Opinion: A Plea for Nonchalance

June 8 - 21, 2012 Issue No. 90 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1

NEWS Prishtina Thaci’s Brother University’s Linked to Construction of 4,000Euro Intelligence HQ “Gold” Award > page 2 NEWS The rector of the Kosovo Scientist University of Prishtina, Claims Einstein Muje Rugova, and his Was Wrong deputy travelled to New > page 4 York last week to pick up INVESTIGATION a questionable award, Ferizaj Pays costing 3,900 euro. Dear For ‘Deadly’ See Page 3 Ancient Glider > page 6 ECONOMY Wesley Clark Seeks Convicted Drug Lord Opens Betting Licence For Oil in Kosovo Shops in Kosovo > page 7 The US General who led NATO’s campaign against Serbia in 1999 has asked Kosovo’s government for a licence to trans- form the country’s untapped coal reserves into fuel, a letter obtained by Prishtina Insight reveals. INSIDE PRISHTINA firm hopes to produce up 100,000 government on April 25 for the face minable resources which we Prishtina Opera By Petrit Collaku, Fatmir Aliu barrels of the fuel per day – or 15 licence, which has not yet been will relinquish to the Government.” million litres. granted. House or Frog e has roads in many Kosovo This would make the Kosovo “After granting of the explo- Drilling in Dukagjini: cities named after him and operation one of the largest of its ration licence, we propose to Chorus? Heven a driving school, but kind in the world, and, according employ advanced drilling and seis- The study will look first at the former US General Wesley Clark is now looking to further strengthen to Envidity, bring $8 billion of mic technologies to determine Dukagjini area of western Kosovo his ties with the country that ven- investment to Kosovo. what new, deep coal resources may and then at the “South Kosovo” erates him for his role in the 1999 The firm also boasts that it exist in the Dukagjini Basin area basin, near the city of Prizren. war. would make Kosovo self-sufficient of Kosovo,” Chief Executive Jeff “If, as we suspect, significant Now chairman of the Canada- in diesel and aviation fuel within Brook wrote in the application let- deep coal deposits can be proved > page 19 based energy firm Envidity, Clark six to seven years. ter, which was copied to the firm’s up in both the Dukagjini and is returning to Kosovo with a min- The synthetic fuel – diesel and chairman, Wesley Clark, and South Kosova basin areas, then ing application to drill across the naphtha – can be used to generate which Prishtina Insight obtained. Envidity proposes to proceed with Dukagjini region for previously electricity, fertilizer and produce “Our exploration will be con- a significant expansion and devel- undiscovered coal reserves, which plastics. The fuel has also been ducted outside the area currently opment of this untapped resource, would then be transformed into tested successfully by the US Air identified as suitable for surface first in the Dukagjini Basin and Kosovo’s only English-language synthetic fuel. Force to power its fighter jets. coal mining techniques,” it contin- later in the South Kosova basin newspaper is available: Using little-known techniques – Envidity, which has now set up a ues. area,” the firm wrote. Underground Coal Gasification branch in Kosovo, Envidity “Furthermore, this exploration Delivered to and Gas to Liquid processes – the Energy Kosova LLC, applied to the may also prove up additional sur- continues page 2 Your Door

Serbian and Albanian New Countries, New Views From Newsstands Contrasting History on Tito across Kosovo

Serbian and Albanian children in “Josip Broz Tito. Politician. He was the Sent To Kosovo learn different versions of history, president of Yugoslavia. A womanizer. He Your Inbox both of which are biased and incorrect, had a lot of women. Everybody lived well says research conducted by the Belgrade during his times. There was a lot of University Centre for Peace Studies. money.” From According to the research paper, “Ethnic This was the way a high school student our partners stereotypes and national myths as an from the Federation of Bosnia and news obstacle to... page 4 feature Herzegovina ... page 12-13 see page 16 for more info

is supported by: 2 June 8 - 21, 2012 news Wesley Clark Seeks Licence For Oil in Kosovo from page 1 Confusion over licence underground reserves, which was The initial phase would see the temporarily on hold because of a creation of a “demonstration” Selvete Grajcevci, from the dispute over the tender award plant that will produce 1,500 bar- Independent Commission for process. rels a day using the “Fishcer- Mines and Minerals, ICMM said “All requests will be reviewed Tropsch” process, already in com- that the commission had met with and evaluated according to the merical use in China and Canada. representatives of Envidity after it foreseen procedures by law,” The Fischer–Tropsch process is applied for the licence. Baxhaku said. “In this particular a chemical reaction that converts a “For the time being we cannot case for any offer we will go mixture of carbon monoxide and issue the licence to Envidity through a competitive process.” hydrogen into liquid hydrocar- because the law on mines and min- Baxhaku said it was up to the bons, such as diesel. erals treats energy minerals dif- ICMM to initiate the process. “We The process produces a synthet- ferently. There should be a govern- haven’t got any proposal from the ic lubrication oil and synthetic ment call, opening a tender ICMM. They just can’t throw the fuel, typically from coal, natural process for this,” Grajcevci told ball to the govenrnment,” gas, or biomass. Prishtina Insight. Baxhaku said. It has received intermittent Under Article 18 of the law on A former member of the ICMM, attention as a source of low-sulfur mines and minerals, “Licences Zenun Elezaj, now professor at diesel fuel and to address the sup- Subject to Competitive Award Metallurgical Faculty in ply or cost of fuel, but remains rel- Process” and any “Exploration or Prishtina, welcomed the project, atively unknown. Mining Licence” related to an saying it would be a boon for Envidity has recently launched energy mineral must be offered as Kosovo. a programme similar to its Kosovo part of an open, transparent and “The project is very important,” plans in Mongolia. competitive tender process. he said. “It will use lignite areas to The largest-scale implementa- Gezim Baxhaku, advisor to the a depth of 250 metres,” he tion of Fischer–Tropsch technolo- Minister for Economic explained. gy is a series of plants operated by Development Besim Beqaj, said “By applying this method, there Sasol in South Africa, a country the ball was in the ICMM’s court. is no need to destroy the surface with large coal reserves but little He added that the government had land, because the burning happens oil. planned its own survey of these underground, with no need to cre- ate a huge ash disposal site.” The firm is offering Kosovo approximately 30 per cent of all Wesley Clark in his days as a US General revenue from the project, which could amount to 300 million euro a retired from the US Army after 38 Shkolla 'Wesley Clark" in Fushe year. years as a “four-star general”. Kosove, said that he had named his “Kindly note, the Government In his last assignment as school after the general because of has no financial risk, as Envidity Supreme Allied Commander his contribution to creating will invest its own private equity Europe he led NATO forces to vic- Kosovo. capital in this strategic project; a tory in Operation Allied Force, "We all know what he did for our project that has the ability to pro- “saving 1.5 million Albanians from people. He has provided the vide Kosovo with transporation ethnic cleansing”, he writes, refer- biggest contribution to the libera- fuel self-sufficiency within six to ring to the 1999 Kosovo conflict. tion of Kosovo," Drenovci added. seven years,” the letter from Clark remains a hero to Kosovo "We have many clients who visit Envidity reads. Albanians and has streets named our school just because of the after him in Peja, Prizren, famous name of Wesley Clark," he Hero to Albanians: Vushtrri, Ferizaj as well as a driv- said. Clark, according to his biogra- ing school in Fushe Kosovo. "It is good that Mr Clark is A misspelled Wesley Clark Street in Prizren phy on the Envidity website, Valdet Drenovci, owner of Auto investing in Kosovo." Thaci’s Brother Linked to Construction of Intelligence HQ A construction firm employed by Blerim Thaci, the brother of the Kosovo PM, is also working on the country’s most sensitive building – the new head- quarters of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency. Vëllezërit Asllani is the main construc- tion team for Iliria Building, part-owned by Blerim Thaci, which is building a large res- By Parim Olluri idential complex on the outskirts of Prishtina. Ing Engineering – which won the con- tract to build the HQ in a secret process – ne of the most sensitive public build- confirmed to Prishtina Insight that ings in Kosovo - the headquarters of Vëllezërit Asllani was among the firms Othe country’s intelligence agency - is that it had brought in to do the work on the being built by a firm that has strong links HQ. with the governing PDK, and which appears Ing Engineering itself has strong connec- to have subcontracted part of the work to tion with the governing PDK of Thaci as associates of Prime Minister Hashim one of its senior members, and the brother Vellezerit Asllani’s van parked outside the intelligence agency HQ Thaci’s brother, Blerim. of the owner, is a PDK assembly member in Prishtina Insight photographed the van the town of Suhareke. lem where I park my car.” ly been subcontracted. of Drenas contruction firm “Vëllezërit Qazim Asslani, owner of Vëllezërit He later told the newspaper that the com- Bashkim Smakaj, Director of KIA, said Asllani” at the headquarters of the KIA Asllani, initially told Prishtina Insight: "I pany employees were working at the new that only Ing Engineering were able to last week. just parked the van there and it's my prob- facility, although the company had official- enter the premise.

