LIANE HANSEN, co-host:
This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Liane Hansen.
NEAL CONAN, co-host:
And I'm Neal Conan in Washington.
Ten years ago today, a peace accord signed in a hotel ballroom in Dayton, Ohio, brought an end to the long and bloody civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina. In the years of fighting that followed the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, almost 300,000 Bosnians were killed and more than a million driven from their homes. The agreement divided the country along ethnic lines: a separate area for Serbs and a Muslim-Croat federation. While many acknowledged the agreement was less than perfect and often Byzantine--among other things, there are three presidents--it did stop the carnage. American and European troops entered the country to enforce the peace; some remain to this day. A decade later, the peace still holds, but the situation remains fragile.
Today on the program, we'll talk about what happened in Dayton 10 years ago and the challenges that lie ahead.
HANSEN: Later in the show, NPR puzzlemaster Will Shortz will join us, and we have an e-mail challenge for you. If you have a puzzle for him, zap it along to us. The address is totn@npr.org. Again, if you have a puzzle for the puzzlemaster, e-mail us at totn@npr.org.
CONAN: But first, Dayton 10 years on. If you have questions about happened during the negotiations or about the lessons of Dayton, our number is (800) 989-8255. That's (800) 989-TALK. The e-mail address is that same one: totn@npr.org. We'd especially like to hear from those of you who served in Bosnia.
Joining us now from our bureau in New York is Laura Silber. She covered the Balkan Wars for The Financial Times in the 1990s and co-wrote a book called "Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation." She frequently returns to the region as a senior policy adviser at the Open Society Institute.
Thanks very much for joining us today.
Ms. LAURA SILBER (Co-author, "Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation"): Thank you for having me.
CONAN: Remind us, if you would. After so many years of civil war, what was it that brought these three parties to Dayton?
Ms. SILBER: Well, I think it was a combination of, A, exhaustion from fighting the war and, B, the consistent and constant pressure led by the United States and Europe that really forced the parties to the negotiating table.
CONAN: Forced the parties how?
Ms. SILBER: Well, a combination of threats, of cajoling, of coaxing, and I think that's what it took to get them all and, finally, frankly, to sequester them in Dayton, where they couldn't go away, where they couldn't just go home, and it was pretty much that which really--it took to get them really to concentrate and actually endorse the peace agreement.
CONAN: Yeah, we talk about the signing ceremony at the hotel ballroom, but really, it was three weeks on an Air force base that provided this agreement.
Ms. SILBER: That's right.
CONAN: Now you have an OP-ED in today's New York Times in which you write, `Dayton won the grudging endorsement of rival leaders by embodying contradiction, most significantly within the constitutional structure of the new state.' Explain what you mean by that.
Ms. SILBER: Well, I think in many ways, Dayton was all things to all people. For the Serbs, which at that time controlled the majority of the territory, it gave them a chance to have two separate entities, that they had what they proclaimed as the Srpska Republika, Republika Srpska, an independent--what they chose to see really as an independent part of a whole of Bosnia. Now, obviously, for the vast majority of the outside world, as well as for the Muslims and the Croats in Bosnia, they didn't want this. They didn't want Serbia to have an indep--for Srpska--the Bosnian Serbs to have an independent entity. And what they got, though, was a unified country, and at least in name, at the time, a central government.
HANSEN: So what do you think, Laura, was Dayton's biggest achievement?
Ms. SILBER: I think it was stopping the war. I think it was--actually, you look at it, there was not a single American killed by enemy fire in that intervention, in that whole years of the peacekeeping. And I think it was really in getting the people to start the long and slow process of living together, at least in the same state, and of, you know, starting about the business of rebuilding a state.
CONAN: Before, the war, Bosnia, and certainly the city of Sarajevo, its capital, was a multiethnic society. Is it today?
Ms. SILBER: That's what I think is the biggest loss of the war, in addition, obviously, to the lost lives and the millions of people who were displaced by the war. It was a loss of the cosmopolitan nature of what was Sarajevo and Bosnia. The idea that it didn't matter whether someone was Serbian or Croat or Muslim; it was a mixed and common heritage of being Bosnian. And I think to many, to a great extent, that is lost today. There still--it still lives on in individuals, and it still lives on in Sarajevo, perhaps, but it's not the same strong sense of what Sarajevo was with basically a Bosnia in miniature, as well as a former Yugoslavia in miniature.
CONAN: And today it is?
Ms. SILBER: It's a city where you have people who are cosmopolitan, you have people who are obviously from mixed marriages or just identify themselves as Bosnian rather than as Serbs, Croats or Muslims. But it's also a city that, for four years, was under a siege, a city where many people--no one's life was untouched by the war. And I think you have a residue of that and a city that's not--it's not quite the proud centerpiece of Bosnia that it once was.
HANSEN: Laura, you've been back quite frequently. What's it like economically there today?
Ms. SILBER: It's made, obviously, a vast improvement from the end of the war, so we have to be careful. When we look at it, we have to also realize it takes a long time to rebuild from nothing. But today many people who have the option of leaving Bosnia or Sarajevo will leave; people who can vote with their feet, so to say, people who can go--who have a better chance of building a life elsewhere, they will leave. You have a Bosnia where it's very, very complicated to rebuild an economy because of the--frankly, of the very complicated construct of the Dayton Agreement, the agreement that was done 10 years ago today. Everything has to be negotiated. It's very complicated to do, say, any kind of simple economic reform, which may not even be so simple, becomes even more complicated in Bosnia-Herzegovina today.
CONAN: If you have questions about what happened 10 years ago or about the future of Bosnia, give us a call, (800) 989-8255. That's (800) 989-TALK. The e-mail address is totn@npr.org.
And let's get a call in from Jacob. Jacob's calling us from Minneapolis.
JACOB (Caller): Yes, hello. Thanks for taking the call.
CONAN: Sure.
JACOB: My question is that why did not the NATO peacekeeper put enough effort to arrest Ratko Mladic and his master, Radovan Karadzic, for the war crimes they committed? I mean, they were in the area at the time when they got in and I am very pessimistic, if those guys stay on the loose, that the peace would unravel if anything happened, and I'm afraid the reason they did not do that, because they don't want to antagonize the Serb population who think that they are ...(unintelligible)...
CONAN: Mladic and...
JACOB: ...war criminals.
CONAN: Mladic and Karadzic are the indicted war criminals. Laura Silber.
Ms. SILBER: I think you raise a very important point. I think that the fact that 10 years later, these two men are free and at liberty is actually a constant reminder and an impediment to rebuilding some sort of Bosnia, because these men are free, because despite the fact that tens of thousands of thousands of international forces have been deployed there, they still have not been captured. I hope that these men are obviously captured within the next year, because it--really, we have a relatively short window of when there's still an international military presence there that might do that. And even perhaps if you have local armed forces ultimately making the arrests, it's very complicated, and the fact that it hasn't been done, when there was such a huge presence, I think is a huge problem, and obviously, this is one of the major failings, I think, of the people that implemented the peace, the fact that they're not arrested yet.
CONAN: Jacob, thanks very much for the call.
HANSEN: We turn now to someone who was directly involved with the negotiations at the Dayton peace conference. Carl Bildt is the former prime minister of Sweden, and he was the European Union co-chairman of the Dayton peace conference. He also served as the EU's first international high representative in Bosnia from 1996 to 1997. He joins us on the line from Stockholm, Sweden. Welcome to the program, sir.
Former Prime Minister CARL BILDT (Sweden): Thank you.
HANSEN: What do you consider to be the breakthrough point at Dayton?
Mr. BILDT: Well, I think the breakthrough point was rather earlier. I think the key thing that was done was the agreement in early September, where the foreign ministers from Zagreb, from Sarajevo and Belgrade were brought together, and there was an agreement on really the broad outlines of what then later became the Dayton Agreement. Dayton was then--the details, difficult as they were, and there was a serious risk of the entire thing breaking down. But that was exactly where you had the so-called ...(unintelligible) boundary line. It was a lot of the implementation issues. It was just certainly constitutional issues.
The breakthrough in political terms, of course, was when, from my European perspective, when Washington decided to get serious. Prior to that, there hadn't been that serious engagement from Washington on the political side. But late summer, there was a change of emphasis in Washington, and it was possible to get very quickly then agreement between the Europeans and the Americans on what needs to be done, and then from then on, we had a peace process worthy of the name, which we hadn't had, I would say, for three years. We prolonged the war for a long time, but when we got serious, we were able to close down the war within a couple of months.
HANSEN: What was it like on that Air Force base for those three weeks? Were people talking to each other like in the hallways or was it always formal negotiations?
Mr. BILDT: No, I would say it was more talking in the hallways than it was formal negotiations. I mean, for a long time, I remember the first week, we spent doing virtually nothing. Just having round--and there were talks on rather sort of marginal issues, but it was very difficult to get to the grips on the core issues. I mean, the atmosphere was fairly relaxed. Everyone was talking to everyone, but there was also serious disagreement within the different delegations. I mean, it's easy to see to sort of the Muslims vs. Serbs, for example, but there were very serious disagreements within the Bosnian-Muslim delegation that created a lot of problems. And on the Serb side, there was Milosevic, who was fairly easy to deal with because he wanted an agreement. And then there was the Bosnian Serbs, who were kept in the dark, to a very large extent, by Milosevic, and then there was President Tudjman, who was primarily interested in settling the problems of eastern Slavonia in Croatia. So it was very much up and down. It was a strange experience, those three weeks.
CONAN: Stay with us if you would, Carl Bildt, and also Laura Silber. We're talking today Dayton Accords, which happened--were signed 10 years ago today. If you'd like to join the conversation, our number is (800) 989-8255, (800) 989-TALK. Our e-mail address is totn@npr.org. Later in the program, Ambassador Richard Holbrooke will join us.
I'm Neal Conan. You're listening to TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.
(Soundbite of music)
CONAN: This is TALK OF THE NATION. I'm Neal Conan.
HANSEN: And I'm Liane Hansen.
Ten years ago, the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords ended a bloody war in what was then Yugoslavia. Today we're talking about what's happened in Bosnia since the end of that war. Our guests are Laura Silber, author of "Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation" and who covered the war for The Financial Times, and Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden and European Union co-chairman of the Dayton peace conference.
You're also invited to join the discussion. Give us a call at (800) 989-TALK. That's (800) 989-8255. And our e-mail address is TOTN--T-O-T-N--@npr.org.
CONAN: And let's get another caller on the line, and this is Bill. Bill's calling us from Chapel Hill in North Carolina.
BILL (Caller): Good afternoon, everyone.
CONAN: Good afternoon.
BILL: My question is the way you have spoken of the people dividing themselves, and by that I mean you speak of Serbs from Serbia and Croats--the same--Croatia--and Muslims. And that's--my question is two names are place names. I'm from here or there. I could be any religion in the world, but I'm from one of these two places. The third one is religion, the most of whom--most people who are Muslim are from Indonesia. So why not like people identifying themselves as Christians, Jews and Muslim or Buddhists, or Serbians and Croats and Romanians or, it doesn't matter, Chinese?
CONAN: Carl Bildt, how did--did those self-identifications enter into this--how did those self-identifications enter into this?
Mr. BILDT: It has a long history, but I think it's a very valid point. This is--goes to the crux of what Bosnia is. You can say that what divides these people is not that they are ethnically different. They are all Slavs, no different, virtually same language. But they are divided through history by three different religions, three difficult cultural traditions. They are Christian Orthodox, they are Muslim, Ottomans I would call them, and they are Catholics. And the Catholics happen to be Croats and the Orthodox happens to be Serb in general terms. And historically speaking, there was a rise during the '50s and the '60s and '70s and the '80s in Bosnia, often attempt to get the Muslims recognized as Muslims. I mean, that was President Izetbegovic's big thing throughout his political career, that he wanted to have the Muslim nationality recognized as such. And that's why we ended up this--I agree with that--not entirely correct way of saying Croats, Muslims and Serbs. We could also say Catholics, Muslim and Orthodox, or we can say Bosnians about them all.
