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.