January 17-30, 2014 l #126 l Price 1€ Prishtina Insight

Repatriation: What happened to those forced to come home? Page 2 Choked up: Prishtina’s air went from bad to downright dangerous. Page 5

Defending machine How states spent millions to get their accused war criminals off the hook. Page 8

Culture: Swiss-Balkan l PI Guide: Creativity in decor, sensibility in the kitchen. PAGE 12 fusion yields great things l Opinion: backslides on in Gracanica. page 16 smoking inside. page 14 2PageTwo n January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight Repatriation confusion People who are forcibly returned to Kosovo often lack essential rights such as education, health care, civil registration and social assistance. The OSCE is pressuring Prishtina officials to determine how many individuals repatriated who sought asylum are still living in Kosovo.

“Without such data it is not possible to assess how many individuals (or even families) have access to The 21 countries: , Austria, , Bulgaria, housing, education and other basic the Czech Republic, Croatia, services, how many have found Denmark, Estonia, Finland, , sustainable employment—or even Germany, Hungary, Liechtenstein, how many remain in Kosovo,” the Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro, OSCE said in a report released in the , Norway, , January. Sweden and

According to the An OSCE, “a quarter of average rate of from the editor repatriated persons are members 2,500 to 3,500 of communities each year. considered by the KOSOVO UNHCR to be ‘at A cheap city? risk’ and in need of international That’s a myth protection.” Last week, during a visit back home, I Kosovo may have lower raw cost than stopped at a cafe in San Francisco for a in the West, it is much more expensive bottle of mineral water. I nearly gasped for most people living here. when I saw the price: $2.50 (around The World Bank estimates that, 1.83 euro). Back in Prishtina, I thought, according to Purchasing Power Parity, that bottle would have set me back 1 the income of the average Kosovar is euro at most at equivalent to $7,500 (5,500 euro) in the a nice cafe and . In other words, the euro From January 2005 to June 2013 less if I shopped of a Kosovar does go farther, but not as 27,000around 25,000 to 27,000 refugees were around. far as it should. repatriated to Kosovo. San Francisco This can be lost on those of us from 17,000 is one of the most Nate. the West. Michael McKenna, a Canadi- expensive cities Tabak an editor at Kosovo 2.0, in a recent blog in the US, but the @birn.eu.com post about rising energy bills, wrote in 2013 average income that Prishtina is “not a hugely expen- Many in Kosovo Editor-in-Chief 2,372,450€ is about $72,000 sive city in which to live.” still seek asylum (52,000 euro). Much has been said and written in other European What is Kosovo doing for repatriated So, though double the price, that bottle about the fact that most foreigners liv- countries. In individuals? In 2014, Kosovo government of water was still far cheaper than one ing in Kosovo enjoy a high standard 2013 alone, there distributed 2,372,450 euro to assimilate from a cafe in Prishtina. An average of living - particularly those who work were 17,000 repatriated individuals from Western San Franciscan could buy about for governments or international applications. countries. 29,000 bottles of water at that cafe, organisations who typically earn far whereas the average Kosovar, earning more in a month that most Kosovars 3,600 euro per year, can buy anything earn in a year. While they are not from 3,600 to 7,200 bottles. That water to blame for earning what often are Prishtina Balkan Investigative Reporting Network • Mensa e Studenteve, would have to cost $10 to $20 in San tightly regulated salaries, there is Insight first floor, 10000, Prishtina, Kosovo Pho• ne: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 Francisco to be on par with the price in something to be said for showing • Editor-in-chief: Nate Tabak • Staff: Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, Kosovo. humility. Petrit Collaku, Parim Olluri, Flutura Kusari and Arijeta Lajka. • Design: Trembelat • While just a rough comparison, A good start: avoid the temptation Prishtina Insight is supported by the Kosovo Foundation for Open Society, Norwegian it reflects the fact that while living in to remark on how cheap everything is. Embassy, Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight n 3 4 n January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight Nation It’s not just fog

JOINING THE FIGHT Stagnant 2,500 The number of followers of the Facebook page smog leaves Krenaria Islame (Islamic Pride), as of Wednesday. Krenaria Islame is posting pictures and propaganda on behalf of reported to be fighting in Syria for the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, an Al-Qaeda-affiliated group. One picture posted on the page shows about a dozen armed Prishtina man, wearing black masks, with the title, “Albanian mujahedeen of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, with their battalion leader, Lavderim Muhaxheri.” choking Combination of power plant pollution and high pressure blamed for dense fog that is leaving many people gasping for air.

By Edona Peci around my mouth and nose just so I could breathe,” she added. Prishtina often gets more than its share Her doctor told Prishtina Insight that Kosovo, Albania push of hazy days, with the nearby Obiliq bad air was to blame for Cakolli’s recent power plant pumping out some of Eu- troubles. joint EU integration rope’s most polluted gases. In December, Prishtina averaged But in recent weeks the air has been 174.1 micrograms per cubic meter of air By Edona Peci said the meeting would also worse than usual in the Kosovo capital of PM10, which is how the presence of and Besar Likmeta discuss the problems facing and other parts of the country. larger hazardous particles in the air is the small Albanian commu- At times, thick smog has covered the measures. The governments of Kosovo nity in Serbia. capital, reducing visibility to as little as According to EU standards, a PM10 and Albania will hold their The meeting would be 10 metres. The key measure of pollution level of 50 is considered the highest ac- first joint meeting on Satur- “a sign of solidarity with the has averaged more than three times the ceptable limit, which should not be ex- day in Prizren, in Kosovo, to Albanian community in the EU standard. ceeded more than 35 days per year. mull their joint EU perspec- Presevo valley [in south- The unusually stagnant air, blamed While the authorities have not en- tives. ern Serbia] to which both on high pressure, has meant that pollu- gaged in any public awareness cam- Kosovo Prime Minister governments will agree on a tion from the power plants Kosovo A and paigns, to alert people to the potential Hashim Thaci said the meet- special fund for the increase B, and from other sources, has nowhere risk to health, Dr Gazmend Zhuri, a ing “marks the start of a joint of new births. to go, Letafete Latifi, head of Kosovo’s Hy- pulmonologist, is urging people to stay strategic governance with “We will open a new dro Meteorological Service, explained. indoors. one aim and one vision, the page of cooperation be- “There is not enough circulation of the “One cannot remove the smog just Euro-Atlantic vision.” tween governments of the air,” she said. like that. What people should do is to “The meeting in Prizren two countries facing the More than 50 people have been tak- stay inside,” he said. marks a new chapter and challenges of democratiza- en to the city’s public hospital, the Uni- Latifi, of the Hydro Meteorological sends out a European mes- tion, modernization and versity Clinical Center, with respiratory Service, said the situation should im- sage for everyone - the mes- integration of both Albanian problems linked to the smog, recently. prove this week, as the weather turns. sage of a region with open countries into the European Two weeks ago, Selvete Cakolli, who “There will be low air pressure and good borders and without barri- union,” Rama wrote on had a pre-existing lung condition, found conditions for rain,” she said. ers of the past,” he added. No Facebook. herself struggling to breathe. “I could feel Rain would also welcome in Prishti- information on the precise The meeting was it every morning when I had to go to the na for other reasons. A wintertime topics to be discussed was announced in Septem- work,” the 44-year-old said. drought has left the water reserves, given, but the Albanian ber when Rama visited “I had a feeling that my lungs were which supply the 400,000 people in the Prime Minister, , Prishtina. constricted; I had to cover the area area, dangerously close to running dry. January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight n 5 Briefly