CONAN: Bill, thanks for the call.
BILL: Well, thank you. Bye-bye.
CONAN: Prime Minister Bildt, after 10 years, do you regard Dayton as a success and what do you think needs to be done now?
Mr. BILDT: Well, I think Dayton was distinctly a success in closing down the war and undertaking quite a number of measures in terms of state-building; that is making virtually certain that the war is not going to come back in Bosnia. I'm fairly confident about that. Then state-building is a long-term process, and I think there was a tendency in Dayton--immediately after Dayton to think of this as a fairly quick, easy thing. It's not. It's a long-term, very demanding thing to build a state where we have, as we just discussed, really three different nationalities of three different cultural and political traditions that needs to be coming together. So Dayton was a success in ending the war.
Whether Bosnia has been a success in them is more debatable. I'm very worried by the economic and social situation in the country. I think the politicians of Bosnia have been failing in the last few years and coming to grips with the real long-term issues that are facing them. I mean, it's been easy for them, to a certain extent, to blame the international authority, because that's been so overpowering in Bosnia in the last few years, and it's also been fairly easy for them to involve or devolve or descend into different constitutional squabbles and refit some of the issues of the war and, thus, avoid responsibility for an economy and a social situation that is fairly desperate. I think Laura Silber alluded to that.
HANSEN: Laura Silber, what do you think about that? What do you consider to be the successes of Dayton?
Ms. SILBER: Well, I agree with Carl Bildt completely in that I think the success was obviously in ending the war, and I am very worried about the fact of the real absence of a development of any kind of real democratic political culture among the politicians, and I think it was kind of a paradox in that there was a very strong international presence which was needed, a very robust presence that had fought wide-ranging powers, and that was needed, because otherwise, there was no way to knock together the heads of all these rival sides so that they could actually get about the business of passing laws and do all that.
At the same time, it's somehow, I think, stunted the growth of the Bosnian politicians, and so--and as much as the Bosnian politicians like to blame the outside world and the international administrators for the failures of Bosnia, it's also their fault, because they really have refused and even impeded progress by their rivalry, by their petty political struggles that they are waging now; they're not fighting, but they're really waging them in the parliament. So that I think we have a lot of the issues still unresolved and a lot of the problems that could ostensibly really be addressed by a responsible political leadership, regardless of, say, party affiliation that we really haven't seen yet, and I hope that as Bosnia moves in the future, in the very near future, obviously, into a much more European context, that somehow, the politicians in Bosnia can see what's at stake and say, `We need to address these, and we really need to live up to the task at hand,' and they haven't been able to do that so far.
CONAN: Let's get another caller on the line, and we'll go to Peter. Peter calling us from Corvallis, Oregon.
PETER (Caller): Hi there. My question regards Balkanization. You're talking about these groups of people with different backgrounds seemingly unable to rectify their differences and, you know, that seems to be happening in lots of places, and people use the term Balkanization. I'm wondering what lessons we can take from this conflict in preventing these different groups of people becoming more and more disparate in their interests and just scrabbling for power and then resorting to this horrible violence? And I'm thinking in particular in Iraq; obviously, we have similar sorts of problems. But I also feel like within the United States, our differences are becoming more and more acute, and it just really hurts to feel--that direction.
CONAN: Carl Bildt, I wonder if you had thought about that?
Mr. BILDT: Well, I haven't really thought about it in terms of the United States, but I've thought about it relation to a lot of other issues that were mentioned. It is true. I mean, we have in--what I sometimes refer to the post-Ottoman space, the entire area that was once occupied by the Ottoman Empire. We have a mosaic of different nationalities and people. And we've tried to get them together in more or less functioning states. It's worked sometimes and it's failed in other cases. I mean, Yugoslavia is a spectacular failure. We've succeeded, to a certain extent, in Bosnia in keeping a state, which includes then the different groups that we mentioned previously.
We have a big problem in Kosovo, where we did an intervention in 1999. We failed to get a peace agreement with Kosovo, by the way, and after that failure, there was a military intervention, and we tried to build a multiethnic society. We have utterly failed in that. We are now trying to set up an independent state. That might be the least bad of the bad solutions available, but, I mean, we should recognize that that is failing in that respect. We've had great difficulties getting Cyprus together. We have immense difficulties now, as you know, in Iraq trying to get sort of the Kurds and the Arabs primarily to be together. I think the main lesson is that prevent these wars before they start.
I mean, the irony--the tragic irony of the Bosnian situation is that we had really an agreement in, I think, it was February or March of 1992. That is prior to the outbreak of the Bosnian War. There was an agreement that was signed--initialed at least--on the future of Bosnia, which was in principle very much like Dayton. But there was not the willingness to go down that particular road at that particular time. And then instead, we got more than three years of war, hundred thousand dead, a million people displaced, because we did not have a sufficiently forceful and foresighted diplomacy to prevent the war from happening. And once a war has started, it is very difficult to repair such a nation.
CONAN: Carl Bildt, thank you very much for taking the time to be with us today.
Mr. BILDT: Thank you.
CONAN: Carl Bildt, former prime minister of Sweden, the European Union co-chair at the Dayton peace conference, and he joined us from Stockholm, Sweden. And, Laura Silber, thank you so much for your time today as well.
Ms. SILBER: Thank you.
CONAN: Laura Silber covered the Balkan Wars for The Financial Times and is co-author of the book, "Yugoslavia: Death of a Nation."
Joining us now is Richard Holbrooke. Richard Holbrooke was the chief negotiator for the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords in Bosnia. And he joins us now on the line from here in Washington, DC. And, Ambassador Holbrooke, very good of you to join us today.
Former Ambassador RICHARD HOLBROOKE: Well, it's my pleasure.
CONAN: Looking back on the 10 years since Dayton, what are the lessons do you think we should draw from this?
Mr. HOLBROOKE: Well, the biggest lessons for me is that the United States has a role to play in these issues. It should take the lead. And when it engages, it makes a difference. We got into the Bosnian situation much too slowly. 1991, the Bush administration disengaged. Clinton, after campaigning that he would get involved, was slow to get involved. When we finally got involved in August of '95 in a serious way with an all-out negotiating effort and bombing--and, by the way, I should note that three of my four initial negotiating team members were killed trying to get into Sarajevo; Bob Frasure, Joe Kruzel and Nelson Drew, on that terrible road that Carl Bildt knows so well.
When we finally got involved, including NATO bombing, we got them to the table, got them to the Wright-Patterson Air Base outside Dayton, Ohio, and forged the Dayton peace agreement. That was American leadership. The second point I'd make is that Dayton worked. It achieved all our initial objectives. It ended the war, and not one American or NATO soldier has been killed or wounded in the 10 years since then; 60,000 NATO troops went in, of which 20,000 were American. Now we're down to about 7,000 total, of which under 200 are American, and I repeat, no American or NATO killed or wounded. We wrote a peace agreement, unlike Iraq, which was full and complete. Everyone signed on to it. And the agreement worked. Now Dayton wasn't perfect, but it achieved our objectives, and I think it stands as perhaps the most successful peace negotiation of the last quarter century anywhere in the world.
HANSEN: Ambassador Holbrooke, what do you think then are the challenges that lie ahead for the country?
Mr. HOLBROOKE: For Bosnia?
HANSEN: Yes.
Mr. HOLBROOKE: Well, the Dayton Agreement had plenty of flaws in it; some of them are now being corrected. We allowed three armies to remain. You can't have three armies in a single country. And that was because NATO refused the mission of integrating them. But now they have military integration that has finally been agreed to. There were two ethnically based police forces. That was no good. That's being reformed. And today, in Washington, Secretary of State Rice and Undersecretary of State Burns are heavily working on trying to fix some of the constitutional problems. This should have been done years ago, but quite frankly, in the four years leading up to the last few weeks, the US government did absolutely nothing in the region of any consequence, and I'm including Kosovo in this, because I heard your last discussion with Carl Bildt on Kosovo.
Kosovo's going to be a much harder problem. Condoleezza Rice assigned the undersecretary of State, Nick Burns, to this issue. Burns, who was a veteran of Dayton--10 years ago today, he was at my side as we negotiated the final drama there, exactly 10 years ago, almost to the hour. We pulled a negotiation out of a failure, a success out of a failure. Burns knows the area. He's engaged, and so they're trying to fix Dayton. It's belated, but it's the right thing to do. I want to echo something that I hard Carl Bildt say a minute ago. In Bosnia's case, we're trying to improve on a success to fix some of the flaws, but in Kosovo, we're dealing--we're going to have to deal with a situation that was ignored for the last four and a half years and that has gotten progressively more tense and for which the solutions are going to be far, far more difficult.
CONAN: We're talking about the lessons of the Dayton Peace Accords which were signed 10 years ago today.
And you're listening to TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.
Let's get another caller on the line. This is Katerina. Katerina's calling us from Ann Arbor in Michigan.
KATERINA (Caller): Good afternoon, gentlemen. I'd like to know, of those people who fled, especially in those last days before the war began in '92, how many actually came back to Bosnia, particularly in Sarajevo? I wondered if you know that?
Amb. HOLBROOKE: I'm so glad you asked that question. The statistics on the war are pretty staggering: 300,000 killed, two and a half million homeless. Of the two and a half million refugees, homeless, well over half have now returned to the country, and most amazingly of all, many of them, many, many of them--statistics are a little weak here--have returned to minority areas. Let's take the worst place in the whole region, Srebrenica, the famous killing field where one of the great war crimes in the 20th century took place, where the Bosnian Serbs killed 7,700 Muslim men and young men in the soccer field. I was there in that soccer field, in that mud field on its 10th anniversary a few months ago as a member of an official delegation, and two my utter amazement, 4,000 Muslims had returned to the valley. When I was there five years ago, the number was 10 Muslim families. Now 4,000 had returned. The Serbs who had come there from Sarajevo had begun to leave. They were down from 12,000 to 8,000. And I believe that when we come back there in five years, the valley will once again be a Muslim valley.
That doesn't bring back the dead and it doesn't bring justice to the people who lost their loved ones, but this is an amazing turn of events. The people want peace. It is the thuggish leaders, many of whom are just plain old Mafioso crooks masquerading as nationalists who prevent it. But the return of minorities, even to the most difficult areas--Banja Luka, Srebrenica, Focce(ph)--is well under way.
As for your question about Sarajevo, do not forget that it was the Bosnian Serbs themselves, the Serbs themselves who drove their own people out of Sarajevo after Dayton. We had agreed they would stay, and the thugs who run the--who ran the separatist effort of the Serbs went in there, told Serb families who had lived there for generations, centuries to burn their furniture, light up the gas ovens, explode their apartments and leave. That was a terrible day, and I regret to say a day in which our own implementing forces, the NATO forces, stood by and did nothing. March 15, 1996, a day I really think was the worst day of the last 10 years. But even there the Serbs are coming back now. Progress is slow, slower than I want, but by God it's happening.
CONAN: Katerina, thanks very much for the phone call. We appreciate it.
KATERINA: Thank you.
CONAN: And, Ambassador Holbrooke, we know you're extremely busy today on this 10th anniversary. Thank you so much for taking the time to speak with us.
Amb. HOLBROOKE: It's my pleasure.
CONAN: Richard Holbrooke, former chief negotiator at the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords on Bosnia and former ambassador to the United Nations. He joined us by phone from here in Washington, DC.
We're going to take a short break. When we return, the puzzlemaster of "Weekend Edition Sunday" and the puzzle editor of The New York Times, Will Shortz, will join us. If you've always wanted to challenge the puzzlemaster, send him a puzzle. The address: totn@npr.org. That's totn@npr.org. If you've ever suffered at his hands trying to solve those devilish puzzles on "Weekend Edition Sunday," you could just put `payback' in the subject line. Again, totn@npr.org.
