News: Kosovo’s New Highway – The Most Expensive in Region? January 29 - February 11, 2010 Issue No. 32 www.prishtinainsight.com Free copy Ski Season FEATURE Finally Gets off Kosovo Becomes to Flying Start Home to Migrants and Asylum- After one of the worst Seekers starts in 30 years, Brezovica's ski season has finally kicked off. > page 7 Skiers and snowboarders ARTE were out in force last Tim Judah’s New weekend, enjoying the fresh snow and blue skies. Book For more information on > page 9 the weather and events in GUIDE Brezonvica, visit njeri.net/snow. Kosovo’s Railways, Photo byPhoto Snow Njeri a Safe but Slow way to Travel New RTK Chief Prepares > page 8 FOOD & DRINK Enjoy Far-Flung for Pressure Food in a Homely As parliament approves a 5.3million euro emergency fund for cash-starved RTK, the public broadcaster’s board tells its Atmosphere at controversial new director general he is on a three-month trial period sources, then we will publish it.” were caught off guard by his latest Shaqiri’s position after a three- Home Restaurant By Petrit Collaku & Lawrence Marzouk The appointment of Shaqiri, who promotion to general director and month trial period. > page 10 was handed RTK’s top job this week had initially considered intervening Questions about Shaqiri’s appoint- TK’s newly appointed direc- by the broadcaster’s board, has sur- in the process. ment have also been raised by mem- tor general, Sylejman Shaqiri, prised some, including civil society One high ranking embassy official bers of civil society, who point to his CITY Rhas told Prishtina Insight that he expects pressure from ‘politi- and some in the international com- also told Prishtina Insight that there involvement in breaking the story on cians, businesses and organised munity. was concern that Shaqiri would now the collapse of the governing coali- EULEX Staff crime’ over the broadcaster’s editori- Shaqiri has 30 years of journalist bring all political broadcasting in tion of the Democratic Party of al policy. experience, starting his career work- house. An accusation he dismissed. Kosovo, PDK, and Democratic ‘Banned’ From But the new appointee said he ing on a local radio station for RTP, But contrary to newspaper articles League of Kosovo, LDK, in Parking in Street would not drop a well sourced story, Radio Television of Prishtina, before suggesting that International November. The story also alleged even if he is asked to do so by Prime rising to the position of acting edi- Civilian Representative Pieter Feith that the president and parliamentary > page 6 Minister Hashim Thaci. tor-in-chief for RTK. was to block Shaqiri’s appointment, speaker would be replaced. Shaqiri said: “If the story is based Prishtina Insight understands a spokesman for Feith said he would, on facts, unbiased, and from secure that senior international diplomats in line with RTK’s board, review continues on page 2 NGO FOCUS ‘A Soft Hand, Cold News Business Mind and Warm Olli Rehn: Visa-Free Travel Will PTK to be Sold by August, Advisors Heart’ – One2One Follow Reforms Recommend Kosova In an interview with BIRN’s Life in Kosovo’s publicly owned post and tele- Kosovo show, the EU enlargement com- phone company, PTK, is expected to be > page 14 missioner Olli Rehn discusses the condi- privatised by August this year. tions for visa liberalisation for Kosovo The government-hired transaction and how Kosovo’s leaders must work on advisors, led by Lichtenstein-based rule of law and tackle corrupition and Telco AG, revealed the timetable to the organised crime to progress towards the Ministry of Economy and Finance and European Union... PTK last Thursday. page 4 PTK is one of Kosovo’s... page 5 is supported by: 2 • January 29 - February 11, 2010 news Third Round of Elections this Sunday lection reruns will be held in two municipali- ties this Sunday. E.The Central Election Commission, CEC, decided in December that the second-round mayoral race in Prizren and Lipjan must be held again. News in Brief News The move followed a recommendation from the Election Commission on Appeals and Complaints, which feared that widespread irregularities had taken place in these municipalities during the December 13 elections. The Commission had also recommended that the ballot in Gjilan be re-run, but the CEC ordered a recount instead. The fate of the election race in Gjilan is still unclear as the CEC secretariat has been unable to agree on whether to approve the election results. The race in Prizren, Lipjan and Gjilan is between Photo byPhoto Insight Prishtina for Erebara Gjergj candidates from the Democratic Party of Kosovo, The Albanian section of the ‘Patriotic Highway’,which will link Tirana and Prishtina, during construction PDK, and Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, which form the government coalition. Extremists Beat Kosovo Imam in