Opinion: An Unscrupulous and Offensive Celebration

May 24 - June 6, 2013 Issue No. 112 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1 NEWS Emails to Mayor Arrested Spark Spying For Alleged Allegations War Crimes Government insists Deputy > page 3 Minister did not reveal any sensitive information about Security Force as Self-Determination MPs call BUSINESS for an investigation. Sugar King Eyes page 3 Brezovica’s Powder > page 4 NEWS Kosovo’s Tough Smoking Law Draws Protests > page 6 PROFILE The Jackal Who Repented Witnesses Change > page 8

Stories in KLA Jail Trials INSIDE PRISHTINA Denials of abuse at KLA detention centres muddle prosecution cases in high-profile war crimes trials. University Hires

an electric prod,” Bollofci testified have taken revenge.” Both cases are being handled by Bus Company With By Florent Spahija in 2003, during the first trial of the Bollofci is among four prosecu- EU rule of law mission, EULEX, Troubled Past so-called Llapi Group case. tion witnesses in high-profile war prosecutors and involve charges of t the , KLA, detention cen- Bollofci gave a very different crimes retrials happening in abuse and torture at KLA deten- > page 22 Atre in Llapashtica, the beat- account this past April, when he Kosovo now, the Llapi Group and tion centres during the 1998-9 war. ings were commonplace. At least, testified at the suspects’ retrial. Klecka cases, who have contradict- Among the accused are prominent that’s what Rushid Bollofci told “I haven’t seen or heard of beat- ed statements and testimony given lawmakers in the ruling UN police and an investigative ings,” Bollofci said. years earlier. Three of those wit- Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, judge in 2002 and 2003. Confronted in court regarding nesses, who were all previously including MP Fatmir Limaj, in the Kosovo’s only English-language “Nazif Mehmeti beat me up. He his previous testimony, Bollofci anonymous protected witnesses, Klecka case and MP Latif Gashi, newspaper is available: beat me with a baton for an hour. said, “This is not true, because if including Bollofci, have also pub- in the Llapi case. After a 30-minute break, he beat he [Mehmeti] had beaten me up, licly identified themselves by Delivered to me again with a wooden baton and even if he were a dragon, I would name. continues page 2 Your Door

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is supported by: 2 May 24 - June 6, 2013 news Witnesses Change Stories in KLA Jail Trials Editor’s Word from page 1 In Cronyism The four witnesses offered a variety of explanations for their They Trust contradictory testimony, includ- ing mistranslations, pressure from UN investigators and bad t’s no secret that government jobs memories. are a favoured currency for EULEX prosecutor Charles Ipoliticians in Kosovo. Hardaway, in his closing argu- Countless government employees ments in the Llapi case this are politically connected. Even the week, attempted to downplay the chief of the civil service is part of significance of the new contra- the governing body of the dictory statements. Democratic Party of Kosovo, the “The words they spoke at a PDK. time closest to the experience While patronage exists through- and before the corrupting effect out the world, it is particularly per- of time, circumstances and vasive here in Kosovo. A new report other influences took their toll, by Democracy for Development, A are the best guides to fully estab- Class of Its Own: Patronage and its lish the factual reality of what impact on Social Mobility in Kosovo, occurred at Llapashtica,” he attempts to measure the extent per- said. sonal and political patronage. While prosecutors haven’t On the report’s Patronage Index, suggested that the changes in using a scale of 0 to 1.0, Kosovo reg- witness statements resulted isters 0.928, the highest among the 15 from intimidation, war-crimes European democracies studied. cases have seen numerous By comparison, Greece, which has instances of it. well-documented patronage prob- A article in the New Yorker lems, registers 0.62 on the index. In magazine in May about war the UK, it is just 0.09. crimes cases in Kosovo, entitled Illustration/A. Visti “Bring Up the Bodies”, explored This means that government widespread witness intimida- accounts of the murders of accounts in 2002, spoke of being In April this year, he declared, employees who got their jobs based tion in war crimes cases heard Serbian prisoners at Klecka, beaten by KLA fighters and wit- “Fatmir Limaj had no power in on merit are in the minority in at the Hague Tribunal against had previously told prosecutors nessing beatings at the the prison of Klecka and didn’t Kosovo. Limaj and former Kosovo Prime about multiple attempts on his Llapashtica prison. In the cur- have the competence to release Looking more broadly, the report Minister Ramush Haradinjaj, life. rent trial, he said otherwise, and the prisoners.” is just one indictment of how con- now an MP. In June 2009, he was shot and one of his earlier statements Another witness who has nections and cronyism frequently Limaj, in an interview with wounded at his house in was ruled inadmissible. remained anonymous, Witness trump common sense. the New Yorker, denied abusing Prizren, and prior to that, he He blamed faulty translations C, testified in the trial via a Consider the unfolding scandal any prisoners. When asked if he found a grenade in his car in — interviews were done in video link April 30 and contra- involving the Kosovo Security Force. got subordinates to scare wit- July 2007, as well as receiving Serbian, which he said he didn’t dicted his earlier testimony. By the KSF’s admission, emails nesses into recanting, Limaj other threats to himself and his know well — and pressure from He claimed he hadn’t been found on the computer of Deputy responded, “I was in The Hague. family. UN police. beaten or poorly treated at Minister Slavisa Filipovic showed If someone here did something The witnesses who’ve “They came to me many Klecka, as he’d said before. He that he informed the Democratic which was wrong, this person changed their stories in the times. They saw that I was also denied seeing four inmates Party in about KSF unit posi- Klecka and Llapi case did not scared and told me that I’d be that he knew at Klecka. has to respond.” tions. offer accounts as damning as given a visa and compensation At the end of his testimony, Hilmi Zhitia, a former chief Filipovic’s involvement isn’t clear, Zogaj’s, but they nevertheless for what had happened to me,” Witness C declared that he state prosecutor who’s now a but the ministry’s has insisted that supported prosecutors’ asser- Avdyli said. “Because I was wished that the defendants private defence attorney, told he himself did not reveal sensitive tions about abuses at KLA young, I was deceived by their would be freed as soon as possi- Prishtina Insight that Kosovo information, as has Filipovic. detention facilities. claims.” ble. witnesses frequently find them- The discovery was also kept from Kosovo defence attorney Five other protected witness- selves under pressure. the public for more than a year and a “Witnesses in high-profile Rame Gashi, who isn’t involved Different stories in es remain and are expected to half, prompting the opposition Self- cases can change their state- in the Klecka or Llapi trials, testify. Klecka: Determination party to call for ments because of pressure, said contradictory statements can muddle cases. Filipovic to be investigated in con- threats and blackmails against While the Llapi case heard its Concerns over witnesses: “Changing statements is a nection with possible spying. the witness’s children and fami- closing statements this week, widespread phenomenon since The ability of EULEX to pro- There is no conclusive evidence ly,” said Zhitia, who is not the testimony continues in the the end of the war in Kosovo,” tect witnesses came under fire in that Filipovic was spying for involved with the Klecka or Klecka case. Two Klecka wit- Gashi said. “The judge is chal- the wake of the death of Witness Belgrade. But it is remarkable that Llapi cases. nesses have thus far contradict- Agim Zogaj, a former KLA lenged in recognising which of X, Zogaj. the case was kept under wraps for so ed earlier statements. prison guard known as “Witness the statements offers the truth EULEX did not respond to long and that Filipovic has been Lawyer Sokol Dobruna was a X”, was the star witness in the or comes close to the truth. This Prishtina Insight’s questions given the benefit of the doubt. There protected witness for the prose- Klecka trial until he died in an becomes a difficult task espe- about the protection of witnesses also doesn’t seem to have been a cution, known as Witness A, but apparent suicide in Germany in cially when some other evidence in the Klecka and Llapi cases. proper investigation. The KSF’s he testified publicly on April 23. 2011. related to the case is lacking.” In January, EULEX signed a oversight committee apparently was “I do not accept being a wit- Zogaj, who gave detailed Avdyl Avdyli, in multiple witness protection collaboration not even told about it. ness for the prosecution, howev- agreement with Kosovo’s The most logical answer is connec- er this doesn’t mean that I will Ministry of Internal Affairs in tions. Filipovic, a political “Changing statements is a widespread phenomenon since not answer the questions,” he January. appointee, is a member of the the end of the war in Kosovo. The judge is challenged in told the court. The mission has said that the Serbian Democratic Party of Kosovo Dobruna headed the KLA’s agreement was drafted in accor- and , a party in coalition recognising which of the statements offers the truth or judicial service from December dance to the Law on Protection of with Prime Minister Hashim Thaci’s comes close to the truth. This becomes a difficult task 1998 until the end of the war. Witnesses that entered into PDK. Thaci needs the Serbian In testimony given in 2010, power on September 1, 2012, with- especially when some other evidence related to the case party’s support to maintain his rul- Dobruna had said that Fatmir out providing further details. ing coalition, which probably played Gashi, the defense attorney, is lacking.” Limaj, then a KLA commander, a role in Filipovic’s selection in the said that while witness protec- was the only person who had first place. - Rame Gashi, Kosovo attorney tion exists on paper, “in practice, authority to release prisoners at For some in PDK, having a Serb in it is equal to zero”. the Klecka prison. the fold who is accused of spying could be difficult to stomach. After all, much of the PDK’s political iden- Editor-in-Chief: Parim Olluri, Jeton Musliu and Design & Layout: “Rrjeti” tity stems from its connections to Artan Mustafa Donjeta Demolli. Arben Grajqevci the Kosovo Liberation Army and its [email protected] fight to break from Serbia. Marketing, Sales & Printing: Lindi Printing Center No doubt, many in the party are Y Publisher: BIRN • Balkan Investigative Reporting Editorial Team: now wondering whether that the M Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, Distribution: Copyright © BIRN Network • Mensa e Studenteve, first floor • 10000, carrot of Filipovic’s appointment C [email protected] Prishtina • Kosovo • Phone: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 Nate Tabak, Petrit Collaku, was worth it. K news May 24 - June 6, 2013 3 Emails to Belgrade Spark Spying Accusations Government insists Deputy Minister did not reveal any sensitive information about Kosovo Security Force as Self-Determination MPs call for an investigation. The Kosovo state prosecutor’s offices would not say if it was investigating Filipovic. By Visar Duriqi Under Kosovo’s laws, a person convicted of divulging a state secret to a foreign state organisa- evelations that a top official tion or individual faces five to 12 in the Kosovo Security years in prison. RForce Ministry sent emails By law, a “state secret” means to officials in Belgrade have led data or military, economic or offi- opposition Self-Determination cial documents designated as clas- MPs to demand an investigation sified information by law or dispo- into possible spying. The Kosovo Security Force is a uniformed, lightly armed civil defense force. But Agim sitions and other decisions of the Ceku, the minister of the KSF, says it will be an army this year. The Kosovo Security Force, KSF, competent body issued in accor- said it learned that Deputy dance to the law. Minister Slavisa Filipovic Lama, who brought the corre- exchanged emails with Serbian spondence to light in parliament, KSF: The Makings leaders when it discovered the mes- called on the government to release sages on his computer in late 2011. all the emails and for prosecutors But the information was kept Slavisa Filipovic to initiate an investigation into pos- of an Army? from the public until May, when computer contained emails from sible espionage. KSF Minister Agim Ceku respond- 2011 between leaders in the “The fact that the ministry hesi- he Kosovo Security Force the former Kosovo Liberation ed to questions from Self- Serbian Democratic Party of tates to give information about this is a lightly armed, uni- Army, KLA, which was trans- Determination MP Alma Lama dur- Kosovo and Metohija and Serbia’s issue means they are hiding the Tformed force that is subject formed into the Kosovo ing a parliamentary session on May Democratic Party, at a time when truth,” she told Prishtina Insight. to democratic, civilian control. Protection Corps, KPC in 1999. 2. the leader of the latter, Boris “If they say the information that Its mission is to conduct crisis The KPC existed until 2008, “Our competent structures Tadic was Serbia’s President. [Filipovic] sent is not a violation of response operations through- with the establishment of the “There are a few emails about state secrets, why don’t they make out Kosovo and neighbouring KSF, envisaged by the Finnish “The fact that the ministry their party issues and among it public?” she asked. countries. diplomat Martti Ahtisaari’s hesitates to give information them was also an email about the Lama accused the government of Minister Agim Ceku has said plan for Kosovo. The KSF is KSF, which is about the locations keeping the issue quiet to avoid he expects the KSF to become a supposed to have no more than about this issue means they of units of the KSF,” the ministry shaking the ruling coalition of full-fledged army in 2013. 2,500 troops and 800 are hiding the truth.” said. Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, of It is an indirect successor to reservists. Filipovic, who remains a which Filipovic’s Serbian - Alma Lama, Deputy Minister, has not respond- Democratic Party of Kosovo and Lama said. Xhelili, however, said his com- Self-Determination MP ed to Prishtina Insight’s request Metohija is part. PDK MP Fadil Demaku, a mem- mittee hadn’t yet discussed the mat- to comment about the emails. He “They have tolerated this in ber of the committee that oversees ter. denied sending messages to order not to make a noise,” Lama the Kosovo Intelligence Agency, Earlier this year, the Anti- noticed a correspondence - an Serbian officials in an interview asserted. said he became aware of the emails Corruption Agency investigated exchange of emails - between the with the Prishtina daily newspa- The 61-member coalition has in 2011. Filipovic for not declaring business deputy minister and an official of a per Tribuna. only a slim majority in the 120- While he said he was confident interests. political party in Belgrade,” Ceku “It’s speculation and propagan- member assembly and has been that no breach in national security The agency ended its investiga- told MPs. “But we concluded that da by Self-Determination,” increasingly fragile because of had occurred, he invited prosecu- tion in April after Filipovic no secrets were revealed in the Filipovic told the newspaper. fractures inside Thaci’s tors to open an investigation. declared his management positions email exchange.” A Democratic Party official in Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK. “Let the state prosecution start in the Binacka Morava company in It is unclear what Filipovic is Serbia named by the KSF as one Thaci has had to rely more on investigations on this case and if a Gjilan and the Pcelica agriculture alleged to have written to Serbian of the correspondents told his smaller partners to get key penal act has been committed, let cooperative in Preoc. officials. The KSF, an armed uni- Prishtina Insight that she was votes through, including the recent the law be enforced on the perpetra- Filipovic has served as Deputy formed civil defense organisation, unaware of any exchange of mes- EU-backed agreement with Serbia. tors,” Demaku said. Minister in the Kosovo Security has refused to make the emails in sages. Lama also claimed that double PDK MP Ahmet Isufi, a member Force Ministry since May 2011. question public. “I have never heard about that standards were at work, since in of the committee that oversees the On his official profile, he A written statement from the person [Filipovic], I don’t have April two Kosovo Serbs, Sasa KSF, also dismissed concerns about describes himself as “loyal” and ministry last week, after Ceku’s any interest in this issue or con- Nikolic and Dalibor Djordjevic, the messages, saying Filipovic had mentions as previous experience appearance in parliament, said tact with such people,” she said. were arrested in Gjilan on suspi- no access to classified information. his time as head of the service the messages included informa- The Ministry, for its part, said cion of photographing KSF facili- “In his position he could not have department in the Coordination tion about KSF unit positions but the messages did not divulge state ties. They remain in custody and access to operational documents Centre for Kosovo and Metohija in did not say explicitly that secrets, but the matter is now face prosecution. with content that damages or Gracanica, a so-called parallel insti- Filipovic had revealed them. “now with the competent bodies,” “This sends the message: if you endangers the functioning of the tution operated by the Serbian gov- The KSF wrote that Filipovic’s without elaborating. have power, you are above the law,” KSF,” Xhelili said. ernment. Mayor Arrested For Alleged War Crimes “The five individuals are being Geneva conventions,” Koci told nalists Rizah Hajdari and Qani investigated for war crimes Prishtina Insight. Mehmedi with issuing threats against the civilian population in He said that more information against Xharra and violating her By Edona Peci the form of the violation of the about the case was expected on rights in May and June of 2009. bodily integrity and health of Friday when Lushtaku and the According to the indictment, a civilians held in a KLA detention other four suspects will appear campaign against Xharra was olice have detained the centre located in Likovc/Likovac before a pre-trial judge. launched after Radio Television mayor of Skenderaj, Sami (Skenderaj/Srbica municipality),” “Tomorrow we’ll see if he Kosovo broadcast an edition of PLushtaku, and four other said a statement from EULEX. remains detained or if he will be BIRN’s TV programme, "Jeta ne suspects for alleged war crimes “One of the individuals is also released,” the lawyer said. Kosove" ("Life in Kosovo"), dealing against civilian prisoners during being investigated for a war crime Lushtaku also is one of six with alleged mismanagement in the 1999 conflict. in the form of the killing of one accused of waging a hate cam- Skenderaj/Srbica where Lushtaku Officers from the EU rule-of-law civilian,” the statement said. paign against BIRN Kosovo direc- was mayor at the time. mission EULEX and Kosovo police Lushtaku’s lawyer Arianit Koci tor Jeta Xharra. The indictment notes that in 12 arrested the five men on Thursday confirmed that his client had been He is charged, along with articles published by Infopress, on suspicion of abusing civilian detained. Infopress's former owner Rexhep Xharra was called a “Serbian spy”, prisoners held at a Kosovo “Mr. Lushtaku is charged with Hoti, former executive director a “professional bomb”, an Liberation Army, KLA detention war crimes against the civilian Arizona Dibra, former editor-in- “embassy slut” and was "subjected centre during wartime. population in violation of the chief Avni Azemi and former jour- to other insults”. Skenderaj Mayor Sami Lushtaku 4 May 24 - June 6, 2013 news Sugar King Eyes Brezovica’s Powder