I'm Neal Conan. We'll be back after the break. It's TALK OF THE NATION from NPR News.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Saturday, November 19, 2005
US Financier Soros Says Kosovo Should Be Independent
TIRANA, Albania (AP)--U.S. billionaire philanthropist George Soros on Saturday said there was no alternative other than independence for Serbia's province of Kosovo, but it should also ensure the future and the status of its minorities.
Soros was on a three-day visit to Albania during which he was also awarded Tirana city hall's "Honored Citizen" medal for his contribution to improving Albania's education and infrastructure.
"It is really high time to settle the status of Kosovo. My personal opinion is there's no alternative but to give Kosovo independence. But there have to be conditions to ensure the future and the status of the minorities in Kosovo," Soros said at a news conference.
Kosovo, considered by the Serb minority to be the cradle of their statehood and religion, has been run by the U.N. since 1999, when NATO bombing halted a Serb crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
The province is entering a delicate phase with talks on its future political status, U.N.-sponsored negotiations on whether the province becomes independent or remains a self-governing part of Serbia.
The U.N. envoy to mediate talks on Kosovo's future, Finland's former President Martti Ahtisaari, was expected to visit Kosovo and Belgrade next week and move to Austria next month to start the talks.
"I think it would be difficult to find a better man for the purpose," Soros said of Ahtisaari.
Soros also was optimistic about Albania's future and its institutional development, though fighting organized crime and corruption were among its top priorities.
"There's always the danger of political interference in the judiciary and that needs to be resisted and needs to be very carefully watched," he said.
Since its opening in 1992, the Soros Open Society Foundation has spent some $48 million on projects in Albania aimed at improving governance, reforming institutions, enhancing opportunities for youth and fostering a better environment for business development.
Separately, Soros has earmarked $57 million for projects specifically for improving education in Albania. [ 19-11-05 1600GMT ]
Soros was on a three-day visit to Albania during which he was also awarded Tirana city hall's "Honored Citizen" medal for his contribution to improving Albania's education and infrastructure.
"It is really high time to settle the status of Kosovo. My personal opinion is there's no alternative but to give Kosovo independence. But there have to be conditions to ensure the future and the status of the minorities in Kosovo," Soros said at a news conference.
Kosovo, considered by the Serb minority to be the cradle of their statehood and religion, has been run by the U.N. since 1999, when NATO bombing halted a Serb crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
The province is entering a delicate phase with talks on its future political status, U.N.-sponsored negotiations on whether the province becomes independent or remains a self-governing part of Serbia.
The U.N. envoy to mediate talks on Kosovo's future, Finland's former President Martti Ahtisaari, was expected to visit Kosovo and Belgrade next week and move to Austria next month to start the talks.
"I think it would be difficult to find a better man for the purpose," Soros said of Ahtisaari.
Soros also was optimistic about Albania's future and its institutional development, though fighting organized crime and corruption were among its top priorities.
"There's always the danger of political interference in the judiciary and that needs to be resisted and needs to be very carefully watched," he said.
Since its opening in 1992, the Soros Open Society Foundation has spent some $48 million on projects in Albania aimed at improving governance, reforming institutions, enhancing opportunities for youth and fostering a better environment for business development.
Separately, Soros has earmarked $57 million for projects specifically for improving education in Albania. [ 19-11-05 1600GMT ]
UK-based company buys Kosovo nickel industrial complex
Text of report in English by independent internet news agency KosovaLive
Prishtina [Pristina], 18 November: The British company, IMR/Alferon, has become the owner of Ferronikel [Feronikl], one of Europe's largest nickel processing mines/plants, after signing the purchase agreement worth 30.5 million euros with UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] Pillar IV.
The contract was signed between the head of UNMIK Pillar IV, Joachim Ruecker, and IMR/Alferon Chairman Johannes Sittard.
Now, Alferon has sixteen days to obtain the required license, enter into contract for power supply, and reach some other agreements with the government.
Ruecker said at the signing ceremony that this is a good deal for the workers, surrounding community, and for the people of Kosova [Kosovo]. "Experience suggests that when Ferronikel is fully operational, it will not only employ at least 1,000 workers directly, but there will be an additional 2,000 to 3,000 jobs outside of the direct Ferronikel workforce in the regional/wider economy. The successful and harmonious conclusion of the privatization of Ferronikel will send a very strong signal to international investors that Kosova is a stable and mature society, which welcomes international investment and partnership," he said.
IMR's Chairman Sittard said that today's signing is a major step forward towards a long and successful partnership between Ferronikel, IMR/Alferon, workers, and the surrounding community. "Naturally, having spent 30.5 million euros to purchase Ferronikel and at least another 20 million euros to renovate it, IMR/Alferon will want to operate it for as long as possible. We have the financial means, long-term vision, and the management skills to deliver on our commitments. We have a proven track record in this business and intend to use all of our expertise in making Ferronikel a success," he said.
He also added that they are having discussions with the Kosova Energy Corporation [KEK] for regular supply of Ferronikel with power.
Alferon is an independent management company for international mineral resources headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The IMR is part of the Eurasian Natural Resources Group, which is among the world's largest private mining and metals groups.
Source: KosovaLive website, Pristina, in English 18 Nov 05
Prishtina [Pristina], 18 November: The British company, IMR/Alferon, has become the owner of Ferronikel [Feronikl], one of Europe's largest nickel processing mines/plants, after signing the purchase agreement worth 30.5 million euros with UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo] Pillar IV.
The contract was signed between the head of UNMIK Pillar IV, Joachim Ruecker, and IMR/Alferon Chairman Johannes Sittard.
Now, Alferon has sixteen days to obtain the required license, enter into contract for power supply, and reach some other agreements with the government.
Ruecker said at the signing ceremony that this is a good deal for the workers, surrounding community, and for the people of Kosova [Kosovo]. "Experience suggests that when Ferronikel is fully operational, it will not only employ at least 1,000 workers directly, but there will be an additional 2,000 to 3,000 jobs outside of the direct Ferronikel workforce in the regional/wider economy. The successful and harmonious conclusion of the privatization of Ferronikel will send a very strong signal to international investors that Kosova is a stable and mature society, which welcomes international investment and partnership," he said.
IMR's Chairman Sittard said that today's signing is a major step forward towards a long and successful partnership between Ferronikel, IMR/Alferon, workers, and the surrounding community. "Naturally, having spent 30.5 million euros to purchase Ferronikel and at least another 20 million euros to renovate it, IMR/Alferon will want to operate it for as long as possible. We have the financial means, long-term vision, and the management skills to deliver on our commitments. We have a proven track record in this business and intend to use all of our expertise in making Ferronikel a success," he said.
He also added that they are having discussions with the Kosova Energy Corporation [KEK] for regular supply of Ferronikel with power.
Alferon is an independent management company for international mineral resources headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. The IMR is part of the Eurasian Natural Resources Group, which is among the world's largest private mining and metals groups.
Source: KosovaLive website, Pristina, in English 18 Nov 05
Kosovo status talks to confirm independence: PM
PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro, Nov 20 (AFP) -
Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi says he is sure talks on the status of the UN-run province starting with shuttle diplomacy on Monday will confirm its independence from Serbia.
"Practically, Kosovo has been functioning independently for six years and, with regard to relations with Serbia, it is already 100 percent independent," Kosumi said in an interview with AFP.
"Kosovo's legal status is still not defined and the negotiations are meant to define legally, together with the international community, Kosovo's independence," he said.
The UN-sponsored talks are aimed at resolving the status of Kosovo, which Belgrade lost authority over after a bombing campaign by NATO ended a crackdown by then Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic's forces against ethnic Albanian rebels in June 1999.
Ethnic Albanians, who make up more than 90 percent of Kosovo's population, are demanding independence from Belgrade, which Serbs strongly oppose.
The recently appointed chief UN mediator for the talks, former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, is to visit Pristina on Monday, marking the start of the negotiations.
Ahtisaari's return to the Balkans comes six and a half years after he played an important role in convincing Milosevic to accept the presence of international authorities in the province after 78 days of NATO air strikes.
Kosumi, elected prime minister in March 2005 to replace Ramush Haradinaj who resigned after he was indicted for war crimes, told AFP that Belgrade and Pristina would have to find common ground on many things -- excluding independence.
"If it was left to Belgrade and Pristina to find common ground on Kosovo's final status, (the problem) would have been resolved 100 years ago. But this was impossible because of the political circumstances in Belgrade and it remains impossible," he said.
Kosumi said the two sides would "have to find a common language for many open questions; from the position of the Serb minority in Kosovo and its cultural and religious heritage to many problems in our relations generated in the past and which still influence our relations".
As there is no clear schedule for the talks, many analysts believe they will last long enough, with an intention to provide negotiators an opportunity to find a common solution on Kosovo's future.
But Ahtisaari's new mission in the Balkans is expected to be more complicated than it was last time around.
The Finn will attempt to reconcile ethnic Albanians, who were oppressed during the Milosevic years, and Serbs, who say their claim to the province is based on historic and cultural roots dating back to the middle ages when few Albanians lived in the area.
But Kosumi said Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica was "in a difficult position," although he insisted the solution for disputed Kosovo was "very easy."
"Belgrade has a chance to distance itself finally from the radical politics and the approach that over recent decades has pushed Serbia into endless wars and led to bloodshed all over the former Yugoslavia," he said.
Kostunica had to end this trend "in a revolutionary way, to free his nation from the burden of the past and offer a new opportunity to Serbia, Kosovo and all nations in the region that had suffered from Serbian politics," said Kosumi.
He insisted Kosovo Serbs should engage in the political life of Kosovo, saying their boycott of institutions and political processes "damages their interests."
"I call on Kosovo Serb politicians to think about their responsibilities towards their voters," Kosumi said.
Kosovo Serb politicians describe the situation in the province as insecure and dangerous for their community, notably since riots 18 months ago that seriously damaged their confidence with NATO-led security forces (KFOR) and the Albanian population.
During three days of violence in March 2004, 19 people were killed, nearly 900 were injured and an estimated 4,500 -- most of them Serbs -- were forced from their homes.
The violence, in which dozens of ancient Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were also demolished, was denounced by KFOR at the time as an attempt at "ethnic cleansing" by ethnic Albanians.
But Kosumi said: "Kosovo Serbs have no other future except the one in Kosovo. Wherever they go, to Serbia or somewhere else, they will have a tougher time than here. Kosovo is their home and their future."
Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi says he is sure talks on the status of the UN-run province starting with shuttle diplomacy on Monday will confirm its independence from Serbia.
"Practically, Kosovo has been functioning independently for six years and, with regard to relations with Serbia, it is already 100 percent independent," Kosumi said in an interview with AFP.
"Kosovo's legal status is still not defined and the negotiations are meant to define legally, together with the international community, Kosovo's independence," he said.
The UN-sponsored talks are aimed at resolving the status of Kosovo, which Belgrade lost authority over after a bombing campaign by NATO ended a crackdown by then Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic's forces against ethnic Albanian rebels in June 1999.
Ethnic Albanians, who make up more than 90 percent of Kosovo's population, are demanding independence from Belgrade, which Serbs strongly oppose.
The recently appointed chief UN mediator for the talks, former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari, is to visit Pristina on Monday, marking the start of the negotiations.
Ahtisaari's return to the Balkans comes six and a half years after he played an important role in convincing Milosevic to accept the presence of international authorities in the province after 78 days of NATO air strikes.
Kosumi, elected prime minister in March 2005 to replace Ramush Haradinaj who resigned after he was indicted for war crimes, told AFP that Belgrade and Pristina would have to find common ground on many things -- excluding independence.