Y M C +381 38 602042, +377 44 243367, +386 49 243367 K news June 8 - 21, 2012 3 Prishtina University’s Editor’s Word The Professor’s New Prize which he did not see. “It is very excel- 4,000Euro “Gold” Award lent,” he said to the professor. The rector of the University of Prishtina, Muje Rugova, and his deputy travelled to Everybody in the whole town talked By Lawrence Marzouk about the precious prize. At last the pro- New York last week to pick up a questionable award, costing 3,900 euro. fessor wished to see it himself, while it was still on the plinth. With a number of any years ago lived a profes- courtiers, including the two who had sor, who thought so much of already been there, he went to the two By Bujar Aruqaj, Lawrence Marzouk Mhow others saw him that he clever strangers, who now worked as spent all his time worrying of his hard as they could. image; his only ambition was to be “Is it not magnificent?” said the two lauded by his peers and win prizes. He he University of Prishtina has paid almost old statesmen who had been there did not care for his books, and the the- 4,000 euro for a prize of questionable value before. “Your Majesty must admire the atre did not amuse him; the only thing, Tand spent thousands more sending its rec- colours and the pattern.” And then they in fact, he thought anything of was to tor and is pro-rector to New York for the luxuri- pointed to the empty plinth, for they flaunt his prizes. He had a prize for ous trip. every hour of the day. imagined the others could see the prize. Muje Rugova, rector of the organisation, and The great city where he resided was “What is this?” thought the professor, Naser Mrasori, vice-rector, travelled to New York very gay; every day many strangers “I do not see anything at all. That is ter- last week to accept the prize from Business from all parts of the globe arrived. One rible! Am I stupid? Am I unfit to be pro- Initiative Direction, BID, a company based in day two strangers contacted the profes- fessor? That would indeed be the most Madrid, which organises such events regularly in sor; they recounted how they were great dreadful thing that could happen to me.” major international capitals. prize-givers, and declared they had a “Really,” he said, turning to the The University of Prishtina’s students’ organi- finest golden trophy to offer him. The weavers, “your prize has our most gra- sation Studim, Kritik, Veprim, and a number of prize was not only the envy of everyone cious approval;” and nodding contented- international online blogs dealing with consumer but such a prize would be invisible to ly he looked at the empty plinth, for he issues, have questioned the value of this prize. any man who was unfit for his office or did not like to say that he saw nothing. “Instead of being an intellectual who develops unpardonably stupid. All his attendants, who were with him, critical thinking in Kosovo, he[Rugova] is becom- “That must be wonderful prize,” looked and looked, and although they ing a clown, by accepting fake prizes,” said the thought the professor. “If I were to could not see anything more than the student organisation, which has led a long cam- receive such a prize I should be able to others they said, like the professor, “It is paign against the rector. “Muje Rugova in the end find out which men in my empire were very beautiful.” And all advised him to of his unlawful mandate as the rector of the UP is unfit for their places, and I could distin- carry the new trophy at a great proces- trying with all means to create and accept guish the clever from the stupid. I must sion which was soon to take place. “prizes”. He lately awarded himself “Profesor have this prize for me without delay.” The whole night previous to the day Emeritus”, and now he is accepting the “golden And he gave a large sum of money to the on which the procession was to take medal. strangers, in advance, so that they place, the strangers pretended to work, “BID is not an educational institution and as and burned more than sixteen candles. university had been carefully selected on the should set to work. such is not competent to value universities.” They asked for the finest gold to make At last they said: “The professor’s new basis of “100 points”, even though she admitted In order to attend the award ceremony, the uni- this prize; but all they got they did away prize is ready now.” that no-one had visited the university before the versity was asked to pay 3,900 euro in advance, with. The professor and all his barons then decision and she would not say whether anyone which included the costs of one hotel room for “I should very much like to know how came to the hall; the strangers held their could speak Albanian in order to evaluate the per- two nights and the award ceremony, according to they are getting on with the gold,” arms up as if they held something in formance of the education facility. documents obtained by Prishtina Insight. thought the professor. But he felt rather their hands and said: “This is the prize!” “This [the prize] is absolutely not something Rugova and Mrasori were lodged at the uneasy when he remembered that he “It is as light as a cobweb, and one that we give to everyone,” she said, pointing that Marriott Marquis Hotel for two nights, at a maxi- who was not fit for his office should he must feel as if one had nothing in one’s more than 100 people were awarded prizes in New mum cost of around 550 euro, although hotels not see it. Personally, he was of opinion hand; but that is just the beauty of it.” York. usually provide significant discounts for group that he had nothing to fear, yet he “Indeed!” said all the courtiers; but Online blogs have also called into question the bookings. thought it advisable to send somebody they could not see anything, for there award, one pointing out that a company which Other costs, including the flights, were paid for else first to see how matters stood. All was nothing to be seen. had been inactive for many had been given the by the University. Mrasori told a press conference were anxious to see how bad or stupid “How well its looks!” said all. “What prize. on Monday that he and Rugova spent just under their neighbours were. a beautiful pattern! What fine colours! A consumer watchdog blog, based in Botswana, 1,000 euro during their stay in New York. “I shall send my honest old minister That is a magnificent prize!” wrote: “The reader who “won” this award hadn’t But the University has declined to reveal the to the weavers,” thought the professor. The master of the ceremonies traded since 2003.” cost of the plane tickets – usually in excess of “He can judge best how the stuff looks, announced that the bearers of the Another blog in the Madlives also asked “why 1,000 euro per person between Prishtina and New for he is intelligent, and nobody under- canopy, which was to be carried in the on earth would a plaque be awarded to a firm in York – and how much the pair spent while in the stands his office better than he.” procession, were ready. The chamber- Maldives for selling PCs?”. The website went on UK, where they remained for extra days following The good old minister went into the lains, who were to carry the long rib- the point out that the “media sponsor” of the the ceremony. room where the strangers sat before the bons which dangled from the trophy, Prishtina Insight has secured the letter of invi- awards are actually run by the same parent com- empty prize. “Heaven preserve us!” he stretched their hands to the ground as if tation to UP from BID, as well as a series of other pany of BID. thought, and opened his eyes wide, “I they lifted up the material, and pretend- documents, in which it labels the university a Leaders of the UP, at a press conference on cannot see anything at all,” but he did ed to hold something in their hands; “business” or “company” throughout. Monday, attacked the media for criticising UP’s not say so. they did not like people to know that The letter is addressed to the “Universiti e attendance. “Now, have you got nothing to say?” they could not see anything. Prishtines”, even though the document is in “The latest articles and declarations in the said one of the strangers, while he pre- The professor marched in the proces- English, and to an unnamed “General Manager”, media that have to do with the prize-giving for tended to be busily engraving. “Oh, it is sion under the beautiful canopy, and all rather than to a specific person. “quality” for the UP are coming from certain indi- very pretty, exceedingly beautiful,” who saw him in the street and out of the The documents also outline the basic cost of viduals and groups,,” said rector Rugova. replied the old minister looking through windows exclaimed: “Indeed, the profes- 3,900 euro for the awards, as well as suggesting “These individuals and groups are dealing his glasses. sor’s new prize is incomparable!” that other services, such as organising media with defamation and are stopping the progress of “We are pleased to hear that,” said Nobody wished to let others know he saw interviews are not part of the basic package. the UP” he continued. strangers. nothing, for then he would have been When challenged over why the University of Mrasori argued that the university did not pay Now the strangers asked for more unfit for his office or too stupid. Never Prishtina had won the “gold” prize, Sandra 3,900 euro for participating in the conference, but money and gold, which they required to professor’s prize was more admired. Balkan, of BID, told Prishtina Insight that the for “membership”. Documents from BID, howev- finish the prize. They kept everything “But he has nothing at all,” said a lit- er, clearly describe the 3,900 euro cost as for themselves. tle child at last. “Good heavens! listen to “participation cost” for the two-day event. Soon afterwards the professor sent the voice of an innocent child,” said the The rector said that legal action would be another honest courtier to the prize father, and one whispered to the other taken against journalists who slandered givers to see how they were getting on, what the child had said. “But he has him and that they have addressed this issue and if the trophy was nearly finished. nothing at all,” cried at last the whole at the Public Municipal Prosecutors office Like the old minister, he looked and people. That made a deep impression to investigate his handling of the case, as looked but could see nothing, as there upon the professor, for it seemed to him well as the media. was nothing to be seen. that they were right; but he thought to Business Initiative Direction, in a written “Is it not a beautiful prize?” asked the himself, “Now I must bear up to the statement, said: “BID will not accept any two strangers, showing and explaining end.” And the chamberlains walked defamatory statements made against its the magnificent pattern, which, howev- with still greater dignity, as if they car- name, image or reputation through any er, did not exist. “I am not stupid,” said ried the ribbons which did not exist. medium whatsoever and will vigorously the man. “It is therefore my good All characters appearing in this work defend itself and take all legal action avail- appointment for which I am not fit. It is are fictional. Any resemblance to able against any party making state- very strange, but I must not let anyone real persons, living or dead, at is ments.” know it;” and he praised the prize, purely coincidental. 4 June 8 - 21, 2012 news Kosovo Scientist Claims Kosovo Petrol Smugglers Detained For Month Einstein Was Wrong Three of six arrested petrol smugglers have been remanded for His work attacking Einstein’s theory of special relativity a month by a EULEX pre-trial judge while the others were put may have been dismissed by peers, but Dr Shukri under house arrest. Klinaku, a politician turned physicist, remains square behind his new book. The police operation, according to if it was so complicated, we EULEX, is part of a major investiga- would be confused with every By Fatmir Aliu tion into petrol smuggling from the step.” Serb-run north of Kosovo to the coun- By Muhamet The scholar, mostly known for try's southern municipalities. Hajrullahu his political activities, also stat- According to EULEX, during the osovo businessman Mentor ed that the theory of Special May 29 police operation many luxury Beqiri, his brother, Albert, and Relativity is accompanied by cars and other items were seized from hukri Klinaku was the Kanother businessman, Halil the suspects. other errors which in the end Hasani, will spend one month in vice president of the Mentor Beqiri, who lives in are reflected in mathematical detention, a EULEX judge decided last SNational Movement for formula. Vushtrri, is suspected of being the Thursday. Liberation of Kosovo, NMLK, Klinaku says he has main contact with Veselinovic in the formed in 1993 by a faction of “Not a joke” Shukri Klinaku Three other suspects, Enver Tahiri, explained in his book Einstein's petrol business. the dissident Marxist-Leninist Jahe Osmani and Vesat Imeri, all errors but he admits that this The six men, according to the pros- organisation People's lege, university, science was bet- businessmen, have been put under work has not been well received ecution, in a joint enterprise with Movement of Kosovo, the found- ter organised, then my idea house arrest for 30 days, after the pre- by his colleagues at the Veselinovic created a chain of gas sta- ing base of the Kosovo would have been received much trial judge decided grounds existed to University of Prishtina. tions under different names such as Liberation Army guerrilla better. The national Science support prosecutors' claims that the “The students were surprised “BT Petrol”, “Jamo”, “Mab”, “Oil movement. Council, the Ministry nor the six are part of a large organised crime and curious,” said Klinaku. “I Kosova.” Now he is a physicist on a Academy of Sciences are giving group. was more bothered that most of Last week, EULEX forces raided mission – to disprove Einstein’s ideas to develop science further, “The six suspects are charged with Theory of Special Relativity. my physicist colleagues have they are just there for the sad Veselinovic's home in the village of taken an unusual attitude, some organised crime, tax evasion, fraudu- Doljane near Zvecan. Klinaku, 45, born in Mazgit sake of being there.” He added lent evasion of import duty and excise near Obilic, has released his sort of incomprehensible rejec- Veselinovic and his brother Zarko that the book had a much better tax and money laundering. They are thoughts in a book “Relative tion. First we need to study then reception in Tirana. are wanted on nine charges, including all suspected of having taken part in Movement, the Correct give judgements. But this is also Klunaku wants his book not the murder of a Kosovo Albanian smuggling fuel in Kosovo,” the Explanation and Mistakes of a factor of the abnormal situa- to be taken as a joke, not even in police officer and an attack on UN and EULEX statement said. Einstein” a few weeks ago. tion that prevails in the scientif- Kosovo. “I’m not asking for NATO personnel. Police from the EU's law and order “I think that it’s not just the ic education in Kosovo.” them to applaud me nor to Last October, a New York Times mission arrested the six suspects as theory of Einstein that is a mis- The former vice-president of believe me - never. I would be article on smuggling in Kosovo take, but there are errors from A the National Movement for happy if they would read the part of a drive against organized referred to Veselinovic and Mentor to Z,” said Klinaku. Liberation of Kosovo said that book and then give their judge- crime in the northern, Serb-run frag- Beqiri as figures involved in this “The whole theory of Special ideas are ridiculed and underes- ments, not first the judgment ment of Kosovo. trade. Relativity of Einstein is wrong, timated, but little analysed in without reading it or basing The six are believed to include part- Beqiri was arrested earlier in 2006, who is not the creator but an Kosovo society. their opinions on what others ners of the controversial Kosovo Serb 2007 and 2009, but no charges were heir of this theory. “If the education system; col- say,” he concluded. businessman Zvonko Veselinovic. raised against him. “This theory purports to explain relative motion, but rel- ative movement is not as com- plicated as is presented in the Serbian and Albanian theory of special relativity and not as complicated as the public is told by the physicists,” he added. Contrasting History Klinaku said: “We daily have to deal with relative motion. So to reconciliation: Serbian-Albanian relations”, both Serbian and Albanian history textbooks are full of stereotypes, generalisations and By Marija Ristic black and white views of the past. Serbian history text books curriculum have www.prishtinainsight.com been designed by the Ministry of Education of erbian and Albanian children in Kosovo Republic of Serbia, and they are used in all learn different versions of history, both of Publisher: schools across Serbia. Swhich are biased and incorrect, says “There is no direct violence and conflict BIRN research conducted by the Belgrade University between ethnic Serbs and Albanians [in Centre for Peace Studies. Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Kosovo], but we are far from reconciliation. According to the research paper, “Ethnic When you look at the history texts you see Mensa e Studenteve, first floor stereotypes and national myths as an obstacle polar opposite views,” says Goran Tepsic, one 10000, Prishtina of the researchers at the Centre for Peace Kosovo Studies. Phone: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 Tepsic noted that one of the biggest curiosi- Fax: +381 (0) 38 22 44 98 ties of the research was the way that Albanians [email protected] and Serbs use the same words to describe each other – accusing each other of being violent, Editor-in-Chief: robbers, and discriminatory. The Albanians Albanians. Lawrence Marzouk also tend to describe the Serbs as genocidal. “With this kind of history teaching both Albanians textbooks say that their biggest [email protected] sides are just legitimising the violence and the enemies are Slavic people or as the textbooks Editorial Team: conflict,” he adds. describe it “their united chauvinistic neigh- Ana Petruseva, Gordana Igric, Albanian-language history textbooks in bours”. Serbs are seen as the invaders, dicta- Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, Kosovo say that Kosovo has been Albanian ter- tors and the nation that always terrorised the Albanians. Petrit Collaku, Shengjyl Osmani, ritory since the 4th century BC and that the Albanians are the direct descendants of the However, both ethnicities see themselves as Artan Mustafa, Florina Hajdini, Bujar ancient Illyrian people, and as such, have the defenders of Europe from the Ottomans, Arucaj and Donjeta Demolli. always been dominant nation in the area of while Serbs are also defenders of Christianity today’s Kosovo. from Islam. Marketing, Sales & Distribution: Serbian books describe Kosovo and Metohija Albanians and Serbians also blame each [email protected] as their holy land, where Serbs were the major- other for “stealing a hero”- Albanians claim the ity throughout history until they were expelled Serbian hero from the Middle Ages, Milos Design & Layout: “Rrjeti” by the Ottomans and Albanians. Obilic, as their own, since he has an allegedly Arben Grajqevci Serbian children are taught that their Albanian background and in their history is Y biggest historical enemies were the Turks and called Milos Kopiliq. M Printing: Lindi Printing Center those who converted to Islam following the Serbs on the other side, claim that one of the C biggest Albanian heroes Skenderbeg is actually Copyright © BIRN Ottoman invasion, such as Bosniaks and K Some Serb historians claim Skenderbeg as theirs. a Serb. news June 8 - 21, 2012 5 Naser Kelmendi: NGO “Donor” EULEX to Exhume and International Drug Kingpin Suspected Mass Controversial Kosovo-born “businessman” Naser Kelmendi has been placed on the US’s blacklist of “significant foreign Grave in Mitrovica narcotics traffickers” just days after he attempted to donate EULEX is waiting for a green light from a court in order to money to an anticorruption NGO in Montenegro. start exhuming a suspected mass grave in northern by Montenegro's Network for Kosovo, after local residents found two bodies during con- Affirmation of NGO Sector, MANS. But in late May, it has emerged, struction works. By Lawrence Marzouk Naser Kelmendi paid 200 euro to the they belong to people who died joint account of students, workers between 1 January 1998 – 31 and MANS for the organisation of December 2000, as a consequence against corruption protests, MANS of the 1998-1999 war in Kosovo,” S President Barack Obama By Fatmir Aliu has blocked the property said. confirmed Krasniqi. Uand assets of Peja-born In a statement, the organisation Mug shot of Naser Kelmendi The period is determined by Naser Kelmendi under the revealed that they returned the the Kosovo Law on Missing “With his statement Kelmendi “Kingpin Act”, which targets money immediately. Persons, based on which the confirmed that we succeeded in ortal remains of at least major international drug dealers. Kelmendi gave an interview to Department of Forensics uncovering their plan, demonstrat- two people were discov- Kelmendi has not been convicted Montenegrin media in which he Medicine operates. ing once again that those structures Mered during construction for his alleged drug dealing but has Six months ago, close to the argued that the donation was “in have a strong influence and connec- works at a private property in the been subject to a number of legal same area in the vicinity of the support of the work of directors and tion with some media. southern part of Mitrovica, near actions in Bosnia, where he has non-governmental organisations,”. “We will continue to fight in former Yugoslav Army barracks. former Yugoslav Army barracks, taken up citizenship, and The money was paid from the order to ensure that people like EU rule of law mission to 55 bodies were recovered. But the Montenegro. account of Kelmendi’s firm Donat. Kelmendi end up behind bars, Kosovo, EULEX, experts from the forensic teams found that the He, and family members, has “I respect the work of these instead of giving interviews to local Department of Forensic Medicine, remains are from World War II, business and property in Kosovo, ladies,” he added, referring to papers, unless they do so as prose- together with investigators of the and not the 1999 Kosovo-Serbia mostly in the Peja region. MANS, saying that it had provided cution witnesse.” War Crimes Investigation Unit, war. Last year, he admitted illegal con- evidence to the prosecutor alleging Kelmendi's attorney, Mithat visited the site in Mitrovica on Some 1,400 victims of the struction of a hotel in Montenegro’s that he was corrupt, and that he Koco, told Prishtina Insight that his Saturday. Kosovo war are still missing. The Ulqin. Work started on Casa Grande had been subsequently cleared. As client wants the chance to prove his Local inhabitants and associa- associations of families of miss- in 2009 without a building permit. a result, he argued, the organisa- innocence of the accusations of tions of the families of missing ing persons and Prishtina Kelmendi continued building the tion had helped “prove that I am not illegal business activities. persons, suspect that the two authorities have recently called hotel even after the municipal gov- a criminal”. “All the media just want sensa- bodies found wrapped up in a upon Belgrade to reveal what ernment ordered him to stop. In response, MANS said: “The tions and make inflammatory blanket at the site, are victims of happened to their loved ones who After pleading guilty, Kelmendi recent statement of Naser claims about him,” the lawyer said. the Kosovo war. went missing during the 1999 was ordered to pay 10,000 euro to a Kelmendi is proof that organised Blerim Krasniqi, EULEX war, who are presumed to have kindergarten in the seaside resort. Referring to his sanction under crime figures are scared of citizens the Kingpin Act, Koco said he will spokesperson, told Prishtina been killed by the Serbian securi- Anti-corruption donation committed to persevering in the ask the US authorities to back up Insight on Monday that EULEX is ty forces. struggle to liberate Montenegro. their claims that Kelmendi is a waiting for detailed analysis. The same call has been made to His conviction for the illegal con- The leaders of organised crime criminal. “I need to... ask them to “Bone samples were taken in the international community to struction came about in part structures in the country have now present evidence for this,” Koco order to determine if they are of urge Serbia to reveal the infor- because of documents uncovered begun defending their interests. said. forensic interest, meaning if mation. Macedonia Contests Critical Roma Refugee Report Ministry of Social Affairs takes issue with Amnesty report which says it is failing to provide due care for Roma and Ashkali refugees from Kosovo. people from Kosovo who wish to stay here,” Politov says, adding that the country is also trying to By Sinisa Jakov Marusic find them jobs. Macedonia gives 2,150 denar, (some 35 euro) a month in welfare to each Kosovan refugee. report by the international Politov says the ministry can- human rights watchdog not help some 400 others, mainly AAmnesty International Roma, who have been denied asy- says Macedonia is failing to pro- lum status. vide due care for some 1,100 Roma “They are going to have to find and Ashkali who fled Kosovo dur- a way to leave the country,” ing the war in the 1990s and Politov said, adding that remain in Macedonia. Macedonia is not planning to “The Ministry of Labour and forcefully expel them. Social Welfare failed to provide “Macedonia is not expelling us them with the financial assistance but is not helping us either, and and housing required under the many of us just want the chance 2010 local integration agree- of a clean start in life because we ment,” Amnesty's report claims. are afraid to go back,” one 24- Under the agreement, year-old Roma, who came to Macedonia is obliged to help Skopje when he was 12, said. refugees who cannot return to This refugee currently lives in Kosovo to integrate into Skopje's biggest Roma settlement Macedonian society. A roma settlement on the outskirts of Skopje, home to refugees from Kosovo. of Shuto Orizari. Macedonian authorities con- During the Kosovo conflict, the test the findings. Davor Politov, Protection in 2003 made it possi- rejected asylum seekers. were denied refugee status for Roma were seen by the Albanian spokesperson for the welfare min- ble for Roma, Ashkali and Roma Their final appeals for asylum purely arbitrary reasons. majority in Kosovo as allies of istry, says they are doing all in who had obtained temporary pro- had by then been rejected by the The expulsions stopped under the Serbian government. their power to help the refugees tection status in Macedonia to Macedonian Supreme Court on international pressure but After the Serbian authorities rebuild their lives. apply for asylum. the grounds that no obstacles pre- human rights activists continue withdrew from Kosovo, many “We are providing social wel- But in 2007 the European Roma vented their return to their place to say that only some of the Roma fled, and they fear reprisals fare, paying health and social Rights Center, ERRC, and the of origin. rejected applicants receive prop- Y if they return. insurance contributions and pay- UN's refugee arm, UNHCR, Human Right watchdogs and er treatment in Macedonia, as M The adoption of a Law on ing [housing] rent for some 780 became aware that Macedonia some European parliamentarians laid down in the 1951 Geneva C Asylum and Temporary had begun to expel about 400 have alleged that some Roma Convention. K 6 June 8 - 21, 2012 investigation Ferizaj Pays Dear For ‘Deadly’ Ancient Glider The municipality of Ferizaj has spent a quarter of its sport budget on an 18-year- old motorised hand-glider, which experts claim is too dangerous to fly.

By Petrit Collaku

erizaj municipality may face searching questions after Fbuying a hand glider for 11,484 euro which Prishtina Insight can reveal was purchased just months before for only 980 euro, less than 10 per cent of the sum that the town council paid. The aircraft has been purchased for its local aeronautical club, which has just one licensed pilot. Experts question whether Ferizaj got a good deal in paying so much for an 18-year-old plane which experts said was clearly out of date. Flying in it would be tanta- mount to “signing a death war- rant”, one said. The firm that won the tender to sell the glider to the local authori- ty, General Machinery A photo of Ferizaj’s only qualified pilot with the aeronautical new handglider. International, GMI, also from Ferizaj, submitted photos of the Macedonia, for just 980 euro last the sun it should not be used after Shala told Prishtina Insight. Uruci said. glider as part of the bid. year. six years,” said Celina, an autho- But he later checked with the He added that no contract had yet These were taken with the club’s Prishtina Insight was unable to rised dealer in Kosovo of the procurement department of the been signed, although the winner only pilot, Ragip Sokolli, in his track down Bunjaku, who imported Franco-British company, Ozone, company and rang back to confirm had been announced and the goods garage, raising questions about the vehicle to Kosovo in August which sells paragliders. that they had in fact made a bid. inspected. whether the club, or Sokoli, were 2011. Ragip Sokoli, the only licensed using the aircraft even before the According to customs docu- pilot for the Ferizaj club, said that tender was awarded. ments, transportation of the glider the winning company brought the cost 200 euro and an additional 325 equipment to his garage to be pho- Highflyers? euro was paid in import duty, tographed? because the club had no bringing the total cost of the glider space to accommodate it. Two companies, neither of to 1,505 euro. He denied that the aircraft was which had experience in the field, Experts claim that 12,000 euro dangerous. “I wouldn't risk my life submitted bids to supply the town should have bought Ferizaj a much if that were true,” Sokoli said. with a motorised glider and two better plane. He added that the age is less paragliders. “An Apollo glider with two seats, important than the number of On April 13, GMI was declared a 912 engine, brand new, would not hours an aircraft has spent in the winner, having offered the cost more than 20,000 euro,” said flight. “Some 460 hours of flight for a handglider should not expose you lower price of 20,390 euro. Xhelal Uka, an authorised dealer Nazim Hoxha, an official at the club The second company, Allmakes for Hungarian aircraft firm Apollo. to any risk,” he said. Global Services, AGS, based in Fadil Gerguri, head of the GMI’s owner, Faton Bajraktari, Komoran, Glogovc, was more Prishtina aeronautical club, and told Prishtina Insight that they did Missing documents: For 2012, the Directorate of Culture, Youth and Sports at Ferizaj expensive by just 820 euro. Ardall Celina, from the Prizren not send any documentation The procurement office at Ferizaj municipality was provided with The sum of 11,484 euro then went club, said the most worrying aspect regarding the origin of the air- municipality was unable to show the more than 480,000 euro from the cen- on the motorised glider and the rest of the story is the glider’s age. craft to the procurement office of documents of the losing company. tral budget including 100,000 euro on the paragliders. “A 1994 aircraft has done its Ferizaj municipality because they Procurement had only a docu- for sports. Under the law on access to docu- time,” Gerguri said. “Flying this had not been asked to. ment from GMI referring to prices As part of the 2012 budget, the ments, Prishtina Insight obtained machine is like signing your own Bajraktari said the price of glid- and providing pictures of the goods, department allocated 24,000 for documents from Kosovo Customs death warrant.” Celina also said er had increased because it needed taken at Sokoli’s garage. sports equipment dedicated to the that reveal that one Fatmir that flying an 18-year-old aircraft new wings and an engine pro- The department also had no docu- peller. aeronautical club. Bunjaku bought the 1994 Pegasus was dangerous. ments indicating the origin of the According to documents seen by This year, the town’s football club from Delta Club, in Prilep, “With exposure of the wing to glider, insurance, maintenance book Prishtina Insight, GMI bought the received 12,000 euro and the hand- and customs records. aircraft from the importer for 7,800 ball team received 7,000 euro. “I hadn’t thought that they would euro. Aeronautical club chairman Ilazi import the hand-glider into Kosovo The contract with Bunjaku was Xhemajl said that following the pur- and for that reason we have not men- agreed on the same day that GMI chase of the glider, club members tioned it in the tender dossier as a was declared the winner of the bid will finally be able to begin to prac- requirement,” Abdurrahman Uruci, by Ferizaj municipality. tice with the club’s only licensed “The contract was done that day head of procurement, said. instructor, Sokolli. because I wanted first to know Uruci added that the evaluation Ilazi said that a group of 15 per- whether I had won the tender. Why commission was composed of sons, mostly high school students, buy something when I may not win Skender Baftiu, the procurement were committed to aircrafts and had the tender?,” Bajraktari asked. officer, Agon Zhinipotoku, official at finished the theoretical part of their Ideal Shala, owner of the compa- the municipal’s department of course. ny Allmakes Global Services, AGS, sports, and Nazim Hoxha, official "We are pleased and grateful to the at first said he had no knowledge from the aeronautical club, who municipal authorities for this help. that his company had even partici- signed the papers that all the equip- Ferizaj club is well known for aero- pated in the tender. ment were as requested by the ten- nautics,” Ilazi said. Y “We do not deal with these bids,” der. The club moved to new premises M he said. “We are representatives in “The latter is an expert on these in 2007 and has a workshop where C Kosovo for KIA automobile and I issues and the commission has esti- junior members of the club work on K Most club members have contented themselves with airplane models until now. had no knowledge of this tender,” mated that everything was OK,” airplane models. economy June 8 - 21, 2012 7 Convicted Drug Lord Opens Betting Shops in Kosovo Princ Dobroshi, sentenced to 14 years in prison in Norway for heroin trafficking, has received a licence to open betting shops in Kosovo, despite his criminal past.

