Opinion: Who Wants War in Macedonia?

March 30 - April 12, 2012 Issue No. 85 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1 Kosovo Mayor’s COMMENT Serbia’s Childish Funders Demand Game of Tit-for-Tat Their Payback

A number of disappoint- ed businessmen in Prizren are urging the > page 3 mayor, Ramadan Muja, NEWS to keep his promise and EU Launches award them tenders worth millions of euros Kosovo Feasibility as compensation for Study their part in funding > page 4 his 2009 electoral NEWS campaign. Serbia and Kosovo See Page 5 Lead Asylum Seekers League Kosovo Signs Second US > page 6 FEATURE Knives and Needles Lobbyist for $50,000-a-Month Mark Bektashi Hashim Thaci’s government has signed up its second Washington-based lobbyist in less than a year at a cost of 50,000 Holy Day dollars a month. By Lawrence Marzouk and with Members of Congress and Last year, Kosovo’s government opportunities for Kosovo, as well Petrit Collaku their staff, Executive branch offi- discretely engaged the lobbying as gathering funds from foreign cials, members of the press, and services of another of aid programs”. he contract between Podesta nongovernmental organizations”. Washington’s top firms for $50,000 Although the deal with the com- Group and Kosovo’s Ministry > page 12-13 Podesta is only the latest US lob- a month, after being forced to can- pany was apparently signed on Tof Economic Development, worth 50,000 dollars, a month was bying firm employed on Kosovo- cel an identical agreement with the August 31, it has never been INSIDE PRISHTINA signed at the beginning of March. related issues with connections to firm last year for breaking public announced by the government, Finding Strength According to the agreement, American officials who paved the procurement laws. which was forced to cancel a simi- which has been published by the way for the country’s independ- On August 31, 2011, Kosovo lar contract in 2010. in House Numbers US Justice Department, Podesta ence. signed up the services of the lobby- Frank Wisner, Patton Boggs’ for- Group will “Research and analyze Podesta Group’s head, Tony ing firm Patton Boggs. eign affairs advisor, met Prime > page 19 issues of concern to the principal Podesta, is the brother of John The registration document, Minister Thaci in the US last July. [Kosovo]”. Podesta, who was Bill Clinton’s logged at the Department of According to a press release issued The contract also outlines how Chief of Staff at the time of the Justice, says Patton Boggs offers by the Prime Minister’s office they Podesta will “counsel the principal Kosovo conflict. Kosovo “advisory services on legal discussed “current political devel- on US policies of concern, activi- The Podesta brothers originally and advocacy issues to be used for opments in Kosovo and the Kosovo’s only English-language ties in Congress and the Executive set up the firm, then called Podesta expansion of bilateral and multi- achievements up to now of newspaper is available: branch and developments on the Associates. John now chairs the lateral relations”. Kosovo’s institutions”. US political scene generally; and Center for American Progress, a The company will also be “fos- Delivered to maintain contact, as necessary, liberal think tank in Washington. tering investments and trade continues page 2 Your Door

EU Conditions Serbia Officials Cash in on Highway From Newsstands Accession Talks on Kosovo Expropriation across Kosovo

The European Parliament on Thursday Five municipal officials from Malisheva Sent To adopted a resolution on Serbia, saying have benefited from the expropriation of Your Inbox Belgrade should be given a date to begin land for the construction of the national accession talks with the EU as soon as pos- highway, according to an investigation by sible but should meanwhile step back from Prishtina Insight. From trying to extend its local elections on May 6 The land, nationalised in 1958 by the our partners to Kosovo. The resolution, adopted by an Yugoslav regime and taken over by the pub- overwhelming ... news page 6 economy lic firm Mirusha... page 7 see page 16 for more info

is supported by: 2 March 30 - April 12, 2012 news Kosovo Signs Up Second US Lobbyist from page 1 signed with Kosovo’s government, to lobby Prishtina Insight has seen a copy of the the NATO Secretary General's personal rep- on “Kosovo highway related issues”. request by the Foreign Ministry to the resentative to Serbia. In this role, Sullivan Wisner is an old Kosovo hand. According to Tavlarides’ own profile, he Procurement Agency to secretly award the was the lead negotiator in resolving an Condoleezza Rice, Secretary of State under “played a key role in furthering the [Bill] contract to Patton Boggs with a single- armed dispute between Serbian govern- President George Bush, appointed him as Clinton Administration’s foreign policy, such source tender. ment authorities and a KLA inspired US special representative to the Kosovo as ending the war in Kosovo and improving Seemingly unaware that the law requires paramiltary group in southern Serbia. Status Talks in 2005. Wisner played a crucial relations between Greece and Turkey”. all such contracts to be published online by Prior to his appointment by NATO, Sullivan role in negotiating Kosovo’s independence. the US Justice Department, Kosovo's served as the Political Advisor to four U.S. Tender information: Foreign Ministry argued that if the contract Commanding Generals in Kosovo. Sullivan Private sector also looks to DC: became public it could hinder Patton Boggs' also has significant political experience Prishtina Insight has been unable to con- lobbying work. working in national, state and local elec- Firms looking to invest in the world’s sec- firm with the Ministry of Economic tions. ond youngest state have also turned to Development whether Podesta Group was Washington-based lobbyists with links to selected through an open tender. US Lobbyists Frank Wisner Lobbying for Kosovo Kosovo’s march to independence. A ministry spokesman refused to say what internationally through Patton Telco AG, a Liechtenstein-based telecoms procedures had been employed to select the firm, turned to US lobbying firm Rhoads firm and could not explain the importance of Lobbying for Kosovo Highway on Boggs Group in 2009 when they were looking to win the deal as a key official was out of the coun- behalf of Bechtel: a contract with the Kosovo government to try. Minister Besim Beqaj also declined to Wisner is an old Kosovo hand. The former advise it on the sale of Post comment. Mark Tavlarides’ serv- US Secretary of State Telecommunications of Kosovo. A search of the government’s official list ice in the US government under George Bush, It paid 75,000 dollars, [55,000 euro], in the of tenders failed to deliver any relevant ten- culminated in a senior Condoleezza Rice, run-up to the tender decision, according to ders related to this contract. position on the White appointed him the US’s official lobbying reports filed in US Senate The government has previously awarded House National Security special representative to Office of Public Records, to lobby in Kosovo such tenders without following correct pro- Council staff, the organi- the Kosovo Status Talks and the US about issues related to the tender. cedures or running single-source tenders. zation through which the in 2005. Wisner played a No other firms in the process used US lobby- In September 2010, after the government President performs his crucial role in negotiat- ists. voted to employ Patton Boggs at a rate of essential duty of protect- ing Kosovo’s independ- Among the team assigned to lobby in 50,000 dollars a month, the cabinet was ing the country. As Director of Legislative ence. Kosovo was Shawn Sullivan, who was forced to cancel the decision in November. Affairs there, Tavlarides played a key role in brought in from another lobbying firm. This was after Prishtina Insight revealed furthering the Clinton Administration’s for- From 1995 to 2003, Sullivan served in vari- that the move appeared to break Kosovo's eign policy, such as ending the war in Podesta Group Lobbies ous capacities at the US Departments of own law on public procurement. Kosovo and improving relations between for Kosovo Minsitry of Economic State and Defense. In 2001 he was appointed This was because the cabinet had simply Greece and Turkey. political advisor to the NATO Commander selected Patton Boggs instead of allowing a Environment General in Kosovo and was later the NATO competitive bidding process to take place. Shawn Sullivan Lobbying on on US Issue: Secretary General’s personal representative The cabinet had also not justified to the to Serbia. Public Procurement Agency why it went behalf of Telco AG for PTK Advisor John Podesta (left). In 1998 he became Telco told Prishtina Insight at the time ahead with a single-source tender. contract: President Bill Clinton's that the decision to employ lobbyists was a Government officials said they annulled Chief of Staff in the sec- legitimate tactic, aimed at “neutralising” the deal on legal advice but denied having In 2001, the North ond Clinton other US-based bids. broken procurement rules. Atlantic Treaty Administration and exe- US giant Bechtel, one half of a consortium A year later, the deal was quietly revived Organization (NATO) cuted the position until building Kosovo’s biggest ever infrastructure in a secret, single-sourced tender. The appointed Sullivan as the the end of Clinton's time project, a billion-euro highway, brought in Foreign Ministry said it had awarded the Political Advisor to the in office in January 2001. Mark Tavlarides, of lobby group Van Scoyoc contract in coordination with the NATO Commander He has now left the Associates, around the time that the deal was Procurement Agency. General in Kosovo and as Podesta group. Kosovo and Serbia Keep Arrested Men Waiting Four Kosovo Serbs arrested in Kosovo and two Kosovo Albanians arrested in Serbia are still waiting to be brought before the courts to decide whether they should remain in custody. Last night Amnesty International condemned “retaliatory” arrests of the two Kosovo Albanians. May 6 - elections that Kosovo has the union said. its police have a duty to arrest Serbs vowed to prevent. Serbian deputies in Kosovo's par- who attempt to organise Serbian Gordana Andric, During the police raids of their liament have said they will leave elections to Kosovo, as these breach Fatmir Aliu homes, Kosovo police also arrested parliament if the arrested Serbs are the laws of the country. Jovica Balosevic, who was in front not released. “The government has declared of the house of one of the other Meanwhile Serbia's Interior Serbian elections illegal, so their hile four Kosovo Serbs are arrested men when the raid started. Minister, Ivica Dacic, on Thursday organisers or those who try to waiting to be taken before Balosevic was released on said that the arrests of the two organize them will be treated for Wa court in Gjilan in Kosovo, Thursday. Albanians were not political, as illegal activity, according to the two Kosovo Albanians are waiting to be brought before the court in Serbian police on Wednesday both men had criminal records in law,” Deputy Prime Minister Vranje in Serbia. then arrested two Kosovo Serbia. Hajredin Kuci said on Wednesday. In both cases, courts are to decide Albanians. Abazi, president of the He said that Serbs in Kosovo, on Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim whether the arrested people will be Metalworkers Union, was arrested the other hand, were being arrested Thaci said his government would kept in custody. for alleged espionage, while Adem for working for Serbian institutions. crack down on Serbian plans to hold It is still not clear whether one of Urseli was arrested for drug smug- In this regard, all people working ballots inside Kosovo, adding that the two arrested Kosovo Albanians, gling. for Kosovo institutions were violat- he will use all “legal and constitu- Hasan Abazi, will be taken in front Both sets of arrests have drawn ing the Serbian constitution and tional means to stop this aggression of the court, as prosecutors have yet criticism from non-governmental could all be arrested when they by Serbia against Kosovo”. to decide whether to keep or drop organisations who call the arrests enter Serbia, he said. Kosovo declared independence charges filed against him in 2005 for politically motivated and say they “Anyone jeopardising Serbia's from Serbia in 2008 and has since espionage. are based on the men's ethnic back- constitutional order will be arrest- been recognised by 22 of the 27 EU Ivica Dacic - Serbia's Interior Minister Abazi and another Kosovar were ground. ed,” Dacic vowed. “We’ll treat them countries, the US and others. arrested in retaliation for the arrest The Union of Independent Trade as they treat us. I’m not that reli- But Serbia maintains that Kosovo lel institutions" in Kosovo is a condi- of four Serbs on Tuesday evening. Unions of Kosovo has condemned gious to turn the other cheek – the remains part of Serbia, which is tion that Brussels has set before The four Serbs were arrested in the arrest of its member, Abazi. “We one who hits will get a reponse,” why it says it has a right and duty to Serbia, if the country wishes to get Kosovo for carrying material to be hope his release will happen as soon Dacic added. hold elections there. a start date for accession talks with used for Serbian local elections on as possible,” a press release from On the other hand, Kosovo says Abandoning Serbina-run "paral- the EU.

Y M C +381 38 602042, +377 44 243367, +386 49 243367 K news March 30 - April 12, 2012 3

Comment Editor’s Word Serbia’s Childish Game of Sweating for Tit-for-Tat Forget the rule of law. It’s now clear that if your government has in any way offended top Serbian EULEX officials, you cross Serbia at your own risk.

