July 16, 2004

ERP KiM Newsletter 16-07-04

Kosovo Serb Leaders Denounce "Pristina Declaration"

Kosovo Serb Leaders Denounce the ‘Pristina Declaration’

The signing on Wednesday in the US Office in Pristina of a joint declaration condemning the March violence in the province and emphasizing the necessary to secure a qualitative improvement in the life of Kosovo residents, reconciliation, and inter-ethnic cooperation, as well as the call for the creation of a Ministry for Returns by representatives of the Kosovo provisional institutions (PISG), the leaders of the main Kosovo Albanian political parties and representatives of Kosovo Serbs, provoked the negative reaction of many Kosovo Serb community leaders.

The Serbian National Council (SNC) for northern Kosovo denounced the declaration while its leader Milan Ivanovic stated that the document is "unacceptable and illegitimate because it jeopardizes national and state interests." He considers that the signatories Dragisa Krstovic, Oliver Ivanovic and Milorad Todorovic have contributed this way to the creation of an independent Kosovo and to the legitimacy of further transfer of UNMIK competencies to the PISG, Tanjug reported. Kosovo Assembly member from Coalition Povratak (Return / KP) Randjel Nojkic stated that KP representatives, by signing the declaration, supported the concept of the Albanian politicians that insists on Kosovo’s independence, and said that “the KP representatives, with their signatures on the declaration on forming the Ministry for communities, human rights and returns, have directly accepted the responsibility of the Serbian delegation for the functioning of the Kosovo institutions,” FoNet reported. His colleague Rada Trajkovic declared “we shall demand that those KP representatives who put their signature on the declaration on the condemnation of the March violence, and who demanded the setting up of a Kosovo so-called Ministry of Returns, be replaced." She emphasized that the “ethnic Albanians reached their goal on Wednesday by a virtual promise on the return of Serb IDPs and the expelled. It is impossible that Dragisa Krstovic, Oliver Ivanovic and Milorad Todorovic put their signature on a document which grants amnesty to those who ordered the March violence."

As for the Minister-coordinator for Returns in the Kosovo Government Milorad Todorovic, he announced that "no declaration would mean anything without clear deeds, rather than words of the most responsible international representatives, who have the obligation to stop Kosovo Albanians in their attempt to create an ethnically clean Kosovo," and added he would withdraw his signature because he signed the document “without getting an insight into the final version, which did not include changes I demanded as a condition for my signature." Defending the signature of the declaration KP caucus whip Dragisa Krstovic said that Serbs could only profit from the signed declaration and, underlying that the Ministry of Returns would be headed by a Serb, he pointed out that it would finally bring some progress as regards the return of IDPs and refugees to Kosovo, Tanjug reported.

Dragisa Krstovic: Kosovo Serbs can only profit from declaration (Tanjug)

KP caucus whip Dragisa Krstovic said that Serbs could only profit from a declaration that had been signed at the US Office in Pristina. Commenting on the criticism aimed against those who had signed the document, Krstovic told Tanjug that the Ministry of Returns would be headed by a Serb and that the Serb community lost nothing by the declaration. Admitting that at issue was further transfer of competencies from UNMIK to Kosovo PISG, he pointed out that this would finally bring to progress as regards the return of IDPs and refugees to Kosovo.

Rada Trajkovic demands urgent meeting (Tanjug)

KP AM Rada Trajkovic demanded that KP held a meeting at once, following a declaration on the March violence, which had been signed in Pristina. "We shall demand that those KP representatives who put their signature on the declaration on the condemnation of the March violence, and who demanded the setting up of a Kosovo so-called Ministry of Returns, be replaced," Trajkovic told Tanjug. "Ethnic Albanians reached their goal on Wednesday by a virtual promise on the return of Serb IDPs and the expelled. It is impossible that Dragisa Krstovic, Oliver Ivanovic and Milorad Todorovic put their signature on a document which grants amnesty to those who ordered the March violence," she said.
 
SNC for northern Kosovo against declaration (Tanjug)

Representatives of the SNC for northern Kosovo strongly denounced the declaration on condemning the March violence in the province. SNC leader for northern Kosovo Milan Ivanovic has stated that the document is unacceptable and illegitimate taking into account the people who signed it. The signatories of the document Dragisa Krstovic, Oliver Ivanovic and Milorad Todorovic have this way contributed to the creation of an independent Kosovo and to the legitimacy of further transfer of UNMIK competencies to PISG, Milan Ivanovic said.

Kosovo Serbs “not an ethnic minority” (FoNet)

Kosovo Serb leader Marko Basic has objected to KP signing an agreement to establish a Kosovo Government ministry for communities, human rights and repatriation. “This document says that the Serbs are an ethnic minority, which we are not,” said Marko Basic. Basic, who is the chairman of the Association of Serb Municipalities, said that neither KP nor UNMIK were authorized to devolve authority to Kosovo institutions because this would strengthen the case for Kosovo’s independence.

