Excerpt from report by Belgrade-based private BKTV on 15 April
[Presenter] Representatives of the Serb List for Kosovo-Metohija [headed by Oliver Ivanovic] have told the special US envoy for Kosovo status talks, Frank Wisner, that they are against any kind of imposed solution for the future status of Kosovo, a member of the List, [member of Serbian Kosovo status talk team] Goran Bogdanovic, has said.
[Reporter] Serbs noted their full agreement with the authorities in Belgrade as regards the manner of solving the Kosovo crisis and its final solution, a solution which envisages the greatest possible autonomy for Kosovo within Serbia and the Serbia-Montenegro state union.
Wisner, who is in Kosovo on the second day of his visit, asked the Serb political representatives to join the interim provincial institutions. Wisner said that he did not agree with Belgrade's call to Serbs employed in the health and education sector in Kosovo to give up their salaries from the Kosovo budget. [Passage omitted]
Source: BKTV, Belgrade, in Serbian 1655 gmt 15 Apr 06
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47 comments:
Partition is going to be the final decision. Serbs are not going to be involved in terrorist led government with a war criminal Ceku as leader. If the west is all about changing the borders of Serbia to satisfy the Albanians, SURELY they can change the borders of Kosovo to satisfy Serbs and Belgrade. Who would be disatisfied by that solution?
One question is constantly in my mind:
Is ceku still (since he became the PM of Kosovo) holding his position in the KPC?
No another dude has the position he had in the KPC.
Kosmet, those are some powerful words. Would you like for me to arrange a free session with a local trauma clinic, it seems all that butt sex you got from your Chetniks has left you traumatized.
"SURELY they can change the borders of Kosovo to satisfy Serbs and Belgrade"
That's the thing no one WANTS to satisfy any serbs or Serbia. They had clear guideliness set by higher powers on what to do, even Russia backed that plan but all you did was create an unstable Balkan. Finally everyone sees the true Crusade Terrorists and that's why everyone is and will be leaning towards what Kosovars have to say. If Kosova-Serbs can't live under a Kosova Government then we would be glad to buy your property, you can safely return to some camp in Belgrade...also you can claim autonomy there.
buy our land, i dont think the albanian mob can sell enough drugs to make that much money
but they can sell plenty of Serb prostitutes to make up for the shortage.
I told you that you were traumatized, first of all if it was up to the Mafia, they would not buy it from you. No, they would force you out of it. My statement cleared mentioned the government buying it. Why must you bring the Mafia into this. You didn't rebuttle the statement about itchy buttsex with Chetniks, I guess it's true. Good for you!
Second anonymous, who are you going to sell serb prostitutes? Frankly Moldovian ones are much sexier. Haha
Kosmet how does April 20th sound, I can schedule your ass for a free session with a local doctor for mentaly dissabled...it's free!!
IFK, you are really quite sad.
I personally can't see anything wrong with either side of the arguement. But what i dont understand is why independence is needed. What is wrong with full autonomy? That way kosovo could be run without any involvement from belgrade whatsoever, yet enjoy the benefits of remaining in that union (such as economic and potential of joining the EU). Am i right in saying standards of living are greater in mainland serbia and vojvodina than in kosovo?
Seems a bit of a mess to be honest, but even in the event of independance, i can't see why too many serbs should be bothered by it as long as all monuments and historic sites are protected and rebuilt by any eventual Kosovo government.
I can't wait till the albanians don't get what they want and decide to go all islamic fundamendalist on NATO. This is going to be the next iraq, but since there isn't any value at all in holding it,NATO will just withdraw. It'll be left for us to kill enough of one another so someone backs down. I love it!
Kevin,
Those that have been to the edge of genocide see the purpose of independence. It does not no matter how hard I would try to explain it to you since it takes a certain mindset to get it, one that I would not wish to anybody anywhere. Be thankful that you don't get it, trust me, it's better than the other way around.