"If it was left to Belgrade and Pristina to find common ground on Kosovo's final status, (the problem) would have been resolved 100 years ago. But this was impossible because of the political circumstances in Belgrade and it remains impossible," he said.
Kosumi said the two sides would "have to find a common language for many open questions; from the position of the Serb minority in Kosovo and its cultural and religious heritage to many problems in our relations generated in the past and which still influence our relations".
As there is no clear schedule for the talks, many analysts believe they will last long enough, with an intention to provide negotiators an opportunity to find a common solution on Kosovo's future.
But Ahtisaari's new mission in the Balkans is expected to be more complicated than it was last time around.
The Finn will attempt to reconcile ethnic Albanians, who were oppressed during the Milosevic years, and Serbs, who say their claim to the province is based on historic and cultural roots dating back to the middle ages when few Albanians lived in the area.
But Kosumi said Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica was "in a difficult position," although he insisted the solution for disputed Kosovo was "very easy."
"Belgrade has a chance to distance itself finally from the radical politics and the approach that over recent decades has pushed Serbia into endless wars and led to bloodshed all over the former Yugoslavia," he said.
Kostunica had to end this trend "in a revolutionary way, to free his nation from the burden of the past and offer a new opportunity to Serbia, Kosovo and all nations in the region that had suffered from Serbian politics," said Kosumi.
He insisted Kosovo Serbs should engage in the political life of Kosovo, saying their boycott of institutions and political processes "damages their interests."
"I call on Kosovo Serb politicians to think about their responsibilities towards their voters," Kosumi said.
Kosovo Serb politicians describe the situation in the province as insecure and dangerous for their community, notably since riots 18 months ago that seriously damaged their confidence with NATO-led security forces (KFOR) and the Albanian population.
During three days of violence in March 2004, 19 people were killed, nearly 900 were injured and an estimated 4,500 -- most of them Serbs -- were forced from their homes.
The violence, in which dozens of ancient Serbian Orthodox churches and monasteries were also demolished, was denounced by KFOR at the time as an attempt at "ethnic cleansing" by ethnic Albanians.
But Kosumi said: "Kosovo Serbs have no other future except the one in Kosovo. Wherever they go, to Serbia or somewhere else, they will have a tougher time than here. Kosovo is their home and their future."
Friday, November 18, 2005
Kosovo: Casualty count in Strpce market bombing rises to four
Text of report by Radio-Television Kosovo TV on 17 November
[Announcer] Four persons were wounded by an explosion today at Shterpce [Strpce] market. There are no suspects, and the police are continuing investigations.
[Reporter] The explosion of a device placed under a truck here at Shterpce market left four persons wounded. A large number of Kosova [Kosovo] Police Service officers and Kfor [Kosovo Force] forces are at the scene and are conducting a detailed investigation. The explosive device was placed under the truck of an Albanian merchant who was working here and the other three were Serbs, innocent bystanders. The health of the four injured is stable.
[Kosovo Protection Corps Lt Stojan Donic in Serbian with Albanian voiceover] The names of the wounded cannot be revealed because of the ongoing investigation. All I can say is that their lives are not in danger, their wounds do not present a threat to their lives. I have to stress that it still unknown what kind of explosive device we are dealing with here.
[Reporter] The town's municipal president, Stanko Rakovljevic, said that schools and all other institutions are not going to work tomorrow to give time to the investigative units to clarify the case. On Monday [21 November] they will request official reports on the security situation.
[Shterpce deputy president Hamdi Aliu] One thing is known: that there are groups and men in uniform and different services that are illegally operating in many parts of Kosova and especially in Shterpce.
Source: RTK TV, Pristina, in Albanian 1830 gmt 17 Nov 05
[Announcer] Four persons were wounded by an explosion today at Shterpce [Strpce] market. There are no suspects, and the police are continuing investigations.
[Reporter] The explosion of a device placed under a truck here at Shterpce market left four persons wounded. A large number of Kosova [Kosovo] Police Service officers and Kfor [Kosovo Force] forces are at the scene and are conducting a detailed investigation. The explosive device was placed under the truck of an Albanian merchant who was working here and the other three were Serbs, innocent bystanders. The health of the four injured is stable.
[Kosovo Protection Corps Lt Stojan Donic in Serbian with Albanian voiceover] The names of the wounded cannot be revealed because of the ongoing investigation. All I can say is that their lives are not in danger, their wounds do not present a threat to their lives. I have to stress that it still unknown what kind of explosive device we are dealing with here.
[Reporter] The town's municipal president, Stanko Rakovljevic, said that schools and all other institutions are not going to work tomorrow to give time to the investigative units to clarify the case. On Monday [21 November] they will request official reports on the security situation.
[Shterpce deputy president Hamdi Aliu] One thing is known: that there are groups and men in uniform and different services that are illegally operating in many parts of Kosova and especially in Shterpce.
Source: RTK TV, Pristina, in Albanian 1830 gmt 17 Nov 05
War crimes trial against Kosovo Albanian opens in Belgrade
BELGRADE, Nob 18 (AFP) -
A war crimes trial against a Kosovo Albanian accused of atrocities against civilians in 1999 opened in a special Serbian court here Friday, a report said.
The Beta news agency reported that Anton Lekaj pleaded not guilty to the charges of murdering four non-Albanians and abusing 13 others, mostly Roma, during the 1998-1999 war in the southern Serbian province of Kosovo.
"I do not recognise the accusations that have been made against me. I have at no time raped, injured or killed anyone," he told the special war crimes tribunal in the Serbian capital.
Lekaj, 25, was allegedly a member of a hardline ethnic Albanian separatist militia group which was fighting Serbian security forces to create an independent state in the tiny, mainly ethnic Albanian province.
His former commander, Ramush Haradinaj, stood down as prime minister of Kosovo in March this year to face charges at the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague.
Lekaj was arrested for car theft in Montenegro in August and was transfered to Belgrade at the request of Serbia's war crimes prosecutor.
A war crimes trial against a Kosovo Albanian accused of atrocities against civilians in 1999 opened in a special Serbian court here Friday, a report said.
The Beta news agency reported that Anton Lekaj pleaded not guilty to the charges of murdering four non-Albanians and abusing 13 others, mostly Roma, during the 1998-1999 war in the southern Serbian province of Kosovo.
"I do not recognise the accusations that have been made against me. I have at no time raped, injured or killed anyone," he told the special war crimes tribunal in the Serbian capital.
Lekaj, 25, was allegedly a member of a hardline ethnic Albanian separatist militia group which was fighting Serbian security forces to create an independent state in the tiny, mainly ethnic Albanian province.
His former commander, Ramush Haradinaj, stood down as prime minister of Kosovo in March this year to face charges at the UN war crimes tribunal at The Hague.
Lekaj was arrested for car theft in Montenegro in August and was transfered to Belgrade at the request of Serbia's war crimes prosecutor.
Kosovo armed group threatens attacks against UN
PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro, Nov 18 (AFP) -
An armed Kosovo separatist group has threatened to attack UN institutions next week in the run-up to talks on the future of the province, local media reported Friday.
The self-styled Army for Kosovo Independence (UPK) said in a press release that "everything is ready for such an operation" directed at the "modern occupation" of the United Nations Mission (UNMIK).
The Kosovo parliament Thursday adopted a resolution backing autonomy for the southern Serbian province but stopped short of voting through a declaration of independence after strong pressure from the international community.
"The citizens of Kosovo have to stay calm," the UPK statement said. "UNMIK's forces will not have the possibility to resist."
Police spokesman Refki Morina declined to comment on the statement as police had not received a copy. He said: "The KPS (Kosovo Police Service) will continue to keep control over the security situation in the capital with the same rhythm."
Kosovo, which remains a part of Serbia, has been a UN protectorate since NATO intervention six and a half years ago halted a war between forces under the command of then Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic and Albanian separatists.
An armed Kosovo separatist group has threatened to attack UN institutions next week in the run-up to talks on the future of the province, local media reported Friday.
The self-styled Army for Kosovo Independence (UPK) said in a press release that "everything is ready for such an operation" directed at the "modern occupation" of the United Nations Mission (UNMIK).
The Kosovo parliament Thursday adopted a resolution backing autonomy for the southern Serbian province but stopped short of voting through a declaration of independence after strong pressure from the international community.
"The citizens of Kosovo have to stay calm," the UPK statement said. "UNMIK's forces will not have the possibility to resist."
Police spokesman Refki Morina declined to comment on the statement as police had not received a copy. He said: "The KPS (Kosovo Police Service) will continue to keep control over the security situation in the capital with the same rhythm."
Kosovo, which remains a part of Serbia, has been a UN protectorate since NATO intervention six and a half years ago halted a war between forces under the command of then Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic and Albanian separatists.
Montenegro says ready to postpone declaration of independence until end of June 2006
PODGORICA, Nov 18 (Hina) - Montenegro is ready to consider postponing the declaration of independence until the end of June 2006 if so asked by the European Union, the Government Public Relations Office said in a statement on Friday.
"If so requested by the EU, Montenegro is ready to consider the idea of postponing the implementation of the referendum, assuming that it might be important that no new solutions should be implemented before the deadline given for defining the status of Kosovo," the statement said.
The statement reaffirmed the determination of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and his government to organise a referendum on independence in April next year, saying that depending on the results of the vote Montenegro would be willing to postpone declaring independence until the end of June in order to accommodate the international community.
"If so requested by the EU, Montenegro is ready to consider the idea of postponing the implementation of the referendum, assuming that it might be important that no new solutions should be implemented before the deadline given for defining the status of Kosovo," the statement said.
The statement reaffirmed the determination of Prime Minister Milo Djukanovic and his government to organise a referendum on independence in April next year, saying that depending on the results of the vote Montenegro would be willing to postpone declaring independence until the end of June in order to accommodate the international community.
UNMIK chief slams Serbian president's Kosovo partition proposal
Prishtina [Pristina], 18 November: If Serbian President Boris Tadic said that Kosova [Kosovo] could be divided, then he made a statement that is in contradiction with the entire world, the head of UNMIK [UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo], Soeren Jessen-Petersen, said.
He reconfirmed the stance of the international community that there will be no division of Kosova. "I do not know exactly what Tadic said in Moscow. But if media reports are accurate, because they are not always accurate, then he gave a statement which is in contradiction with the clear stance of the UN Security Council, Contact Group, and the European Union because everyone keeps saying that there will be no division of Kosova," Jessen-Petersen emphasized.
Jessen-Petersen's statement comes only one day after the Kosova media cited Tadic as saying that if the status talks lead Kosova towards independence, then Serbia will have a new plan - the plan for the division of Kosova.
Speaking on the resolution passed yesterday by the parliament, Jessen-Petersen evaluated it as a responsible decision of the parliament. "I said yesterday that the Assembly has shown responsible. It has provided a mandate to the delegation of Kosova as the basis for its platform for the upcoming status talks. This is the role of the Assembly and, what is more important, the Assembly has acted in accordance with its mandate and responsibilities," he said, adding that it does not belong to him to comment on the resolution's content.
Source: KosovaLive website, Pristina, in English 18 Nov 05
He reconfirmed the stance of the international community that there will be no division of Kosova. "I do not know exactly what Tadic said in Moscow. But if media reports are accurate, because they are not always accurate, then he gave a statement which is in contradiction with the clear stance of the UN Security Council, Contact Group, and the European Union because everyone keeps saying that there will be no division of Kosova," Jessen-Petersen emphasized.
Jessen-Petersen's statement comes only one day after the Kosova media cited Tadic as saying that if the status talks lead Kosova towards independence, then Serbia will have a new plan - the plan for the division of Kosova.
Speaking on the resolution passed yesterday by the parliament, Jessen-Petersen evaluated it as a responsible decision of the parliament. "I said yesterday that the Assembly has shown responsible. It has provided a mandate to the delegation of Kosova as the basis for its platform for the upcoming status talks. This is the role of the Assembly and, what is more important, the Assembly has acted in accordance with its mandate and responsibilities," he said, adding that it does not belong to him to comment on the resolution's content.