his native Kosovo. on May 2, 2012, licensed him to guard. On March 28 this year at the operate "Eurolive-24" as a sports Business Registration Agency he betting company, days before a Decision under Review? By Parim Olluri opened a business called new law was introduced which "StarLotoSport" which main activ- prohibits those with foreign con- The Tax Administration told businesses had begun to develop ity was listed as “betting”. victions from running such busi- Prishtina Insight that it plans to and there was no law regulating rinc Dobroshi may be pro- After 14 days, he requested for a nesses. cancel Dobroshi’s licence at the the business activity. This is a hibited from entering change of business name by regis- next opportunity. flawed law,” said Fusha. PEuropean Union countries tering it as "Eurolive-24", now reg- A Murky Past This is expected to happen in “Since 2009 we have wanted to following his past a major player istered for gambling, betting and May 2013, when the current bring in a new law which will be in the drug underworld, but that as a cafe. In 1994, Princ Dobroshi, origi- licence runs out. stricter.” hasn’t stopped him from being The Kosovo Tax Administration nally from Peja, was sentenced to The current law for Games of A new law entered into effect on licensed to open betting stores in 14 years prison for heroin traffick- Chance, according to officials of June 1 which requires that TAK ing in Norway. He was portrayed TAK, is too weak – a field tradi- verifies the backgrounds of appli- as a major player in the Albanian tional associated with money laun- cants. drug-smuggling world. dering. With the new law, the applicant In a well coordinated operation, "The fact is that current law is is required to fill in a form he escaped from the high-security flawed and weak”, said Bekim explaining whether he or any fam- prison at Ullersmo three years Fusha, manager for gambling at ily members have been convicted later. the Tax Administration of Kosovo. of a criminal offence. “He [Princ He moved to the Czech Republic, "We are bound by this law which Dobroshi) has the licence for a and is alleged to have had a face does not require us to verify peo- year and in May of 2013 it will not transplant to avoid detection ple’s background. continue,” said Jupa. before again establishing himself “The law only requires the Dobroshi obtained a licence on as a major underworld figure. In applicant to pay for a licence. “ May 2 this year a few days before February 1999 he was arrested in Princ Dobroshi’s company, the adoption of the new law on Prague. according to him, is licensed based Games of Chance, which prohibits Later that year he was extradit- on the current law that was adopt- dealing. ed to Norway to complete his sen- ed in 2004. Dobroshi told Prishtina Insight tence. In January 2005 he was “In 2004 the law was passed in that he had done no wrong. “I have released for good behaviour and order to have a document that gov- sent to TAK documents showing returned to Kosovo under armed erned this area. At that time, these that have not ever been convicted Adverts of Princ Dobroshi’s new betting shops, Eurolive24 in Kosovo," he said. Macedonian Opposition Queries Government Debt Figures Opposition accuses government of hiding the real size of the country’s public debt and of leading the country towards a Greek-style debt crisis. are worried by the recent rise in borrowing. In the last six months alone the country has bor- A trader looks on in New York as the market is battered by the faltering Euro rowed or agreed to borrow some 460 million euro. By Sinisa Jakov Marusic In April the World Bank said it planned to give Macedonia 100 million USD (about 79 million euro) to pursue economic reforms and address Balkans Face Slowdown, s Macedonia's Finance Minister, Zoran health, education and social welfare issues at a Stavreski, defended government plans to time of crisis. cut the budget by 5 per cent, opposition A Earlier that month Macedonia took out a loan World Bank Warns Social Democrats on Wednesday contested his of 250 million euro from Deutsche Bank to fill the estimates about the size of the national debt. Balkan Countries face reduced growth in 2012 amid continuing Stavreski, who on Monday survived a no-con- gap in the readjusted budget and refinance euro uncertainties in the Eurozone, a World Bank report published on fidence vote in parliament, insisted that public loan stock. The interest on the bank loan is 6.83 debt rose to an historic high in 2005, when the per cent and Macedonia has to return the money Tuesday says. Social Democrats were in power. in five years. basis for more dynamic, long-term “The debt was then equivalent to 38.4 per cent In November 2011, Macedonia borrowed 130 growth. of the GDP whereas today it is 26.8 per cent,” million euro from the Deutsche Bank and At the same time, the countries are Stavreski said. Citibank with a guarantee from the World Bank. By Besar Likmeta facing a considerable structural reform But Igor Ivanovski, a Social Democrat legisla- “In the last three years annual economic agenda to improve productivity and tor, said this figure was a “manipulation”, and growth has not exceeded 1 per cent while the competitiveness and reform their labour then presented a document in which Stavreski [national] debt had risen 6 per cent each year,” markets and public sectors. allegedly calculated the size of the public debt Social Democrat legislator Marjanco Nikolov After 2.2 per cent growth in 2011, According to the bank, with high lev- based on unrealistically high economic growth claimed. early indications are that Southeast els of public debt and financing pres- predictions of of 5.8 per cent for this year. The opposition argues that since 2006, when “Europe’s … countries are experi- sures, most countries in the region need "That is how he reached his favourite figure of the centre-right VMRO DPMNE party of Prime encing a significant slowdown to 1.1 per to adopt significant fiscal consolidation 26.8 per cent,” Ivanovski said, adding that the Minister Nikola Gruevski took power, cent growth in 2012,” said Zeljko programmes. real size of the debt was equivalent to at least 30 Macedonia has doubled its debt. Bogetic, lead economist for the Western “This is the key short-term policy per cent of GDP. “This is surely a Greek scenario,” Nikolov Balkans at the World Bank challenge for countries whose public The government initially came out with an said, predicting bankruptcy. While the drop to 1 per cent growth debt-to-GDP ratio has been increasing optimistic forecast of a 4.5 per cent growth this At a session that is still ongoing, the govern- would mark a sharp slowdown, Bogetic rapidly,” said Bogetic, while underlining year. Amid shrinking exports caused largely by ment proposes shaving 5 per cent off the 2.7 bil- emphasized that the figure could be even that “economic policy must strike a bal- the European crisis, it recently lowered the fore- lion euro budget, projecting gross savings of worse, depending on how the Greek eco- ance between the need to improve public cast to 2 per cent. some 120 million euro. nomic crisis develops. finances and reduce macroeconomic However, this still looks optimistic as the IMF “We have made cuts in all ministries and In the short term, the report says that vulnerabilities, on the one hand, and Y and the World Bank do not expect more than 1 budget beneficiaries without exception,” several countries must implement sus- strengthen the economic policy environ- M per cent growth in Macedonia this year. Stavreski said, explaining that they were aim- tained fiscal consolidation to reverse ment for investment, growth, and jobs, C Opposition parties and some experts say they ing to even out the impact. adverse debt dynamics and establish a on the other". K 8 June 8 - 21, 2012 neighbourhood business Income Tax Reform Photo story May Revive Serbia’s Shaky Finances Root and branch reform of the way Serbia assesses and collects income tax could inject valuable new funds into the depleted budget, analysts say.

salaries, revenue from agriculture and forestry, revenue from copyright and self- employment and revenue from real estate. By Olivera Bojic Personal income tax is fixed at 12 per cent on salaries and 20 per cent on other personal income. Belgrader from Savski Venac munic- In addition, taxpayers whose annual per- ipality with an annual income of 1.6 sonal income on all revenues exceeds 16,200 Amillion euro is the person with the pay another 10 to 15 per cent of their annual highest registered income in the country, income. according to the Tax Administration, which Those earning between 16,200 euro and says he owes 15 per cent of this amount, 33,000 euro pay 10 per cent extra, while those about 277,000 euro, a year in personal whose annual incomes exceed 33,000 euro a income tax. year pay 15 per cent extra. He is one of a few who pay such high taxes In the collection of individual income tax, in Serbia, where income tax as a percentage Record Number of Tourists Visit Dubrovnik, Croatia the largest amount comes from taxes on of national revenue is far below the here were a record number of tourists visiting the Adriatic resort of Dubrovnik salaries. European average. during the first five months of 2012. While in most OECD countries individual Only about 22,000 people in Serbia earn TAccording to the Dubrovnik Tourist Board, the Adriatic city received more visi- income tax provides a quarter of total tax more than 16,200 euro and pay annual per- tors than last year, which was also a record year. revenue, in Serbia it provides only about 10 sonal income tax. The amount that the state Between January and June, Dubrovnik had 157,214 arrivals, which was a 12 per cent per cent. gets from them is about 17 million euro. increase on last year. As the Serbian government’s arrange- Most of the money collected from person- The Tourist Board noted 493,167 overnight stays, a 17 per cent increase from the previ- ment with the IMF was put on hold after the al income taxes goes to local government, ous year. More than half the overnight stays were in May. national debt exceeded the agreed ceiling of not the state budget. Under the Law on Financing Local Government, which came 45 per cent of GDP, and is currently is at 50 Prishtina Insight. those earning above 16,200 euro - creates into force last October, 80 per cent of the rev- per cent, Serbia must find new ways both to Also, with average salaries of only 350 more work for state officials and thus costs enue from personal income tax goes to local cut spending and increase tax collection in euro a month, Serbian employees are not more. authorities and 20 per cent to the state budg- order to pump more money into the budget. adding much to the state budget. Knezevic believes that Serbia should go et. The IMF agreement was frozen in As the personal income tax rate on for a system that would mean taxpayers pay- February after the IMF deemed the 2012 Nothing certain but death and salaries is 12 per cent, the average monthly ing tax on all their income together, not budget inconsistent with the agreed fiscal revenue that the state gets from each divided into incomes from wages or real programme. While it was agreed that the fis- taxes? employee is about 42 euro. estate. cal deficit - the gap between state revenues Although many people quote the saying In order to pay less taxes and contribu- This system also means that all income and expenditure – would not exceed 4.25 per that nothing is certain but death and taxes, tions in general, many employers report could then be taxed at progressive rates and cent of GDP [1.3 billion euro], the IMF mis- in fact many Serbs pay no personal income that they and their employees earn only that taxable incomes would include capital sion to Belgrade said Serbia had projected a tax. minimal wages, while they get far more income, such as stock dividends. fiscal deficit reaching at least 5.25 per cent of While the official unemployment rate is money in cash. Economist Jadranka Djurovic-Todorovic GDP. 24 per cent, about 700,000 people in Serbia Randjelovic explains that the state could said this system would significantly Since then the government has not cut work in the so-called grey economy, working more efficiently monitor whether people are increase budget revenues. public spending. In fact, although the gov- unofficially and thus paying no taxes on reporting lower incomes in order to avoid “This system is on one hand fairer, ernment is obliged not to increase the budg- their salaries. tax and contributions. because currently a person who earns 200 et deficit by more than 224 million euro in As contributions on wages that include By comparing whether someone’s proper- euro and one who earns 1,000 pay the same first three months of 2012, it spent almost personal income tax are equivalent to about ty is in line with their declared income, the tax of 12 per cent on wages. double that amount, 413 million euro, in that 62 per cent of a salary, employers are not Tax Administration could get some idea “On the other hand, it would bring more period. keen to register their employees, even if about whether a taxpayer has paid tax on money into the budget, because those who Christine Lagarde, head of the IMF, they work full time. their real income. earn more would pay more [than 12 per recently told the UK’s Guardian newspaper With weak controls in place, many land- “Such a mechanism would especially cent],” Djurovic-Todorovic told Prishtina that one of the causes of the Greek crisis lords also rent out real estate for years at a affect people with high incomes, which Insight. was Athens’ poor rate of tax collection. Economist Sasa Radulovic believes that “I think they should also help themselves time to clients without declaring it or pay- would additionally help reduce disparities tax rates on those working for minimum collectively. By all paying their tax,” Lagarde ing any tax on the earnings. and motivate other taxpayers to regularly wages should be zero, the rate should be 20 told the Guardian. Analysts say that the rate of collection of settle their obligations,” Randjelovic said. per cent for those working for any amount Analysts say that Serbia also needs to personal income tax would be much higher above the minimum and 30 per cent and reform its income tax laws and rate of collec- if employers’ contributions to wages were Thorough reform needed: higher for those earning significantly more tion in order to bring in more money. lower, as employers then would have more Most analysts agree that the whole than the average. They say this could be achieved through incentive to officially employ people. income tax system needs to reform in order Such tax rates, with lowered or cancelled the introduction of progressive taxation - Sasa Randjelovic, from the Faculty of to increase revenues, cut administrative contributions on wages, such as those for charging more to those who earn more - and Economics, says the authorities should also costs of collecting tax and introduce an health and pension insurance, would revive introducing an income tax system that introduce tougher controls on employers to equitable tax system. the economy. would mean taxpayers paying taxes on all ensure they pay taxes and contributions for Milan Knezevic, from the Association of their incomes together, not divided into their workers. “In a year or two this would put an end to income from wages, real estate or copyright. “The total tax base would then be broader Small and Medium-sized Enterprises, says the grey economy and significantly increase Taxable income in Serbia includes and salary taxes could be collected from the existing system of double taxation - one state income and overall economic growth,” more employees,” Randjelovic told paid monthly and another paid annually by he maintains. Montenegro Court Jails Former Mayor of Budva Podgorica's Superior Court on company, Zavala Invest, and to received a total of 21 years in been reached under the pressure Tuesday delivered a first- the detriment of the municipal jail. of certain foreign embassies. instance verdict against 11 budget. One of them, Djordje Pinjatic, The EU has made a more effec- By Milena Milosevic indictees in the case of illegal Kuljaca was jailed for five is an MP for Montenegro’s rul- tive fight against organized construction work at Zavala hill years, while Marovic, brother of ing Democratic Party of crime and corruption one of in Budva in 2007 and 2008. Svetozar Marovic, the former Socialists. Montenegro's seven key priori- court has handed out jail Rajko Kuljaca, former mayor president of the State Union of Following the verdict, Marovic ties, if it wants to advance Y terms to former mayor of of the coastal resort, and Serbia and Montenegro, was emphasized his surprise about towards EU membership. The M AMontenegrin resort, his Dragan Marovic, his deputy, jailed for four years. the length of his jail sentence. country has been frequently C deputy and nine others in the so- were found guilty of abuse of Nine others, mostly indicted Borivoje Borovic, Kuljaca’s urged to prosecute more high-pro- K called Zavala case. office to the benefit the private for helping Kuljaca and Marovic, lawyer, said the verdicts had file corruption cases. neighbourhood news June 8 - 21, 2012 9 PHOTO NEWS Macedonia Launches Paedophile Register On Sunday Macedonia launched an online register of convicted pae- dophiles who have been released, containing their pictures, names and addresses.