By Lawrence Marzouk By Gordana Igric

o you remember those warm spring days of 2010 when f you, dear citizens from the a fresh wind of optimism swept through Prishtina? . Balkans, want to travel through On the blossom-scented breeze came dreams that the ISerbia but somehow failed to D notice that your officials (for reasons powerful could be held to account for their corrupt actions, in no way related to your everyday and that the EU’s mission in Kosovo, EULEX, could deliver life and travel plans), have angered justice. Serbian officials, beware: you may be Since those heady days, little suggests that those dreams arrested out of pure spite and were anything but that. And in the next few weeks, those revenge. dreams may finally disappear. Your small existence doesn’t count Back in April 2010, EULEX had embarked on its first high- in the bigger game of political dis- profile raids, targeting the Ministry of Transport and, in par- putes. This is even more likely to hap- ticular the then Minister of Transport, Fatmir Limaj. pen if you are from Kosovo because It had been the worst-kept police operation in the history of Serbia - which just granted free travel police operations. The whole city knew Mr Limaj was under to Kosovo Albanians - is on the eve of investigation, but disagreements within the ruling diploma- elections. You should know that the archy were delaying action. ruling parties need to muster patriotic Serbia has arrested Kosovo Albanians at the border in retaliation for arrests of Serbs in Kosovo At some point, we thought, EULEX would come knocking at votes here after four years of econom- his door... ic gloom, a corrupt judiciary, media unfortunately. “crimes against constitution and secu- When it finally happened, many senior figures in Limaj’s censorship and … the list is long, To me it is more about the old style rity of Republic of Serbia”. He is still party – Jakup Krasniqi and Hashim Thaci included – were exhausting and depressing. of doing things, so common in the in detention in Vranje and is waiting quick to dismiss the operation as some sort of show for the Revenge is precisely the explanation Balkans, in which human beings (in to appear in front of an investigative cameras. given by Serbian Police Minister Ivica war and peace) constantly fall victim judge. But the fearless prosecutor, Johannes Van Vreeswijk, who Dacic for why Hasan Abazi, a 65-year- to hysterical ideas, and are abused and The case appears, also, to be very old retired Kosovo Albanian, was disregarded like used political toys. “handy” way of showing dissatisfac- was leading the case for EULEX, immediately hit back in a arrested on the morning of March 28. As a Serbian citizien, I do, however, tion with the international communi- most extraordinary interview. Dacic said: “If someone wants to com- have a question for the Serbian gov- ty’s [lack of] reactions to the arrests of In intemperate tones he told the Koha Ditore journalist that pete in arrests, we have the answer.” ernment [leaving Kosovars to deal the Serbs in Kosovo. there was a strong case against Limaj, outlined in some He was referring to the Kosovo with their own], which is, how does Namely, Abazi is the father of Haki details the charges, attacked the Prime Minister for med- police move to arrest four Kosovo this dispute between Serbia and Abazi, who is the Rockefeller Brothers dling, and then warned: Serbs on the same night, when Abazi, Kosovo relate to Abazi and his trip Fund program director for the “Everybody who is involved in organised crime and corrup- blessed by ignorance, could not have through Serbia? Are we going to start Western Balkans. That’s why Dacic tion should start sweating. And if they are involved, let they expected that the following morning arresting individuals when any told the newspaper Politika: “At least stop from today.” he would become a pawn in a higher regime in the world that Serbia is some decency should be demonstrated This guy, I thought, clearly means business. political game of score-settling. bothered with makes our officials here. Yesterday when the Albanians In the following days, I sensed renewed optimism – albeit Abazi was embarking, after many angry? Tit-for-tat is for immature were arrested, some international offi- tempered by years of disappointment. A fake street sign in years, on travel through Serbia as an democracies in which the law and cials called me. They should not call Van Vreeswijk’s honour was even installed in central old union activist and as head of the human rights are easily circumvent- me anymore; whoever is undermining Prishtina and we tentatively toasted the dawn of a new age. Metalworkers Union for a European ed. Didn’t Dacic learn any lessons constitutional order in Serbia will be The event’s significance was that a very senior political fig- Trade Union conference in Croatia. from the Milosevic school that he arrested in the future.” ure was being held to account for alleged wrongdoing. The But that night Kosovo police arrest- eagerly attended in the Nineties? Bearing in mind that just about all specifics of who he was and the party he served did not signi- ed four Serbs who were allegedly car- Apparently, Dacic is now bothered Albanians in Kosovo are doing just fy. Whoever you are, if you are corrupt you should be sweat- rying material to be used for Serbian that some Serbian NGOs have voiced that - insisting that they live in an ing. outrage. He thinks they are worried independent Kosovo - does this mean local elections on May 6 - elections that But with the two years-deadline for a case to reach the Pristina has vowed to prevent. about arrested Albanians but suppos- that the recent agreement on free trav- indictment-stage looming, the bravado of Van Vreeswijk No need to say that neither Serbia edly don’t care about arrested Serbs. It el is now aborted? seems more like two decades ago. nor the Serbs in the north of Kosovo reminds me of the old Milosevic times Or, selective arrests will be put in Evidence has proved extremely hard to come by and we recognize Kosovo as an independent when NGO activists were marked as place just until after elections, when should not be surprised if this particular investigation sim- country. non-patriots and as “foreign merce- patriotic votes will not matter any- ply fizzles out after the initial bang. Misters Thaci and I am not planning now to deal with a naries” if they didn’t support mass more, so that the parties currently in topic that many people couldn’t solve expulsions and the terror that the power can turn again to empty slogans Krasniqi will no doubt take some pleasure that their initial for decades - which territory belongs Milosevic regime spread across for- on joining EU. That is, if they win. assessment was correct – the raid may prove to be just show. to whom, who settled where first and mer Yugoslavia. Things could then get worse. Another keynote EULEX in which century. There are enough Coming back to Abazi, he is now Gordana Igric is investigation, the Klecka prison war crimes case again patriots in Serbia, Kosovo and beyond suspected of espionage under clause Regional Director of Balkan involving Fatmir Limaj, is also at grave risk of collapse at to deal with that for years to come, 305 of the penal code, which deals with Investigative Reporting Network around the same time because of a major administrative cock-up. The prosecution’s star witness had signed off his testimony only in a language he did not understand – English. With PRISTINA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT “ADEM JASHARI” Agim Zogaj now dead, EULEX has no second chance to get this one right. EULEX is being reshaped at the moment, its budget cut, staff shed, and its mission refocused on the executive func- tions – investigating, prosecuting and judging sensitive cases such as high-level corruption and war crimes. The current chief, Xavier de Marnhac, will leave with the start of EULEX’s new, “leaner and meaner” mandate in June. He risks leaving an organisation demoralised from the col- lapse of two of its most important cases and wondering where to go next. It is likely that whoever drinks from the poisoned chalice of leading the next EULEX instalment will be sweating just as much as the corrupt politicians the mission is supposed to be WE ARE OPEN FOR ALL DEPARTING FLIGHTS • CALL US ON 038 594422 putting behind bars. 4 March 30 - April 12, 2012 news EU Launches Kosovo Feasibility Study The EU launched on Tuesday a study to determine whether Kosovo is ready to sign a Stabilization and Association Agreement, the first step on the long road to Brussels.

important step with the launch of the visa liber- alization dialogue and the Feasibility Study for the Stabilization and Association Agreement,” By Fatmir Aliu she said. The feasibility study will look at Kosovo from a different perspective than the annual Progress Report, which takes stock of develop- nlargement Commissioner ments over the past 12 months. Stephan Fule was in Kosovo The study will make an inventory of where Eto the announce the Kosovo stands in terms of its political, econom- "Feasibility Study" at the launch of ic and legal environment, and will assess what the country’s National Council for Kosovo needs to achieve to negotiate and imple- European Integrations. The study follows a decision by ment a Stabilisation and Association the European Union Council of Agreement. Ministers last month which, at the The Enlargement Commissioner said that a same time, handed Serbia EU can- contractual relationship between the EU and didate status. Kosovo, a major hurdle until recently because of “This is the path followed by all the five non-recognising members, will be of yours neighbours and marks examined after “legal aspects” are assessed. the beginning of a new stage in He asked the authorities to face up to chal- the European Union's relation- lenges in the areas of trade, reforms of public ship with Kosovo” Fule said. “I administration, rule of law, and the integration am pleased to be here today to of minorities in the north. officially launch the feasibility “Now it is for Kosovo to deliver. You need to study.” help us to help you. The recommendations of Kosovo declared independence the study will depend on what you can deliver in from Serbia four years ago, and the coming months,” Fule said. EU Commissioner Stefan Fule in Prishtina announcing the launch of the feasibility study has been recognised by 89 coun- tries, including the US and 22 member states of the EU. The newly established Council on European Integration is an Salustro: Klecka Case Defendants Are advisory body, which gives gov- ernment institutions, opposition and civil society a forum to dis- cuss Kosovo’s European agenda. Guilty Kosovo president Atifete Jahjaga said after the meeting that the launch of the “Feasibility Study” is evidence that Kosovo has the full support By Fatmir Aliu of the EU 27 block. Currently five EU members have yet to recog- nise Kosovo’s independence. ULEX prosecutor Maurizio “Kosovo and the European Salustro has asked a Kosovo Union have made an extremely Ecourt to declare Limaj and nine other ex KLA fighters in the Klecka case guilty and to impose the maximum sentence. Maurizio Salustro, the Special www.prishtinainsight.com Prosecutor in the Klecka case, in his final statement submitted to Publisher: the panel of judges of Prishtina’s BIRN District Court, wrote that even though the testimonies and diaries Balkan Investigative Reporting Network of the deceased witness Agim Mensa e Studenteve, first floor Zogaj were ruled as inadmissible, 10000, Prishtina the prosecution has proven that the defendants are guilty of war Kosovo crimes on all counts. Phone: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58 Salustro’s final statement, seen Fax: +381 (0) 38 22 44 98 by BIRN, was sent last Thursday, Limaj leaving court -he is no longer under house arrest [email protected] March 22, a day after the court released ten former Kosovo key to the prosecution’s case. A forensics team of the EU law prove the criminal responsibility Editor-in-Chief: Liberation Army, KLA, fighters, Salustro, in his final statement, mission to Kosovo, EULEX, dur- of all the accused. Therefore the including their then commander Lawrence Marzouk argues that because of Zogaj’s tes- ing the exhumation at Klecka prosecution asks for the Legal Fatmir Limaj, now Deputy [email protected] timonies five bodies were recov- found also a scythe which is College to pronounce all the President of the ruling Editorial Team: ered in the village of Klecka. believed to have been used to kill defendants guilty, and punish Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK. “On March 24, 2009, Mr Zogaj one of the five victims. them according to the law,” states Ana Petruseva, Gordana Igric, The court ruled that the prose- told the investigators about a pos- In one of the previous court the prosecution's final statement. Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner, cution had failed to meet certain sible grave. On September 2009 an hearings, the defence lawyer Limaj, a popular figure in procedural standards, and there- Petrit Collaku, Shengjyl Osmani, exhumation was undertaken and Agim Vertropi accused the prose- Kosovo, has already faced a war fore Zogaj’s evidence was not Artan Mustafa, Florina Hajdini, and five mortal remains were found,” cution of planting all sorts of crimes trial before the admissible. Donjeta Demolli. Salustro wrote to the court. items at the exhumation site. International Criminal Tribunal The indictment against Limaj The defence lawyers have The Special Prosecutor for former Yugoslavia, ICTY. The and the other defendants had Marketing, Sales & Distribution: claimed that the exhumation and Salustro says that the defence Hague Tribunal acquitted him of charged them with committing evidence gathered there was argument should not be taken all the charges regarding his [email protected] various war crimes at an impro- inadmissible too, since lawyers into consideration, and called alleged involvement in crimes vised detention center in the vil- Design & Layout: “Rrjeti” were not present. upon the court to consider the committed in the Lapusnik lage of Klecka, in the Drenica Arben Grajqevci However, Salustro argues that evidence gathered at Klecka as prison camp in 1998. region of Kosovo. Y no defence lawyers could have acceptable. The defence teams have until Zogaj was a prison guard at the M been called at that time because “The prosecution believes that Tuesday, March 27, to submit Printing: Lindi Printing Center Klecka camp in Kosovo in 1999 and C criminal proceedings had not these evidence, combined with all their final statements to the Copyright © BIRN his diaries about events there were K started yet. the rest of evidence suffice to court. investigation March 30 - April 12, 2012 5 Kosovo Mayor’s Funders Demand Their Payback Businesses that funded the mayor of Prizren’s election campaign in return for the promise of tenders accuse him of reneging on his pledges, an investigation has revealed. held a number of meetings with businessmen from his hometown of Zhur and promised they would By Kastriot Jahaj benefit from municipal tenders in exchange for funds. The letter mentions one such The businessmen then threaten applied, the tender went to 14,199 euro; the road for the Omaj number of disappointed meeting held in the Kështjella to pay home visits to the mayor. Progress NewCo. neigborhood in Zhur village val- businessmen in Prizren are restaurant, owned by Zafir “You will continue to owe us after But the mayor then decided not ued at 31,739 euro; the Tahir Aurging the mayor, Ramadan Berisha, former president of the Muja, to keep his promise and PDK branch in Prizren. Berisha your term expires,” the letter to sign the contract after his advi- Sinani, Lot I, road in Prizren val- award them tenders worth mil- also attended this meeting. adds. sors warned him that the tender ued at 1,408,86 euro; the road in lions of euros as compensation for The letter states that Prizren “Mr Mayor, this means that even presented legal difficulties, as it Landovica village, valued at 79,929 their part in funding his 2009 elec- municipal officials including after you’ve left office and gone meant that the Mayor was giving euro; a road between the villages toral campaign. Minir Krasniqi, head of adminis- home, we will come and ask you to away municipal income to one of of Hoqë e Qytetit – Polishtë, val- The municipality has already tration, Hasan Hasani, director of meet your obligations, as you have his relatives. ued at 55,045 euro; the road in the awarded tenders worth 3.3 million public services and Sadik personally and voluntarily under- When Muja decided not to sign village of Lubizhdë e Hasit valued euro to former funders of his cam- Pacarizi, director of urbanism and taken them.” the contract for the market a deci- at 105,170 euro; and the tender for paign. spatial planning, attended similar The former head of the PDK sion was taken to amend the city’s asphalting the road in the village But in a letter to the mayor from meetings organized during the branch in Prizren, Zafir Berisha, urban plan, cancelling plans to of Leskovec valued at 517,466 euro. a firm owned by one of his own 2009 to 2010 electoral campaign. confirmed that a meeting was held allow the construction of higher In total this firm won contracts relatives, which Prishtina Insight In addition to the Kështjella in his restaurant. buildings in the space currently amounting to 2,212,413 euro. has obtained, there are complaints restaurant, the letter lists meet- He said that at this meeting with occupied by the Fatoni market and that he has not kept all his promis- ings held in the Sharr motel in Zhur businessmen, Muja made big a market to be placed in Progress No promises were made: es. Prevalla, the restaurants Marlboro promises and vowed to reward land. The letter has been penned by and Kod Fuad in Recan, and the them with tenders. Progress then appealed to According to data published by Perparim Hoxha, Muja’s cousin, Gold restaurant in Mushnikova. “It’s not uncommon for mayors Kosovo’s Ministry of Environment the municipality, the Construction and his partner Nezir Xhoxhaj, Companies such as Progress in Kosovo to interfere with their and Spatial Planning, which ini- Company Vëllezërit e Bashkuar owners of Progress NewCo of NewCO, Daja Rrah, Renelual procurement offices,” said tially decided in its favour. was awarded only three tenders. Prizren. The letter lists a number Tahiri and Vëllezërit e Bashkuar Berisha, who supported Muja at However, the municipality They were tenders for the con- of other businessmen who also were present at the meetings, it the time of the meetings. appealed, asking the Ministry to struction of the road in the attended the meetings. says. “Failure to implement the repeal its decision, and, after Arbana neighbourhood of Prizren Muja was elected in a close sec- “In the second meeting, in the Prizren market project is the rea- reviewing the appeal, the Ministry valued at 15,406 euro; the Xhevat ond round after the first poll failed Kështjella, after the first run-off son for the deterioration of our did indeed change its mind and Berisha road and accompanying to deliver a candidate with a round, attended by you, Zafir relationship,” he added. decide in favour of the municipal- infrastructure valued at 643,859 majority of votes. Berisha, Minir Krasniqi, Nebih He was referring to Muja’s ity. euro; and the Faredin Hoti 4 road As Muja prepared for the run-off Hoxha… we reconfirmed our promise to ensure that a new The municipality has since in Prizren, valued at 10,377 euro. between him and the LDK candi- financial support for the second municipal market was built on refused to speak about the reasons The total of all tenders awarded is date, Hanefi Muharremi, he organ- run-off, and you committed your- land owned by his cousin, for changing the urban plan. 669,642 euro. ized a series of dinners with busi- self to a number of things to com- Perparim Hoxha. The case was taken to the A company representative, Sefer nessmen, asking them to fund his pensate us for such support, Mr The businessmen behind the let- Supreme Court of Kosovo, which Susuri, said they had won the ten- campaign. Mayor,” the letter reads. ter were in fact Perparim Hoxha quashed the Ministry and Prizren ders because they offered the low- In return, it is alleged that he It adds that after his win, Muja and his partner Nezir Xhoxhaj, Municipal decisions, returning est prices and not because of any promised to repay them through “forgot” his obligations. “You’ve owners of Progress NewCo of the market issue to Muja’s initial concrete promise. He admitted tenders awarded by the municipal- been ignoring us for two years, Prizren. decision. only that Muja promised to favour ity. although you personally under- Hoxha says he had already acted them because of their common According to the letter that took such obligations,” the letter in line with the threat contained in Tenders for funders: origin. Prishtina Insight has seen, Muja continues. this letter, having visited the “There were promises in the mayor at home. “I did go to his The owner of the firm Daja sense of moral support but there house and I will continue to go Rrah, which also attended the was never talk of any financial there,” Hoxha said. meetings, states that he never support,” he said of the business He said he gave 50,000 euro to received concrete promises from dinners in 2009. Muja for his campaign. Hoxha did Muja in the electoral campaign. “I personally never understood not want to say whether the money However, based on Prizren these promises as commitments to was handed over at party premises Municipality data, Daja Rrah reward us with any work, but or paid into the party bank received at least five tenders since merely as favouring us in equal account. He said he had signed an 2009: for the construction of the circumstances.” affidavit with EULEX investiga- Shtjefën Gjeqovi memorial com- Merita Mustafa, head of the tors forces him to keep silent until plex in the village of Zym valued anti-corruption programme at the the probe concludes. at 63,453 euro; insulation of the Kosovo Democratic Institute, says Hoxha said he donated the municipal assembly roof in the connection between business- money in exchange for a promise Prizren valued at 18,338 euro; es and political parties is so strong by Muja to locate the new city mar- reconstruction of the Shaip Pasha in Kosovo that it’s difficult to dis- ket in the premises of Progress Spahiu house valued at 112,920 entangle or sever them. NewCo, the company he had euro; construction of the Sports Mustafa says political parties bought in a privatization process Cultural Centre in Recan village and businesses maintain the in 2007. valued at 87,151 euro; and the con- utmost secrecy regarding their Muja started to implement his struction of three firefighter cen- mutual relations. If they ever promises after taking office, initi- ters in Prizren valued at 166,679 became public, it would be clear ating a tendering process while euro. In total the firm obtained that parties represent the interests the procurement office of Prizren contracts worth 448,543 euro. of businesses much more than the announced an open tender entitled The owner of company Renelual interests of ordinary voters. “Provision of necessary premises Tahiri also mentioned as one of Mayor Muja was sent a number for markets in Prizren”. the participants in the meetings, of questions by email, but never Progress NewCo started invest- also did not want to discuss his responded. When confronted by a ing in the site, convinced it would involvement. He said he funds all BIRN journalist in Prizren, he win the tender for the market. The political parties, not only the PDK, threatened to break our camera. plan was to transfer the existing and he had nothing to do with the A number of his advisors and market, known as Fatoni, to the letter. the municipal spokesperson were space owned by Progress. Meanwhile, however, Renelual also contacted, but said they were Y As expected, after the munici- Tahiri has been awarded at least not authorised by the Mayor to M pality announced the tender, and seven tenders: for the construction respond concerning the topic at C Prizren mayor Ramadan Muja greets PM Thaci after a number of companies of the Gucia 99 road valued at hand. K 6 March 30 - April 12, 2012 news EU Conditions Serbia Accession Talks on Kosovo European Parliament resolution recommends start date for membership talks as soon as possible while meantime urging Belgrade to back off from holding polls in Kosovo. needs to normalize relations with Kosovo and intensify its reform and anti-corruption efforts. By Prishtina Insight However, the resolution includes a positive assessment of the country's cooperation with the he European Parliament on Hague Tribunal, internal reforms, Thursday adopted a resolu- and improvements in regional Ttion on Serbia, saying cooperation. Belgrade should be given a date to It notes certain weak points, pri- begin accession talks with the EU marily in relation to the reform of as soon as possible but should meanwhile step back from trying the justice system, the position of to extend its local elections on May the media, and treatment of 6 to Kosovo. national and sexual minorities. The resolution, adopted by an During Wednesday's European overwhelming majority of 754 Parliament meeting, Denmark’s votes “for” and only 49 “against”, Minister for European Affairs was submitted by Europe’s Nicolai Wammen, whose country Rapporteur for Serbia, Jelko currently presides over the EU, Kacin. and European Enlargement A key amendment said calling Commissioner Stefan Fule both local elections in Kosovo would be expressed expectations that against the international law and Belgrade would meet the key The European Parliament has called on Serbia not to hold polls inside of Kosovo UN Security Council Resolution requirement for accession talks by 1244. continuing dialogue with the of local elections to be held on May Serb-run northern districts of sue its EU integration path. The resolution, based on a Kosovo authorities in Pristina. 6. Both Brussels and Pristina criti- Kosovo is seen as especially prob- The European Parliament also report by Kacin, garnered support The Parliament will also vote cised the move. lematic, as they will clearly rein- appealed on the five remaining EU from the majority of MEPs, Thursday on draft resolutions on Kosovo declared independence force Serbian-run “parallel insti- members to recognise Kosovo’s including leaders of the three Montenegro, Macedonia, Turkey from Serbia in 2008 and has since tutions” operating in the north. independence. biggest parliamentary groups - and Kosovo. been recognised by 22 of the 27 EU Abandoning these institutions It also rejected proposals for progressive, socialist and liberal - Serbia decided on March 13 to countries as well as by the US. is the main condition that Kosovo to be presented with a foot- all of whom stressed that Serbia include Kosovo in the next round Holding local elections in the Brussels has set for Serbia to pur- note. Serbia and Kosovo Lead Mysterious Kosovar Asylum Seekers League Force Vows to Citizens from Serbia and Kosovo are ranked 4th in terms of the number of asylum seek- Quash Serb Polls ers in the 44 industrialized countries, UNHCR report says. A little known formation calling itself the Albanian lum seekers lies in the fact that National Army has resurfaced and vowed to confront the European Union from December 19, 2009, allowed visa- any Serbian-run elections held in Kosovo in May. By Marija Ristic free entry for holders of Serbian due on May 6, to Kosovo. passports. This move was condemned by In 2011, Serbia and Kosovo the Kosovo government and the dropped to fourth place with By Fatmir Aliu international community as a vio- total of 21,200 people from 21,200 registered claims during lation of the territorial integrity Serbia plus Kosovo in 2011 and sovereignty of the country, Arequested asylum in other the year, a decrease of 28 per which Belgrade does not recog- countries, which ranked them cent. he Albanian National Army, nize. fourth on the global list after The drop was particularly ANA, a blacklisted organiza- Uniformed ANA members have Afghanistan, China and Iraq, a noticeable in France and Sweden tion in the US, has threat- when compared to 2010. T been seen periodically in Kosovo report from the United Nations ened to use force to stop Serbian High Commissioner for Refugees, When it comes to destinations, since the Kosovo conflict ended in polls from being held in Kosovo if UNHCR, said. Serbian citizens picked 1999, and even filmed patrolling the international community The survey included Serbia Germany first in 2011 with with arms. The group took respon- doesn’t prevent them. sibility for several bombing inci- with Kosovo on the basis of UN around 6,000 claims for asylum. The mysterious group, which dents in Kosovo since 1999. Resolution 1244 of 1999, since The report says evidence seeks the unification of Kosovo AKSH/ANA said in its letter Kosovo is still not recognised as shows that the proportion of asy- with Albania, sent an email to that it had ceased all activity when a state by the United Nations. lum seekers from Kosovo in Balkan Insight and other members Kosovo declared independence in According to UN definition, an these countries has fallen over Kosovo Passport of the press saying it had decided 2008, hoping that Kosovo would be asylum seeker is an individual the past three years. to reactivate its structures to pro- left to progress by its northern who has sought international In 2009 around 74 per cent of applications. tect Kosovo from another Serbian neighbour. protection and whose claim for The report says that this “year applicants from Serbia came invasion. “But for four years on [since refugee status has not been was characterized by a signifi- from Kosovo, but in 2011 the per- “The headquarters of the independence], Serbia has not determined yet. cant number of people seeking centage was down to 41. Most cit- Albanian National Army, at a stopped its sabotage of the As industrialised countries asylum or refugee status from izens of Kosovo pick France, meeting on March 17, has decided Republic of Kosovo,” the press the UNHCR included the 27 EU countries experiencing recent or Austria and Belgium as their to reactivate all its military struc- release continues. “We ask you member states plus Albania, ongoing conflict, turmoil or destinations. tures and confront with Serbia [the international community], Bosnia, Croatia, Liechtenstein, security concern”. Other Balkan countries were and its gangs in the Republic of before the war starts; intervene Iceland, Montenegro, Serbia, In 2010, the UN reported 29,600 ranked significantly lower com- Kosovo,” reads the message. and prevent a Balkan war.” Norway, Macedonia, Turkey, asylum seekers coming from pared to Serbia and Kosovo. In ANA, known in Albanian as Kosovo police said that they Australia, Canada, Japan, New Serbia and Kosovo, which was 50 2011 around 5,607 people from AKSH ("Armata Kombëtare were “aware of the information,” Y Zealand, South Korea and the per cent up on the 2009 figure. Macedonia sought asylum while Shqiptare") has been blacklisted as and were dealing with the issue. M US. According to the UNHCR Albania produced 3,330 and a terrorist organization by the US. Kosovo politicians have in the C In 2011, these countries report, the main reason for the Bosnia and Herzegovina around Serbia announced last week that past dismissed ANA as a “phan- K received around 441,300 asylum increase in the number of asy- 2,730 asylum-seekers. it was extending its local elections, tom” organisation. economy March 30 - April 12, 2012 7 Officials Cash in on Highway Expropriation Municipal officials have benefited from the expro- priation of land along the route for Kosovo’s new highway, an investigation has revealed.