FIFA Allows Friendly Match- es With Kosovo. Players of the Football Federation of Kosovo (FFK), will in future be able to compete with international rivals after FIFA confirmed a set of modalities concerning "friendly" matches involving teams from Kosovo. In a concession to oppo- A nents of Kosovo's independence, the international body stressed that Kosovo teams “may not display national symbols (flags, emblems, etc.) or play national anthems.” “The decision taken by the FIFA Emergency Commit- tee represents a major boost for football development in Kosovo and it once again confirms the extraordinary power of our sport to bring people together,” FIFA President Sepp Blatter said.

Serb Turns Down North Kosovo Mayor's Post. Pantic on Satur- day refused to sign a document endorsing the oath of office to be- come mayor of the northern Koso- vo town. “By signing below a text where the coat of arms of Kosovo appears, suggesting that Kosovo 33% is a republic, I would violate the In 2011, about 33 per cent of the B constitution of Serbia,” Pantic urban population in the EU were told Serbia daily paper Vecernje exposed to PM10 above the daily Novosti on Monday. He went on to limit, the report said. In Prishtina say that the local elections, which and much of Kosovo, however, were organized by the OSCE and that figure is closer to 100 per purportedly ‘status neutral,’ were cent. “a major scam by the international community.” Pantic’s move came in the wake of delays to the inau- photo/nate tabak guration of municipal assemblies in northern Kosovo and small pro- What’s behind tests by local opposed to the smog the -backed agreement - The outdated highly polluting on normalizing relations which Kosovo A and B power stations A particular danger Belgrade and signed in are most responsible. Kosovo A is Particulate matter, or PM, pen- April last year. slated for replacement, controver- etrates sensitive regions of the sially, with a new coal plant. respiratory system, causing health Kosovo Expects Customs Cash - Heating and cooking with lignite problems and even premature Boost from North. The head of and firewood during winter. death. The European Environment Kosovo’s customs, Lulzim Rafuna, - Kosovo does not properly clas- Agency in its 2013 report, “Air said that “so far some 130,000 or sify or recycle waste. Inadequate quality in Europe”, said particulate 140,000 euro have been collect- waste disposal leads to garbage matter can “cause or aggravate ed” at the border crossing points being illegally dumped or burned, cardiovascular and lung diseas- Kosovo into Serbia in Jarinje and Brjnak. which leads to high levels of air es, heart attacks and arrhythmia, 174.1 micro- Rafuna said that “the money flows pollution. affect the central nervous system, grams/cubic into a special fund for [investment - Cars and trucks. the reproductive system and meter - Average C in] the north” which was estab- cause cancer.” in level of PM10 lished a month ago. The Kosovo - a key indicator government previously set up a of air pollu- fund for northern areas in 2010, Cost to health tion - recorded to which it contributed 500,000 A 2012 World Bank Report said air in Prishtina in euro. It later offered the northern pollution in Kosovo caused 835 December. municipalities another five million premature deaths, 310 cases of euro for capital projects. Oppo- bronchitis, 600 hospital admis- 174.1 EU sition hardliners in Pristina have micrograms sions and 11,600 emergency visits per cubic meter 50 50 micro- criticised the new fund, with MPs to hospital annually. The estimat- grams/cubic from the Vetevendosje Movement ed cost of treating illnesses relat- meter - The warning that it would divide the ing to air pollution ranges from 37 EU’s limit on country into “a developed north to 158 million euro a year. PM10 and a poor south.” 6 n January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight Cover

