Opinion: Microfinance Law - This is a Bank Robbery

April 27 - May 10, 2012 Issue No. 87 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1 From Pasture NEWS Pacolli to “Power Misled over Neighbourhood” Ministerial In four years, agricultural Credit Card land on the edge of Use Prishtina, once owned by an elderly Serb farmer, has > page 4 been transformed into one of the wealthiest neigh- NEWS bourhoods in the country, Black Market in soon to be home to Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, for- Heart of mer Interior Minister Zenun Government Pajaziti, alongside a host of > page 5 other top businessmen, NEWS politicians and public figures. Kosovo Albanians See Page 18-19 Pack up in Troubled North Kosovo’s Travel-Happy MPs > page 6 FEATURE Vetevendosje Keep Fail to Tackle Election Fraud Faith in Graffiti Despite numerous foreign ‘study’ trips, mostly funded by the taxpayer, a parliamentary committee tasked with electoral > page 14-15 reform has failed to come up with any changes. COMMUNITY FOCUS electoral fraud that was noticed continue to misuse [the election over the past 12 months. Media Threaten By Genc Nimoni , Artan Mustafa in the December 2010 parliamen- process] to survive in the politi- So far 18 committee meetings Boycotts Over Law tary elections. cal scene”. have taken place for which each embers of the Kosovo par- The travel-loving committee member was paid about 1,440 euro- liament have received has now asked for three more Foreign travel galore: for participating, while its chair- Mthousands of euro in com- months to come to some recom- man, Haki Demolli, received 3,600 pensation for committee meetings, mendations. euro – a total bill of 15,000 euro. workshops and foreign visits as The European Union and civil part of their election reform plans The committee was supposed society organizations have told Per diems for travel bring the cost – having failed to deliver any pro- to complete its task on Sunday, Prishtina Insight of their concern to 20,000 euro for the year, which > page 22 posals to tackle electoral fraud April 29, but parliament is about the “lack of substantial excludes all expenses for flights during their 12-month mandate. expected to give them a green progress” and the unwillingness of and hotels. A senior EU diplomat in light to continue for another 90 the political parties to engage in In addition, six committee mem- Kosovo told Prishtina Insight days. the reform and correct the election bers participated in three spells of that they had “serious con- Albulena Haxhiu, herself a errors. four-day workshops organised in cerns” about the electoral member of the same committee Meanwhile, official parliamentary the Albanian seaside city of Kosovo’s only English-language reform committee’s work, for the nationalist Vetevendosje documents, obtained by this newspa- Durres, in July, October and newspaper is available: adding that the country’s main party, described the work of the per, show that members of the com- December 2011. parties had shown no willing- committee as “unprofessional mittee have committed themselves Delivered to ness to tackle the widespread and unserious”, adding: “They to a great deal of travel and meetings continues page 2 Your Door

Light Shone on Murky World of Thaci’s Brother Builds Multi- From Newsstands Energy Trade million Residential Complex across Kosovo

KEK signed a 30-million-euro contract in Blerim Thaci, Hashim’s youngest broth- Sent To February for the supply of emergency er, is part owner of Iliria Building, a com- Your Inbox energy with the powerful Serbian compa- pany constructing a major residential com- nies, Energy Financing Team, EFT, and plex on the edge of Prishtina. Rudnap Group – both of which are now at Along with his business partner Milaim From the centre of a media and political storm. Cakiqi, he is expected to make between our partners A report by Prishtina daily “Zeri” last three and four million euro from the devel- economy week accused Albania’s... page 7 news opment, according to... page 3 see page 16 for more info

is supported by: 2 April 27 - May 10, 2012 news Xhaferri: Kosovo’s Travel- Someone Wants Happy MPs Fail to to Destabilize Tackle Election

the Region in Brief News Fraud acedonia’s Deputy Prime Minister from page 1 Musa Xhaferri says that extreme According to a Kosovo Government Mgroups want to destabilize Macedonia and Kosovo, and that both govern- regulation, public officials can claim ments are working to prevent such a sce- 41.80 per day in compensation for the nario. trips to Albania. Xhaferri was in Prishtina on Thursday to The committee also organised a three- meet with Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim day workshop in the mountain village of Thaci, and the Foreign Minister Enver Prevalle, close to Prizren, between Hoxhaj. March 2 and 5. During his visit, Xhaferri said that the Two members of the committee also Albanians in Macedonia want to prevent the visited Finland and Austria for five and destabilization of the country and the region, six days respectively. The per diem rate Members of a parliamentary committee charged with reforming the election system have visited following the latest inter-ethnic incidents. for Finland is 31.20 euro and 39.60 euro Durres, Albania, four times in a year, but achieved nothing. “The Macedonian government is taking all for Austria. the necessary steps to make sure that the Three members of the committee went shown willingness to engage in the Kryeziu said. incidents that have occurred in our country to Slovenia in March for four days to fol- reform of the system and “above all to do not have a knock on effect for our societies low the election preparations and the correct it”. One Tick Elections in general,” Musa Xhaferri said. electoral system. The scale of the 2010 electoral fraud, “We will not allow extremist groups to Parliament has not disclosed the and thus the need to carry out reforms, In the last election, people could vote destabilize our societies,” he added, without flight, food and accommodation fees, has been demonstrated by the number of for the party and, if they chose, for up to elaborating further on which groups he which would significantly increase the criminal cases against election officials. five party candidates as part of an “open meant. overall cost of the committee’s work. Prosecutors received 191 complaints in list” system. 2011 in relation to the last parliamentary Observers have criticized the system “Serious Concerns” elections, which resulted in 1,343 persons as it allowed parties to allocate votes to AI: EULEX Must being indicted. A state prosecution specific party members during the The committee was set up in April 2011 report for 2011 stated that 931 more peo- counting process. ple can expect to be indicted. Thirty as part of an agreement between the European diplomats want a simpler Focus on War leaders of Democratic Party of Kosovo, cases have already gone through the system. “The ideal would be a one-tick PDK, the Democratic League of Kosovo, courts, with more than 200 people sen- election,” the same senior European offi- Crimes LDK, and the Alliance for the New tenced. cial told Prishtina Insight. Kosovo, AKR, to nominate Atifete Other problems related to the voter new Amnesty International, AI, “Be it for the party or for a party can- Jahjaga as a President and avoid a loom- lists. According to a 2011 report by civil report demands that the EU Rule of didate. That [system] would be simpler ing political crisis over the presidency. society group Democracy For ALaw Mission in Kosovo, EULEX, for people to understand and easier for Parliamentary elections are due in Development, up to 335,000 of the makes the prosecution of war crimes its pri- 1,632,276 voters on the electoral roll in observers to ensure they can follow what ority. autumn of 2013, but international diplo- the 2010 elections should have been happens. The report, Kosovo: Time for EULEX to pri- mats and civil society observers say that removed. The population census, organ- “We need a law on political parties oritise war crimes, charts progress made by they have “serious concerns” about the ized by Kosovo Statistic Office, revealed ensuring internal more transparent pro- the Mission and recommends urgent reforms reform process following the failure of only 1,733,872 inhabitants in Kosovo. cedures.” ahead of the extension of its mandate in the committee to produce new legisla- Non-governmental organizations say He dismissed the argument that what June. tion. the political parties have numerous ways Kosovo most needs is more technology to “EULEX must make investigation and The European Union Office in Kosovo to manipulate the voting. avoid fraud. prosecution of the large backlog of crimes said last week that the member states Ismet Kryeziu, executive director at Two years ago, he noted, the constitu- under international law its top priority,” said were concerned with the “lack of a sub- Kosovo Democratic Institute, KDI, which tional court in Germany decided against Nicolas Beger, Director of Amnesty stantial progress”. A statement noted led monitoring missions in the past elec- the use of cameras at polling stations, International’s European Institutions Office. that an expert report in 2010, and the EU tion and is now in the reform debate, and there have been technical debates of “We’re asking it to establish, with help progress report in 2011, had called for a said the last 12 months have been charac- this nature in The Netherlands, US and from EU countries, an effective international simpler and more transparent election terized by “irresponsibility and a lack of Ireland. witness-protection programme and ensure system. will by the political parties. “All you really need for good elections that Kosovo’s prosecutorial and judicial sys- One senior European official in “The legislation should have reflected is a white peace of paper and the will for tem can be sustained over the long term.” Prishtina told Prishtina Insight this political decisions that have to be taken,” The report states that nearly 13 years after week that the political parties had not them to be fair.” the end of the conflict in Kosovo, hundreds of crimes remain unresolved. Follow the latest on the Ferizaj by-election on Sunday, April 29, at gazetajnk.com Brunei Gifts Kosovo its 90th Recognition he Southeast Asian state is the latest country to recognise the independence Tof the former province of Serbia which declared independence in 2008. Brunei’s Foreign Minister, Mohamed Bolkiah, has notified his Kosovan counter- part, Enver Hoxhaj, that his country has rec- ognized the independence of Kosovo, the gov- ernment in Pristina said on Wednesday. Kosovo’s Foreign Ministry said that confir- mation came in a letter sent to Hoxhaj, which is considered official recognition of Kosovo’s statehood.

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Editor’s Word Bling, Bling Kosovo

By Lawrence Marzouk

he growing gap globally between rich and poor is both troubling and well docu- Tmented. Inequality is increasing between rich and poor countries, and within states, between the filthy rich and the destitute. An Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, OECD, report released in 2011 showed that out of its 34 members, 30 have seen the difference between the top 10 ten per cent and bottom 10 per cent grow in the past 20 years. A study by the World Institute for Development Economics Research at United Nations University in 2000 reported that the richest 1 per cent of adults owned 40 per cent of Thaci’s Brother Builds Multi-million global assets, and that the richest 10 per cent of adults accounted for 85 per cent of the world total. The bottom half of the world adult popu- Residential Complex lation owned barely 1 per cent of global wealth. We live in a world where shanty towns sur- A construction firm part owned by Prime Minister Hashim Thaci’s brother is on the verge of completing a round gated communities. huge residential development estimated at 4million euro. Undeniably, this growing gap between the haves and the have-nots presents a growing risk euro and according to these firms sales of then said that the location, formerly home of conflict. How long can those who struggle to the flats will bring in between 7 and 8 mil- to the publicly owned Kosova Elektro com- feed their families walk by the tall walls of the lion euro. pany, included 1,460 metres of office space. grotesque mansions inhabited by the super-rich By Parim Olluri According to the business register, But the final contract revealed that the Iliria Buildings was registered in January actual area of office space was 2,583 before taking redistribution of wealth into 2009 with 10,000 euro of capital and two square metres, five times the size men- their own hands? employees. tioned in the original offer. Statistics are hard to come by in Kosovo’s lerim Thaci, Hashim’s youngest The PAK correctly stated the total area case, and when they do exist, their accuracy is brother, is part owner of Iliria Milaim Cakiqi’s Many Businesses of land for sale at each point at 7,646 often questionable – is unemployment really 40 BBuilding, a company constructing a square metres. per cent? While we may question this raw data, major residential complex on the edge of Unlike Blerim Thaci, Milaim Cakiqi is But real estate experts believe the dif- I can’t help noticing that ostentatious displays Prishtina. involved in a number of companies. ference in the size of the office space Along with his business partner Milaim of wealth are increasingly common in He is also co-owner of successful firm, between the offer presented to bidders – Cakiqi, he is expected to make between Prishtina. Anecdotally, the rich seem to be get- Liria FC, and is set to become neighbour 1,460 square metres – and the real size of three and four million euro from the ting richer while the poor continue to struggle. to the country's Prime Minister in the the site – 2,583 square metres – was worth development, according to the firm’s com- Blacked-out windows of Jeeps and Mercs "New Prishtina-West" near area of at least 90,000 euro. petitors. have been a common but incongruous sight on Veternik. Documents seen by Prishtina Insight Cakiqi is also set to become next-door He is the owner of NTP "Almakos", a show that the final transfer of the site was the potholed streets of Prishtina since the war, neighbourhood to the Prime Minister food retail company, and New Enterprise not signed until at least 14 months later, in but now they have been joined by Ferraris and when Thaci moves into his new mansion Metamb Sh.p.k, involved in metal parts. January 2010. Lamborghinis, and can be seen driving past the in the Veternik district of Prishtina. Under his ID number on the business Over this time, according to a real estate growing number of huge, luxury hotels and Iliria Building is building 102 apart- registry is Ove Group, although his name expert in Prishtina, the value of the site houses which have sprung up in the past year. ments in two buildings in the Matican dis- does not feature as an owner. would have risen by about 10 per cent, In this week’s newspaper we print photos trict of Prishtina. potentially adding a further 110,000 euro from a new neighbourhood of Prishtina, which The two buildings, which include retail Liria FC Involved in to its overall value. will become home to the rich and famous of space, have a total floor-space of 23,390 According to the PAK’s internal corre- square meters. “Manipulated” Privatisation Kosovo - including to Hashim Thaci. spondence, which Balkan Insight has Blerim Thaci refused to answer ques- In a country where the average wage is 250 obtained, the agency was aware of the tions on how the construction was being Auditor General said that the euro a month and most struggle to put food on costly discrepancy but pressed ahead with funded. He is not registered as owner of Privatisation Agency ‘manipulated’ the the table, these luxury abodes are shocking, if original deal with Liria FC for just over another company at the Business auction of a publicly owned industrial not illegal. 1million euro. Registration Agency in Kosovo (KBRA). estate, short-changing the public of up to “It should be noted that total floor build- Read through the list of cars and properties His brother, the Prime Minister, also 200,000 euro. ing surface area presented in the IM owned by politicians and high state officials declined to comment on Blerim’s business Prishtina Insight last year obtained doc- [Information Memorandum] (1,460m2) and the amount of money in their bank activities. uments under freedom of information rules that showed the Privatisation was miscalculated, which was noticed accounts, and it becomes obvious very quickly Cakiqi, co-owner of Iliria Building, said Agency of Kosovo, PAK, advertised the during the process of contract comple- that these people have accumulated far more that the firm was private and that there site - a large industrial estate on the edge tion, and PAK’s Regional Office of wealth than their official wages would allow. was no reason for him to reveal his finan- of Prishtina– as having five times less Pristina has corrected it to a total of And this is just the wealth that has been cial dealings. office space than was actually for sale. 2,583m2,” a PAK employee wrote in a letter declared to the anticorruption agency. “We are a private business and we do The winning bidder, Liria F.C 2, from to its chairman, Dino Asanaj, in People with power, and businessmen close to not give accounts of our work. It is our Pristina, bought the enterprise from the December 2009. it, are well positioned to continue enriching business what we do and how we invest,” While the PAK official talked of a “mis- PAK for 1,050,000 euro. themselves at the expense of the rest of the said Cakiqi. “Blerim is the Prime calculation”, the Office of the Auditor Experts believe that delays in signing country, building palaces of kitsch and buying Minister’s brother but this does not mean the contract and the manipulation of the General complained in a report published expensive cars, while the economy struggles on. that we are obliged to answer for our busi- office space figure may have deprived tax- last summer that the process had clearly Those making a fortune on the back of others ness.” payers of around 200,000 euro. been “manipulated”. clearly have little moral qualms about continu- Construction companies "Al Trade" and The PAK first announced the auction of Fazli Cakiqi, co-owner of Liria FC "Standard" told Prishtina Insight that the the site in November 2008 in a newspaper alongside Milaim, said he was unaware of ing to steal from the public purse. But they average cost of a square metre in advert offering 550 square metres of office problems, or that he had received more shouldn’t assume that the masses who make do Prishtina ranges from 350 to 400 euro. space within a total of 7,646 square metres office space than was originally specified. with 8 euro a day will walk by their mansions Based on this average, the construction of land. There is no suggestion that Liria FC was and grand hotels in silence forever. will have cost in the region of 4 million In brochures provided to bidders, it responsible for the manipulation. 4 April 27 - May 10, 2012 news PDK-Linked Firm Builds Secret Service’s First Headquarters The headquarters of Kosovo’s Intelligence Agency is being built by a firm with strong links to the governing Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, and who was elected in a close procurement process. base,” said Smakaj. The Ministry of Public Administration, MPA, according By Parim Olluri and to him, sent invitations to five Petrit Collaku companies, of which Ing Engineering from Suhareka was declared the winner. “The compa- ost countries require com- ny has been verified,” added panies involved in sensi- Smakaj. Mtive contracts to qualify He said that while Ing first for a “white list”. Engineering has won fewer con- In Kosovo, however, no such pre- tracts from state institutions selection exists and Prishtina than the other four companies Insight has discovered that the invited to bid, this firm had firm brought in to build the offered the best proposal. Prishtina headquarters of But, he admitted, KIA did not KIA head Bekim Smakaj with Behgjet Pacolli Kosovo Intelligence Agency, KIA, detect Ing Engineering’s close is closely linked with the party of links with PDK. just found it out,” he said. “We spokesperson of the Ministry of was an open tender for the region- power, PDK. Hazir Hajdari, who is the gen- didn’t have this information pre- Public Administration. al centres, this was as requested Ing Engineering from eral deputy director of Ing viously. But, it’s not good for peo- KIA has also started building from KIA,” declared Shufta. Suhareka, in southern Kosovo, Engineering, was a parliamen- ple to be disqualified just because regional centres in Mitrovica and Mursel Rraci, head of the cen- signed a secret 5 million euro con- tary candidate for the governing they voted for one party or are Gjilan, for which an open public tral procurement agency, said tract with the Ministry of Public Democratic Party of Kosovo, within one party.” procurement procedure was held. that MPA did not ask for a permit Administration for building the PDK, led by Prime Minister MPA, as well as KIA, justified to carry out a negotiated tender. Kosovo Information Agency’s Hashim Thaci. Ministry Keeps Secret this different approach based on He added that under article 3 of base in August last year. He is currently a municipal Contract Criteria the fact that the construction of the Law, contracts related to the No open public procurement assembly member for the PDK in the headquarters was more sensi- country’s secret service are procedure took place following a tive. exempt from public procurement Suhareka. He declined to com- The procurement office of the request by the KIA, but negotia- “On the question of why there rules. ment on the the “secret” contract Ministry for Public tions with five selected compa- with the Government, and sug- nies were held. Administration, MAP, declined to gested that Prishtina Insight comment on why Ing Engineering Bekim Smakaj, head of KIA, speak to his brother Rexhep. Kosovo Intelligence Agency argues that this had to be done to had been selected ahead of rivals. Rexhep is, according to the offi- he Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA) is a civilian intelligence protect state secrets. “KIA asked Arton Berisha, head of the pro- cial register, the sole owner of the agency of the Republic of Kosovo responsible for providing the Government to exclude public curement, would only reveal the company. He also declined to com- size of the contract, valued at 5 Tnational security intelligence to senior Kosovo policymakers. procurement for this public con- ment. It aims to provide “timely and accurate information about intelli- tract and the request has been million euro. Smakaj, head of Kosovo’s gence, counterintelligence, domestic and foreign threats, internation- approved,” he said. “The “In this case, we have acted Information Agency, said that the al or domestic terrorism, narcotics production and trafficking, organ- Ministry of Public according to the KIA’s request, firm’s connection with PDK had ized crime, economic crime, sabotage and all other intelligence issues Administration, respectively the and the legal provisions,” not been noticed when the verifi- declaired Birsen Shufta, related to Kosovo security is essential to the people of Kosovo”. Engineering Department, on cations had been carried out. “I August last year, started with the procedures for building the KIA’s Pacolli Misled over Ministerial