Republika,
Enough with keyboard patriotism. The brave ones fought when it was time.
hey kevin where were you after the Jewish Genocide, I am sure your perspective in life would have worked even after WW2.
Why should Kosova live under an autonomy. This was our land before 1389 and it will be so after 2,000,000,389. We have been occupied, massacred, killed, etc. We finally can be liberated under no crusading terrorists and we want freedom--the end.
Union? Okay, if we have to be placed against the unhame terrorists then force the Slovens, Bosniacs, Croatia, Macedonia, and Kosova all together under this fairyland of Utopia. Also you are wrong after democracy Serbs will leave, not because their Churches weren't built or rebuilt but because they want to rule over a 95% as they did before pre 1999. If they throw a fit over EuroVision do you actually think they will be okay with having to reality?
having to deal with reality?****
Happy Eastern to all of you.
Kevin, are you joking, when you say you can't see anything wrong with Albanians living under Belgrade? The autonomy you are talking about, we had it from 1974 to 1989. I am sure you know the rest of the story.
Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Macedonia separated already, now Montenegro wants out, and you expect us to live with Serbs?
Just think for a second!
You are talking about prosperity. Well let me tell you something, Serbs were the one that stopped any prosperity in FRY, that is why everyone left.
I am glad that relevant decision making factors in the world don't think like you.
One more thing, I consider myself as very moderate Albanian. If by any chance Kosova remains part of Serbia, I will give everything I have including my life to the cause. May that be 1000 years away from now, that day is going to come. This has nothing to do with me being Albanian, Jewish, Catholic, Orthodox or Muslim. This has to do with something very basic, and it
s called freedom.
Kevin, you have no clue what is to live under Serbs, that is why you talk this way. If all what happend in this region has not tought you a lesson, I guess you will never get it.
ALERT : SERBIA IS DROWNING - I guess even God is against them... what have they done to deserve this? If this is not coming from God it must be Siptars' fault - damn them.
Or it just might be my dream of turning Serbia into an Albanian Sea.
Dear Kosovans,
I am from the EU. Enlargement is pretty unpopular as it stands at the moment. You may have heard about the 'polish plumber' saga in France and fears in countries such as Austria about Turkey joining.
If you are really interested in joining the EU, and the views expressed in this forum are in any way representative of wider Kosovan society then it is likely that EU citizens will be hostile to your bid for membership.
It is NOT acceptable to threaten to kill people (RFK). I saw another thread yesterday in which a blogger praised Hitler.
People who express such views have NO place in a civilised society, certainly not the EU. Indeed, you could be arrested for the first comment in the UK and for the Hitler comment in Germany.
This is not about Serbs, don't try to place this on them (the EU has its own problems with them), it is about YOUR respect for human rights and democratic values. NOTHING can justify supporting Hitler or killing people to promote independence - these are moral absolutes.
On another note, can you even imagine what would happen if a prominent EU newspaper picked up on some of these comments?
To some of the more moderate voices that I read with interest, I truly hope that your society can evolve to counter this extremism. A good start would be to ban bloggers that express such horrible views.
Jim Smith
You are right Jim!
But please bear in mind that we are talking here about deeply disturbed people. Too many things have happened and to expect people being civilized is a bit naïve. Just few years ago terrible wars happened in former Yu.
Serbs are to blame for initiating violence and ethnic cleansing, and than what followed was a bad copy of Serbian violence and nationalism by Croats, Bosniaks and Kosovo Albanians, which itself is a bad copy of Nazism!
It is going to take some time until things settle. Kosovo becoming independent will put things in balance in Balkans once and forever.
By reading your name I presume that you are British, and as you might know only Britain has positive attitude toward EU enlargement. Now in Britain are more than 300,000 Easter Europens who came after the recent EU enlargement and there is no problem about it, in contrary that is helping Britain’s economy. In the same way Europe will only benefit from accepting Balkan countries in its midst. And if people of France and Austria are against it, there is nothing new! It is Austrians who invented anti-Semitism (not Kosovans), and it was French sportsmen who gave a Nazi salute in Berlin Olympic Games in 1936, years before the German occupation of France.