These funds also never publicly ac- counted to their donors for what they received or spent. BIRN managed to “The cases before How Ex-Yugoslav establish partial figures through ICTY documents and from a corruption case [the ICTY] are seen in Pristina over alleged improper man- by the countries of ex- agement of the fund for Haradinaj. In Bosnia, Kosovo and Serbia, BIRN Yugoslavia as a fight states funded war obtained its data for this investigation for their own truth, in from public information requests. which every state sees But the other two countries – the ones that spent the most – were reluc- its opportunity to prove crimes defendants tant to give a full breakdown of what that their truth is the had been paid out, perhaps due to public right one.” sensitivity about lavish spending amid Former Yugoslav countries have spent almost tough economic times in the . Macedonia declined to give any in- — Roland Kostic, 40 million euro of public money supporting war formation at all about what it had paid to Uppsala University support its two Hague defendants, and professor crimes suspects on trial at Tribunal, BIRN’s estimate of Skopje’s state spend- a BIRN investigation has revealed. ing was assembled from interviews and anonymous briefings from a range of of- ficial and legal sources within the coun- try, as well as the few statements that are By Sase Dimovski, Shadowy, unaccountable funds also on record. Neither was there any official confir- Denis Dzidic, Josip Ivanovic, collected cash through public appeals to “I tried to get the data that you asked mation of the amount that the Croatian Edona Peci and Marija Ristic aid war crimes suspects in Bosnia and for, but I was immediately told that it’s state spent on engaging US company Herzegovina, Croatia and Kosovo, but strictly confidential and that I should not Patton Boggs to do lobbying work on the it remains unclear exactly how much ask,” a Macedonian official, speaking on generals’ case. The two countries which have lavished money they raised and how it was spent. condition of anonymity, told BIRN. The Foundation for the Truth About the most public money on suspects The 9.5 million euro spent by Mac- the Croatian Homeland War, a private standing trial for war crimes at the Inter- Defending wartime ‘heroes’ edonia from 2006 to 2013 includes 3.5 fund set up to aid the generals and de- national Criminal for the Former Yugo- Serbia spent 1.7 million euro of state million for a US defence team led by ce- fend their actions during wartime, has slavia are Croatia, which has spent over money from 2004 to 2013 on personal lebrity US lawyer Alan Dershowitz, and also published no accounts, although 28 million euro on three defendants, allowances and doctors’ bills for the ac- 2.5 million for lobbying. one of its promoters has said that it col- and Macedonia, which spent an esti- cused and travel costs for their families, Croatia failed to supply any more lected 1.1 million euro in its first year mated 9.5 million euro on just two men, rather than on their defence teams. than the already-known sum of 28 mil- alone. BIRN has learned. But BIRN’s survey revealed that out lion euro spent on the defence of three Macedonia’s internal conflict with of the 26 indictees currently being paid of its generals who were acquitted of war Politically-motivated payments Albanian rebels in 2001 only lasted for by Belgrade, 18 of them are actually Bos- crimes, despite its legal obligation to do The official payments to aid Hague around six months, and as a result only nian Serb military officers who have so under public information legislation. defendants have often been described two Macedonians were indicted by the Serbian citizenship, including General No information was provided on by the states that made them as humani- UN-backed court in The Hague, but the Ratko Mladic – despite the fact that Ser- any other payments, for instance to Bos- tarian efforts to support citizens on trial impoverished Balkan state spent mil- bia firmly denies that it played any part nian Croat indictees accused of atroci- abroad. lions on defending, supporting and lob- in the Bosnian war. ties during the Bosnian war who are But they were also made for political bying for interior minister Ljube Bosko- A total of 640,000 euro was sent also Croatian citizens. It is still unclear reasons, said Roland Kostic, a Balkans ski (who was ultimately acquitted of war from Bosnia and Herzegovina to aid whether Zagreb helped to support these expert at Uppsala University in Sweden. crimes) and policeman Johan Tarculov- indictees, but all of this came from the men or not. “The cases before [the ICTY] are seen ski (who was convicted). Serb-led part of Bosnia, Republika Srps- by the countries of ex-Yugoslavia as a Croatia meanwhile spent more than ka, and went to help Serb suspects. Mon- fight for their own truth, in which every 28 million euro on defence costs alone ey has also been donated to families of state sees its opportunity to prove that for its three generals, Ante Gotovina, Serb indictees through a fund called Po- their truth is the right one,” Kostic said. Mladen Markac and Ivan Cermak, who moc (Help), although it has published no Providing funding for war crimes were all ultimately acquitted. accounts to indicate what exactly was suspects, however lavish, is not illegal. Both countries made it state policy raised and how the money was spent. The chief prosecutor of the Hague Tri- to defend their ICTY indictees and spent With its difficulties in coming to any bunal, Serge Brammertz, told BIRN that huge sums to give them the best chanc- political consensus, Bosnia’s other po- it is “up to sovereign states to decide for es of being freed. The apparent aim was litical entity, the Bosniak-Croat Federa- themselves how they want to spend to defend their wartime heroes, score tion, has given nothing to help Bosniak money”. political points at home and prevent any or Croat suspects, officials said. But he noted that many victims of further damage to their international Kosovo meanwhile spent nothing the wars in the former Yugoslavia, who image. on defending its six war crimes indict- often struggle to gain compensation The other three countries in the for- ees, officials told BIRN, laying out a mere from their cash-strapped and recession- mer Yugoslavia have spent lesser sums 16,750 euro on a welcome-home party hit states, often feel a sense of injustice on larger numbers of suspects, but the for suspects who were acquitted. when they see governments funnel total amount spent on wartime officers However more than 1.7 million euro money to battlefield commanders. who were arrested and made to answer was raised to help two prominent ex-Ko- “I can understand the frustration of to the international court for some of the sovo Liberation Army guerrillas turned victims who see there are amounts of worst atrocities committed in Europe politicians, Ramush Haradinaj and Fat- money invested in the defence of po- since World War II still comes to almost mir Limaj, through public appeals which tential war criminals, many of whom get 40 million euro. collected money in intransparent funds. convicted afterwards,” Brammertz said. January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight n 7

Serbia spent around 1.7 million euro on supporting defendants, a lot of it going to Bosnian Serb officers. Page 10 Croatia spent over 28 million euro on three generals, and even more was raised by a private fund. Page 11

Private funds in Kosovo collected more than 1.7 million euro for war crimes defendants. Page 8

Bosnian Serb suspects received 640,000 euro of state money, while Bosniaks and Bosnian Croats got nothing. Page 11 Macedonia kept payments secret, but, in fact, the country has spent 9.5 million euro on two indictees. Page 10 8 n January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight Cover Shadowy funds raise corruption fears in Kosovo More than 1.7 million euro was raised by private funds to support Kosovo’s war crimes defendants in The Hague, but they never made public exactly how the money was spent.