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Publisher: Credit Card Use BIRN Deputy Prime Minister Behgjet Pacolli said earlier this Balkan Investigative Reporting Network month that he had never used his official credit card, but a Mensa e Studenteve, first floor Freedom of Information request by Prishtina Insight has 10000, Prishtina revealed that this is not true. Kosovo that since taking office in April Phone: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 2010 he has claimed, personally, Fax: +381 (0) 38 22 44 98 23,000 euro. BEHGJET PACOLLI [email protected] By Artan Mustafa, Zyberaj added that Pacolli had Lawrence Marzouk decided recently that he would no Editor-in-Chief: longer use the card. Lawrence Marzouk During an appearance on KTV’s Pacolli had used his public posi- The deal was first struck when usinessman and politician [email protected] Rubikon show, Pacolli said that he tion to benefit is businesses. Pacolli visited Nigeria last year in Behgjet Pacolli, often was unique in Kosovo in his Pacolli signed a memorandum order to seek recognition of Editorial Team: Bdescribed as the world’s approach to spending public of understanding with the Imo Kosovo from the oil-rich state. Ana Petruseva, Gordana Igric, richest Albanian, boasted on tele- money. government of Nigeria for a pri- Subsequently, Pacolli Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, vision on April 3 that he had never used his “official credit card”. “I have no official car, I have no vate company to build electrical announced that Nigeria had Petrit Collaku, Shengjyl Osmani, But a Freedom of Information official phone, I don’t use the offi- and agricultural plants in the formed diplomatic ties with the Artan Mustafa, Florina Hajdini, and request submitted by Prishtina cial credit car, I do not use the region, reportedly under the world’s second youngest state, Donjeta Demolli. Insight last year reveals that in the tickets paid from government name of Seagas Services. although no formal “verbal note” first eight months of 2010, some budget,” he said. “I do not spend The plant will supply 500 has been sent. Marketing, Sales & Distribution: 50,000 euro was spent on his minis- government money. megawatts of electricity and According to data released by “Never in my life have I filled ensure uninterrupted supply to Kosovo’s Office of Prime Minister, [email protected] terial credit card on airfares, meals and accommodations. out a form [for expenses] and have Imo households and businesses. Pacolli’s office was far from being Design & Layout: “Rrjeti” Pacolli’s office has claimed that run after salaries,” said Pacolli. “I But there was confusion follow- the biggest user of official credit Arben Grajqevci most of this spending was made did not touch public money, I have ing the visit of Imo Governor cards. For the first eight months Y by others working for the billion- not damaged the budget. I am the Okorocha to Prishtina whether of 2010, Prime Minister Hashim M Printing: Lindi Printing Center aire, but his spokesman Jetlir one who charges zero to Kosovo .” the deal also tied the Kosovo gov- Thaci spent 83,000 euro and C His comments came in response ernment into the investments, Deputy PM Edita Tahiri some Copyright © BIRN Zyberaj told Prishtina Insight K to questions regarding whether something Pacolli denied. 130,000 euro. investigation April 27 - May 10, 2012 5 Black Market in Heart of Government Former employees of the Government’s catering service claim they worked without con- tracts, paid no tax and were forced to work illegally long hours. February 2012. He left this compa- According to the labour law, ny, as he explains, after it failed to which entered into force on pay staff for at least four months. January 1, 2011 (article 20, item 2), By Tinka Kurti Fatlum claims that he was never the working hours should not compensated 800 euro he was exceed 40 working hours per week. owed, an allegation supported by Fatlum worked more than ten bank statements provided to hours overtime each week. hey worked without employ- Prishtina Insight. During his eighteen months The cafe inside the government building ment contracts, ten hours He had no employment contract. there, he only took two weeks, Tmore than they were legally He was paid mainly in cash at the unpaid leave. According to the law half months, and then I got sick Amadeus was awarded the ten- allowed to, without overtime for end of the month. For the eighteen on labour, he was entitled to anoth- and had to go to Tirana for treat- der initially by the Ministry of weekends serving the Prime months he worked there, only four er 20 days. ment,” he said. “They wouldn’t Public Administration in August Minister, with no health insurance payments were paid to him even grant me unpaid leave, so I 2009 for the provision of “catering coverage; and, when they were through bank transfers. The was forced to resign and was not services” to, as it’s called, the for- paid, the relevant taxes and pen- Sundays at the Kosovo labour law obliges all paid a single cent for the time I mer Bankos building, in which sion contributions were not cov- Government worked there.” the Prime Minister and its cabi- ered. employing organisations to pro- vide written contracts with their net, Ministry of Finance, All this is alleged to have He is not the only one to com- staff. Payments can be made Amadeus: Everything is Ministry of Integration, Ministry occurred within the headquarters plain of work conditions with through bank accounts or in cash; of Foreign Affairs and a number of the Government of Kosovo in Amadeus. Agron Haliti, a 23-year- Legal however, in both cases taxes have of government committees are Prishtina, according to a string of old from Prishtina, says for the to be paid. In relation to the money based. former employees of the in-house one-and-a-half years he claims to The owner of Amadeus, Arsim he received in envelopes, Fatlum “This operator was also award- catering service, contracted out to have worked there, he never Makolli, denies all allegations says that to the best of his knowl- ed a 36-month contract in August the company Amadeus. It, howev- received a full salary through his from his former and some current edge no income taxes or pension 2011, as he submitted the lowest er, says that they acted in accor- bank account. employees. “My employees work contributions were ever paid. bid while competing with seven dance with the law and respected According to bank statements from eight to four, they’re well “In a way, I was a Government other bidders,” said the MPA the rights of employees. for the eighteen months, seen by paid, they have employment con- employee, as the company I Head of Procurement, Arton Prishtina Insight, he received just tracts, I pay for their annual leave worked for was contracted Berisha. Workers Rights “Ignored” 150 euro through bank transfers. and I owe them nothing,” said through a public tender. “The remaining 50 euro was Makolli. “My satisfaction was cut short, During a debate held last year always paid in cash,” Agron says. He added that he is not respon- Alleged Forger Runs on May Day, the Minister of though, after the rights of all “When the Prime Minister’s sible for any work-related viola- Labour and Social Welfare, Nenad employees there were violated cabinet was at work, we also tions at the cafeteria. “If anyone Parliament Cafe from day one,” said Fatlum while gave you information of that Rasic, said: “I remain dedicated to worked [at weekends],” he added. edri Nika, suspected of pointing at the Government build- ensure the welfare of all employ- “We were never paid for that work. nature – know they are my ene- forging 80,000 dollars, is ees in Kosovo and greatly commit- ing and holding in his hand the ID When we asked the owner for our mies,” he said. However, Makolli Balso the managing of ted to a close cooperation between badge that proved his employment overtime compensation, he was unable to provide a single Kosovo’s parliamentary cafe, the Government and trade unions, with there. responded by saying “you’re work- employment contract for his staff Prishtina Insight has con- with the aim of enhancing the “I have not handed over my ing for the Prime Minister – not working in the Government’s firmed. wellbeing of Kosovo’s work force.” badge after quitting. It is the only me”.” cafeteria, although this newspa- Prishtina District Court will But within the very heart of proof I have of my work for the Agron said that Amadeus still per waited for two weeks. hold a hearing on April 30 to government, Fatlum Pllana says company, as neither me nor any of owes him four pay cheques. Regarding the Labour Law, pri- decide whether the indictment his rights were ignored for one and the staff there have ever had “They owe me 800 euro and vate companies and institutions against Nika will be confirmed a half years while working in the employment contracts,” Fatlum whenever I contact them they say – have similar obligations, but and a full trial held. state headquarters. added. we’ll pay you tomorrow,” he added. Makolli justifies his actions by Nika, whose brother Fehmi is listed as the official owner of Pllana, a 22-year old from He said that he stayed there for Former cook Elmedin Sinani arguing he runs a private firm. “I own a private company, and I the business Shqiponja, signed Prishtina, worked as a waiter in so long because he needed a job. says he was forced to resign as he would not like this to be interpret- the firm’s contract with parlia- the Government’s cafeteria, “My working hours were from got ill and was unable to take any ed as a Governmental violation,” ment. administered by Amadeus compa- seven in the morning to five in the sick leave. he said. He denies all wrong doing. ny, between November 2010 and afternoon,” Fatlum recalls. “I worked there for one and a Kosovo Probes Claims of Armed Serbian Court Releases Albanians Patrolling North Kosovo Trade Unionist Mitrovica’s Chief Prosecutor is waiting for Kosovo Police to uncover evidence that Hasan Abazi was released from custody after his family paid armed Kosovo Albanians groups are present in the north after TV footage appeared 20,000 euro in bail and the veteran trade unionist has since to show militants on patrol. crossed the border, heading home. court in Vranje on Friday used for Serbian local elections on Prishtina Insight. released Hasan Abazi, a veter- May 6 - elections that Prishtina has An Albanian-based tel- Aan trade unionist from vowed to prevent. evision, Top Channel, Kosovo, on bail, family members con- By Fatmir Aliu Hasan Abazi was a political recently showed a group firmed to BIRN. activist in the 1990s in Kosovo and of armed men with AK-47 The 65-year-old President of the twice served in Ibrahim Rugova’s rifles and other weapons Metalworkers Union of Kosovo, unofficial parallel parliament, when osovo Police say they are patrolling somewhere in according to his son Haki, was Serbia ruled Kosovo. investigation allegations northern Kosovo a few released after depositing 20,000 euro He was arrested while travelling Kthat armed Kosovo days ago, allegedly at the court. with another trade unionist from Albanian groups are present in around the municipality Serbian border police detained him Kosovo, Izet Mustafa, on their way to the northern Serb-run part of of Leposavic. Kosovo on March 28 on an arrest warrant a European trade union conference Kosovo, and prosecutors say on a Serb vehicle that was Police are investigating the issued in 2005 under clause 315 of the in Croatia. they will act if they find any evi- sprayed with bullets in the vil- footage. Serbian Penal Code, which deals with In a press conference in Prishtina, dence, Mitrovica’s Chief lage of Cabra, which mostly NATO’s Kosovo force, KFOR, "crimes against the constitution and Abazi said: “The charge against me Prosecutor told Prishtina inhabited by Kosovo Albanians, said it has no mandate to investi- security of Republic of Serbia". are frabricated from the Milosevic- Insight. north of Mitrovica. No one was gate the issue as it is a police After his arrest, the Serbian era and I am accused of being a part- Shyqri Syla says the prosecu- injured. matter. Interior Minister, Ivica Dacic, said ner of NATO." tion office is in contact with the Serbia’s Minister for Kosovo, Earlier the week, a phantom that the arrest was in retaliation for He told BIRN’s show Justice in Kosovo Police, who are working Goran Bogdanovic, recently organization calling itself “The the earlier arrest of four Serbs in Kosovo last Sunday that most of the on the allegations. urged KFOR to disarm Kosovo Y Army for Liberation of Kosovo. witnesses against him, according to “Police are still investigating Albanian militants in the north, M Occupied Albanian Territories” Kosovo police arrested the men for court documents in Serbia, are the case... so we haven’t officially saying their extremism could C took responsibility for an attack allegedly carrying material to be Albanians. initiated anything,” he told lead to violence. K 6 April 27 - May 10, 2012 news Kosovo Albanians Pack up in Troubled North In the Serb-run northern half of Mitrovica, some remaining Albanians are abandoning their homes, fearing that the area’s recent violence can only get worse. ance to the Kosovo Albanians in north Mitrovica, who, according to Kosovo police reports, have By Fatmir Aliu started moving out since the last ethnic incidents. Tito Looks On osovo Albanians living in the Serb-dominated north Not all Serbs and Albanians Kof Kosovo are packing their shun each other’s company in the bags and leaving their apartments, northern part of town. fearing further escalation of vio- lence in neighbourhoods where In a small café in the neigh- they live door-to-door beside bourhood, opposite the impro- Kosovo Serbs. vised green market, traders from On Wednesday, a 40-year-old both communities chat over cups Kosovo Albanian, who didn’t of black Turkish tea or over want to be named, was walking glasses of rakija – fruit brandy. out of his apartment in the Named upon the city’s oldest Three Skyscrapers neighbour- football club and mine, Trepca, hood in northern part of the pub’s interior is a throwback Mitrovica. to the past, still decorated with He said he had already sent his pictures of the former Yugoslav wife and children to the south- leader Josip Broz-Tito. ern Albanian inhabited part of For many, Tito’s communist regime was a golden age – when the town, fearing for their safety. Tito looks on in the Trepca cafe in the divided Bosnian Mahala in northern Mitrovica “We are in God’s mercy. No one people had jobs and ethnic ten- takes care of us, and we fear sions were firmly suppressed in rule our societies. try and continues to insist it is a “At the time of publishing the staying in our apartments,” he the name of “brotherhood and “That’s why we all live in a province of Serbia. edition of the [community] pro- said. unity”. troubled milieu, and we are all Northern Kosovo, which bor- filed for 2009, it was estimated that “Look what happened to Selver “In Tito’s days 90 per cent of suffering from it,” he concluded. ders Serbia, has long been prone around 7.500 Kosovo Albanians [Haradinaj] and his family? I Yugoslavs worked and 10 per cent to bursts of violence. Its mainly living in the zones with a majority don’t want my kids to become were thieves. Today 90 per cent Albanians Fleeing Serbian population does not Serb, in the regions of Mitrovica orphans as a result of my stub- belong in a camp while 10 per recognise Kosovo’s independence and Gjilan, remain internally dis- bornness,” he added. cent get by. That’s how horrible it “A number of Albanian families or the government in Prishtina placed,” says OSCE’s report. Holding two suitcases in one is nowadays in this part of have been relocating their fami- and the area is under the de-facto Most Kosovo Albanians live in hand, after embracing his moth- Kosovo,” the inn’s 65-year-old lies to the [government-held] control of so-called parallel insti- north Mitrovica live in six neigh- er, he passed by NATO peace- owner, Sherafedin Ramaxhiku, south, though we don’t have any tutions, funded by Belgrade. bourhoods: the so-called Bosnian keepers who have been stationed said. exact figures,” Besim Hoti, region- These include municipal councils, Mahalla, the Three Skyscrapers around his district since the Business has gone down since al spokesperson of the Kosovo health authorities, post offices area, Mikronaselje, Dolina murder of his Albanian neigh- the latest incidents, he added, as Police, told BIRN. and schools. Doktora, Suhadoll [Suvi Do in bour. both Albanians and Serbs feel Unconfirmed media reports There are no official figures on Serbian], and Kroi i Vitakut An explosive device killed threatened by the way that the claim that since the murder of the number of Kosovo Albanians [Brdjani in Serbian]. Selver Haradinaj ten days ago in situation is evolving. Haradinaj, some 20 Kosovo who still live in the north of Police reports suggest that eth- the mixed Three Skyscrapers Ramaxhiku says that both the Albanian families have temporari- Kosovo. nic incidents, especially against district. His wife and four chil- Serbian and Kosovo governments ly abandoned their homes in the But in its last report on the pro- Kosovo Albanians, are frequent, dren were wounded in the same have lost track of what is happen- northern part of Mitrovica. files of the communities living in varying from insulting slogans blast. ing in the north, effectively Tensions increased at the begin- Kosovo in 2009, the OSCE said the scrawled on buildings, verbal Authorities in Prishtina con- allowing criminals to do what ning of the week, when Obraz, a Albanian community represented harassment, stoning of persons demned the attack as terrorism. they want and control the securi- Serb ultranationalist organiza- 7.1 per cent of an estimated popu- and their property, physical In response, NATO’s peacekeep- ty situation. tion, left threatening messages on lation of over 50,000 in the north- assaults, and - now - bomb ing mission to Kosovo, KFOR, “I read a book recently by a the doors of Kosovo Albanian ern part of Kosovo. attacks. relocated troops to mixed areas Czech philosopher, whom I para- homes in north Mitrovica, read- The same report said that hun- Most Kosovo Albanians living where both Serbs and Albanians phrase, who said it’s very danger- ing “We are coming.” dreds of Kosovo Albanian families in the north Mitrovica work in the live. ous for mankind when the peas- Kosovo declared independence had already left their homes in the informal green market at the But KFOR’s increased pres- ant philosophy rules the world, from Serbia in 2008. But Serbia north – that is, long before the Bosnian Mahalla, where both ence does not give much reassur- or in our case, when peasants does not recognise the new coun- fatal blast. communities co-live and interact. Kosovo Denies Arresting Serbs For Revenge Kosovo has not arrested Serbs out of revenge but because they have broken the law, the Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi said on Monday. terpart, Idriz Naim Shahin. Serbia. recent weeks over a range of the fact that the Kosovo authori- Kosovo has now released the Belgrade condemned the issues, including Serbia's plans to ties asked KFOR to prevent him Serbian government's Kosovo arrests, saying they were ethnical- extend elections to its former from entering the country. By Fatmir Aliu District Chief Goran Arsic and ly driven, and meant to intimidate province and a series of tit-for-tat Last week, the EU foreign poli- Novica Zivic, an employee of the the Serbian community in Kosovo. arrests on both sides of the bor- cy chief, Catherine Ashton, told Serbian Red Cross, their lawyers Rexhepi said on Monday that der. BIRN that Kosovo and Serbia told Belgrade media. after “Serbia carred out arrests [of Rexhepi called on NATO's should both ease tensions by ceas- senior minister in Kosovo Over the weekend, Kosovo Albanians] inside Kosovo” he had KFOR mission and the EU rule of ing to arrest one another's citi- said the authorities were police arrested the two men for asked for increased security meas- law mission, EULEX, to prevent zens and should refrain from the Anot arresting Serbs as a violating people's equal rights by ures and put the border police on a politicians from Belgrade from selective use of the law in such reprisal against Serbia - but allegedly coercing them to vote in state of alert. entering Kosovo and holding elec- cases. because people had broken the law. Serbia's forthcoming elections, He was referring to Serbia's tion rallies there. Human Rights Watch and “We’ll never be driven by due on May 6. arrest of two Kosovo policemen at The former Prime Minister of Amnesty International called on Y revenge, we just implement our They allegedly threatened local the Merdare border crossing three Serbia, Vojislav Kostunica, held both Kosovo and Serbia to halt the M laws and obligations,” Interior Kosovo Serbs, saying if they do weeks ago. an election rally in the northern series of arbitrary arrests and C Minister Bajram Rexhepi said, not vote during the elections they Tensions between Serbia and Serb-run part of the town of release all their respective K after meeting his Turkish coun- will be banned from entering Kosovo have risen sharply in Mitrovica last Tuesday despite detainees without delay. economy April 27 - May 10, 2012 7 Light Shone on Murky World of Energy Trade The political and media furore over delays to the “electrici- ty highway” between Albanian and Kosovo has put the spotlight on the murky world of Balkan energy trading. between partners in the project. A letter from the German Development Bank, KFW, seen by By Petrit Collaku this newspaper, details the investors concerns about delays and the Albanian government’s attempt to switch the winner of EK signed a 30-million-euro the project. contract in February for the “In light of the information in Ksupply of emergency ener- the preceding paragraphs, it gy with the powerful Serbian com- becomes clear that KfW is not in panies, Energy Financing Team, position to revise the procedures EFT, and Rudnap Group – both of for the selection of the winning which are now at the centre of a media and political storm. bids as asked by you in your let- A report by Prishtina daily ter,” the German bank wrote ear- “Zeri” last week accused Albania’s lier this year. Prime Minister, Sali Berisha, of The letter goes on to explain delaying the construction of a 400 that to switch bid winners would kV transmission line between be against KfW’s guidelines, Albanian law and could result in Kosovo and Albania to benefit A row over delays to the Kosovo-Albania electricity highway has sparked a fierce debate over energy traders two powerful energy traders – extra costs. Albanian PM denied accusa- Vuk Hamovic, head of EFT, and name of GML International, a “Fazlic, for example, was a key Fazlic as well as the actions of the tions of a “switch” saying that Demir Fazlic, head of Rudnap London-based investment compa- advisor in Berisha's 2005 electoral Ministry of Justice and accused the “winner” of tender to con- Group. ny that specializes in trading campaign. Any legal difficulties the Prosecutor General's Office of struct transmission line, the The new power lines will, when debt, of which Hamovic served as that Fazlic encounters here or working against Fazlic at the Croatian Company “Dalekovod” completed, alleviate both coun- a director of the company until abroad could pose serious politi- behest of the “mafia” and said the had offered a higher price then tries dependence on middlemen March 2003. In both cases, EFT cal problems for the PM,” the PG's Office is "undermining its Bosnian Company to supply emergency electricity, and GML denied any wrongdoing. calbe reads. own independence” through its “Energoinvest” and therefore allowing Prishtina and Albania At the time Hamovic’s business In another diplomatic cable, alleged failure to follow proper should not have been selected, to trade directly. partner was Vojin Lazarevic, who Berisha’s attempts to protect procedures.” despite the fact that 70 per cent of Zeri alleged that Berisha’s son, set-up Rudnap in 2005 and whose Fazlic are detailed. points allocated as part of the Shkelzen, met both energy men partner is Demir Fazlic. “In an effort to both clear his tender process were done on the Dodgy middlemen in Vienna to discuss the matter. Fazlic was investigated in name and to stick a finger in the basis of the technical, not finan- All of those accused have stren- Albania for money laundering in eye of the opposition, Berisha A US government cable, cial, offer. uously denied the claims, but the 2008, but the charges were later arranged to have Fazlic fly to released through by Wikileaks, matter has been raised in parlia- EFT has denied that a meeting dropped. Tirana on October 9 to give a TV from 2006 also suggests the EFT is ment in Tirana and focused atten- between Hamovic and Albania’s While KEK is aware of the interview to the pro-GOA a “questionable” company, and tion on the murky world of ener- Prime Minister’s son, Shkelzen Hamovic, Lazarevic and Fazlic’s [Government of Albania] Klan questions the role of middlemen gy trading. Berisha, took place. “The reports past, it says it has no qualms of TV,” he said. in the energy market. According But in US diplomatic cables, you refer to from Zeri newspaper doing business with Rudnap or “Unbeknownst to Berisha, to the cable, Bulgaria was losing released by Wikileaks last year, are untrue and are wholly base- EFT. Albanian Prosecutors on October 50 million USD a year through not US officials in Tirana detail the less. Mr Hamovic has never met KEK’s general director Arben 7 had opened a money laundering selling its energy directly to mar- close relationship between Mr Shkelzen Berisha, nor does he Gjukaj told Prishtina Insight that investigation centered on Fazlic. kets in Kosovo, Albania, Serbia, Albanian PM Berisha and Fazlic, have any dealings with Damir the companies are licensed by “When prosecutors heard on Macedonia and Greece. who helped run the aging politi- Fazlic,” Nenad Savic, EFT’s com- Kosovo’s Energy Regulator. October 9 that Fazlic had arrived “The firms to which NEK cians election campaign in 2005. munication official told Prishtina “Tenders are international. in Tirana on a private jet, they [Bulgaria’s National Electric The memos also reveal corrup- Insight. Those companies apply and win immediately drafted a request Company] chooses to sell its elec- tion within the world of energy Rudnap Group failed to reply the tenders because they have the that Fazic appear for question- trading in Bulgaria – one of the to our emails. tricity are the same questionable lowest price,” Gjukaj said. ing,” reads the cable. ones,” the cable reads. main exporters in the region – “Those companies fulfil the and the “questionable” nature of “Tipped off by police who were “In 2005, the main exporter of Controversial Contacts tender criteria and are legitimate Hamovic’s EFT. escorting Fazlic around town, Bulgarian electricity was the Serb to take part. But, last year it was EFT, and its owner Hamovic, Kosovo’s Energy Corporation, Fazlic made a dash to the airport company EFT, which through its a Slovenian company that we have been subject to a number of KEK, has signed deals in 2012 where he departed Tirana one sister company, EFT Bulgaria, have imported energy the most investigations, including in the with the Serbian companies, EFT, hour earlier than planned.” accounted for 70 percent of from,” said Gjukaj. UK, US and Bosnia. and Rudnap Group. The contract Police, according to the memo, exports. said that the summons to arrest “Interestingly, EFT Bulgaria is Fazlic was also the subject of with the former is worth around Fazlic’s Close Relationship an aborted money laundering 25 million euro and the second Fazlic had only arrived after his owned by [Bogomil] Manchev's investigation in Albania. company around 3.4 million euro. With Berisha departure. firm, Energy Finances Group.” All investigations have, to date, The companies have earned It is then alleged that “two Manchev is described in the been dropped, and question around 45 million euro during In a meeting with a senior investigators from the Ministry of report as part of “Bulgaria’s ener- marks over both businessmen 2010 and 2011 from KEK, and their embassy official in 2008, Berisha Justice arrived at the Tirana gy mafia”. have not dented their lucrative relationships stretch back fur- gave a “passionate defense of District Prosecutor's Office with a The US cable describes how energy trading businesses. ther than that. Damir Fazlic”, according to US request to review the Fazlic file. middlemen in Bulgaria have In Kosovo alone, Prishtina Both firms have been subject to diplomatic cables. “When the MoJ investigators carved out large profits from sell- Insight has learnt, EFT has a number of investigations in the Berisha claimed that the chief were denied entry on the grounds ing the state’s electricity. “Many earned tens of millions of euros Balkans and beyond. prosecution had opened a “case that they had not filed the neces- corrupt payments are believed to in recent years. EFT was investigated by the against him with no evidence and sary paperwork to review the files, pass through such consultant,” it UK’s Serious Fraud Office, SFO, tried to stop him at the airport they refused to leave the reads. Roadblock to Energy for alleged corruption from 2005 and freeze his assets, all without Prosecutor's Office.” “Similar to consultants is the Highway to 2008, but the case was dropped. evidence, according to Berisha”. Two days later the Ministry of use of “middlemen or intermedi- The company was investigated “He said he could not accept Interior said it would “sue” two of aries” in the import and export of this. Berisha said he never did the prosecutors involved in trying energy sources. These middlemen While the involvement of con- by an international prosecutor in to summon Fazlic, claiming that will either add an additional "tax" troversial energy traders in Bosnia and Herzegovina, focus- Fazlic a favor, nor did Fazlic ask the attempt to question Fazlic vio- on the price of an import or make delays to the Kosovo-Albania ing on a number of irregularities for one,” the cable reads. Y energy highway is hotly disputed, including a series of purchases of In a “note”, the cable reads: lated the law. a handsome profit by exporting a M there is no question about the debt made by Hamovic in 1999 “Fazlic's close ties to Berisha and Finally, on October 13, “Berisha resource (usually electricity) that delays and disagreements and 2000. to FM Lulzim Basha” are a “mat- held an angry, rambling press con- the state could have profited from C This purchase was made in the ter of public record”. ference in which he defended itself.” K 8 April 27 - May 10, 2012 neighbourhood - business Serbia Ducks Probes Into Tycoon Long after Brussels demanded action on 24 key cases, Belgrade is still sitting on its hands – proof, some say, of tycoons’ continuing ability to stymie the rule of law. most political parties. But they hope that beside exter- nal EU pressure, local independent By Stevan Veljovic, institutions and civil society will Gordana Andric become strong enough to pressure the government into acting. Over the last nine years the Anti- erbia is taking its time to Corruption Council has asked the probe 24 dubious privatisa- government to reassess or cancel Stion cases and other related privatisations where they say the irregularities concerning the public interest, the value of public transformation of public compa- property or the rights of small nies that the EU demanded action shareholders have been detrimen- on a year ago. tally affected. Although this demand is a prior- After sending around 80 reports ity for Serbia as it seeks to further to the government, they say they its EU accession, a lack of will received few responses. across the political spectrum is evi- dent in tackling many unresolved questions regarding the sales. The Novosti case: Some experts say this is because The Council has called on the Serbia’s anticorruption council has called for the privatisation of Belgrade port to be looked at all governments since the demo- government to revise or cancel cratic changes in 2000 have been not be sold until the ownership 60 per cent of the shares on sale. shares. He said that he bought the several major privatisation deals involved in the controversial cases. structure was properly evaluated. According to the Law on shares for a German publishing involving one man in particular. Tomo Zoric, spokesman for the In 2006 the government of Takeover, any shareholder who house that already owns a couple The sales of C market, the Port Public Prosecutor's Office, told Vojislav Kostunica instructed the owns more than 25 per cent of of media firms in Serbia. of Belgrade and the publishing BIRN that a number of pre-trial Ministry of Economy to review shares in a single company is He denied allegations that the house Novosti all involve Milan and criminal proceedings had Novosti’s ownership structure and obliged to gain the approval of sale of Novosti was carried out Beko, an influential businessman started. determine what state-owned capi- Commission for Securities, which illegally. and former privatisation minister These include the cases of tal remained in the capital of the both companies failed to do. Last June the state Commission under Slobodan Milosevic. Mobtel, involving Bogoljub Karic company. Before the Commission for for Securities publicly confirmed The Council’s report on the and others, the National Savings The government also obliged the Securities reacted, Ardos Holding that Beko owns 62 per cent of Novosti case, issued in May 2011, Bank, C market, Sinovoz, Srbolek, ministry to stop the sale of the sold its surplus shares, while Novosti via three different compa- says all governments from 2000 Sartid and Jugoremedija. However, company until the ownership Stadlux Realestate sold all its nies. It demanded that Beko either allowed this former state-owned Zoric declined to provide details. structure was determined. shares. buy the shares owned by two of his company to be sold illegally and to But Danilo Sukovic, from the However, despite this, no review Along with Ardos Holding, companies via the third or sell at the detriment of the public inter- state’s own Anti-Corruption was carried out and the company’s which is registered in Austria, the least 75 per cent of his shares to est. Council, says the prosecutor’s shares were floated on the new owners were also foreign com- another buyer. However, nothing The company was first regis- office has done nothing. “They say Belgrade Stock Exchange in panies Trimax Investments and has happened to date. tered as a shareholding company the process is on-going but there August 2006. Karamat Holdings. The Council last September in 2002 under Zoran Djindjic’s are no results,” he said. In its report, the Council said The Council wrote that all reminded PM Mirko Cvetkovic’s Democratic Party-led coalition. “Those behind the privatisation that the then Ministry of Economy actions taken after the government about all of the irreg- The state then retained 30 per deals will not let anything happen. failed to act in accordance with the Commercial Court decided that ularities linked to the sale of cent of shares, while the rest were Big fish are involved, including government’s own decision by Novosti’s shares should not be sold Novosti and sought an official divided among small sharehold- tycoons and politicians… from allowing the sale of Novosti shares until the ownership structure was response. ers, mainly company employees. every government since 2000,” he possibly to the detriment of state fully evaluated, in 2002, were ille- “Companies owned by Milan But as there had been no official added. interests. gal. Beko gained control of Novosti by assessment of how much of the Analysts and anti-corruption Within eight days of the shares However, neither the govern- fraud in August 2006,” the Council company should belong to the activists agree that the government floating on the Stock Exchange, ment nor the public prosecutor wrote, adding that Beko’s respon- state and how much could be sold is unwilling to cut ties with the almost all minor shareholders had has reacted since. sibility for the fraud cannot be to employees, both the tycoons who profited from irregu- sold their shares to two compa- In November 2010 Milan Beko annulled simply by his selling on Commercial Court and the govern- lar deals during the ownership nies, Stadlux Realestate and Ardos confirmed that he owns all three fraudulently acquired shares. ment said Novosti’s shares could transformation and who bankroll Holding, which snapped up about companies that bought Novosti’s In its report the Council called Blast at Albania Munitions Disposal Site Kills One An explosion at an army munitions disposal site in southern Albania killed a villager on Sunday after he had ventured in to collect scrap metal from exploded shells. In March 15, 2008, a huge explo- On March 13, 2012, a court in sion at an ammunition demolition Tirana jailed Dritan Minxholi, depot in Gerdec, only ten kilome- manager of the munitions demoli- ters outside Tirana, killed 26 peo- tion plant, for 18 years. Besar Likmeta ple and wounded more than 300. It also jailed the former head of Prosecutors said the explosion Albania’s arms exports agency, in Gerdec occurred after workers, Ylli Pinari, for 18 years, while Fatos Dyrmishi lost his life often untrained and poorly paid Mihal Delijorgji, owner of Alba- after an explosion while col- women and children, tried to weld Demil, the firm managing the “lecting scrap metal in the several metal carriages used to plant, was given ten years behind army polygon of Bigas,” the transport heavy munitions near bars. Ministry of Defence said on containers filled with explosives. The court sentenced Albania’s Monday, adding that an official After the explosion, it emerged former army chief-of-staff, Luan inquiry into the incident would that the company that ran the fac- Hoxha, to six years in prison. continue. tory had blatantly disregarded Albania has been trying for Last April an army officer was safety rules. years to dismantle its obsolete killed and three others were The investigation led to crimi- Communist-era arsenal, which Y wounded in the Bigas munitions nal charges being filed against 29 was one of the conditions for the M disposal site, which is located in people, ranging from abuse of country’s successful entry into C the region of Skrapar. power to murder. NATO in April 2009. K Site of the deadly Gerdec explosion neighbourhood - business April 27 - May 10, 2012 9 Dodgy Takeovers