Best wishes,
Petrit Toplica
Jim SMith? Are you going incognito there buddy? I am tired of this bs rhetoric how we are supposed to do this or that in order to join EU or NATO. First, we will get our freedom from UNMIK-istan and Sewerbeings and then we will talk about other things. And I am also tired listening germaniacs and other Europeans who did nothing while serbs were killing women and children and raping anything they could find from 10-90.
Jim surely EU has heard of free speech! Whethere people should be banned is up to the administrator, not up to you, or EU.
I'm also glad you just brought up joining the Uninon out of pure randomness. You don't worry weather we joing EU or not, we will it is inevitable, like independence, and Republic of Kosova did not make a threat..even if he/she did for all there could be is some 12 year old kid sitting in front of a computer in Tanzania. Why didn't you answer his/her question?
The question stands:
" To kevin, how about no, would you live together with someone that tried to cleanse you, i don't thinks so."
i am so fuckin tired of hearing shit from the war 10 years ago.
how many serb citizens have been killed in albanian riots in kosovo,including women and children. Many of the serbs who were accused of war crimes have been cleared, and guilty ones have been sentenced, so dont act like all serbs killed women and children. Also Ceku is not being investigated even though he has been accused of war crimes, it wasnt only serbs who commited war crimes during the war.
Actually it was '99 and that means less than 7 years ago your rapist kind went on rampage. I dont know what school you were taught math but I suggest you try to learn in a different school. Furthermore you juct released a murderer like Demirovic. Ceku if there was any proof that he was involved in crimes he would be in Hague just like Haradinaj. The serb courts judging albanians would be like the SS judging the jews after WWII. Preposterous!
demirovic hasn't been sentensed due to lack of evidence, ceku is not prosecuted due to lack of evidence, which brings us to a dead point. but naturally you preffer to say that demirovic is a killer cause he is a serb and ceku is an innocent hero cause he is a albanian.
i like this that you don't want to live with someone who killed you, but view the other side, you will have to live with them in the EU. what will you do then?
demirovic hasn't been sentensed due to lack of evidence, ceku is not prosecuted due to lack of evidence, which brings us to a dead point. but naturally you preffer to say that demirovic is a killer cause he is a serb and ceku is an innocent hero cause he is a albanian.
i like this that you don't want to live with someone who killed you, but view the other side, you will have to live with them in the EU. what will you do then?
Bullshit! Demirovic was identified by the little girl he shot together with her whole family in Kosova. She faced him in a candian court that deported him later to serbia. So dont give me this bs about not enough evidence.
kristian,
as a peacelover what do you have to say about that what republic of kosovo said:
"f we don't get independence which is highly unlikely, i can garantee u that the remaining serbs will vanish in the matter of hours.i personally will kill as many as i can, serbian style, women and children first."
Hey, as a peacelover that actually lives in Kosovo, I can tell you that republic... is full of sh*t, IF he is really a K-Albanian. Thank God, we have KFOR troups here and we have our own Police Service to protect whoever is here in Kosovo, citizen or not. They may have failed in '04 but they learned a valuable lesson. PLUS we have the Kosovo Protection Corps which can be utilized to calm the situtation , as their active involvment is not constitutional. I am sure that if need may be, there is a weapon somewhere that I can use to protect the inocennt from maniacs like republic... if everything else collapses. To sum it up: You don't take what he said seriously and he'd better take what I said seriously!
Nyouthouselawyer, you showed your rapist colors at last. I pitty the shithole that has hired you as a lawyer. But as they say a good start is chaining a thousand lawyers to the bottom of atlantic ocean.
“For as long as the Serbs will not understand and realize that they are on foreign lands and territory, they will never be in peace or have good neighbor relations with Albanians”.