Source: KosovaLive website, Pristina, in English 18 Nov 05
Kosovo Sells Ferro-nickel Plant Ferronikeli to British Alferon
PRISTINA (Serbia and Montenegro), November 18 (SeeNews) - The Kosovo Trust Agency (KTA), charged with the sale of hundreds of state-owned companies in the U.N.-run Serbian province, signed on Friday the final contract for the sale of the ferro-nickel plant Ferronikeli to UK-based Alferon, KTA official said.
"The share sale and purchase agreement (SPA) has been signed on Friday," KTA's spokeswoman Erdelina Dula told SeeNews.
"The contracts is an "umbrella" document, with a number of attached documents," KTA said in a statement, adding that Alferon would have sixty days to obtain the necessary licences and supply contracts for the future operation of the ferro-nickel mines.
Alferon, which expects to begin production within four to six months, paid 33 million euro ($38.76 million) for the plant. The company is to invest at least 20 million euro in the first three years and to employ 1,000 at the end of the first year.
The sale of Ferronikeli was one of the most tangled privatisations in the province.
KTA revised in July its choice of buyer and picked the second-highest bid made by Alferon. The highest bidder - the Albanian-based firm Adi Nikel, which offered 49.447 million euro, was disqualified because it "was not a valid consortium anymore," KTA spokeswoman Renate Schmidt said in July.
Ferronikeli workers have protested the sale since early July, alleging the decision to pursue Alferon was politically motivated.
Ferronikeli ore mining and metallurgical complex was set up in 1984 to produce ferro-nickel for exports. It produced and exported 6,800 tonnes a year of nickel, in ferro-nickel ingots, before the 1990s but since 1998 it has been idle.
Ferronikeli has three open pit mines: the Dushkaja mine with estimated reserves of 6.2 million tones; the Suka mine - 0.8 million tonnes and the Gllavica with 6.8 million tones.
All the mines in the complex were covered early this year with exploration and exploitation licence by the Ministry of Energy and Mining of Kosovo.
Kosovo has been a U.N. protectorate since 1999 when NATO bombings drove Serbian forces out of the province to halt Serb repression of the ethnic Albanian majority there.
"The share sale and purchase agreement (SPA) has been signed on Friday," KTA's spokeswoman Erdelina Dula told SeeNews.
"The contracts is an "umbrella" document, with a number of attached documents," KTA said in a statement, adding that Alferon would have sixty days to obtain the necessary licences and supply contracts for the future operation of the ferro-nickel mines.
Alferon, which expects to begin production within four to six months, paid 33 million euro ($38.76 million) for the plant. The company is to invest at least 20 million euro in the first three years and to employ 1,000 at the end of the first year.
The sale of Ferronikeli was one of the most tangled privatisations in the province.
KTA revised in July its choice of buyer and picked the second-highest bid made by Alferon. The highest bidder - the Albanian-based firm Adi Nikel, which offered 49.447 million euro, was disqualified because it "was not a valid consortium anymore," KTA spokeswoman Renate Schmidt said in July.
Ferronikeli workers have protested the sale since early July, alleging the decision to pursue Alferon was politically motivated.
Ferronikeli ore mining and metallurgical complex was set up in 1984 to produce ferro-nickel for exports. It produced and exported 6,800 tonnes a year of nickel, in ferro-nickel ingots, before the 1990s but since 1998 it has been idle.
Ferronikeli has three open pit mines: the Dushkaja mine with estimated reserves of 6.2 million tones; the Suka mine - 0.8 million tonnes and the Gllavica with 6.8 million tones.
All the mines in the complex were covered early this year with exploration and exploitation licence by the Ministry of Energy and Mining of Kosovo.
Kosovo has been a U.N. protectorate since 1999 when NATO bombings drove Serbian forces out of the province to halt Serb repression of the ethnic Albanian majority there.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Kosovo's parliament sets independence as ultimate goal for talks with Serbia
PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro (AP) - Kosovo lawmakers on Thursday adopted a resolution stating that they will accept nothing less than independence in the U.N.-mediated talks on the future of the province.
The lawmakers, under pressure from U.S. and European diplomats, backed down from an earlier intention to unilaterally declare independence as they discussed their position in upcoming talks on the province's long-term future.
The 10-point resolution set the stage for a bitter political fight in the talks with Serbia, which insists the province should not gain independence but rather enjoy broad autonomy within the current union that replaced Yugoslavia.
The approved resolution stated that the province will accept nothing less than full independence and sovereignty for Kosovo, which has been run by the U.N. since mid-1999.
"The will of the people of Kosovo for independence is not negotiable," the resolution said.
The resolution, which will serve as the basis of the political platform for the ethnic Albanians in the talks, also welcomes the future international involvement demands that every move by Kosovo's negotiators be approved in the parliament or by referendum.
The Serbian government on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution rejecting independence for Kosovo in the U.N.-mediated talks expected to begin next month.
Sabri Hamiti, a senior member of the ruling Democratic League of Kosovo, said the toning down of the Kosovo position came after "immense pressure" from Western diplomats.
U.S. and European diplomats had warned ethnic Albanian leaders that they would consider a declaration of independence unilateral and would not accept it. The top U.N. official in Kosovo, Soren Jessen-Petersen, has the power to declare such a declaration illegal.
Serbian representatives in the province's assembly continued their boycott.
However, in Kosovo's northern, ethnically divided city of Kosovksa Mitrovica, some 200 Serb representatives of a self-styled council of Kosovo Serb municipalities adopted their own declaration warning that if the province became independent, that would be the "final stage in the cleansing of Serbs" from the province.
It will constitute the "greatest pogrom of Serbs in history," the declaration said.
Kosovo has been run by the United Nations since the end of the NATO air war that halted Serb forces' crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
The U.N. envoy to mediate talks on Kosovo's future, Finland's former President Martti Ahtisaari, was expected to visit Kosovo and Belgrade next week and move to Vienna, Austria, in December to start the negotiations.
The lawmakers, under pressure from U.S. and European diplomats, backed down from an earlier intention to unilaterally declare independence as they discussed their position in upcoming talks on the province's long-term future.
The 10-point resolution set the stage for a bitter political fight in the talks with Serbia, which insists the province should not gain independence but rather enjoy broad autonomy within the current union that replaced Yugoslavia.
The approved resolution stated that the province will accept nothing less than full independence and sovereignty for Kosovo, which has been run by the U.N. since mid-1999.
"The will of the people of Kosovo for independence is not negotiable," the resolution said.
The resolution, which will serve as the basis of the political platform for the ethnic Albanians in the talks, also welcomes the future international involvement demands that every move by Kosovo's negotiators be approved in the parliament or by referendum.
The Serbian government on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution rejecting independence for Kosovo in the U.N.-mediated talks expected to begin next month.
Sabri Hamiti, a senior member of the ruling Democratic League of Kosovo, said the toning down of the Kosovo position came after "immense pressure" from Western diplomats.
U.S. and European diplomats had warned ethnic Albanian leaders that they would consider a declaration of independence unilateral and would not accept it. The top U.N. official in Kosovo, Soren Jessen-Petersen, has the power to declare such a declaration illegal.
Serbian representatives in the province's assembly continued their boycott.
However, in Kosovo's northern, ethnically divided city of Kosovksa Mitrovica, some 200 Serb representatives of a self-styled council of Kosovo Serb municipalities adopted their own declaration warning that if the province became independent, that would be the "final stage in the cleansing of Serbs" from the province.
It will constitute the "greatest pogrom of Serbs in history," the declaration said.
Kosovo has been run by the United Nations since the end of the NATO air war that halted Serb forces' crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
The U.N. envoy to mediate talks on Kosovo's future, Finland's former President Martti Ahtisaari, was expected to visit Kosovo and Belgrade next week and move to Vienna, Austria, in December to start the negotiations.
Kosovo Sets Independence As Goal For Talks With Serbia
PRISTINA (AP)--Kosovo lawmakers Thursday adopted a resolution stating that they will accept nothing less than independence in the U.N.-mediated talks on the future of the province.
The lawmakers, under pressure from U.S. and European diplomats, backed down from an earlier intention to unilaterally declare independence as they discussed their position in upcoming talks on the province's long-term future.
The 10-point resolution set the stage for a bitter political fight in the talks with Serbia, which insists the province shouldn't gain independence but rather enjoy broad autonomy within the current union that replaced Yugoslavia.
The approved resolution stated the province will accept nothing less than full independence and sovereignty for Kosovo, which has been run by the U.N. since mid-1999.
"The will of the people of Kosovo for independence is not negotiable," the resolution said.
The resolution, which will serve as the basis of the political platform for the ethnic Albanians in the talks, also welcomes the future international involvement demands that every move by Kosovo's negotiators be approved in the parliament or by referendum.
The Serbian government Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution rejecting independence for Kosovo in the U.N.-mediated talks expected to begin next month.
Sabri Hamiti, a senior member of the ruling Democratic League of Kosovo, said the toning down of the Kosovo position came after "immense pressure" from Western diplomats.
U.S. and European diplomats had warned ethnic Albanian leaders that they would consider a declaration of independence unilateral and wouldn't accept it. The top U.N. official in Kosovo, Soren Jessen-Petersen, has the power to declare such a declaration illegal.
Serbian representatives in the province's assembly continued their boycott.
However, in Kosovo's northern, ethnically divided city of Kosovksa Mitrovica, some 200 Serb representatives of a self-styled council of Kosovo Serb municipalities adopted their own declaration warning that if the province became independent, that would be the "final stage in the cleansing of Serbs" from the province.
It will constitute the "greatest pogrom of Serbs in history," the declaration said.
Kosovo has been run by the U.N. since the end of the NATO air war that halted Serb forces' crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
The lawmakers, under pressure from U.S. and European diplomats, backed down from an earlier intention to unilaterally declare independence as they discussed their position in upcoming talks on the province's long-term future.
The 10-point resolution set the stage for a bitter political fight in the talks with Serbia, which insists the province shouldn't gain independence but rather enjoy broad autonomy within the current union that replaced Yugoslavia.
The approved resolution stated the province will accept nothing less than full independence and sovereignty for Kosovo, which has been run by the U.N. since mid-1999.
"The will of the people of Kosovo for independence is not negotiable," the resolution said.
The resolution, which will serve as the basis of the political platform for the ethnic Albanians in the talks, also welcomes the future international involvement demands that every move by Kosovo's negotiators be approved in the parliament or by referendum.
The Serbian government Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution rejecting independence for Kosovo in the U.N.-mediated talks expected to begin next month.
Sabri Hamiti, a senior member of the ruling Democratic League of Kosovo, said the toning down of the Kosovo position came after "immense pressure" from Western diplomats.
U.S. and European diplomats had warned ethnic Albanian leaders that they would consider a declaration of independence unilateral and wouldn't accept it. The top U.N. official in Kosovo, Soren Jessen-Petersen, has the power to declare such a declaration illegal.
Serbian representatives in the province's assembly continued their boycott.
However, in Kosovo's northern, ethnically divided city of Kosovksa Mitrovica, some 200 Serb representatives of a self-styled council of Kosovo Serb municipalities adopted their own declaration warning that if the province became independent, that would be the "final stage in the cleansing of Serbs" from the province.
It will constitute the "greatest pogrom of Serbs in history," the declaration said.
Kosovo has been run by the U.N. since the end of the NATO air war that halted Serb forces' crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Secessionist Kosovo, Montenegro Test Serbia's Politics - VOAIn Serbia, the reformist coalition of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica clings to power be
In Serbia, the reformist coalition of Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica clings to power because it has the informal support of the Socialist Party of indicted war criminal Slobodan Milosevic. But the government will soon face critical tests as it grapples with Serbia's evolving relationship with Kosovo and Montenegro.