for an investigation into the mech- permit to Slovenian businessmen tions and ministries, where they anisms that had allowed a state in a quick procedure with no ten- lobby for their paymasters and institution to “act in the interests der. gather information. of powerful individuals, against The Council notes that the gov- “The lack of progress in investi- the law”. ernment, which had not responded gations shows that tycoons still The Council also called for the to any reports of the Anti- control institutions and have influ- investigating of possible corrup- Corruption Council since 2005, for- ence,” Sukovic says. tion among all people involved in warded the Environment “But I expect the EU to be strict the Novosti case. To date the Ministry’s reply on this occasion on this issue, which means that we Council has yet to receive a within a very short time, by will have to solve it if we want to response from the government. January 19 2011. join the EU,” Sukovic adds. “The rot starts at the top,” says In response the ministry said On March 29 the European Sukovic from the Council. that it had acted in accordance Parliament called on Serbia’s “Large-scale fraud cannot hap- with the law and added that, after authorities to urgently revise 24 Danilo Sukovic, from Serbia’s Anti-Corruption Council pen if the top of the state does not examination of the documentation, cases of controversial sales and allow it, whether by being the ben- the Public Prosecutor’s Office privatisations. ket functioning in alfuture mem- Science, says: “Without well-organ- eficiary of a corruption deal in shared this opinion. The European Commission has ber countries, which is even more ised democratic capacities, there some way or by allowing tycoons After that the Council twice also expressed concerns about the in Serbia’s interest, as without won’t be enough pressure on the to abuse state weaknesses.” asked the Public Prosecutor's legality of the sale of Sartid, these two the country cannot devel- political class and on the tycoons, Office to deliver a report on the Jugoremedija, Mobtel, C market op. who benefited from the initial The Nuba case: actions it conducted and the docu- and Bus transport enterprise Meanwhile, no matter how cru- momentum of transition and mentation it examined on the basis Vojvodina. cial pressure from Europe proves never seriously considered operat- The Council also submitted a of which it reached this conclu- The authorities are also to be in this case, the other ques- ing in a regulated environment report on the laying of optic cables sion. required to open documents relat- tion is whether independent local where free market and antimonop- throughout Serbia, entrusted to After receiving an answer in ed to privatisations that are still institutions and civil society will oly legislation actually works”. Nuba Invest in November 2010. March 2011, the Council wrote that classified as a state secret. develop to the point where they can In that sense, the side-effect of In this report the Council said “it is clear… that the Prosecutor’s On April 16 the head of the EU combat corruption and control EU pressure to fight corruption in the Ministry of Environment and Office gave an opinion on the basis delegation to Serbia, Vincent government behaviour from the Serbia could be a potential shift in Spatial Planning had violated the of incomplete documentation. Degert, again urged the authori- inside. the balance of power in favour of Law on Planning and Construction “We would point out that the ties to deal with the 24 privatisa- Zoran Stojiljkovic, professor at independent institutions and civic and the Law on Prosecutor's Office is an independ- tion deals and other irregularities. the Belgrade Faculty of Political society. That, at least, is the hope. Telecommunications by issuing ent state authority which prose- Eduard Kukan, MEP, chair of Nuba Invest a permit to install the cutes perpetrators of criminal acts. the delegation’s relations with optic cables. “Therefore, it may not give any Southeast Europe, told BIRN that This is because no public auction preliminary opinions without the the European Parliament had now History of Dodgy Deals was held and “it is unusual that, initial act in particular cases on decided to be more specific over beside numerous operators with whether something is lawful or not, the privatisations and he expects he Anti-Corruption Kostunica [2004-2007] it sought years of experience, this work was as it will in this way make a prelim- the Commission to follow their rec- Council has highlighted a probes into problematic privatisa- awarded to a newly-formed compa- inary decision on something that ommendations. Tseries of murky deals over tions and deals involving Mobtel, ny which had not been in the later on may become the subject of “If Serbia is serious about start- the past nine years. Novosti, the Port of Belgrade, C telecommunications business prosecution,” the Council added. ing negotiations on the rule of law, During the mandate of the first market, Sinvoz , Zastava elektro, before, nor had a Ratel it should be aware that its perform- post-2000 governments, under Keramika, Srbolek and the con- (Telecommunication Agency) Don’t rely on Brussels: ance in anti-corruption policy will Zoran Djindjic and then Zoran cession for the Horgos-Požega licence.” be monitored in detail,” Kukan Zivkovic [2001-2004], the Council highway. Information from Serbia’s The Council’s Danilo Sukovic said. drew attention to several prob- During the mandate of the cur- Business Registers Agency shows says that the people behind these However, unlike the Kosovo lematic privatisation deals and rent government of Democratic that Slovenia’s Nuba only regis- controversial takeovers elaborated issue, which has created tensions affairs. Party PM Mirko Cvetkovic [2008 to tered in Serbia on April 10 2009, just scenarios to protect them legally between the Serbian public and the These included Sartid [later U.S. 2012], the Council is querying the months before it won the first loca- and place “their” people inside EU, it is likely that in the fight Steel], Jugoremedija, the sugar following cases: Azotara Pancevo, tion permit to lay cables. state institutions. against corruption both sides - the affair, the National Savings Bank Prosveta, Trudbenik gradnja, This deal reached parliament’s He explains that because busi- public and Brussels - will find a and the Veterinary Institute. Nuba, Tehnohemija. attention in March 2010, when nessmen finance political parties, common interest. Under the Democratic Party of Source: Environment Minister Oliver Dulic politicians routinely allow them to As Sukovic says, the EU wants to Serbia-led coalition of Vojislav Anti-corruption Council was accused of having granted the place their people in public institu- see the rule of law and a free mar- Macedonia Appeals to UN Over 'Name' Dispute Macedonia's Foreign Minister on Tuesday is expected to urge the UN Secretary General to take more account of the World Court ruling that deemed Greece’s blockade of Macedonia’s NATO accession illegal. Nikola Poposki said on Monday requested. after heading for New York. While Poposki lobbies the UN, Greece and Macedonia are former Foreign Minister Denko By Sinisa Jakov locked in a two-decade dispute Maleski argues that this strategy Marusic over how the former Yugoslav is not likely to get the country far. republic should call itself. Greece “We are knocking at the wrong insists that its neighbour’s use of door,” Maleski said, adding that he New York meeting with the name “Macedonia” implies a the World Court, which works Ban Ki-Moon is seen as a Macedonia’s foreign minister Nikola Poposki territorial claim to its own north- under UN auspices, has no practi- Tlast-ditch attempt by Macedonia to push its NATO mem- ern province of the same name. cal means to force a nation or In February, Nimetz visited Philip Reeker, US deputy assistant bership bid ahead of the forthcom- Last December, the NATO to respect its decisions. He Athens and Skopje for a fresh secretary for European and ing Alliance summit in Chicago in International Court of Justice, says lobbying influential NATO round of name talks but these Eurasian Affairs, said that despite May. ICJ, ruled that Greece had member states instead would be ended without a breakthrough. the court's ruling, Skopje and “In a situation when Macedonia breached an interim deal brokered more worthwhile. Most observers doubt that Athens would still have to reach a is seeking to join NATO and the by the UN in 1995 when it blocked As part of his visit to New York, Macedonia will make any real solution to the name dispute EU, and [1995 UN brokered] Macedonia’s attempt to join NATO Poposki is set also to meet the UN progress in Chicago, especially before Macedonia could join the Interim Accord guarantees this, in 2008. mediator in the Macedonia-Greece after influential NATO states alliance. we consider that these [World However,the court did not name talks, Matthew Nimetz, as repeated that the country needs to Similar words have come from Court rulings] are strong argu- directly order Greece to stop the well as US congressmen and sup- settle the name dispute first. NATO's Secretary General, ments that should be valued,” blockade, as Macedonia had porters of the Macedonian cause. On a visit to Skopje in January, Anders Fogh Rasmussen. 10 April 27 - May 10, 2012 Serbian Elections Brussels Mediating Over Serb Votes in Kosovo Ten days ahead of Serbian elections, Brussels, Belgrade and Prishtina are trying to find a solution on how to let Kosovo Serbs vote in the presidential and parliamentary polls. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in February 2008 but Serbia still perceives it as part of By Bojana Barlovac its southern province, which is why it has no embassy in Prishtina where Serbs could vote. russels is in constant touch Goran Bogdanovic, Serbian with Belgrade and Prishtina Minister for Kosovo, confirmed Bseeking a solution to enable that talks with the OSCE on Serbs in Kosovo to vote in Serbia's organising the elections were presidential and general elections, underway. Balkan Insight has learned from a "We are willing to accept the Brussels diplomat. OSCE's help but in no way can the "The situation is complicated as OSCE organise the presidential Serbs should be allowed to vote [in and parliamentary elections, and Kosovo], as that is the European that is the dispute," Bogdanovic practice as well, but it is also a said. matter of security due to recent According to the minister, many tension in the north [of Kosovo]," things have been agreed, includ- the diplomat told Balkan Insight. ing the number of polling stations According to the Brussels and constituencies as well as This spring almost 7 million Serbians are entitled to vote in presidential, general, provincial and local elections. source, the plan is to for the OSCE buildings where the voting will be The elections for the presidential, local and general elections will be held on the same day, May 6. to provide the logistics, as Kosovo held. They have also agreed on For the latest news on the Serbian elections visit balkaninsight.com is opposed to the Serbian state symbols at pollings stations, playing any role in voting inside which will be the OSCE symbol Kosovo. they will back voting in Serbian Hashim Thaci have released a spokesperson of the Kosovo presi- and not the emblem of the state of General, local and presidential presidential and general elections statement saying that they had dent, said the Kosovo President Serbia. elections are scheduled for May 6 taking place in Kosovo - if it is not nothing against the OSCE or had not yet received an official "But we did not agree on the key in Serbia. Serbian nationals living organised by Serbia directly or by Council of Europe hosting request from the OSCE mission in issue - who should organise it," he in other countries can vote in the local Serbian-run institutions. Serbian legislative and presiden- Kosovo to assist those people hold- added. presidential and general elections, Kosovo's President Atifeta tial elections in Kosovo. ing dual citizenship in Kosovo to Kosovo authorities have also in their country of residence. Jahjaga and Prime Minister However, Arber Vllahiu, participate in the May 6 elections. Serbian Rivals Sling Mud as Vote Draws Near Ahead of the May 6 elections, Serbia's Democrats and Progressives are busily engaging in unscrupulous negative campaigning.