Dimitrie Tucovic.
Killed by Serb Chauvinists around 1914.
Google his name and you will see for yourself.
“Since the long series of dangers and sacrifices for the freedom of the Serb people and the future of Serbia has not ended with the defeat of the policy of conquest, it is now necessary to face the truth and to acknowledge against all prejudices that the struggle that the Albanian tribe is leading today is a natural and unavoidable historic struggle for a different political life than that experienced under Turkish rule – different also from that which its neighbours Serbia, Greece and Montenegro would like to force upon the Albanians. The free Serbian people should appreciate this struggle, first because of the freedom of the Albanians, and second because of its own freedom, and it should deny every government the means for a policy of oppression. ”
Dimitrie Tucovic.
One of those few smart serbians, killed by their own people. Remember their democrat primeminister killed a couple of years ago. He also had come to the same conclusion as his compatriot Dimitrie Tucovic.
Too bad we do not have a lot more people like them.
1:53,
Your quotation is powerful, espcially since it's that old. Those that seek to deny freedom to other people will be the first victims of that policy - Serbs can't be an exception. Where can I read more of his work?
I agree with Republic of Kosova. It seems the illiterate terrorists have yet to learn about the attrocaties of war they left 7 years ago. "Justice delayed is justice denied", Martin King. If Kosova continues to keep moving at this pace, the international presence will be in Kosova forever...nothing self-governing about that.
To the Kosovar, it's KOSOVA.
NY Lawyer, that wall idea doesn't seem so bad, that's step one to creating the Kosova Sea. Plus there would be no illegal weapons coming from Serbia.
JustMe..I found you. Maniacs? What do you label yourself Kosova-Albanian? A lot of people lost a lot of blood in a massacre for no reason. I don't know where you were hiding your fucking ass in some western country--sounds like America. I can understand ROK wanting a war..I do too!
If anyone of you view that as a thread, I will be glad to schedule you all in to suck my ****.
Thank You
Independence for Kosova
You can get more info on Dimitrije Tucovic if you google the title of his book: "Serbija and Albania" by Dimitrije Tucovic, or by going to this web page:
www.labournet.net/balkans/0003/serbrvw.html
Independence for Kosova and Republic of Kosovo, you guys are right, a lot of people have been killed here. Unfortunately, all the wrong ones - you two are a living proof of that.
With us, same as with Serbs, it is the sick cowards that are the loudest nationalists. Thank God people like that do not have a say around here anymore.
Greetings from Prishtina.
JustMe, you are a shame to all Albanians from Kosova to Albania look:
"Republic_of_Kosova said..."
Where do you see the name Republic of Kosovo you fucking twat?
You disgust me, you have officially fallen under the clutches of racial superiority to pick up such an ugly habit. I'd rather ERASE the whole country of Kosova then have such an arrogant fool to give me liberty under a name such as KOSOVO.
You are a fool to believe everything will end jolly and folly. A new war is inevitable, I'm not saying a group of people should start massacring the Serbs but in the event that Kosova does not win independence (futile) then war must happen.....I will not live under oppression. If you were a patriot you would help.
Don't forgett it was these "loudest nationalists" that got worlds attention to intervene, start paying respect little boy.
No, it was the silent victims of Serb retaliation that got the world's attention. You obviously should re-learn recent history Independence For KosovO :):):) It is because of arrogant fools (or just fools) like your dear self that we find ourselves in doubt if we will gain the independence or not. Idiots like you spend days and months arguing if one should say in English Kosovo or Kosova but you keep silent while the country gets all wrapped in crime and corruption. You are so narrow minded that even after 7 years of war, you still blame Serbs for everything: "Oh it was a war, oh we were massacred, oh they done us wrong..." ... well Boo F***g Hoo - Get over it and clean the streets, fill the potholes, get water and electricity 24hrs a day like the whole civilized world has, restart whatever is left of production facilities and start fighting crime instead of cheering for criminals. THAT is how you gain your independence and NOT by murdering women and children. Or like in your case: TALKING ABOUT IT. Friggin bigmouth, you disgust me.
