by The Ideas Partnership with the help of a grant from the British Embassy. With the sewing training they have received they are now able to make the sweet drawstring pouches in which the Fushë Kosovë women’s soap is packaged. So a purchase of one gift bag of soap makes a difference in two communities where women are working hard to support their families for a better future. Love it.

Elizabeth Gowing is a founder of The Ideas Partnership, a Kosovan NGO working on educational, cultural and environmental projects. She is also the author of the recently-published, Travels in Blood and Y Honey; becoming a beekeeper in M Kosovo. She can be reached at thei- C [email protected] K Caption for this: Flora, age 10, took this photo of rubbish in her neighbourhood as part of the www.neighbourhood29.com project. November 11 - 24, 2011 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 Phone: +381 (0) 38 249 995 Luxemburg Address: "Metush Krasniqi" no. 14 Classified Ads Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 226 787 Do you have a flat to rent? Position to fill? Students to find for a language course? Why not speak directly to Kosovo’s international com- Malaysian munity through Prishtina Insight’ classified ads. Address: "Bedri Shala" no. 48 Almost every international organisation, embassy, NGO and many others subscribe to Kosovo’s only English language newspaper, which 10000 Prishtina is also on sale at newsstands in seven cities and received in electronic format by scores of paying clients across the world. Phone: +381 (0) 38 243 467 Norwegian 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) 38 549 203 728 795 21 Slovenian Address: "Anton Ceta" no. 6 1759 9 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 244 886 83 5 98 7 5 638 1 Swedish Str. Perandori Justinian No. 19 26 7 49 143 75 6 Pejton 10 000 Prishtina 7362 27 85 68 53Phone: +381 38 24 57 95 Swiss 19 5 67 43 6 913 Address: "Adrian Krasniqi" no. 11 10000 Prishtina 8329141 269 8 Phone: +381 (0) 38 248 088 39 95 8 Turkish Y Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 59 M Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina C 43 6 63 8 32 Phone: +381 (0) 38 226 044 K 24 November 11 - 24, 2011 marketing

AMAZINGLY AFFORDABLE PRICES

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

Prishtina ››› Zürich › Genève › Vienna

Skopje ››› Zürich › Düsseldorf