Serbs, Albanians join forces in Kosovo (Reuters)

Serb and Albanian leaders in Kosovo bridged their ethnic divide to call on the province's UN overseers to hand over responsibility for the return of refugees and human rights.  Kosovo Albanian Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi and senior figures from both communities issued a rare joint statement calling for the establishment of a new ministry, after a US-sponsored meeting that may signal improved relations. "We agreed on the creation of a ministry for returns, and now it's up to the UN to decide," Kosovo Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic told Reuters. The UN mission running Kosovo since the 1999 war is currently in charge of refugee issues. The fact the leaders sat down together and reached an agreement is likely to be seen as a positive step in the West, coming four months after Kosovo erupted in anti-Serb riots that killed 19 people and destroyed 800 homes. Serbs say the UN has done little to improve security and encourage people to come back to the homes they fled in fear five years ago, a situation made worse by the violence in mid-March. Diplomats say the issue is central to the international community's policy on Kosovo, by which the tiny province must prove its credentials in democracy and human rights before any discussion of its final status, possibly in mid-2005. Kosovo remains formally part of Serbia and Montenegro, but its Albanians are increasingly impatient for independence. The UN mission was not immediately available for comment on the proposal to establish a ministry responsible for "community matters, human rights and returns". It was the second such meeting aimed at tackling concrete problems on the ground since the violence four months ago.
They also agreed to cooperate in rebuilding schools and as many houses as possible by the time school starts in September. "It's obvious that we all expected too much from the international community," said Ivanovic. "Basic issues must be resolved between the ethnic communities."

UN resumes Kosovo privatization (AFP)

Kosovo's UN-run privatization agency has presented a third list of publicly owned enterprises to be offered for sale.  The list includes 13 state-owned enterprises, according to Nikolaus Lambsdorff, who heads the EU mission that handles the process. "I am confident we will see the launch of a fourth wave this summer," Lambsdorff said. Around 500 companies are slated for privatization but the process had come to a grinding halt owing to disputes between ethnic Albanian authorities and the UN. The third round of tenders had previously been suspended after irregularities were reported in the process. In April the head of the UN mission sacked the foreign official overseeing privatization. Meanwhile several thousand people gathered here to protest employment conditions and criticize the failure of the government and the UN to revive the economy, which still suffers from the break-up of the socialist former Yugoslavia. "There is no reason why five years after the end of the war we have ended up with such an economy, with such unemployment, poverty and continued lack of social support for our workers," Association of Independent Trade Unions leader Bahri Sabani told the crowd.  Unemployment stands at about 60 percent in Kosovo.

Seminar on kosovo.netmences in Austria (RSCG)

The two-day seminar on possibilities of implementation of different decentralization models and minorities protection in Kosovo, at which Belgrade, Pristina, EU, and OSCE representatives participate, has started in Dirnstein in the vicinity of Vienna. Officials in Vienna underline that this is an academic gathering, rather than negotiations, where participants have an opportunity to learn about modalities, which may be applied in the creation of a multiethnic society in Kosovo. SCG Deputy Foreign Minister Ognjen Pribicevic has assessed that this discussion will enable experts from Belgrade and Pristina to have insight in what can be changed in Kosovo. At Thursday’s session at the seminar, autonomy models in South Tyrol and Olland Isles in Finland have been presented, as well as the Ohrid Agreement on Decentralization in Macedonia. For Friday, the presentation of the Belgium Constitution is announced and models of language zones in that country. The plan of six Middle European countries and the Plan of the Serbian government on decentralization in Kosovo are not to be on the agenda of Dirnstein gathering.

Joint state plan for Kosovo needed (RTS)

The SCG parliament Committee for Kosovo has assessed that the parliaments and all state institutions of both Serbia and Montenegro should draw up a joint state strategy and plan for resolving problems in Kosovo. The Committee heard a report on a visit of its members to Serb enclaves in Kosovo, and discussed the implementation of the Serbian government's plan for the province as well as issues regarding the activities of the CCK. The Committee’s President Veljko Odalovic has stressed that the time is right “for all disagreements, conflicts, quarrels and different opinion and stands to disappear once and for all,” and added that the Committee will be working on resolving all problems in Kosovo, and that it will not stop any single positive initiative.

New USAID Director in Kosovo Ken Yamashita (Beta)

The new USAID Director in Kosovo is Ken Yamashita, who has taken this duty from Dale Pfeiffer. The Head of the US Office in Pristina Marcie Ries has announced that Yamashita will be suprevising one large part of US government’s aid for Kosovo. “Global engagement for the principle’s of democracy provide one special possibility for Kosovo and I expect to work in partnership with our  European allies as the USAID representative,” Yamashita said in a statement sent to Beta.
 
Czech premier in Kosovo (RSCG)

Given the general political and social situation in Kosovo, new complications cannot be excluded in the future, stated Czech Prime Minister Vladimir Spidla during his visit to the province. Assessing that the Kosovo status will not be resolved in the near future, Spidla has emphasized that the EU should have a more important goal in Kosovo. The Czech Prime Minister said that the Prague authorities would intensively work on the improvement of the security situation in the province.

Vojnovic: America has unfinished job in the Balkans (RTS)

The joint stand of all participants of the “testifying” held at the US Senate’s Foreign Policy Committee is that SCG must achieve, on its road to Euro-Atlantic integrations, full cooperation with the ICTY and find the way for Kosovo’s future through the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. Opening the gathering entitled “American Policy towards Southeastern Europe: Unfinished Job in the Balkans,” Senator George Vojnovic has pointed out that the US must not forget about the “challenges that remained in the Balkans” along with the engagement in Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world. Along with the reiterated condemnation of the March eruption of violence in Kosovo, Vojnovic concluded that that tragic event reminds that “there was still an unfinished job” in the Balkans. America, according to him, should do everything possible to find, together with Belgrade, Pristina and international community’s members, the way forward, because, even though the violence stopped, the situation in the province is still tense, and that “safe surroundings,” where human rights and law will be respected, should be provided along with the reconstruction of the destroyed.

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