Powerful Serbian businessman who made a fortune in sugar is among pre-qualified bidders for Kosovo’s ambitious planned ski resort. The attempts to privatize Brezovica during the past decade have failed. Those refineries became the built near the existing resort. (Photo/David Bailey) foundation of a business empire The plan, drafted by interna- By Parim Olluri and that turns over an estimated 500 tional ski experts, took shape in Bojana Barlovac million euro a year and made 2011 after a decade of failed Kostic one of Serbia’s wealthiest attempts to privatize the aging people, with a personal fortune resort. iodrag Kostic is known as last tallied at around 300 million These collapsed because of own- the “Sugar King” in euro. ership wrangles between the MSerbia. He purchased gov- Kostic later became the centre of Kosovo and Serbian governments. ernment-owned sugar refineries a scandal after his company was By building a new resort, the in Serbia’s northern province of accused of taking advantage of an Kosovo government aims to side- Vojvodina for just 3 euro a piece in EU trade agreement to repackage step these disputes. 2000 - the deal of a sugar bought on world markets as Kosovo’s Ministry of Trade and lifetime. a Serbian product and re-sell Industry, which is overseeing the it to EU countries at a much Brezovica concession, has higher price. Kostic declined to comment on Kostic’s denied wrongdoing, and interest. Kostic and his MK Group an EU commission later also did not respond to requests for concluded his company comment. did nothing illegal. These days Kostic is Shifting political ties: taking an interest in a If the Kosovo government’s plans are realized, Brezovica will become one of the largest different kind of white During the 1990s, Kostic was skiing centres in the region. (Photo/Driton Avdyli) powder. His MK Group director of Serbia’s centrist has expressed interest Democratic Party. But in 2000, fol- No timetable: tium

in investing in the lowing the fall of the regime of In January and February, The planned new ski resort at Slobodan Milosevic, he left the The Kosovo government has not Ministry of Trade and Industry Brezovica, in Strpce, a pre- party, saying he couldn’t be in pol- given a timetable for bidding on ran adverts in The Economist and dominantly Serbian munici- itics and lead what was then the Brezovica concession. The Financial Times to solicit pality in southern Kosovo. Serbia’s biggest private company. other bidders include: investors for Brezovica. The MK Group is among four But he remained close to the • ATC Investment and Design According to a 2011 master plan, qualified bidders announced by Democrats and was a friend of the Workshop, an Austrian- the new ski resort will be one of the Kosovo government late Prime Minister, Zoran American consortium the largest in the Balkans and five on May 8 to take on a Djindjic, whose government sold • Rila Ski Resort, Eco Sign times larger than the nearby ski 99-year conces- him the three sugar plants at a Evropa and Balkan GCE, a resort in Mavrovo, Macedonia. sion for a token price. Following Djindjic’s Bulgarian-Austrian consor- The estimated cost is not clear, ski cen- assassination in 2003, Kostic drift- tium however, and the new lifts alone tre, to ed away from the Democrats. • PGI Management & MDP are said to cost about 25 million be He is now seen as close to the Consulting, a French- euro. ruling Serbian Progressive Party, Andorran -Kosovar consor- headed by Aleksandar Vucic, Serbia’s deputy prime minister, Those refineries became the foundation of a business who has taken a lead role in selling Kosovo Serbs the terms of the empire that turns over an estimated 500 million euro a year Y recent EU-led agreement between and made Kostic one of Serbia’s wealthiest people, with a M Kosovo and Serbia. C personal fortune last tallied at around 300 million euro. K Miodrag Kosic made a fortune in the sugar business. news May 24 - June 6, 2013 5 Kosovo, Serbia Agree EU Deal Action Plan Leaders of Serbia and Kosovo have agreed on a harmonized plan to implement the recent Brussels-led agreement, the EU foreign police chief announced. lel institutions" in the north of sides will be set up and charged Kosovo, where most of the popula- with suggesting which laws should tion is ethnic Serbian. be amended. The other part of the By Prishtina Insight Implementation of the agree- plan refers to the Community of ment is the condition for Serbia to Serb Municipalities [in Kosovo]". obtain a start date for the opening Thaci said that details of the he EU foreign policy chief, of accession talks with the EU, implementation of the plan "will Catherine Ashton, said the while Kosovo has the prospect of be settled later in meetings of Tprime ministers of Kosovo obtaining a Stabilization and expert teams, as well as by the gov- and Serbia on Wednesday agreed a Association Agreement, SAA, the ernments of Serbia and Kosovo. fixed text on implementing the first step towards membership. "We have agreed in principle on recent EU-brokered deal. Dacic said the implementation the steps for the implementation of Hashim Thaci and Ivica Dacic plan confirmed the existence of "a the agreement over the next six "will be in touch with me by the serious intention" to enact the months," Thaci said on end of the week," Ashton added. deal, which was signed in April. Wednesday. The agreement, which Kosovo The plan will become effective Dacic said dialogue with Kosovo and Serbia struck on April 19, is after the governments of Serbia would continue with talks on the intended to normalise relations and Kosovo confirm it and inform property of the displaced persons between the two sides and thus Ashton of this in writing. and refugees, Serbian cultural her- boost both sides' progress towards According to Dacic, during itage in Kosovo and the status in the EU. phase one, "a working group com- Kosovo of the Serbian Orthodox German diplomat Wolfgang Ischinger, left, says a ‘Two Germanys’ style model could work for It primarily addresses the vexed prising representatives of both Church. Kosovo and Serbia. issue of Serbian state-run "paral- Local Elections Could ‘Two Germanys Be Delayed Until 2014 Model’ Suggested Kosovo wants to hold local elections in October, but if conditions are not right in the Serb-run north of Kosovo they could be postponed until spring 2014, sources told Prishtina Insight. for Kosovo Veteran German diplomat says 1972 treaty between East and West Germany holds lessons for Kosovo and Serbia. By Edona Peci and Serbia on April 19 as a major step forward for the region. “Sometimes it takes some time for By Bardh Shkreli rationality and the European spirit s the Kosovo president to defeat old-style nationalism and Atifete Jahjaga is due to other backward ideas,” Ischinger Acontinue consultations said. with political parties on the n 1972, during the height of the Cold “This has now happened between upcoming local elections, War, East and West Germany signed the Belgrade and Prishtina, and it will Prishtina Insight discovered they IGrundlagenvertrag, or Basic Treaty. happen elsewhere, and will allow all might be delayed until next year The agreement established nor- countries of the Balkans to join a when “chances to have a success- mal relations between two sovereign ful electoral process in the north- states and allowed both to join the prosperous, modern, and globaliz- ern part of the country have UN without addressing issues of ing EU.” increased”. German national identity or unifica- Under the recent EU-brokered “We are interested in holding tion. agreement, Serbia agreed not to local elections throughout the Wolfgang Ischinger, a longtime stand in the way of Kosovo’s eventu- whole territory of Kosovo- the German diplomat who represented al accession to the EU. northern part included- this year. the EU in the talks on Kosovo’s sta- It did not mention other organisa- "The second Sunday of October tions, most notably the UN, however. A munipical meeting in Zvecan in April. tus in 2007, says the Basic Treaty is an option we are looking into,” could offer a model for Kosovo and Serbia, backed by Russia on the UN a Balkan Insight source in the European Union. The draft agree- EU-brokered deal are expected to Serbia. Security Council, has vowed to block Kosovo presidency said. ment mainly deals with the future be the main topic of discussions “In the case of Germany in the Kosovo from joining the UN. Kosovo held local elections on But Ischinger predicted that of the Serbian community in during a meeting between Serbian 1970s, leaving aside the thorny issue November 15, 2009, but the vote Kosovo would eventually become a Kosovo. and Kosovo Prime Ministers host- of mutual recognition, the agree- was boycotted by local Serbs in According to article 12 of the ed next week by EU foreign policy ment helped to solve many practical UN member. “Sooner or later it will the four northern Serb-run agreement “Municipal elections chief Catherine Ashton. issues of interest to people on both happen,” he said. municipalities of North shall be organized in the northern “A lot related to the local elec- sides,” he said. “The longer Serbia blocks the Mitrovica, Leposavic, Zvecan and municipalities in 2013 with the tions will depend on this meeting”, “It was not the perfect solution, accession of Kosovo to the UN, the Zubin Potok, where local leaders facilitation of the OSCE, in accor- the official in the Kosovo presiden- but a good way to escape the block- smaller will the reward that Serbia were elected in separate votes dance with Kosovo law and inter- cy said. ade,” Ischinger, now Chairman of obtains in exchange,” he said. organized by Belgrade. national standards”. However, he explained “other the Munich Security Conference, “The smart leaders in Belgrade Since the end of the Kosovo con- “Once those elections are held, options would have to be exam- told Prishtina Insight recently. know this, and they have shown flict in the late 1990s, northern there will not be any parallel ined” if there is not a good basis to Ischinger said he proposed the so- before how smart and mature they Kosovo has been beyond the con- structures in the north (…) I am hold successful local elections in called Two Germanys Model during are,” he added. trol of Prishtina’s government, speaking without any prejudice, the north. talks in Prishtina back in 2007. Ischinger also said that Germany while Serbia has continued to but we do not want to have the “The Kosovo president could ask The idea has continued to resur- and other powerful states continue finance local security, judicial, same structures. We are interested the parliament to extend her legal face during various talks between quietly to press the EU members health and educational institu- in supporting structures which timeframe in setting the date for Kosovo and Serbia since 2011, but that still have not recognised tions. implement the rule of law in the local elections. The parliament has yet to gain serious traction. Kosovo’s independence, namely, On April 19, Kosovo and Serbia framework of the Kosovo system”, then could approve a resolution or Spain, Greece, Romania, Slovakia adopted a 15-point draft agree- the source said. it could change the law”, he EU deal encouraging: and Cyprus. Y ment on normalizing relations, The current differences between stressed adding elections could But good diplomacy can take time. M allowing both sides to advance Serbia and Kosovo over the action then be called on April or May of The diplomat described the recent “We need to be patient,” Ischinger C their integration into the plan on the implementation of the 2014. EU-led agreement between Kosovo concluded. K 6 May 24 - June 6, 2013 news Former Anti-Corruption Chief Jailed for Corruption Five-year sentence for ex-prosecutor who offered to drop investigations against bank officials in exchange for bribes. fine 10,000 euro for attempting Mirashi in August 2010 at a were made. to extort suspects at three restaurant in . EULEX had been investigat- By Petrit Collaku and other banks. Mirashi said he was willing to ing the Mustafi for almost a Armend Zenelaj A prosecutor in the EU Rule pay 27,000 euro to the prosecu- year. Most the cases he had of Law mission, EULEX, han- tor - but the brothers insisted handled were dropped dled the case. on 50,000. because of lack of evi- he former head of The case dates back to 2008, Mirashi then made a series dence or because the Kosovo’s anti-corruption when Kosovo police received of payments of less than suspects were Ttask force, Nazmi two anonymous complaints 50,000. Later, after getting no freed. Mustafi, was sentenced on about irregularities in the concrete response about the Thursday to five years in banking sector. status of the case against him, prison and fined 10,000 euro for The letters contained allega- he contacted police. extorting money from people tions against a former liquida- The police in turn had he was investigating and for tor of the former Credit Bank Mirashi make an additional illegal possession of a firearm. in Gjakova, Pashk Mirash, two payment. Mirashi had a Mustafi, a prosecutor officials from NLB Prishtina, cousin delivery money to the appointed to head the task Lavdim Koshutova and Albert brothers, and had them sign force by Prime Minister Lumnezi, and Vullnet Latifi a piece of paper to Hashim Thaci, was handling from the Bank for Business. acknowledge receipt of cases involving the liquida- Following an investigation, the money. tion of four banks. Through police forwarded charges to Mustafi also conspired his friends, Reshad and Xhelal the Office of the Special with Ndoci to extort Zherk, Mustafa extorted 30,250 Prosecutor. money from other sus- euro from Pashk Mirashi, a Mustafi took over the case pects, according to the suspect in the case of the of Mirashi in 2010, and indictment. Mustafi had Credit Bank. informed Reshad and Xhelal Ndoci inform Latifi, The Zherka brothers were Zherka about it. Lumnezi, Koshutova and sentenced to four years in According to the indict- Govori that he was plan- prison and fined 10,000 euro ment, Mustafi asked the ning to arrest them and for their role in the crimes. Zherka brothers to contact offered to end the investi- Another intermediary, Mirashi and offer to “solve gation in return for Mirela Ndoci, was sentenced the case” for 50,000 euro. money. It is unclear, how- to three months in prison and The Zherka brothers met ever, if any payments Nazmi Mustafi used to head Kosovo’s anti-corruption task force. Kosovo’s Tough Smoking Law Draws Protests Businessmen and bar owners are unhappy as a wide-ranging ban on smoking in public takes effect.