By Edona Peci In January 2003, the Tribunal cused is partially eligible for legal aid” charged them with participating in a and agreed to pay half his costs for the The Kosovo government did not pay joint criminal enterprise with the al- remaining part of the trial. anything directly to help the six former leged aim of intimidating, assaulting, But suspicions were raised in Koso- fighters indict- jailing or killing Serb civilians and per- vo about how the Limaj fund’s resources ed for war crimes defend themselves at ceived Albanian collaborators who re- were raised and used after Karim Khan the Hague Tribunal, only laying out a fused to cooperate with or resisted the remained his lawyer in two separate relatively meagre total of 16,750 euro for KLA. cases against him that followed his a welcome-home celebration for some of Limaj and Musliu were acquitted of Hague acquittal, the Klecka detention its acquitted suspects. all charges in September 2007, while centre war crimes case and the Kosovo But the two most prominent men Bala was sentenced to 13 years in prison. Post-Telecommunication Ministry cor- who were accused by the international All three initially applied for the le- ruption case. court, Ramush Haradinaj and Fatmir Li- gal aid which is offered to impecunious Although the fund was closed, Limaj maj, who both went into politics and held defendants by the ICTY, but Limaj’s situ- still had the money to pay three lawyers, high office after the war, received large ation changed when a large amount of British attorney Khan and two Albani- sums from opaque private funds estab- money was collected for him through ans, Tome Gashi and Tahir Rrecaj. Their lished to support them in The Hague. a phone-line appeal which was adver- payments were never made public. Haradinaj and opened a bank account BIRN tracked the money flow into tised on Kosovo TV, appealing to people Kosovo newspaper Koha Ditore for people to pay in money. Again, a tel- funds established for post-war Prime to donate money to help support their reported in January 2013 that the EU ephone donation system was used, and Minister Haradinaj, who is currently wartime hero. prosecutor’s indictment in the telecoms again it was well-advertised on Kosovo head of the opposition Alliance for the The ICTY initially assigned British corruption case alleged that the money television. Future of Kosovo, and for former trans- lawyer Karim Khan as counsel to Limaj Limaj paid for his defence in the Klecka But the other two, less well-known port minister Limaj, who is now a law- in March 2003, but ended the arrange- case could have been raised illegally. men accused alongside Haradinaj maker with the ruling Kosovo Demo- ment after a few months, saying that “the However Limaj’s lawyers insisted that could not call on such public support, cratic Party. total amount collected by the [Limaj] the cash was generated legally through meaning that they could only mount BIRN’s calculations suggest that fund until October 8, 2003 is by far suffi- a land sale. weaker defences, said Behxhet Shala, Haradinaj’s fund gathered more than cient to cover all expenses of the defence executive director of Kosovo’s Council 1.5 million euro and Limaj’s attracted at for the remainder of the pre-trial stage”. Cash pours in for Haradinaj for the Defence of Human Rights and least 212,000 euro – but the real amounts In its decision, the Tribunal cited In the second major Kosovo case Freedoms. could have been even higher. a press release from the Coordina- at the ICTY, Ramush Haradinaj, Idriz “While it was easy for Haradinaj to Because the funds published no ac- tion Office for the Defence of Fatmir Balaj and were charged ensure money, it was much more dif- counts, it is also not possible to be certain Limaj, which said the fund had raised in March 2005 with war crimes against ficult for his co-accused. It was clear whether all the money that was donated $291,594.92 [approximately 212,000 civilians. discrimination which we criticised by by the public in response to TV-adver- euro]. Unlike his co-accused, Haradinaj did asking the government to take over the tised appeals was actually spent on the But in July 2004, Limaj’s defence re- not apply for legal aid, but like Limaj, he expenses needed for the defence of the two men’s legal teams. applied for legal aid, submitting a new was supported by an appeal fund. accused,” said Shala. financial declaration and claiming that In May 2005, two members of his The Haradinaj fund however soon Public pledges for Limaj the fund “has been exhausted and that Alliance for the Future of Kosovo party, came under investigation and three Limaj, Isak Musliu and it is no longer available to him to pay his Jahja Lluka and Ethem Ceku, alongside people were indicted for corruption in were the first former KLA fighters to be defence before the Tribunal”. one former minister is his administra- connection with its methods. indicted by the ICTY after the conflict After analysing Limaj’s finances, the tion, Astrit Haraqia, established the Jahja Lluka from the Alliance for the ended. ICTY’s registrar decided that “the ac- Committee for the Defence of Ramush Future of Kosovo party, Milazim Abazi, January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight n 9

A party, but no payments

Unlike other countries in the region, the Kosovo government did not financially support the ex-KLA fight- ers while they were on trial at the ICT Y. In July 2003, the government de- cided to “make a request to the Eco- nomic and Fiscal Council in order to ensure money for the defence fund of those accused by the International Tribunal in The Hague”, according to documents seen by BIRN. A similar request was made in March 2005 by then Prime Minister . The government decided to “establish a committee for profes- sional, legal and financial help in the process of the Hague Tribunal for the ex-prime minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj”. But government permanent secretary Fitim Krasniqi told BIRN that “these decisions were never implemented.” Some have claimed that govern- ment bodies illegally and covertly made donations to the Haradinaj fund. “It was mentioned several times that phone calls made to the Hara- dinaj Fund were made by Kosovo institutions,” said Bekim Blakaj, executive director at the Humanitar- ian Law Centre. But such claims were never proven. The only official support for any of Kosovo’s Hague defendants came in December 2012, when the govern- ment decided to allocate 16,750 euro on the “welcome [celebration] for Ramush Haradinaj and his comrades acquitted by the Hague Tribunal”. Muharrem Xhemajl, head of the War Veterans Association, said he believed that the state should have director of Kasabank, and Hashim Se- Emotional propaganda about de- done more to support Haradinaj and jdiu, manager of the Kasabank branch in fending the nation’s wartime liberators COMING TO THEIR DEFENSE Limaj financially. Prishtina, were charged with false state- was the spur for people to donate their “Several times we have urged the ments or reports, unlawful acceptance money to the funds, which suffered need for the state - and not organi- of contributions and failure to report from a “lack of transparency”, said Nora sations or private persons - to deal transactions. Ahmetaj, executive director of the Cen- at least 212,000 € raised with this issue in order to prevent the Abazi and Sejdiu were acquitted in tre for Research, Documentation and mismanagement or manipulations 2010, but Lluka was found guilty, fined Publication. which can occur,” Xhemajli said. 10,000 euro and given a ten-month sus- “Through nationalistic discourse, Ramush Haradinaj “The Kosovo government should pended jail sentence, which was later the public was quite driven and sensi- more than 1.5 million € raised have contributed all it could in sup- reduced to nine months on appeal. tised to give money for the defence of port of our former comrades,” he The court found that between Au- Limaj, Haradinaj and others,” Ahmetaj insisted. gust 2005 and November 2006, Lluka said. But while the ICTY defendants had deposited over 1,500,000 euro for “But the public never knew where were feted as heroes and money the Haradinaj fund in a series of different those funds went and how much money poured in to help them win their free- transactions at Kasabank. was really spent. No one was responsible dom, the victims of the war were all But, like Limaj’s fund, no accounts for the amount of money collected and but forgotten, said the Humanitarian were published to assure donors that the outgoing of those funds,” she said. Law Centre’s Blakaj. their money had been properly spent. In April 2008, Haradinaj and Balaj “I have never heard about a case Although the names of the people were acquitted of all charges after a in which victims were given repara- contributing to the Haradinaj fund were three-year trial. Brahimaj was sentenced tions; the public doesn’t know the never made public, Behxhet Shala said to six years’ imprisonment for cruel victims and in fact it is not interested he was convinced “some businessmen treatment and torture. in knowing them,” Blakaj said. who contributed financially to the funds A partial retrial followed, and in No- “In most cases, the accused have the were paid off later by tenders or other -fi vember last year, all three men were de- main role, and in the end, they end up nancial favours”. clared not guilty and set free. being glorified,” he concluded. 10 n January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight

Huge secret payments revealed in Macedonia

By Sase Dimovski BIRN sent official requests to the Macedonian gov- ernment and the justice ministry, and to the lawyers The amount that the Macedonian government spent and families of the two men, asking how much was on supporting its two Hague Tribunal war crimes de- spent on the their defence, on procedural costs, on fendants, former interior minister Ljube Boskoski and expenses for their families, on visits to The Hague by policeman Johan Tarculovski, is possibly the biggest senior political figures from Macedonia, and on the secret in the country. welcoming ceremonies in Skopje. The government did not respond to requests for But despite their legal obligations to fulfill such re- data about it. Neither did the justice ministry. quests, the government and justice ministry did not But current and former officials have provided BIRN reply. Justice minister Blerim Bedzeti and his spokes- Macedonia’s costly efforts paid off. with information which suggests that the money spent person made no response to BIRN’s telephone calls, on costs related to the two men’s trials in The Hague, emails or text messages asking for clarification. Law- defence and translation of documents, for several trips on lawyers and lobbying, court expenses and the lav- yers and families also refused to disclose how much to The Hague by governmental, parliamentary and ish welcome-home parties that were organised after they had received. party delegations, as well as for the return transport their release has added up to a total of at least 9,480,000 The reasons for this silence are political, said one costs and the welcome-home celebrations staged for euro. government official who asked to remain anonymous. Boskoski and Tarculovski. Compared to what Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia spent “It is a sensitive issue that could cause a reaction In 2006, several months after the men were de- on helping to defend their citizens accused of commit- from certain military veterans,” the government source tained and delivered to the international court, the Mac- ting heinous crimes in wars that lasted for years, not just told BIRN, explaining that Macedonian soldiers and edonian government decided to finance their defence a few months, it is a staggering sum. policemen who want compensation for injuries they and cover travel expenses for their families. Tarculovski is the only Macedonian convicted of suffered during the conflict, as well as ethnic Albanian At first, the justice ministry granted the families war crimes by the Hague Tribunal. He was jailed for ex-guerrillas demanding state pensions, could cause 200,000 euro for travel expenses, accommodation 12 years over his role in the brief but bloody conflict in problems for the authorities if they learned how much and preparations for hiring lawyers. 2001 between the Macedonian security forces and eth- was spent. When this amount proved inadequate, the govern- nic Albanian rebels known as the National Liberation “I tried to get the data that you asked for, but I was ment decided to approve an additional 770,000 euro, Army. immediately told that it’s strictly confidential and that taking the cost to around a million. He was found guilty of leading a police unit that I should not ask,” BIRN’s source added. Then Prime Minister Vlado Buckovski personally killed ethnic Albanian civilians and committed other “It was pointed out to me that as a member of [Mace- informed Boskoski that the government would fund atrocities in the village of Ljuboten, near Skopje. donia’s] Albanian community, I have no reason to look his defence and hire Bosnian lawyer Edina Residovic, But the ICTY acquitted Tarculovski’s chief, ex-min- for data about the payment of money for the defence of according to a government press office statement on ister Boskovski, who had been charged with having two Macedonians who were tried for war crimes in The June 2, 2006. command responsibility over the unit. Hague,” the source said. Buckovski confirmed to BIRN that, during his The Macedonian government spent millions of premiership, around one million euro was approved euro on supporting the two men between 2005, when Sifting the evidence for the accused men’s defense and costs. they were arrested, and 2013, when Tarculovski was BIRN’s estimated total of ten million euro includes “Most of that money, the one million euros that were released from prison after serving two-thirds of his government payments for domestic and foreign law- allocated by the state, were given to foreign lawyers,” sentence. yers, lobbying efforts, money for the preparation of the said Buckovski.

Belgrade supporting Bosnian Serb Suspects

By Marija Ristic Belgrade is currently providing financial aid to 26 Serbia is providing state aid to seven other Bosnian defendants, according to the director of Serbia’s Office Serb Army officers who were convicted of involvement The Serbian government has given approximately for Cooperation with the ICTY, Milan Markovic. in the Srebrenica genocide, and to nine others involved 1,700,000 euro in financial support to its Hague Tribu- A document signed by Markovic lists the names of in the killings and persecution of non-Serbs in other ar- nal defendants – suspects who include many Bosnian 26 people who are currently receiving state aid, includ- eas of Bosnia, including Stanislav Galic and Dragomir Serb army officers accused of some of the war’s worst ing several former top Serbian security officials and -Yu Milosevic, both jailed for the shelling of Sarajevo. crimes, BIRN has learned. goslav Army officers, but the largest sum has gone to Belgrade cites the acquittals of Yugoslav general Serbian Radical Party Leader Vojislav Seselj – around Momcilo Perisic and senior security officials Franko 104,000 euro in total so far. Simatovic and Jovica Stanisic as proof that Serbia did Eighteen of the 26 who are receiving aid however not play a crucial role in the 1990s conflicts. are Bosnian Serbs who hold Serbian citizenship, even “This [verdict] is of a tremendous importance for though Belgrade insists that it was never directly in- Serbia and the Serbian people because it proves that volved in the early 1990s wars. They include Bosnian Serbia didn’t carry out military aggression against Bos- Serb Army commander Ratko Mladic, who is on trial nia and Croatia,” said Prime Minister Ivica Dacic after for genocide, and his right-hand man Zdravko Tolimir, Perisic’s acquittal. who has already been convicted of genocide. But Roland Kostic, a Balkans expert at Uppsala Mladic, a Serbian citizen who started getting fi- University in Sweden, said that although Serbia insists nancial aid from Belgrade in April 2013, had received that it is only giving the Hague indictees what they de- an overall amount of about 6,500 euro by November. serve as citizens, while continuing to claim that only its However former Bosnian Serb political leader Rado- neighbour countries went to war, the payments prove van Karadzic, who was hiding in Serbia until his arrest that there was a direct link. “This data shows that Serbia in 2008, gets nothing from Belgrade because he does actually feels responsible for them and their deeds,” he Ratko Mladic began getting aid from Belgrade last April. not have a Serbian passport. said. January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight n 11