the country's obligations Mayor Dragan Djilas, tycoon towards the Tribunal [if elect- Miroslav Miskovic and ed president]." Mladjan Dinkic, leader of By Bojana Barlovac A similar thing has been United Regions of Serbia. The done with a TV advert, with a wording reads: "They are the screen split into two parts - one true Godfathers." with Nikolic's quotes from the The Democrats, on the other erbia's ruling Democrats past and the other with recent hand, have put up posters with are distributing flyers fea- quotes on the same issues but Nikolic's shirt's beneath Sturing contradictory with totally opposite views. Vojislav Seselj's head, asking: statements by Tomislav Immediately after, the "Is this the real Toma?" Nikolic, leader of the main Progressives struck back with [Nickname of Tomislav opposition Serbian Progressive a video showing President Nikolic]. Party, in the increasingly per- Boris Tadic, leader of the Seselj is the leader of the sonal war of words between the Democrats, toasting his party's Serbian Radical Party, current- parties. allies with champagne. The ly on trial in The Hague and Under the title "All the words read, "They live well Nikolic was a close political frauds of Tomislav Nikolic," now, but you?" the flyers highight several con- According to the latest poll ally until October 2008. tradictory statements culled by the agency Faktor Plus, Djordje Vukovic, programme from his 22-year-long political some 35.5 per cent of people say director at CeSID, the Center career. they intend to vote for the for free elections and democra- These include one from 2008 Progressives while 28.3 per cy, says the campaign is becom- in which he said, "Serbs will cent support the Democrats. ing highly negative but there is Y not go there [The Hague The parties have also taken nothing to be done about it. M Tribunal] any longer", and their contest to posters in the "No state institution can ban C then another from 2010 in streets. The Progressives have it [the campaign]," Vukovic K which he said, "I will fullfil all put up one showing Belgrade said. Serbian Elections April 27 - May 10, 2012 11 Lines Blur Belgrade Democrats Between Serbia's Seethe as Rivals Competing Parties Host Giuliani While opposition Progressives party scores a PR coup in luring the 9/11 As both main parties in Serbia's May 6 election are putting forward simi- hero to Belgrade for their election campaign, the city's ruling Democrats lar programmes, voters will have to turn to other criteria when they are fuming. choose who to vote for. how to run the capital if they take power on May 6. parties, rather than their current pro- “I've seen cities turn around,” Giuliani grammes, will be the main criteria By Bojana Barlovac told a joint press conference with according by which Serbs judge them in Progressive Party officials. “I am very By Bojana Barlovac May. excited at helping you do that.” The Democratic Party, DS, set up in 1989 But the visit has infuriated the city's rul- as the first opposition party in Serbia, has he two main parties battling for con- ing Democrats, led by the incumbent Serbia's place is within the EU,” always advocated pro-Western values, trol of Belgrade have exchanged mayor Dragan Djilas. He criticized the “Kosovo is part of Serbia,” “We will including EU-integration, political prag- Tharsh - some say jealous, words over invitation, noting that Giuliani had sup- “create more job positions.” These and the visit to Belgrade of the "9/11 Mayor", matism and co-operation with the inter- ported the 1999 bombing of Belgrade by other phrases are doing rounds in Serbia Rudolph Giuliani, on the invitation of national community. NATO. as the race hots up for the May 6 elections Aleksandar Vucic, mayoral candidate of The Progressives, on the other hand, Djilas said Giuliani was no man to speak between the two major parties, the ruling the opposition Progressive Party. have their roots in the Radical Party, led about the future of Belgrade. “I wish him a Democrats and opposition Progressives. Vucic invited Giuliani to help rally sup- by Vojislav Seselj, whose core programme pleasant stay in Belgrade and a safe trip Marko Blagojevic, from the Centre for port for his campaign, as well as to discuss remains based on the idea of a greater out of Belgrade,” Djilas was quoted as say- Free Elections and Democracy, CESID, potential investment opportunities for US Serbia. ing. says it is increasingly hard to tell the dif- firms in Belgrade. Local, general and pres- The Progressives reacted by mocking ference between their programmes. In October 2008, Nikolic resigned as idential elections in Serbia are scheduled Djilas's rhetoric as sour grapes. The “This is a normal process and is the deputy leader of the Radicals over dis- on May 6. mayor's speech “sounds like it's coming case with every mature democratic socie- agreements with Seselj [currently on trial “I am very proud of the fact that I'm now from the [extreme nationalist, anti- ty,” Blagojevic told Prishtina Insight. for war crimes in The Hague] over sitting next to the famous, I would say, the A blurring of dogmatic lines between Nikolic's call for the Radicals to moderate Western] Radicals”, the party taunted. legendary New York Mayor, Rudy “Giuliani came to Belgrade to share his the major parties started after the their nationalist image. Giuliani,” a triumphant Vucic told Progressives broke away from the hard- According to the latest poll, the experience and the great ideas he had for reporters. his city and which he realized through line nationalist Radical Party in 2008 and Democratic Party's list can count on Giuliani, a Republican, ran New York commitment and hard work and by cutting adopted a more pro-EU stance. about 40 per cent of the votes with the for two terms, gaining plaudits for his bureaucracy and corruption, and it is our Blagojevic said the past histories of the opposition Progressives on about 30. crime busting initiatives and above all for pleasure to host him,” the party added. magisterial handling of the 2001 terror The same statement added that "when attacks on the city. Vucic is elected Belgrade mayor, he will marketing His dignified management of what was continue consulting competent leaders probably the city's worst crisis earned him like Giuliani". the nickname of “America's mayor”. According to the Huffington Post, Speaking in Belgrade on Friday, Giuliani is one of the highest paid speak- Giuliani said he and his consulting compa- ers in the world, earning fees of about ny would be advising the Progressives on 270,000 dollars per speech.

