Excerpt from report by Radio-Television Kosovo TV on 9 May
[Announcer] The Contact Group is going to impose a solution for Kosova's [Kosovo] status and this solution is going to be in favour of the majority in Kosova, it was said today in a debate "Kosova During and After the Talks" organized by the private university Academy of Fine Arts - AAB.
[Reporter] Some sound minds are knocking at the doors of Belgrade to prepare its people for two traumas that they will be facing very soon - the independence of Montenegro and of Kosova, Deputy Prime Minister Lutfi Haziri said today before AAB students. Other participants were former Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi and Kosova Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic. According to Haziri, Kosova is in the year of status and talks are inevitable. Even though the first round of talks with Belgrade has been deemed unsuccessful, Haziri believes they were successful when differences in principle are huge.
[Deputy Prime Minister Lutfi Haziri] The talks are being conducted under the principle: There can be no agreement until there is an overall agreement. The document on decentralization will be frozen; it will be part of the final package on status that will be discussed at the so-called meeting of elephants, the major meeting that will deal with the final status and internal dispositions. What is Kosova offering in this context? It is offering constitutional guarantees for ethnic groups.
[Reporter] The Prishtina [Pristina]-Belgrade talks are proving that they cannot end, thus the Contact Group in the end is going to impose a solution for Kosova status which will be in favour of the majority, said former Prime Minister Rexhepi who compiled the plan on Mitrovica [Kosovska Mitrovica] that was presented at the Vienna talks.
[Bajram Rexhepi] A realistic request was made to have an urban centre where they could have different public services. The issue of health is solved with the regional hospital, the issue of the university and many other services. There is no perfect plan for Mitrovica; this was perhaps a plan which both sides would have accepted.
[Reporter] According to Ivanovic there are very few chances of accepting an imposed solution. The problem lies in the fact of what is going to happen after the definition of status.
[Kosovo Serb leader Oliver Ivanovic in Albanian] One should not bet everything on one card, that is not how you play. That is not risk, it is stupidity. To tell you the truth this is not how people should be treated. Think of what is going to happen in the autumn, if there is independence and what if there is no independence? What will you have to eat? Think today, because autumn will arrive very quickly. [Passage omitted]
Source: RTK TV, Pristina, in Albanian 1730 gmt 9 May 06
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27 comments:
"The Prishtina [Pristina]-Belgrade talks are proving that they cannot end, thus the Contact Group in the end is going to impose a solution for Kosova status which will be in favour of the majority"
In my opinion, the inevitible, yes inevitible, granting of "conditional" independence of Kosovo was decided years prior, perhaps even before the NATO bombing, but is going to be increasingly portrayed in the coming year as a decision imposed by the international community due to the inability of the Pristina-Belgrade talks to yeild any progress.
Howdy RD, sometimes in order to make progress the imposed solution is a must. Being familiar with Balkans issues you should know how able are Balkans people to solve problems on their own. Imposed solution would mainly help the ruling politicians in both Kosova and Serbia to say to their electorate in a Shaggy way "See, it wasn't me". The most fair solution would be to let people of Kosova decide in a referendum, that would be the best, and most democratic way of solving the issue. (I propose to the editor to do some moderation on the comments, which include swearings and personal attacks. Do you think that would be better?) best,
Yeh a bit of moderation, against some people on both sides, would be useful. Believe it or not, there are some of us out here who are interested in this discussion, and regardless of our views and who we agree with, racist slurs against either side don't help, and I'm surprised that those making them don't feel humiliated. And neither side is more guilty or innocent than the other on this.
And some people here claim to have university degrees? shocking, shame on those universities awarding these people any (than primary school) diploma. Your language is horrible. Aren't there other words than offensive ones to express your extreme opinions? Same actors quarreling every day. Find a forum, and a life.
Mitrovica Pika pika, try not to fall a victim of some extreme nationalists, and their offensive language in this nice news blog such as Kosovareport. Try to influence them by showing your civilized behavior instead. Congratulations on your blog. Looks nice.
A little bit of respect for the rest of us people. Come on.
I dont understand this sort of comical / very,very serious joking where one moment its silly funny and yet its at the same time deadly serious.