By Sinisa Jakov Marusic

acedonia is the first country in the region to publish the online pae- Mdophile register and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs insists this will boost children’s safety. “If this measure protects or saves at least one child's life, than it would have served its purpose, ” Spiro Ristovski, Social Affairs Minister, told media. Albania Fails to Elect President in Second Round The latest government data shows 231 people were convicted of paedophilia Monday’s parliamentary session for the election of a new president lasted only one between 2004 and 2009. Figures indicate that minute, after earlier talks between the ruling majority of Sali Berisha and the opposition the number of such cases in the Balkan of Edi Rama on a consensual candidate yielded no results. countries is on the rise. The Democrats, led by Prime Minister Berisha, continue to push for the election of The move, announced in October last Xhezair Zaganjori, a former constitutional court judge and diplomat, as the next head of year, is considered problematic by some state. human rights watchdogs. The Macedonian However, the opposition Socialists rejected Zaganjori’s candidature as one-sided and Helsinki Committee for Human Rights called for talks between the parties to select a candidate who would also receive the bless- expressed caution noting that the register ing of the opposition. may encourage individuals to take the law into their own hands. For sexual offences against minors, the paved the way for the public paedophile reg- Macedonian law envisages sentences rang- ister, also empowers the police to observe ing from eight years to life in prison. For more closely the ex sex offenders. Dispute Over Visegrad's other sexual crimes the law stipulates They will be tasked with closely monitor- terms ranging from three to ten years in ing their whereabouts, especially their jail. movements near schools, playgrounds and War Victims Memorial The law, adopted earlier this year, which other areas where children gather. A Bosniak victims' association from Visegrad claims that the town is run by war criminals following a protest by Serbs over the use of the word marketing genocide on a memorial to Bosniak war victims. tiated claims about the killings that took place in Visegrad. “Inaccurate statements and unfounded By Elvira Jukic claims about the armed conflict in the 1990s, from which inappropriate conclusions may be drawn concerning the victims of one eth- group of Serb citizens of Visegrad nic group, leads to the suspicion that indi- gathered in the center of the town viduals are putting out such statements for Aand protested on Saturday against malicious reasons, “ the Ministry said. the use of the word “genocide” written on “Such acts can have unwanted conse- the monument to Bosniaks killed during the quences for all the citizens of Bosnia and war. Herzegovina.” The Women - Victims of War group, a Victims deserve a monument and respect, Bosniak victims’ association, claims in a the Ministry said, but added that the politi- press release on Wednesday that the protest cal misuse of them does not foster tolerance indicates that the town of Visegrad is still and respect. run by Serbs who committed war crimes The monument was built at the Muslim during the 1992-95 war. graveyard of Straziste in Visegrad and is “Graves, mass graves and rapes are the truth”, the association said, pointing out dedicated to Bosniak victims of the that survivors from the war are still search- Visegrad genocide. ing for the remains of some 1,500 Bosniaks Before the war Visegrad was mainly who were killed in Visegrad 1992. Muslim. According to the 1991 census, the “Yes, it was a genocide, because almost no municipality was home to some 21,000 peo- Bosniaks have returned to their pre-war ple of whom around 13,500 were Bosniaks homes,” said Bakira Hasecic on behalf of [Muslims] and around 7,000 were Serbs. the victims’ organisation. Since the ethnic cleansing campaigns of But the Serbs in Visegrad do not agree. the 1990s, those figures have changed radi- “The Hague Tribunal did not state that geno- cally and about 95 per cent of the inhabi- cide was committed in Visegrad, ” one of the tants of the town today are Serbs. The new Serb citizens told local media on Saturday census will report the exact figures in 2013. during the gathering. The International Criminal Tribunal for The monument in Visegrad was erected the former Yugoslavia, ICTY, has sentenced on May 26 at the Muslim graveyard of Straziste where 60 Bosniak victims of the the high ranking Bosnian Serb politicians Bosnian war were buried. Biljana Plavsic and Momcilo Krajisnik for The protestors objected to the part of the the expulsion and murder of non Serb civil- inscription which reads “to killed and miss- ians in Visegrad in 1992. ing Bosniaks, victims of the Visegrad geno- Two men who were directly involved in cide”. the war crimes committed in Visegrad, The Ministry of Labour and Veterans of Boban Simsic and Mitar Vasiljevic, were Republika Srpska, the Serb dominated enti- sentenced by the Bosnian Court and the ty in Bosnia, called for all officials and NGOs ICTY, respectively, to 14 and 15 years in to refrain from making false and unsubstan- prison for crimes committed in the town. 10 June 8 - 21, 2012 neighbourhood Coalition Change Propels Bosnia Towards Fresh Crisis Change of government, after the Social Democrats expelled the strongest Bosniak party from the coalition, is likely to result in tectonic shifts in poli- tics and new instability. possibility of a media mag- prolonged political crisis stretching nate sitting on sealed up until local elections, expected in sources of information from October. By Eldin Hadzovic the intelligence services as “These changes could cause tecton- “frightening”. ic shifts and Bosnia is certainly slid- Radoncic is also often por- ing into another crisis,” Professor trayed in the rest of Bosnia’s Curak said. hen two sworn enemies, Zlatko media as a member of the The procedure to form a new parlia- Lagumdzija, leader of Bosnia’s criminal milieu, correlating mentary majority in the Federation is WSocial Democratic Party, SDP, and him with Kelmendi, a complex and until decisions are made, Fahrudin Radoncic, leader of the Union for Kosovar named by the US as Curak predicts that at one point all the a Better Future of Bosnia, SBBBiH – as well a drug trafficker, as was above named parties will be in power. as owner of Bosnia's most widely read news- announced on last Friday. “I call that ‘the end of politics’, paper, Dnevni Avaz – signed a coalition The Organized Crime and because having all parties in govern- agreement last Friday, many rubbed their Corruption Reporting ment makes no sense and turns eyes in disbelief. Network, OCCRP, reported democracy into a joke,” Curak told The move gives Lagumdzija’s party one that President Barack Fahrudin Radoncic, leader of SBBBiH, is Bosnia’s new Minister for Security. Prishtina Insight. more position in the state’s Council of Obama notified Congress on Changes at cantonal level have Ministers, while one other goes to Radoncic’s level where the ruling parties until now, beside Friday of having sanctioned Kelmendi under already taken place. Immediately after the party. SDP and SDA, were two small Croat parties, the Kingpin Act, implemented by the US agreement was hatched between the two par- This is because the party that Lagumdzija the People's Party for Work and Betterment, Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign ties, members of Radoncic’s party replaced expelled from the ruling coalition, the Party of NSRB, and Croatian Party of Rights, HSP. Assets Control (OFAC). the SDA ministers in all cantonal govern- Democratic Action, SDA had two seats on the These will probably be forced out and Kelmendi has also been described by ments where it was possible. Council. replaced by Covic’s larger Bosnian Croat party Interpol as the leader of a dangerous interna- Dismissals of the SDA ministers have The changes at the top in the state govern- and by its sister party, HDZ. tional criminal group, trading in narcotics, already taken place in the Sarajevo, Zenica- ment also have an impact on the lower levels of Nermin Niksic, Prime Minister of the cigarettes, money-laundering and people-traf- Doboj, Tuzla and Una-Sana Cantons. government, in the cantons of the larger of Federation entity and a member of the SDP, ficking, as well as being suspected of murder. Miodrag Zivanovic, Professor of Philosophy Bosnia’s two entities, the Federation of Bosnia has already said that the government of the Azhar Kalamujic, a journalist from Bosnia’s in Banja Luka, in Republika Srpska, said that and Herzegovina. Federation “can’t be excluded from the process Investigative Journalism Centre, CIN, who both Lagumdzija and Dodik, leader of the Previously the SDP and SDA ruled in coali- of change in [the state] government jointly investigated the Radoncic-Kelmendi connec- SNSD, “have betrayed the very idea of social tion agreement in the state, the Federation and launched by the SDP and the SBBBiH.” tion three years ago, told Prishtina Insight democracy. at cantonal level, except in those cantons that Meanwhile Radoncic said on June 5 that if that they based their claims on reports “We should not speak about Dodik and have a Bosnian Croat majority. the Federation government is reconstructed, released by SIPA. Lagumdzija seriously any longer, especially What especially raised eyebrows is the idea “it should reflect the electoral will of Bosnia’s "We proved that Radoncic had business deal- after Radoncic’s party has been included in of Lagumdzija’s Bosniak-dominated Social Croats”, who mainly voted for Covic’s HDZ ings with Kelmendi through Avaz, while power,” he said. Democrats abandoning a centre-right Bosniak and HDZ 1990. Keljmendi exchanged valuable real estate in “It is known that Radodncic himself is a party for Radoncic’s SBB, which is seen as Due to long procedures and possible block- Sarajevo and Zenica with Avaz in 2004,” man of doubtful reputation, as it is his party,” being on the far-right. ades by the SDA, which will not give up its Kalamujic told Prishtina Insight. Zivanovic added. Radoncic’s newspaper, Dnevni Avaz, is well positions easily, Bosnia may be heading into a Radoncic on Tuesday rubbished insinua- known for its crude Bosniak nationalism and tions regarding his relationship with for its sometimes chauvinistic and homopho- marketing Kelmendi. bic viewpoints. Whatever the reasons behind the new The change has also brought Radoncic’s friendship between Lagumdzija and Radoncic, past into the spotlight, with some questioning it follows a long-lasting period of animosity. his fitness to become Bosnia’s new Minister of The historic rivalry between Lagumdzija Security, as was announced on Monday. and Radoncic is full of mutual accusations Troubles in the SDP and SDA coalition have and defamations. been evident ever since the general election in In an interview with Dani magazine in 2006, 2010, as the two parties expressed opposing Lagumdzija called Radoncic “a moral and views over numerous issues related to human pygmy”. Bosniak national identity. “His abnormal need to create a government The dispute appeared out of control when according to his own taste is fuelled by only the SDA refused to vote for the 2012 state budg- one intention – to protect his assets, suspi- et, refusing to accept a reduction to the budget. Park School Pristina ciously acquired during the [1992-5] war, at all The SDA was then outvoted last Thursday, Finally spring is upon us! It is the time and kindergarten in an attractive setting costs,” Lagumdzija said of Radoncic in the which led that evening to the break-up of the to make decisions about where your child just outside downtown Pristina. We have interview. coalition. will go to preschool in the fall. The fami- had a wonderful spring term and look for- On the other hand, Radoncic’s newspaper Bosnia’s current Security Minister Sadik lies and staff of Park School Pristina want ward to sharing our experience with other for years described Lagumdzija as a “servant Ahmetovic, from the SDA, who will be to share one of the schooling options in families. The school is for children age 2-6, acting on behalf of Serbian and Croatian replaced by Radoncic, argues that the SDP's Pristina with you. before they begin formal schooling (in interests”, and also published unauthorised argument about the budget was only a smoke We are located in a green, quiet, safe and some countries, that is 5 years old, in oth- pictures of Lagumdzija’s family members. screen. easily accessible neighborhood, halfway ers, 7 years old). “While the head of the SDP is a budget thief “The personal interests of both Lagumdzija between Pristina’s two largest parks, Tauk The school day runs 8am – 3pm with flex- and known supporter of the police state, and Radoncic are behind all this turmoil,” Bahqe and Germia. The school’s immedi- ible drop-off and pickup. We also offer a Social Democrat claims that they care about Ahmetovic told Prishtina Insight. ate surroundings include plenty of trees, summer camp during the month of July. citizens and democracy are false”, one of Lagumdzija and some other senior SDP open grassy areas and fresh air. Our stu- Park School Tiddlers playgroup is a Dnevni avaz’s descriptions of Lagumdzija members have been investigated for racketeer- dents enjoy the outdoors every day of the meeting place for parents or care-givers from 2009 reads. ing in past while Radoncic has been named in school year, whether it’s to play, picnic, or and their children, aged 0 to 3. It’s a place “Lagumdzija must have an incredible desire connection with a suspected drug dealer, explore. where children can play and explore for power in order to form a coalition with the Nasser Kelmendi. Park School was founded by a group of together, and develop new friendships. The owner of Dnevni avaz, a newspaper which Radoncic’s new post as Ministry of Security, parents in late 2011 who sought for their group meets twice a week, on Tuesdays and launched such fierce attacks on Lagumdzija’s in control of the state’s Security, Investigation children an English-language preschool Thursdays from 08:30 – 11:00. own privacy,” Professor Curak told Prishtina and Protection Agency, SIPA, will give him Insight. control of future investigation processes and Currently, all levels of political structures in resources. Bosnia are bracing for a tectonic shift in “Radoncic is connected to persons blacklist- power. ed by the US and the State Prosecution is inves- At state level there is a perception that radi- tigating the case, which has already gone far, cal nationalists are in the ascendancy, as while Lagumdzija’s SDP is trying to pass a law Radoncic’s party has close ties with the giving it full control of the police,” Ahmetovic Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, the told Prishtina Insight. ruling party in the Bosnian Serb entity, Radoncic and Lagumdzija have denied any Republika Srpksa, led by Milorad Dodik. wrongdoing or involvement with criminal Radoncic has also an agreement of coopera- groups. tion with Dragan Covic, leader of the Croatian For more information please contact: Analysts are also concerned about the Democratic Union in Bosnia, HDZ BiH, which prospect of a media mogul becoming Security Y advocates the establishment of a third entity Minister. Phone: +381 (38) 755 601 • [email protected] M in Bosnia for Croats. Nezuk Curak, professor of Political Science C The biggest change will occur on Federation http://www.park-school.com/ at the University of Sarajevo, described the K neighbourhood June 8 - 21, 2012 11 Serbia’s New Team Faces Same Old Challenges Whichever parties form the new administration, they face the same old inherited headaches - from soaring debt and unemployment to endemic corruption and the unresolved issue of Kosovo. have to increase VAT, currently AT talks at any time and will not have 18 per cent, and reform the com- to wait for the next progress report plex tax system. on Serbia, due in October. By Gordana Andric Public sector salaries will have Although Serbia has said it will to be frozen, the number of public never recognise Kosovo’s inde- employees reduced, subsidies to pendence, Belgrade and Pristina public companies cut and the pen- started EU-mediated talks in erbia awaits a new govern- sion age increased. Brussels last March to solve prac- ment, but the tasks the new Serbian civil servants currently tical issues such as freedom of Scabinet faces are quite old. retire at 65 for men and 60 for movement, recognition of univer- Serbia’s has a new president, but the problems remain the same. The new administration must women. sity diplomas, electricity and com- deal first with soaring debt, infla- He suggested that the govern- munications. Although experts believe the the Prime Minister and her or his tion and unemployment, as well as ment will have to sell the state- Milan Nikolic, from the Centre fight against corruption should be cabinet. focusing on EU integration, dia- owned Telekom company to fill the for Policy Studies, believes the dia- a key priority, they have little faith Nikolic’s own Serbian logue with Kosovo and corruption, budget gap. logue will resume as soon as the that the government will be seri- Progressive Party won the largest analysts say. “This government will have to new government is formed. ously committed to tackling this number of seats, 73 of the 250 Once it assumes its duties, the deal with all the mistakes made in “They will continue solving issue. seats, and thus is first in line to new government will confront the the last four years. Unfortunately, I some practical issues… the talks Dragana Boljevic, president of receive a mandate. problem of Serbia’s out-of-control expect they will sell Telekom just may go back and forth, but they the Serbian Association of Judges, But as the Progressives are national debt. to cover the deficit [rather than will go forward,” he predicted. said there was little political will short of potential coalition part- This is now five per cent above invest],” Djogovic continued. Nikolic also believes that Serbia to deal with corruption and the ners to form a government, the the agreed limit of 45 per cent of Pavle Petrovi , from the Fiscal will gain a date for the start of judiciary continued to face politi- task may go to the Democrats, who GDP. As a result of this, the IMF Council, an independent body, said accession talks and enter formal cal pressure. came second with 67 seats. has postponed a fresh arrange- the government must implement negotiations with the EU. “Political will means that all The Socialist Party of Serbia, ment with Serbia. tough measures to control infla- “After we start accession negoti- cases must be prosecuted, even if SPS, together with its election The agreement was frozen in tion. ations we’ll have to start changing they are at the highest levels of campaign partners, won 44 seats, February after the IMF said Serbia “The exchange rate is like a high our laws and continue reforms and government,” Boljevic said. and has already agreed to form a had projected a fiscal deficit reach- fever and behind that fever is a their implementation,” he added. Nemanja Nenadic, from new government with the ing at least 5.25 per cent of GDP, serious illness,” Petrovic said. But political analyst Jovo Bakic Transparency Serbia, says that a Democrats. having agreed that the deficit In an analysis that the Fiscal said Tomislav Nikolic’s election firmer stance against corruption A third coalition partner is yet would not exceed 4.25 per cent of Council has prepared for the new could be a complicating factor. looks doubtful if the new govern- to be found but it is likely to be the GDP [ 1.3 billion]. government, the body warned that “The prejudice that Western ment is formed by the same par- Liberal Democratic Party or the Unemployment, meanwhile, if reforms are not carried out as Europeans have towards Nikolic, ties that led the country last time. United Regions of Serbia. stands officially at 24 per cent. soon as possible Serbia could face whom they regard as a nationalist, “If the composition of the new Ivica Dacic, leader of the Inflation is another worry, as is the the same problems seen further may be used as an excuse to slow government is similar to the old Socialists, has said he would like falling value of the national cur- south in Greece. down or postpone Serbia’s acces- one, there is no reason to think Boris Tadic, Serbia’s outgoing rency. The dinar hit a new low at sion,” he said. they will act differently,” he said. president and leader of the the end of May, when it was worth No change on EU and “On the other hand, regardless “But, you never know, maybe Democrats, to be the next Prime 116 on the euro. Kosovo: of the shortcomings that might be the new government will be more Minister. Analysts agree that dealing with found in Nikolic’s past, I’m confi- thorough,” Nenadic told Prishtina After days of mulling of economic issues and unfreezing dent that he wants to move Serbia Insight. whether to accept the post after As almost all parties that have the IMF agreement must be the closer to the EU,” Bakic added. losing the presidential elections, entered parliament agree that first tasks of the new government Tadic has said yes. Serbia should continue EU acces- It’s the economy, stupid: in order to attract foreign invest- Nikolic meanwhile has sion talks and maintain dialogue Tackling corruption at last? ments. Serbia’s newly elected announced that he will wait for the with Kosovo, which declared inde- “An agreement with the IMF Both Nikolic and Tadic have President, Tomislav Nikolic, parties to end their coalition nego- pendence in 2008 [which Serbia would bring macroeconomic sta- agreed that one of the main goals sworn into office on May 31, has tiations and inform him of does not recognise], analysts bility, but I fear the new govern- for Serbia is a more effective fight now officially become the head of whether they can form a govern- believe that the new government ment will have no plan or strategy against corruption. state. His inauguration ceremony ment by June 4. will follow the course set by the when it comes to introducing the Petrus van Dijk, professor at will take place on June 11. If the parties fail to reach agree- previous government in these measures we need, or the determi- Tilburg University in The The same day parliament holds ment by this deadline, he will ini- fields. nation and courage to implement Netherlands, said many people a sessions to verify the mandates tiate talks with parties according Serbia obtained EU candidacy them,” says economist Sasa now believe corruption runs at the of the new deputies. to the number of seats that each status in March after reaching a Djogovic. same levels in Serbia as it did dur- As both parliament and the won on May 6, meaning that he deal on Kosovo’s right to partici- “However, as they have to work ing the rule of Serbia’s late strong- President officially assume their will first talk with the pate in regional forums. with the IMF…. I expect the IMF to man, Slobodan Milosevic. duties, the legal grounds for the Progressives. Further progress in talks with push them to do what they have to “The number of people sen- formation of a new government Although the parties have until Kosovo is one of the key condi- do. They might try to stall, but tenced for corruption is lower have been met. September to form a government, tions that Brussels has set for they will have to do it,” he added. than it was in the time of Under the constitution, Nikolic, all the key players have agreed Serbia to take the next step – set- In order to avoid a Greek-style Milosevic and the number of cases as President-elect, is expected to that a government should be ting a date for accession negotia- meltdown, Serbia will have to entering court procedures is lower offer a mandate to whichever formed as soon as possible. tions. embrace unpopular measures. now than it was in 2000,” Van Dijk party won most votes to form a Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, for The European Commission can Djogovic told Prishtina Insight said, presenting a report on cor- new government. the Socialists, has said that a gov- recommend a start to accession that the government will probably ruption in Serbia on May 30th. Parliament must then approve ernment might be formed in June. EU: Serb President 'Rewriting History' on Srebrenica Serbia's new head of state, in 1995, when Bosnian Serbs clear stance and firmly rejects Speaking to Montenegrin state Tomislav Nikolic has crossed killed an estimated 8,000 all attempts at rewriting histo- television on May 31, he said: swords with the European Union Bosniaks [Muslims] after cap- ry,” Hansen added. “There was no genocide in By Besar Likmeta by reviving the dispute over turing the town in eastern She said the remarks would be Srebrenica… No one has proved whether the Srebrenica mas- Bosnia. one of the topics at the upcom- it so far. One officer has been sacre constituted an act of geno- Two international institu- ing meeting of President convicted and now all that were cide. tions, the International Barosso and President Tomislav in cooperation with him will be isputing Serbian Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, Criminal Tribunal for former Nikolic on June 14. convicted as well. But it is hard President's controversial spokesperson of the President of Yugoslavia, ICTY, and the Nikolic stirred the controver- to tell that there was an inten- Dstatement, that the mass the European Commission Jose International Court of Justice, sy when he said that genocide tion [of genocide]." slaughter in Srebrenica in 1995 Manuel Barosso, said both geno- ICJ, have qualified Srebrenica as could not be said to have “There was a grave crime in was not an act of genocide, EU cide and crimes against humani- genocide, Hansen noted. occurred in Srebrenica because Srebrenica and some Serbs com- spokesperson says it is wrong to ty were committed in Srebrenica “The European Union has a no one had proved it. mitted it,” Nikolic added. try to rewrite history. 12 June 8 - 21, 2012 feature New Countries, New Views Thirty two years after his death, the cult of personality built around Josip Broz Tito in history teaching across the old Yugoslavia has been replaced with narrower, nationalistic interpretations.