By Kaltrina Rexhepi

ight years have passed since Kosovo began curbing smoking, Ewhen a 2005 law restricted smoking to spaces not exceeding 30 per cent of a bar or restaurant. The law was toughened in 2010 with a Bar owners are skeptical about the new law. ban smoking on public transport. who currently works, or has worked in purpose was to not have any smoking and But the rules were not uniformly adopt- the industry within the past 12 months. customers welcome this,” Rexhe ed and many bars in practice still allow But Kosovo’s hospitality industry is far Kurteshi, manager of the Metropol, said. smoking throughout their establish- from happy. The Chamber of Commerce The government is meanwhile promis- ments. It is also common for bus drivers said it objects to the law and will ask the ing to step up enforcement of the to light up behind the wheel. Constitutional Court to review it. changes. But as of Wednesday, it has been illegal “We think the population will be hurt The Ministry of Health is overseeing to smoke in any enclosed public area and by implementation of this law, socially the ban and is pooling inspectors from well as in certain open areas including and financially,” Safet Gerxhaliu, head of various ministries throughout the gov- schools grounds and sports stadiums. the Chamber, said. ernment to see that the law is implement- The changes take place within a wide- “It will create too many problems in ed, ministry spokesman Faik Hoti said. ranging Law on Tobacco Control society, starting with the fact that most He cautioned that implementation approved by MPs in April and signed by people smoke and our regular customers would take time. “You cannot expect this President Atifete Jahjaga. are smokers,” agreed Emir Shala, owner law to be implemented within 24 hours, The law, which also prohibits tobacco of Prishtina’s Apartment bar. but with time it will succeed and be one of advertising, lays down fines for people Shala said he was trying to follow the the most positive steps taken to protect who light up in public spaces and for law by having customers smoke on a ter- public health,” he said. managers of bars who allow smoking on race. Hoti maintained that Kosovo was ready the premises. “I don’t know what we will do because for the ban. “Several years have passed The law also obliges the public broad- some customers do not understand. But [since the first smoking regulations] and caster, Radio and Television Kosovo, RTK, we will try to implement the law,” he said. there has been good preparation for this,” to air programmes that raise awareness Some establishments banned smoking he said. Y of the dangers of smoking. long before the law took effect, including Some signs of the law were already vis- The government is also prohibited M the Metropol, on Mother Teresa ible on Wednesday. Some supermarkets from receiving any assistance from the C Boulevard. had covered up cigarette advertising at tobacco industry or from hiring anyone K Kosovo’s new tobacco law prohibits smoking indoors. “We haven’t had any problems. The checkouts, for example. neighbourhood May 24 - June 6, 2013 7 Amnesty Lists Rights Failings in Balkans in 2012 The Amnesty International Report for 2012 listed war crimes prosecutions and discrimination against sexual and ethnic minorities as among the most pressing rights issues in the Balkans. before domestic courts but tims and their families with progress remained slow and access to reparation. impunity persisted. Many civil- Discrimination against Roma By Prishtina Insight ian victims of the 1990s war were continued in terms of access to still denied access to justice and economic and social rights, reparations. including education, employ- The Amnesty report also noted ment and housing. Measures that Bosnia again failed to imple- undertaken by the authorities KOSOVO ment the 2009 judgement of the remained insufficient. European Court of Human Croatian Serbs continued to Roma faced widespread and per- Rights in the case brought by a face discrimination, mainly in sistent discrimination, in Kosovo, Roma, Dervo Sejdi, and a Jew, relation to housing and employ- the report said. Jakob Finci, concerning discrim- ment, report said. The report also noted that only ination against the minorities. just over 300 Serbs had returned Top governing posts in the MACEDONIA voluntarily to Kosovo during the country are currently reserved course of the year. only for three constituent peo- The Amnesty International "Violent and other attacks on ples, Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats, report noted “further deteriora- returning Kosovo Serbs contin- and the ruling told Bosnia to tion” in relations between ethnic ued," it said. "In Klina municipali- amend this. Macedonians and ethnic ty, returnees received threatening The report also said that Albanians in 2012. letters; two houses recently recon- despite an Anti-discrimination The report mentioned the structed for Serb returnees were Law prohibiting discrimination February killing of two burned down." on the grounds of sexual orienta- Albanians by an off-duty Meanwhile, a 2011 Law on tion and gender identity, the Macedonian policeman in Witness Protection, which entered authorities did not develop a sys- Gostivar, as well as the arrest of into force in September, was not tem to register discrimination 20 and subsequent terrorism implemented by the end of the cases. charges against five ethnic year. State institutions failed to pub- Albanians in May, suspected of According to the report, the gov- licly condemn homophobic vio- the killings of five Macedonian ernment's Commission for lence; no one had been held men at a lake outside Skopje ear- Missing Persons largely failed to responsible for the attacks on the lier that year. implement the 2011 Law on organizers and participants of “Thousands of Albanians Missing Persons. the 2008 Queer Festival. protested against the arrests and the authorities’ depiction of BULGARIA them as terrorists” the report noted. The report said Albania’s judi- Roma continued to face discrim- Amnesty said that quarrels cial system failed to deliver jus- ination in areas such as education, between government partners tice in a case of enforced disap- employment, health care and also sparked ethnic tensions Amnesty International has cited numerous human rights failings in the Balkans. pearance and in the unlawful housing, the Amnesty report said. when in August the main ruling (Riacale/Flickr) killing of protestors in the Conditions of detention fell short VMRO DPMNE party proposed a January 21, 2011 riots while tor- of international human rights draft law on reparations to in front of her home in March the segregation of Roma children ture and ill-treatment in police standards. Macedonian army and police vet- 2012. and the effective denial of access departments were described as "In December, the European erans that fought in the 2001 Continuing discrimination to education were contributing to disturbing. Committee for the Prevention of armed conflict. against the LGBT community and the lower levels of education The rights watchdog noted that Torture criticized detention condi- “In October, the bill was delays in providing more than found among the Roma communi- UN Committee against Torture tions and ill-treatment reported in derailed in parliament by the 3,000 Roma and Ashkali refugees ty. Forced evictions of Roma fami- had expressed concerns about the Bulgarian prisons," the report coalition party, the Albanian who fled Kosovo in 1999 with per- lies are also referred to. investigations by the Ministry of said. Democratic Union for manent housing are further chal- Interior into alleged ill-treatment Homophobic violence persisted, Integration, because it did not lenges to respect for human SERBIA by police. the report continued. "Bulgarian provide for the National rights. The same Committee reported legislation does not currently Liberation Army (NLA) combat- The report said that forced evic- that basic safeguards against tor- criminalize hate crimes perpetrat- ants, an armed group which had ROMANIA tions of Roma had continued in ture were not provided to people ed on the basis of sexual orienta- fought the government forces,” Belgrade in 2012. "Around 1,000 in detention, including timely tion or gender identity," it reads. the report recalled. Excessive use of police force Roma were forcibly evicted in access to lawyers and doctors. It Amnesty International also said The report further mentioned during anti-austerity and anti- April from the Belvil settlement by also noted the excessive length of that asylum-seekers continue to that relatives of missing persons government demonstrations, dis- the Belgrade City authorities. pre-trial detentions. face obstacles in accessing inter- abducted in the 2001 conflict were crimination against the Roma Almost half were returned to According to the Amnesty national protection. denied access to justice last year community and the failure to hold southern Serbia; many were made report, violence in the family and that conditions in places of a full and open inquiry into the homeless," the report said. remains widespread in Albania, detention fell short of minimum detention and torture of prison- The rights of gay people were with 2,526 reported incidents of standards. ers held under the CIA’s rendition also violated, it noted. According domestic violence, 345 more than "Despite some progress in prose- program are among Amnesty’s to the report, in September 2012 a in the previous year. cuting crimes under internation- MONTENEGRO complaints about Romania in gay man was beaten with a meat Discrimination against Roma and al law committed during the 1991- 2012. hammer by youths in a homopho- other minorities is also of con- 1995 war, the measures taken to The report on Montenegro par- The Amnesty report recalls alle- bic attack in Belgrade. A month cern. address impunity remained inad- ticularly criticized verdicts in gations of excessive use of force later, the Prime Minister banned equate," the report reads. war-crimes cases and continuing by Romanian police in anti-auster- the Belgrade Pride for the second BOSNIA AND According to the report, crimes pressures on independent media. ity protests and also questions a year running on the basis of allegedly committed by the “In some cases (court) proceed- parliamentary proposal from unspecified security threats. HERZEGOVINA Croatian Army and police ings were not fully in line with September 2012 to introduce The report also noted that pro- against Croatian Serbs and other international standards, and ver- mandatory counseling for preg- ceedings continued at the The report for Bosnia noted that minorities remained uninvesti- dicts were inconsistent with nant women, which could impact Belgrade Special War Crimes nationalist rhetoric by the main gated. international law,” the report on women’s freedom to choose Chamber. Some 37 defendants political parties had increased in Of the total number of regis- said. abortion, it said. being convicted in first-instance 2012. Institutions at state level, tered war crime cases only 112 With regard to the freedom of Roma children were still being war crimes trials, but only seven including the judiciary, reported- cases - 10 per cent - were complet- expression, the document specifi- placed in schools for children with new indictments were issued. Y ly weakened. ed before the domestic courts. cally mentions the case of Olivera disabilities, in separate schools or Some witnesses were allegedly M Prosecution of crimes under The report also said that the Lakic, journalist of opposition in separate classrooms, according threatened by officials charged C international law continued authorities failed to provide vic- daily “Vijesti”, who was beaten up to Amnesty, which also said that with their protection, it said. K 8 May 24 - June 6, 2013 profile Zoran Raskovic - The Jackal Who Repented The Serbian paramilitary who became a key prosecution witness at his former comrades’ trial for war crimes in Kosovo says he had to speak out about the brutal massacres his unit committed.