Is there something Im missing here because I dont see the point in these kinds of conversations.
Mitrovica I do agree with some of the issues in that article you posted but you realise the author would have the same standard for any country / region? In other words if he took the same analysis to Kosovo Im sure he would be hard on Kosovo Albanians too.
Ilir would you propose a referendum in Serb areas of Kosovo to ask whether they want to become attatched to Serbia? I have nothing against referendums but the problem is anybody can call them and according to the principles of self determination decide on their own fate.
Cvijus,
You're soo hypocritical and plain stupid. You make up "picka picka" and say the most utterly disgusting things, and then accuse Mitrovica for "lack of civilization". You are contradicting yourself so much that it's a shame those ppl that hired you as a receptionist allow you to use the computer. You and Ivan are probably two selaks from Smederevo that a) have too much time in their hands, b) can do NOTHING to stop Kosova from becoming independent, and c) again, are just plain stoooopid.
However, as someone from Prishtina, I can only say go on losers, go on showing the world what lame people Serbs are.
If one reads comments from different articles here, it's very easy to see your lack of consistency in everything you say and conclude that you're nothing but a gedjo with no credibility whatsoever.
--THE ILLYRIAN FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE BALKANS (IE. DARDANIA)
hAHHAha Cvijus, how do you pronounce "oo"? As in Moon? Hahaha, get a life man, really, just get a life cause you've got nothing on us. Look there's someone at the door, you should go help them, QUICK!
Cviki,
No, no I mean real world. Like outside of the dream world based on lies that your serbian "innate intelligence" enables you to come up with, ie you doing a phd. Here, concentrate, Serbian reality: baaaad. :( :(
Mitrovice,
Give them a few more minutes. Their "innate Seri-an intelligence" will enable them to come up with the "most creative" answers ever.
So can we return to real subjects then Ivan? Drop these attacks on Mitrovica.
Cvijus you too. Seriously is this about character assasination or about the rights of those living, or those who have been cleansed from Kosovo?
Mitrovica you can choose to debate with me in a real way but only if you choose to. I must tell you that Im much more impressed by arguments than by nationalities, flags, anthems and other types of nationalist symbols.
Clearly discussing important issues would not be a waste of time. However, name calling and sweeping generalisations clearly is.
Mitrovica well I think we know that Belgrade wont be marching on Kosovo even if it were inclined to do so - which she isnt.
That fear of restoration of the types of policies under Milosevic is nothing but artificial. Because it wont and cant happen.
Therefore, what happened 5 years or more ago is history. Whats important now is today and what kind of future Kosovo will have.
Unfortunately protection of minorities is an issue. There have been too many instances of these abuses for anybody, Albanian or international, to claim there isnt a serious problem.
I think we (Non Albanians and Albanians actually) have a right to expect that these and similar attacks will cease. For Gods sake this is going on under the noses of the internationals. Kosovo, in theory, should be safer than the average state. Instead the internationals are failing miserably in setting a minimum standard of human rights.
Let me tell you something about the southern part of Kosovska Mitrovica that happened around 2 weeks ago. UNMIK, Peterson and his number two called a press conference about the opening of a new block made for gypsies. The block of flats was to create space for those Roma or gypsies that lived in the Southern part of Mitrovica when the Roma Marhala where they lived was destroyed by Kosovo Albanians (the Serbs had already left S Mitrovica).
So what did the geniuses at UNMIK do? Oh yeah they 'forgot' to call somebody from the Roma community to the press conference. So you had internationals and Albanian functionaries patting each other on the back for another good project to impress other internationals in London and Washington whereas the people who the project was supposed to help werent even there.
The reason this whole project received funding is because these were the poor Roma stuck in that diseased camp that various journalists from the BBC and Reuters visited in the past few months.
But to continue, worse still, it unfolds later in the same day the leader of the Roma community said that the project was carried out without his input and having not been consulted and badly treated by the internationals and having doubts about the quality of the building he said the Roma had decided they did not want to live in a tower block.
Further, they said that the block was on the edge of Southern Mitrovica and not close to the centre as the destroyed Marhala was.