By Boris Pavelic

Josip Broz Tito. Politician. He was the president of “Yugoslavia. A womanizer. He had a lot of women. Everybody lived well during his times. There was a lot of money.” This was the way a high school student from the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina recently described a photo of Josip Broz Tito. It illustrates, a bit grotesque- ly, how Tito is perceived within the educational systems of the succes- sor states to the old Yugoslavia. Another high school student's description of Tito was cited in a 2011 edition of “Skolegijum”, a Sarajevo based education journal: “I think this is Josip Broz Tito. He was at the top of the former Yugoslavia. He was a machinist and a locksmith”, the student wrote after being asked to describe the man in the photo. Such distorted descriptions of Josip Broz Tito are the result of “de-titoization”, a process which was “one of the main characteris- tics of the changes in history teaching after the dissolution of Tito in 1971 during a visit to the Nixon whitehouse, with former president Nixon, and former first lady Pat Nixon Yugoslavia“, as the Zagreb histori- Yugoslavia, the “nationalization“ importance in school history interpretations of Tito changed in “A new version of the major an Magdalena Najbar-Agicic puts of Tito's legacy has also been pur- teaching. Serbia in several of her works, and events of WWII was written into it in the book “The myth of Tito“. sued. Before the nineties, Josip Broz has identified two main phases of the schoolbooks in Serbia, a “The impact of that change on Twenty two years after his Tito's historical image, as in change after 1990. process which could be described the collective consciousness still death, the communist personality Yugoslav society as a whole, was in Until 2000, wrote Stojanovic in as ‘revising the revision’“, hasn't been sufficiently explored,“ cult of the founder and life long line with the communist idea of the book “The Culture of Stojanovic wrote. Najbar-Agicic stresses. president of socialist Yugoslavia their leaders as perfect and Remembrance – 1941-?“, the According to her, the roles of the Together with “de-titoization“, has been replaced with narrower, unquestionable heroes. Second World War was interpreted main actors in the war were which has affected the teaching of nationalistic interpretations of Najbar-Agicic stresses that “in an ideologically confused way, switched round from communist Tito in all the countries estab- Broz as a person and his historical Tito's personality cult was one of a way which generally fits the times “Chetniks became the 'good lished after the dissolution of the “basic cohesive factors for cre- period of Slobodan Milosevic’s guys', and partisans the 'bad ating a feeling of unity among the rule“. guys'“. citizens of Yugoslavia“. “The partisan and Chetnik “This was a very dangerous “Tito was not only an unques- movements were interpreted intervention which added to the tioned authority in all domains, through a deliberately ambivalent destabilisation of an already high- but also a symbol of a common ideological amalgam of commu- ly disrupted Serbian society“, history, stemming from the peo- nist and nationalist ideology, Stojanovic claimed. ple's liberation struggles during which meant that the formerly A similar, if not so radical trans- WWII”, writes Najbar-Agicic. unquestioned image of Josip Broz formation occurred in Croatia. After 1990, that interpretation Tito and his partisan movement The Croatian historian changed rapidly and radically in was mechanically merged with an Snjezana Koren explained to Croatia. idealised image of Draza Prishtina Insight how Tito's image But the process was to some Mihailovic and his Chetniks“, had changed in Croatia, saying extent similar in all the countries Stojanovic explained. that “ the interpretation of Tito which emerged from the former After 2000, the process advanced changed in the first schoolbooks republics of the socialist towards an ongoing idealisation of after 1990“. Yugoslavia. Mihailovic's Chetniks and a min- “Data about Tito became very The Serbian historian Dubravka imisation of the role of Tito and basic. His role in the war and his Nostalgia for Yugoslavia is increasingly prevalent. Stojanovic has analysed the way the partisans. resistance to Stalin were still Bllaca: Thaci Should be Asked About SHIK ice organised, and claimed that he group. We woke up in the morning, Gashi was sentenced to 18 years, LDK, activist. The LDK, then led was just a hit man, during the lat- and followed someone, until we following Bllaca’s testimony. by Kosovo’s first president, est hearing at Prishtina’s District killed him. That is what I can tell A second process was opened, Ibrahim Rugova, was the main By Fatmir Aliu Court at the trial concerning the you about SHIK, that it killed peo- known as “Bllaca 2”, where six political opposition to the activities of the former intelli- ple,” he added. suspects Sadik Abazi, Shaban Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK. gence service. In 2009 Kosovo was shaken by Syla, Bekim Syla, Driton Hajdari, The SHIK emerged from the he self-professed former “I was an assassin. Who were the revelations of the alleged for- Fahredin Uka and Fahredin Gashi ranks of the Kosovo Liberation Kosovo Secret Service, the directors or how they were mer SHIK agent Bllaca who also were charged – based on Bllaca’s Army, KLA, following the end of TSHIK, agent, Nazim Bllaca, organised within SHIK I could not admitted having murdered an testimony - with killing Salih the war with Serbia in 1999, and says that Kosovo’s Prime Minister tell you…I’m too small fish to be Albanian who had collaborated Gashi, and with two counts of then became the intelligence arm should be asked about the now able to answer such questions. But with the Serbian authorities back attempted murder. of the now ruling Democratic defunct organisation. you should go and ask Hashim in 1999. Gashi was shot dead on June 15, Party of Kosovo, PDK. Bllaca testified that he could not [Thaci],” Bllaca said. One former Kosovo Liberation 1999, apparently because he was a SHIK claimed in June 2008 that describe how was the secret serv- “I can only tell you about our Army, KLA, soldier Fahredin Democratic League of Kosovo, it had officially disbanded. feature June 8 - 21, 2012 13 on Tito Report Corruption clopaedia in giving Tito credit for the return to Croatia of the regions of Istria, Rijeka and the islands. Even so, “Tito was responsi- ble for acts of revenge and repres- sion at the end of WWII“, and he also “ruled Yugoslavia for 35 years, trying to reconcile national tion, equality with communist rule“. “Although he was the absolute ruler for more than three decades, Dubravka Tito left the state in complete dis- Stojanovic, order“, states Mostar textbook. explained that In Montenegro schoolbooks, the “the project went overall image of Tito is a positive much further than the one, Radovan Popovic from the Franco-German joint Montenegrin state education textbook which deals with bureau told Prishtina Insight. the non-confrontational part “In line with our guiding prin- of their joint history after 1945”. ciples, Tito is presented as a posi- “Our project is an avant-garde tive historical figure“, said one, and can cause dramatic reac- Popovic. ”Unlike previous eras, tions in a closed and lazy society, his image is shown to scale, plain- because it questions the basis for ly and without being idolised. our self-containment and self-iso- Tito is described as he was, as a lation”, Stojanovic said. The man who marked an epoch in his CDSEE textbook, in addition to own way“, said Popovic. basic facts about Tito, gave a num- A Tito fan marks the death of his hero at an official event In Macedonia, “the overwean- ber of descriptions of Tito by the recognised, but negative charac- tories exist, and therefore three The Bosniak version was ing importance” that was attrib- people who met him and worked teristics began to come to the fore: “official“ interpretations of Tito: analysed in a 2011 issue of uted to Tito's role in old with him, including Fitzroy Tito started to be interpreted as a Serbian, Croatian and Bosniak. Skolegijum by Enes Kurtovic, Yugoslavia, was replaced by Maclean, a British army liaison dictator, and his responsibility for The Serbian version has been using an example textbook for the “world and Balkan history officer with Tito’s partisans in mass murders after the war and dictated by the institutions of 8th grade of primary school, instead of a purely Yugoslav his- WWII. the political liquidation of his Republika Srpska and implement- “History 8“, published by the tory“ after 1991, the history The joint regional schoolbooks comrades started to be men- ed by the Ministry of education, Sarajevo publishing house, teacher Igor Jurukov states in his were given a great deal of publici- ty when they were published, but tioned“, Koren said. which controls the production of Bosanska Knjiga. analysis “History teaching in the did not take root in everyday However, the Zagreb based his- history textbooks. Tito was mentioned in the chap- Republic of Macedonia“, pub- school history teaching in the torian also emphasised that “the Zeljko Vujadinovic, an histori- ter about the “people's liberation lished on the web. Balkan countries. main thrust “ of Croatian school- an from Banja Luka, explained to movement in Bosnia“, but “there “History teaching has under- So the national emphasis on the books after 1990 was that “Tito was Prishtina Insight that in was nothing specific written gone a great deal of change over the last 15 years, incorporating interpretation of Tito still to blame, not so much for the fact Republika Srpska textbooks that about him as an historical person, new trends, but also focusing on remains the main methodological that he was a communist, but pri- “basic data about Josip Broz is as Elvis Presley was written the needs of Macedonian citizens, approach. With that in mind, marily because he was not Croat given“, although “many biograph- about for instance“. the events and historic, well- Dubravka Stojanovic’s opinions enough“. ical details are omitted“. Kurtovic ironically concludes known personalities that might on the Serbian history experience “Tito was shown as an enemy of The WWII period is explained that the ”textbook's authors used be seen as ‘connectors’ leading to could contain a lesson for other Croatian statehood“, Koren said. in more detail, with an emphasis the tried and tested method of a new vision of a common post-Yugoslav countries. Unlike Serbia, Tito's image in on the role of Tito's communist holding their tongue about prob- Macedonian history,” Jurukov “History science and teaching today's Croatia schoolbooks “is party in leading the partisan lematic matters“. said. have more often served as a kind of somewhat more positive than dur- movement. As in Croatia, the Sarajevo text- There have also been attempts military training then as a critical ing the nineties“, Koren says. “ The spontaneous resistance of book considers Tito's death as the to teach history in the Balkans in thinking discipline. They were His role in resisting Stalin's dic- the Serbian people, in answer to beginning of the dissolution of a different, non-nationalistic way. often used to adjust history to the tates has been positively evaluat- the crimes of the independent Yugoslavia, but with the addition- In 1999, the Center for needs of the present, to “change” ed, but his alleged responsibility state of Croatia, NDH, is men- al slant that “Serbian political Democracy in Southeast Europe the past and to justify what’s hap- for the death of his war time com- tioned, “ Vujadinovic said. and intellectual circles then open- (CDSEE) launched “The Southeast pening now, or to incorporate cur- rade Andrija Hebrang and the tor- The other two “official“ inter- ly started to ask for the 1974 Europe joint history project”, in rent ideological motives into an ture that took place in the pretations of Tito exist side by Constitution of Yugoslavia to be which four history textbooks were acceptable, rather than a real, his- Lubyanka-style prison of Goli side in the Federation of Bosnia terminated“. written in English by prominent torical context”. Otok is always emphasised. and Herzegovina. History textbooks for Croats in historians from the region, and This kind of history teaching, Two schoolbooks currently in Despite the fact that history Bosnia, as Kurtovic showed in his then translated into seven region- which includes how Josip Broz use in Croatia, interpret Tito's teaching is theoretically the article, are in many ways similar al languages. Tito is taught, seems to be very death as “the beginning of the responsibility of the educational to those in Croatia. The textbooks focused on the much alive and well in the dissolution of Yugoslavia“, Koren ministries for each of the ten can- “History 8”, a textbook for the Ottoman empire, the birth of the Balkans. noted. tons of the Federation, in practice 8th grade pupils in Croat primary national states, the Balkan wars Boris Pavelic is a journalist with In today's Bosnia and two “national“ approaches exists: schools in Bosnia, published in and WWII. the Croatian daily newspaper, Novi Herzegovina three “official“ his- Bosniak and Croatian. Mostar, cited a Croatian ency- The editor of the Serbian edi- List. Montenegro Plan Embassy In Prishtina fields, the government in of the decision, referring to the Podgorica said. fact that a new government has yet Zoran Stojiljkovic, from the to be formed in Serbia after the By Milena Milosevic University of Belgrade, said the recent general election. After decision might cause a new cool- Montenegro first recognized ing of relations between Kosovo, relations between our years after it recognised Kosovo's independence Montenegro and Serbia, which has Belgrade and Podgorica sank to FMontenegro is to open its vowed never to recognise the inde- their lowest level in recent history. embassy in Prishtina, in a move pendence of its former province. Anka Vojvodic, the then that is likely to annoy Serbia. long-term goals,” the government neighbouring countries estab- “If you wanted to choose a Montenegrin ambassador to “With this decision, the govern- in Podgorica said last Thursday. lished diplomatic relations. moment when the other side can- Serbia, was declared an “undesir- Y ment confirms that good neigh- Montenegro recognised The opening of the embassy in not react, even though they felt able person”. A new ambassador, M bourly relations and development Kosovo's independence in October Prishtina will create conditions damaged by what you did, then Igor Jovovic, was not appointed for C of regional cooperation are its 2008 and two years later, the two for further cooperation in all this is the right moment," he said almost a year. K 14 June 8 - 21, 2012 guide Sun-Kissed Bay of Legends and Prayers Walled towns, an ancient cathedral, pilgrimage chapels in the sea and days and days of summer sunshine are just some of the attractions of Kotor Bay.