With United Nations sponsored negotiations on Kosovo's future status about to begin, Prime Minister Kostunica is in the process of formulating his government's position. Parliament is gearing up to debate the Kosovo question as well.
Still nominally part of Serbia, Kosovo has for six years been administered by the United Nations, ever since NATO forces drove Serbian troops out of the province. Kosovo's 95 percent ethnic Albanian majority demands independence and the major powers have moved closer to accepting that possibility.
But, in Serbia, Kosovo it is an explosive political issue. None of Serbia's many political parties is willing to even discuss the possible loss of the province that is the cradle of Serbia's orthodox Christianity. Privately, however, some Serbian politicians accept that Kosovo will likely split from Serbia. The western powers most involved in the upcoming negotiations insist that the Kosovar Albanians guarantee minority rights and provide access to Serbian religious shrines.
Montenegro is also a problem for Mr. Kostunica. This small and sparsely populated territory is currently loosely linked to Serbia, but it prints its own money and enjoys widespread autonomy. The government wants full independence for the mountainous coastal republic and Montenegro is expected to hold a referendum on independence early next year.
Political analyst James Lyon, the Belgrade representative of the International Crisis Group, says Montenegro will likely separate from Serbia. He agrees with most analysts who predict that Kosovo will also achieve some kind of independence.
Political and economic analyst Miroslav Prokopijevic predicts the loss of both territories may well strengthen the nationalist element in Serbia's politics. He says when elections are held in Serbia, probably sometime in 2006, the extreme nationalist Radical Party will come to power.
"That's for sure. Because according to all polls they enjoy now 35 percent popularity," he said. "And since with our system of proportional representation, with a turnout of 45 percent or lower [in the election], they [the Radicals] will be able to form a government alone. This means they would have at least 126 seats out of 250."
The Radicals, whose leader Vojislav Sesej is awaiting trial for war crimes in The Hague, has long been an ally of discredited former President Milosevic.
Mr. Kostunica, a constitutional lawyer, has presided over a fractious multi-party coalition. Like most reformist politicians, he wants Serbia to be part of the European Union some day.
Preliminary negotiations have begun but Europe and the United States have conditioned further progress on integration into western institutions on the extradition by the end of this year of Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander who has been indicted for war crimes. Mr. Mladic is believed to be hiding in Serbia.
With United Nations sponsored negotiations on Kosovo's future status about to begin, Prime Minister Kostunica is in the process of formulating his government's position. Parliament is gearing up to debate the Kosovo question as well.
Still nominally part of Serbia, Kosovo has for six years been administered by the United Nations, ever since NATO forces drove Serbian troops out of the province. Kosovo's 95 percent ethnic Albanian majority demands independence and the major powers have moved closer to accepting that possibility.
But, in Serbia, Kosovo it is an explosive political issue. None of Serbia's many political parties is willing to even discuss the possible loss of the province that is the cradle of Serbia's orthodox Christianity. Privately, however, some Serbian politicians accept that Kosovo will likely split from Serbia. The western powers most involved in the upcoming negotiations insist that the Kosovar Albanians guarantee minority rights and provide access to Serbian religious shrines.
Montenegro is also a problem for Mr. Kostunica. This small and sparsely populated territory is currently loosely linked to Serbia, but it prints its own money and enjoys widespread autonomy. The government wants full independence for the mountainous coastal republic and Montenegro is expected to hold a referendum on independence early next year.
Political analyst James Lyon, the Belgrade representative of the International Crisis Group, says Montenegro will likely separate from Serbia. He agrees with most analysts who predict that Kosovo will also achieve some kind of independence.
Political and economic analyst Miroslav Prokopijevic predicts the loss of both territories may well strengthen the nationalist element in Serbia's politics. He says when elections are held in Serbia, probably sometime in 2006, the extreme nationalist Radical Party will come to power.
"That's for sure. Because according to all polls they enjoy now 35 percent popularity," he said. "And since with our system of proportional representation, with a turnout of 45 percent or lower [in the election], they [the Radicals] will be able to form a government alone. This means they would have at least 126 seats out of 250."
The Radicals, whose leader Vojislav Sesej is awaiting trial for war crimes in The Hague, has long been an ally of discredited former President Milosevic.
Mr. Kostunica, a constitutional lawyer, has presided over a fractious multi-party coalition. Like most reformist politicians, he wants Serbia to be part of the European Union some day.
Preliminary negotiations have begun but Europe and the United States have conditioned further progress on integration into western institutions on the extradition by the end of this year of Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb military commander who has been indicted for war crimes. Mr. Mladic is believed to be hiding in Serbia.
Surroi: Kosovo can become symbol of EU Foreign Policy (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore covers a speech ORA leader Veton Surroi delivered at the Harvard University.
Surroi said since the war, until now the EU has been part of the UN non-functional system and “it is time to change the philosophy from managing to conditioning”.
The EU needs to prove it can transform states with its mild conditioning power. To do this, “countries like Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia should initially be independent, so they could be EU partners,” Surroi said.
Surroi said since the war, until now the EU has been part of the UN non-functional system and “it is time to change the philosophy from managing to conditioning”.
The EU needs to prove it can transform states with its mild conditioning power. To do this, “countries like Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia should initially be independent, so they could be EU partners,” Surroi said.
Rohan: A negotiations conference on Kosovo would immediately fail (Zëri)
Zëri quotes unnamed diplomats as saying that UN status envoy Martti Ahtisaari and his deputy Albert Rohan will visit Pristina on Monday. “It still has not been confirmed whether they will stay in Pristina for two or three days,” added the diplomat. During the visit, Ahtisaari will meet the Kosovo Negotiations Team, the head of UNMIK, the COMKFOR and political representatives of Kosovo Serbs.
In an interview for Deutsche Welle, Albert Rohan was quoted as saying, “For a complex problem such as Kosovo it is meaningless to hold a conference of negotiations that would fail in the first two hours. This is why the first round of talks will consist of a round of visits to the Balkans, not only to Belgrade and Pristina, but also Tirana, Skopje and Podgorica… In the beginning we will listen to their positions and then call on them not to insist on their demands
In an interview for Deutsche Welle, Albert Rohan was quoted as saying, “For a complex problem such as Kosovo it is meaningless to hold a conference of negotiations that would fail in the first two hours. This is why the first round of talks will consist of a round of visits to the Balkans, not only to Belgrade and Pristina, but also Tirana, Skopje and Podgorica… In the beginning we will listen to their positions and then call on them not to insist on their demands
Goldberg: Resolution on Independence unilateral, US against it (Dailies)
All daily newspapers cover yesterday’s meeting between the US Head of Office Philip Goldberg and Kosovo Assembly Speaker Nexhat Daci. The meeting focussed on the Resolution for Independence. According to the press, Goldberg said the Resolution was a unilateral step, unacceptable to the US and that it would question the entire negotiations process.
“As it now stands this resolution, in my opinion, as well at that of my Government, presents a unilateral step at a time when we are entering a multilateral process that will determine the future status of Kosovo,” Goldberg is quoted as saying on the front page of Zëri.
Zëri also quotes UNMIK DPI Director Hua Jiang as saying, “The Assembly has democratic rights to adopt the resolution, but the decision on status will be made in the process of talks by the international community, Pristina and Belgrade.”
Express says on the front page that Daci agrees that we must not break relations with the international community.
Will the Kosovo Assembly violate the will of its people? asks Epoka e Re on its front page.
“As it now stands this resolution, in my opinion, as well at that of my Government, presents a unilateral step at a time when we are entering a multilateral process that will determine the future status of Kosovo,” Goldberg is quoted as saying on the front page of Zëri.
Zëri also quotes UNMIK DPI Director Hua Jiang as saying, “The Assembly has democratic rights to adopt the resolution, but the decision on status will be made in the process of talks by the international community, Pristina and Belgrade.”
Express says on the front page that Daci agrees that we must not break relations with the international community.
Will the Kosovo Assembly violate the will of its people? asks Epoka e Re on its front page.
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Kosovo warned against declaration of independence
PRISTINA, Serbia-Montenegro, Nov 15 (AFP) -
International peace brokers Tuesday warned Kosovo deputies against a brazen declaration of independence following media reports that the parliament will debate a motion on breaking away from Serbia.
The four main parties representing Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority had agreed to vote in favour of a measure spelling out their intention to declare the territory independent, local media said.
The resolution was put together before long-awaited talks on the future status of Kosovo, whose ethnic Albanians, comprising almost 90 percent of the province's two million population, are demanding independence from Serbia, which Belgrade strongly opposes.
But foreign powers in the United Nations-administered province said they were pressuring the party leaders to drop the motion.
"The Contact Group will not support any unilateral decision ahead of the talks," Philip Goldberg, the head of the United States mission in Kosovo, told reporters after meeting parliamentary speaker Nexhat Daci.
The so-called Contact Group of foreign powers has overseen peace efforts in the former Yugoslavia since the communist federation collapsed in the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
"I have been telling them clearly... that if they adopt a text as a guidance to the negotiating team, that's fine," said Soren Jessen-Petersen, the chief of the UN mission in Kosovo.
"If they adopt a text which is not in the form of a guidance, calling for let's say independence, that is a unilateral declaration that goes against the Security Council resolution 1244, and also goes against the principles adopted by the Contact Group," he told AFP.
Resolution 1244 refers to the Security Council decision defining Kosovo as a UN protectorate after a NATO bombing campaign ended a crackdown by Serbian forces against Albanian separatists in June 1999.
The parliamentary resolution was "not valid because the Security Council resolution is the one that right now provides the mandate here," Jessen-Petersen added.
But Daci told journalists the province's parliament was "obliged to respect the will of the Kosovo people."
The resolution was initiated by Kosovo's leading opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and was backed by the Democratic League of Kosovo, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the Ora Party.
"The PDK insists that Kosovo's assembly institutionalises the will of Kosovo citizens for an independent and sovereign state as soon as possible," said PDK spokeswoman Vlora Citaku.
"For the PDK, the approval of this resolution is very important because it serves as a guidance to the Kosovo negotiating team in the status talks," she said.
International peace brokers Tuesday warned Kosovo deputies against a brazen declaration of independence following media reports that the parliament will debate a motion on breaking away from Serbia.
The four main parties representing Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority had agreed to vote in favour of a measure spelling out their intention to declare the territory independent, local media said.
The resolution was put together before long-awaited talks on the future status of Kosovo, whose ethnic Albanians, comprising almost 90 percent of the province's two million population, are demanding independence from Serbia, which Belgrade strongly opposes.
But foreign powers in the United Nations-administered province said they were pressuring the party leaders to drop the motion.
"The Contact Group will not support any unilateral decision ahead of the talks," Philip Goldberg, the head of the United States mission in Kosovo, told reporters after meeting parliamentary speaker Nexhat Daci.
The so-called Contact Group of foreign powers has overseen peace efforts in the former Yugoslavia since the communist federation collapsed in the Balkan wars of the 1990s.
"I have been telling them clearly... that if they adopt a text as a guidance to the negotiating team, that's fine," said Soren Jessen-Petersen, the chief of the UN mission in Kosovo.
"If they adopt a text which is not in the form of a guidance, calling for let's say independence, that is a unilateral declaration that goes against the Security Council resolution 1244, and also goes against the principles adopted by the Contact Group," he told AFP.
Resolution 1244 refers to the Security Council decision defining Kosovo as a UN protectorate after a NATO bombing campaign ended a crackdown by Serbian forces against Albanian separatists in June 1999.
The parliamentary resolution was "not valid because the Security Council resolution is the one that right now provides the mandate here," Jessen-Petersen added.
But Daci told journalists the province's parliament was "obliged to respect the will of the Kosovo people."
The resolution was initiated by Kosovo's leading opposition Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and was backed by the Democratic League of Kosovo, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and the Ora Party.