By Kreshnik Gashi

ive municipal officials from Malisheva have benefited Ffrom the expropriation of land for the construction of the national highway, according to an investigation by Prishtina Insight. The land, nationalised in 1958 by The first section of the 1billion euro highway has now opened but the expropriation of land along the section trunk is causing controversy the Yugoslav regime and taken over by the public firm Mirusha, the Supreme Court. The land has- Nuhi Shala, head of the cadastral According to the law on the Hoxha said: “Top municipal was bought by the municipal now been expropriated by the gov- office, head of procurement Elmi Special Chamber of the Supreme officials from Malisheva have ben- assembly member Ahmet ernment in order to construct a Pacarizit and Malë Krasniqi, Court, the Municipal Court is not efited. They have benefited as they Rahmanaj for 11 euro per acre section of the new highway. another official. competent to deal nor accept files bought the acres for only 11 euro when it was privatised in 2007. The land was sold by the Hazir Hoxha, representative of related to property disputes. and now they sell it to the govern- Villagers, however, filed a Privatisation Agency to the Bellanica village, near According to Sahit Sylejmani, ment for around 1,000 euro,” said series of claims at the local court Rahmanaj at 11 euro per acre, and Malisheva, told Prishtina Insight head of the Special Chamber of Hoxha. claiming that they were the right- has now been sold back to the gov- the former owners should receive the Supreme Court, the parties None of the municipal offi- ful owners before nationalisation ernment for around 600 euro an compensation. should have sent all their indict- cials contacted by Prishtia and should, as a result, be com- acre, More than 30 indictments were ments to the Special Chamber of Insight agreed to talk. While, the pensated. According to government sent to the Municipal Court of the Supreme Court. mayor of Malisheva, Isni Kila However, due to an administra- expropriation records, some of Malisheva, and two others to the Privatisation Agency denied the fact that any munici- tive error these cases have never the former Mirusha land was also Special Chamber of the Supreme spokesman Ylli Kaloshi said the pal official were obstructing the been dealt with in the appropriate been sold on to other municipal Court, but these failed to stop the court had issued no judgements so villagers attempt to reclaim their court – the Special Chamber of officials at Malisheva, including sale of the land. the sale went ahead. property. Macedonia Blocks Private Sector Role in Rail Transport Minster Mile Janakieski rules out calls for private-sector involvement in the rail company, saying the government will modernise the creaking system on its own. “We need fast, cost-effective petitive on the regional market. and modern railway transport. The proposed change to the law Only liberalization that follows comes at a time when strikes by By Sinisa Jakov Marusic European experiences will MZ workers demanding overdue improve conditions,” Ivan payments have been announced. Petrovski, head of the Meanwhile, this month MZ Association, said recently. increased railway tickets by acedonia's Transport Slovenian Railways and the around 50 per cent, angering Minister has dismissed Mcalls for the part-privati- Czech firm Loco Trans have commuters who travel daily from sation of the rail network, MZ, already expressed interest in tak- the provinces to the capital, saying it would result in mass lay- ing part in Macedonia's railway Skopje. The company said it offs. business, which is worth 30 mil- would use these money for mod- Albania Cuts “MZ would be forced to let hun- lion euros a year. ernization. dreds of workers go if that hap- The Transport Ministry The government last year pened,” Minister Janakieski said. instead announced it will amend announced it will buy new rolling Interest Rate to The minister was responding to the Railway Systems Law to ban stock and repair lines as part of a calls by the Macedonian the entry of foreign operators bid to upgrade its decayed net- Transport Association for liber- until the country joins the EU. work, which has been starved of alization of the country's trans- The government said it would investment for the past 30 years. Boost Demand port sector in general in order to meantime invest more in the rail- It also says it will launch a major bring in better quality and lower way company to modernize its overhaul of Skopje's main rail- Albania’s Central Bank on Wednesday cut the key rate prices. systems and make it more com- way station. to 4.25 per cent in order to boost weak demand by consumers. budget. According to Fullani consumer prices in Albania have been slug- gish in the past few months, while By Besar Likmeta banks and financial institution have reduced their willingness to lend owing to the global financial entral Bank governor crisis. Ardian Fullani said interest “The global financial crisis has Crates were being cut because forced international financial “economic growth is conditional actors also present in Albania to on consumer demand and internal take restrictive measure toward credit growth”. credit,” Fullani said. The Bank's decision comes “This decision is aimed at cre- among growing signs of difficulty ating the monetary conditions Y in the economy occasioned by a that will support the private sec- M reduction in consumer demand tor in Albania,” the governor C and in revenues flowing into the Macedonian train stations such as the one above will be modernised with public money, not private cash. added. K 8 March 30 - April 12, 2012 neighbourhood - business Beauty Seekers Spot Serbia’s Cosmetic Benefits Serbia’s own image abroad might still need some touching up but cash-conscious foreigners are increasingly coming here for beauty treatments.