By Nemanja Cabric

oka Bay’s necklace of towns and cities, carved in the Bsteep rocks that surround the 28-kilometre-long bay, tell the history of this bewitchingly beau- tiful part of the Mediterranean. In the turquoise waters there still lie ancient shipwrecks, some of which have been constructed into artificial islands. The mys- terious landscape makes it fer- tile soil for myths and legends. Fine examples of church architecture, both Catholic and Orthodox, some dating back to the 12th century, make it a popu- lar pilgrimage site. The series of bays starts with the Bay of Herceg Novi. This narrows into the Kumborski Tesnac Gorge. From there it con- tinues into Tivat Bay and then through Verige it ends up in Risan and Kotor Bay, on the opposite sides of the old town of Perast. At the entrance to Boka from the sea, between Cape Prevlaka and Lestica, is a small circular islet, only 200 metres in diame- ter, named after Lazar Mamula, the Austro-Hungarian general from the mid-19th century who built a fort here. It was used as a A view from above the town of Kotor across the bay. prison in both world wars. The 13-kilometre-long peninsu- land was long under the owner- untouched natural landscape, as Several religious sites lie here, Perast is an ancient town that la on the right, called Lustica, is ship of the army. well as archaeological remains among the oldest of which are the has had many rulers. Venice gov- rarely crowded and has only Now it is discovering its true and shipwrecks that attract Savina monastery, dating from erned it between 1420 and 1797 as dozen villages because most the tourist potential, thanks to its divers and researchers. the 15th century, the Church of part of Venetian Albania. The The most famous village, Rose, the Archangel Michael, dating town’s 16 Baroque palaces were is a typical Mediterranean settle- from the late 19th century and mostly built in this period, as ment with stone houses tightly the, Church of Saint Anthony, were its 17 Catholic churches packed around the shoreline. which dates from the 16th centu- and two Orthodox churches. This small hamlet at the very ry. Near Perast are two small entrance to Boka is home to a The oldest fort in the centre is islands, St George’s island and resident population of only 10 the Espanola, so called by the “Gospa od Skrpjela”, or, “Our people outside the tourist sea- Spaniards who seized Herceg Lady of the Rock”, each of which son. Novi from the Turks for a year in has a picturesque chapel. Further down are Topla Bay on 1538, when the fort was built. The Gospa od Skrpjela was built on the left and Herceg Novi Bay on Kanli, Sahat, and Jeronima tow- a rock after two Venetian sailors the right. ers date from mid-17th century. from Perast found an image of the Virgin Mary there in 1452 Igalo, Herceg Novi and Risan, Perast and Kotor and decided to found a church in Tivat: her honour. The earliest mention of Risan Every year in a celebration The town of Igalo in Topla Bay dates back to the 4th Century BC. called the Fasinada, locals take became a tourist spot in the for- In 229 BC it was the main to their boats and throw rocks mer Yugoslavia largely thanks to fortress in the Illyrian state, into the sea, widening the sur- the medicinal qualities of the where Queen Teuta took refuge face of the island. local mud. during the Illyrian Wars. St George’s Island is home to a Since then it has continued to It submitted to Rome in 168 BC. Benedictine monastery from the attract crowds each summer, The most prosperous time for 12th century and a graveyard for which lasts for a long time here Roman Rhizinium came during the old nobility from Perast and and normally counts some 260 the 1st and 2nd centuries, when Kotor Bay. sunny days a year. large villas were built in the area Nearby Kotor, one of the best- Neighbouring Herceg Novi was and the city housed some 10,000 preserved medieval old towns in founded in the 14th century by inhabitants. the Adriatic, is a UNESCO world Tvrtko I Kotromanic, the ruler of Five mosaics are the most heritage site. It hosts several Bosnia, as a harbour independent valuable extant remains of that summer events, such as the of Dubrovnik. period. The best preserved of Summer Carnival, or Bokeljska In the late 15th century it was them depicts Hypnos, the Greek Noc. conquered by the Ottoman Turks, deity of dreams. It is home to numerous sights, and then from the late 17th centu- In Risan on February 25th 1851 such as the Cathedral of Saint ry onwards it was ruled by the Gorski Venac play was per- Tryphon, built in 1166, and the Venetians and then by the formed for the first and only ancient walls that stretch for Austrians. time during the lifetime of its 4.5km directly above and around Y The town is known for its old author, Petar Petrovic Njegos, the city. The cathedral is one of M churches and forts built in vari- despite orders by the Austrian two Catholic cathedrals in C ous styles and its charming cen- authorities forbidding the per- Montenegro and is the seat of a K One of the many beautiful churches in Herceg Novi, on the Bay of Kotor. tre. formance. Bishopric. culture June 8 - 21, 2012 15

Albania Activists Lament Demolition of Hoxha Pyramid Plans to demolish one of Tirana’s best-known landmarks, a former museum dedicated to Enver Hoxha, have drawn the ire of architects, activists and even some former Hoxha-era political prisoners. underground library and a youth centre. New projects were drawn up By Fatmira Nikolli for the centre and tenders for the architectural firm were held, but later that year the Prime Minister changed his mind once more and asked the ministry to overnment plans to demol- transform the building into a ish the pyramid-like struc- national theatre. Gture erected in honour of In January 2009 the authori- Albania’s late Communist dictator ties mulled an idea to construct have sown discord among urban activists who see the monument as an obelisk in remembrance of part of Albania’s history, rather the victims of the Communist than as a symbol of the former regime in front of the pyramid regime. but this never realized. The mausoleum of Enver In November 2010, in another Hoxha, who ruled the country twist, Berisha decided “that in with an iron fist for nearly half-a- order to exorcise the ghost of the century, is located in one of the dictator, it had to be demolished few parks that have survived the from the ground up,” and a new chaotic urban development that parliament built on the site. Albania’s capital has experienced For the premier, the Hoxha in the past two decades. pyramid was now only millions After the Communist regime of euro wasted on “Hoxha nostal- collapsed in 1991, the building was gia,” and its fate was sealed. first transformed into a cultural Although Albania’s assembly centre, hosting fine art exhibi- is better known for unseemly tions, concerts, beauty pageants, brawls rather than for adoption book fairs and other events. Children play on the pyramid in central Tirana, which has been left to decay and is now due to be demolished. of top-quality laws, speaker The structure now hosts the Jozefina Topalli has insisted that National Children’s Cultural pleted, it awaits demolition. order to erase painful memories form the pyramid into the the existing parliament is not Centre and an International Despite its poor state, a group of the Hoxha regime. national library, because the good enough for MPs. Cultural Centre, apart from the of architects and activists have “The pyramid is not property building housing the latter was The complex, sited close to the offices of the popular commer- risen in its defence, arguing that of the Hoxha family and he can- in poor shape. palace of former King Zog I, and cial TV station, Top-Channel. the plan to demolish the building not be used as an argument for A year later the pyramid was built in 1952, “does not match the Erected in 1988, three years to make space for the new parlia- its demolition,” Velo said. transformed into the standards of parliaments in EU after Hoxha’s death, the former ment is based on purely ideologi- “It was built with the people’s International Cultural Centre countries, or those in the museum is a concrete and glass cal arguments. money and our elected govern- Pjeter Arbnori, named after the region,” she declared, although building clad with slabs of mar- Some 6,000 people have signed ment should do all it can to pro- late parliamentary speaker and the building had received a mil- ble that some liken to a cross an online petition opposing the tect it as part of the country’s political prisoner who died that lion-euro facelift just one year between an Aztec pyramid and a pyramid’s demolition, while sev- cultural heritage,” he concluded. year. The plan to transform it before. spaceship. eral rallies have been held in The pyramid was constructed into a library was wiped from Although the pyramid’s fate Because its architectural support of its preservation. from 1985 to 1988 at a cost of 3 the drawing board. now seems sealed, Aldo Merkoci, value, three years ago it was Artan Shkreli, former director million euro. “The government then allocat- an activist from Mjaft, a local declared a cultural monument. of the Institute of Monuments, According to Klement ed a fund for its reconstruction NGO, says that even if it is flat- But after years of neglect and a says that the ideological argu- Kolaneci, Hoxha’s son-in law and and one year later declared it a tened, its architectural and mishandled attempts to trans- ments for the demolition of the the chief architect of the muse- protected cultural monument,” social legacy will remain. form the building into a theatre building are absurd. um, the same structure today Artan Lame, director of the “The pyramid is a historical and a library, the structure, built “The [architectural] values of would cost about 60 million euro. Forum for the Protection of the and cultural monument of at an exorbitant cost for the then the pyramid cannot be wiped In the past five years the cen- Historic Heritage of Albania, Tirana, is part of the historic cash-strapped Communist out,” he said, adding that tre-right government of Prime recalls. memory of every citizen of regime, lies in ruin. Albania’s rulers “were ignoring Minister Sali Berisha, has drawn However, in 2008 Berisha Tirana and will remain part of Stripped of its Carrara marble the calls of public opinion”. and re-draw plans to change the changed his mind and asked the that memory for long time in slabs, with a leaking roof that Maks Velo, an architect and building’s fate, spending mil- Ministry of Culture to transform future,” he said. Y allows the water to drip in and former political prisoner agreed, lions in the process. the building into a pantheon that This article is funded under the M half demolished by the attempts underlining that there was no After being elected in 2005 would host a theatre, a music BICCED project, supported by the C to restore it that were never com- need to demolish the pyramid in Berisha first proposed to trans- auditorium, an art gallery, an Swiss Cultural Programme. K 16 June 8 - 21, 2012 Prishtina Insight

Where to pick up Prishtina Insight?

A taste of Napoli in Prishtina. Hotel Prishtina Prishtina Insight has After ten years of Hotel Prishtina’s teamed up with these making pizza in 43 charming guest excellent venues to Napoli, and only rooms and suites are with love to blame, reminiscent of a offer a limited num- Fatmir the chef small hotel in the returned to European tradition. ber of complimentary Prishtina. His piz- You'll immediately copies of Kosovo’s zas, made in a feel at home in our woodburn stove, living room, sipping a only English-lan- are definitely gen- glass of wine in our guage newspaper. uine napolitanas. fine restaurant sur- For those who con- rounded by a gallery Grab a copy of the sider pizza to be of paintings by local publication and settle boring, Fatmir has artists. several pastas on The hotel offers free, down with a drink or offer, also a true joy for the taste buds. Napoli has an excellent selec- fast wifi internet, com- a meal to read it. tion of red and white wines or, for the more ambitious, one of the plimentary breakfast, region's best quince raki. Napoli makes for delicious lunch, dinner or conference room, even after-theatre time out in the centre of Prishtina. swimming pool, sauna and laundry service. Pizzeria Napoli Hotel Prishtina, off Luan Haradinaj, opposite Newborn St. Vaso Pasha nr. 20 044/409-402402 +381 38 / 22 32 84

Hotel AFA Te Komiteti Located in a quiet neighbourhood just Te Komiteti’s large trees and a beauti- outside the city centre, Hotel Afa can fully garden, which surround the small guarantee guests a peaceful night while outdoor terrace, give you an impression being within walking distance of all the of an exclusive place for ordinary peo- action. The venue has won a host of ple. And this is exactly what it is. From awards for its excellent service to cus- brunch to lunch-time snacks and special tomers and offers a good range of facili- evening meals, this restaurant offers ties, from an exclusive restaurant and dishes comprising quality, varied ingredi- VIP bar to pretty, tranquil gardens. ents, combined to perfection. Alongside Rooms start at 45 euro for a single, and one of Prishtina’s best ‘modern luxury rooms and apartments are avail- European’ style menus, you’ll also find a able. The hotel’s rooms are well appoint- good selection of wine, and great san- ed and comfortable. gria and cocktails . 15, Rr Ali Kelmendi, Te Komiteti Sunny Hill, Prishtina Qamil Hoxha Street +381 38/225 226 Prishtina www. hotelafa. com +381 38 24 96 63

Restorant Brasserie Lura Paddy O’Brien’s Papillon Bistro Bar At 450-metres squared Restaurant Lura is as spacious as The staff at Newly reopened bar in Prishtina, you get in Prishtina. It’s also surrounded by the towering Paddy O’Brien’s Papillon, offers more than 60 types of wines trees of Germia and offers a pleasant garden where, in the have a saying: “It’s from France, Italy, Spain, and Kosovo with summer, this eatery prepares food al fresco. It’s large meet- easy to walk in, but ideal prices and delicious dishes. ing room is also ideal for that private lunch or dinner. very hard to leave.” They serve pasta, sandwiches, salads and The combined style of classical and modern interior And with its different appetizers. leaves you with an impression of refined taste. warm atmosphere, You can also try different types of local or The newly opened restaurant is already famous for its fantastic range of international beers. Mediterranean specialties, exquisite seafood and fine drinks and excel- The bar, with it’s stunning, new design, is selections of Italian, French and local wines. But that’s not lent food, it is easy located in the centre of Prishtina, near all, for music lovers, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday to see why. ProCredit Bank headquarter, RTK radio night dinners are accompanied by jazz, whereas on There have been centre, and the Mother Teresa cathedral. Saturdays local patriots can enjoy live traditional many attempts to Albanian music. establish a proper Papillon Lura Restaurant Irish pub in Mother Teresa Str. Nr. 51 A Str. Nazmi Gaffuri • 10 000 Prishtina • +381 (0)38 763 763 ; Prishtina, but this [email protected] +386 (0)49 763 763 • www.lurarestaurant.com is the only one to 044 103 310 [email protected] 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 Y Tringe Smajli Street, by the Illyria Hotel M Prishtina: 045-420900 C K By Yllka Hoxha June 8 - 21, 2012 17 in Prishtina Timeout Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like your event to feature or to advertise your venue. Email [email protected]

Oda Theatre

Every Tuesday at 8 pm Tre Gjermanët e Trashë II In The Land Of Blood and Honey Men in Black 3 (Three Fat Germans II) Every day at 6 pm Every day at 8 pm and 10 pm Thanks to this play you will understand Kino ABC is continuing From May 24 ABC “What did Brigel say when he asked for a screening the movie “In Cinema has started drink?”; “Why Hans didn’t let him drink the land of blood and Mojito?”; “How did Gani experience his 21st honey” by the director screening the movie snow?”; “Is Vukashin really Ukshin?”; “Does Angelina Jolie. “Men in Black 3”, direct- KFOR-ja still work for KFOR or she just During the Bosnian War, ed by Barry Sonnenfeld. Danijel, a soldier fight- This comedy is about loves him?” ing for the Serbs, re- agents J and K who go Author: Lirak Celaj; Producer: Florent Mehmeti; Roles: Naser encounters Ajla, a back in time. J had seen Rafuna, Adrian Morina, Kushtrim Sheremeti, Lirak Celaj, Fisnik Bosnian who's now a many strange things, but Ademi, Ard Islami, Arta Selimi, Florent Mehmeti. captive in his camp he nothing irritates him oversees. Their once more than his partner. If It Was a Play - Every Thursday 8pm promising connection But, when K’s life and has become ambiguous the planet are in danger, Based on the drama by Almir Imshireviq. Director: Agon Myftari. as their motives have J must go back in time, On bus number 4, during wartime in Prishtina, a 26 years old, changed. and put everything back in its own place. wearing jeans, is near Hotel Union, when a sniper bullet breaks the glass and shoots the youngster in the neck. A lady wearing white, who was next to him starts to scream. When she sees the blood in her shirt she faints. Starring: Rebeka Qena, Adrian Morina, Armend From June 16 the cinema will be screening the movie Prometheus. Ismajli, Besnik Krapi. For more information call +381 (0)38 246 555 or write Prometheus is a 2012 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott and written by Jon Spaihts and Damon [email protected]. Lindelof. The film stars Noomi Rapace,Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, Logan Marshall-Green and Charlize Theron. Set in the late 21st century, the story centres on the crew of the spaceship Prometheus as they follow a star map discovered among the remnants of several ancient Earth civiliza- tions. Led to a distant world and an advanced civilization, the crew seeks the origins of humanity, but National Theatre instead discovers a threat that could cause the extinction of the human race. Tuesday, June 12, 2012 “Nora” by Henrik Ibsen, directed by Jeton Budima. For any further questions or reservations call at 038 243 238 or visit them at www.kinoabc.com The play will be staged on Wednesday, June 13, and Thursday, June 14, 2012. Friday, June 15, 2012 Stacion - Center for Contemporary Art Prishtina Ballet “Love that kills” [Dashuria që vret], by Ilir Kerni. Into the Park Saturday, June 16, 2012 THIS IS (AN) A FRONT: Henry A German Musical Play. Programme from June 8 to June 13, 2012 Saturday, June 16, 2012 Friday, June 8, 2012: 19:00 – 21:00 Festival, Peja Picasso’s women by Brian McAvera, dramatised by Getoarbë YTSSP w/ Katie Hargrave H. Mulliqi, directed by Arbresha Grabovci – Nixha & Hazir Sh. Haziri (Theatre’s small scene). Artist and essayist, Hargrave has constructed a INTO THE Picasso’s Women is a thought-provoking piece of theatre, YTSSP essay on space as a place of resistance and PARK festival is which, in its entirety, is a series of eight monologues telling the reflection. a cultural festi- stories of Pablo Picasso’s eight wives and lovers from their The YouTube School for Social Politics utilizes sur- val including point of view. Two monologues have been selected for this pro- plus knowledge as its driving force, an ephemeral ener- music, art, and duction: Act One is the story from his first wife Olga; Act Two is gy source powering sustainable discourse. Scattered environment the story from Marie–Therese (17 years old and hence illegal throughout YouTube lie countless points of view, dis- are the main under French law) whom he lived with in a flat across the street parate moments of histories, both personal and collec- components. from his marital home. tive. The festival is Monday, June 18, 2012 Saturday, June 9, 2012: 19:00 – 21:00 organized by A Turkish play. Movie Night: Instrument: 10 Years With the Band Info Group and Tuesday, June 19, 2012 is implemented Fugazi and the First rehearsal of the production of “Lisistrata” by Aristofane, directed by Elmaze Nura. by NGO "Music Man". ‘Houseboat Summit’ performance Thursday, June 21, 2012 Festival seeks to promote art and music and Sunday, June 10, 2012: 19:00 – 21:00 “Diploma Ball” by Johann Strauss, choreography Ilir Kerni. Occupy Yr. Home the importance of the environment and ways of protecting it by holding two day music and Occupy Yr. Home gathers friends at kitchen tables to All plays are in Albanian language, and tickets cost 3 euro; art festival in Peja from June 8-9. discuss these ideas over food and drink, meals pre- for students and pensioners tickets are only 1 euro. The festival aspires to gather the region’s pared like any other, mild celebrations of our daily For any further questions or reservations call them at 044 430 youth and engage them in these activities. communing. They are not spectacle, ready to burn. 693 visit them at www.teatrikombetar.eu http://www.red76.com/occupyyrhome.html Monday, June 11, 2012: 18:00 – 20:00 Friday, June 8 (Day 1) Reading group and book production and the Second -Into Rugova, from 12 noon, cycling tour, from city centre. Train 2 euro; rehearsal of the production of ‘Houseboat Summit’ Dodona Theatre - Into Hamam, 2.30 pm, an exhibition on cul- performance tural heritage, Every Thursday 7.30pm These weeks’ proposals are: ’Regarding the Pain Of - Into Mulli, 4 pm, Environmental Education Çifti i Hapur is being staged with the text of Italian authors Dario Others’ by Susan Sontag, ‘On the Poverty Of Student Centre, ERA, documentary film “The Fo and Franca Rame, directed by Kushtrim Koliqi Life’. Gardian” (Antoneta Kastrati) A man proposes to his wife of eliminating the concept of martial Wednesday, June 13, 2012: 19:00 - Into Music, 6.30 pm, performing: loyalty and creating an “open relationship” in their lives. The woman One-Night Only production of Houseboat Summit Offchestra, Genc Salihu, LIR, Milot, Lika rejects this and after several attempts of suicide, she decides to accept performance Tek; her husband’s offer because in fact it’s the only way to remain mar- In late 1969 the San Francisco, California based peri- ried. The man is happy. He, no longer needs to hide his girlfriends and odical The SF Oracle brought together Allen Ginsberg, Saturday, June 9, 2012 (Day 2) is released from feelings of guilt. Cast: Edona Reshitaj and Besart Gary Snyder, Timothy Leary, and Alan Watt for a dis- - Into Rugova, 12 noon, start from the city Sllamniku. cussion on Watts houseboat to consider the present centre, a touristic cycling tour; For more details email; [email protected]; psychic and political enclaves of the American Left. - Into Hamam, 2.30, an exhibition on cultural [email protected] smARTpower is an initiative of the U.S. Department heritage of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, - N’Mulli, 4 pm, Environmental Education administered by the Bronx Museum of the Arts, with Centre, ERA, documentary film “One Day Prishtina Diary additional support from the Robert Sterling Clark on Earth” Foundation; and Lori Schiff Chemla and ALTOUR. - Into Music, 6.30 pm, Pinkmetal, Creme de la Friday, June 8, 2012 Saturday, June 9, 2012 Creme, The Glasses, Blla Blla Blla, Wiggi, Duplex, Prishtina with NRG Duplex live with DJ Dalool. Zija Prishtina Street • Prishtine • Tel.: +381-(0)38-222- SAAB, Nanikilla. Monday, June 11, 2012 band. Y 576 • Fax: +381-(0)38-544-472 • E-mail: [email protected] Duplex with GENA, from 11.30 Friday, June 8, 2012 M • www.stacion.org The Camp: 2 euro; pm. Filikaqa is back with Karaoke C Into Music: 3 euro; nights. K 18 June 8 - 21, 2012 inside prishtina Ecosovo Sacro: The Countryside Comes to the Capital United States Agency for International Development is recruiting to fill the following position in Pristina