receiving threats from former Jackals and In 1998, after finishing high school, he did from the police protection unit. his compulsory military service, serving as Raskovic said that all this has proved that a guard for Vladimir Lazarevic, who at the the society “doesn’t want to hear the truth time was the chief of the Yugoslav Army’s By Marija Ristic about Kosovo”. Corps. Lazarevic has since been “I wonder if I was more manipulated back sentenced to 15 years in prison for war in 1999, when as an 20-year-old boy I proudly crimes in Kosovo in 1999 by the Hague oran Raskovic has been called a hero went to war, thinking that this is the way to Tribunal. and a war criminal, a patriot and a defend my land from ‘evil Albanians’, or During his twelve-month service, the Ztraitor, a crazy man and a genius. now, because I wanted to tell the truth and I armed conflict between the guerrilla Kosovo Asked by Prishtina Insight to describe him- endangered the lives of my closest, because Liberation Army and the Serbian security self, he said he was “a man of truth”. I believed that the time had come for facing forces started, and Raskovic says he wit- “I want to end this 15-year-long silence. I the past and for reconciliation,” Raskovic nessed disturbing scenes of Serb civilians want to remove the burden from my chest said. being killed in Kosovo Liberation Army and the cross I carry on my head,” said for- camp Klecka and Radonjic lake, which con- mer Serb paramilitary Zoran Raskovic, now Twice a refugee vinced him to join up and fight “for Kosovo’s the prosecution’s key witness in the case land”. against 13 Serbian fighters charged with Explaining what he meant by “manipula- “When I came back, Pec [] was not the committing war crimes in four Kosovo vil- tion”-in the 1990s, Raskovic said that “all same town. Six Serb children were killed in lages during the 1999 war. these wars and that campaign Cafe Panda, hate and intolerance was every- Raskovic, a former member from all sides that someone where,” Raskovic said. of the Jackals paramilitary is taking our land made Working in a local coffee shop, he met unit, has been a witness me think I was doing Nebojsa Minic, alias ‘Mrtvi’ (‘Dead’), a noto- Zoran Raskovic says he’s changed a lot at the special court in something right. You rious criminal and member of several para- since the 1990s. Belgrade on several know, I was a refugee military groups and a police unit called occasions, giving from Croatia and Munje (Lightning), which is suspected of was rampaging around the area of vivid testimonies now from Kosovo.” committing some of the most heinous war Metohija, spreading fear and horror among about their brutal Raskovic was crimes. Albanians,” he added. massacres in the born in the In 2010, the Serbian war crimes prosecu- villages of Ljub e - Croatian town of The deadly Jackals tor indicted fighters Toplica Miladinovic, nic, Pavlan, Rijeka while the Srecko Popovic, Slavisa Kastratovic, Boban Zahac and Cuska, country was still Minic recruited him to a new unit, called Bogicevic, Radoslav Brnovic, Vidoje all in the area part of Yugoslavia. the Jackals, which consisted of dozens of Koricanin, Veljko Koricanin, Abdulah around the In the middle of Serbian fighters and according to Raskovic Sokic, Milojko Nikolic, Sinisa Misic, Zoran Kosovo town the deadly Balkan was “tasked for dirty and most dangerous Obradovic, Dejan Bulatovic and Ranko of Pec/Peja. war, as a fifteen- work”. Momic for killing more than 100 ethnic For the year-old boy, he “I was impressed at the time because I Albanians in the villages of Zahac, Pavlan, past two fled from his home- was part of the unit. I was a kid back then, Ljubenic and Cuska in Kosovo in 1999. years, Rasko - town to Kosovo. Mrtvi was respected and he liked me. That At the trial, Raskovic, identified the vic has been “With my father, was enough for me. For me, he was the alpha majority of the men as the direct perpetra- under constant mother and young and the omega,” said Raskovic. tors of the massacres. police protection, brother, as a “He told us then, ‘We need men like you, All of them except Toplica Miladinovic, because when he refugee for the first the state needs us.’ At that time, that who was a Yugoslav Army commander, are decided to testify time, we went to Pec, was enough for me because I didn’t alleged to have been members of the under his own the town where my understood what we were doing as Jackals. name, he and family comes from,” I understand now,” he said. The Jackals’ command his family Raskovic said. “For 100 days this unit structure is still a sub- started ject of dispute, as many of its members claimed during the trial that they were part of a regular army unit and not paramilitaries. Raskovic says that the leader of the unit was Minic, but he often consulted the Yugoslav Army command in Pec. “We had army symbols, benefits that the army had, like gas and arms. And Mrtvi had official docu- ments saying that he was an officer. I don’t know if he was under Yugoslav Army command, but I know I took him at least ten times to the Yugoslav Army command for consultation,” Raskovic. Minic never faced criminal charges because he died of AIDS in Argentina in 2005. It is believed that he had close ties with the Serbian police and senior officials. profile May 24 - June 6, 2013 9

“I wanted to look all of them in the eyes. This was not done by Serbia, but by individuals. I wanted to remove this burden from my soul. I wanted this to be heard in Prishtina, Belgrade and Brussels. I don’t think it is patriotic to be silent about these crimes, especially if you burn and kill whole villages. This is cowardice.” - Zoran Raskovic

It was initially planned that Raskovic Life after the massacres would testify under a codename to con- ceal his identity, but for the first time in Following the signing of the Kumanovo Serbian court history, a protected witness agreement on June 9, 1999, which ended the decided to testify publicly so he could , Raskovic and his family fled to “tell the truth about the horrors in central Serbia. He then become a part of Kosovo”. several criminal gangs and shortly after the “I wanted to look all of them in the war was sentenced to 12 years in prison eyes. This was not done by Serbia, but by for robbing a bank. individuals. I wanted to remove this bur- In his defence, he says that he was only den from my soul. I wanted this to be trying to “steal the stolen”, because the heard in Prishtina, Belgrade and bank he robbed was owned by Serbian Brussels. I don’t think it is patriotic to be Raskovic, at age 16, in Peja. tycoon Miroslav Miskovic, who has since silent about these crimes, especially if been charged with illegally earning more you burn and kill whole villages. This is card two years ago when the last one state to provide me with my basic human than 30 million euro from privatised road cowardice,” Raskovic said. expired, but the authorities are still rights, while all the other Jackals are companies. During the trial he received blatant refusing to give it to him. walking around Belgrade freely,” he said. While in prison, Raskovic led several threats from his former comrades. “I complained and asked for help from In the future, Raskovic said he would uprisings, the largest one in 2006, when “I have become aware that a criminal is every possible institution – the police, like to return to Kosovo. hundreds of inmates sewed and stapled a criminal. We can not justify our acts by the prosecution, the judge and the “I have land there. I didn’t sell any- their tongues to their mouths in a protest saying ‘they did this to us, so we will take ombudsman. Everybody said they will thing. I would like to return and start a for better prison conditions. revenge’,” he said. help, but I am still without my ID,” new life. That is why I talked. It is time He escaped from prison twice, and Today, he says he is effectively “state- Raskovic said. for a true dialogue, because I don’t have when he finally left jail, he became a pro- less” because he has no official identity “I feel manipulated, or rather, double- another 15 years to wait. tected witness in the Jackals’ case. documents; he filed a request for an ID crossed, because I am asking my own “I want to return home,” he said. Serbia Arrests 2 Ex-Paramilitaries in Brutal 1999 Village Massacre

Raskovic, who was a member of the “There were around 60 to 100 villagers killings began, he said. Jackals during the Kosovo war, gave vivid gathered. They looked so scared. Like “I just remember seeing three more testimony at Belgrade special court on sheep before the slaughter. Then one members [of the unit] shooting randomly By Marija Ristic April 22 about the brutal murders commit- Albanian stepped out of the group and at the group of civilians gathered there. I ted in Ljubenic by his unit. said: ‘Why are you acting like bandits?’ don’t know how long that lasted. But I can “It was early in the morning when we “Then ‘Mrtvi’ [‘Dead’, the nickname for still see their bloody bodies. That was a entered Ljubenic,” Raskovic told the the former commander of the unit, massacre,” Raskovic said. erbian police have arrested two men, court. Nebojsa Minic] just shot him and said: At the beginning of the trial, Raskovic including a current member of the “It was a regular army action - we ‘Everyone who tries to offend the Serb was a protected witness, but later decided Scountry’s special police unit, on suspi- entered the village, forced villagers to police will end up like this,’” Raskovic to reject the protection measures, claim- cion that they helped murder at least 65 leave their houses and gather at the centre continued. ing he had been intimidated by the police’s Albanian civilians in a Kosovo village. of the village near the mosque,” he said. After these initial shootings, the mass witness protection unit. Announcing the arrests on Tuesday, Belgrade’s war crimes prosecutor said that the detained men were among five people “suspected of having committed war crimes against at least 65 Albanian civil- ians” in the Kosovo village of Ljubenic, which was attacked by Serbian paramili- taries in April 1999. The men, identified only by the initials K.V. and P.L., are also suspected of the “deportation and transportation of the bodies of those killed in village of Ljubenic to the police [training] centre in Batajnica [in Belgrade]”, where a mass grave containing around 750 bodies from Kosovo was discovered in 2001. One of the detained suspects is a mem- ber of Serbia’s special police unit, the ‘gendarmerie’, while the other’s current position is so far unknown. The attack on Ljubenic by the Serbian paramilitary unit called the Jackals, which acted under the patronage of the Yugoslav Army, came in the middle of the conflict between Serbian forces and Kosovo Liberation Army on April 1, 1999. Thirteen former Serbian fighters are already on trial for killing at least 100 Albanians in four Kosovo villages – Ljubenic, Cuska, Pavlan, Zahac – from April until June 1999. Key prosecution witness Zoran The Jackals were a notorious Serb paramilitary unit in Kosovo. 10 May 24 - June 6, 2013 neighbourhood Serbia’s Right-Wingers Dream of Nationalist Resurgence The protests over the Kosovo agreement revealed deep divisions among Serbia's right-wingers, but they could still become a serious force if they tap into public disappointment with the government.