Croatia backing ‘Homeland War’ generals

By Josip Ivanovic 2006 and 2012, according to government figures. tal has been held up as a political triumph by top politi- The brief email from the government press office cians and the generals themselves. In November, Croatian generals Ante Gotovina and to the H-Alter news website that revealed the amount On his return to Zagreb, Markac described the ver- Mladen Markac returned to Zagreb to a rapturous wel- said the money was spent on “legal representation at dict as proof that Croatia did not act illegally during come after being acquitted of war crimes by the Hague the ICTY” for the three men. No other explanation was wartime. Tribunal. given, and it is unclear whether the figure includes trav- “I knew there was no joint criminal enterprise, I Euphoric crowds celebrated in Zagreb’s main el costs for their families or any other expenses. knew that the Croatian army and police liberated the square, waving national flags and holding up photos of The amount spent on supporting Bosnian Croat country in an honourable way,” he told the cheering the generals and banners reading ‘Pride of Croatia’, as defendants at The Hague who hold dual Bosnian and crowds in the capital, adding that “everyone now can patriotic songs blasted out across the city streets. Croatian citizenship is also unknown, if any money was say that Croatian liberation was [achieved] without a Many people in Croatia believe that the men’s re- spent on them at all, which remains unclear. stain”. lease, after they were acquitted on appeal, was a tri- But the Croatian government, despite being bound The current centre-left government admits that war umph for the Zagreb government’s long-term strategy by law to answer public information requests within a crimes were committed during the 1991-95 conflict, but of lavishing funds on their defence. maximum of four weeks, has so far failed to respond to has also expressed satisfaction about the generals’ ac- The state spent a total of 28,145,610 euro on helping BIRN’s further inquiries for full details. quittal – although without making any comment about generals Gotovina, Markac and Ivan Cermak between Nevertheless, the sum of more than 28 million euro the money spent on attempting to ensure this. already puts Croatia well ahead of every other former “Gotovina and Markac are obviously innocent, but Yugoslav country when it comes to payments to war that doesn’t mean that the war wasn’t bloody, that mis- crimes defendants at the international court. takes were not made,” Prime Minister Zoran Milanovic Unlike Serbia and Bosnia, Croatia has a more said after their return. straightforward view of its 1991-95 conflict, which is Dragan Pjevac, whose 68-year-old mother was generally seen in the country as a righteous struggle shot dead and mutilated during the conflict in 1993, for independence – the “Homeland War,” as it is known. expressed cynicism about the Croatian government’s “The defendants had massive support from almost motives in paying for the generals’ defence costs. all parliamentary parties and state structures,” said “Perhaps, according to their short-sighted logic, it is Sven Milekic of the Zagreb-based Youth Initiative for more profitable to defend a crime,” he said, accusing the Human Rights. They could also count on “significant authorities of spending much more on military leaders support” from the public, he said. than on compensation for those who suffered Although the public has never been given the exact “Where are the victims? All the victims? Where are Ante Gotovina was ultimately acquitted in 2012. details of how much money the state spent, the acquit- the reparations for them?”

In Bosnia, ethnic politics dictate payments

By Denis Dzidic ment has not allocated any funds for their defence or their families, BIRN was told. Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered the largest number But while the Republika Srpska authorities allocate of deaths during the early 1990s conflicts in the former funds for families of Serb indictees, their de- Yugoslavia – around 100,000 – while some 2.2 million fence costs are paid by the ICTY and are UN-funded. people fled their homes because of the war. The entire costs of the trials of former Bosnian Serb As a result, 101 of the 161 indictments raised by the political and military leaders, Radovan Karadzic and Hague Tribunal were for war crimes committed in the Ratko Mladic, which amount to hundreds of thousands country, but Bosnia has spent much less on its indictees of euros, were initially paid for by the ICTY. than most other ex-Yugoslav states – with some of them After several years however, the ICTY this year receiving nothing at all from their home country. made a decision that both Karadzic and Mladic would The country’s two political entities, the Serb-led have to finance part of their own defence because they Republika Srpska and the Bosniak-Croat Federation, could afford it. Karadzic was ordered to make a one-off Many in Republika Srpska consider Ratko have taken different approaches to their defendants Mladic a hero. payment of 150,000 euro and Mladic 60,000 euro. at the UN-backed court: the Serbs have officially given “The assistance consists of granting documents. their suspects some financial support, while the Fed- detained by the ICTY to ensure their “material and fi- We have never received any financial aid from any eration has not. nancial wellbeing”. government in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Miodrag Republika Srpska has spent a total of 640,000 euro Thirdly, the Bosnian Serb authorities set up a foun- Stojanovic, deputy counsel for Mladic. Legal represent- on its ICTY indictees, officials in Banja Luka told BIRN. dation called Pomoc (Help) in 2001, through the Former atives of both Karadzic and Mladic have told BIRN that The justice ministry said that the Bosnian Serb au- Fighters Association of Republika Srpska, with the aim they have never received any money from the Repub- thorities have allocated funds to defendants in three of helping families of those standing trial at the ICTY or lika Srpska authorities for their work. ways. the Bosnian state court. Kada Hotic from Srebrenica, who lost some of her The Bosnian Serb government decided in Septem- Between 2003 and 2013, the foundation received family members when Bosnian Serb forces attacked ber 2005 that it would grant a one-off 25,000 euro pay- around 412,000 euro from the Bosnian Serb govern- the UN-protected area and massacred more than 7,000 ment to anyone indicted by the ICTY who voluntarily ment, which has been distributed to families of war Bosniak men and boys in July 1995, said that such pay- turned themselves in to the local authorities. Seven crimes suspects either in The Hague or in Sarajevo. ments represented a continuation of the war crimes of people did so, costing the government a total amount Despite the fact that two wartime commanders of the past. of 175,000 euro, although the authorities declined to the Bosniak-led Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina have “It would be far better if they invested the money in reveal their names. been sent to trial in The Hague – Sefer Halilovic and the reconstruction of schools or communities, in any The second way method was in the form of one-off Rasim Delic – as well as several high-ranking Bosnian beneficial work from which people could get jobs, or grants of 50,000 euro awarded to families of people Croat officials, the Bosniak-Croat Federation govern- something similar,” Hotic said. 12 n January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight

Four stars: Perfection Three stars: Superb Two Stars: Good One Star: Just OK No Star: Don’t Bother GOOD piguide « « « « Legere shows promise in new beginning By Arijeta Lajka Legere did not have a printed menu during out visit. Our waiter read Hidden away from the nearby bus- us a hand-written menu consisting tling center of Prishtina, Legere Cre- of pasta, meat, soups and salad. Our ative Cuisine offers an enchanting choices were limited since we did not atmosphere that is hard to come by have a physical menu, but the waiter in this city. Although the restaurant is did allow us to be a bit more creative modern, it has a touch of vintage with our dishes. flair, along with romantic decor. We started with a “caesar” Legere looks like it belongs salad. Although the salad was somewhere in Williamsburg, eat an interesting mix, it was by no Brooklyn. The windows are means anywhere near a tradi- surrounded by white string lights. tional caesar salad, which was disap- Simple, yet stunning black and pointing. We were served a salad con- white portraits hang from the walls. sisting of juicy cherry tomatoes, green Soothing Italian music was playing olives and carrots drenched in French in the restaurant. The restaurant has dressing as opposed to caesar. good kick of spice, and within seconds To balance the sweet taste of the rich wooden details, like the wood- My dining partner created her own I felt the heat, which I deeply missed cheesecake, I ordered a cappuccino, en ceiling and fireplace, along with plate of pasta without a problem. She and look forward to having again. and my friend ordered a macchiato. a wooden wall, which holds wine ordered pasta with carbonara sauce For dessert, we went with the Although there’s a coffee shop in every bottles. and grilled chicken. The white sauce only options available: chocolate corner of Prishtina, this was by far the Upon arriving to Legere, my din- was creamy and contained fresh spin- mousse and cheesecake. The choc- best coffee we have had here. ing partner and I were greeted by a ach. The chicken was grilled to perfec- olate mousse was unconventional. Our meals arrived rather quickly friendly and attentive staff. Legere has tion, and she was pleased with her dish. The texture more closely resembled and dinner was relatively cheap. Each been around for a year, but reopened For my dish, I ordered a plate of fet- pudding than cake. The cheesecake dish of pasta was around 4 euro. Expect last week under new management tuccine with a rich and spicy tomato had an airy decadence that was driz- to spend around 10 euro a person. Only and staff. The previous incarnation sauce filled with dry-cured black ol- zled in berries and syrup. While the a short walk away from the center, visit had a long menu and uneven execu- ives. Over the years, I have built such cheesecake alone was delicious, the Legere for friendly faces, pasta dishes tion of dishes that often looked much a tolerance for spicy food that I no syrup was too sweet and a bit over- that stand out, and a quiet, yet charm- better than they tasted. longer taste it. The pasta however had whelming. ing evening.

EAT DRINK LEGERE CREATIVE CUISINE EDS SHOP Address: Off Sylejman Vokshi Central Room Street, near restaurants Ultra and > Central Room is a chic place to Central Room Garibaldi 63, near Central Bank and Newborn Monu- Mosaic, Prishtina have dinner. It’s a little brown house covered in bright ment, Prishtina white lights. Inside there are dark wooden tables, mod- Phone:+377 (0) 45 883 355 Monday through Friday, 7 am to 12 a.m. A ern furniture, and vibrant artwork. The sophisticated Hours: Monday through Sunday, Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 12:00 a.m. menu had a vast amount of flavorful options. 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. +377 (0) 44 810 000 From creative salads to several steaks, the menu had a little something for everyone. The restaurant seems to lure in an international crowd. While eating dinner, I heard dif- ferent languages all around me and our waiter spoke English fluently. Central Room offers a refreshing take on European cuisine especially here in Kosovo. Portions are a good size. It’s one of the better fine dining options here in Prishtina. Desserts are baked in the restaurant and the tiramisu is absolutely decadent. January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight n 13

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WHERE Pallet Lounge 01 Pallet lounge is an newly opened, exquisite cafe restaurant that offers TO PICK UP a variety of multicultural dishes and drinks. It is located right across PRISHTINA the AUK University in the outskirts of the city, surrounded by nature. INSIGHT Gërmia Road (across AUK) +386 (0)49 880-777 palletlounge@ gmail.com facebook.com/Pallet

Hotel Prishtina Lounge Papillon Bistro Bar 02 06 Hotel Prishtina’s 43 charming guest Papillon offers more than 60 types rooms and suites are reminiscent of a of wines from France, Italy, Spain, small hotel in the European tradition. and Kosovo with great prices and The hotel offers free, fast wifi internet, delicious dishes. You can also try complimentary breakfast, conference different types of local or interna- room, swimming pool, sauna and laun- tional beers. Mother Teresa Str. Nr. dry service. Hotel Prishtina, St. Vaso 51 A [email protected] Pasha nr. 20, +381 38 / 22 32 84. 044 103 310

Hotel AFA Pizza Napoli 03 07 A taste of Napoli in Prishtina. After ten Located in a quiet neighbourhood years of making pizza in Napoli, and just outside the city centre, Hotel with only love to blame, Fatmir, the Afa can guarantee guests a peace- head chef, returned to Prishtina. His ful night while being within walking pizzas, made in a woodburn stove, are distance of all the action. Rooms definitely genuine napolitanas. Fatmir start at 45 euro for a single, and also has several delicious pastas on of- luxury rooms and apartments are fer, a true joy for the taste buds. Pizze- available. The hotel’s rooms are ria Napoli off LuanH aradinaj, opposite well appointed and comfortable. Newborn. 044/409-402402 15, Rr Ali Kelmendi, Sunny Hill, Prishtina +381 38/225 226 www. Hotel Gracanica hotelafa.com 04 A place to relax in the calm and clean air of the countryside, just 15 minute sfrom Prishtina city center, 500 m from the center of Gracanica and its UNESCO World Heritage monastery and a short walk to the archeological site of Ulpiana. The boutique hotel combines contemporary architecture with traditional elements to create a unique atmosphere that will make you feel at home. +381 (0)38 729 888 05 (landline) +386 (0)49 764 000 [email protected] www.hotelgracanica.com www.facebook.com/HotelGracanica 07 LEGERE CREATIVE CUISINE EAT A

06 02 03

The Ninety One 05 The Ninety One (91-shi) is back with its new location and old tradi- tion. The owners and the staff are the same. The breakfast is still served as usual while the coffee is served with delicious homemade almond biscotti. The new menu includes: roast fillet of beef served with spinach potatoes & wine, Chicken and confit garlic in bed of mash & thyme juice. The kitchen is open every day until 11:00 04 pm. Fehmi Agani str., 29/2 (Te kafet e vogla) - 044 91 91 91 14 n January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight Opinion Send us your thoughts to [email protected].

