Serbia Will Not Make Allowances As Regards To The Sovereignty

Tanjug in English, 14 Mar 07 Moscow

Serbia will never make allowances as far as its sovereignty and territorial integrity are concerned, Serbian President Boris Tadic has said, expressing an opinion that the negotiation process on Kosovo-Metohija’s status is not yet concluded.

I am convinced that it is still possible to reach a compromise, he said in an interview for the Moscow daily Novaya Izvestiya, warning that Kosovo's possible independence would represent a precedent which would destabilize not only the Balkans but also a number of other regions in the world which had similar problems.

Commenting on the plan of UN special representative Martti Ahtisaari on future status, Tadic said that what the Serbian side opposed to the most was the fact that the document opened the door to Kosovo's independence.

Asked what Serbia offered to Kosovo Albanians, Tadic answered that it was the highest degree of independence.

We do not have the wish of governing their political and economic life in Kosovo-Metohija, but we cannot allow a division of our country just because ethnic Albanians want to set up their own state, he pointed out.

According to him, in case that Pristina proclaims independence unilaterally, Serbia will continue the fight for its territorial integrity by all possible political means, above all those of diplomatic and legal nature.

Tadic also said that Serbia had no military plans, since such an approach to the resolution of the Kosovo issue would only distance Kosovo from Serbia, and we had no intention of giving up on our country.

The Serbian president said that the idea on the setting up of a Serbian autonomy on the territory of Kosovo had existed from the very beginning of the negotiations on status, and that it had presented itself once again as part of the agenda of the March 10 talks in Vienna.

Asked in what way Serbia's aspirations towards becoming a member of NATO and the EU corresponded with its wish to cooperate with Russia, Tadic replied that no matter what organization it joined, Serbia would always be a good and reliable partner of Russia.

“Ahtisaari’s Plan Not Based On Compromise”

B92 in English, 14 Mar 07 Belgrade

Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica yesterday met with chairman the Russian chamber of commerce and former Prime Minister Yevgeni Primakov.

Kostunica once again said that the UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari’s proposal for the future Kosovo status should not be considered by the UN Security Council.

Kostunica stressed Ahtisaari’s proposal represented “a flagrant violation of the UN Charter as well as the principles of preserving sovereignty and territorial integrity of states,” adding that such a document was “not an act of compromise,” the government said in a statement.

Kostunica said Serbia highly valued the consistent and principled Russian position that universal principles must be respected and that the solution to the future status of Kosovo must be acceptable both for Belgrade and Pristina.

Kostunica said that Ahtisaari’s proposal was not based on a compromise and did not stem from the talks, but rather “protects the interests of the Albanian side only.”

Primakov, former Russian prime minister, said that his position on the issue was “the same as that of Prime Minister Kostunica,” and added he was “sure the Serbian policy on Kosovo is just.”

He said that it is necessary to patiently seek a solution and warned that “no hasty solutions can be passed as they would have very serious consequences worldwide,” adding Kosovo could not be considered “a unique case.”

Joachim Rücker: Status Quo Unsustainable

KIM Radio in Serbian, 14 Mar 07 Caglavica

On Wednesday, as a guest on KIM Radio Show “Razgovori” (Talks) Joachim Rücker, chief of UNMIK stated that Kosovo is ready for new phase in its historical development.

According to him even though the situation in the province is not perfect; absolutely everyone knows that the status quo is unsustainable. Rücker believes that even though Ahtisaari’s proposal does not offer both sides everything they wanted they should accept it because it came as a result of negotiations which lasted for more then a year. Rücker emphasizes that the proposal is good especially for the Serbian side. “This document gives the Serbian side high level of self-governing. The Serbian community will have significant authorizations in areas of education, health, and other categories which are important for the life of this community. There will no big changes”.

 Commenting on the more frequent statements that in case Ahtisaari’s proposal is not accepted there will be new riots in the province, Rücker says that violence is not the right way for finding status solution.

Contact Group: Kosovo Will Become Independent At Latest On June

Kosova.com in Albanian, 14 Mar 07 Pristina

 Today, the members of the Kosovo Negotiation Team stated in the Kosovo Assembly that the process of talks for the status of Kosovo has been successfully completed and Kosovo will become independent and internationally recognized by June.

The members of the Team evaluated that Kosovo has never been closer to fulfilling the dream and the sacrifice of several generations for independence and sovereignty. They stated that the proposal of Ahtisaari will be handed over to the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon today and it will be presented to the Security Council in the beginning of April for review and approval, respectively to come up with a new resolution for Kosovo from UN. The leader of the Unity Team, the Kosovo President, Fatmir Sejdiu stated in front of the deputies that the process of talks has been very severe and the talks ended on 10th of March, have resulted with a proposal which creates the frames of an independent state of Kosovo.