Former New York mayor Rudolf Giuliani has backed Belgrade mayoral candidate Aleksandar Vucic 12 April 27 - May 10, 2012 culture Artists Cross Tense Serbia-Kosovo As attempts to build artistic and musical bridges between Kosovo and Serbia remain hostage to political tensions, new technology is offering a solution.

By Donjeta Demolli

hen Patriotic Hypermarket – a play Waimed at bringing Serbs and Albanians together – was staged in Belgrade last year, a police unit had to be drafted in to ensure the actors’ safety. The production has not been performed in Prishtina at all. Despite prior promises to do so, Kosovo’s National Theatre has yet to give it a slot. The play is part of a series of cross-border productions that have been stymied by the contin- ued razor-sharp tension between Kosovo and Serbia, which still claims Kosovo as its province. But a new generation of artists is bypassing nationalists on both sides of the border by using the Internet – jamming on Skype or coordinating exhibitions on Facebook. Shadow of politics:

Thirteen years after the war in A photo from the “Face the Reflection” exhibition was has brought photographers from Prishtina and Belgrade together via Facebook Kosovo ended, Kosovar and Serbian artists are taking small come to the other so-called artists, cant also for the public in Theatre agreed to stage last year. [Hypermnesia]… was shown in steps towards working together or to the rest of society, especially Prishtina,” he said. Among the actors was Alban Ukaj Prishtina because without such with the help of foreign organisa- in Serbia,” he said. Patriotic Hypermarket is part of who spoke in both Serbian and actions it couldn't have happened.” tions. “There was criticism in Kosovo the multidisciplinary project Albanian during the performance. Burbuqe Berisha, director of But these activities remain as well, but not from any serious “View from my Window”, which Theatre sources, who asked to the National Theatre, insists there fraught. An exhibition in 2008, or professional voices.” deals with personal stories from remain anonymous, said the are no political or nationalist rea- “Exception: The Contemporary The organisers of Patriotic Kosovo and Serbia. National Theatre did not want to sons for why Patriotic Art Scene of Prishtina”, was pre- Hypermarket, Kulturanova from As part of this, 40 Kosovo Serbs touch the show until Petrit Selimi, Hypermarket has not been put on. vented from opening in Belgrade Belgrade and Multimedia Centre and Albanians were interviewed Kosovo’s Deputy Foreign Ministry, “Patriotic Hypermarket will after the Serbian Association of in Prishtina, don’t know why about their personal memories of intervened. staged when a gap appears in the Artists and the ultra-nationalist Kosovo’s National Theatre has the Kosovo conflict, their visions Selimi confirmed that he had theatre’s timetable, she said. organisation Obraz protested. spurned attempts to put on the of the future and the possibilities intervened on behalf of Hartefact, "There is no other reason Serbian ire was roused by the production. of reconciliation. the producers of Hypermnesia. behind this [the delay],” she said. fact that one of the pages of the After contacting the theatre last Using the material, Milena “Yes, I helped Hartefact to come to “I don't know why people think catalogue for the exhibition year, they received confirmation Bogavac, a dramaturge from Prishtina,” he said. that; we just had other plays on the showed the late Kosovo guerrilla in November and December that it Belgrade, and Jeton Neziraj, a dra- Milan Vracar, director of programme.” leader Adem Jashari - a hero to would be staged but the promise maturge from Prishtina, collabo- NovaKultura, which produced Albanians but a terrorist in the has not materialised. rated on a play. Dino Mustafic, a Patriotic Hypermarket, credits the Power of art: eyes of Serbs. Milan Vracar, director of director from Sarajevo, worked action. Alban Ukaj, a participant in the KulturaNova, says the play will with the actors from Belgrade, “Generally it is not good when Hypermnesia producer Andrej exhibition, said that he had had no not achieve its purpose unless it is Prishtina, Skopje and Tirana. politics intervenes in culture, but Nosov said art is crucial for the serious cooperation with Serbian performed in Prishtina. Neziraj said culture in the in this case it was necessary, based work of rebuilding regional coop- artists since then. “Its message relates to the pub- region remains hostage to politics. on what I heard. eration. “Collaboration is not often wel- lic there as well. It is very signifi- “It is used as a target by frustrated “It is good that this play “Many people dismiss art and nationalists to recharge their patriotic batteries,” he said. But Shasivar Haxhijaj, political adviser to Kosovo’s Minister of Culture, Memli Krasniqi, says the issue is more complicated than people give credit for. He says his ministry has no direct institutional cooperation with partners in Serbia “because we don’t recognise each other as states, so these forms of coopera- tion cannot happen”. Hypermnesia, a play based on the personal experiences of eight actors across former Yugoslavia, also faced difficulties when it was scheduled to come to Prishtina. It was only following ministerial intervention that the National Patriotic Hypermarket which has not been allowed on the stage in Prishtina culture April 27 - May 10, 2012 13 Border on Net

The Architects, a band comprising Serbs and Albanians from different sides of Mitrovica, usually jam via Skype. its power,” he said. “They forget Belgrade by a group of Kosovo cross the ocean to meet someone that periods are rarely remem- Albanians, which we cancelled from a city only a six-hour drive bered for their politicians but due to the latest arrests,” an offi- from Belgrade,” she said. more often for their artists - espe- cial from the NGO told Prishtina Artists involved in this project cially those who were turbulent. Insight. didn’t know each other and com- “Art has the power to establish municated only through pictures, communication, expand bound- Using social networks: not words. aries and create free space for Dragic says meaningful inter- thought at every level,” he added. While direct face-to-face com- cultural cooperation between But with the current heightened munication remains problematic, Kosovo and Serbia remains impos- tensions between Kosovo and artists are finding new ways to get sible without the help of interna- Artchitects, formed of Albanian says. “Music has always fought for Serbia, cultural exchanges contin- round the blockade. tional organisations. and Serb musicians from both peace. Our goal is to have peace. ue to suffer. Ana Dragic, project manager of “The relationship between sides of the divided Kosovo town “Our motivation is great and we One Kosovo NGO, which runs the project “Face the Reflection”, Serbian and Kosovan artists is a of Mitrovica. don’t have any problems between cultural exchange programmes started to use Facebook to work metaphor of the relationship in Politics and security issues us. Political problems aren’t for us. between Serbia and Kosovo, told with artists from Belgrade and politics - they need a negotiator,” mean they usually practice on We do art, so we aren’t interested Prishtina Insight that it had Prishtina from the USA, and then she said. Skype. in these things,” Kosova added. recently cancelled a trip to Belgrade. The work was displayed in Guitarist Leart Gara says his Although the band formed only Belgrade following the series of The idea came to her while she Prishtina earlier last year. teacher at the Mitrovica rock recently, they have recorded four tit-for-tat arrests on both sides of was studying in America and Others are making use of Skype school, Ruud Brogers, suggested original songs together and per- the border. befriended a Kosovar. to cross borders. This is the case they form The Architects after lis- formed twice in The Netherlands “We had a planned visit to “It was a paradox that I had to with the rock band The tening to them play individually in and once in Skopje. 2011. But playing in Mitrovica is out The problem was that they of the question, and the three Serb couldn’t meet in Mitrovica itself. members of the group declined to Instead they have met up once in answer questions, saying they feel Skopje, Macedonia, to rehearse uncomfortable dealing with “polit- and record. Apart from that they ical” issues. practice via Skype and Facebook. In an earlier interview with the “The fact that they have to go website Transitions Online, Filip away [from Mitrovica] to be able to Milovanovic, a Serb drummer in practise says it all,” Brogers said. the band, said he had never met The Artchitects is formed of anyone from south Mitrovica three Serbs from the Serb-domi- before he attended the Skopje sum- nated north of Mitrovica and two mer school. Albanians from the south. “It was a chance to play good Gara and Blerta Kosova, the two music and meet good people from Albanians, say they love the music the south,” he recalled. and just don’t care about politics. In his part of town, Serbian “In history music has changed flags fly from every street corner. politics – think of Jimmy Hendrix, “On TV they talk about Bob Dylan, Woodstock and lots of [Albanians] one way, but when you Serb and Albanian artists and musicians have been using new technology to bypass extermists on both sides. other events and people,” Gara meet them it's different,” he noted. Two Kosovo ex-Culture Ministers Charged The District Prosecution in Pristina has charged two ex-culture ministers with giving illegal contracts to two filmmakers and damaging the budget to the tune of 390,000 euro. ters for the Democratic League of The indictment says that while procedure for any contracts worth worth another 100,000 euro. Kosovo, LDK, were charged on Haraqija was a minister from 2004 more than that amount. The indictment says that this Friday with concluding illegal to 2007 he committed two “abuses The second contract, signed happened “although he [Beqiri] contracts with two film production By Fatmir Aliu of his official position and viola- with Morina Pictures, was worth knew the contract signed by his houses, Concordia Pictures and tions of power” by signing a con- 100,000 euro, the Chief predecessor [Haraqija] was ille- Morina Pictures. tract to Concordia Pictures worth Prosecutors Office said. gal.” The Prosecution also filed 188,000 euro without a tender. Beqiri is suspected of “abusing Both former ministers, accord- Y he two former ministers, charged against the two owners of Officials may sign deals with his official position and authori- ing to Kosovo’s criminal and penal M Astrit Haraqija and Valton the companies, Armond Morina tenders only up to an amount of ties” by signing an annex to the code, could face jail terms of up to C TBeqiri, who served as minis- and Nehat Fejza. 9,999 euro. There has to be a tender contract with Morina Pictures eight years if found guilty. K 14 April 27 - May 10, 2012 feature Kosovo’s Vetevendosje Keep

The Self-determination movement may have gone from street movement to the third largest party in parliament – but they have no intention of relin- quishing one of their most powerful weapons.