By Nemanja Cabric

itting under a religious icon next to a map of Kosovo at Sthe Belgrade headquarters of the new Zavetnici (Testifiers) movement, Milica Djurdjevic dreams about unifying all the movements that are fighting against European Union member- ship and want to keep Kosovo within Serbia. Djurdjevic, political science stu- dent, said that her organisation, launched in February last year, has several thousand members. It uses a modern internet approach to popularise its views and mem- bership is growing, she insisted. “We are fighting for a change in the way the state is run - a change of government, looking towards Russia and against EU member- ship,” Djurdjevic explained, eye- ing the small Serbian flag on her desk. Zavetnici was one of the various right-wing groups that protested in the capital against the EU-bro- kered Brussels agreement between Belgrade and Pristina on May 10th . Demonstrators includ- ed some leading Orthodox Church Milica Djurdjevic carrying a poster with words "Serbia, don’t allow your hearth to stop.” (Photo/Slavko Dimitrijevic) officials, opposition groups like the Serbian Radical Party and the opposition DSS, led by Vojislav says it wants to “unify all Serbian Montenegro eparchy and “If unified, this might be a Democratic Party of Serbia, DSS, Kostunica. lands”, says it will go to Atanasije Jevtic, a retired bishop - force in the next elections and I the conservative, pro-church Dveri On top of that, they have a hard Gazimestan on June 28th, instead denounced Dacic along with don’t see how any government movement and the banned ultra- time getting media attention as of attending the Belgrade protest. Serbian President Tomislav could be formed without them. nationalist organisation Obraz. Serbia's mainstream outlets are “I think it is more important to Nikolic and deputy prime minis- They will profit more from the The protest, organised by traditionally aligned with the gov- be at Gazimestan on Vidovdan (St ter Aleksandar Vucic as traitors. economic crisis, the issue of Kosovo Serbs, attracted several ernment. Vitus' Day) and show that Kosovo They held a public prayer for the Kosovo and the loss of territories thousand people. The demonstra- June 28th, the anniversary of is still Serbian than to participate Serbian government to come to its where Serbs live,” he said. tors demanded that the Serbian the battle of Kosovo in 1389, would in a promotion of political par- senses. However, just a day later, Bakic believes that the Church constitutional court challenge the be one possible date to showcase ties,” SNP 1389 representative Patriarch Irinej slammed the cler- would support a unified national- Brussels agreement that saw the right-wing unity but the national- Igor Jovanovic said. ics for participating in the protest ist bloc because it shares a simi- Serbian authorities agree to dis- ists are already squabbling over “The big question is whether without his blessing. lar ideology: traditionalism, fami- mantle their institutions in north- who will rally where. There are the Belgrade rally will be a wide In Zavetnici’s small office, ly values, xenophobia and homo- ern Kosovo and put them under two major events announced for popular protest or just a rally of packed with flags, posters, and phobia. Pristina's jurisdiction in exchange the same day, one in Belgrade and languishing opposition parties,” leaflets, some of the movement’s He sees the lack of a strong and for an EU accession date. the other at Gazimestan in Kosovo, he added. members lamented that there is authoritarian leader as the right- The demonstration should have where a monument to the battle Another group, SNP Nasi no political party or organisation wing bloc’s most serious weak- been a showcase for a united and stands. (‘Ours’), which was united with that is standing up for what they ness. vigorous nationalist movement Traditionally, right-wing groups SNP 1389 until 2010, will also go believe. “I am not sure who will emerge but instead revealed its core weak- together with church officials, to Gazimestan and not protest in “Over 30 per cent of Serbian as a leader, bearing in mind that nesses. politicians and ordinary people Belgrade. people support the causes we Kostunica is an old and outdated The turnout was played down by from across Serbia gather at Ivan Ivanovic, the president of stand for,” said Zavetnici presi- figure, while the Radicals’ leader mainstream Serbian media but Gazimenstan, under police protec- SNP Nasi, has also announced a dent Stefan Stamenkovski. Vojislav Seselj is on trial in the was still too low to show serious tion, to commemorate the battle series of events across Serbia “We need a consensus from all Hague and the Dveri political power. which is seen as a symbol of aimed at bringing down the cur- political sides to get what we party has so far not delivered a “There is more talk about unifi- Serbian patriotism. rent government of “traitors”. want: to stop the implementation strong personality. Still, I think cation than real action,” said Marko Jaksic, a DSS deputy Zavetnici will however, partici- of the Brussels agreement and that this is the bloc that has the Djurdjevic. from North Mitrovica in Kosovo, pate in the Belgrade protest, and create that long-awaited national- biggest growth potential,” he She remains optimistic, howev- who bitterly opposes the Brussels will join other Kosovo gatherings ist bloc,” he said. said. er: “This is the moment when all agreement, told BIRN that this either the day before or the day Political analyst Jovo Bakic Milica Djurdjevic has similar political fractions should act year he wants to see opposition after. explained that the Radicals, hopes. together. That could at some point parties like the Radicals and As well as lack of unity, the before their split with Nikolic's “I am disappointed in both the result in a joint political platform Dveri as well as the DSS organise right-wing bloc is also suffering Progressive Party, used to be the ruling parties and the opposition. and participation in new elec- a protest in Belgrade. because of the contradictory mes- driving force that united all these The problem is that we do not tions.” “The issue of Kosovo and sages coming from the Serbian movements ideologically. have an opposition that is strong However, that point does not Metohija is not only an issue for Orthodox Church, widely per- The ruling Progressive Party enough to stand up against the look likely to come soon. The Kosovo Serbs, it is a nationwide ceived as the defender of Kosovo has changed dramatically since government,” she said. nationalist bloc in Serbia is far issue and everyone should get and the nation. the split in 2008, going from patri- “Our goal is to enter politics from united. Some organisations involved more actively in the In April, Patriarch Irinej sent otic defenders of Kosovo to eager because we can win the battle are banned, others have differing defence of Kosovo and Metohija,” an open letter to Prime Minister EU supporters. As a consequence, there. That is how we can avoid strategies, many struggle to find he said. Ivica Dacic, asking him to quit a significant number of right- media censorship and marginali- Y funds, they lack clear support But the Serbian National negotiations with Kosovo offi- wing voters, some 20 to 25 per cent sation,” she insisted. M from the Serbian Orthodox Movement, known as SNP 1389, a cials. During the Belgrade protest of the electorate, are not repre- “Yes,” Stamenkovski agreed C Church and only one party repre- right-wing organisation with tens on May 10th , two top bishops - sented in parliament, Bakic enthusiastically. “We need to pene- K sents their views in parliament: of thousands of members which Amfilohije Radovic from the argued. trate the system. news May 24 - June 6, 2013 11 Croatia Leads Balkans on Gay Rights Legislation Croatia leads the Balkans in providing the best legal environment for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people, while Macedonia offers the least protection, new research says. continues. The survey was conducted by ILGA-Europe based on data on By Bojana Barlovac developments at a national level in 49 countries in Europe. Albania came second in the Balkans, scoring 38 per cent. roatia scored 48 per cent on "Albania continued to make a checklist of laws that progress at the institutional level Cinclude rules on non-dis- towards greater recognition and crimination, gender recognition protection of LGBTI people," the and hate speech, making it the survey said. regional leader, according to the "At the same time, homophobia research ahead of International and transphobia remained wide- Day Against Homophobia and spread," it continued. Transphobia earlier this month. Romania was the next best "Croatian officials continued to ranked in the Balkans with 31 per gradually improve the human cent. rights situation for LGBTI people," The survey warned however the study said. that the risk of discrimination or Gay pride in Croatia in 2010. (Photo/Goran Zec) It was also noted that the violence targeting LGBTI people Croatian authorities had ensured said. sions," the study said. absence of any proactive policy to remains high in the country. there was adequate police protec- "The risk of physical attacks and Overt homophobia and trans- ensure its effective implementa- According to the survey, tion for participants at the Split threats against members of the phobia expressed by government tion," the study said. Montenegro scored 27 per cent, Pride demonstration, which saw LGBTI community also continued and religious leaders as well as by Macedonia was ranked the worst and the country is still dogged by violence in 2011, and the event was to be high," it said. extremist groups remained com- in the Balkans with 13 per cent. hate speech and violent attacks. even attended by five government In Bosnia, which scored 20 per mon in Bulgaria, which scored 18 The survey said that discrimina- Serbia came in fifth place in the officials. cent, homophobia and transphobia per cent. tion against the LGBTI community Balkans with 25 per cent. "The government also expressed remain common with limited or no Rampant homophobia also remained widespread in the coun- The study said that despite some its intention to remove the degrad- action taken by the authorities to remains a serious threat for LGBTI try, often fuelled by homophobic improvements, the situation ing and offensive references to address discrimination, harass- people in Kosovo, which scored 14 rhetoric from officials. remains difficult. homosexuality identified in biolo- ment or violence. per cent. "Journalists also contributed "The right to freedom of assem- gy and religious education text- "Positively, [Bosnia’s] blood "While anti-discrimination legis- significantly towards the stigmati- bly of LGBTI people was violated , while LGBT specific con- transfusion institute amended its lation on the grounds of sexual ori- sation of the LGBTI community this year as the Belgrade Pride was tent was included in official cur- blood donation regulations by entation is in place, the impact of through sensationalist and inflam- banned by authorities,” the study ricula of the police academy," it deleting the discriminatory provi- the law remains very limited in the matory articles," the survey added. Tour Operators Cash in on Tito Legend Tour operators across the former Yugoslavia have spied a lucrative and very capitalist opportunity in the cult surrounding the old Socialist dictator.

Snazana Jovanovska, head of to last from 11 to 15 days, offering Macedonian Hospitality and travellers several days’ stay in Tourism Association, after the each country. By Sinisa Jakov Marusic Belgrade meeting. "Our goal is to The tour may include visits to create an original story that will Tito’s birth place in Kumrovec in sell. Croatia, his presidential palace “This is not about politics and in Belgrade in Serbia, and his tour based on the personali- the idea should not be associated villa on Lake Ohrid in ty cult surrounding with it. Tito is a celebrity and I Macedonia. AYugoslavia's late president, believe if we promote it well, we Tourists will also sample Tito’s Josip Broz Tito, was agreed last could make a really interesting favourite dishes, listen to old week at a regional tour operators’ tour,” Jovanovska added. Yugoslav music from his era and meeting in Belgrade. The meeting was attended by gain insight into his most-loved “We have been searching for a tourist associations from six for- places across the former state. product that will differentiate our mer Yugoslav states, , Ranko Petorvic, the founder of region, especially because the Macedonia, Bosnia, Serbia, the first Tito-themed restaurant Balkans since the [1990s] wars lost Croatia and Montenegro. in Skopje, Kaj Marsalot (At the some of its attraction,” said The initial plan is for the tour Marshal’s Place) also had a few ideas to offer. “A youth brigade could simulate collective construction work endeavours. Young people could participate in sharing the socialist ideals of unity, friendship, mutual help and humanity… A scouts’ camp could be made and socialist songs sung around the bonfire,” Petrovic told the newspaper Nova Makedonija. “It would be good to stage an exhibition with photos from the The legend of Tito persists in the former Yugoslavia. work endeavours… and at the end admired by many in the West as a defector from the Soviet bloc, of the tour, tourists could be benign dictator, and was praised which he quit in 1948 in order pur- brought to Tito’s villas in Skopje for maintaining peaceful coexis- sue a neutral foreign policy during and in Ohrid,” he said. tence between the peoples of the Cold War. The country fell Because of his non-aligned Yugoslavia. apart just over ten years after his diplomatic stance, Tito was The tour could include visits to Tito’s birthplace in Kumrovec, Croatia. He was the only successful death in 1980. 12 May 24 - June 6, 2013 feature

Prevalla The Cost of Luxury

nvironmental inspectors suspended construction Tuesday of seven homes being built at a housing development at Prevalla Mountain, some 30 kilometres from EPrizren. This follows the order of Kosovo’s Environment Minister, Dardan Gashi, who declared on May 2 that breaches of the existing construction plan, in which houses are exceeding approved sizes and using unapproved building materials, were d feature May 24 - June 6, 2013 13

nvironmental inspectors sus- In the coming weeks, authori- hectares that are within 27 pended construction Tuesday ties will review more than 120 hectares of land in Prevalla des- Eof seven homes being built at houses and see which ones have tined for the housing develop- a housing development at Prevalla gone beyond the urban plan fore- ment. Mountain, some 30 kilometres from seen by the Prizren municipality. Prizren declared itself owner of Prizren. Authorities estimate that around more than 2 hectares of publicly This follows the order of 90 houses do not fit the plan, most- owned land in 2004. The former Kosovo’s Environment Minister, ly owing to the their sizes. Kosovo Trust Agency filed suit in Dardan Gashi, who declared on After this, owners will be asked the Special Chamber of the May 2 that breaches of the exist- to reduce the size on the given Supreme Court alleging that the ing construction plan, in which time frame. If they do not obey, transfer of property was illegal. houses are exceeding approved houses will be demolished. The Special Chamber passed the sizes and using unapproved build- Meanwhile, Prizren is in a legal case to the Municipal Court in ing materials, were degrading the dispute with the Kosovo’s Prizren, which has not yet taken a environment. Privatisation Agency about 2 decision on the disputed area.

120 - Homes being developed in Prevalla 90 - Homes thought to be violating development plan 27 - Hectares of land being developed at Prevalla mountain

Y M C K 14 May 24 - June 6, 2013 culture Troubled Albanian Museum Sunk by Hoxha Row

Donors spent hundreds of thousands of euro building a museum in Gjirokastra - but the results were questionable and it ultimately closed over an ideological dispute.

tle, Gjirokastra is a rare example of a well-preserved Ottoman town. Following its designation as a By Besar Likmeta UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005, funds from the government and international donors to pro- tect its cultural heritage slowly jirokastra — Locked away flowed in. in a complex of three gal- GCDO started work on the Gleries with soaring vaults museum in 2007, and its stands and cupolas on the ground floor of were supposed to narrate the rich Gjirokastra’s castle stand several history of the city and the sur- photographic stands, a flat screen rounding Drino valley from TV with a DVD player, and two dis- ancient to modern times plays of artifacts. The museum was named after a Although donors and the gov- novel of Albania’s most renowned ernment spent nearly half a mil- writer, Ismail Kadare, about the lion euro on preparing the gal- life of the small town during leries for exhibits, the roof of the World War Two. Kadare was also castle still leaks, creating large born in Gjirokastra and the city pools of water among the stands. features often in his novels. Attendants will only turn on the The museum held its inaugura- lights on at the visitors’ own risk, tion ceremony on World Heritage warning that a short circuit due to day in September 2012. However, humidity could happen at any the city council of Gjirokastra moment. What should have been never gave its approval so it closed Gjirokastra’s newest museum only a few months later. named “A Chronicle in Stone’ is Documents released to now closed to the general public. Prishtina Insight show that from The contents of the museum, 2008 to 2012, GCDO received sever- which was created by the al grants from various donors, Gjirokastra Development including the Packard Humanities Foundation, GCDO, were never Institute, the Hadley Trust and the approved by the State Committee Fidelity Charitable Gift Fund to on Monuments, which has dis- create the museum and revitalize agreed over its content. the castle. Experts complain that the muse- In 2008, Albania’s Institute of um is poorly designed and Monuments spent €140,000 on describe it as merely an exhibi- waterproofing parts of the castle tion. They have also questioned terrace. GCDO’s use of donor funds. The GCDO spent another However, what ultimately led to The Chronicle in Stone museum is closed to the general public. €140,000 from the Packard Institute its closure was a little display and other donors on restoring the The GCDO also spent €86,000 on March 1, the head of the Institute committee did not approve it [the about Albania’s former Stalinist three galleries, installing a new research, design and on consulta- of Monuments, Apollon Bace, museum],” he added. dictator, Enver Hoxha, who was electrical system and on water- tions with experts and the public questioned the GCDO’s work. GCDO’s executive director, Sadi born in the town. proofing part of the castle roof for the museum. “I have objected to this muse- Petrela, admits the museum did With its distinctive cobbled directly above. But the institutions overseeing um… because it has ended up not receive a stamp of approval stone streets, towering slate roofs Another €42,000 was spent on the contents of the exhibition did being a mere exhibit,” Bace said. from the authorities but denies and an old overshadowed installing solar panels to light the not approve of the results. “Gjirokastra has many other that donor funds were misman- by an imposing 19th-century cas- entrance gallery of the castle. In a statement to reporters on objects that could have been aged. included, but they ended up with “The monuments committee a stand on Enver Hoxha,” he asked us to remove the stand added. about Enver Hoxha’s life,” Petrela Bace also questioned how the said.“We tried to reach a compro- GCDO had spent its donor funds, mise but it was not possible,” he arguing that other museums had added. been much cheaper. According to Petrela, the “There has been an abuse of process of legalizing the museum funds here, considering that the should have gone on in the munic- Apollonia museum was created ipality of Gjirokstra but stalled with only a fund of €69,300,” he after the GCDO failed to obtain added. approval from the State During a hearing on February Committee of Museums. 26 in the parliamentary commis- “For every dime we spent from sion on education and media, the the donors, everything is trans- then Minister of Culture, Aldo parent,” he said. “In my opinion Bumci, said the state committee this is a complete museum but not on museums had not approved the yet a legal one,” Petrela conclud- museum and had urged the ed. municipality to close it. In a statement to reporters on “We had concerns about the March 1, the head of the Institute part [of the exhibition] related to of Monuments, Apollon Bace, the dictator [Hoxha] where we questioned the GCDO’s work. sought modifications, and also “Gjirokastra has many other about the lack of a permit from objects that could have been Y the local city council,” Bumci included, but they ended up with a M said. stand on Enver Hoxha,” Apollon C “They did not take action on Bace, head of the Institute of K The thousands of euro spent on waterproofing were apparently unsuccessful. either point, which is why the Monuments, culture May 24 - June 6, 2013 15 Cavdarbasha Gallery Reopens