enlargements, eyelid surgery, facelifts and liposuction. Given the low prices charged by By Gordana Andric its private clinics for this surgery, Belgrade is also becoming more popular as a destination for people seeking to arrive in one gender long with bottles of rakija and leave in another. brandy and magnets con- Since the first sex reassignment Ataining pictures of the operation was carried out in 1989, Serbian landscapes, white crowns, about 150 people have made the filled teeth, lifted breasts and even change in Serbia. About 15 to 20 a new gender are some of the foreigners now have such opera- newer souvenirs that foreigners tions in Serbia every year. can obtain these days in Serbia - While this procedure costs and at far lower prices than in West Europe or US. between 10,000 euro and 20,000 While breast implants in the UK euro in the US, the price in cost between 4,000 euro and 6,000 Serbia’s private clinics is a mere euro on average, in Serbia the 200,000 dinars 2,000 euro. price is about 2,500 euro. And “Although many of our foreign while the price in the UK can go up patients come for breast implants to 30,000 euro, the highest price in or liposuction, the clinic is most Serbia is about 4,000 euro. famous for our urologist who does The average price of nose sur- sex changes,” the spokesperson of gery in Serbia is 1,500 euro, half of the private hospital Medical Serbia’s cosmetic surgery industry is attracting foreign visitors thanks to its competitive prices what it costs in Austria. System Belgrade says. The cost of dental services is Stana Tadic, from Afeja, an clinic, says. lower cost, and more advanced To encourage clients, Serbian also a fraction of the price that a agency that connects foreign Krupez explains that, along with facilities and technology. agencies such as Belgrade’s Afeja client would pay in a private clinic patients with local clinics, says the the lower prices that Serbia offers, According to a report of the or Sky Centre from Nis offer whole in Western Europe or the US. largest number of foreigners come Serbian expats feel more confident Organisation for Economic service, hotel accommodation, A ceramic crown in Serbia costs from Austria, Germany and from having surgery done in their coun- Cooperation and Development, greeting, airport transport, trans- 80 euro and a filling between 20 Serbia’s neighbouring countries - try of origin. OECD, Health at a Glance 2011, port from and to treatments and euro and 30 euro. More complex Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia. A survey that the Deloitte Center released last November, Americans sightseeing. € oral procedures, such as tooth “In the past year people also for Health Solutions published in spent 450 million on medical care “We have really competent doc- extraction, cost between 50 euro started coming from Sweden, mid-2011 showed that although the outside the US in 2009. tors, good service, and Belgrade’s and 120 euro. Teeth-whitening Ireland, Cyprus, Canada, the US majority of patients worldwide pre- In 2009, people from OECD mem- image is improving, but more costs from 180 euro to 270 euro. In and Australia,” Tadic says. fer to get health care locally, many ber countries spent 4.5 billion euro needs to be done,” says Krupez, Austria the same treatment costs But the majority of visitors who are prepared to travel abroad. on health-related travels. But the from the OREA plastic surgery about 1,300 euro. come to Serbia for medical servic- About 13 per cent of the Swiss report writes that “due to data gaps clinic. Although medical tourism in es are not entirely “foreign”. and Brazilians interviewed said and under-reporting, this is likely “First of all there is the image of Serbia is still in its infancy, the “Most have a Serbian back- they would go abroad for elective to be a significant underestimate”. Serbia. For patients to seek med- industry is certainly making ground. They come for a vacation health care, such as cosmetic sur- In Serbia the industry is still in ical care in a foreign country, they strides. back home and depending on how gery or dental treatments. its early stages. Although when it need to feel safe and secure,” Most foreign patients come for long they stay they go for an eyelid Those willing to travel said that comes to expertise, Serbia has Krupez adds. dental services for which Serbia lifting, lips augmentation or breast important criteria for their deci- competent surgeons in all the “That means that overall politi- has a good reputation, but a grow- implants,” Magdalena Krupez, sion would be superior quality, fields in demand, the promotional cal situation must be stable, so ing number seek breast lifts and from the OREA plastic surgery greater availability of providers, side of the industry is poor. that patients may feel confident.” Germany’s Draxlemaier to Invest in Macedonia Germany's automotive supplier Draxlmaier Group Automotive, is to invest 30 million euro in a new factory in Macedonia that is expected to employ some 4,000 workers. ducers has been one of Macedonia’s priorities as part of the government’s strategy for curb- ing unemployment. By Sinisa Jakov-Marusic Electrical parts manufacturer Johnson Controls already has two factories in Macedonia, near the capital, Skopje, and in he company's facility is to be built in Stip. London-based specialty chemicals compa- the central Macedonian town of Stip. ny Johnson Matthey operates a factory in T Skopje. “The company will open a production facil- Last year, India's Samvardhana Motherson ity for electrical installations and cables this Group, SMG also started building a factory year, creating 4,000 jobs over the next three near Skopje. So did the US-based electronic years," Macedonian Foreign Investment components manufacturer KEMET and Minister Vele Samak told media recently. Germany's Krombeg and Schubert. "Products from the factory in Macedonia will The country recently said it had attracted be installed in Mercedes cars in Germany,” he slightly over 300 million euro in FDI last year as added. it slowly seeks to recover from the effects of the Draxlmaier Group is one of the world's 2009 global economic downturn. Y biggest producers of automotive parts, supply- Macedonia reached a record level of FDI in M ing clients like BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, the last 20 years in 2007 when it attracted FDI C Audi, Bugatti, VW, Jaguar and Cadillac. worth 506 million euro as a result of which it K Attracting big international car-parts pro- enjoyed high GDP growth of 5 per cent. Germany’s Draxlemaier’s office in Moldova neighbourhood news March 30 - April 12, 2012 9

Albania Minister's Anti-Gay Rant Condemned The EU and Human Rights Watch have panned the deputy defence minister for saying that activists planning Albania's first Gay Pride deserve a beating.

“Public statements like Mr nities. don’t understand this, I can Dittrich, advocacy director in the Spahiu's are in contradiction with But the planned march, the explain it: to beat them with a Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and the implementation of anti-dis- country’s first Gay Pride parade, rubber stick,” Spahiu told the Transgender Rights Program at By Besar Likmeta crimination policies under chap- has already provoked the ire of daily Gazeta Shqiptare. Human Rights Watch. ter 23 on judiciary and fundamen- conservatives and religious com- Human Rights Watch on “Government officials should tal rights of the EU acquis commu- munities. Monday called on the Albanian be supporting plans to hold a nautaire,” the statement added. Ekrem Spahiu, who heads a government to publicly repri- Gay Pride parade, not making The European Union strongly condemns any discriminatory Gay rights activists have small royalist party called mand Spahiu. threats against the partici- “rhetoric as well as any incite- announced that they will hold a Legality, called for the activists “I am shocked that a high rank- pants.” ment to hatred or violence,” the rally in Tirana on May 17 to defend to be beaten. ing government official is calling The Prime Minister, Sali EU delegation in Albania said in a the rights of the lesbian, gay, “What remains to be done is to for violence against peaceful Berisha, has since called the statement on Tuesday. bisexual and transgender commu- beat them up with a stick. If you LGBT demonstrators,” said Boris remarks “unacceptable”. Sarajevo to Mark 20 Years Ohrid Plans Future Since Siege Started as Ski Resort Macedonia has given the green light for the construction City plans ambitious artistic event to honour the more than 10,000 victims of the siege of ski slopes overlooking Lake Ohrid, the country’s biggest that began almost 20 years ago. tourist destination, best known for its summer offering. The plan is to set a stage next to According to the Research and as a few restaurants and cafés for the Eternal Flame in the heart of Documentation Centre Sarajevo, of skiers, are also part of the plan. Sarajevo and set 11,541 red chairs the 11,541 people killed in the siege, The facilities are planned to be By Elvira Jukic in the auditorium – symbolising 643 were children. By Sinisa Jakov- built through private-public part- the number of lost lives. Pasovic said many artists and Marusic nership. No timeline or financial “From the stage near the Eternal young people will take part in the construction for the plan has been arajevo has unveiled plans to Flame down the Marshall Tito programme, which will include revealed. commemorate the start of Street [the main street] 11,541 red concerts and art shows. he ski slopes will be con- Ohrid and its lake are by far the Sthe Bosnian Serb siege on chairs will be set in 825 lines,” Alija Behmen, Mayor of structed on Galicica biggest tourist draws in Macedonia April 6 that cost more than 11,500 explained Haris Pasovic, the Sarajevo, said it was important to TMountain, a nature resort attracting hundreds of thousands that oversees the lake and town of lives before it ended in 1995. author and director and one of the commemorate the siege as a warn- of tourists a year. Traditionally the same name. The plan for the events, called organizers of the event. ing to the world about the human they are a summer destination. The idea came from the Sarajevo Red Line, was presented “The red auditorium will be 800 potential for destruction. The lake is one of the largest in Macedonian Association of Tourist on March 27 at the City Hall by a metres long and will end near Ali The siege of Sarajevo lasted 44 the Balkans and was listed as a Workers, HOTAM. team of artists and officials. Pasha Mosque,” he added. months and is considered the World Heritage site in 1979. Located It is “aimed at making this tradi- longest in modern history. Most between Macedonia and Albania, it people killed in the city were hit by tional summer destination an all- is the deepest freshwater system in snipers and bombs fired from the year-round tourist resort so that we the Balkans with a maximum depth surrounding Serb-held mountains. can use Ohrid’s full potential,” of 300 metres (900 feet). The International Criminal Donco Taneski, from HOTAM, said. The town of Ohrid has a charm Tribunal for former Yugoslavia, The project envisages nine ski of its own, with its rich cultural ICTY, sentenced two former runs making a total of 12 kilome- heritage and picturesque churches Bosnian Serb generals for oversee- tres of slopes, along with four ski and houses that date back cen- ing the siege of Sarajevo. lifts. A small medical centre, as well turies. Stanislav Galic and Dragomir Milosevic were found guilty of ter- rorizing civilians in Sarajevo and sentenced to life imprisonment and 29 years' imprisonment respec- tively. The April 6 commemoration will be the first time that Sarajevo has put on an official programme of this kind in memory of the victims Sarajevo as it looked 20 years ago. of the siege. 10 March 30 - April 12, 2012 Neighbourhood marketing Jury Out on

As the row over the selection of judges in Serbia shows no sign of end- ing, the Judicial Council, the body tasked with sorting it out, remains hopelessly compromised, its own credibility in tatters.

accused of not respecting its own criteria, of sacking good judges for political rea- sons and of promoting others with deeply By Gordana Andric problematic records – and of doing all this far from the public eye. The High Judicial Council was supposed to take into account five criteria when ore than two years since Serbia’s evaluating judges: qualifications, integri- government began trumpeting its ty, competence, diligence and efficiency. Mjudicial reforms, hailing a victory It did not help matters that the letter for the principle of lustration and a break sent to all the rejects was a template with with an old and compromised system, the an identical formal explanation. chorus of criticism of those reforms has grown stronger. This provoked an outcry, as those who Brickbats have come thick and fast from had been rejected were entitled by law to the international community, legal get a written explanation of their wrong- experts and the judges themselves. doing. Criticism has prompted a fresh look into At this point Europe became involved. the process of appointing judges. But the The European Commission Progress main judicial body tasked with sorting out Report on Serbia for 2010 expressed “seri- the errors, the High Judicial Council, is ous concern” about the judges’ reappoint- itself under attack, and the complaints ment procedure. have not gone away. It pointed to problems in the selection of Meanwhile the fact the whole process of members of the Judicial Council, lack of decision-making remains totally hidden clear criteria in decision-making and alle- from the public has fed suspicion that too gations of political influence. much in the world of the Serbian judiciary The work of the Judicial Council was goes on behind closed doors. seen as especially compromised because all sessions and voting were pronounced Flawed from day one: an official secret, so that members are banned from talking about what goes on. The process of reforming the corpus of Furthermore, the Council has been judges in Serbia began in 2008, when the accused of promoting judges that were not Judicial Council was tasked with examin- up to the task. ing the country’s entire quota of judges, Both Justice Minister, Snezana Malovic, about 3,000 in all, re-electing those it from the ruling Democratic Party, and the deemed suitable. Judicial Council President, Nata The process finished in January 2010, by Mesarovic, insisted that every new judge which time more than 800 of the 3,000 had had been carefully checked. lost their jobs. In spite of that, among the new intake About 90 per cent of the rejects then were dozens of names with questionable either appealed to the Constitutional pasts. Court in Serbia or the European Court for Some had risked dismissal back in 2001,  Human Rights in Strasbourg. following the fall of Slobodan Milosevic’s But in December 2010, three months regime, because of their role in the notori- NATIVE ENGLISH SPEAKER/TEACHER WANTED after Serbia’s Constitutional Court started ous election frauds of the Milosevic gov-     discussing the appeals, the government ernments. changed the law and gave the task to High The government’s own body, the Anti- TheLearningInstituteinKosovo(LIK)isthefirstlanguageschoolinKosovotoofferEnglish Judicial Council. Corruption Council, in a report on languagetuitionprovidedsolelybynativespeakers. Thus, all the complaints were returned February 10, 2011 said a number of newly  to the same body about whose decision the promoted judges had poorer records than rejected judges were complaining. Establishedduringthesummerof2011,LIKhasquicklyearnedareputationofproviding the judges who’d lost their jobs. Since then, while deciding which judges It highlighted the strange goings-on in qualityinstructionandthedemandforitsserviceshavegrown. will be appointed and who remains dis- the First Basic Court in Belgrade, where,  missed, the Judicial Council has been before selecting judges for the court, the LIKislookingforanenthusiastic,nativeEnglishspeakertojoinitsteam.LIK’snewteam memberwillbeflexible,andpossessexcellentinterͲpersonalskills.  Ifyouareinterestedandwouldlikefurtherdetails,pleaseemailyourCVto:  info@learningͲinstituteͲkosovo.com  Youmusthavetrainingand/orteachingexperience,andbecertifiedtoteachEnglishasa foreignlanguage.  ClosingdateforapplicationsisFriday,23March. Allcandidateswillbenotifiedofthestatusoftheirapplicationby7April2012.  