“Every action and every graffiti or poster has to have a political message. Without it there would be no point,” he added. By Bujar Aruqaj “The purpose is to promote the aim but never a certain individual within our movement – this is what makes us different.” hen two Self-determination move- Hajrush Fazliu, professor of painting at the ment’s MPs interrupted a parliamen- University of Prishtina, says that while the Wtary session earlier this month, waving movement’s graffiti has little artistic value, he a large banner about the killings of two agrees that it contains a strong message. Albanians in north Mitrovica, the party was “The graffiti does not have a specific artistic using a tried and trusted tactic to draw atten- value but it has meaning in terms of content tion to the government’s failure to rein in the and mission,” he said. country’s lawless north. “Graffiti is a new genre of art that is being The stunt by Galuk Konjufca and Visar Ymeri used mainly in metropolitan areas by new musi- demonstrated that while Vetevendosje may walk cal trends, like hip-hop, rock and other,” he the corridors of power, it has not forgotten its recalled. roots in anti-establishment street-protests and “Now it is being used to transmit a political the canny use of banners, slogans and graffiti. message, just as Vetevendosje does in Kosovo. “This is how we started and it is a basic part The art of graffiti is a fast-thinking and acting of our movement,” Erzen Vraniqi, a reaction to political events. Vetevendosje campaigner, said at party head- “Whenever you see their graffiti you don’t quarters in Prishtina. “We will continue to think a lot of its figurative value but of the mes- express our anger and disagreement with the sage that is being portrayed,” Fazliu continued. government officials and international admin- istration in this way.” Complicated process: Political art? Vraniqi says that all slogans and graffiti have to go through a long artistic process in order to Every town and city in Kosovo is plastered be approved. with graffiti, often witty, which many see as a Everybody in the movement can take part in form of urban art. coming up with ideas and the activists are con- The slogans attack international organisa- sulted together in order to come up with origi- tions in Kosovo such as the UN body, UNMIK, nal ideas. and the EU mission, EULEX, using puns like After that, every action, no matter whether it “Unmikistan”; “Euleksperiment” and “EULEX is symbolic or a major demonstration, has to be Made in Serbia”. A “Walk of Shame” organised by the Self-Determiniation movement approved by the Vetevendosje leadership, which Demonstrating frustration at what they see as comprises 15 people, including Albin Kurti, one-sided negotiations over Kosovo’s independ- head of the movement, and Shpend Ahmeti, his ence, they also read “Jo negociata – deputy. Vetevendosje”, which means “No Negotiations – Vraniqi says that they aim for “a simplified Self-determination”. message that everyone can understand”. Opposition politicians and international offi- Even the anniversary of the establishment of cials are also subject to more personal verbal the “Self-determination” movement was and pictorial assaults target. marked with special graffiti. One election poster with Prime Minister June 2005 was the first time that the move- Hashim Thaci’s face was defaced with the words ment began advertising on walls, when “Jo “Hajn”, meaning “Thief”, reflecting suspicions negociata – Vetevendosje”, “No negotiations – that his party won in 2010 though election fraud. Self-determination”, was daubed outside the Vetevendosje’s graffiti has been the subject of main building of the UN Mission in Kosovo. artistic controversy for years. Back in 2007, This action spread over to all other town in Prishtina’s centre for contemporary art, Kosovo and soon everybody knew about Stacion, held a debate on the subject. Vetevendosje and what they stood for. Since Vetevendosje “could be defined as the only then, every action of the movement has been active part of the society that is clearly using accompanied by slogans, graffiti or posters. artistic expression for political goals,” they con- Liburn Aliu, one of the founders of cluded. Vetevendosje and now an MP in parliament, Fisnik Ismaili, who runs the Ogilvy advertis- remembers the first action well. ing agency in Kosovo as well as managing “Back then we weren’t using a pre-prepared Vetevendosje’s creative side, says the same template but were drawing with our hands. holds true today. “Some may say it is vandalism, When we wanted to measure the size of the let- others may say it is art,” he said. ters, each one of us drew a line on their hand Ismaili, who joined the movement one year and one on their feet so the letters would be the ago, has been active in promoting and designing same size,” he recalled. campaigns such as “Duaje Tenden”, [“Love your “It was amazing to see how unaware people own”], which stresses the importance of buying were of the wall of the UNMIK building [until local produce. our action],” he continued. “I have been always politically active and “Only when we sprayed it did people start joined a group that stands for my beliefs, as I thinking, “Aha, there is actually a wall there”. feel deeply unsatisfied with the current situa- tion,” he said. “People may say it is vandalism, but a lot of It’s still illegal: graffiti on walls has gone down in history – just Although graffiti is now widely accepted as a think of Banksy in the UK,” Ismaili added, branch of art in Kosovo, it remains illegal and referring to the famous graffiti artist. police still arrest the “graffiti kids” of “The artistic process behind the graffiti is Vetevendosje. complicated; sometimes it takes days to come up This has forced Vetevendosje to develop new with an idea and sometimes you have an idea techniques in order to draw get their slogans up when you are in the toilet. It’s a matter of inspi- quickly. ration,” he continued. “We go together in a group and we take more Y What characterizes Vetevendosje’s graffiti is people [than before], so we can be faster, and we M its strong political message, Erzen Vraniqi who also take some other people who will stop the C works for the communication and media depart- police from arresting us before we are done with K Hashim Thaci’s election poster with the word “hajn”, thief in Albanian, stamped on it. ment of the movement, said. the graffiti,” the activist Valdrin Ahmeti said. feature April 27 - May 10, 2012 15

Voices on the street, Faith in Graffiti Power for and against: Serafina Bytyqi – 23, From Prizren

The graffiti are just another way of manifesting a youth revolt. Their importance does not consist in their artistic value but in the messages they transmit. The graffiti by Vetevendosje has brought a new era of protest to Kosovo. Before, people used to protest against the regime by going on the streets. Now these boys and girls have shown another way of showing their opinions. Fisnike Aliu – 39, Prishtina

Vetevendosje’s graffiti is van- dalism, which they use as the last form of argument against the government. It’s childish and only harms the environ- ment and buildings, damaging public property. Florand Fondaj – 22, Suhareke

Their graffiti are meaningful and powerful and represent what this movement stands for. As for their artistic value, they are well prepared and in many cases also look beautiful.

Some of Vetevendosje’s growing army of graffiti kids at work at a pedestrian crossing in central Prishtina Dardan Lajqi – 28,

“But it still happens sometimes, He says the only limit on their voke violence. For example, they Vetevendosje has grown signifi- Prishtina like when we wanted to write protests is that there must be no had orders to sit down at the bor- cantly,” said Vraniqi. “Before we ‘Kosova Republic’ and wrote only violence against people. der point protests in order not to did not have any local centers and It is vandalism to a degree. ‘Kosova Rep’ because the police “Vandalism is when you act provoke a police reaction. now we have 28 of them in Kosovo And the “Kosovo arrested us.” unreasonably and just want to “The media sometimes portrays and five for the diaspora, with 422 Republic”slogan is very old - we Ahmeti was referring to Self- destroy something, like hooli- us as violent. The truth is, in none smaller unites in villages. should have written that back determination’s latest protest gans,” he said. of our actions was anybody else “Before Vetevendosje was part in 1999 [during the Kosovo war]. against the government’s decision “But we are not behaving like hurt besides our own activists” of parliament we had maybe 3,000 But some are good, voicing our to drop the word “Republic” from hooligans as long as we have a Aliu continued. formal activists and on good days dislike for the work that EULEX its official title at regional meet- strong reason for our actions and As the movement grows in 500 of them would be active. Now does. That might push EULEX ings. are nonviolent. stronger, the number of activists we have 27,000 registered and other organisations to do a This concession formed part of a “Violence is when you hurt peo- who want to join the “graffiti kids” activists and 13,000 are regular better job, or at least find out we deal with Serbia, which meant that ple and this is the limit for us. Our looks set to grow. active and have member cards," want them to do and what we Belgrade would stop blocking activists have orders not to pro- “We can clearly see that said Erzen. don’t want them to do. Prishtina’s presence at such gath- erings. Vetevendosje is most popular among the young. Valdrin, 22, says he joined when he was only 16. “I was not allowed to join the demonstrations and other activi- ties then, which could have been potentially harmful for me, because I was too young,” he recalled. “What attracts me most is the political concept, but of course it is also the feeling of adrenaline. That feeling is different. “It is very different doing photo- copying in an office and going out doing graffiti,” he added. The movement’s street actions, which have involved overturning EU mission in Kosovo cars as well as trucks transporting Serbian goods, have drawn praise as well as condemnation. MP Aliu says that everyone, from the leader, Kurti, to the young activists, is involved in these stunts. “Everybody has been part of the street actions, the protests and the graffiti as well. Albin [Kurti] has Y also drawn graffiti and he was M good at it,” Aliu said. C Liburn Aliu, one of the founders of Vetevendosje and now an MP in parliament (By Bujar Aruqaj) K 16 April 27 - May 10, 2012 Prishtina Insight

Where to pick up Prishtina Insight?

A taste of Napoli in Prishtina. Hotel Prishtina Prishtina Insight has After ten Hotel Prishtina’s teamed up with these years of mak- 43 charming guest excellent venues to ing pizza in rooms and suites Napoli, and are reminiscent of offer a limited num- only with love a small hotel in the to blame, European tradi- ber of complimentary Fatmir the tion. You'll immedi- copies of Kosovo’s chef returned ately feel at home to Prishtina. in our living room, only English-lan- His pizzas, sipping a glass of guage newspaper. made in a wine in our fine woodburn restaurant sur- Grab a copy of the stove, are defi- rounded by a publication and settle nitely genuine gallery of paint- napolitanas. ings by local down with a drink or For those who consider pizza to be boring, Fatmir has several artists. a meal to read it. pastas on offer, also a true joy for the taste buds. Napoli has an The hotel offers excellent selection of red and white wines or, for the more ambi- free, fast wifi inter- tious, one of the region's best quince raki. Napoli makes for deli- net, complimentary cious lunch, dinner or even after-theatre time out in the centre of breakfast, confer- Prishtina. ence room, swim- ming pool, sauna Pizzeria Napoli and laundry serv- off Luan Haradinaj, opposite Newborn ice. 044/409-402402

Hotel AFA Te Komiteti Located in a quiet neighbour- hood just outside the city centre, Te Komiteti’s large trees and a Hotel Afa can guarantee guests a beautifully garden, which sur- peaceful night while being within round the small outdoor terrace, walking distance of all the action. give you an impression of an The venue has won a host of awards exclusive place for ordinary peo- for its excellent service to cus- ple. And this is exactly what it is. tomers and offers a good range of From brunch to lunch-time snacks facilities, from an exclusive restau- and special evening meals, this rant and VIP bar to pretty, tranquil restaurant offers dishes compris- gardens. Rooms start at 45 euro for ing quality, varied ingredients, a single, and luxury rooms and combined to perfection. Alongside apartments are available. The one of Prishtina’s best ‘modern hotel’s rooms are well appointed European’ style menus, you’ll also and comfortable. find a good selection of wine, and great sangria 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

At 450-metres squared The staff at Paddy O’Brien’s have a saying: “It’s easy to walk in, but very hard Restaurant Lura is as spa- to leave.” cious as you get in Prishtina. And with its warm atmosphere, fantastic range of drinks and excellent food, it It’s also surrounded by the is easy to see why. towering trees of Germia There have been many attempts to establish a proper Irish pub in Prishtina, and offers a pleasant garden but this is the only one to hit the spot. where, in the summer, this From classic coffees to cocktails, via, of course, Guinness, you really wont eatery prepares food al fres- find it difficult to select the perfect co. It’s large meeting room is drink. also ideal for that private A mouth-watering menu of Irish lunch or dinner. specialties is also on offer, spanning The combined style of clas- from all-day breakfasts to Irish sical and modern interior stews at night. leaves you with an impression Options include shepherd’s pie, of refined taste. bangers and mash, fish ‘n chips, The newly opened restaurant is already famous for its Mediterranean special- and whopping great burgers. ties, exquisite seafood and fine selections of Italian, French and local wines. But Thursday is pub quiz night, but that’s not all, for music lovers, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday night dinners there is always something going on at are accompanied by jazz, whereas on Saturdays local patriots can enjoy live tra- the pub, whether it is sport screen- ditional Albanian music. ings or just a good shindig. Lura Restaurant Paddy O’Brien’s Str. Nazmi Gaffuri • 10 000 Prishtina • +381 (0)38 763 763 ; +386 (0)49 763 763 • Tringe Smajli Street, by the Y www.lurarestaurant.com Illyria Hotel M [email protected] Prishtina: 045-420900 C K By Donjeta Demolli April 27 - May 10, 2012 17 in Prishtina Timeout Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like your event to feature or to advertise your venue. Email [email protected] Kosova Art Gallery Chronicle The exhibition titled “Frozen Dream” Every day at 4 pm and 6 pm by Agim Salihu, curated by Zeni Ballazhi is open at The Kosova Art Kino ABC continues screening the movie “Chronicle” by the director Joshua Gallery. Trank. Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible dis- Agim Salihu was born in 1951 in covery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and their bond Pristina, Kosovo. He graduated at the tested as they embrace their darker sides. Academy of Fine Arts in Prishtina – Starring Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell and Michael B. Jordan. Graphic Department and he finished his Postgraduate studies at the The Descendants Academy of Fine Arts in Zagreb in Every day at 8 pm and 10 pm 1979. Since 1986, he is a professor at the Faculty of Arts in Prishtina where he ABC Cinema has started screening the movie The teaches typography and calligraphy. Descendants which won the Best Adopted Scenario in Oscar. Director: Alexander Payne Starring George Clooney, Shailene Woodley, Mary Birdsong, Nick Krause, Judy Greer, Beau Bridges. Stacion – Center for With his wife Elizabeth on life support after a boating acci- dent, Hawaiian land baron Matt King takes his daughters on a Contemporary Art trip from Oahu to Kauai to confront the young real estate broker, The project “Working for one month per year for who was having an affair with Elizabeth before her misfortune. art” is open until April 28, 2012 at Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art. Kino ABC has announced that the premiere of In The Land of Blood and Honey is scheduled for Curatorial work by Albert Heta May 9, Europe Day. President Ahtifete Jahjaga had invited Angelina Jolie last month to visit Jakup Ferri, Driton Hajredini, Genc Kosovo, but still has no response from her. Kino ABC has invited actors: : Zana Marjanoviq, Goran Kadriu, Alban Muja, Rron Qena, Lulzim Zeqiri Kostiq and Rade Sherbexhija to be present at the premiere of the movie. Selection from the Rron Dalladaku Collection and archival material from the conference “Art Market and Smile”! For any further questions or reservations call at 038 243 238 or visit them at www.kinoabc.com ‘Working for one moth per year for art’, in a country without a contemporary art market, is a project based on the analysis of a specific model of contemporary art collection and a public presen- tation of the material of the conference “Art Market and Smile!” Oda Theatre with panelists Vesa Sahatçiu, Luan Mulliqi, Tamer Bushtra, Afrim Ethemi, Gani Llalloshi and Sislej Xhafa, organised in 2008, by If It Was a Play Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art. Every Tuesday at 8 pm Every Thursday 8pm Tre Gjermanët e Trashë II Based on the drama by Almir (Three Fat Germans II) Imshireviq. Director: Agon Myftari. On bus number 4, during wartime Thanks to this play you in Prishtina, a 26 years old, wearing will understand “What did jeans, is near Hotel Union, when a Brigel say when he asked sniper bullet breaks the glass and for a drink?”; “Why Hans shoots the youngster in the neck. A Friday, April 27, 2012 didn’t let him drink lady wearing white, who was next to “The trip” by Raymond Queneau. Directed by Ilire Vinca. The Mojito?”; “How did Gani him starts to scream. When she sees small scene. experience his 21st snow?”; the blood in her shirt she faints. “Is Vukashin really Two hours later she is seen again at Saturday and Monday, April 28 & 30, 2012 Ukshin?”; “Does KFOR-ja the Great Mosque, near caffe “The twelve night” by Shakespeare. Directed by Ilir Bokshi. still work for KFOR or she “Romantika”, but this time in the just loves him?”; “How did company of a younger friend who Hekuran boil eggs in the middle of the North Pole?”; These and tells her “I sometimes do it even other events you can see in the play “Tre Gjermanët e Trashë II”. fourteen times!” Chopin Festival Kosova Starrimg Rebeka Qena, Adrian Author: Lirak Celaj; Producer: Florent Mehmeti; Roles: Naser Morina, Armend Ismajli, Besnik Rafuna, Adrian Morina, Kushtrim Sheremeti, Lirak Celaj, Fisnik Krapi. When: April 30, 2012 Ademi, Ard Islami, Arta Selimi, Florent Mehmeti. Where: Swiss Diamond Hotel Who: Ozcan Ulucan & Birsen Ulucan (Tukey) For more information call +381 (0)38 246 555 or write [email protected]. Program: A.Adnan Saygun – Suite for Violin and Piano “Demet”, op.33 Fazil Say – “Nasreddin Dodona Theatre Hoca” Dances for piano solo Every Thursday 7.30pm Leos Janacek – Sonata for Violin and Piano Çifti i Hapur is being staged with the text of Italian Intermission authors Dario Fo and Franca Rame, directed by Kushtrim Sergey Prokofiev – Koliqi Sonata for Violin and A man proposes to his wife to eliminate the concept of Piano,op.80, f-minor marital loyalty and create an “open relationship” in their lives. The woman rejects this and after several attempts at suicide, she decides to accept her husband’s offer because it’s the only way to remain married. The man is happy. He, no longer needs to hide his girlfriends and is released from PRISHTINA DIARY feelings of guilt. Now everything is democratic and open. Everything goes well until the day when the woman finds Friday, April 27, 2012 Creme de la Creme at 10.30 pm the love of her life, which is what her “modern” husband The Bar Confidëntial Party with Van Es cannot accept. Music: Jazz & Blues by Ado Hamam Jazz Bar at 9 pm (DE) & LMPC (FR) & Dj Pulsar Cast: Edona Reshitaj and Besart Sllamniku; Costumes and the (KS) setting: Njomza Luci. Composer: Trimor Dhomi; Music: Josephine’s suspenders Saturday, April 28, 2012 Monday, April 30, 2012 Y For more details email [email protected]; Hamam Jazz Bar at 9.30 pm Hamam Jazz Bar at 10 pm M [email protected] Crossroad Blues Band Live music with Offchestra C K 18 April 27 - May 10, 2012 inside prishtina From Pasture to “Power In four years, agricultural land on the edge of Prishtina, owned by an elderly Serb farmer, has been transformed into one of the wealthiest neigh- bourhoods in the country, soon to be home to Prime Minister Hashim Thaci, By Shengjyl Osmani former Interior Minister Zenun Pajaziti, alongside a host of other top