So, guys (cvijus) what do you think? Is this piece of information interesting or is it more educational trading insults?
Cvijus if you are saying that Mitrovica has a closed mind then thats his issue. If you seem to think that gives you the right to close your mind in retaliation then you lose. Yeah really it is like that even if you dont see it.
The guys nick is "Mitrovica pika pika" ivan and cvijus. You repeated the curse more than 10 times, quite civilized way of behaving. Not sure what research you did to get your degrees, but my feeling is you did the research on cursing and using words of hatred. A civilized person (as you claim to be) does not answer to provocations in that way. I sure am not the one to judge about your degrees, as if I was the one to give you those degrees I would be cursing myself now.
Mitrovica PIKA PIKA, durohu vllau jem mos ju jep material ktyne se ju mezi presin me i sha pak. A nuk pe din sa te pacivilizume jane keta a? E kane tregu fytyren disa here. Me miresjellje e me injorim te komenteve palidhje te tyne fiton me shume se sa nese i shan prapa. Greetings,
Albanians deserve no respect! I give stray dogs respect before I give respect to bastard albo-turk shiptaris. the only respect i give albos is some spare change to fuck their whore wives and daughters as that is all they are capable of... taking dick that is
Very civilized, indeed. I am impressed. It shows the culture you've been brought up with, not only yourself. You are a shame to the society that accepted you in their circle.
Mitrovica Im sorry that you obviously believe that the gypsies deserved what they got.
That kind of comment shows exactly why Kosovo remains cleansed today. I had hoped that you realised the difference between those that truly committed war crimes and those who were doing what they could to make a living. Its disapointing to think that there arent some Kosovo Albanians who could at least show it in their hearts to support gypsies. You cant pretend that the gypsies ever oppressed anybody can you?
There was no excuse for destroying their marhala and there is no excuse for them being treated as they are today.
You didnt see any Kosovo is Serbias problem in my logic at all. In fact my comments were entirely based from a non partisan human rights viewpoint. The story I told wasnt even about Serbs suffering, it was about gypsies. Im talking about Kosovo's problems today and tomorrow referring to all communities in Kosovo.
However, the fact is that non Albanians are experiences the worst human rights violations. If saying such a thing equals saying Kosovo is Serbia's problem then you can accuse any number of internationals (or even Kosovo Albanian moderates) who have said the same thing of being pro Serbian.
Dont kid yourself into painting me into the bad guy. After your comment regarding the gypsies I think its pretty obvious between is closer to supporting multicultral democratic values.
Ivan, Im glad you agree and hope that you found that little piece of information interesting.
Again, its no excuse to point to somebody elses comment to justify your own. You choose what to write, nobody forces you.
What I dont understand is why you waste your time writing these messages to Mitrovica?
Again, so please, I would kindly request that you Ivan and Cvijus would stop doing this. Return to an issue is that too much to ask?
Hi,
As being a german soldier in Kosovo, it was my surpriese how the local population ( Kosovo Albanians) , have the same point of view as Mitrovica pika pika. In a sense I could understand the way they hated Serbs, but their brutality among the innocent ones amazed me. To them all of the Serbs are guilty, even if it is a baby just born.
But their brutality among gypsies was something I could not understand. I personally saw one Albanian middle aged man, kick a gypsy boy just because he was on his path.
I am afraid that my brothers ( UNMIK soldiers) will have to stay there for a long time in order to protect these minorities. I hope that all the promising words Kosovo Albanian politicians give will actually become a reality.
Best Regards,
Hans
hello agains,
Mitrovica pika pika you were right. I was a KFOR soldier stationed in Kosovo, but many of my friends are working in UNMIK police in Prizren.
Nevertheless, I was very optimistic when I was sent to Kosovo, but after a while I just wanted to get the hell out of there. Yes Serbs have done many wrong things to you, but after we have come the roles have switched.
Best regards aus Koblenz,
Hans
Mitrovica your response to my post on the gypsies living in that radiation camp who had their houses burnt down in Southern Mitrovica was to say that they dug graves for Serbs.