By Donjeta Demolli

he gallery of the late Kosovar sculpture Agim Cavdarbasha had Tbeen shuttered ever since rioters torched it in 2004. The Caglavica gallery - just outside Prishtina - reopened this month, follow- ing renovations that began in 2011. “By restoring the gallery, the institu- tions and society are showing their care toward artists who have worked with a lot of passion and have left behind a precious cultural treasure,” said Eqem Basha, a friend of Cavdarbasha, at an opening ceremony May 15. The gallery showcases the work of Cavdarbasha, who died in 1999. The Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sports financed the project, which cost more than 80,000 euro. “It was one of the tasks I had for myself as a minister, to restore this gallery as it used to be and I am extremely happy that we managed,” said Culture Minister Memli Krasniqi.

The Cavdarbasha gallery had been closed in 2004. marketing

Y M C The work of Agim Cavdarbasha, who died in 1999, continues to be influential. K 16 May 24 - June 6, 2013 Guide

Here is Prishtina Insight’s guide to the best places in town to eat, drink, shop and be merry. We’ll keep this section updated with the newest and coolest places

town. Select a booth, ask the amiable staff to seat, if you intend to make a night of it. Next opening in Kosovo. tune into your match and grab a 'double to A&A restaurant and has round windows. decker' or 'triple burger', which look like Opens: 8pm-to late. Shut on Sundays. Restaurants: community of Kosovo. If you are acquaint- American fast-food classics but taste better. ed with Thai food, you're not in for any sur- Friday night Karaoke is a must-see, must- prises here, with the typical assortment of Fastfood: Liburnia 1 and 2 sing event. curries, salads and deep fried treats, deliv- Rr Meto Bajraktar, tel. +381 (0)38 222 719. Hard Rockers Club ered to decent standards. At 7 or 8 euro for a There are actually two Liburnias opposite Road Ilaz Kodra, contact: vraja_fatos@ hot- Bel Ami main course, it's relatively pricey compared each other, both very similar in style and mail.com. It's one of the few places in Rr Luan Haradinaj, Tel: +377 (0)44 133 848, to its neighbours. Open Monday-Thursday food. Housed in a fine Ottoman abode and Prishtina where you can catch regular live +386 49 133 848. The ideal town-centre stop 11:00-14:00 and 17:45-22:30; Friday-Sunday surrounded by pleasant walled gardens, acts and the only place which caters for for a quick lunch or takeaway snack, Bel 11:00-23:00. Liburnia oozes atmosphere, whether in win- those who like their rock served up heavy, or Ami unceremoniously serves some of the ter or summer. The food is a roll call of hard. On a quiet night, it's quite a comfort- best chicken doner in Prishtina in a surpris- Renaissance II decent traditional Albanian food, including able venue to grab a beer, even if you are not ingly un-greasy, smoke-free environment. Rr. George Bush (behind the Pro Credit Bank the usual stews (tave) and grilled meat. It’s being entertained by hirsute musicians . Ask for a “komplet” to get the classic doner HQ), tel. +377 (0)44 118 796. Renaissance not the best place in town to sample local packed with salad and sauces and wrapped offers arguably the best overall dining expe- delicacies, but a good choice given the set- The Cuban in tin foil. Monday-Friday 9 am - 7.30 pm; rience in Prishtina. It's quite an experience ting. Open 8 am - 11 pm Road Luan Haradinaj Tel: +377(0) 45 620 620. Saturday 9 am - 8 pm. just to find the place. Tucked away along a This is a decent addition to the city's drink- tiny alleyway, you enter the homely, stone Country House ing scene, even if the place can be full of building through heavy wooden doors. It's Clubs: Off road to Podujevo from Pristina, right spivs and tarts who aren't going to a fancy- 15 euro per head, and for that you will be after the Muciqi Mercedes-Benz garage, tel. dress party. The Cuban-themed décor is kept fed, watered and supplied with booze P1 +377 (0)44 656 054. This rustic restaurant is decadent Havana, the food is average, and for at least a three course meal, including a Fehmi Agani, +377 (0)44 608 669. If you’re a 15-minute drive outside Pristina (on a not very Caribbean, but the cocktails are wonderful meze starter and a delicious looking for cool, then P1 is probably not good day) and provides glorious views good. 8 am - 1 am. main course cooked on embers. Open 11 am the spot for you. The decor is pretty unin- across rolling, verdant hills and is especial- spiring, the music is bog standard and the - 11 pm. Xhoni’s Bar ly pleasant place in the summer to watch atmosphere reminiscent of a cattle mar- Rexhep Mala, Pristina, tel. +377 (0)44 750 720. the sunset. The overall food quality is ket. But if your thing is scantily clad Bars: Xhoni’s is, without doubt, a Prishtina insti- decent, with special marks for the fresh young women or packs of amorous boys, tution. It’s small, friendly and smoky, plays bread, straight from the wood stove, and than it’s an excellent choice. And, in the excellent soul, disco and classic rock music speca me maze (peppers in cream). 10 am - Tapë venue’s defence, it does have a pleasant from vinyl and is open until the last man or 11 pm. Hajdar Dushi Street Nr. 2 (next to Zani Bar, outdoor area for summer dancing. woman staggers out. Arrive by 11pm at the Kada Books, in front of the Radio Working hours Wednesday, Friday, weekend to secure a corner, or even better a Princesha Gresa Dukagjini). Tapë — which means “cork” in Saturday from 9 pm to 3 am. 23 Rr. Fehmi Agani, tel. +381 (0) 38 24 58 41. If Albanian but is often used to denote you have a horse-size hole in your stomach extreme drunkenness — is a bar with a to fill, this is the place to come. The meal warm atmosphere in Prishtina’s centre. It starts with some free bread and dips and is serves homemade rakia, as well as a variety followed by gargantuan portions of salad, of beers and other liquors, and, of course, meat, fish, or anything else on this varied Stone Castle wine - all at reasonable prices. menu. The food is sometimes great, some- times average but always served in massive Crème de la Crème portions. Open 10 am - 11 pm. Rr Robert Doll, tel. +377(0)44259912. Crème is probably the best all-round bar in the city. Hemingway It's run for the amusement of the young, Rr Ilaz Kodra, tel. +386 (0)49 145 637. Yes, you arty owners and not for profit, which can get fresh sea fish in landlocked Kosovo. explains the more-than-generous pricing Hemingway is tucked away in an unappeal- arrangements, especially for the perfectly ing end of the city but worth a trip if you executed cocktails. Its five tiny floors heave are craving food of the piscine variety. It's a on Fridays and Sundays with Pristina's cool pretty basic sort of set-up and relatively to the variety of beats. Every Wednesday, expensive for the setting, but undoubtedly Friday and Saturday from 8pm to 3am. one of the best places in town for fish. Open 9 am - 11 pm Filikaqa Rr Mujo Ulqinaku BL 4/1, Pejton, website Le Siam Thai www.filikaqa.com; 038 244 288. Whistle, as it Rr Fehmi Agani, tel. +377 (0)45 243 588. translates from Albanian, offers a dizzying Stylishly designed and smoke-free, Le Siam array of televisions on which to watch your has become a real hit for the international sport of choice and eat the best burgers in Hot Food: VEGETARIAN RESTAURANT (ABOVE), Rruga Garibaldi, Behind Metro Caffe. Tingell-Tengell’s short-lived but much loved vegetarian menu gets a restaurant of its own. It doesn’t have a name, and it’s delicious. There’s falafel, hummus, baba ghanouj and more. The stew is also luxurious. All the food is under 5 euro. The bar also fea- tures a few whiskies you’ll be hard-pressed to find anywhere in Prishtina, as well as an allegedly 36-year-old rakia. The space also feels like home, in that down-to-earth hipster sort of way. The only quibble is the bread, which is a rather basic white bread that’s toasted and garnished with herbs. It doesn’t do justice to the otherwise spectac- ular fare. Don’t miss the poppyseed cake, either. - Gravlax

FRESCO (LEFT). Rr. Fehmi Agani. The newest eatery to hit Prishtina’s fine-dining scene, Fresco has designs on being one of its best. Forgive the excessive interior design - the food is is elegant and simple, with a gastronomic sense that in-step with the times. The salmon filet (11.50 euro) is a standout: succulent and flavorful, appear- ing alongside a sweet potato puree and tempura-fried zucchini. The steaks are perfect, too. +377 (0) 44 333 772.

PAPIRUN Tel. 045 26 23 23. Papirun has seating at two perpendicular counters in what’s basically a hole-in-the-wall just off Mother Teresa Boulevard, near the Grand Hotel. The menu has 13 options: 6 pizzas and seven sandwiches. The sandwiches are Y the stars, though. Every component is handled with care. The bread alone is good M enough to make just about any sandwich into a glorious feast. It’s freshly baked and seasoned with rosemary. C K May 24 - June 6, 2013 17 Guide Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like your event to feature or to advertise your venue. Email [email protected]

Where to pick up Prishtina Insight?

Prishtina Insight has teamed up with these excellent venues to offer a limited Hotel Prishtina number of complimentary copies of Kosovo’s only English-language newspaper. Hotel Prishtina’s 43 charming guest rooms and suites are Grab a copy of the publication and settle down with a drink or a meal to read it. reminiscent of a small hotel in the European tradition. You'll immediately feel at home in our living room, sipping a glass of wine in our fine restaurant surrounded by a gallery of paintings by local artists. The hotel offers free, fast wifi internet, complimentary breakfast, Papillon Bistro Bar conference room, swimming pool, sauna and laundry service. Hotel Prishtina, This newly reopened bar in Prishtina, Papillon, offers St. Vaso Pasha nr. 20 more than 60 types of wines from , , Spain, +381 38 / 22 32 84 and Kosovo with great prices and delicious dishes. They serve pasta, sandwiches, salads and different appetizers. You can also try different types of local or internation- al beers. The bar, with it’s stunning new design, is located in the centre of Prishtina, near ProCredit Bank headquar- ter, RTK radio centre, and the Mother Teresa cathedral.