businessmen, politicians and public figures. he road may be unpaved and with- out street lighting, but “Prishtina e TRe-Perendimi”, or New Prishtina- West, is arguable the city’s answer to London’s Millonaire’s Row or New York’s Gold Coast. Businessman Dan Imeri, who owns a shop selling luxury goods in the shop- ping centre Grand Store, bought the 20,000 square metres of agricultural land from Zivojin Lekic, 78, in 2008 for 500 Zivojin Lekic, Former Owner of the Land euro per square metre before obtaining permission from Prishtina municipality Some of the applicants who received to transform the area into a new residen- building permits according to the munic- tial neighbourhood. ipality were: Dan Imeri, Hashim Thaci He later sold the land on for between for two individual houses, Dr Hedvig 1,000 and 1,800 euro a square metre, Kadriu, who stood for Vetevendosje in according to residents of the new area. 2010, and Milaim Cakiqi, business part- Slavoljub Lekic, Zivojin’s son, told ner of Thaci’s younger brother, Blerim. Prishtina Insight, that they were not ini- Dr Kadriu told Prishtina Insight that tially interested in selling the land, as he did not buy the land from Dan Imeri, they were cultivating it for the family’s but had been the owner since 1972. subsistence. Prishtina Insight contacted the head of “However, in late 2007, neighbours the urbanism department at the time the from the surrounding land started plac- decision was made to create a new neigh- ing barricades on the road which lead to bourhood, Shiqeri Spahiu, who is cur- our land,” said Lekic junior. “Day by day, rently head of the Municipal Cadastral Hashim Thaci’s new home on the edge of Prishtina this situation was getting worst up until in the Municipality of Prishtina, but when one of the neighbours said to me Spahiu declined to comment. ‘use your land for few more days, while I The head of the urbanism department still haven’t built a wall, so you can’t who replaced Spahiu, Luljeta Sokolu, enter in your land.” told Prishtina Insight that the Municipal “Thus,” continued Lekic, “we were Assembly is charged with approving all forced to accept Dan Imeri’s offer to sell the requests for new neighbourhood and him our land.” approving urbanisation permits. But Following the purchase, Imeri convert- head of the municipal assembly, Sami ed the single plot into 20 new parcels that Hamiti, did not reply to our questions on were then sold to some of the most pow- the urbanisation of the neighbourhood erful people in the country. “Perendimi i Ri”. Imeri then applied to the municipality of Prishtina’s Department of Urbanism Trouble in Paradise to register it as a new residential neigh- bourhood. Residents of the new neighbourhood The request was filed by Dan Imeri, as are unhappy because not all of the ele- a legal representative with an authoriza- ments of the urban plan have been put in tion from the municipal court, issued on place. June 17, 2009, according to documents One of the new home owners, who released by the municipality to Prishtina asked to remain anonymous, told the Insight. newspaper that for two years, Dan On July 20, 2009, little more than a Imeri’s had promised to asphalt the area. month later, all applicants were issued Other residents complained that a “urbanisation permits”, allowing for a semi-roundabout, allowing cars to per- home to be built on that land and for an form u-turns, was included in the plans application for a “building permit” to be but never delivered. A luxury house in the new neighbourhood submitted. Prishtina Insight has also learnt that

Y M C K Dan Imeri’s own property in the area he helped create Bexhet Shala, civil society activist, also has a home in the area inside prishtina April 27 - May 10, 2012 19 Tyler Wetzel Neighbourhood” AUK student Prishtina through the Eyes of: the Eyes through Prishtina

The roads may be yet unpaved, but this area promises to be one of the most salubrious in Kosovo

Behxhet Shala, head of civil society paid 900,000 euro for the whole plot. at 22, Metush Krasniqi Street. group, is also building a house in the Of those home owners willing to Kosovo Cadastral Agency says that neighbourhood. reveal the price they paid, Prishtina the land, where the former house of Shala presented to the newspaper Insight was told that they bought the the Prime Minister is located, copies of the urbanisation permis- land from between 1,400 euro to 1,800 remains property of the Municipal sion, the plan of the house and the euro per square metre. Assembly. payment of 6,816 euro for the build- But according to Prime Minister According to the Anti-Corruption ing permit – all sealed by the munici- Thaci’s official declaration of assets, wealth declaration, the PM’s new pality of Prishtina. His building per- he paid just 1,000 euro a square house is worth 220,000 euro. mission was issued in April 2, 2010. meter. Zenun Pajaziti, former Interior The declaration form submitted to Minister, has also declared his own- Prime Minister Gets Bargain the Anticorruption Agency of ership of land in the neighbourhood, Kosovo, for 2011, reveals that the MP although he has yet to start building What surprised you most about Prishtina? Prishtina Insight has also discov- paid 157,000 euro for 1,575 square a home there. When I got off the plane for the very first time ered that the price of the land sold to metres. Imeri, owner of a retail store here, everyone cheered in amazement. Apparently, homebuilders varied markedly. In the same declaration, the Prime which sells items from the well it was just a relief that we landed and it deserved a The land from Lekic’s family was Minister reveals that he sold his known brand Armani, refused to standing ovation. It cracked me up. bought by Imeri for 500 euro per property in Dragodan, during 2008, speak to Prishtina Insight over a square metre. In total, Lekic was for 260,000 euro. The house is located number of weeks. What's your favourite hangout? During the summer my favorite spot is Germia Park. On weekends, I prefer bars like Crème de le Review Crème and Annex. In the winter I always find a cozy corner in Tingle Tangle. Bar Restaurant & Sushi "Frame" What is the best thing about Prishtina? Nothing is quite as satisfying as the food here. I new restaurant close to the EULEX miles, it does guarantee that all the could eat a doner every day and never get bored of headquarters. Its large terrace basks components, especially the sushi, are it. It’s simply one of the most delicious things I’ve in the morning sun and is surround- of a certain quality. ever eaten, and it only costs the small price of one ed by vegetation, away from noise of Sushi is offered at prices ranging By Fortuna Euro. It’s the deal of the century. the traffic. from 7 euro to 14 euro depending on Sit yourself down and grab a how much raw fish you want. What is the most annoying thing about Lavazza coffee for a mere 50 cents. Frame’s sandwiches are at a more he newly opened Bar Prishtina? Prishtina Insight has not tried the modest price of 2.20 euro. Restaurant & Sushi "Frame" The complete disregard for cleanliness within offers an interesting range of food yet, but the owners promise Delivery is also available for free. T the community has become an irritating sight. It’s food – from Italian cuisine to fresh quality, with all ingredients imported especially disturbing when I see young kids who sushi. from Italy. “Frame” Ernest Koliqi Street, in just throw their trash out into the streets without After its success with the Pejton And while that means your meals front of EULEX, (Farmed), venue, Frame has expanded with a will have clocked up quite a few food Reservations at 049 733 111 thinking twice about it. Hopefully, this will change in the future.

If you were mayor of Prishtina for the day what would you change? I would host a global city cleanup and employ all the unemployed, FDR style, to clean up the city. The city could actually be pristine for a day.

How many macchiatos do you drink a day? I have become a macchiato junkie. I usually drink two or three a day. I’ve traded my cappuccino at Starbucks for this and it was one of my best choices.

What's your favourite Albanian word and why? One of my favorite words is definitely “Ohh Zot” because I love I always see the old men wandering around whom seem so passionate about what they saying. That word always sticks out to me because they say it with so much emphasis.

What landmark do you use to tell taxi driv- ers where you live? The only landmark near me is Perparimi, Y Matiqan. For some reason it’s the only place people M know of out there. If you don’t know where it is, C don’t worry. K 20 April 27 - May 10, 2012 opinion Microfinance Law - This is a Bank Robbery

By Jeta Xharra

he law on banks and microfi- nance institutions, which Thas been passed by Kosovo parliament two weeks ago, and silently approved by the President of Kosovo yesterday goes against Council of Europe recommenda- tions and damages civil society in Kosovo. This is because this law creates a precedent: when donors give money to registered non-govern- mental institutions, NGOs, in Kosovo, it is now legally possible for NGOs to ‘transform’ that money into the personal stock of someone who runs that NGO in the future. Seventeen microfinance institu- tions that exist in Kosovo are reg- istered as NGOs. These microfi- nance institutions have been lob- bying for years to change the law in Kosovo in a way that would allow them to legally enrich them- selves from the enormous profit they have created giving loans to the poorest people in Kosovo socie- ty. Hashim Rexhepi, the former bank governor, confirmed to BIRN that microfinance institutions have put pressure on the Central Bank since 2007 to allow them to transform into banks, but two of the former central bank directors have rejected these requests on the basis that it was against the law on the law. their members or founders, but an early election in one of the according to the law, civil society NGOs, under which microfinance This law has been essentially use them for the pursuit of their most important cities in Kosovo representatives. Now that money institutions functioned. drafted by bankers and financiers objectives”. and the need of political parties to will be in the hands of people who In 2010, as a civil society mem- in the Central Bank and advisors The law on Banks is in contra- secure funding for their political have no clue about working with ber, I was a member of the govern- of the US Treasury and the IMF in diction to this principle as it clear- campaign and buy votes. charities, foundations or any form ment commission for re-drafting Kosovo. None of these parties care ly allows for profits to be distrib- Moreover, article 115 paragraph of civil society activity. Who would the law on freedom of association much about the effects that this uted to private stock-buyers rather 4.2 of this law on banks allows the trust the bankers today to do any- where I directly faced this microfi- law may have on the civil society than to be used for the good of the Central Bank of Kosovo to be the thing smart for the society at nance lobby. At that point, these sector. I should not be so surprised public. ultimate authority in ‘approving’ large? organisations wanted to change an because the financial crisis in the In addition, this law contradicts the plan in how ‘the Surplus Kosovo ends up being an experi- article in the NGO law, which said world has shown us that bankers directly with Kosovo’s constitu- Capital’ of microfinance institu- ment yet again in how it deals with that all the profit, capital and and financiers have little regard to tion. Article 46 of the Constitution tions is distributed for charitable civil-society created capital – assets created by an NGO needed their impact on wider society as of Kosovo says that ‘no one shall purposes ‘according to the plan despite the fact that it has a consti- to stay in the civil society sector. If an NGO decided to dissolve, it long as they are getting richer. be arbitrarily deprived of proper- approved by Central Bank’. Last tution that clearly states that no needed to donate the capital it had On top of this, the opposition ty’. In this case, civil society is week, in an interview for Jeta ne one should be deprived of proper- created to an NGO with similar parties in Kosovo, for the first being directly deprived of its prop- Kosove, I asked the Central Bank ty and despite the fact that the objective. time, were united against the law, erty by these microfinance NGOs.. what other central bank in the Council of Europe advises against They tried to change that article with more than 50 members of The capital of NGO microfi- world deals with distributing it. but they were unsuccessful as the parliament leaving the assembly nance institutions, according to funds for charitable purposes? Or maybe, one aim of the law on civil society representatives in that room as it was being voted the Law on Freedom of Where have they based this new banks was to financially weaken group stopped them because it was through. Association in NGOs, belongs to ‘mandate’ that the central bank an already challenged civil society clearly going to damage the whole The question is: why are so those NGOs, and in case of a disso- gave to itself, the mandate of inter- sector? The passing of the law sector by scaring genuine donors many ‘advisors’ pushing Kosovo to lution or closure, such capital vening in the civil society sector was, of course, also in aid of the who give grants for specific pur- become a country with a legal should be distributed to other by distributing its funds? Civil national interest, as it paves the poses and did not want to enrich structure that goes against NGOs operating in similar areas. society should be free from any way for the government to sign a the people who run these NGOs. Council of Europe recommenda- This capital, according to the influence, including being free stand-by agreement with the IMF, However, we couldn’t stop them tion and against its own institu- precedent of the Strasburg Court, from financial institutions such as which these financiers think is for long. Now this lobby has found tions? should be under the possession of the Central Bank, which has a clearly more important than some friends in high places, including it Do they know that Article 9 of a “nonprofit holder”, as any other board composed of four members, concerns of civil society in seems friends in the US treasury, the Council of Europe recommen- action would be in contradiction two of which are appointed by the Kosovo. friends in IMF and the Central dation, number (2007)14 on the with the standard of Article 4 of government. So, considering the It is funny how national interest Bank and no doubt, friends in legal status of non-governmental the Law on Freedom of central bank is not free from gov- always come in handy if you want Kosovo government, parliament, organisations, says that “NGOs Association in NGOs. ernment influence, why should it to get Kosovo institutions to as well as friends with Kosovo should not distribute any profits Now they simply want to take have the right to distribute chari- approve something that damages president, who had an opportunity which might arise from their this capital away from the civil table funds which do not belong to civil society – and it is funny how to turn this law back but did not do activities to their members or society sector. Poor Kosovo sees the bank, but belong to civil socie- international institutions in this. All of the above-mentioned founders but can use them for the yet more capital (similar to its pen- ty sector in Kosovo? Kosovo yet again overlook how our institutions were involved in draft- pursuit of their objectives’? sion fund and privatisation fund) The central bank representative new country is distancing itself ing this law and made sure it was A similar provision is also being taken not only out of the had no answer to these questions. from EU principles. passed in the parliament the way included in the CoE’s civil society sector, but probably He couldn’t name even one coun- they wanted it. The 100 million Fundamental Principles on the out of Kosovo financial market try in the world where a central Jeta Xharra is Director of euros of capital that microfinance Status of Non-governmental altogether. bank distributes charitable funds. Balkan Investigative Reporting Y institutions have accumulated for organisations in Europe, namely Maybe I am wrong and this cap- In the law on freedom of associa- Network in Kosovo and M more than a decade, feeding on the in Article 4, according to which ital will be used in Kosovo. But tion, the funds of a dissolved NGO anchor of Kosovo’s most C poor, will no doubt have come in NGOs should ‘not distribute prof- maybe the urgency to approve this would have been distributed watched current affairs K handy for lobbying for a change in its arising from their activities to law in such a hurry is connected to through a commission which has, programme “Life in Kosovo”. opinion April 27 - May 10, 2012 21 Outside In Shame of the Balkans