JustMe, obviously you are in denial. I will draw fro you why you cant do things that you claim we should do. Crime- Unmik is in charge of security and there are a lot of UNMIK police who could care less if Kosova went up in flames and they even proliferate by crime in Kosova since many of them are directly involved. Electricity- Kek has been milked dry by internationals and since our people have been educated in the old system of communists who stole whole fmr Yugo do its death. Jobs- Nicholas Lambsdorf stoped the whole privatisation in its tracks even though he didnt have any authority to do so. And the privatisation now is also contestable since ownership is not decided and Serbia has been sabotaging every aspect of Kosova's economy from electricity imports to goods and services. Potholes and other issues are the same. Internationals instead of helpin with all these issues are making them worse. As far as crying or bitching about what happened its perfectly normal. Never forget what happened or forgive for that matter. However, do move on. Time heals everything. We must also admit that our generation has some duties to the future ones and that is to build our country. AS far as people out of Kosova who want war, its because people who are in Kosova has almost been broken by the UNMIK and internationals to agree to anything. If you want to see things clearly stand outside of the box. I have met albanains in Mitrovica who say that giving north to Serbia is fine with them and they dont understand that if you do that the whole Kosova is served to them in a platter strategically. Serbia is making the whole issue them and us. And guess who's side I will be on. People who say there will be another war they dont say that becasue they want it but casue they have clear mind to see it coming. If you dont you are blind.
Do not worry guys, JustMe is just another hot head serb.
Do me a favor JustMe, Write smth in Albanian just to convince us that you are one of us......Simple.
What can I say?! The whole post written anonymously could not possibly be more wrong!!! To begin with, my remarks were not addressed to you but to the war mongers that even threatened to kill women and children. If you are not one of them, then do not bother replying. If you do not support crimes and violence then don't defend or try to justify the ones that do. Or go ahead and do it, like you did, but name one good (read: intelligent) reason for that.
As far as your points go, man you are out of touch. There is a share of responsibility that internationals must bare, a rather big one infact, but the bulk of it is on our ELECTED politicians and us as their voters. If you feel that someone else is stopping your progress then by all means, feel free to pressure your ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE to do something about it. If he seems unable or inapt to change things, then replace him. IF THE INTERNATIONALS PREVENT THEM IN DOING SO (which is not the case) then have them resign or you simply do not vote, not for them and not for anyone. This way, seems that they (just like you) want ALL the privileges but none of the responsibility. That, you can have, but in LA LA LAND, not in the real world.
Based on your writing I would say that you are very young, and unfortunately very naive. Even worse, you seem to be far from Kosovo and yet you claim to know more and better about the situation here!!! What a stupid thing to say. Let me just explain something to you; "get out of the box" means you have to get out of a certain mindset and judge things objectively. It does not mean you have to live 6 000 miles away so you can have a better judgment :):):)
War is over, if you dwell on the past war and the one that is (NOT) about to come, when do you find time to progress???
Perndryshe, ma hankshit guxhen e karit se sen nuk po dishit. Marre po m'vjen qfare rinie paska qe kan dal me studju jashte. Edhe ma marre qe po keni ku me i shpreh pseudo-mendimet e juaja. Nese nuk je bind ti qe dyshojshe qe jom shqiptar, kallxoma emailin e ta qoj CV-ne. Papaka!!!
"As far as your points go, man you are out of touch. There is a share of responsibility that internationals must bare, a rather big one infact, but the bulk of it is on our ELECTED politicians and us as their voters."