"The PDK insists that Kosovo's assembly institutionalises the will of Kosovo citizens for an independent and sovereign state as soon as possible," said PDK spokeswoman Vlora Citaku.
"For the PDK, the approval of this resolution is very important because it serves as a guidance to the Kosovo negotiating team in the status talks," she said.
Serbia Set To Reject Kosovo Independence At Talks Next Month
BELGRADE (AP)--The Serbian government Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution that rejects independence for Kosovo ahead of U.N.-mediated talks starting next month on the future of the breakaway province.
The text of the platform - drafted as a 10-point resolution - calls for unequivocal support for a compromise on Kosovo's future status yet warns that the province's "territory is an inalienable part" of Serbia and that "any imposed solution will be considered illegitimate and unacceptable" by Belgrade.
"The future status of Kosovo can only be defined within the norms and standards of the United Nations and other international organizations, at the same time fully respecting...the constitution of Serbia," the draft reads.
The resolution was posted on the government Web site after the Cabinet adopted it Tuesday. It also needs the approval of the Serbian parliament, tentatively set to meet over the weekend.
In Moscow Tuesday, Serbia's President Boris Tadic said that conflict could erupt if Kosovo's Albanians seek an independent state.
"I am absolutely against destabilization of the Balkan peninsula," Tadic said at the start of a Kremlin meeting with President Vladimir Putin during a three- day visit to Russia.
The draft leaves open the possibility that a national referendum be held in Serbia to approve the outcome of the U.N.-mediated talks with independence- seeking Kosovo Albanians.
Those negotiations are expected to start in December and end within a year.
The resolution offers Kosovo "essential" political and judicial autonomy and highlights that the Belgrade government is "determined that a concrete, reasonable, long-term and stable solution be found for Kosovo, taking into full consideration the legitimate interests of the (ethnic) Albanians in the province."
The draft also urged "direct negotiations" between the Serb side and the Kosovo Albanians.
Kosovo, considered by the Serbs to be the cradle of their statehood and religion, has been run by the U.N. since 1999, when North Atlantic Treaty Organization bombing halted a Serb crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
The U.N. envoy to mediate talks on Kosovo's future, Finland's former President Martti Ahtisaari, was expected to visit Kosovo and Belgrade later this month and move to Vienna in December to start the negotiations.
The format of the talks still has to be determined but Ahtisaari, appointed by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, faces a difficult task with the two sides diametrically opposed - Kosovo's ethnic Albanians insisting on full independence while Belgrade contending this would constitute "unlawful secession." On the Web site: www.srbija.sr.gov.yu
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
The text of the platform - drafted as a 10-point resolution - calls for unequivocal support for a compromise on Kosovo's future status yet warns that the province's "territory is an inalienable part" of Serbia and that "any imposed solution will be considered illegitimate and unacceptable" by Belgrade.
"The future status of Kosovo can only be defined within the norms and standards of the United Nations and other international organizations, at the same time fully respecting...the constitution of Serbia," the draft reads.
The resolution was posted on the government Web site after the Cabinet adopted it Tuesday. It also needs the approval of the Serbian parliament, tentatively set to meet over the weekend.
In Moscow Tuesday, Serbia's President Boris Tadic said that conflict could erupt if Kosovo's Albanians seek an independent state.
"I am absolutely against destabilization of the Balkan peninsula," Tadic said at the start of a Kremlin meeting with President Vladimir Putin during a three- day visit to Russia.
The draft leaves open the possibility that a national referendum be held in Serbia to approve the outcome of the U.N.-mediated talks with independence- seeking Kosovo Albanians.
Those negotiations are expected to start in December and end within a year.
The resolution offers Kosovo "essential" political and judicial autonomy and highlights that the Belgrade government is "determined that a concrete, reasonable, long-term and stable solution be found for Kosovo, taking into full consideration the legitimate interests of the (ethnic) Albanians in the province."
The draft also urged "direct negotiations" between the Serb side and the Kosovo Albanians.
Kosovo, considered by the Serbs to be the cradle of their statehood and religion, has been run by the U.N. since 1999, when North Atlantic Treaty Organization bombing halted a Serb crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
The U.N. envoy to mediate talks on Kosovo's future, Finland's former President Martti Ahtisaari, was expected to visit Kosovo and Belgrade later this month and move to Vienna in December to start the negotiations.
The format of the talks still has to be determined but Ahtisaari, appointed by U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, faces a difficult task with the two sides diametrically opposed - Kosovo's ethnic Albanians insisting on full independence while Belgrade contending this would constitute "unlawful secession." On the Web site: www.srbija.sr.gov.yu
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
Serbia: To Adopt Platform Rejecting Kosovo Independence
BELGRADE (AP)--The Serbian government said it planned on Tuesday to adopt a platform rejecting independence for Kosovo in U.N.-mediated talks on the future of the breakaway province.
The nine-point resolution, published Tuesday by the local news media, needs the approval of Serbia's parliament, which is tentatively scheduled to meet over the next weekend.
The resolution also leaves open the possibility that a national referendum be held in Serbia to approve the outcome of the talks with independence-seeking Kosovo Albanians, which are likely to start in December and end within a year.
Kosovo, considered by the Serbs to be the cradle of their statehood and religion, has been run by the U.N. since 1999, when North Atlantic Treaty Organization bombing halted a Serb crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
Serbia is hoping to retain at least formal control over Kosovo, but the province's ethnic Albanian majority is insisting on full independence.
The Serbian government resolution calls for Kosovo to remain within Serbia's borders, but gives it "essential" political and judicial autonomy.
The U.N. envoy to mediate talks on Kosovo's future, Finland's former President Martii Ahtisaari, was expected to visit Kosovo and Belgrade later this month and move to Vienna in December to start the negotiations.
The nine-point resolution, published Tuesday by the local news media, needs the approval of Serbia's parliament, which is tentatively scheduled to meet over the next weekend.
The resolution also leaves open the possibility that a national referendum be held in Serbia to approve the outcome of the talks with independence-seeking Kosovo Albanians, which are likely to start in December and end within a year.
Kosovo, considered by the Serbs to be the cradle of their statehood and religion, has been run by the U.N. since 1999, when North Atlantic Treaty Organization bombing halted a Serb crackdown on separatist ethnic Albanians.
Serbia is hoping to retain at least formal control over Kosovo, but the province's ethnic Albanian majority is insisting on full independence.
The Serbian government resolution calls for Kosovo to remain within Serbia's borders, but gives it "essential" political and judicial autonomy.
The U.N. envoy to mediate talks on Kosovo's future, Finland's former President Martii Ahtisaari, was expected to visit Kosovo and Belgrade later this month and move to Vienna in December to start the negotiations.
Serbia President Warns Of Strife If Kosovo Seeks Independence
MOSCOW (AP)--Serbian President Boris Tadic warned Tuesday of the risk of renewed conflict if Kosovo's ethnic Albanians seek an independent state.
"I am absolutely against destabilization of the Balkan peninsula," Tadic said at the start of a Kremlin meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
The Serbian president was on a three-day visit to Russia for talks on bilateral relations as well as the prickly issue of the future of Kosovo.
The U.N. has administered Kosovo since the 1999 North Atlantic Treaty Organization air war that halted ex-president Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists there. Negotiations over the enclave's status are to start later this month under the direction of a U.N. mediator.
Belgrade, which has close historical ties with mostly Slavic, Orthodox Christian Russia, is hoping Moscow might help keep Kosovo within Serbia- Montenegro. But the province's ethnic Albanians want full independence.
Putin asked Tadic how many of Kosovo's Serbs were driven out of their homes by the 1999 conflict, and Tadic said it was about 200,000.
Putin responded that when ethnic Albanians fled their homes in 1999 "it was seen as a great humanitarian catastrophe...now everybody is silent."
His comments were in line with statements by Russian diplomats who have supported the Serbian perspective on the situation.
"I am absolutely against destabilization of the Balkan peninsula," Tadic said at the start of a Kremlin meeting with President Vladimir Putin.
The Serbian president was on a three-day visit to Russia for talks on bilateral relations as well as the prickly issue of the future of Kosovo.
The U.N. has administered Kosovo since the 1999 North Atlantic Treaty Organization air war that halted ex-president Slobodan Milosevic's crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists there. Negotiations over the enclave's status are to start later this month under the direction of a U.N. mediator.
Belgrade, which has close historical ties with mostly Slavic, Orthodox Christian Russia, is hoping Moscow might help keep Kosovo within Serbia- Montenegro. But the province's ethnic Albanians want full independence.
Putin asked Tadic how many of Kosovo's Serbs were driven out of their homes by the 1999 conflict, and Tadic said it was about 200,000.
Putin responded that when ethnic Albanians fled their homes in 1999 "it was seen as a great humanitarian catastrophe...now everybody is silent."
His comments were in line with statements by Russian diplomats who have supported the Serbian perspective on the situation.
Main political forces say they will vote pro independence resolution (Zëri)
Zëri reports on the front page that the representatives of the four main political parties in Kosovo Assembly, LDK, PDK, AAK and ORA implied yesterday that unless there is a change in the next two days, they are going to vote for the Resolution on Independence that confirms declaring Kosovo an independent and sovereign state and calls for international recognition of Kosovo’s independence.
Despite suggestions by the international factors on various occasions that the Resolution harmonized by the parliamentary groups could contradict the competencies of the Kosovo Assembly, according to the Constitutional Framework, and the announcements of the SRSG that he would like to see a resolution that would ‘support the Negotiations Team’, the representatives of the four political parties have not changed anything so far in what the chiefs of the parliamentary groups agreed, and have said they will vote for the Resolution on Thursday.
Despite suggestions by the international factors on various occasions that the Resolution harmonized by the parliamentary groups could contradict the competencies of the Kosovo Assembly, according to the Constitutional Framework, and the announcements of the SRSG that he would like to see a resolution that would ‘support the Negotiations Team’, the representatives of the four political parties have not changed anything so far in what the chiefs of the parliamentary groups agreed, and have said they will vote for the Resolution on Thursday.
Political Group adopts three documents on Kosovo stance
All dailies cover the second meeting of the Political/Strategic Group of Kosovo and report that it managed to draft three documents they will send to the Negotiations Team to approve.
“Political Group adopts main points of Kosovo’s position for talks”, says Zëri’s headline on the front page.
A press release issued by coordinator, Blerim Shala reads that these documents set up the main points of the Kosovo delegation’s position on the process of the solution of the final status, then they determine organizational structures of the working groups of experts and the logical segment of the organizational work of the Political/Strategic Group and working groups, dailies report.
“Political Group adopts main points of Kosovo’s position for talks”, says Zëri’s headline on the front page.
A press release issued by coordinator, Blerim Shala reads that these documents set up the main points of the Kosovo delegation’s position on the process of the solution of the final status, then they determine organizational structures of the working groups of experts and the logical segment of the organizational work of the Political/Strategic Group and working groups, dailies report.
Monday, November 14, 2005
Kosovo accord chances "Better than buying a lottery ticket"
This is how the newly appointed UN envoy for the final status talks on Kosovo has described the chances of an agreement between the two sides.
But Martti Ahtisaari won't estimate any timeframe for resolving the dispute over the Serbian province.
He will want to hear the opinions of Serbs, Albanians and several international organisations before forming an opinion.
The Finnish former president has made his first public comments on the job since his formal appointment as the mediator.
"I think that everyone understands that the process can't go on for ever. And we have to go forward as fast as we can."
Kosovo has been a U.N. protectorate since 1999.
NATO air bombardment forced thenformer President Slobodan Milosevic to end a two-year campaign against an ethnic Albanian guerrilla insurgency.
Kosovo's 90-percent Albanian majority are demanding independence.
Serbia is offering far-reaching autonomy.