Y M C K Neighbourhood March 30 - April 12, 2012 11 Serbia’s ‘Reform’ of Judges

Judicial Council had unanimously agreed a list of best candidates. Days later, during the voting, 20 names of agreed candidates had disappeared and been replaced with other names. How this hap- pened has not been established because official secrecy proce- dures were in place. Similar things happened in other courts. Significantly, among the new appointees for the Superior Court in Belgrade was Judicial Council President Mesarovic’s own son, Vladimir. While Mesarovic’s son had obtained a green light, other would-be judges were rejected for having relatives in the judiciary system. Both judge and jury:

After the EU and experts in Serbia urged the government to take a fresh look at the selection procedure, and after the govern- ment agreed to re-examine the process in 2010, seven new mem- bers were appointed to the Judicial Council in March 2011. This was then tasked firstly with deciding on numerous appeals and then with independ- ently assessing the judges whose appointments were disputed. If there was a hope that the new 11-member Council could start afresh and decide everything on merit, that hope soon faded. According to the law from December 2008 on the Judicial ent and objective judge who was Association of Serbia obtained Another problem is that while Behind closed doors: Council, decisions must be made not involved into the initial case after the intervention of the under the constitution a majority by a majority of all members, deciding the appeal,” she said. Commissioner for Information of of members of the Council should meaning at least six. Meanwhile, how decisions were “This is unacceptable.” Public Importance - Jaksic be judges, currently this is only made by this Council, the public But so many members of the Serbian ombudsman Sasa informed the Council that the the case with five, instead of six. will never know. Council had been removed or Jankovic has also weighed in. In executive, ie the authorities, were In spite of this, the Council has Mesarovic and her supporters resigned since the new Council January 2012, he called the situa- “trying to put pressure on his not stopped working. Over 300 banned recording of the sessions, was appointed in March 2011 that tion on the Council “legally and work”. appeals are currently being despite a majority on the council concerns remained about whether logically inconsistent”. In his letter to the Judges’ checked and some rulings have voting for transparency back in the Council’s rulings on appeals by Further undermining the validi- Association of Serbia, sent from been already delivered. sacked judges could be considered ty of the Council’s decisions, the prison on January 8, Jaksic In January this year the July 2011. credible. Anti-Corruption agency has dis- repeated this claim. Once again he Ombudsman stated that all Justice Minister Snezana One problem concerned four puted the presence of a fifth mem- accused the executive of trying to Council decisions made since the Malovic, Democratic MP and members of the old Council who ber of the Council, Predrag influence his work on the Council, judges lost their majority on the president of the parliamentary remained in the new Council after Dimitijevic. saying that after he refused to be Council should be considered null Board for Justice and March 2011. This because he holds two pub- controlled, “they” had started and void. He urged the Council to Administration Bosko Ristic, Three of these, Justice Minister lic positions at once, which is ille- attacking him and his family. stop working until its composition lawyer Dejan Ciric and Professor Malovic, president of parliament’s gal, one on the Council and anoth- His wife, a prosecutor in matched the law. Predrag Dimitrijevic, all sided board for justice Bosko Ristic, and er as a Dean of Law in Nis. Belgrade, with no explanation, Both Ombudsman Jankovic and with Mesarovic. Council chair Mesarovic held While the corruption agency had been transferred to an office President of Judges Association of Some minutes from sessions their posts ex officio. says he should be removed, parlia- in Sremska Mitrovica, for exam- Serbia Boljevic agree that when have been given to the Judges’ While all three were committed ment has to approve this decision ple. deciding on judges’ appeals, all Association of Serbia on the not to vote in the new Council, and hasn’t done so. Thus, His case raises several ques- members of the Council have to be intervention of Rodoljub Sabic, their presence has still counted, as Dimitrijevic remains on the tions, including one about how he present before adopting a decision. Commissioner for Information of decisions must be made by a Council. could have been appointed a judge Bosko Ristic, President of the Public Importance, and can be majority of 11, not only by the The sixth member of the in 2009 in the first place, let alone Parliament’s Judicial Board, says found on the Association website. eight who vote, distorting the vot- Council, Blagoje Jaksic, also has a been selected for the Judicial this is already the case. Since March two observers, ing procedure. Namely, if five big question mark hanging over Council, if his background had “Stories that the Council does from the EU delegation and OSCE members vote “Yes”, they are still him. On September 23, 2011 Jaksic not been cleared. not have quorum are speculation. are also allowed to attend the ses- in a minority. was arrested and charged with However Jaksic remains a mem- We always work by our rulebook,” sions, but cannot be present dur- A fourth member of the council, alleged abuse of office. ber of the Council until court pro- he told Prishtina Insight. ing voting. lawyer Dejan Ciric, who was elect- Prosecutors for organised crime ceedings against him are complete Meanwhile, the judges whose EU source from Brussels told ed later than the others in the pre- accused Jaksic and five others of because of the legal presumption appeals the Council have rejected BIRN that the EU “cannot assess vious Council, has also been enti- having unlawfully gained 20 mil- of innocence until guilt is proven. are still appealing to the and comment on validity of the tled to stay and he can also vote. lion dinars in 1998 when he was a The seventh member of the Constitutional Court. By March 3, process now, as it’s still too early.” Thus, many of the same people judge in Mitrovica, Kosovo, and Council, judge Milimir Lukic, the Court had received 136 such who decided previously to reject when he allegedly verified false resigned in November 2011, also appeals. “It is up to the Constitutional various judges are now deciding contracts for the purchase of complaining of political pressures Following Mesarovic’s state- Court will decide whether the on the appeals lodged against their office space signed by two other and saying he did not “want to ments that the Council’s decisions Council had the right to adopt own decisions. arrested men. work under conditions where pres- are legitimate, the Constitutional decisions. Dragana Boljevic, President of Previously, prosecution office sure is put on members of the Court on January 18 said it had “The EU will deliver its opinion the Judges’ Association of Serbia, had abandoned the case in 2004. Council”. His successor is another not given an opinion on the legali- on the process only after we says this violates the constitution- Suddenly it had reappeared. judge, Miroljub Tomic. ty and legitimacy of the new com- assess the criteria that the al provision guaranteeing people a In August 2011, according to the Thus, currently, only five of the position of the Council, but will Council were applying and see right to a fair trial. written records from the Council 10 members of the Council are not decide individually on the mem- whether criteria were applied “A fair trial means an independ- session - which the Judges’ disputed. bers, case by case. objectively,” the EU source added. 12 March 30 - April 12, 2012 feature

Knives and Needles Mark

Nowruz, Persian New Year, is marked across large swathes of the world, buildings, in Kosovo and Albania, led by clergy. including in Kosovo where the Bektashi Order of Sufi Muslim dervishes cele- Sultan Nevruz, as it is written in Albanian, celebrates the birthday of Imam brate the birthday of Imam Ali. Ali, who holds a high position in almost all Sufi orders, which trace their line- The Kosovo Sufi community performs centuries-old mystical practices, age through him to the Prophet Muhammad. such as self-piercing with needles and knives as a way to earn salvation and In Albania, the day is also celebrated as a secular version of Nowruz, called find the path to God. Spring Day. The special ceremonies were held on March 22 in Tekkes, Dervish holy (Photos by AP) feature March 30 - April 12, 2012 13

A row has er

Bektashi Holy Day

Nowruz, which means New Day in Persian, is the Iranian New Year. Nowruz is celebrated and observed by Iranian peoples and has spread to many other parts of the world, includ- ing parts of Central Asia, Caucasus, South Asia, Northwestern China, the Crimea and some groups in the Balkans. Nowruz marks the first day of spring and the begin- ning of the year in the Iranian calendar. It is celebrated on the day of the astronomical vernal equinox, which usually occurs on March 21 or the previous/following day depending on where it is observed. As well as being a Zoroastrian holiday and having significance amongst the Zoroastrian ancestors of modern Iranians, the same time is celebrated in parts of the South Asian sub-conti- nent as the new year. The moment the Sun crosses the celestial equator and equalizes night and day is calculat- ed exactly every year and Iranian families gather togeth- er to observe the rituals. Originally being a Zoroastrian festival, and the holiest of them all, Nowruz is believed to have been invented by Zoroaster himself, although there is no clear date of ori- gin. Since the Achaemenid era the official year has begun with the New Day when the Sun leaves the zodiac of Pisces and enters the zodiacal sign of Aries, signify- ing the Spring Equinox. The Jewish festival of Purim is probably adopted from the Persian New Year. It is also a holy day for Sufis, Ismailis, Alawites, Alevis, and adherents of the Bahá'í Faith. The term Nowruz in writing first appeared in Persian records in the 2nd century AD, but it was also an impor- tant day during the time of the Achaemenidsc. 548–330 BC), where kings from different nations under the Persian empire used to bring gifts to the Emperor, also called King of Kings (Shahanshah), of Persia on Nowruz. The significance of Nowruz in the Achaemenid empire was such that the great Persian king Cambyses II's appointment as the king of Babylon was legitimised only after his participation in the New Year festival (Nowruz). The UN's General Assembly in 2010 recognised the International Day of Nowruz, describing it a spring fes- tival of Persian origin which has been celebrated for over 3,000 years.During the meeting of The Inter-govern- mental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Heritage of the United Nations, held between 28 September to 2 October 2009 in Abu Dhabi, Nowruz was Y officially registered on the UNESCO List of the M Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. C K 14 March 30 - April 12, 2012 culture Kosovo War Film Wins International Plaudits With a Sundance Festival award under its belt, Blerta Zeqiri’s ‘The Return’ looks like ending the run of Kosovo war movies that passed into film oblivion. conflict has changed the way they Kosovo’s independence strug- see each other. The wife, Adriana gle. Matoshi, has been raped by Serb Berisha admits Kosovar film- By Donjeta Demolli paramilitaries while the husband, makers have been unsuccessful Lulzim Bucolli, was imprisoned in in their attempts to get the story Serbia. of the war across to an interna- Kosovo movie buffs hope the tional audience. s far as movies about the film will herald an end to more Her film, she says, “showed Balkans are concerned, the than a decade of worthy films the generosity of our people, Amedia glare undoubtedly about their country that have had how noble and generous to focused this year on Angelina zero box office appeal. friends we are, and how naive Jolie’s Bosnian war drama, In the One of the first to look at the we are about war”. Land of Blood and Honey. Blerta Zeqiri (left), director of The Return, on this year’s Sundance Festival impact of the war on the country But Kosovo is not much good, But a short film on the Kosovo cinemas, and on television. If it that way,” director Fatos was Kosova 9/11 by Burbuqe she says, when it comes to the conflict has also been winning is also plausible, it can often Berisha says. “Writers are open Berisha, released in 2002. art of propaganda. international plaudits - Blerta transport the viewer with it.” to take on the topic they want.” Set in a lost village in Kosovo, “Nothing strengthens, Zeqiri’s “The Return”, which Some filmmakers blame the Blerta Zeqiri, director of The people misunderstand the news launches or invalidates an idea scooped top prize at the Sundance lack of funds for the absence of Return, says directors should of the attack of the twin towers more than a movie,” Berisha Festival in the best World Short quality productions on the not use financial difficulties as in New York in 2001, believing notes. Film category. Kosovo conflict. an excuse for not trying. that Serbia has taken revenge “A movie is a portable item. It The film follows a couple reunit- Isa Qosja, director of “I thought for a long time on the US for its support of can be seen everywhere, both in ed after the war, looking at how the “Kukumi”, a 2005 movie about about this topic [war],” she the impact on the war on the says, talking of her award-win- mentally ill, says recreating ning film. war scenes is costly. “It is something that preoccu- “War themes require money pies me. I care about how war because costumes need to be and how an experience as tragic made, the set has to be unique, as war affects a man and how he and then there are pyrotech- can continue a normal life with nics, including smoke and fire. that experience inside him.” “All these things, weapons, She says film can play a vital special effects, these all cost,” role in helping people face the he says. past, which is especially needed Qosja believes that the Kosovo in Kosovo, “a nation with a government should made films desire to silence many things. about historical events and “If you just look at family life, important figures more of a pri- if something bad happens we ority. hush it up and think that by But there is no firm consen- hushing it up we can overcome sus on this. The things. Cinematographic Centre, “We accumulate feelings that Kosovo’s main film institution, don’t allow for a healthy future, this year has a budget of 500,000 so it’s very important to deal euro, 25 per cent higher than with the past.” last year. But with sufficient time and While it does subsidise some enough courage, Zeqiri contin- war movies, the centre says it ues, people can “track their does not see them as a priority. emotions and transform them “We don’t ask filmmakers to into art [even though] it is a present projects with specific painful process to re-experience A scene from the award-winning film The Return topics - scripts aren’t ordered them.” Macedonian Poet Wows UK Festival Audiences Nikola Madzirov, who describes writing poetry in today’s uncertain world as thrilling, is continuing his tour at festivals in England, Wales and Scotland. poetry collective Bad Language and Poetry Nikola Madzirov Wales at the university city of Bangor in thrilling. Wales and in Manchester. “To live in Europe in this time of uncer- WHAT IS TO BE DONE? By Nemanja Cabric He will also take part in the “StAnza” tainty and hope, and to write poetry, which international poetry festival in St Andrews, doesn’t offer ways out but only opens doors To live without reason or necessity, Scotland, on March 18. to get in – that’s exciting by itself,” to embrace the offenders On his UK tour Madzirov will recite Madzirov told Prishtina Insight. liberated from love, fter a poetry night at London’s Royal poems from his latest book “Остаток од друг Madzirov’s sensitive, introspective poet- to lift the candle from ruined graves Festival Hall last Monday, where he век” (“Remnants of Another Age”), a selec- ry has brought him numerous awards, and say a word or two Awas billed as one of Europe’s three when there's no wind, most exciting poets, Nikola Madzirov con- tion of his poems published in Macedonian among them the Hubert Burda poetry to open the rusty door of the world tinues his UK tour with readings in Wales and English in the US in 2011. award for his book “Relocated stone” in and depart with airy footsteps. Y and in Scotland. The 39-year old from Strumica says he 2007. To recover from time's dividers M Madzirov will be reading alongside local feels honoured to be part of the European His works have been translated into 30 thrust into our own hearts. C and international poets at two events organ- society of poets and he sees the fact that he languages and published in collections and —from Remnants of Another Age K ised in co-operation with the Manchester lives and writes poetry in today’s Europe as anthologies in the US, Europe and Asia. guide March 30 - April 12, 2012 15 Iron Way Reveals Balkan Wonders The reopened narrow-gauge railway on the Bosnian-Serbian border transports tourists back to a bygone era – as well as through some of the country’s most stunning terrain. alder and white willow. The park is also rich in groundwater, springs, wells, streams and small By Nemanja Cabric river courses. Because of its pris- tine nature, it is also home to many endangered species, such as the brown bear. art of the narrow-gauge rail- The raw natural habitat in way that once connected which the tight railway was PUzice in Western Serbia and carved and drilled, and its signif- Visegrad in eastern Bosnia now icance to the history of long-dis- serves as a tourist attraction for tance transport in Yugoslavia, numerous visitors to the Mokra make for a unique experience. Gora and narrow gauge railway Hidden in the forests and enthusiasts from all over Europe. wrapped like a snake around A section of the route was steep cliffs, the railway preserves reconstructed in 2003 on the initia- memories of the bygone times of tive of locals who felt nostalgic for World War I. The story of its con- its long years of service. The struction and five decades of 13.5km-long line now has two sta- active life, connecting Serbia to tions between Mokra Gora and the Adriatic coast, form part of Sargan Vitas: Jatare, known for the fact that no one ever bought a early 20 century Balkan history. ticket to go there, and Golubici, built for the needs of director Connecting the Balkans: Emir Kusturica’s movie “Zivot je čudo (“Life is a Wonderful”). By 1906 both the Kingdom of Only a little faster than a Serbia and the Empire of marathon runner, the locomotive Austria-Hungary, which then ruled Bosnia, had almost finished pulling wagons dating from the attempts to link themselves up start of the 20th century, and popu- through narrow-gauge railroads. larly known as “Cira”, makes its Austria-Hungary had by then ascent daily. built a railroad in Bosnia from On this short but exciting ride Sarajevo to Dobrun, which it there are 22 tunnels, the longest intended to continue towards the of which is 1.6km long. The steep Serbian border. Finishing the The narrow-guage railway now serves as a tourist attraction railway is famous for the fact that railway network in Serbia and The works were officially put two parts of a tunnel drilled from became the target of German hos- it climbs 300m in only 3km. The connecting it to Bosnia was sup- on hold after Romania joined the the opposite sides of a hill did not tilities. path, observed from the air, forms posed to enable continuous rail war against Austria-Hungary and meet. After the war, meanwhile, work a figure eight and so is known as traffic between Serbia and the men were needed more urgently The story goes that Serbs dis- began on new standard-gauge “Sargan Eight”. Adriatic. But work on completing in other war zones. covered the error in his paper- railway lines. As “Cira” howls its way a connection between the two The establishment of the work and fixed it with a mini- Traffic on the Sargan route fell through tunnels and over railways did not start until the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and mum amount of digging. as the new standard railroad bridges, passengers are treated to outbreak of World War I in 1914. Slovenes after the war required a Either way, the first train from from Belgrade to Bar opened. The flashes of the extraordinary land- By 1916, in what was then occu- series of rail projects to be imple- Sarajevo to Uzice ran on January line was closed in 1974. scapes of the area. pied Serbia, Russian and Italian mented quickly. Connecting 25 1925 and three years later the Many narrow-gauge railways Located on the southeast slopes prisoners completed the line to Serbia to Sarajevo and the Belgrade-Sarajevo railway was that closed in that period have of Tara Mountain and the north- Mokra Gora on Serbian territory Adriatic Sea was seen as particu- complete. The Sargan mountain since been reconstructed in a west slopes of Zlatibor, the park and had started to drill tunnels larly urgent. route became part of the central variety of European countries, to includes the valley of Mokra into the Sargan saddle when There is a rumour that the proj- core of long-distance transport serve as tourist attractions. Gora on the south, the saddle of about 200 prisoners were buried ect for this section of railway was within Yugoslavia. The first narrow gauge railway Sargan in the centre as well as a alive by falling rocks in one of the completed by an Austrian archi- From working line to tourist society in Britain was formed as part of the Kremane Valley in the tunnels. tect captured by Serbs after the attraction: long ago as 1951 and since then north. Records note a fall in the num- end of World War I. During World War II, the strate- dozens of formerly disused lines Covered in meadows and pas- ber of prisoners but don’t direct- A story goes that the prisoner gically important railway line lay have reopened in the UK under tures, it is surrounded by forests ly mention the tragedy that hap- killed himself after mistaking his in the centre of the Partisan-con- the management of enthusiasts. of black pine, oak and the odd pened and possibly stopped work. calculations as a result of which trolled “Republic of Uzice” and so Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with smaller curves and lighter rails, they are usually cheaper to build, equip and operate than standard or broad gauge railways, particular- ly in mountainous or difficult ter- rain. Their position, the way that they were built, and the purposes they served, often today appear exotic. Sargan 8 is especially impres- sive because of the natural won- ders it passes through and because of its curves, tunnels and bridges. Since it reopened, it has become a must-see for tourists. Many locals recall the predic- tion of a psychic from Kremno, called Mitar Tarabic, who decades ago prophesied that the iron road would be rescued from oblivion. “Many years will pass until the people will remember the iron road and rebuild it,” Tarabic allegedly said, 30 years before con- struction even began. “Only, peo- Y ple will not travel on it for busi- M ness and need but for fun and C The railway cuts through the beautiful Tara mountains, on the border between Serbia and Bosnia. enjoyment.” K 16 March 30 - April 12, 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 March 30 - April 12, 2012 17 in Prishtina Timeout Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like your event to feature or to advertise your venue. Email [email protected] Stacion – Center for Chronicle Every day at 8 pm and 10 pm. Contemporary Art Kino ABC has started to screen the movie “Chronicle” by the director Joshua Trank. The project “Working for one month per Three high school friends gain superpowers after making an incredible year for art” is open untill April 28, 2012 at discovery. Soon, though, they find their lives spinning out of control and Stacion – Center for Contemporary Art. their bond tested as they embrace their darker sides. Starring: Dane DeHaan, Alex Russell and Michael B. Jordan. Curatorial work by Albert Heta