SOLICITATION NUMBER: SOL 167-PSC-FY12-06 ISSUED BY: Executive Office, USAID/Kosovo By Elizabeth Gowing SUBJECT: Solicitation for Resident Hire: U.S. Personal Services Contractor (USPSC) – Contract Close Out Specialist MARKET VALUE: $71,674.00 - $ 93,175.00 per annum (equivalent to GS-13 pay here in Prishtina can you buy dried range). Salary to be paid within this grade will depend on Kamenica mushrooms? Lentils to experience, qualifications and salary history. Whelp with a vegetarian/ vegan diet? PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: Two years Marshmallow root? To be honest, I didn’t even know marsh- The United States Government, represented by the U.S. Agency for International mallow had a root, being familiar only with Development (USAID), is seeking applications (Optional Form 612) from qualified individu- the pink and white fluffy sweets, but Sacro, als interested in providing Personal Service Contractor services for the Contract Close Out the newly-opened shop in central Prishtina Specialist position as described below. is an education. For a start, you feel healthier just walk- BASIC FUNCTION OF POSITION: ing in there. You breathe in the scent of barley flour, lemonbalm tea, Deçani This position is located in USAID/Kosovo, Office of Acquisition and Assistance. The position has primary honey... Already you seem to be a better responsibility for managing and processing all administrative actions which will result in the timely closeout person. And the herbs, spices, oils, nuts, of awards. The incumbent will be responsible for all post award administration functions and for all acquisi- dried fruits, teas and flours here are, wher- tion and assistance awards associated with award closeout. These responsibilities include but are not limited to: audit resolution, coordinating final indirect cost settlements; property disposition; past performance histo- ever possible, sourced from Kosovo, collect- ry; and reconciling accruals. The incumbent serves as the Regional Contracting Specialist for contract close- ing in one place all the best tastes from out actions, is responsible for providing advice and assistance on all matters related to award administration Kosovo’s countryside. Where possible they and closeout in the USAID/Kosovo Mission and other USAID Missions in the region. The incumbent reports are also grown organically. If you buy this to the Supervisory Contracting Officer. stuff - particularly if you then consume this stuff - surely you really are a better Full job description is posted at the USAID’s webpage http://www.usaid.gov/kosovo/eng/jobOpportunities.html person. and at the USAID’s Office in Arbëria (Dragodan), Ismail Qemali Street, House No.1, Pristina. Sacro is a beautiful boutique set up by three friends. One is Agata Cetta, a design- REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS: er whose eye one guesses has guided the presentation in the store. From the tradi- Feeding me spoonfuls of tahini mixed with EDUCATION: A Bachelor’s degree in contracting and procurement (preferred), business administration or tional ‘maxhe’ (a piece of furniture histori- local honey, the visit was a mixture of a public administration. A Bachelor's degree or ten years of acquisition and assistance experience is required. cally used in Kosovan homes for storing trip to the doctor, going for a long walk Relevant majors are business administration, public administration, law, banking, international affairs, pro- grains and flour, with a work surface on top along the country’s fields and hedgerows, curement and contracting or finance. Experience may be substituted in lieu of educational requirements for for using the flour in breadmaking) which and having a guided tour of a magician’s applicants who do not meet educational requirements for this position. displays the corn, rye and barley flour for workshop. sale in burlap sacks, to the teas which are As a Kosovan beekeeper, of course I was PRIOR RELEVANT AND OVERSEAS WORK EXPERIENCE: A minimum of ten years substantive and sold either loose-leaf by weight, or in chic impressed by the honey - multifloral, chest- professional contracting or procurement work is required. Such experience must include the full range of con- brown paper bags with careful candy- nut and acacia. But more than that, there tracting responsibilities, including: acquisition and assistance award execution, administration, termination, coloured lettering describing the proper- was honey mixed with royal jelly and also cost and price analysis; procurement planning, and analysis and evaluation of proposals; negotiation of ties of each, the store is delicious to the eye changes; execution of options; investigation and resolution of contractor delays; contractor performance propolis spray and tincture. Propolis is a as well as to the tastebuds. appraisal; subcontractor surveillance; and, disposition of claims. Experience should demonstrate knowledge sticky substance collected by bees for build- Working there on the day I visited was a of contracting laws, regulations, policies, and procedures; the ability to lead others; knowledge of cost princi- ing and as antiseptic within their hives trained pharmacist who talked me through ples; knowledge of cost plus/award fee and performance based contracting procedures; and, the ability to (beekeepers will tell you stories of what effectively communicate orally and in writing. Experience that demonstrates post award administration, the range of elderflower, Istog hawthorn happens if a mouse gets into a hive - once specifically contract closeout and negotiation skills is required. leaf tea, and dried local blueberries. the bees have stung the intruder to death, being unable to move the body, they will KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES: Mastery of procurement regulations and contracting principles cover it thoroughly with propolis to pre- including the latest acquisition procedures and techniques is required. An in-depth understanding of USG pro- vent it from the decay that would threaten curement rules and regulations is imperative. Knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) is their own health). The bees collect propolis essential. In addition, knowledge of the following is preferred: USAID Acquisition Regulations (AIDAR); from the shiny covering on buds, and if you USAID Contract Information Bulletins (CIBS) and Acquisition & Assistance Policy Directives (AAPDs); can conceive of so exquisite a lamina being Procurement Executive Bulletins (PEBs); the USAID Automated Directive System (ADS); Office of laid down over your sore throat, or dabbed Management and Budget (OMB) Circulars; and, Title 22, Code of Federal Regulations as applicable to on a mouth ulcer, or on a localised skin USAID. infection, you can imagine the soothing effect it has. I use propolis instead of any LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY: Must have excellent English communication skills, both oral and in written antiseptic cream at home, and now I have a form. Candidate must have the ability to present analysis and recommendations in clear written and oral for- local supplier. mats. What did I come away from Sacro with? A OTHER REQUIREMENTS: packet of nigella seeds, some pine nuts, In addition, the incumbent must be: some ginger oil and a bottle of Kosovan • A U.S. Citizen; (A person holding a valid Green Card is eligible to apply for this position) Frutomania strawberry juice... if you’re • Able to obtain US Government medical and security clearances; not salivating by now then perhaps Sacro • Willing to travel to work sites and other offices as/when requested. isn’t for you. Since I guess most people will want to APPLYING: Qualified individuals are requested to submit a U.S. Government Optional Form 612. This have their own Sacro experience, here are form is available at the USAID website, http://www.info.usaid.gov/procurement_bus_opp/procurement/forms the details of the shop (miles from country- or http://fillform.gsa.gov or USAID/Kosovo website side, in a boutique location, snuggled http://www.usaid.gov/kosovo/eng/jobOpportunities.html behind the Metro cafe which is opposite the Email submissions should be sent to: [email protected]. Grand Hotel). It’s open 9am-8pm Monday to Friday and 9am-5pm on Saturdays, so it can LIST OF REQUIRED FORMS FOR PSCs easily find a place in any mental map, any For initial consideration: weekly schedule, and any jaded palate. Ju 1. Optional Form 612. Resume or CV must be attached. bëftë mirë! 2. Contractor Employee Biographical Data Sheet (AID 1420-17) Elizabeth Gowing is a founder of The Ideas Partnership, a Kosovan NGO working Closing date for this position is June 15, 2012 - BY COB (CLOSE OF BUSINESS) on educational, cultural and environmental projects. She is also the author of the SUBJECT TO FUNDS AVAILABILITY Y recently-published, Travels in Blood and Honey; becoming a beekeeper in Kosovo. M USAID in Pristina provides equal opportunity and fair and equitable treatment in employment to all She can be contacted at theideaspartner- C people without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, [email protected] K marital status, or sexual orientation. inside prishtina June 8 - 21, 2012 19

Jenny Schokkenbroek EULEX Civil Judge Prishtina through the Eyes of: the Eyes through Prishtina

Prishtina Opera House or Frog Chorus?

president, Ibrahim Rugova. bours. Work on it began in late 2009 “This field near the Technical when the Prime Minister Hashim Faculty of the University of By Lawrence Marzouk Thaci and the then President Prishtina has been home to a large Fatmir Sejdiu and other political hole with mud and rubbish for two and cultural figures attended the years. hree years after work began on inaugural ceremony. “This location is supposed to be What surprised you most about Prishtina? Prishtina’s Opera House – the In an interview with this newspa- the National Theatre for Opera and site has become a frog-infested T per in 2010, the Ministry of Culture Ballet, but it doesn’t appear to be a The view when you come down the hill from swamp with little sign of progress. said that the building would be serious project by the Minisry of Skopje - you suddenly see a really big capital. Kosovo's government planned to completed that year. Culture. Magnificent view! remedy the absence of an opera But reader Trendelina Halili “Now this place has become a house with a 20-million-euro build- says that the site has become an swamp full of frogs and an eyesore What's your favourite hangout? ing named after the country’s first eyesore, which is upsetting neigh- for neighbours who are upset by it.” Home (in summer), on Police Avenue; Because of the garden; A little green, oasis between all the con- crete.

What is the best thing about Prishtina?

The few remaining coble streets.

What is the most annoying thing about Prishtina?

People making their own environment dirty while throwing away all their rubbish on streets, lawns, parks, along roads etc.

If you were mayor of Prishtina for the day what would you change?

Installing many dustbins, launch a campaign and promoting a fine for not using the dustbins.

How many macchiatos do you drink a day?

Three, maximum.

What's your favourite Albanian word and why?

S’ka problem! It’s my favourite because it’s used for everything (and usually the problem is not solved).

What landmark do you use to tell taxi driv- ers where you live?

The location for Prishtina's new opera house looks more like an urban lake currently. Restaurant Liburnia. 20 June 8 - 21, 2012 opinion Post-independ- A Plea for Nonchalance

The “us against them” populist blockade dominating Balkan societies needs to be infect- ence Blues ed with the virus of creativity in order to break open. investment in areas inhabited by ethnic Albanians in the south of right. By its exclusivist arrogance, The need to succeed derives from the country. Frustration is build- such a movement strives to put the fact that these organisations By Samir Kajosevic ing over the government’s refusal anyone who is not part of it in the exist, from the fact that they work, to recognise the area around the By Harald Schenker, stocks. The aim is a closed, con- that they engage. Everything else southern town of Tuzi as a sepa- Skopje trolled and steered society, in is playing within the closed sys- rate municipality – a move that which “the people’s will” is tem. n the night that would give its inhabitants more defined by those pulling the Action in the context of a clos- Montenegro voted for inde- control over spending. hese days a complex of stat- strings. ing society needs to create a new Opendence, Anton Camaj By far the biggest complaint is ues is about to be finished in In the logic of action and reac- discourse, an open debate about held up a flag and joined the over public sector jobs, which are Tone of Skopje’s parks. One of tion, so far the answer to hysteria this very society. How can it crowds celebrating in the streets. the figures there depicts a naked regarded as the only reliable is rage. The articulation of this achieve that? Largely by creative Along with his fellow ethnic young man holding a torch, and source of employment. While the rage though is part of the problem. hedonist subversion. And by that I Albanians, he had supported the rattling his broken chains. It is no constitution guarantees fair repre- In the post-YU universe, this artic- don’t mean the post-Gramscian dissolution of the union with one else but the titan Prometheus, sentation for minorities in the ulates within a simple logical sys- type of boring and uninspired Serbia. As a member of a tiny who in the rather free interpreta- workplace, only 1.5 per cent of the tem: if the populist discourse is political subversion so uncreative- minority within Montenegro, he tion of ancient mythology by his workers on the state’s payroll are national(ist)-religious, then the ly used by groups claiming to be hoped that his new nation would author Tome Adzievski “is a god ethnic Albanians. counter-discourse is leftist-post- the spearheads of urban insur- reject narrow-minded national- who created humans”. Anton is in his early thirties and communist, feeding on the vocabu- gency. I am thinking more along ism. He hoped his community The problem that unnamed unemployed, despite having grad- lary, symbolic heritage and, most the lines of Vaclav Havel. Actions would play a bigger part in a “women’s organisations” alleged- uated in law. His family survives important, gestures of the disap- aiming at creating meaning out- smaller country. ly had with all this is not the lack on remittances from relatives peared Yugoslavia. Hence, the sys- side the parameters dictated by Ethnic Albanians make up 5 per of basic knowledge by the author, abroad. He sips coffee to pass the tem remains hermetically closed, the dualist discourse of “us cent of Montenegro’s population, or the deplorable aesthetics of the time of day, lingering over each steaming away in its same, old against them”; actions ignoring and their support for independ- statue, but rather the fact that cup. sauce, recycling particles of dis- that discourse and treating it with ence helped secure the razor-thin Prometheus was depicted naked, Although he blames official pol- course and conflict, but not pro- indifference will succeed in the referendum victory in 2006. Many making it impossible for them to icy for denying him employment, ducing anything new. What hap- long run, because they do not offer are disappointed by what has fol- sit in the park, where the statue is he does not believe in struggling pens in such a hermetically closed the established dual power struc- lowed. located. The local authorities against the government. situation is decadence, decay, the tures a platform to act. “When I voted for independence, wasted no time in reacting to citi- Nevertheless, he warns, some in loss of coordinates, the loss of a The ridiculously overpriced I wanted a country that would zens’ requests and quickly had the his community admire the ethnic reference system – in other words: plan for the renovation of a bridge finally give the Albanians a artist design a pair of oversized, Albanians of neighbouring eternal transition, a prolongation in Skopje sparked some protest chance,” says Anton. “Today, it loosely hanging knickers. The Macedonia, who took up arms of the agony of the 1990s and 2000s recently. The action that followed seems as if the Montenegrins only author unsurprisingly complied. against their state a decade ago. ad infinitum. was to stick the equivalent of the needed our votes for the state. This is not an invented fairy- “When you hear the same prom- Macedonia, being a late-comer price in makeshift 100 Euro ban- They offer us only crumbs.” tale, but part of the day-to-day ises for years but don’t see any in so many aspects of building a knotes to the existing bridge. Had Anton says Montenegro behaves reality of populist decision mak- changes, you find yourself think- society has never had an organ- it been just that – perfect. But no, like a stepmother towards its ing. It is a parable on how deci- ing – maybe we can change things ised independent cultural scene the activists had to get in front of minorities. His community accus- sions are made in the name of “the the hard way,” he says. until now. In an attempt to make the cameras and explain, let them- es the authorities of ignoring the people” by a self-styled elite with Samir Kajosevic is journalist themselves noticed, a good dozen selves be filmed during the action. promises it had made to secure only one clear item on the agenda from Montenegro and participant organisations recently formed a Why was this wrong, you may feel their support for independence. – profit, be it political, or, even bet- in 2012 Balkan Fellowship for cooperation platform. So far, so inclined to ask? The answer is The list of grievances is long. ter, pecuniary. After all, the under- Journalistic Excellence pro- good. But when listening to the very simple: it made it appear like The ethnic Albanians say they do wear has to be paid for, so there is gramme. His fellowship story is speeches and reading the mani- an action of a small sectarian not have fair representation in a bit of something in it for every- about nationalism among festo, I could not help getting this group; it delivered the arguments parliament or in the local adminis- body. Politicians look good and cit- Albanian minorities in feeling of déja vu. The same wood- for being pushed into a political tration. They say the government izens don’t have to face the titan’s Montenegro and neighbouring en language that has survived corner. What if passers-by would does not consult them before mak- private parts. Social peace is countries. Follow this fellow and from the times of partisan films have discovered the prepped ing decisions, and increasingly restored. his reporting project on and that is heard all over the bridge in the morning alongside discriminates against them. The rise of populism has put http://fellowship.birn.eu.com/en/ Balkans from self-styled progres- with piles of 100 Euro stickers As proof, they cite the lack of players in the Balkan societies in a profiles/fellows-samir-kajosevic corner. It seems that persons or sives. Nothing but verbal agony. waiting for them? It would have groups striving for relevance find The reason, why this platform been intriguing, subversive, hedo- it difficult to react to a movement and others like it should succeed is nist and creative. Like this, it was that is determined by revolution- not because they have a right to be just another media event. The ary hysteria and by the almost noticed by those in power. Those effect? Questionable. It is the act pathological need to show that it is will do their best to ignore them. and the following debates that Poverty in a Land of The countryside of Slavonia in eastern Croatia feels like a dream during springtime. The flat fields go on forever. The endless shades of green soothe the eyes, even when the sun is high. Looking around, one can’t help thinking that Mother Nature is a shameless show- off. rushed to cultivate. The villagers repaying. They struggle to get a who remain are mostly elderly. fair price for their produce. They The soil is still rich – but it yields are responsible for the food on By Ana Benacic only poverty and desperation. our tables, yet society increasing- According to Branislav Gulan, ly speaks of them as parasites. from the Serbian Chamber of We only pay attention to their lavonia and the neighbouring Commerce, some 39 percent of problems when they block motor- plains of Vojvodina, in the country’s villagers live in ways in protest. SSerbia, were famous for their poverty. Unemployment has This farmland once fed a coun- rich, black soil. Among the citi- soared and land values have try of 25 million people, and still zens of the former Yugoslavia, the plummeted. had enough left over for export. fertile farmland was even the sub- “In the last eight years, 69,000 What happened to the hundreds ject of a popular saying: You can agricultural workers lost their of agricultural companies found- grow coats just by scattering but- jobs,” he says. “In Vojvodina, you ed in Yugoslavia? Why are people Y tons across it! can buy a house with a garden for turning away from the land when M That was in the past. Today, the 5,000 euros.” global food prices are at a 20-year C people are fleeing a land that Many of the villagers have high? K Albanians in Montenegro are unhappy with the country’s direction post independence. their hungry forefathers once debts that they have no hope of After all, everybody needs food. opinion June 8 - 21, 2012 21 Outside In Better the Tadic You Know?