So how can it be a large share and then dismiss it. The voting system you are talking about clearly tells me that your not even close to Kosova let alone live in Kosova. There are elctions and you cannot get officials to step down since its a closed voting system meaning the you vote for a party and not for the specific person. And if you somehow manage to get that person out of there another who will do the same job will be in his place in a very short time. "out of the box" comment meant that you have to get out of the stuation or the comfort zone in order to see things clearly and that means you have to read and lsiten to what other say about your country. As they say if you want to learn about a village go to the one next to it. AS far as young, i am not. But from your language it seems you have a fixed idea and even when you are wrong you can never admit, which is typical of us albanians at times especially those that have this patchy education or none at all.
How typical!!! Blame everything on internationals and the voting system (that again, using your "logic", they imposed). I never said that we should relieve them of responsibility, but whining and bitching about it does not do any good. Whatever voting system you have, there is allways public pressure for resignation as a mean. If that does not work, then wait until the next elections. The point is, and I really cannot imagine how thick a person must be not to understand it, you and I cannot make things right - that is why we ELECT people to do the job for us! Obviously, something has gone wrong in that whole thing otherwise we would be noting progress instead of decadence. You tell me to "get out of the box" while you seem absolutely incapable to do the same!!! Forget that you are an Albanian for a second and try to view things from a neutral perspective. Is it really, absolutely and positively NO fault of our own??? Could it be that EVERYONE is to blame but us??? Are we right and justifiable even when we preach killing of women and children??? Doesn't it strike you a tiny little bit biased you out-of-the-box-man? :):)
But you are exceptionally funny when you say "even when you are wrong you can never admit" ?!?!?!:):):) And just when did you prove anything that I said to be wrong?!?!? I am sorry, I might have missed it while I was on the floor laughing but I really cannot find it now :):):)
The war ended in 99. There isnt a posibilty in hell that we could have had the government we all want. Namely an effective and wholyy democratic one. becasue the internationals have pressured you to accept things you would have never done if Kosova was recognized as a country. I think I gave you enough facts about serbias direct involvment in economical development obstruction. Like the electricty which doesnt allow us to import from other countries that must pass through serbia. Kosova's mobile service is a robbery of the century with introduction of vala 900. The ptk has been aslo robbed blind by internationals so has KEK. When the security is divided between the internationals and KPS the crime benefits because there is no clear structure and becasue of infighting between KPS and unmik police. I know policemen who have allowed people to get their contraband goods after the same police had confiscated them, by paying the international and KPS.
Of course there are a lot of things wrong with our system. DO you know any country that came out of a war and its economy and political situation was perfect from the start? Advocating killing women and children no matter who does it or for what reason is imbecilic and at the same time pathetic and I am sure no one in theri right mind would go for it- unless you are a serb of course. There will always be injustice in this world but if you dont bitch against it you are worst than people who do it. Peace will come in Kosova but it will be a while and another war is in the making. This deosnt mean I wan a war or I would be thrilled bceause I have been in a war and it isnt fun. all I am saying is be prepared.
Proof that serbia wants partition!
Serbs to choose Kosovo return sites
BELGRADE, Serbia-Montenegro, April 18 (UPI) -- Serb minority refugees could choose places to return in Serbia's Kosovo province under a U.N. plan.
The plan stipulates legal frameworks to protect refugees from discrimination, said Sandra Michell, newly appointed director of the U.N. Office for Return in Kosovo's chief town of Pristina.
Michell said the plan is to create easier conditions for the return of displaced people, the Beta news agency reported. Lack of security and a poor economic situation are major problems that returnees face.
About 2,000 Serbs have returned to Kosovo in the past nine months. Some 200,000 Serbs left Kosovo following NATO air attacks in 1999 and ethnic Albanian attacks on Serbs in March 2004.
Kosovo, formally still part of Serbia, has been under the U.N. administration since 1999.
Serbs and ethnic Albanians in February began mediated talks on the future of Kosovo to decide who will govern the province once NATO and U.N. personnel leave.