Anybody reading such a comment can see what your sentiment is. Put plainly at the very least you dont care, at worst you are inferring that the gypsies are Serb collaborators. As you write in a later post to Hans, yes I hope that you would intervene to protect the innocent whoever they are. Did you try to intervene when the gypsies had their marhala burnt down in Mitrovica?
No, in Serbia we do have a couple of extreme right wing organisations who might attack gypsies after getting drunk at football matches but I cant remember one instance of organised burning down of gypsy communities or the ethnic cleansing of gypsies. Trust me, Im not the type to hide these kinds of things. And actually if such a thing were to happen the media would report it.
Hans, your view sounds similar to a lot of international workers on the ground in Kosovo. Some of you guys are ok although (now its time for you to show some character) what do you think of those in UNMIK who are corrupt? What do you think of the goals of UNMIK? Do you think they are / were workable?
What do you think of UNMIKS record in protecting Kosovo's minorities? Do you hold nation states responsible for that or the hierarchy of UNMIK? These are all interesting questions.
Tell me is it true that the French are seen as closer to the Serbs and the Germans closer to the Albanians? And is there any basis for this?
Dear bg anon,
First of all let me thank you for your kind reply. It is really rare to find a person on this blog that is ready to have a proper discussion.
About this gypsy boy. I did react and pushed the man away, which of course brought a great anger of the local Albanians and God knows what would have happened to me if a KFOR patrol didn't appear. After the whole mess was cleared, the man that attacked the little boy has disappeared, most probably ran away.
Bg anon, I find your questions very interresting. I will try to answer you in the best way I can, given the knowledge I have gathered during my time in Kosovo.
You should make a difference between those that work on the field and the others that are tied to office jobs. Of cource, the high official are logically those that are in the offices. As you may have guessed, those in the offices are the corrupt ones. Given the purpose of the UNMIK staff being in Kosovo, how they work now is not only a disgrace for the UN as such, but also to the whole international community. The goals of the UNMIK, which we the soldiers in the German KFOR satirically characterized as "to bring peace and harmony" is just a facade for the outside world.
Now when we concider the protection of the minorities, there is a certain extent to which you may react when you face yourself with a violation. What we thought to be a proper way to react could bring to a disciplinary committee, or for the soldiers to court martial. Overall, how I perceived the way minorities were protected, especially in March 2004 when I was also stationed, is shameful.
On your comment that Germans are more alligned to Albanians would be the truth to some extend. But seeing the reality some of us the soldiers changed our minds and realized that our mission was to protect Serbs from violence, instead Albanians who to honest didn't need protection anymore. Many of my commrades have changed their minds. But concerning your question once more, the basis of thaof Germans being alligned is pure politics, hardly any connection with the popular sentiment.
I hope you're satisfied with my answers
Best regards
Hans
Germans hate Serbs. They have ever since they organized the camps that killed 300,000 of them during WWII.
French and Serbs -both victims of Germans
Mitrovica you are quoting nazis???
What next?
I have already been to camps where Roma are based in Belgrade thank you very much. They live in miserable conditions but at least they are not ethnically cleansed from Belgrade or have their campment set on fire. In fact many of them have been cleansed from Kosovo - you know they even speak Albanian.
If it were upto me I would change policy on gypsies in Serbia but most of the problems faced by gypsies are due to poverty, even if there is some discrimination (which is also present in the Czech republic and other East or Western European states). Sadly Serbia isnt a rich country like some of those other states so things cant be changed so quickly.
Wait a minute Mitrovica how about condemning the destruction of the gypsy mahala? I cant believe you are blamimg the French when it was Kosovo Albanians who carried out the destruction. Tell me Mitrovica why can I be honest and why do you constantly try to avoid accepting (at least some) Kosovo Albanian responsibility where mistakes and worse have been made?
Sorry I thought I read here that you said you would intervene if Roma were being attacked. Now you tell me its the internationals job. So, the attitude is to look the other way if attacks on non Albanians is in progress and then to blame the internationals later on for the attack? How easy for you!
