Road Goes Nowhere in Western Kosovo

News: Tensions Unnerve South Serbia Villagers on Kosovo Border January 15 - 28, 2010 Issue No. 31 www.prishtinainsight.com Free copy Top Ten FEATURE Prishtina Insight’s Destinations Review of the Year for 2010 With your diaries look- ing decidedly empty for the next 12 months, Prishtina Insight has compiled its top ten > page 7 destinations for 2010 in INSIDE PRISHTINA the region, ranging from must-see cultural The Ancient City of events to culinary Ulpiana extravaganzas. > page 11 Turn to page 8-9 NEIGHBOURHOOD for full story. ‘Cynical’ Politicians use Albania Floods to Score Points Road Goes Nowhere in > page 12 FOOD & DRINK Western Kosovo Wet your Whistle at Three isolated villages are still awaiting the ‘vital’ paved road that senior officials said would be completed more Filikaqa than 18 months ago. > page 10 while touring the site in June 2008 the road to a municipal waste always intended to be in two phas- By Fatos Halili and said the road would be inaugu- depot, creating a 3.3km-long route. es, although the initial tender was rated two weeks later. A second tender was issued in labeled “Zahaq to Sferke”. CITY road that was to connect Limaj, who visited the site with October 2009 to connect the com- “Not a cent has been misused in three villages in western Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin pleted section of the new road with projects that the ministry has EC Buys Comfy AKosovo, and was praised by Kuci, described the road as “vital Lutogllave, requiring a further invested in,” he maintained. Sofas and Swivel the Minister of Transport during for the inhabitants of this region of 2.3km of new asphalt. An official from the ministry of construction, has not been complet- the municipality of Peja”. The contract was awarded for transport later told BIRN that the Chairs for Ministry ed – after the minister pledged it But the Balkan Investigative 664,000 euro, well above the value of decision to divert the road to the would be finished by last summer. Reporting Network has discovered the initial contract. The route landfill site, instead of to the vil- > page 6 Minister Fatmir Limaj lauded the that the 4.4km-long road, costing between Lutogllave and Sferke lages of Lutogllave and Sferke, was construction of the route linking 244,000 euros, was never completed. remains unpaved in the meantime. made by Peja municipality. the villages of Zahaq, Lutogllave Indeed, Peja municipality decided Limaj told BIRN in an interview NGO FOCUS and Sferke in the Peja municipality to divert the completed section of last month that the scheme was continues on page 2 Igniting Business News Business Ideas – SPARK BIRN Probe Uncovers Holes in Foreign Investment Falls in Kosovo Kosovo Health Service for Second Year Medical staff in Kosovo’s state hospi- Foreign investment in Kosovo fell by tals are directing patients to their own 22 per cent in 2009 from 366 million euro private clinics for treatment even when in 2008 to 285 million euro. the services they need are available free While the government attributes the of charge in public institutions, an inves- decline to the global financial crisis, eco- tigation by the Balkan Investigative nomic experts maintain the drop is Reporting Network, BIRN, has revealed. nonetheless disturbing. This is just one of many problems that Gani Gerguri, vice-governor of the the probe... page 3 central bank... page 5 > page 14 is supported by: 2 • January 15 - 28, 2010 news Tensions Unnerve South Serbia Villagers on Kosovo Border failing to tackle the huge economic problems that the region faces. By Nikola Lazic and “When people don’t have jobs Zoran Kosanovic or money to survive, some turn to extremism,” he said. “That is hose living near the fron- why the state must employ both tier with Kosovo have had Serbs and Albanians; it is one of T enough of constant ten- the prerequisites for calming sion and ‘incidents,’ which they tensions.” say are further depressing the In Bujanovac, he says, Serbs region’s prospects. need integrating into the struc- Villagers in southern Serbia, tures of the local authority, near the border between Serbia where ethnic Albanian parties and Kosovo, live in insecurity currently hold power. due to occasional incident at the Jonuz Musliu, speaker of the sensitive frontier. More and local assembly in Bujanovac, more are losing patience and also blames the authorities in leaving the region. Belgrade for the constant ten- Armed incidents do not hap- sion – but for completely differ- pen that often, but they still ent reasons. keep people awake at night at “The government is piling up least several times a year. The special forces here, which caus- region is also exposed to the es fear and panic among the problem of organised crime. Albanians,” he said. Locals are alarmed by the smug- “The curious thing, however, gling of people