Dude, as someone that lives in Kosovo, I can tell you that the "we've just come out of a war" kind of thinking is outdated. And so are most of your comments. You could have been right (partially) in 2001 or 2002 at the most, but not today. There is obstruction by Serbia and there is mismanagement by international community active in and around Kosovo but not even near the extent to which you were lead to believe. Take Health and Education for example! The first areas where full responsibility was given to our authorities more then four years ago and yet the situation is chatastrophic in both -way worse then in other areas. Nuff' said :) I could go on for hours proving to you that things could have been much better if only we as a society and especially our elected representatives were more concentrated on improving things then on other stuff but I really do not see the point. Just read more news from Kosovo and you will see for yourself.
There is an ocean of difference between the government that does not meet our expectations fully and the one(s) that we have. Of course, to someone that does not live the "benifits" they provide, they might not look so bad. As far as I am concerned, my family, friends etc. we pay taxes from the money we work hard to earn and what do we get??? Excuses just like the ones you present!!! The thing is that they simply do not stand. I know it, many people here know it, in time you will know teh truth to. Until then...
Greetings from Prishtina.
Responsibilty is shared then by your reasoning and not as you stated in the beggining that it was wholly at the door of our government. Say if you had a friend or family that was breaking the law-involved in corruption-, would you report them to the police? So start with yourself first and dont ask others to do something that they have no power whatsoever over. As far as health and education they have always been pathetic in Kosova. Not because of the students because they were the best I have seen and i have studied in few developed countries, but because of people being complacent with what was going on. Everyone knew that teachers were being bribed and even knew them by name but no one said anything. Even today you have professors who got their job by nepotism even though I wouldnt let them teach monkeys. Health same, in other countries like USA doctors have a license and if they make many mistakes their licence is taken from them so that they cant practice anymore. In Kosova when I told them about that they thought it was weird becasue if you finish college than you are guaranteed to work as a doctor even if you made thousands of mistakes and no one can take that from you. But that is the culture in our country which we must fight against, a culture of no one doing anything about corruption and just blaming the moron who got their jobe because they knew someone or paid for it. Corruption is a crime present in every country, to fight it the population must be educated otherwise it will be present for centuries. It is true that it is hard for everyone in Kosova but the worst part is that so many people in Kosova believe that they are entitled to something without doing thier job. You must do your job. Justice and development starts with you.
Does this fucking outhouselawyer have a fucking sense to stop his psychopathic ranting.
Read how serbia deals with gypsies.
Balkan Insight
Belgrade Roma Rot In Cardboard City
Few Serbian Roma put much faith in official promises to tackle their poor conditions.
By Zelimir Bojovic in Belgrade (Balkan Insight, 12 Apr 06)
In the so-called Cardboard City, crammed beneath the Gazela, one of the busiest bridges in Belgrade, hundreds of Roma families live in what looks like a landfill site.
Most Roma here make a precarious living from collecting and selling cardboard, or from whatever they find in rubbish containers. Walls made of cardboard, wooden planks and nylon offer no protection against rain and snow, so their hovels are soaked through in winter.
Afrodita Saitovic, 18 years old and eight months pregnant, has lived in Cardboard City with her husband and two children for seven years.
Her family fled Kosovo in 1999, after NATO air strikes drove out the Serbian authorities. Kosovo's Roma bore the brunt of local Albanian rage for siding with the Serbs - but Serbia has been far from welcoming. Saitovic's family has been without running water or sewage since they got to Belgrade, though the city has now supplied them with electric power.
Despite the fact that she was suffering excruciating pains in her stomach, doctors at Belgrade 's Narodni Front hospital refused to examine her as she did not have a healthcare card.
"They said I should pay 1,800 dinars [about 20 euro], but I don't have enough money for food, let alone a medical examination," she said.
Saitovic said she may have to give birth in her cardboard room at home.
This family's problems are common to Roma all over Serbia. Living in unauthorised settlements, they cannot register as residents and obtain the documents they need to get access to healthcare, education and the job market.