Papillon Mother Teresa Str. Nr. 51 A [email protected] 044 103 310

Hotel AFA Hotel Gracanica Located in a quiet neighbourhood just A place to relax in the calm and clean outside the city centre, Hotel Afa can air of the country side, just 15 minutes- guarantee guests a peaceful night while from Prishtina city center, 500 m from being within walking distance of all the the center of Gracanica and its UNESCO action. The venue has won a host of World Heritage monastery and a short awards for its excellent service to cus- walk to the archeological site of tomers and offers a good range of facili- Ulpiana. Offering 5 single, 7 double ties, from an exclusive restaurant and rooms, 3 studios as well as two meeting VIP bar to pretty, tranquil gardens. rooms (16 / 6 p.), the boutique hotel com- Rooms start at 45 euro for a single, and bines contemporary architecture with- luxury rooms and apartments are avail- traditional elements to create a unique able. The hotel’s rooms are well appoint- atmosphere that will make you feel at ed and comfortable. home. +381 (0)38 729 888 (landline) 15, Rr Ali Kelmendi, +386 (0)49 764 000 Sunny Hill, Prishtina [email protected] +381 38/225 226 www.hotelgracanica.com www. hotelafa. com www.facebook.com/HotelGracanica

Paddy O’Brien’s A taste of Napoli in Prishtina. The Ninety One

The staff at After ten years of making pizza in Napoli, and The Ninety One (91-shi) is back with its new Paddy O’Brien’s with only love to blame, Fatmir, the head chef, location and old tradition. The owners and the have a saying: “It’s returned to Prishtina. His pizzas, made in a wood- staff are the same. Daily specials are changed on easy to walk in, but burn stove, are definitely genuine napolitanas. a daily basis. The breakfast is still served as usual very hard to leave.” Fatmir also has several delicious pastas on offer, a while the coffee is served with delicious home- And with its true joy for the taste buds. Napoli has an excellent made almond biscotti. Breakfast menu includes; warm atmosphere, selection of red and white wines or, for the more English breakfast, French toast croissants, puff fantastic range of ambitious, one of the region's best quince raki. pastries and omelettes with your choice of top- drinks and excel- Napoli makes for delicious lunch, dinner or even pings. The new menu dishes include: roast fillet of lent food, it is easy after-theatre time out in the centre of Prishtina. beef served with spinach potatoes & wine, to see why. Chicken and confit garlic in bed of mash & thyme There have been Pizzeria Napoli juice. Dessert are served and garnished with fresh many attempts to off Luan Haradinaj, opposite Newborn herbs and are all home made. Lemon tart and establish a proper 044/409-402402 Chocolate mouse is a must try. The kitchen is Irish pub in open every day until 11:00 pm. Prishtina, but this Fehmi Agani str., 29/2 (Te kafet e vogla) is the only one to - 044 91 91 91 - hit the spot. From classic coffees to cocktails, via, of course, Guinness, you really wont find it difficult to select the perfect drink. A mouth-watering menu of Irish specialties is also on offer, spanning from all-day breakfasts to Irish stews at night. Options include shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, fish ‘n chips, and whopping great burgers. Thursday is pub quiz night, but there is always something 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 Y Prishtina: 045-420900 M C K 18 May 24 - June 6, 2013 timeout

Theatre

“The Croods” 3D Every day at 4pm The Croods is a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world's first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling “The last station” across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover Every Thursday at 8pm an incredible new world filled with fantastic crea- The story is situated in the year 2015. tures -- and their outlook is changed forever. Nowadays and past problems are car- Director: Kirk De Micco, Chris Sanders ried in the year of 2015. Burim is the Writers: Chris Sanders, Kirk De Micco etc. main character who is looking for the Starring: Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan truth, for his family and his fiancé, Reynolds. which are still missing since the war of KLA ended. After many attempts he finds out that his neighbour is still alive and that he knows more about “Epic” 3D his family. Burim can’t live in the Every day at 4pm and 6pm present; he is always going back to A teenager finds herself transported to a deep for- the past, in the memories of his fami- est setting where a battle between the forces of good ly and Behare, his fiancé. Halfway he and the forces of evil is taking place. She bands meets a young girl called Shpresa together with a rag-tag group characters in order to who reminds him of Behare and save their world -- and ours. finally gets part of Burim’s life. Director: Chris Wedge Based on the novel “Birds fly on their Writers: James V. Hart, William Joyce etc. Starring: Collin Farell, Josh Hutcherson, Beyonce own” by Ibrahim Kadriu. Knowles. Directed by Lirak Celaj and Florent “As if this was a show” Mehmeti Every Wednesday at 8pm Cast: Besnik Krapi, Liridona Shehu, "In the bus no. 4...during the war in Ilire Celaj, Adrian Morina, Eshref Prishtina ...a 26 years old - young Durmishi and Kushtrim Sheremeti. man...is wearing jeans and a black T- shirt... At "Union" hotel...sniper breaks a window... and the youngster “Fast and Furious 6” is shot in the neck... A lady dressed in World premiere on 24th of May at 8pm white, who was standing near him Hobbs has Dom and Brian reassemble their crew starts to scream. When she sees the in order to take down a mastermind who commands blood in her shirt she faints... two an organization of mercenary drivers across 12 hours later...she is seen at the Big countries. Payment? Full pardons for them all. Mosque...near café "Romantika", but Director: Justin Lin this time accompanied by a friend Writers: Chris Morgan, Gary Scott Thompson younger than her... Starring: Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Dwayne Based on the drama by: Almir Johnson. Imshireviq Directed by Agon Myftari Cast: Rebeka Qena, Ardian Morina, Armend Ismajli, Besnik Krapi “Star Trek into Darkness” 3D After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstop- pable force of terror from within their own organiza- tion, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone Friday, 24 May, 8pm By William Shakespeare From “The lion, the world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruc- “39 steps” Directed by Ilir Bokshi witch and the tion. Director: J.J. Abrams By Patrick Barlow Wednesday, 29 May, wardrobe” by C.S. Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman Director: Agon Miftari 8pm Lewis Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana Saturday, 25 May, 8pm “Kopelia” ballet Director: Arjeta Ajeti “39 steps” Choreograph: Ilir Kerni and Antti Sevanto By Patrick Barlow Music: Leo Delibes Saturday, 1 June, 8pm ------Director: Agon Miftari Thursday, 30 May, “Narnia” Soon: “After Earth” Monday, 27 May, 8pm 8pm Screenplay by “The “The twelfth night” “Wedding” ballet lion, the witch and the For any further questions or reservations call at 038 243 238 or visit them at www.kinoabc.com By William Shakespeare Choreograph: Mehmet wardrobe” - C.S. Lewis Directed by Ilir Bokshi Ballkan Director: Arjeta Ajeti @ Tuesday, 28 May, 8pm Friday, 31 May, 8pm Antti Sevanto “The twelfth night” “Narnia” Movies at OSCE/EULEX/UNMIK Club. Prishtina Diary Movies every Thursday at 7.00 at EULEX Auditorium Hamam Jazz Bar Public House Hera Restaurant, Hotel opposite Newborn. Friday, 24 May Friday, 24 May Sirius Jazz Quartet Travel Plan 7 pm Wednesday, 29 May - 30 May - The Hunt Total Gym Kosovo 2.0, reloaded. Punkt Never-ending scrolls. - 6 June - Chicken with Plums Saturday, 25 May 11.30 pm Saturday, 25 Over 200 writers. Mariza Ikonomi May Captivating slideshows. Y All movies are without entrance fee. The Glasses More blogs, more arti- M Entry: 2 euros cles, more news. C People just need an ID or a passport to enter. K feature May 24 - June 6, 2013 19 Magnificent Less than two hours from Prishtina, unspoiled nature awaits off beaten path.

Cabins are available in Guri i Kuq.

Toward Guri i Kuq

By Douglas E Morris From Kuqishte, Guri i Kuq is 5 kilometres and around 20 minutes of bone-jarring driving up a nar- row dirt road. In winter or rainy f you are a nature lover, and weather you should have a four- have not yet visited the Rugova wheel drive. Surrounded by the IValley, please start making picturesque scenery of Rugova plans to do so now. Stunningly Gorge, Guri Kuq offers several log beautiful, the area is largely unex- cabins for rent that can sleep up to plored by internationals, but has 10 people each, a restaurant, and become a playground for an opportunity to hike up to the Kosovars. largest glacial lake in Kosovo. Rugova covers approximately Only 2 kilometres away, but all 32,000 hectares, encompassing uphill, the lake is surrounded by Montenegro’s border is within hiking distance of Magra . over 13 villages 1,000 to 2,000 rocky crags and pine forests and metres above sea level. As a desti- offers stunning views over the val- Te Liqeni is a rustic looking isolated. Especially when you get want to zip around rather than nation, it can be quickly checked ley. This has been a well-trodden hotel-restaurant near Guri i Kuq. to the end of the line, the Magra hike. off your list on a day trip, but to destination for quite a while, so More modern, but built in the Austria. From Magra Austria there is a really appreciate it, one needs no can get rather crowded with day same log cabin style, it offers the As you approach Bogë, Rugova strenuous 2.5 hour roundtrip hike less than a two-night stay. It takes trippers from Peja, school groups same charm as Guri i Kuq – stun- Relax will be on the right. A high- up to a mountain valley scattered around an 1 hour 45 minutes to get and others, which can detract from ning views and tranquil surround- end resort type place, within walk- with wild flowers in the spring, into the heart of the region. One the peace and serenity you came ings – with the same drawbacks – ing distance of Boge. Stay here if onto a mountain peak, former bor- hour to drive the 70 kilometers up here to experience. All that the area is well-known and more you can’t get into the Magra der pass with Montenegro; and a from Prishtina to Peja, and then being said, from Guri i Kuq you do frequently visited. Whatever the Austria or you want an easier pace long but less strenuous loop to half an hour to travel the 20 kilo- have the chance to hike to the case, both of these places are rec- of hiking. Shkrel and back through Boge that metres up the narrow windy road aforementioned lake, which is ommended as weekend getaways. A couple kilometres past Boge, can take up to five hours or more. to Kuqishte; where there is an directly on the border with Magra Austria looks like a intersection, one way towards Montenegro. So is a destination Toward Boge gasthaus transplanted from the On The Way Up Boge the other toward Guri i Kuq. not to be missed. Alps. For good reason. The owners At Kuqishte, instead of turning worked in one in Austria and On your way up into the Rugova left toward Guri i Kuq and Te brought back their skills with valley as you leave Peja, before you Liqeni, if you turn right, you will them. The Magra is the end of the pass the well-guarded monastery be heading toward Boge, 7 kilome- line. This is as close the end of civ- on the outskirts of town, stop at tres away and 30 minutes of bump- ilization as you can come and is the newly built info center and ing and bouncing down a narrow definitely the place to get away pick up some information, buy an dirt track- a situation that will be from it all. awesome map (2 euros) suitable for changing soon as the road is in the From here, there is no other framing, use the facilities, or grab process of being landscaped to be option but to walk. Even so, stay- a quick coffee, and possibly even paved. Before that happens ing here will be comfortable and rent some bikes (1 euro an hour, 6 though, be sure and bring a 4x4 in relaxing. They have a sauna, euros all day) to bring with you. the winter or rainy weather. swimming pool, games room, As you head up into the moun- Boge is a good example of a restaurant, and bar. Rustic and tains, if hunger pangs hit, stop at place flourishing on domestic charming, the food is nothing to Hani, the first major restaurant in tourism. In summer, it is a center write home about, though it is the valley. The food is typical for hiking and biking, and in the plentiful and filling, and their Balkan fare, and the setting is love- winter, thanks to a recently pizza is delicious. ly. opened small lift, it has become a My recommendation would be However you do it, wherever you domestic ski center. Right now, in to stay here, as the hiking options stay, don’t hesitate, start making this direction, despite having Boge are more varied, and you can also plans to come to the Rugova valley Mountain roads offer scenic driving in Rugova. here, seems more remote, more rent four-wheel drive ATVs if you today. It is spectacular. 20 May 24 - June 6, 2013 opinion Ecosovo Outside In On May 24, An Unscrupulous and 2014, Let’s Offensive Celebration Prishtina into a rather tacky combi- Celebrating Europe’s Day in order nation of European cities. This act to show our commitment for EU inte- was nothing short of being gration is the blinding reflection of By Kreshnik Hoxha unscrupulous and offensive because how small and insecure the Kosovar Not Clean Up it was being sold as an idea of society has become vis-a-vis a strong Europeanisation, which is utopian power. It also proves how easy it is to and ridiculous given the current let go of our integrity and become kopje is not alone on the list of social, economic and political situa- submissive even toward those terri- ludicrous and bizarre cities, as tion in Kosovo. bly incompetent, arrogant and Kosovo Prishtina has joined in with an S If Kosovo was in the position of mediocre EU bureaucrats sent by unscrupulous and offensive idea. Croatia, which is shortly joining the Brussels to tell Kosovars how to live. Many would have noticed that EU, such act would be understand- These bureaucrats deserve the afore- Skopje has been grabbing the atten- able and justifiable for the sake of mentioned accusations because it is tion of media in the last few years. the reform, harmonisation with their job to push forward the proj- By Elizabeth Gowing This is all in relation to the renova- European values and the continuous ects, which they are paid for by the tion of the city with “antique” stat- emancipation of the Croatian socie- EU taxpayer. ues, which are exclusively financed ty via open public debate on gender, The EU undoubtedly represents a to overcome the rather strong oday is Let’s Clean Up Kosovo Day. Enthusiastic young peo- sexuality and human rights and brilliant model and a safe path for Macedonian inferiority complex ple with gloves and bin bags will descend on all the least other taboo topics that challenge a the consolidation of the Kosovar relating to their identity crisis. Tbeautiful parts of Kosovo to gather together the garbage Balkan country. state, cleansing it from its inept lead- While the Macedonians have cho- and take it away. The day is inspired by the 2008 initiative in Going back to Kosovo, we are talk- ers and moving on from the bitter sen this approach, Kosovars seems Estonia which transformed the country. ing about the country which has past. However, this path should not to have much more to sweep under And of course that’s a good thing. failed to become a functional state in be followed blindly and with organis- the carpet and have therefore decid- But this is the second year of the initiative in Kosovo, and I its five years of existence. Many ing such ghastly and offensive events ed to use different mechanisms in see very little improvement in the situation greeting the international reports and articles such as the celebration of Europe order to make themselves feel better. clean-up teams compared with last year. The sites that were refer to Kosovo as a place with taint- Day, which was attended by both The “feel-better approach” this time filled with garbage last year are once again filled with ed judiciary and police where cor- local and EU officials. emerged by transforming Prishtina garbage; the fundamental challenges of how to reduce the ruption and mismanagement of The time has come for all in into a brothel for flirting and seduc- amount of waste in Kosovo, how to reuse what is there and to funds thrives. Kosovo to understand that the socie- ing with Europe. recycle where possible have hardly been addressed. Nor has Contrary to Croatia, Kosovar soci- tal and country-wide reform should The events associated with the cel- the proper management of waste depots. And until all of us – ety has not yet reached the state take place firstly for the benefit of ebration of Europe Day in Prishtina as individual citizens, consumers and householders, as where public debate can be conduct- Kosovars and not because of EU earlier this month represented the municipal and central government institutions – do some- ed on taboo topics. The parliamen- demands. It must also be understood glaring example how insecure the thing about those fundamental parts of the waste manage- tary discussions held last March that there will never be an equal Kosovar society has become. The cir- about raped women during the treatment by EU officials if ment process, Kosovo will need repeated clean-ups. cumstances which we live in, with I worry, too, that if the day uses up all people’s energy and Kosovo war; the attack against MP Kosovars continue to bow and accept an array of international missions Nazile Balaj as an advocate of the the requests of every Tom, Dick and interest in waste management – if the Prime Minister can get in Kosovo, have imposed some sort of on television picking up a crisp packet in a school playground raped women; as well as the violence Harry from Brussels without an inferiority complex. This com- that erupted in the aftermath Kosovo detailed evaluation and reasoning. to applause, and not have to worry any further about allocat- plex has had a rather strong momen- ing budgets and attention to the bigger issues of why some of 2.0’s publication of its Sex Magazine Finally, everyone in Kosovo must tum in leading the society through prove that the Kosovar society func- understand that by showing an Kosovo’s villages are clogged with garbage – then the day metamorphosis. could do more harm than good. tions with a somewhat primitive unwavering admiration to the EU, As if it isn’t ludicrous enough that mentality. The Kosovo of today, Kosovar challenges will not be soft- However, there are some changes of emphasis by the organ- Kosovo is the only country where izers in comparison to the initiative last year which are mov- which celebrated Europe Day, is the ened. Celebrating Europe Day does Europe Day is a public holiday, this very same one that is being no good to Kosovo if it does not ing in the right direction. Last year, groups of pretty year the genius brains in Kosovo’s Prishtina students set off to the villages to sort out other peo- described as a hotbed for of crimes embrace European values of state- government decided to transform (Medicus case) and a black hole of building, which so far it has strug- ple’s muddle, but this year the organizers stressed that local one of the busiest streets of people must take the lead in cleaning up any given area. Of Europe. gled. course, where extra help is needed, it’s great to have solidari- ty shown, but this mustn’t be the equivalent of having a stranger turn up at your house and announce that they’ve come to clear out your fridge; we all need to be involved in sorting out our own mess, and Let’s Clean Up Kosovo 2013 has taken a positive step in making sure that this is part of this year’s campaign philosophy. And there are other signs of progress. One of the most sig- nificant is a project being implemented by GIZ helping municipalities to establish sustainable local waste manage- ment systems. “Only through the careful planning of waste services and the long term and continuous inclusion of all relevant actors engaging the citizens can municipalities reduce the amount of illegal littering and create a healthier and cleaner Kosovo.” says Inga Beie, advisor on the pro- gramme . In Prishtina, the GIZ project has begun with an awareness-raising campaign for householders about separat- ing wet and dry waste to enable recycling to start, and GIZ will be celebrating today in Drenas, where they are support- ing the municipality to pilot an improved waste management system, including giving new bins to homes and businesses in two villages which have not previously had waste collections. Today marks the start of a regular collection service by the regional waste company. If projects like these, and the individual initiatives of households starting to compost, to reuse and to reduce, for example, are successful, maybe by 24 May 2014 we won’t need a clean-up day at all - because Kosovo will be clean enough already.