But lets take a look at this spin from UNMIK:
Kosovo: UN envoy hails reconstruction in Roma neigbourhood
25 April 2006 – The senior United Nations envoy to Kosovo today hailed a ground-breaking ceremony marking the start of reconstruction at the Roma Mahala neighbourhood that will allow displaced people to return to their homes there.
The event is part of the Return to Roma Mahala Project which will involve building two apartment blocks each housing two dozen families and 57 houses in the first phase.
Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Representative, Søren Jessen-Petersen, called the initiative a lasting solution for the Roma to go back to their homes. “Today we are literally paving the way for the return in freedom, in safety and in dignity of many Roma who have been displaced for far too long,” he said.
Stressing that individuals must exercise their right to return, he voiced conviction that a decision on the status of Kosovo “will bring the clarity that every displaced person needs to have.”
In 1999, Roma Mahala was home to some 8,000 Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians, many of whom are living either as internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, or abroad. The Return to Roma Mahala Project represents the largest urban return project in Kosovo.
Hans thanks for your reply.
I hope you are not deceiving me, because I could end up looking stupid if you are. But I can see that you have knowledge that most people (who think they know about Kosovo) do not have so I take your word for it.
I wish I didnt agree with you but I do. The utopia of neutrals coming into a desperate situation to restore order or democracy is an attractive and powerful vision throughout the world. Simply people WANT to believe that this can happen. They dont want to believe that in large majority of cases intervention fails to produce peace or prosperity. In some cases it makes the situation even worse.
You can imagine how the Serbs are outraged, if you did see first hand the events of March 2004. I remember the whole way it unfolded which was a complete disgrace, not only the human rights violations, killings and so on but the propoganda machinery mixed in with media inertia (Serbs bad guys, Albanians good guys) leftover from 1999. And Im not even what is commonly referred to as a nationalist.
No, my anger or emotion is not so much to do with ancient Serbian rights in Kosovo. Its to do with the internationals and their so called higher European standards. For Gods sake this went on right under their noses. The whole reason we were told that NATO was intervening was to protect innocent civilians and make a multicultural society. Then once international troops are on the ground there is no more talk about a multicultural society. They cant even protect non Albanians, never mind protect innocent civilians.
Its just so pitiful. And I know things are little better for ordinary Albanians.
Your final comment sounds about right concerning what I have heard about international troops. Generally Serbs consider French troops more friendly whilst Albanians prefer the Germans. This is reciprocated to an extent. But the longer the troops remain there and the more they see these friendships may alter.
Thanks for the reply. Any other information or comments are welcome.
I have mentioned it before and repeat for your benefit, the freezer trucks and the murder of Albanian civilians was a disgrace that must be punished. There is NO excuse for that as far as Im concerned.
I also said that Albanians (as were Serbians) were cleansed from Kosovo. However, that is no big deal saying such a thing because I conclude this after reading the definition of ethnic cleansing. Unlike genocide which is a very serious charge and is difficult to prove, ethnic cleansing requires not much proof and is relatively easy to prove.
Oh and I unreservedly condemn any attack on religious buildings mosques or churches - including those hooligans that attacked Belgrades mosque, another disgrace, even if it would never had happened if the March killings and ethnic cleansing against Serbs hadnt been carried out.
That logical enough for you
Now lets see how logical you are, your turn.
Oh and its very cheap to say that you dont know who attacked and destroyed the largest Roma settlement in Europe in South Mitrovica after the war ended.
Tell me, who lives in South Mitrovia?
Very cheap.
No Mitrovica you obviously are having trouble reading I quote myself 'unreservedly condemn'. For those that dont understand that means I am against it.
What is far more interesting Mitrovica is your silence or condemning crimes comitted by Albanians - either against Serbs or gypsies.
Right, nice of you to admit that Albanians killed gypsies as well (in response to attacks by Serbs???).
You still havent explained that one to me apart from the gravediggers comment.
And you would use that kind of argument, I know. But in this case its different.
Straight after the March ethnic cleansing and rioting occured the Belgrade Mosque was set on fire. Pretty clear connection between the events. Not some, 'oh they did this to us some years ago so lets go kill some gypsies in revenge'.
By your own logic those who set the mosque on fire should have also headed down to where the gypsies live to set their ghetto on fire right?
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