illegally crossing is that incidents still occur, the border, by smuggling and despite the large presence of illegal logging. armed forces,” added this for- The border zone remains a Kursumlija - Tensions remain on the border region between Kosovo and Serbia mer commander of the sensitive region. In 2000 and shooting from the Kosovo side The perpetrators and circum- goals. The danger of organised Liberation Army of Presevo, 2001 it was the scene of an Medvedja and Bujanovac. armed conflict between the secu- disturbed them that night. Some stances of the incidents have not crime should not be ignored, “The problems would be rity forces and local ethnic also claim searchlights were been revealed. Serbia’s either. solved if, instead of government Albanian militants in the pointed at their village, which President, Boris Tadic, and the “Individual incidents and acts forces, NATO took over control Liberation Army of Presevo, led some to head out to the out- Minister of Interior, Ivica Dacic, of sabotage can be expected, as of the border with Kosovo,” he Bujanovac and Medvedja. skirts with weapons. have described both incidents as they haven’t stopped since 2001,” maintained. The new Serbian army base is Neither KFOR command in terrorist acts. Krstic told Prishtina Insight. Meanwhile, people living in another source of disquiet. Kosovo nor the Serbian Army A criminal group accused of He says security along the bor- the border zone between Serbia Known as Jug, it officially registered any incidents, howev- trafficking people and narcotics der could be markedly improved and Kosovo remain hostage to opened last November near the er. The circumstances of the was subsequently arrested. But through closer cooperation the poor security situation. mainly Albanian town of case have still not been cleared there has been no official confir- between the Serbian army and Although he is 26, Luan Bujanovac. While Serbian offi- up. mation of a link between the police and NATO forces sta- Sadiku from Lucani still does cials insist the base will guaran- About 150 kilometres to the gang and the two crimes. tioned in Kosovo. not have a proper job. He tee peace and stability in the southeast, on the border near Interior Minister Dacic said Military analyst Aleksandar believes the poor security situa- region, ethnic Albanians remain Bujanovac, Luan Sadiku, 26, an this week during visit to special Radic defines the situation in tion in the area damages his opposed to its opening. ethnic Albanian from the village police forces in the village of South Serbia as “unpredictably economic prospects. Although experts and repre- of Lucani, says living with the Miratovac, near Medvedja, that stable”. He also says individual “No one will want to invest sentatives of the Serbian Army fear of armed incidents is frus- the security situation on the incidents should be expected, say southern Serbia is stable, trating. border remained stable but he but doubts they will be serious here until something changes,” people in the border villages, “My family and I cannot sleep also called on the government to enough to provoke a major reac- he said. “That is why we who both Serbs and Albanians, do peacefully because we are in invest more money in the region tion from the security forces. live here are the greatest not feel especially safe. constant fear of possible inci- in order to stop people from emi- Radic believes there would be hostages of such a situation.” Dragoslav Vasiljevic, from the dents,” says the young man, sit- grating. fewer incidents and less tension Dragoslav Vasiljevic from village of Rasevac, near ting with his friends in front of There was “still a lot of crimi- in the region if local Serbian Rasevac is determined to Kursumlija, says many of his the grocer’s in this entirely nal activity” in the border and Albanian leaders worked remain in his village until bet- neighbours have moved away Albanian village. region, Dacic added. “This better together. ter days come, although he because they don’t feel comfort- The area where Sadiku lives is means that there is illegal log- “The army and police cannot doubts that will happen any able close to the border. “Many one of the most sensitive border ging, stealing and smuggling, do much about preventing these time soon. have already moved out,” he areas. It has seen the highest and our [security] forces are incidents,” he said. “The key to “I have been living with this said, “and only around 50 have number of registered incidents. struggling to stop the flow of stability in the region is politi- tension for years, but I am remained in the village, but I Gunmen wounded two members terrorists from over the border.” cal agreement between Serbs standing firm by my decision to have nowhere else to go.” of the gendarmerie, the Serbian Retired general Ninoslav and Albanians.” stay in my home,” he said.

Load more