Elizabeth Gowing is a founder of The Ideas Partnership, a Kosovan NGO using the power of volunteers to tackle education- Y al, cultural heritage and environmental challenges. She is also M the author of Travels in Blood and Honey; becoming a beekeeper C K Children take part in the Europe Day festivities in Prishtina. (Photo/European Commission Liaison Office) inside prishtina May 24 - June 6, 2013 21 Restaurant review Don’t Go Out of Your Way for HIB’s Eateries

Gas station’s restaurants are convenient if you’re fueling up your car. But prepare your belly for a smorgasbord of mediocrity.

but at least muted the noise of the passing traffic. Too many waiters in fluorescent green t- particular Italian dish and went for a sallatë By Femke Dekker shirts were desperately waiting for cus- rugula (3 euro), broshete pule (4 euro) and a tomers since we’ve been approached by three big glass (0.25l) of vranac (3 euro). The dish- out of seven in the first five minutes of our es arrived all at once and the waiter had stay. However, this might also be part of their clearly some difficulties putting them on the ne thing I find remarkable about fast service strategy for guests that come in small wooden table. Meanwhile, the presen- Kosovo’s main cities is that there are for a quick bite - something you’d expect from tation of the food on the plates was surpris- Oplenty of gas stations around it. a roadhouse. ingly fancy. Attached to every gas station you’ll find a Although the name suggests that the Still, I always get a little scared when the restaurant where you can order proper food. restaurant only offers a variety of Italian pictures on the menu so closely correspond One of the well-known petrol stations, partic- food, the menu starts with a wide range of with what you get on your plate. The images ularly among UNMIK and OSCE employees, salads and meat dishes with sauce or with- didn’t look overwhelmingly tasteful and this because they have a ‘get gas, just sign- deal’, tiramisu, ice cream and fruit cake didn’t out. They also have fish on the menu for the seemed also true for the chicken skewer I is called HIB Petrol. There is one located in convince me and although coffees at gas sta- ordered. The meat was awfully chewy and Fushe Kosove and another next to Hotel real gas station restaurant thrill-seekers. It tions are usually not the best ones, a big blackened. It came with some lukewarm rice, Emerald. Both locations have pretty big takes a while to get to the Italian section, but macchiato (1 euro) was the best option after restaurants. there is at least enough to choose from. For half defrosted vegetables and potatoes cov- all. Also the coffee arrived suspiciously It is not very common for people I know to those who aren’t able to read or translate the ered with greasy oil. I tried to make the diges- quick and contained more cold milk than go out for dinner at a gas station restaurant, menu, every description goes with a detailed tion process easier with the very cold red coffee, probably to speed up the whole or even to take business partners there for picture of the meal. wine but I wasn’t lucky. I had to ask for some process for us to leave the place. lunch. Though in Kosovo this happens quite Despite of the specific images, it took a extra curry sauce (0.50 euro) to smoothen it For a total amount of 11.50 euro you won’t often. A good reason to get some gas, check while to make a decision, considering the up. The rucola salad, though, positively sur- probably get better price-quality at one of out the menu and taste the food at the-so ambiguities on the menu. What to choose, a prised me and was quite tasty with fresh the shopping mall restaurants close by. The called HIB Pizzeria. chicken salad or a salad with chicken? Or a tomatoes, cucumber, olives, flakes of parme- food isn’t great but for a gas station restau- At first I was tempted to take a seat on the spaghetti fruti di mare or a spaghetti fruti di san cheese and an interesting yoghurt dress- rant, the service corresponds with its pur- big terrace outside until I realized that the mare natural? Particularly the last option ing. Also the spaghetti fruit di mare natural pose; to get fuel for your body and your car view on the parking lot and the smell of gaso- seemed to cause a little confusion among the with defrosted sea fruit appeared to be bet- before hitting the road again. However, if line would not encourage my appetite. staff after asking. Since my fellow diner ter than the unnatural one. you are planning on a short dinner at the Luckily there were more than enough free already had a bad experience with eating the Meanwhile, the waiters were still in a HIB restaurant, ordering the chewy meat tables inside. A seat next to the fancy and spaghetti with frozen sea fruit, this time the rush and kept an eye on every single move might significantly delay your trip. natural option (4.50 euro) would probably be we made, which was a bit uncomfortable. To large smoking area was the perfect spot to try HIB Pizzeria (two locations) out a real HIB meal. The mountain view a better choice. The waiters didn’t under- make it even more inappropriate, halfway behind the parked cars made me shortly for- stand the difference between these two and our meal, two of them tried to explain us to get the gas station atmosphere. after some heavy debate with the chef every- pay the bill because they changed shifts. We thing seemed to be clear to them. For us it paid and tried to quickly absorb the rest of It was not particularly crowded for a Prishtina, Veternik was still a mystery. the food. Tuesday night. The aggressive jazz music in Fushe Kosove, near the turn to Prishtina I decided not to take the spaghetti or any The pictures of the desserts on the menu: the background created a jittered ambience International Airport

If you would like your NGO to appear in our Making a Difference feature, please email [email protected] 22 May 24 - June 6, 2013 inside prishtina University Hires Bus Company With Troubled Past University of Prishtina appears to have bypassed the tendering process in contracting a firm with a dubious safety record.

on April 10. Gashi touted the service, not- ing that the bus would link uni- By Petrit Collaku versity faculties hourly, 10 times per day. Some question the need for the bus service as most faculties he Thaci Brothers company lie within a few hundred metres did not earn a reputation for of the city centre. Tsafety after it began busing Gashi said the service would students in Drenas in 2012. cost the university 2,500 euro According to a 2012 report by the per month and the contract was GAP Institute, some drivers were awarded through proper proce- underage and unlicensed. Buses dures. were overcrowded and one ran “In the call for tenders we over two students, injuring both. announced, we selected the Despite the troubles, the compa- cheapest offer and the company ny won a second contract to con- that offered the biggest number tinue offering bus services. of transfers during weekdays,” Now the Thaci Brothers - no Gashi said. connection to the Prime But the university never Minister’s family - are providing issued a call for bids. There is a free bus service for University no evidence of a formal con- of Prishtina students. tract, either. The rector of the university, Afrim Bajraktari, head of pro- Ibrahim Gashi, inaugurated the curement at the University, service when he boarded the refused to give any information Thaci Brothers bus in Prishtina about what requirements the Ibrahim Gashi, rector of the University of Prishtina, hails from the same village in Drenas as the owner of the Thaci Brothers bus company. Thaci Brothers met, or any details about the contract. notice, which did not happen in doesn’t mean anything,” he told He also declined to discuss his In Drenas, some of the bus Bajraktari claimed that the the case of the Thaci Brothers. Prishtina Insight. company’s troubles with its bus contract was awarded through a The owner of Thaci Brothers, “Just because he is the rector service in Drenas. drivers were underaged and closed tender. Mehdi Thaci, is from the same doesn’t mean that I should stop The bus service will run until unlicensed. One ran over Under the Law on Public small village in Drenas as Gashi, working. I have to work.” July 15. Procurement, closed tenders are Llapushnik. However, Thaci Thaci said he won the tender “It’s a trial phase to see how two students, seriously reserved for extraordinary cir- maintains that this played no because he had a good offer, much the students value it. If it injuring both. cumstances. But even in those role in his company’s selection. although he refused to say when helps them, UP will consider cases, the contracting agency is “The fact that the rector and I he placed the bid and when he contracting another bus,” Gashi still required to post an award come from the same village signed his contract. said in April. marketing

Y M C K May 24 - June 6, 2013 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 " no. 12 Velania, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 224 61 Finnish Str. Perandori Justinian No. 19 Pejton 10 000 Prishtina Phone: +386 43 737 000 French Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 67 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 22 45 88 00 Greek Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 68 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 243 013 German Adress: "Azem Jashanica" no. 17 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 254 500 Italian Address: "Azem Jashanica" no.5 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 244 925 Japanese Address: "Rexhep Malaj" no. 43 10000 Prishtina Alcoholics Anonymous Personal Trainer Phone: +381 (0) 38 249 995 Luxemburg Classified Ads Address: "Metush Krasniqi" no. 14 (English speaking) Mentor Azemi - 044 811 921 Do you have a flat to rent? Position to fill? Students to find for a language Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina course? Why not speak directly to Kosovo’s international community Personal attention and Phone: +381 (0) 38 226 787 through Prishtina Insight classified ads. training schedule Malaysian Almost every international organisation, embassy, NGO and many oth- For further information... Time and place of your Address: "Bedri Shala" no. 48 ers subscribe to Kosovo’s only English language newspaper, which is also choice 10000 Prishtina on sale at newsstands in seven cities and received in electronic format by Contact : 3 per week = 150 month Phone: +381 (0) 38 243 467 scores of paying clients across the world. Erik - tel nr.: 044937397 5 per week = 200 month Norwegian (Other schedules possible) Address: "Sejdi Kryeziu" no. 6 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 232 111 00 Saudia Arabian Easy Medium Hard Address: Dardania SU 7, building 2, #1 | 10000 Prishtina 25 Phone: +381 (0) 38 549 203 2 17 Slovenian Address: "Anton Ceta" no. 6 836 9 8 42510000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 244 886 2 7359 516 4 621 Swedish Str. Perandori Justinian No. 19 476793 6 26Pejton 10 000 Prishtina 1453 64172 8759Phone: +381 38 24 57 95 Swiss 96 4 2 847 14Address: "Adrian Krasniqi" no. 11 10000 Prishtina 4917 8 9 465 68 1 Phone: +381 (0) 38 248 088 59 7 7 978 3 Turkish Y Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 59 M Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina C 2 89 29Phone: +381 (0) 38 226 044 K 24 May 24 - June 6, 2013 advert

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