Kosovo’s New Highway – The Mitrovica n imam in Kosovo’s northern town of Most Expensive in Region? Mitrovica was ambushed in his mosque last AThursday after mid-day prayers and beaten Opposition parties and experts accuse the government of agreeing too high a price for the new Vermice- up by four people who said they did not like the Merdare highway and diverting the route to the benefit senior officials brand of Islam he preaches. Imam Hamit Kamberi told media he knows the has also supported the com- Myzejene Selmani, chair- es the criticism of the deal people who attacked him and their families, but did pany’s proposal to divert the woman of the parliamentary offered by Bechtel-Enka. not mention any names, nor did he specify their reli- highway away from a tricky commission on economy and He said: “The price offered gious background. 22km section around transport and a member of by the winning company was “I heard some people close the door of the mosque By Lavdim Hamidi Suhareke, in south west the opposition New Kosovo cheaper than other company. and they started beating me,” Kamberi was quoted Kosovo. Alliance, says that the price Perhaps the reason for the by the Prishtina daily Express as saying. “With the diversion of the per kilometre is ‘astronomi- cheap price is that this con- Kamberi said that these people have for some time he decision to appoint highway that the winning cal’. sortium has all the necessary been asking for his dismissal because they were not US-Turkish consor- company has proposed we “This price is astronomi- machinery in Albania, satisfied with the religious rituals he was conducting. Ttium Bechtel-Enka to will save about 400 million cal because it is not to build a where the highway is built, “I respect the rules of the Islamic Community, build Kosovo’s biggest ever euro,” said Adem Grabovci, highway through the Alps, so it does not have to spend according to Medh’hebit Hanefi,” Kamberi said. infrastructure project has deputy minister of trans- but through a flat country large amounts on transporta- “They want other rituals,” he added. drawn harsh criticism from port. and not at all difficult for tion.” Kosovo’s Islamic Community,BIK, condemned the opposition parties and But some representatives construction,” Selmani told Former minister of trans- attack. experts. of opposition parties ques- Prishtina Insight. port Qemajl Ahmeti revealed Kosovo’s ministry of tion why the road is being She said that while that an expert assessment transport announced last diverted to Malisheve, which Switzerland paid 5.6 million during his term estimated Call for Applicants for Balkan week that the firm behind is west of Prishtina and the euro a kilometre, in Kosovo the total cost of the highway, Reporters Programme the Albanian phase of the home of Minister of the cost averaged 8 million including expropriation, was ‘Patriotic Highway’ would Transport Fatmir Limaj. euro. 659 million euro. pplications are being accepted for the 2010 also build the 117km-route in “Why the diversion is Experts say that a kilome- He said the Bechtel-Enka programme ‘Economic and Political Kosovo at a cost of 7.5 to 8 being made through tre of highway in Macedonia deal is likely to cost Kosovo 1 AReporting from Southeast Europe’, jointly million euro a kilometre. Malisheve is unclear for us. costs 6 million euro, includ- billion euro. run by Robert Bosch Stiftung and Thomson Reuters But no overall cost has Is this diversion about ing expropriations, while in The Ministry of Transport Foundation. been agreed between the two attracting cheaper prices or Albania, because of the diffi- has said that the construc- To foster quality analysis and reporting on eco- parties, raising fears that the about going towards Fatmir cult mountainous terrain, tion of the highway will be nomic issues, enhance coverage on topics that are huge overspend which Limaj’s fields?” said Avni the cost of its new highway paid for through soft loans central to the region’s economic and political devel- occurred in Albania could be Arifi, a member of the oppo- was around 6.4 million euro from various international opment and encourage regional networking among repeated on the other side of sition Alliance for the per kilometre. financial institutions, but journalists, the Robert Bosch Stiftung and the the border. Future of Kosovo’s presiden- Deputy ministry of trans- have not provided any more Thomson Reuters Foundation initiated the pro- The Ministry of Transport cy. port Adem Grabovci dismiss- detail on the matter. gramme in 2007. Fifteen journalists from the Balkans are competi- tively chosen to participate in the programme, run by experienced ex-Reuters journalists. The pro- New RTK Chief Prepares for Pressure gramme includes two 10-day courses in the UK (10-24 April) and in Germany (20 September-2 October).