Jakup Ferri, Driton Hajredini, Genc Kadriu, Take Me Home Tonight Alban Muja, Rron Qena, Every day at 4pm, 6 pm Lulzim Zeqiri Selection from the Rron Dalladaku Collection and archival ABC Cinema continues screening the 2011 movie Take Me Home Tonight by material from the conference “Art the director: Michael Dowse. Market and Smile”! Starring Topher Grace, Anna Faris, Dan Fogler etc. It's the late 1980s, when Wall Street is riding high, and it seems as if the entire ‘Working for one moth per country is cashing in on the bumper profits. Disgusted with the materialism year for art’, in a country without a contemporary art market, is a that surrounds him, Matt Franklin, a brilliant young MIT graduate, has walked project based on the analysis of a specific model of contemporary out on his well-paid position at a local lab and taken a low-level job as a video art collection and a public presentation of the material of the con- clerk, much to his father Bill's consternation. And the crises keep piling up in ference “Art Market and Smile!” with panellists Vesa Sahatçiu, Matt's life. His best buddy Barry has just been fired from his job, his brainy sis- Luan Mulliqi, Tamer Bushtra, Afrim Ethemi, Gani Llalloshi and ter Wendy is getting hitched to her vapid boyfriend Kyle, and the gorgeous Tori Sislej Xhafa, organised in 2008, by Stacion – Center for Frederking, long-time object of Matt's unattainable adoration, is suddenly back Contemporary Art. in the picture. Now, on one wild and irresponsible evening, everything is coming to a head, with explosive results. DAM Festival

For any further questions or reservations call at 038 243 238 or visit them at www.kinoabc.com When: Friday, March 30, When: Wednesday, April 4, 2012 at 7.30 pm 2012 at 8 pm Where: Red Hall Where: Red Hall Oda Theatre What: Opening Who: Ivana Hoxha, mezzoso- SPARK – the classical band prano (Albania ) Solen Alla, baritone (Albania ) If It Was a Play (Germany) Every Tuesday at 8 pm Andrea Ritter,block flute Ingrid Pulizo, piano (Albania ) Riad Ymeri, tenor (Kosovo) Friday, March 16, 2012 Daniel Koschitzki, block flute Aurora Spahiu, percussion Tre Gjermanët e At 8pm Stefan Glaus, violin - viola Trashë II Victor Plumettaz, cello (Kosovo) Vesna Angelova Hristov, piano (Three Fat Germans II) Based on the drama by Almir Mischa Cheung, piano (Macedonia) Imshireviq. Director: Agon Myftari. Thanks to this play you On bus number 4, during wartime When: Friday, March 30, When: Thursday, April 5, will understand “What did in Prishtina, a 26 years old, wearing 2012 at 8 pm 2012 at 9 pm Brigel say when he asked jeans, is near hotel Union, when a Where: Hamam Jazz Bar Where: Hamam Jazz Bar for a drink?”; “Why Hans sniper bullet breaks the glass and Who: Chloé Cailleton Trio Who: No Name Duo didn’t let him drink shoots the youngster in the neck. A (France) Avni Krasniqi, keyboard & Mojito?”; “How did Gani lady wearing white, who was next to Chloé Cailleton, vocal & per- electro (Kosovo) experience his 21st snow?”; him starts to scream. When she sees cussion Astrit Stafai, oud (Kosovo) “Is Vukashin really the blood in her shirt she faints. Ronan Courty, double bass Ukshin?”; “Does KFOR-ja Two hours later she is seen again at Armel Dupas, piano When: Friday, April 6, 2012 still work for KFOR or she the Great Mosque, near caffe at 8 pm just loves him?”; “How did “Romantika”, but this time in the When: Saturday, March 31, Where: The National and Hekuran boil eggs in the middle of the North Pole?”; These and company of a younger friend who 2012 at 7 pm University Library of Kosovo other events you can see in the play “Tre Gjermanët e Trashë II”. tells her “I sometimes do it even Where: Hall of Music High Who: Franc Koruni, guitar fourteen times!” School “Prenk Jakova”, Author: Lirak Celaj; Producer: Florent Mehmeti; Roles: Naser Starrimg Rebeka Qena, Adrian Gjakova (Albania) Rafuna, Adrian Morina, Kushtrim Sheremeti, Lirak Celaj, Fisnik Morina, Armend Ismajli, Besnik Who: Rasmus Kroyer, clarinet Trio Sonore (Kosovo – Ademi, Ard Islami, Arta Selimi, Florent Mehmeti. Krapi. (Denmark) Macedonia) Lirika Pula, piano (Kosovo) Lejla Beqiri, flute For more information call +381 (0)38 246 555 or write [email protected]. Meriton Ferizi, bassoon When: Sunday, April 1, 2012 Pëllumb Vula, clarinet at 8 pm Dodona Theatre Where: Red Hall When: Saturday, April 7, Who: Symphonic Orchestra Of 2012 at 8 pm Every Thursday 7.30pm Kosovo Philharmony Where: The National and Thomas Gould, vviolin (Great University Library of Kosovo Çifti i Hapur is being staged with the text of Italian Britain) Who: Elvis Bytyqi, guitar authors Dario Fo and Franca Rame, directed by Kushtrim Toshio Yanagisawa, conductor (Kosovo) Koliqi (Japan) Gjulian Bytyqi, guitar A man proposes to his wife to eliminate the concept of (Kosovo) marital loyalty and create an “open relationship” in their When: Monday, April 2, lives. The woman rejects this and after several attempts at 2012 at 8 pm When: Wednesday, April 11, suicide, she decides to accept her husband’s offer because Where: Red Hall 2012 at 8 pm it’s the only way to remain married. The man is happy. He, Who: Ilir Bajri, piano (Kosovo) Where: Catholic Church “St. no longer needs to hide his girlfriends and is released from Nesim Maxhuni, percussion Anthony” feelings of guilt. Now everything is democratic and open. (Kosovo) Who: Ad Hoc Orchestra Everything goes well until the day when the woman finds Artea Bajri, vocal (Kosovo) (Kosovo) the love of her life, which is what her “modern” husband New Born Choir (Kosovo) cannot accept. When: Tuesday, April 3, Ylber Asllanaj, conductor Cast: Edona Reshitaj and Besart Sllamniku; Costumes and the 2012 at 8 pm Edon Ramadani, conductor setting: Njomza Luci. Composer: Trimor Dhomi; Where: Red Hall Besa Llugiqi, soprano Who: Rasmus Kroyer, clarinet Flaka Goranci, mezzosoprano Y For more details email [email protected]; (Denmark) Riad Ymeri, tenor M [email protected] Lirika Pula, piano (Kosovo) Armando Likaj, bass (Albania) C K 18 March 30 - April 12, 2012 Advert

Y M C K 19 Inside Prishtina March 30 - April 12, 2012 Kosovo Finds Strength in Scott Shigeoka partnership director at House Numbers One World Youth Project Rampant illegal building and changes to road names have left everyone from postmen to police- men unable to find specific houses - but changes are afoot.

By Petrit Collaku

hen Selim Koro, 43 years old, called the police in Prishtina last year to report a burglary, he pro- vided the operator with his street name and

W of: the Eyes through Prishtina house number. “I waited for some time and then I realised that some- thing must be wrong,” said Selimi . He called the police again to see why they had not arrived at the crime scene. Police then told him they were on that street but that they could not find him. “I went out and saw the police car at the end of the street,” he said. “The police were talking to the wrong peo- ple. What surprised you most about Prishtina? “They were talking to a family who were living in fact It's one of those places that, no matter how much at the house with the number I had given to the police.” One of the few numbered doors in Prishtina research you do before hand, you just have to experience Selimi to this day doesn’t know his actual house num- The proposals for the street names will come from it. The people were so warm and friendly, it felt like I was ber and he is far from alone. municipalities. According to Kryeziu, the agency predicts at home (I'm from Hawaii). I was walking alone in the city In order to address this problem, a law was passed in that the only problem will be naming in the municipali- trying to find a place in the city, and a Kosovar woman December 2011 which will lead to the identification of ties with a Serb majority. saw that I looked lost, and took me to where I needed to go every house, apartment and plot in Kosovo. The project is “We still don’t know what names we will be using even though it was four or five city blocks away. Everyone being led by the European Commission and implemented there,” he said. I met exuded that kind of friendliness, and I felt so happy by Kosovo Cadastral Agency. Kryeziu added that the new address system will be during the days and night I spent in Prishtina. The few The work includes placing signs on every streets as well immediately used by the police, post office, emergency Albanian words I learned to embrace were: Te Dua as the creation of state and municipal address registers. services and KEK. Kosova. The street signs will be 30x40cm in size, blue and in the “For the numbers we will consider the information col- three official languages, Albanian, Serbian and English. lected by KEK, since they posses better date on this,” What's/was your favorite hangout? “Some municipalities will have the street name signs Kryeziu said. It was great working with our One World Youth Project also in four languages, for example in Prizren, it will be in The charting of streets will start from town centres students at the University of Prishtina. They showed us Turkish as well,” said Ismet Kryeziu, director of the judi- before panning out towards suburbs and villages. all the cool spots around the city like the local mall, Bill cial department within the Kosovo Cadastral Agancy. “For example, Prishtina will start from the central Clinton Boulevard and a spot on the mountain where you He added that the address system is also a precondition square. The Cathedral will also have its own number,” he get great views of the entire city. I think my favorite place for EU membership. said. was Dit' e Nat' because I'm addicted to Kosovo's macchi- atos.