By Kreshnik Hoxha

he victory of Tomislav Nikolic in the presiden- tial elections in Serbia brings back many mem- Tories of October 2000 when the Bulldozer Revolution in Belgrade led to the overthrow of the then Yugoslav leader Slobodan Milosevic. It is not the revolution itself which resembles the recent elec- tions in Serbia, but more the desperate need of Serb voters for change. Change, however, sometimes comes at a price. In the wake of the overthrow of Slobodan Milosevic in 2000, it was Vojislav Kostunica from the Democratic Party of Serbia who gained power. At that point the Serbian public opinion was eager to see a new face taking the lead, because it had become evident that Slobodan Milosevic was going to drag the country further into the darkness. The election of Mr Kostunica in 2000 demonstrat- ed that the disappointment with Milosevic had This is not an invented fairytale, but part of the day-to-day reality of populist decision making. reached its peak and anything else but the dictator was favoured. Twelve years on, Serbia finds itself in a very simi- induce change, not the media appear- nalist or medium has decided to drop body and everything else, including one lar situation. Fed up with the governance of Boris ances of actors. Especially not in a con- dignity like a pair of pants, that identi- self every day. Dull are those who have Tadic, the Serbian voters punished the Democratic text, in which media ownership and edi- ty is something personal which cannot ready-made answers, for theirs the Party, looking for a change of leadership, no matter torial policies are part of the “us be defined nor denied by anyone else future will not be. That is my imaginary who took the lead. against them” system and will do every- but its bearer, that winning the Yoda’s mantra. In brief: I am delighted Boris Tadic might have been the favoured politi- thing to use any event for their purpos- Eurovision contest is a commercial act and excited by Pussy Riot, while Che cian of Brussels due to his cooperative policies; but es. rather than a national duty, that entire Guevara puts me to sleep. A bored, dull during his leadership Serbia witnessed tighter con- What I am pleading for here is a good nations cannot be offended, whatever and dreamless state. trol of media, the country sunk deeper in the realms dose of nonchalance. A society is not wannabe leaders may claim. Oh, and speaking of role models, my of corruption and it was faced with an ever growing dual; it is a complex organism, which It takes creative minds, both artistic dear friends, especially in Macedonia: economic crisis. Many of these internal problems needs to be fed from different angles. and intellectual, which act for the sakes please give up the periphery reflex. were actively ignored by Brussels for the sake of not The more, the better. Injecting doses of of themselves, which seek legitimation Yugoslavia is dead. Belgrade is not the losing a pro-EU partner. liberalism, libertarianism, individual- of their own intentions and ideas, for centre of the universe anymore, but an This is also logical considering that EU’s prime ism and hedonism into the closed-cir- the sakes of those intentions only, irrel- exorbitantly ordinary city with its own focus in the Balkans is regional stability even if cuit machinery will make it first stutter evant of what relevant factors in cultural dilemmas and economic prob- means turning a blind eye to other problems. Mr and eventually adapt. But what this today’s power setup might think. lems, with its own elites with totalitari- Tadic was given pretty open support from the EU approach implies is the long-term It also takes courage. The courage to an reflexes and with its own mafia, with during the election campaign and it is fair to say that vision of self-conscious individuals, re-claim social space from the main- a civil society seeking its own answers the country’s “candidate status” decision was, at who are capable and willing to sever the stream of narrow-mindedness, which and a media landscape that is less than least in part, an attempt to boost the President’s ail- group ties and bonds that keep Balkan has drowned Balkan societies for a rosy. Leave it be. It is time to create your ing popularity. societies hostage to patronage and while now, the mainstream reeking of own discourses. The power structures For the EU it was a case of better the devil you clientelism. periphery, of thuggish half-wits and have rightly declared the transition as know. It takes people with relaxed views, half-legality, vibrating to the sound- ended by putting their unmistakable To EU’s surprise, however, it was the guy who still with the serenity of those in the know track of transition scum idolatry – mark on Skopje’s map. It is time to dreamed of Greater Serbia, the deputy of war-crime that the eternal rivalry between two turbo-folk. enrich that landscape. indictee Vojislav Seselj, the man who said that he political contenders at the top of the But courage without nonchalance is This article is funded under the would take out the eyes of all non-Serbs with rusted government or state is blatantly irrele- boring. Creativity comes from the abili- BICCED project, supported by the Swiss forks and spoons, and the former undertaker who vant, that it does not matter which jour- ty to take a step back, to question every- Cultural Programme. ended up assuming power and becoming Serbia’s new president - albeit this time in his slightly more moderate new brand. Mr Nikolic’s first days have been replete with scandals, including controversial comments on Croatia’s Vukovar and his denial of the Srebrenica Plenty genocide. The EU was quick to react to his state- ments, but the ultimate question arising now is which path will Serbia take. Under the leadership of Mr Tadic, Serbia had started to show conciliatory signs to its neighbours, Employment for farmers should be a albeit at a very slow pace. These signs were, howev- certainty, no less than it is for under- er, largely an EU box-ticking exercise to ensure takers. Why are times so hard? Are the Serbia’s progress towards Brussels then a genuine people who work the land lazy? change of heart. Ignorant? Are their business skills too Now, the worry is that with a progressive but for- poor to take advantage of a golden mer radical president like Mr Nikolic, Serbia is once opportunity? again about to wallow in nationalism and cool the You can ask them what went wrong, relationship with the EU. Nationalism in Serbia but they don’t say much. They look to remains, of course, the elephant in the room, who the ground when you question where becomes more restless and more difficult to ignore in the profits have gone. The battle has times of economic crisis. been lost, they say – everyone knows “Change” is often a potent political message – just what happened. But has all the truth ask Obama – but what type of change Serbia has really come out? Fertile land hides poverty in eastern Croatia voted for remains far from clear. This is a new adventure, a fresh start for the Serbs, Ana Benacic is journalist from programme. She is writing about how this fellow and her reporting project on but also a gamble for the entire Balkans. Croatia and participant in 2012 Balkan rural communities in Croatia are deal- http://fellowship.birn.eu.com/en/profil Fellowship for Journalistic Excellence ing with agricultural reforms. Follow es/fellows-ana-benacic

If you would like your NGO to appear in our Making a Difference feature, please email [email protected] 22 June 8 - 21, 2012 Community Focus Digging Deeper: INDEP Think Tank World Bank Group’s involvement in the energy sector in Kosovo and will ensure that the best prac- By Shengjyl Osmani tices of the World Bank are applied in Kosovo as well. As a direct result, the Bank has com- mitted a fund of roughly 40 mil- rishtina’s Institute for lion USD to energy efficiency Development Policy, INDEP, projects in Kosovo. Pmay be less than a year old, but it has already been making Q: Who would be your headlines with its detailed studies dream president for Kosovo? of Kosovo’s energy needs and the state of the media in Kosovo. Shengjyl Osmani speaks to its A: Someone who can accurately head, Krenar Gashi. represent and build on Kosovo's competitive advantage due to its Q: Describe your organiza- youth, both in terms of popula- tion in ten (10) words. tion and as a fresh democracy.

A: INDEP is an independent Q: What jargon is your think tank that focuses on devel- organization most guilty of opment policies. overusing?

Q: Tell us the most press- A: Sustainable. Sustainability. ing issue facing Kosovo today? Sustaining.

A: There are many pressing Q: Tell us what projects issues in Kosovo, but the one we you are working on at the often have to deal with is the fact moment? that even after four years of inde- pendence, we haven’t been able to A: Currently, INDEP is working INDEP chief executive Krenar Gashi with Minister for Economic Development Besim Beqaj construct and maintain a policy- with a number of prominent local research office, which is part of lishing straightforward news. proper efficiency measures and making cycle. This means that and international organizations project’s sustainability strategy. some renewable sources of ener- laws continue to be drafted with- to ensure that the energy sector Judging the reliability of gy, Kosovo can shut down Kosovo out follow up on their policies, in the country is both economi- Q: You criticized the state international media, however, is A, repair Kosovo B and have suffi- whereas most of the policies are cally and environmentally sus- of the media in Kosovo in a an entirely different issue as the cient energy until 2025. Secondly, pushed from top down with little tainable. Through this project we feedback from bottom up. As a aim to ensure that no decisions recent report - what newspa- criteria for discerning reliability and most importantly, we found consequence, our society was are being made without consider- pers do you pick up in the vary widely. Nonetheless, INDEP out that the project will create a able to draft and adopt laws very ing all viable options for energy morning, and what do you is a committed reader of the monopoly in energy generation, quickly, but is failing to imple- security. We are committed to think is the most reliable Financial Times and the and as such goes against EU stan- ment them. ensure no monopolies are created source of news, nationally Economist, as well as the BBC, dards on competition, and not in the energy sector and that and internationally? New York Times, Washington only environmental standards Q: The most interesting European Union standards are Post, Bloomberg, not in order of which were the initial concern. thing your organization has met in every project in this field, A: We don’t like to see our importance and with the entire discovered this year? making sure our society won’t be work and the previous report as list being quite long. Although it’s not really clear going against global develop- criticism of the media, but what stands behind the govern- A: This year we discovered that ments, which is undoubtedly rather an attempt to identify per- Q: Your main campaign is ment’s commitment over this independence of our work is counterproductive. sistent issues in the media sector against the new power plant project, it is now clear that who- beyond everything else. Until in Kosovo. A considerable num- for Kosovo; why it is such an ever wins this project will have a INDEP was established, most of The second project is our ber of these issues cannot be important issue for Kosovo, guaranteed dominant position in our team were working for involvement to support the blamed on the media as they are and why do you think World the market – a de facto monopoly another think tank in Kosovo. Assembly of Kosovo by providing processes that happen outside Bank and government is so – which is a safeguard for private We walked out and established a research support to the their control, although they committed in building it? profit rather than social welfare. new institute, from scratch. The Committee for Economic could play a more active role in What’s behind it? successful continuation of our Development, Infrastructure and advocating for the resolution of Established in 2011 as an asso- work as well as our commitment Trade. This project aims to devel- their problems. A: We believe we are entering ciation of policy analysts, has proved once again that when op parliamentary research in an important age of sustainable researchers and civil society there is a will, there is a way. Kosovo as well as increase the Now, regarding your question, development. In this spirit, we activists, INDEP looks at regional supervisory role of the we pick up all national newspa- see fossil fuels such as coal to be policies, aiming to guide countries Q: What’s the biggest con- Assembly. INDEP’s role is to pro- pers every morning, largely unsustainable, costly and envi- of South-East Europe on their crete success, the most impor- vide independent research-based because a number of views and ronmentally unfriendly. However, path to Euro-Atlantic integration. tant one for you this year? inputs to draft laws, periodic angles on the same stories have we are not campaigning against In Kosovo, where it is based, the reports and different strategies to be taken into consideration the coal power plant as such. institute has a special focus on A: The biggest concrete suc- that are within the scope of work while browsing news. We believe Initially we demanded for no strengthening democratic gover- cess was rather a joint one. of this Committee. Furthermore, that Koha Ditore and Zeri are decision to take place without nance and plays the role of public Together with ten other civil INDEP is working closely with among the first most reliable examining the whole picture of policy watchdog. society organisations, in the the Assembly’s Secretariat and newspapers in the country, pub- the energy potentials in Kosovo. For more information visit Consortium for Sustainable assisting them in establishing a lishing some news analysis, as Later we found out that the power INDEP’s website at Development, we scrutinised the permanent parliamentary well as Kosova Sot, mainly pub- plant is not needed, that with http://www.indep.info/

Culture Watch Award The BICCED project has established Kosovo, the BICCED project has created a who produce a serious, complex, inves- prize: 1,200 CHF; third prize: 500 CHF the Culture Watch Award with the aim of network of more than 30 culture journal- tigative article on any culture policy The jury may decide not to award a promoting an investigative and analyti- ists. The Culture Watch Award is a fur- issue. first prize and instead allocate more sec- cal approach to journalism dealing with ther step in strengthening media cover- Total prize money is 3,700 Swiss ond or third prizes depending on the key issues of culture policy. age of culture policy and culture man- Franks (CHF) less applicable taxes under quality of submitted articles. After three years of training culture agement in the region. the law in Bosnia and Herzegovina; this The deadline for submission of appli- C journalists from Albania, Bosnia and The Culture Watch Award will be will be divided among the three winners, cations is 30th September 2012 (23:59 K Herzegovina, Serbia, Macedonia and granted to three successful candidates as follows: first prize: 2,000 CHF; second hours). June 8 - 21, 2012 23 Classified Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like to advertise Email [email protected]

Embassies and Liaison Offices in Prishtina

American Address: "Nazim Hikmet" no. 30 Arbëria/Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 549 516 Austrian Address: "Ahmet Krasniqi" no. 22 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 249 284 Belgian Address: "Taslixhe" I, 23 A 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 734 734 British Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 6 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 254 700 Bulgarian Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 12 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 038 245 540 Dutch Address:" Xhemal Berisha" no. 12 Velania, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 224 61 Finnish Str. Perandori Justinian No. 19 Pejton 10 000 Prishtina Phone: +386 43 737 000 French Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 67 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 22 45 88 00 Greek Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 68 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 243 013 German Adress: "Azem Jashanica" no. 17 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 254 500 Italian Address: "Azem Jashanica" no.5 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 244 925 Japanese Address: "Rexhep Malaj" no. 43 10000 Prishtina Alcoholics Anonymous Personal Trainer Phone: +381 (0) 38 249 995 (English speaking) will meet every Luxemburg Classified Ads Thursday at 20.00hrs. Address: "Metush Krasniqi" no. 14 Mentor Azemi - 044 811 921 Do you have a flat to rent? Position to fill? Students to find for a language NGO LABYRINTH Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina course? Why not speak directly to Kosovo’s international community Personal attention and Phone: +381 (0) 38 226 787 Str. Gazmend Zajmi (former Dubrovnik through Prishtina Insight’ classified ads. training schedule Malaysian street) no:42, Almost every international organisation, embassy, NGO and many oth- Time and place of your Address: "Bedri Shala" no. 48 (along the street where Iliria College ers subscribe to Kosovo’s only English language newspaper, which is also choice 10000 Prishtina is.Opposite to Innovations Lab 3 per week = 150 month Phone: +381 (0) 38 243 467 on sale at newsstands in seven cities and received in electronic format by (UNICEF) Office) scores of paying clients across the world. 5 per week = 200 month Norwegian Contact : Erik - tel nr. : 044937397 (Other schedules possible) Address: "Sejdi Kryeziu" no. 6 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 232 111 00 Saudia Arabian Easy Medium Hard Address: Dardania SU 7, building 2, #1 y| y |y | 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 549 203 68 17 98 5 Slovenian Address: "Anton Ceta" no. 6 51 8 6 538 64 2893 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 244 886 9 92598 47Swedish Str. Perandori Justinian No. 19 57948 576149Pejton 10 000 Prishtina 1852 68 69 Phone: +381 38 24 57 95 Swiss 38 46 5 43 8 738Address: "Adrian Krasniqi" no. 11 10000 Prishtina 8 79 6 87 6 4 Phone: +381 (0) 38 248 088 36 79 24 598 5163Turkish Y Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 59 M Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 Prishtina C 49 86 97 9 Phone: +381 (0) 38 226 044 K 24 June 8 - 21, 2012 advert

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