By Kreshnik Hoxha

e, the people of Balkans, are an unusual bunch. Be it in Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Belgrade, Prishtina or Skopje, people Shadow of London ‘Orbit’ in Wkeep complaining about the consequences of our dark and bit- ter past. We do the bare minimum to ensure ethnic tensions don’t take us back to the same darkness again. We reflect on the past just in order to accuse others of what happened - failing to realise that we are mirror Bosnia: Mittal Suppresses images of each other. Above all, we never seem to learn. The developments in this peninsu- la over the last months are the latest glaring example of a Balkan socie- Memories of Omarska ty that is tightly bound to provincialism and narrow-mindedness. Refusal of world’s largest steel company to allow victims access to the site of the notori- A fortnight ago, Macedonia witnessed the murder of five Macedonians by a lake near Skopje. This and the previous shooting of two Albanians ous former camp in Bosnia on ‘safety’ grounds is an outrage. by a Macedonian policeman were enough to fuel dangerous ethnic ten- ny – the promise of sizeable profits denied entrance to the place of sions and consequently take the country to the brink of a new conflict. completely overshadowing the their ordeal. Squashed between nationalism and an identity crisis, Skopje finds it symbolism of the place. Memorials help victims achieve hard to face up to the events that generated a state-wide conflict in 2001. Instead of investing in a platform for truth finding/telling about 2001, By Refik Hodzic Worried by possible negative acknowledgment of their suffer- publicity, however, Mittal agreed ing by the wider community, and the Macedonian capital has become an architectural theme park – all with camp survivors that certain as such represent one of the key this in preparation for Skopje 2014. The problem is prioritisation. Trying s buildings at the Omarska complex elements of any society’s effort to to change the image of the country internationally by pissing of the ArcellorMitt would remain untouched and overcome the legacies of massive Greeks does nothing to address the plight of the ethnically divided com- Aal, the accessible to victims and their human rights abuses. munities. It transpires that hating thy neighbour seems easier than dia- world’s largest steel company, families. In a profound sense, they belong log and reconciliation. invests 19.2 million pounds in the The agreement was followed by to survivors, indeed to all torture Kosovo, on the other hand, finds itself in a vicious circle. Torn construction of a monument to a promise in 2005 that a memorial victims, as much as, in circum- between state-building, societal and ethnic issues and international mark London’s Olympic Games, a would be built on the site and stances like these, they belong in recognition, the newly independent country has not yet been able to even disturbing story is emerging about financed by Mittal. But since then, the investment portfolio of a steel prove to its own citizens that it can indeed grow into a functional state. the refusal to memorialize a for- Mittal (now ArcelorMittal) has magnate. The Kosovo Albanian majority had been subject to the most brutal form mer concentration camp in Bosnia of discrimination during the Milosevic regime. We are talking about a it today owns. reneged on its commitment to The debate about the recent past society that nearly faced extinction under the chauvinist policies of Not only is ArcelorMittal finance the building of the memo- in Bosnia and Herzegovina is diffi- Belgrade. unwilling to provide even a frac- rial. In line with the views of cult, as questions about the causes Yet, this has not been sufficient to teach us a lesson or two about equal- tion of the cost of the money it is Marko Pavic, the Serb mayor of of the conflict, the nature of ity and human rights. Afew weeks ago, a contemporary artist from the spending in London to commemo- Prijedor, who still denies that crimes and even numbers of vic- Kosovo Roma community was “put in his place” by a young Albanian rate the suffering of Bosnians in Omarska was anything more than tims remain contested. nationalist when he attacked the artist physically for singing the well- the notorious Omarska camp, but “a transit and interrogation cen- Victims struggle to have their known Roma song “Ederlezi”. The Albanian nationalist might be far too it has recently started denying vic- tre”, Mittal have suspended the voices heard over those of political young to remember that his grandfathers and fathers were imprisoned tims access to the site. Omarska Memorial project. leaders, who often engage in out- and tortured by the Serb regime for listening to Radio Tirana during the Omarska, an iron ore mine out- In February 2006, Mittal issued a right denial or manipulation of Milosevic era, but today, he and some of his fellow Albanian friends, con- side Prijedor in northwestern statement saying that the suspen- the past for political gains. tinue to cultivate the same sort of hatred. Bosnia, was used by Bosnian Serbs sion of the Omarska Memorial The recent reactions of Sadly, Kosovo today has become home to a pathetically staged multi- to detain and torture more than project was temporary.However, Republika Srpska to the 20th ethnic society. 5,000 Bosnians in the summer of not only has the company frozen anniversary of the start of the In Serbia, the situation is no different either. Ahead of the elections 1992. the development of the memorial siege of Sarajevo, challenging the The images of emaciated it had committed itself to build, notion that there was a siege at all, due on May 6, Serbia is going through an all-out eruption of radicalism inmates broadcasted to the world but in the last several weeks it has well illustrate this. and nationalist sentiment, while still continuing to play the victimisa- by a group of British journalists gone one step further – denying As if the reckoning with the tion card. As ever, Kosovo becomes the focal point in the election cam- shocked the international public, access to the site to victims citing troubled past was not hard enough paign and manifestos of political parties in Serbia. The hate speech and bringing back the memories of “safety concerns”. for Bosnia’s fragile society, a pri- rhetoric targeting the “separatist and terrorist” Albanians, who Nazi concentration camps. The new policy was enforced as vate corporation is now denying “snatched” Kosovo from the Serbs continues to be a significant vote and The evidence of torture and recently as last week, when a dele- people the right to remember the popularity generator for Serb politicians even today. killings of detainees at Omarska, gation of former detainees, victims of most painful and noto- Faced with such a situation, it is utterly disappointing to observe that collected by a UN Commission of Serbian peace activists and rious crimes committed during a state which desperately tried to distance itself from the Milosevic, still Experts, led to the establishment researchers from Goldsmiths the conflict. calls upon key elements of his agenda – anti-Albanian rhetoric, anti- of the first international war University of London sought to This is a disturbing and alarm- West sentiment and portrayal of Serbs as being under threat - when it is crimes court since Nuremberg and visit the site. An April 12 letter, ing development, especially as it needed. Serbia might be a candidate state for the EU, but it is far from Tokyo – International Criminal signed by the director of the mine, comes from a company whose steel accepting and appreciating many of the values of the European family. Tribunal for the Former told them that they would have to “Orbit” towers over London, sup- Stuck in the technicalities of the Dayton Agreement, Bosnia and Yugoslavia. wait August 6, the day marking the posedly proclaiming a message of Herzegovina has also failed in showing maturity in dealing and overcom- In 2004, the site of the concen- closure of the Omarska camp. This corporate responsibility. ing its bloody past. Fake political dialogue aside, the two autonomous tration camp, together with a com- would be the one day of the year At some point, Mittal must rec- entities which form Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot even bear the idea plex of other ore mines and facili- when visits would be possible. ognize that all the steel in the of a cultural cooperation let alone normal cohabitation. The recent film ties around Prijedor (some of Eyal Weizman, director of the world will not obscure the truth of by Angelina Jolie, “In the land of blood and honey”, has further demon- which included locations of mass Goldsmiths Centre for Research the victims’ dignity and the strated the divide that exists in this country with Sarajevo cheering the graves where the bodies of mur- Architecture, was shocked by appalling conduct of his company film and Banja Luka pouring scorn. dered Omarska inmates were Mittal’s refusal. in the communities that make its Local politicians and international diplomats continue to argue that dumped by Serb authorities) was “I believe it is completely unac- profits and, consequently, Sarajevo, Banja Luka, Prishtina, Belgrade and Skopje are making tangi- bought by Mittal. ceptable that places like Omarska London’s ‘Orbit’ possible. ble progress towards diversity and Western values. We will also attempt The rich mine was a logical pur- camp are privatized and that vic- Refik Hodzic is a journalist, to prove this by the arrival of fancy smart phones, laptops and chase following its earlier acquisi- tims and scholars aren’t allowed to filmmaker and justice activist McDonalds to our region. tion of the huge steelworks in cen- visit them,” said Weizman with from Bosnia and Herzegovina, cur- In this entire depressing picture, it is refreshing to know that the time tral Bosnia. The harrowing past of former camp inmates by his side. rently working as director of com- of the Yugoslav wars belongs to the past, at least for now. It is, however, the site meant little for the compa- They stood silent and helpless, munications at the International far more troubling is that many of the factors which brought the area to having now been repeatedly been Center for Transitional Justice. its bloody knees for a decade are still present.

If you would like your NGO to appear in our Making a Difference feature, please email [email protected] 22 April 27 - May 10, 2012 Community Focus Ecosovo Mapping Kosovo’s Waste Clothes with The campaign “Let’s do it Kosova 2012” on May 24 aims to get 50,000 volunteers onto the streets to pick up rubbish, but a team of students has already been working hard plotting illegal waste sites a conscience across the country.

By Bujar Aruqaj

By Elizabeth Gowing ith the help of a smart phone application and more than 200 Wtrained students, the initia- tive has started by plotting illegal fly- otton growers are responsible for more than 25 tipping and other polluted places in per cent of all insecticides used in the world Kosovo, like rivers or buildings in all Cand 12 per cent of all the pesticides. We should municipalities of Kosovo. The initia- care about pesticides – their impact on biodiversity, tive chas been branded “the ugly map” and through the food chain on human health – so we of Kosovo and hundreds of photos have already been taken across the should care about where our cotton, where our Rubbish plotted on a map of Kosovo for “Let’s do it Kosova” day country and uploaded. clothing comes from. It’s possible to buy certified The volunteers of Let’s do It Kosova have joined the initiative so far. and pollution. I appeal to everybody organic cotton, but I’ve yet to find a stockist in worked for two weeks in finding spots Deputy minister of education Nehat to go out on the May 24 and clean Kosovo. So what is the ethical choice for clothing were waste was being dumped, taking Mustafa announced earlier this month: their neighborhood, their city and all here? pictures and then uploading the infor- “There will be approximately 30,000 of Kosova.” Your option for zero ecological impact – whether for mation via GPRS to the global waste elementary and high school students Luan Hasanaj, initiator and coordi- pesticides or the other, carbon costs of manufacturing map. who will help in collecting the waste.” nator of “Let’s Do It Kosova 2012”, and transport of clothing - is to buy secondhand, but until By taking a picture the system calcu- The deputy minister of Kosovo said that they will be using the experi- recently that was hard to do in Kosovo. Informal second- lates the position of the person and via Security Force, Shemsi Veseli, said ence of other countries to make it a hand trading of course exists within families, but the GPRS uploads the image and the geo- that the initiative will also have the success. thriving culture of charity shops I know from England graphical data on the map of the web- support of the KSF . The KSF will be “We use to look up at Slovenia as an and elsewhere hasn’t yet reached Prishtina. site. This will make the work of identi- offering “all technical and professional ideal country, as a very clean country, That is beginning to change. The Mozaik shop on fying the polluted places much easier capacities, to the service of the initia- but in fact they did the same campaign and within one day the collected 7,000 Hamzë Jashari Street, opposite the City Park/ ‘Italian for those who will collect it on the 24. tive”. “Let’s Do It World” is an initiative The project also has the support of tonnes of waste,” he said. Park’ (going up the hill to Vellania you turn left at the that started in Estonia in 2008 and soon international actors in Kosovo such as “Now, Slovenia is considered as the petrol station into Hamzë Jashari Street and Mozaik is a spread to more than 85 other countries. the Norwegian Embassy and the office cleanest country in Europe. Kosovo of short way along on your left) opened in October. Its stock Now Kosovo is joining this initiative of the European Commission in course has far more waste and we aim is familiar from the Oxfam shops where I kitted myself and wants to gain support from civil Kosovo. Ulrike Lunacek, rapporteur of to collect at least 10,000 tons.” out cheaply and (in my opinion at least) funkily as a stu- society, voluntary groups, and all citi- Kosovo at the European Parliament is The app can be downloaded at the dent. It has the same retro displays of ’seventies print zen so that for one day, May 24, people goodwill ambassador for the initia- Appstore (Let’s do it World) or frocks, patterned skirts, the same racks of quality shirts mobilize to clean the country. tive. Android Market (World Cleanup Waste at ‘grab me’ prices (two or three euros), the same lonely The action is being organised by “You have a beautiful Kosova,” said Mapper) and is for free. Updating of looking tin opener next to a saucepan and a lemon juicer “Let’s do it Kosova”, in cooperation Lunacek, via a video message, “Let’s the data will happen up until May 24 forming the beginnings of a ‘homeware’ section. The with the Ministry of Environment, as all work together so that it will be in and be uploaded at clothing stock is extensive and clean, and mainly import- well as many other organisations that the end also a Kosova free of waste www.letsdoitworld.org /wastemap ed. I was tempted by a silk tie, some designer names, and plenty of clothes that were less showy but seemed too good to turn down for a couple of euros. There were chil- dren’s clothes and shoes, blankets and quilts, all well-dis- Kosovo Media Threaten played and none costing more than ten euros. The sales assistants tell me that the most popular items are afford- able bedlinen, shoes and skirts. Boycotts Over Law Better still, the Mozaik shop is not just about helping you look good, but the money earned from the purchases After meeting the President, media groups repeated that if no changes are made to the draft crimi- there is used for material support to families in need. The nal code, meeting journalists' concerns, they will start boycotting the work of state institutions. shop was established by the Bashkësia e Popullit të Zotit church and fulfils part of its charity mission, with the The AGPK argues that two articles income supporting home building and food donations to in the new code directly endanger families (from both within the church and beyond) who the work of journalists, and hopes are in poverty. By Fatmir Aliu the President will refuse to sign it The price tags on the clothes bear a little recycling logo and seek further amendments, since as a reminder that you’re supporting a number of good the government and parliament ignored the conclusions of the work- initiatives with your purchase, but the shoppers I spoke to osovo’s President, Atifete ing group on the law of which AGPK there were motivated more by the convenience (open 9am Jahjaga, has pledged to help was a part. – 8pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and solve the row between media K The chairman of AGPK, Arben outlets and the government over a new 9am – 5pm on Thursdays and Saturdays) and price. One Ahmeti, said that 15 media outlets, criminal code, which reporters say will woman was visiting in her lunch hour, fingering the including directors, editors and penalize them by obliging them to unusual fabrics in a paralysis of which she should try on other representatives of the press reveal their sources or face jail. first. A foreigner in the store said she liked buying clothes met the President and received At a meeting with Kosovo’s that were a ‘risk’ when they were at prices she could assurances that she may turn back Association of Professional Media are concerned they could be silenced afford because it pushed her to try styles and designs she the law. Journalists, AGPK, and other media wouldn’t pay full price for. ‘Some of my favourite clothes “We expect the President to reject According to Kosovo reporters, the representatives, President Jahjaga law doesn’t explain which criminal were bought as a punt in a charity shop’. the current draft and return it for took note of the addressed concerns offences journalists could commit Another shopper whom I talked to about her purchases further amendments, since she said and received their proposals for clearly enough, leaving it open to shrugged as if I were stupid to be asking. Gesturing at the that she was willing to do so if amending the criminal code. judges and prosecutors to interpret range and the price tag she said ‘it just makes sense.’ In there’s enough legal reasoning," The press office of the President the code differently. the world of fashion there isn’t always evidence of much Ahmeti said. said that the conversation may lead "AGPK have offered all the neces- Arben Ahmeti said that regardless sense, but taking your clothing budget here is a positive to an accommodation so that “a solu- sary legal material and stand ready of the President’s reaction to their first step. Shopping in a good cause makes you feel great tion may be found to help advance to bring in other arguments,” he told requests, Kosovo’s media will boycot all over. democratic practices in the country.” BIRN. the International Day of Press Hundreds of Kosovo journalists A number of international media Freedom on May 3. Elizabeth Gowing is a founder of The Ideas protested on Monday, standing for 15 rights organizations including “Depending on the response of the Partnership, a Kosovan NGO working on educational, cul- minutes in silence, urging the “Reporteurs sans Frontieres” and President and Parliament of Kosovo, Y tural and environmental projects. She is also the author of President not to sign the draft crimi- the regional South-Eastern Europe the media representatives are ready M the recently-published, Travels in Blood and Honey; nal code that penalises journalists Media Organization, SEEMO, have to stage a longer boycott, instead of C becoming a beekeeper in Kosovo. She can be reached at for libel. The law was adopted last supported AGPK and expressed wor- just one day, of state institutions,” K [email protected] Friday by parliament. ries about the criminal code. Ahmeti told BIRN. 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