The police require at least a house number in order to grant a residence permit, the gateway into the Serbian legal system. For people in Cardboard City, this is impossible.
The Minority Rights Centre, CPM, a Belgrade-based non-governmental organisation, is trying to help people like Afrodita Saitovic obtain residence permits.
"If the city of Belgrade changes the law and grants addresses to these settlements, a great number of people could gain access to healthcare, the jobs market and send their children to school," said Petar Antic, CPM's executive director.
The health issue is probably the most serious problem facing Roma in the cardboard slums, where unhygienic conditions are a fertile breeding ground for viruses and ailments of all kinds.
Osman Balic, head of the YUROM Centre, a Roma non-governmental organisation based in Nis, said poor healthcare cuts the average lifespan of the community very significantly.
"Only one per cent of all Roma in Serbia live to the age of 60," he said.
Dragoljub Ackovic, vice-president of the World Roma Parliament, a Roma lobby group, agreed. He said the average lifespan of Roma in Serbia was only 47, which is 20 years less than the rest of the population.
Belatedly, Serbia's ministry of health says it is taking steps to address the problem.
Djordje Stojiljkovic, the deputy health minister, said the government had launched a 60,000,000 dinar (700,000 euro) project together with the World Bank and other international organisations. The move is timed to coincide with the Decade of Roma Inclusion, an international effort to raise the economic and social status of Roma.
Some Roma activists doubt whether the Serbian government project will get far, given the small amount of money involved.
"Those funds are just a drop in the ocean of our needs," complained Ackovic.
He said the health ministry was not truly interested in tackling the poor health of the Roma. "All they want to do is to implement some projects so that they can say they are working on something," he said.
One of the many problems with addressing the Roma community's plight is the lack of hard information.
No one knows exactly how many Roma live in dire poverty. The most recent government survey, in 2002-03, suggested only that more than 80 per cent of Roma in Serbia lived in impoverished areas, most of them concentrated in some 600 unauthorised settlements.
Zarko Sunderic, from the deputy prime minister's team on poverty reduction, said, "Around 35 per cent of Roma have no access to a water supply, 65 per cent have no sewage systems, 45 per cent have no proper streets in their settlements and about one tenth of Roma live without electricity."
Sunderic added that few Roma children were vaccinated against diseases. "Tuberculosis, skin and venereal diseases, as well as asthma, are common among both grown-ups and children," he said.
Unofficial estimates suggest about 30,000 of the 100,000 Roma in Belgrade live in unsanitary settlements like Cardboard City. One of them is Halid Hasani, 32, who lives there with his wife and two daughters.
Since the last rainfall, the family have been unable to use one of their rooms, fearing that the ceiling might fall in as they sleep. But the biggest problem is the lack of water and sanitation, Hasani said.
"We used to go for water to the nearby gravel pit, but now the security guards there often refuse to give us water," he added.
Elizabeta Maloku, 24, also from Cardboard City, said her biggest problem was the rats that swarmed all around the place, keeping her awake at night.
Her daughter is already an invalid at only four years old, after being born with a lump on her neck. As is typically the case, doctors would not treat her without a healthcare card.
Antic said such people are living in a kind of limbo, with their children growing up illiterate and wholly unequipped for life in the wider society.
"If they don't get the help, the consequences could be alarming", he said, pointing to the obvious danger of these children falling into lives of crime.
Ackovic fears that the Roma cannot rely on the goodwill of Serbian officials, but should put their faith in international pressure instead.
"If Serbia wants to adopt European standards and join the European Union, then it must look after the Roma people and their health," he said.
In the meantime, the residents of Cardboard City rely on their own resources, as they have always done.
"If you have the money, you can get medical treatment," Ajeti Ilfan, 43, said. "If you can't, you might as well drop dead."
Zelimir Bojovic is a Deutsche Welle correspondent in Belgrade. Balkan Insight is BIRN's online publication. This article was published with support from Freedom House.
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