“The package of Ahtisaari, besides the other elements which treat the position of the minority communities, contains the main and stable base for an independent and sovereign state of Kosovo”, stated Sejdiu.

 He stated that in the last meeting in Vienna, the team offered healthy arguments by underlining that the independence of Kosovo is “alfa and omega” or the “beginning and the end” of the Kosovo state not to accept any structural connections with the Serbian institutions. Sejdiu stated that the Unity Team evaluates that the process for the status of Kosovo needs to end very soon with the independence of Kosovo. Sejdiu added that by expressing the full support for the proposal of Ahtisaari, the Kosovo institutions have expressed commitment to implement the obligations which come out of the package. Sejdiu reminded that Kosovo de facto has been independent since 1999, after the liberation war.
 The other member of the Unity Team, the premier Agim Ceku stated that the process of talks for status was successfully completed last Saturday regardless that compromise has not been achieved between the sides. According to Ceku, the success is the proposal of Ahtisaari which contains independence of Kosovo and sovereignty of its citizens”.

 “Everything that we have offered does not risk the joint purpose; therefore our proposals were accepted by Ahtisaari. He evaluated that there is no more room for new compromises and completed the process with the proposal for independence”, stated Ceku. He stated that the proposal will be handed off to the members of the Security Council on 26th of March while Ahtisaari will be invited to the SC to request support for its proposal in the beginning of April. Ceku added that after this the full independence is expected to be the status of Kosovo.

 “Afterwards, the negotiations for new resolution will begin, which will permanently detach Kosovo from Serbia. This will be completed prior to the meeting of G 8 which will be held on 4 June. The purpose is not to go to this summit without a resolved status of Kosovo”, stated Ceku and requested to maintain political unity and stability during this period in order to successfully fulfill the dream of Kosovars.

Ceku announced that during this period there may be reflections from Serbia to destabilize the place, but he called on to maintain calm since violence may delay the process.
The other member of the Unity Team, the PDK leader, Hashim Thaci stated that he only has one good message for the Kosovo citizens, which is that Kosovo will become independent very soon.

“Because today, the decision of Ahtisaari will be handed over to the SC, there will not be violence or murder anymore. Beginning today, the decision of Ahtisaari begins to become official”, stated Thaci and added that Russia will also cooperate in this process.

 “Russia will be a partner and not an obstructer for the process of independence. During past eight years, Russia has been a member of the Contact Group and I believe that history will remember Russia that has taken the right stance for Kosovo, peace and regional stability”, stated Thaci.  All the deputies fully supported the Unity Team.
At the end of statements, the president Fatmir Sejdiu, as a leader of the Unity Team thanked the deputies for the support given to the Negotiation Team.

 “I assure you that we are going to be persistent to make Kosovo an independent, sovereign and modern state, integrated into the European structures”, underlined Sejdiu. 

Minister of Culture Astrit Haraqia Condemns Acts Vandalism Against Religious Sites

Kosova.com in Albanian, 14 Mar 07 Pristina

The religious sites are mutual values therefore we need to maintain them by increasing their security measures also, stated the minister of culture, youth, sports and non residential issues, Astrim Haraqia by severely condemning the last case of vandalism  against the church of Saint John in Pec, and also the other cases of this nature which have happened before.

The Kosovo Government and this ministry are actively involved in maintaining and protecting the religious heritage, particularly the Serbian Orthodox one during this phase. The joint project with UNMIK and the Council of Europe for building and reconstruction of 34 orthodox religious objects in Kosovo shows this as well. 
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The implementation commission for reconstruction of these sites has noted the extraordinary success thus far and that needs to still be supported. The security in Kosovo remains the main issue and we are actively working with the Kosovo police and UNMIK police to discover and catch the perpetrators.

Haraqia accompanied by the minister of interior affairs and the high representatives of KPS has planned to visit the region of Peja, Decan and Prizren at the beginning of next week with the purpose of evaluating the security situation in these zones. It is also planned a meeting with the representatives of the Serbian Orthodox Church and they will talk about the possibilities of taking additional measures to protect the religious sites.