Kosovo picks up the habit again

m I a fanatic or an patrons no longer fear the possibility extremist? This is of being fined. the third time I have I recently visited a club, said to be By RAND ENGEL written an article on owned by a prominent political figure. smoking. I happen to be Before I entered I asked the man at the Adeeply motivated by several factors. As door, “Is there smoking inside?” He majority do not smoke, and even some I mentioned in my other articles, I saw assured me that no one was smoking. smokers who are bothered by smok- what smoking did to my mother. The I gave him 5 euro and entered. When I ing indoors, will never say anything. several savage illnesses that lead to her noticed that there were people smok- Perhaps if the general population were death were entirely smoking-related. ing inside, I requested a refund, which also surveyed, the results would also Maybe I am just selfish because I feel he refused to give me. be similar. more comfortable eating and drinking The Kosovo Advocacy and Devel- There are plenty of reasons to with friends when smoking is banned opment Centre, a key force behind de- enforce the tobacco law: the overall in restaurants and cafes, but I am also velopment and passage of the Tobacco population would be healthier, and moved by the threat it poses to so Law, recently published a monitoring children will grow up in a less addictive many here in Kosovo. report on implementing the law in one atmosphere, which will give them a In the last month or so, the respect small venue: As the law bans smoking chance to avoid smoking later in life. for and enforcement of the 2013 in government buildings, was it being Kosovo health care costs will decrease, Tobacco Law has nearly collapsed. respected in Kosovo’s court buildings? and workers in restaurants, cafes Just to give a few examples, in two This is a prominent question to analyze and other public venues will suffer cafes on the main street of Obiliq, since courts are a fundamental compo- far fewer catastrophic illnesses over people were smoking. In a mini-mar- nent in the process of imposing laws. their lifetimes. Also, clothing and hair ket on “Police Street” and a parking Courts have a vital responsibility will not reek of cigarettes. Good laws lot nearby, cigarettes were openly in law enforcement, and many have should be obeyed, and the rule of law displayed, which violates the law. In a concerns with smoking in the work- understood. cafe in the sports complex there was place. Research shows that 66 moni- There are many restaurants, offic- smoking and also in a restaurant on toring visits found that 67 percent of es, public buildings and individuals top of Arberia. These places are not court personnel do not smoke, and 82 who deserve respect and appreciation hidden away, or far from potential percent find smoking in the workplace for following the law. However, if Koso- Rand Engel officers who are supposed to enforce a nuisance. A staggering 97 percent vo does not react soon, the law may has worked smoking restrictions. These cafes and are aware that second-hand smoke is fail. Perhaps we should at least think with Balkan restaurants are on main streets, near harmful to their own health. However, of the children and what it may mean Sunflowers in police officers, courts and internation- 86 percent feel too uncomfortable to them in the future if the law is not Kosovo since al organizations. Most owners and expressing their opinions. Though the properly implemented. 1999. January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight n 15

Call us: +377 (0) 44 11 11 11 l +381 (0) 38 22 22 80 16 n January 17-30, 2014 n Prishtina Insight culture

Culture fusion yields special hotel - and a great brunch

Spicy Swiss zimtsterne biscuits sit to its employment policies, which brothers-in-law and Wormser is next to the delicious local bread. are providing jobs for 11 Serbian, godfather to three of Gashnjani’s chil- Some homemade jams, and a plate Albanian and Roma employees, dren. Wormser, who speaks fluent By Elizabeth of meats and cheese with a pot of thought has gone into every element Albanian, is the manager and main Gowing smoky ajvar are also on the table. of the hotel. The design has the same investor in the hotel, and Gidzic and Serbian, Albanian, English and ‘fusion’ feel as the eclectic menu. The Gashnjani are his deputies. Italian are some of the languages design features Serbian handcrafts, Perhaps it is the family connec- that are around me. The Roma staff the traditional layout of the Albanian tions which create the warm hospi- Elizabeth Gowing is a founder of is smoothly managing the kitchen village meeting rooms and the Swiss table welcome. For Sunday brunch, The Ideas Partnership, a Koso- and reception desk. If one has ever styled pale wood and clean lines that between 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., for a flat vo NGO using volunteer power dreamed of what a multiethnic have bright handwoven textiles. This price of 10 euro, help yourself to the to tackle educational, cultural brunch would look and taste like, this is how the Swiss-born Le Corbusier buffet while staring out at the beauti- heritage and environmental is it. would design a Kosovo oda. ful landscape beyond the hotel. challenges. She is also the author Hotel Gracanica opened last year These surprising combinations One foreign visitor said “it re- of Travels in Blood and Honey; and is becoming the thinking man’s are the result of the team behind the minds me of Tuscany,” while another becoming a beekeeper in Koso- choice of venue. Whether it is for hotel. It is not just the staff who derive said “you could be in Switzerland.” In vo (2011) and Edith and I; on the the food like the birchermuesli and from different ethnic backgrounds, fact, we are in Kosovo, and the hotel trail of an Edwardian traveler in air-dried Sijenica mountain lamb at but also the team of three friends offers the quintessence of Kosovo. Kosovo – www.edith-and-i.com Sunday brunch, or for the cultural who came up with the idea. Atlan Out beyond the fields, just a short – published this summer. She can events, like the Austrian Catch-pop Gidzic and Hisen Gashnjani are from walk away, is the archaeological be reached on theideaspartner- String-strong orchestra, a Swiss Gracanica, and Andreas Wormser is site of the Roman-Byzantine city [email protected] literary evening, an exhibition by originally from Switzerland. Worm- of Ulpiana. Half a kilometer in the local artist Driton Selmani or even ser came to Kosovo in 1999 with a other direction is the UNESCO World next month’s yoga weekend. Hotel Swiss government programme. The Heritage Site monastery of Gracanica Gracanica has something in store for three men became friends in 2001 with its medieval frescoes. These are everyone. and are now business partners. They some of the pearls of Kosovo’s past, From its stunning design by are also connected in other ways. and what this hotel offers could be fFor more information visit Prizren-born architect Bujar Nrecaj, Gidzic and Gashnjani are also double the best of Kosovo’s future. www.hotelgracanica.com