Do/did you do anything cultural? Smart Phones Could Tackle I was in Prishtina helping to facilitate the Fall Site Training for the University of Prishtina students going through the One World Youth Project training. I would Prishtina’s Potholes say the best thing about the trip was talking to each of the students and learning more about their lives. It reaf- “The number of citizen who own a phone with Android firmed that we all share a deeper humanity with each application or iOS[Apple] is significant, so it would not be other, and I felt like I made some incredible friends while hard to implement this program. By Bujar Aruqaj I was there. I can't wait to come back to see everyone “We are very much in need of practices of this nature again. I also met a great deal of locals in the city, who where citizen themselves are active in the municipality were helpful, kind and shared so many of their life sto- processes.” ries. alls are being made for Prishtina municipality – Prishtina municipality failed to address our questions and others in Kosovo – to use new smart phone tech- about whether they would consider using such applica- What is the most annoying thing about Prishtina? Cnology which identifies potholes. tions. Everyone was so fashionable! I couldn't keep up! This year’s harsh winter has left the capital’s 500 Asdren Osaj, advisor to the mayor of Prishtina, blamed asphalted streets strewn with potholes the firms charged with cleaning the If you were mayor of Prishtina for the day what and trenches. roads for much of the damage. would you change? The municipality has recently “One of the reasons why the I would continue to provide opportunities to young awarded a contract for repair work streets in the inner part of the city people to explore the world around them and understand to the firm Kastriot, but officials were damaged is also the cleaning themselves. Because Prishtina has a large population of admit that it can take months to companies who used a large youth, it's important to nourish their educational experi- identify which roads to work on. amount of salt because the ice was ence and also provide learning spaces to enhance entre- But a technological development so thick,” he said. “This causes the preneurial and technological skills. I would also encour- from Boston, US, could hold the key asphalt to break.” age developing activities outside of the classroom that to cut this process down. According to Osaj, the neighbour- benefit youth. The application works witgh the hoods with the most damage are smart phone's accelerometer to Tophane, Dodona and Pejton. “This How many macchiatos do/did you drink a day? sense potholes while driving, and damage here was also caused I've actually had dreams about the macchiatos in then sends that data with a GPS because of the works by the water Kosovo. I had at least four a day in Kosovo, which I know coordinate to a city database, to cre- supply company, Prishtina, which that's a bit of an excessive, but it was delicious. ate a real-time map of road condi- tions, and catch critical problems earlier. is repairing and replacing water Avni Byqyci, of the NGO Initiative for Progress, INPO, supply pipes in these places. The municipality together What landmark do you use to tell taxi drivers which monitors Prishtina Municipality’s work, said that with the water supply company will return the streets to where you live/lived? this approach could also be successful in Kosovo. how they were before.” The Bill Clinton statue! It was awesome hanging out “Practices like those in the US and Great Britain are Osaj said the repairs were a long process. “The summer with the local Kosovars near the statue and telling them practices that undoubtedly could find an efficient use not maintenance, which includes also the covering of pot- about the USA and learning more about Kosovo. I'm so only in the capital city but in every municipality of holes, lasts for the whole summer season and the identifi- glad I had the opportunity to visit, and can't wait to come Kosovo,” he said. “A system like this can be very efficient in cation of the damaged streets is done by the municipali- back. the identification process of damaged streets in Prishtina. ty.” By Beta By If you would like your NGO to appear in 20 March 30 - April 12, 2012 our Making a Difference feature, please Opinion email [email protected] Who Wants War in Macedonia? You do not have to be a conspiracy theorist to accept that this government, pushing an irresponsible ultra-nationalist agenda, is creating all the condi- tions for all-out conflict. the Albanian side might start possible and most frightening sce- believing that this is a Serbian or nario. Today’s politicians in power Russian conspiracy to exterminate and their miserable media ser- By Xhabir Deralla Albanians. Some might believe in a vants hide their personal frustra- conspiracy theory about a plot led tions and ignorance behind revul- by the two main coalition partners, sion and delinquency, insolently he current rise of intereth- the Macedonian VMRO and the violating each and every principle nic violence in Macedonia is Albanian DUI to retain power and of human behavior, spreading fear, Ta clear consequence of the profit from an outbreak of vio- and sponsoring ethnic, religious wrong and destructive policies of lence. Some say this very situation and racial hatred. the government. is linked to the “name” dispute or What will happen if, or when, an Nikola Gruevski, the Prime to NATO accession. overheated street situation, Minister and leader of the ethnic As long as one believes conspira- involving special police units, Macedonian nationalist party in cies more than facts, there will be results in a death of a youngster? power, VMRO-DPMNE, and his manipulation. Moreover, conspira- More violence, possibly armed. coalition partner, Ali Ahmeti, Albanians from Macedonia protest against a recent killing by a police officer. cies are only possible if someone is And more repressive response by leader of the ethnic Albanian already willing to carry out mur- the trained thugs in the police. Democratic Union for Integration, members to travel to Belgrade, for Interior has an officer like that in derous acts. They are possible only Cure? DUI, as well as several pro-govern- example. Albanian flags were its structure? How many more of after we, ourselves, start the fire. The government has to admit ment public figures have categori- burned at the stadiums and sports them are out there, walking around Besides, if you pull out a gun, it its share of the responsibility and cally denied any ties between the halls in Macedonia and Serbia by armed and ready to kill? Could is not probable that someone else come up with a sustainable and government and the ethnic vio- Macedonians. Albanian fan clubs OSCE mission (after all these years from outside will come and help sincere plan about how to correct lence on the streets. Some have responded by burning Macedonian of intensive, monitoring, police your finger pull the trigger? Even its past actions. The public prose- implied the responsibility of for- flags at stadiums in Macedonia, training and reforms) foresee this so, why pull out a gun? Why carry a cutor has to finally wake up and eign secret services, but certainly Kosovo and Albania. and issue early warning to the gun at all? raise charges against the perpe- not of the government. The whole nationalist hysteria is police authorities or to the public? No one wants war? trators of violent crimes at higher But we need to make a distinc- conducted systematically, turning Could anyone else and did not? Look at the parliament. The rul- levels. Media hooligans have to be tion. There is a difference between coalition partners into vassals and Why? ing majority in parliament try to made responsible for their promo- being an organizer and being scapegoats and using spineless This is a second time that MOI pass the responsibility onto the tion of hatred. The government responsible. The government does journalists and editors as agents of employee is involved in an incident opposition politicians, accusing has to cease its media control and not have to be the actual and physi- propaganda. with a deadly outcome since June them of stirring up conflict and restore democracy. It has to stop cal organizer of ethnic hatred and These are all high-speed vehicles last year. Are we talking about a adding ethnic dimension to each its ridiculous and megalomania- violence in the country and yet be that drove us to the edge in the past pattern of behavior, lack of train- incident. That is infantile, to say cal projects and admit its mis- responsible for it. How? It is clear. and which recently escalated to ing or utterly wrong recruitment the least. The string of violent inci- takes. The opposition has to drop By creating it. ethnic violence involving severe policy? dents is ethnic, indeed, and is a con- its nationalist rhetoric in the hunt Who is responsible for the beatings of minors and the elderly. Whatever the answer (if there is sequence of aggressive nationalist for more voters. Political dialogue nationalist hysteria? The brutality that we witness these any) - it does not provide comfort to agendas – conducted by the majori- has to be restored. Civil society It is the nationalist doctrines and days is a logical continuation of the two families in Gostivar ty in the parliament. It cannot be has to unite and make a clear practices that are the main charac- this and of the politics of the rul- mourning the tragic departure of controlled by parents and schools stand against nationalism and teristics of the political parties in ing party and its vassals. One can their two young members, neither anymore, as the Prime Minister violence. this country, especially the ruling clearly see where this all will lead, for the public in general. and other leading politicians sug- These demands are difficult and one. Indeed, the government is as it did before. This tragedy is additionally gest. They, politicians, took that require energy, sincerity and responsible for a serious deteriora- explosive because the killer is an chance away long ago. bravery. Some may be unrealistic, tion of human rights and freedoms, ethnic Macedonian, and the vic- Division and violence So, who wants war? knowing who the Macedonian intensive control and pressure on tims are ethnic Albanians. It could be crooked politicians politicians are, but it’s good to the media, diminishing freedom of The latest ethnic violence has Ethnic hatred is encouraged by who fear justice after losing power. have them in view. In time these speech, an absence of political dia- mainly involved young people. In the purely ethnic Macedonian It could be crooked politicians who demand might become possible. logue and rule of law, a corrupt and the worst incident about 30 masked nationalist cultural policies of the want more money, and war pro- These days we all need to invest in party controlled justice system, persons equipped with baseball government or, more precisely, of vides a good chance for that. War the future of our children and say unseen levels of politicization of the ruling party and its coalition clubs and metal bars broke into a might be a good cover for the no to the cowards with baseball all institutions and administration, partner, the DUI. The DUI also gets city bus and severely beat over ten crimes of Macedonia’s rulers. No clubs. Before they become AK- all accompanied by a rise in unem- its share of the budget to nurture minors, including females, all eth- one wants war could be one of the 47s. ployment and poverty. nationalist feelings amongst its nic Albanians. Beatings erupted on answers – but it is the only logical Xhabir Deralla is head of the In order to divert society’s reac- own voters, of course. It gets far both sides in the days that followed. continuance of what is going on Skopje based NGO Civil – Center tion from these alarming problems, less money from the budget but still Violence among ethnic for years now. for Freedom. Balkan Insight is the ruling party imposed a rapid seems very happy with it. Macedonians and Albanians is not The latter seems to be the most BIRN's online publication. growth of populism and national- new, and is a consequence of sys- To conclude: the outbreak of eth- chauvinist rhetoric and action and tematic segregation in schools and nic violence is a consequence of has raised nationalism and dis- elsewhere, conducted by the gov- the nationalist and discriminatory crimination to institutional levels. ernment for a number of years. On politics of the ruling political and In the meantime, Serbia prepares to The government is creating, openly top of this, young people in this power structures in the country. sponsoring or silently supporting a country are well fed with national- hold its elections in Kosovo* too. palette of semi-Fascistic projects ism by institutions of the state. Conspiracy theories vs. and activities, ranging from the Despite legally binding docu- reality grotesquely huge, expensive and ments and strategies adopted by senseless Skopje 2014 Project to the the government, including one on The violence won’t stop. The hysterical behavior of basketball integrated education in 2010, politi- security situation will get worse. and handball national teams sup- cians continue fostering ethnic The government does not have the port clubs, whose anthem is exclu- division in schools. That acts in integrity to stop it in a credible and sive, nationalist and racist. combination with textbooks in his- sustainable way. Meanwhile, metal Ethnic Macedonian fan clubs tory and other subjects that include bars and baseball clubs may easily usually sing their songs accompa- highly prejudiced contents; ethnic be replaced by guns, just as setting nied with slogans such as “Gas Macedonian and Albanian stu- flags and wars of words on social chambers for Shiptars [a pejorative dents in Macedonia study different networks preceded the current vio- name for Albanians]” and histories of each other’s nation. lence. Every now and then it smells “Cleavers for Shiptars”. These songs and slogans are screamed at like war in Macedonia. But who stadiums and city squares in the Killing in Gostivar wants war in Macedonia? presence of the President Ivanov Definitely, those who believe in The seemingly cold-blooded mur- and Prime Minister Gruevski, who conspiracy theories will have a have never condemned such behav- der of two young people in Gostivar great many stories to tell about Y iour. by a border police officer was span dark conspiracies coming from the M On the contrary, the government in all possible ways, but has left West, wanting to destroy ethnic C paid for 1,000 tickets for fan club alarming questions unanswered. and “ancient” Macedonians, etc. K How come the Ministry of Some conspiracy theories fan on March 30 - April 12, 2012 21 Opinion If you would like your NGO to appear in our Making a Difference feature, please email [email protected] The Big Powers Have Betrayed Outside In Democracy in Bosnia Kosovar Society Nation-building cannot be said to have failed in Bosnia as the big powers, operating under warped calculations, have not allowed democracy to take root there in the first place. Transformed by war in Bosnia implicitly embraced the has referred to as an “Ethnopolis,” a logic of ethno-nationalist chauvinism, state where “[under] the cover of the which had become the clear and domi- legitimacy conferred by free and fair Greed By Jasmin Mujanovic nant feature of the former’s political elections, citizens as individuals are ambitions. stripped of any political power”. The February 1992 “peace plan” pro- The continued insistence of the atthew Parish is wrong when posed by Portugal’s Jose Cutileiro and European Union and the US on politi- he states that Wilsonian polit- Britain’s Peter Carrington damaged cal reforms in Bosnia is hence made By Kreshnik Hoxha ical liberalism has been the M the prospects for peace and co-exis- virtually impossible by the very struc- guiding motif of Western foreign poli- tence in Bosnia in a manner “that can- tures which they have imposed on the cy in the former Yugoslavia. ifteen years ago, not being loyal to the state was not not be overstated. country, and the political actors which Josip Glaurdic, a Junior Research frowned upon, because the state had a belligerent pol- By accepting the ethnic principle for they continue to treat as genuine inter- Fellow in Political Science at Clare Ficy towards Albanians. Today, the state is ours, but the reorganisation of the republic, locutors. College, at the University of instead of building it, we have a belligerent policy towards Cutileiro in essence recognised the Parish’s contends that, “[imposing] Cambridge, has provided a paradig- Kosovo. This is why our egocentrism, greed and lost solidar- platforms of [Karadzic’s Serbian liberalism is a contradiction in terms, matic new study, The Hour of Europe: ity smother the country on a daily basis. Democratic Party] the SDS, and the and attempting to do so after a war has Western Powers and the Breakup of Boban wing of the [Bosnian Croatian intensified ethnic hatreds defies com- Changes in society are normal, stemming from the shift- Yugoslavia, which is far and away the Democratic Union] HDZ and opened a mon sense. Political values take cen- ing face of the economy, politics and culture. Kosovo has most well researched account of the Pandora’s box of ethnic division that turies of inculcation, and state-build- gone through its phases of change over the last two decades. policies which motivated the major still mars Bosnia to this very day.” As ing missions try in vain to prove them- Contrary to the United Kingdom, where everything is powers during the crisis leading up to ordered through rules and laws, people of Kosovo have and beyond the actual dissolution of Glaurdic notes, “Cutileiro’s intent was selves exceptions to this iron rule.” grown accustomed to living and functioning in disorder. Yugoslavia. obviously to appease the Bosnian He has however completely misrep- Owing to decades of chaotic life, today we have our own sys- Glaurdic demonstrates convincingly Serbs and their Belgrade sponsor into resented the actual character of the tem of “doing enough to get by”. that a realist power calculus drove the not implementing their massive war international administration of But, how different is our social order today compared to UK, the US, France and Germany, as machinery. Bosnia. Any remotely consistent liber- well as the broader European However, instead of lowering ten- al doctrine would have supported dem- the 1990s? Has time eroded some of our important values? Community, to consistently side with sions and giving the three parties an ocratic reforms in Yugoslavia in the Commenting on Albanians’ resistance to Serbia’s state- the forces of reaction in Yugoslavia, impetus to keep negotiating, the plan 1980s, would have supported genuine led oppression in 1990s, a civil society activist said the fol- out of a belief that they would estab- actually gave them a ‘charter for eth- multiethnic co-existence in Bosnia in lowing: “We spent years uniting against Milosevic, we even lish a new regime based on order and nic cleansing.’” Under the guise of the 1990s and would have empowered collected taxes voluntarily. After the war, we couldn’t even stability. accepting “ethnic reality” the plan was the position and political rights of collect our own garbage.” Before Serbia’s Slobodan Milosevic “in fact inducing the parties - and espe- individual citizens since the end of the This statement shows the stark contrast between society became the preferred strongman, the cially the Bosnian Serbs, who had the war. now and two decades earlier – a timeframe that can be con- Yugoslav National Army, JNA, had military backing of Serbia and the Instead, at almost every critical sidered as short for major social changes to take place. If we been the leading contender for the JNA - to create new ethnic realities on juncture, the international community pause and analyse the above statement, an obvious question throne left vacant by Yugoslavia’s long- the ground.” has sided with the forces of reaction emerges: What was this drive that held us together, united time ruler Josip Broz Tito. As the head of Serbia’s Helsinki and violent chauvinism because they and organised us? How come a nation, which managed to get Committee Sonja Biserko has noted, did not have the convictions to defend Yet, as Milosevic rose through the through its toughest times of discrimination and oppres- when their war effort finally collapsed, their own purported values, but pre- ranks and shrewdly established him- sion, cannot handle equality and freedom? the “Serbian elite accepted the [1995] ferred instead a realist calculus in the self as the dominant political institu- Memorial dates such as March 24, which marks the start Dayton Agreement under the pressure name of “stability” and “order.” tion in Yugoslavia after 1987, the opin- of the NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia, are a good of reality, and in the knowledge that The danger in providing an account ions of Western policy-makers fol- starting point to analyse our social transformation. They lowed. [the Bosnian Serb entity, the Republika such as the one Parish has provided is enable us to also understand how we lost that great social “In spite of formidable evidence to Srpska] would otherwise be totally that while it correctly identifies the cohesion we once had. the contrary,” the international com- defeated.” frustrations felt by many international Back then, there was a common cause: overcoming the munity insisted on viewing, and mis- However, it was the international observers and policy makers when it oppression and surviving the threat. As a result, people taking, “the Serbian leader for a community which “halted the [joint comes to the failure of “nation-build- reformer of Gorbachev’s mould who Croatian-Bosnian] offensive which ing” in Bosnia, it provides a complete- went hand-to-hand to achieve this as well as inform the was trying to strengthen the integrity threatened the fall of Banja Luka and ly backwards analysis of why “nation- world of what was happening in this tiny spot in Europe. of the federation.” Prijedor” and later insisted on “the building” in Bosnia has failed or, at People were extremely rich in solidarity and extremely poor He remained their choice for leader- ethnic division of Bosnia and the war least, slowed. financially. It was a grim situation, but the spirit was good. ship of a unified Yugoslav state and results, [which] meant that, at the very The Bosnian people have not even Today, we have the exact opposite. The situation is better, Glaurdic argues that that this “is why outset, elements were introduced been seriously allowed to experiment but the spirit grim. The situation is better because we final- they failed to alter their policies even which could not guarantee a function- with democracy because the interna- ly achieved freedom from a destructive regime. However, after all the rallies and regional al state [in Bosnia-Herzegovina].” tional community has insisted on a along with the destructive regime we lost our good spirit putsches and even after the brutal sub- In considering the historical constitutional order that has made eth- and replaced it with a grim one. jugation of Kosovo. moment in which the Dayton nic animosity a permanent feature of Driven by greed, today our society is rich in narcissism This is also why they gave signals of Agreement was produced, the eminent daily political life. Democracy has not and the will to be powerful, but extremely poor in its com- approval for the increasing involve- theorist of International Relations failed in Bosnia, as it has not even been munity spirit to build the state which we aspired to desper- ment of the JNA. What is worst,” he Professor David Campbell has argued allowed to take root. ately. Today, we have a country whose leaders come from the concludes, is that “they continued to that in “contrast to the unitary and And in any case, if this is what con- very heart of the masses. In fact, some of them used to be make such ‘realist’ mistakes in years non-racial structure of South Africa stitutes “nation-building” then I do not very familiar with extreme poverty, something which many to come - even after those ‘armed bat- post-1994 elections…[Dayton] resem- see that it has failed, either; what other in Kosovo still face. tles,’ which Milosevic announced at bles in large part the political logic possible outcome could Dayton’s logic Yet, we now have a country with a widening gap between Kosovo Polje, had spread throughout abandoned in southern Africa,” which have ensured? its leaders and masses. Today we are building a state where Yugoslavia.” is to say: apartheid. The people of Bosnia deserve an corruption and misuse of public funds is becoming second While Glaurdic does not deal with The apartheid logic, embraced by opportunity to live in a secular, demo- nature. Today we have a society which deems it acceptable the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina itself, the international community in the cratic, multiethnic society. We cannot for the law to be broken or the constitution to be ripped to he suggests that the policies of tacit mid-1990s, has since then become insti- allow the warped relist machinations shreds even by those who should be its guardians. Today we approval that the Western powers had tutionalized state policy in Bosnia and of the Great Powers and the petty pursed - in allowing Milosevic to Herzegovina. It has created a state chauvinism and banditry of local oli- are living in a country where it is okay to walk over your orchestrate a series of wars when his composed of ethnic fiefdoms, where garchs to doom the aspirations of an neighbour in order to reach your goal. recentralization of the federation oligarchs like Milorad Dodik, entire country. After more than 20 It seems as if the social cohesion and solidarity was guid- began to fissure - saw their bloodiest Fahrudin Radoncic and Dragan Covic, years, we owe them a change in policy. ing us only because we were under the threat of extinction. expression there. amongst others, are able to sequester Once the threat was shaken off, everyone selfishly started to By consenting to the strong-arm tac- the possibility of actual democratic Jasmin Mujanovic is a PhD student care about their own business and at many times the tics of Milosevic and his ally, the politics to the realm of their theatrical in Political Science at York University, expense of the greater good. Bosnian Serb leader Radovan ethno-nationalist antagonisms. in Toronto, Canada, working on the This is certainly not the Kosovo we hoped to live in, but Karadzic, (still in the name of “peace” Post-war Bosnia is thus what topic of democratic renewal in Bosnia- we seem too self-preoccupied with enriching ourselves to and “stability”), the international Professor of Political Science Asim Herzegovina, and is a regular contribu- care and rediscover that solidarity which led us through the mediators tasked with preventing the Mujkic of the University of Sarajevo tor to Politics, Re-Spun. darkest times. 22 March 30 - April 12, 2012 Community Focus Ecosovo Juicy Gossip: A Day Spent in Orchards of Gjilan