The Hague, Slovenian Banks And Haradinaj

B92 in Serbian, 14 Mar 07 Pristina

The Hague prosecutor is investigating the dealings of the Slovenian banks. The reason behind this investigation is a statement given by the Slovenian minister of foreign affairs.
 After the investigation into the dealings of the “Razvojna Banka” (Development Bank) and Banka Kasa from Pristina, Carla Del Ponte intends to investigate the dealings of other Slovenian banks, claims the Kosovo paper Finance. According to this paper Del Ponte put these banks under the magnifying glass because of recent statement of Dimitri Rupel who said that Serbia could continue negotiations with the EU even without the arrest of Ratko Mladic.

 According to the first men of the Slovenian Bank “Faktor” which owns 25.1 percent of Kosovo Kasa Bank stocks, the finance police also looked at other Kosovo banks in which the citizens donated money for the defense of Hague indicted Ramush Haradinaj.
 Finance unofficially reveals that a month ago on the same day 40 people deposited 9,000 euros into the account of the fund for Haradinaj’s defense.

According to the law for prohibiting money laundering and financing of terrorist organizations, Milazim Abazi, director of Kasa, who is currently under house arrest, had to report all suspicious transfers larger than 10,000 euros, which he did not do.

Rücker Forced To Explain

 House arrest did not prohibit Jahja Luka from remaining Kosovo premier’s advisor, while the UNMIK chief had to issue a written statement to explain that Haradinaj’s Alliance for Kosovo Future, which Luka is member of, is not being targeted by police, writes Pristina daily Koha Ditore.

 Alliance for the Future of Kosovo [AAK] officials asked the UNMIK chief for an explanation in connection with the arrest of Ceku’s advisor, claims this daily in Albanian, calling on unnamed sources.

 At the same time Express published that the other larger Albanian political parties from Kosovo “pardoned” Haradinaj’s party.

 “Hashim Taci’s Kosovo Democratic Party [PDK], and Kosovo Democratic Alliance [LDK], which was once presided over by Ibrahim Rugova, relinquish Alliance for the Future of Kosovo of any fault, in spite of the fact that a large number of members on this party’s presiding body have problems with the law”, explains this paper. 

In a separate text Express states that the indictment which accuses Miljazim Abazi and Luka of laundering a couple of million euros, will be revised within a 30 day period. This paper claims that the prosecutor “mixed some dates”, which is why the process has been slowed down.

AAK Obliges Rücker To Explain Himself

Koha Ditore in Albanian, 14 Mar 07

The private Kosovor-Slovenian bank “Kasabank” also applied the tendency to not suspend employees, as the instance in the case of its general director Milazim Abazi who was arrested together with Jahja Lluka.

Through a communiqué of the back it has been informed that directive council determined the director. This bank even expressed “its indignity” on Abazi’s investigation, and informed that this post is going to be conducted by Tadej Turk, who represents “Factor Bank” from Slovenia, which is larger shareholder then “Kasabank”.

This bank appealed to the public that there is no need to be disturbed about the bank’s entrepreneurship and that 50.14% of its predicted actions sale, New Ljubljana Bank’s, will begin soon.

Jahja Lluka is AAK high official since its foundation back in 2000, and he exercised the post of the general assistant for three Prime Ministers of Kosovo who came out of this party. For Haradinaj, Kosumi and Ceku he was the chief of the cabinet, while at the last one he was replaced by Ramiz Lladrovci, and took the post of social issues and civil society advisor.

In the meantime, even during Kosumi’s Government, when Haradinaj was already gone to The Hague, he, wore a shirt with “Our Premier Has A Job To Do Here” written on it, has been put ahead of the foundation fund for the defense of the former Prime Minister.
This fund was the subject of investigations in this  January of year too, when the financial police conducted a check into the fund’s bank accounts in “Kasabank”, and after this search the police let Lluka give explanations for  part of these assets.

According to Lluka’s defense lawyer, investigator Arianit Koci appointed two meetings with his client, but both meetings were client by the same investigators.

“We are certain in Mr. Lluka’s innocence”, said Lawyer Koci, announcing a complaint even on house detention measure pronounced by one international judge, as an intermediate measure by the prosecutor Debora Wilkinson’s request for detention. Even Milazim Abazi’s defending lawyer, Hamit Gashi has announced he is convinced of the innocence of his client.

“According to what we possess from court, I consider that there is nothing (visually) to be used as basis for Abazi to be involved in such an act”, said his lawyer, adding that only that post of director Abazi had in “Kasabank” connects him to these suspicions. Having to do anything with that matter (Haradinaj Fund) was not even in his obligations and job description”, said this lawyer.

While the lawyers expressed their belief in Lluka’s and Abazi’s innocence, the sources for the journal within the police did not promise quiet days for the other associates of these two defendants.

According to these sources, more apprehension concerning the “Fund” money issue are expected in the following days

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