By Elizabeth Gowing

hat do you get when you mix 200 tonnes of apples, care for local suppliers, a dash of entrepreneurship and an ostrich? WIn the rolling hills outside Gjilan, on a perfect spring day, I dis- covered the answer in the nectar-like fruit juice I was sipping. I was vis- A meeting organised by ForumZFD as part of their deaing with the past programme iting the Frutomania orchards and processing plant, learning about the supply chain (over 100 Kosovan growers), the commitment to quality (no additives or preservatives) and the really delicious flavours of the Frutomania range. At first I wasn’t sure what the ostrich had to do with it – it’s a beauti- Kosovo’s Tense Past ful bird, with feathers shimmering as it paces its enclosure next to the Street poetry to story-telling are just three ways that the German NGO ForumZFD helps blueberry bushes. And in some ways it has nothing to do with the fruit juice – it’s just there ‘për qef ’; for fun. to people of Kosovo heal the wounds of conflict. But the same spirit of experimentation and curiosity that led Alban Neziraj, theatre director. sometimes are best made public. Ibrahimi and his colleagues to bring a strange bird as the beginnings of Abdullah Ferizi, a project man- “Memories, and reflections on a small farm near their processing plant led to the four types of blueber- ager at ForumZFD, told Prishtina memories, traditionally have been ry bushes being trialled to identify which does best in the Kosovan cli- By Shengjyl Osmani Insight that the process of dealing considered part of the private mate, and which produces the best juice. with the past is at an early stage domain, whether extremely pri- That spirit inspired the production of wild apple juice, unique in for Kosovo and people often see it vate or just relatively private – Kosovo to the Frutomania range (Alban tells me that most wild apples as stressful. within one’s own mind, one’s fam- here are sold to pharmaceutical companies who extract from them for Kosovars today are witnesses “We, as ForumZFD, support ily, or perhaps within the discre- cholesterol and diabetic treatments. His juice is creating a new market to the destruction of their existing initiatives on dealing tion of one’s neighbourhood or vil- and encouraging more local families to forage for the apples) and a fabu- “spiritual and physical her- with the past, DwP, initiate miss- lage,” she wrote. lous musky juice. The same spirit informs the new range which hasn’t itage,” wrote Petrit Çarkaxhiu, ing DwP processes and share ForumZFD also publishes a singer to the famous Kosovo rock yet hit the market but which I’m offered in jewel-like spoonfuls: straw- information and promote network- monthly magazine dedicated to band ‘Jericho,’ in an essay looking berry jam, nectarine marmalade and cherry compote, again from local ing between DwP initiatives. And learning from the past in Kosovo, at his country’s troubled past, and fruit with no additives, and all of which melt like luxury in your mouth. all these processes need time and which is published in English, future. Quaffing and sipping in the sunshine it seems like the staff at hard work with the victims,” said Albanian and Serbian. “A new elite of rulers, politi- Frutomania have an easy life, but as Alban talks about the processes in Ferizi. Called “Made in KS ... past, pres- cians, businesspeople, intellectu- producing these exquisite mouthfuls I can see it’s not all as easy as apple The forum, together with its ent, future”, it aims to cover the als, artists and clerics work to cre- picking. partners, organises a range of NGOs ongoing initiatives, as well ate a new reality based on their Alban worked for years on projects with the Care International NGO events from workshops with street as covering new ideas in this field, own current outlook that ignores, in Kosovo and abroad, developing the agricultural sector. He has a scien- poets to collecting memories. experiences from other areas in hides and destroys the past.” tific approach to his work: I’ve never heard anyone talk about fruit like “ForumZFD is working towards the region and the world, and first- This striking assessment of this. He explains to me about Integrated Pest Management and the 15per identifying, strengthening and hand accounts of people’s wartime Kosovo’s approach to the architec- cent premium he pays to growers if they can demonstrate that they fol- linking already established DwP experiences. ture – Çarkaxhiu’s profession – low these procedures, and about the international GAP (Good processes in Kosovo,” said Ferizi. ForumZFD is financially sup- was among seven texts in a recent- Agricultural Practices) standard for which he is offering an incentive to “To achieve this, we are part of the ported by the German Federal ly released anthology, brought the first farmer to be certified. He lectures on the importance of vari- coalition for RECOM, a regional Ministry of Economic together by ForumZFD, Forum eties of fruits (showing me 15 different types of plum that I can hardly network of over 750 NGOs, associ- Cooperation and Development. Ziviler Friedensdients. Other tell apart) and vegetables – that Kosovo could become self-sufficient in ations and individuals.” Visit dwp-kosovo.info for more writes included the Health peppers and tomatoes if there was investment in a greater range of vari- Karmit Zysman, editor for information. Minister Ferid Againi and Jeton eties so that they ripened at different times rather than saturating the ForumZFD added that memories market in one short growing season. He’s keen to make Frutomania’s development a good thing for Kosovo. When I talk to one of his employees, interrupting him at his pruning, he tells me that his village, nestling just beyond the orchard, is the commu- Kosovo Students Offered nity with the highest employment rate in Kosovo, thanks to the Frutomania enterprise, together with another food production company nearby, and the Dea water factory in the valley. In the harvest season up to 300 people are employed at Frutomania (and in the processing plant PhD Places in Austria the workforce is 50% female). It’s not going to be easy for a young company with ideals. Alban talks For each of the following three years, 15 Kosovo students will receive funding to study for about having to educate the palates of Kosovars brought up on fruit juice a doctorate in Graz or Vienna, Austria. packed with sugar and flavouring. “Their eyes widen when they try our peach juice. They say ‘it tastes lovely but it doesn’t taste like peach juice; it reminds me of fruit.’” He has constant problems with water supply and electricity (he’s investigated the possibilities of using wind power but concluded that there’s not enough generating power in his site). He’d By Shengjyl Osmani like to introduce practices to minimize packaging waste, and the compa- ny has already pioneered the juice boxes, offering three litres in a tapped bladder pack like a wine box, which lets in less air so lasts longer, and is he places in Austria are much lighter on the earth’s resources than three of the 1 litre glass jars being made available as part would be. He’d like to start a deposit scheme for returning the glass jars Tof the HigherKos project, too, but has yet to find a supermarket willing to partner in the initiative. funded by the Austrian All the major supermarkets stock the juice, though, and there are ten Development Agency, Ministry of cafes in Prishtina that sell it too (head to Dit e Nat or grab a glass while Education, Science and you pick up your Prishtina Insight in Filikaqa). As I pour myself some Technology, World University more, reach for another spoonful of wonderful things you can do with Service, WUS from Austria, the fruit, Alban wishes me ‘ju bëftë mirë’ – literally ‘may it do you good’. I Centre for Social Innovation and have a significant impact on the strongly support this project,” Austrian Agency for International think this enterprise could do us all some good. Kosovo’s future. added Buja. Mobility and Cooperation in Elizabeth Gowing is a founder of The Ideas Partnership, a Kosovan “The best students from public Mujë Rugova, Rector of the Education, Science and Research, Y NGO working on educational, cultural and environmental projects. She universities, the University of University of Prishtina, said that OeAD. M is also the author of the recently-published, Travels in Blood and Honey; Prishtina and Prizren, will have studies in medicine, economy, lin- Minister of Education Ramë C becoming a beekeeper in Kosovo. She can be reached at theideaspartner- the right to compete in this schol- guistics, natural sciences, and Buja said that this project would K [email protected] arship, and we as a ministry agriculture will be prioritised. March 30 - April 12, 2012 23 Classified Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like to advertise Email [email protected]

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