But Martti Ahtisaari won't estimate any timeframe for resolving the dispute over the Serbian province.
He will want to hear the opinions of Serbs, Albanians and several international organisations before forming an opinion.
The Finnish former president has made his first public comments on the job since his formal appointment as the mediator.
"I think that everyone understands that the process can't go on for ever. And we have to go forward as fast as we can."
Kosovo has been a U.N. protectorate since 1999.
NATO air bombardment forced thenformer President Slobodan Milosevic to end a two-year campaign against an ethnic Albanian guerrilla insurgency.
Kosovo's 90-percent Albanian majority are demanding independence.
Serbia is offering far-reaching autonomy.
Kosovo TV reports on debate over new statehood symbols
Text of report by Kosovo Albanian television KohaVision TV on 13 November
[Announcer] Kosova [Kosovo] needs to have new symbols in order to be represented internationally. The officials of the political parties admit they are aware of this and that it is the assembly that will have a final say on this. Citizens, on the other hand, do not like the idea of changing the flag, whereas historians see it as a political issue.
[Reporter Xhemajl Rexha] In future the black eagle on red background may not be the symbol most Kosova citizens proudly identify themselves with. The establishment of Kosova as a country and its eventual membership in European and world institutions means that Kosova should have its own state symbols. The first to have thought of this is President Ibrahim Rugova. In all gatherings organized by Democratic League of Kosova [LDK] or the president's office the Dardania anthem, titled "When the call in Kosova was heard", is sang alongside the national anthem. At the same time it was said that the president's seal, which bears the old name for Kosova - Dardania, may be the future flag of Kosova. Officials of the president's office and the LDK prefer not to speak about it much, yet they have often said that it was one of the possible proposals. Officials from other parties say they are aware that the flag should change and it is the Kosova Assembly that will decide on this.
[Jakup Krasniqi, Secretary, Democratic Party of Kosova] It is an issue that we will have to deal with. Kosova, as an independent country, as a place that will have its seat at the UN and its own flag will be the 92nd flag among the flags of independent states at the UN. It should have its own symbol. This needs to be done by professionals.
[Ernest Luma, Alliance for the future of Kosova spokesperson] Kosova as an independent country will have its symbols and they will be presented and agreed upon at the Kosova Assembly.
[Reporter] Ora party officials are of the opinion that state building is more important.
[Ylli Hoxha, Ora party spokesperson] We consider that Kosova's statehood should not be built on the motives of waving a flag, but on the basis of managing people's needs. We consider that it is important to have a country to which we would assign a flag.
[Reporter] Hakif Bajrami, a historian, sees this problem to be of political nature.
[Hakif Bajrami] For sure Albanians would not give up their national flag. Kosova should have a different flag. How this flag would look like, for the time being, is not an academic issue, it is not an issue that falls under the responsibility of some institution, but it is a political issue. How the anthem will be, how it will be composed, is also a very sensitive issue, very delicate, but it should be composed because if Kosova wishes to become a country and a member of the UN then it should fulfil all the criteria of a country.
[Reporter] Most of the citizens insist the existing flag should be preserved. Should the flag be changed?
[Citizen 1] No way! Are they normal, those who want to change the flag?
[Citizen 2] I think that the flag should not change. We have a flag and no changes to it are needed.
[Citizen 3] No! The flag is our national symbol and there is no reason. We are an old people with this flag, we would die.
[Citizen 4] No! We fought for this flag. How many Albanians have shed blood, went to prison to protect the flag. Perhaps in 10 years, we cannot do it today, but in 10 years I am convinced we will unify.
[Citizen 5] No! We have our flag. It is a pan-Albanian flag.
[Citizen 6] I don't know. We should change it. We cannot have a similar flag, Albania and Kosova.
[Reporter] Even sports have not been able to avoid the issue of symbols. The Kosova football team, who wore black and red colours, used the president's flag during a tour to Turkish Cyprus. According to ministry officials this was recommended by Minister Astrit Haracia.
Besides Kosova liberation day 12 June the biggest events take place on 28 November, the Flag Day. There are loads of proposals about the future Kosova flag on the Internet. Like our American friends, the future Kosova flag may look like this, with stripes but no stars and would keep Kosovars close to their symbol, the eagle.
Source: KohaVision TV, Pristina, in Albanian 1800 gmt 13 Nov 05
[Announcer] Kosova [Kosovo] needs to have new symbols in order to be represented internationally. The officials of the political parties admit they are aware of this and that it is the assembly that will have a final say on this. Citizens, on the other hand, do not like the idea of changing the flag, whereas historians see it as a political issue.
[Reporter Xhemajl Rexha] In future the black eagle on red background may not be the symbol most Kosova citizens proudly identify themselves with. The establishment of Kosova as a country and its eventual membership in European and world institutions means that Kosova should have its own state symbols. The first to have thought of this is President Ibrahim Rugova. In all gatherings organized by Democratic League of Kosova [LDK] or the president's office the Dardania anthem, titled "When the call in Kosova was heard", is sang alongside the national anthem. At the same time it was said that the president's seal, which bears the old name for Kosova - Dardania, may be the future flag of Kosova. Officials of the president's office and the LDK prefer not to speak about it much, yet they have often said that it was one of the possible proposals. Officials from other parties say they are aware that the flag should change and it is the Kosova Assembly that will decide on this.
[Jakup Krasniqi, Secretary, Democratic Party of Kosova] It is an issue that we will have to deal with. Kosova, as an independent country, as a place that will have its seat at the UN and its own flag will be the 92nd flag among the flags of independent states at the UN. It should have its own symbol. This needs to be done by professionals.
[Ernest Luma, Alliance for the future of Kosova spokesperson] Kosova as an independent country will have its symbols and they will be presented and agreed upon at the Kosova Assembly.
[Reporter] Ora party officials are of the opinion that state building is more important.
[Ylli Hoxha, Ora party spokesperson] We consider that Kosova's statehood should not be built on the motives of waving a flag, but on the basis of managing people's needs. We consider that it is important to have a country to which we would assign a flag.
[Reporter] Hakif Bajrami, a historian, sees this problem to be of political nature.
[Hakif Bajrami] For sure Albanians would not give up their national flag. Kosova should have a different flag. How this flag would look like, for the time being, is not an academic issue, it is not an issue that falls under the responsibility of some institution, but it is a political issue. How the anthem will be, how it will be composed, is also a very sensitive issue, very delicate, but it should be composed because if Kosova wishes to become a country and a member of the UN then it should fulfil all the criteria of a country.
[Reporter] Most of the citizens insist the existing flag should be preserved. Should the flag be changed?
[Citizen 1] No way! Are they normal, those who want to change the flag?
[Citizen 2] I think that the flag should not change. We have a flag and no changes to it are needed.
[Citizen 3] No! The flag is our national symbol and there is no reason. We are an old people with this flag, we would die.
[Citizen 4] No! We fought for this flag. How many Albanians have shed blood, went to prison to protect the flag. Perhaps in 10 years, we cannot do it today, but in 10 years I am convinced we will unify.
[Citizen 5] No! We have our flag. It is a pan-Albanian flag.
[Citizen 6] I don't know. We should change it. We cannot have a similar flag, Albania and Kosova.
[Reporter] Even sports have not been able to avoid the issue of symbols. The Kosova football team, who wore black and red colours, used the president's flag during a tour to Turkish Cyprus. According to ministry officials this was recommended by Minister Astrit Haracia.
Besides Kosova liberation day 12 June the biggest events take place on 28 November, the Flag Day. There are loads of proposals about the future Kosova flag on the Internet. Like our American friends, the future Kosova flag may look like this, with stripes but no stars and would keep Kosovars close to their symbol, the eagle.
Source: KohaVision TV, Pristina, in Albanian 1800 gmt 13 Nov 05
U.N.'s Kosovo envoy appeals to EU to take bigger role in future of Kosovo
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Martii Ahtisaari, the U.N. envoy to lead talks on Kosovo's future, called on the 25-nation European Union on Monday to step up aid and involvement in the reconstruction of the troubled Balkan province.
Speaking to an EU seminar on crisis management, the former Finnish president said the EU should "shoulder an even bigger share of responsibility of the peace and stability in Kosovo." He said the EU had to look at taking over policing and judicial reforms and administration in Kosovo once the future of the province, which is still part of Serbia-Montenegro, is settled.
"The member states have to start preparing for this undertaking both in terms of financial resources and the significant number of personnel," he said.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the EU "can make a huge contribution" in the years ahead. The EU has given euro60 million (US$70 million) in reconstruction aid to Kosovo this year, aiming to back political and economic reforms there.
Ahtisaari was picked by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to oversee status talks for Kosovo. The Finn faces a difficult task, as Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians want independence, while Serbia wants to retain some formal control over the province.
Ahtisaari told reporters he would go to the Balkans later this month and move to Vienna by January to start the negotiations. His talks next week would be with officials in Kosovo, Serbia-Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania, he said.
He refused to set a deadline by which an agreement on the future of Kosovo was expected.
"Everyone understands that this process can't go on forever and we have to go forward as fast as we can," Ahtisaari said, adding he welcomed all the proposals being put forward.
There are three possible outcomes to the talks: independence for Kosovo with some international oversight for years to come; partition along ethnic lines; or some form of status that preserves Serbia's sovereignty over the territory.
Kosovo, which now is a province of Serbia, has been administered by the United Nations and patrolled by NATO peacekeepers since mid-1999, when NATO launched an air war to halt a crackdown by Yugoslav government troops against separatist ethnic Albanian rebels.
He said the talks will involve a contact group with representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States, and stressed that the EU has a key role to play in reaching a solution.
The EU appointed Stefan Lehne as its representative to help Ahtisaari in the talks. The Austrian currently serves as director for southeastern Europe at EU headquarters and is a senior adviser to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Ahtisaari recently oversaw the successful negotiations between the Indonesian government and Aceh separatist rebels, which has led to the decommissioning of rebel forces in the Indonesian province and the withdrawal of Indonesian troops from the province.
Speaking to an EU seminar on crisis management, the former Finnish president said the EU should "shoulder an even bigger share of responsibility of the peace and stability in Kosovo." He said the EU had to look at taking over policing and judicial reforms and administration in Kosovo once the future of the province, which is still part of Serbia-Montenegro, is settled.
"The member states have to start preparing for this undertaking both in terms of financial resources and the significant number of personnel," he said.
EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the EU "can make a huge contribution" in the years ahead. The EU has given euro60 million (US$70 million) in reconstruction aid to Kosovo this year, aiming to back political and economic reforms there.
Ahtisaari was picked by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to oversee status talks for Kosovo. The Finn faces a difficult task, as Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians want independence, while Serbia wants to retain some formal control over the province.
Ahtisaari told reporters he would go to the Balkans later this month and move to Vienna by January to start the negotiations. His talks next week would be with officials in Kosovo, Serbia-Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania, he said.
He refused to set a deadline by which an agreement on the future of Kosovo was expected.
"Everyone understands that this process can't go on forever and we have to go forward as fast as we can," Ahtisaari said, adding he welcomed all the proposals being put forward.
There are three possible outcomes to the talks: independence for Kosovo with some international oversight for years to come; partition along ethnic lines; or some form of status that preserves Serbia's sovereignty over the territory.
Kosovo, which now is a province of Serbia, has been administered by the United Nations and patrolled by NATO peacekeepers since mid-1999, when NATO launched an air war to halt a crackdown by Yugoslav government troops against separatist ethnic Albanian rebels.
He said the talks will involve a contact group with representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States, and stressed that the EU has a key role to play in reaching a solution.
The EU appointed Stefan Lehne as its representative to help Ahtisaari in the talks. The Austrian currently serves as director for southeastern Europe at EU headquarters and is a senior adviser to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Ahtisaari recently oversaw the successful negotiations between the Indonesian government and Aceh separatist rebels, which has led to the decommissioning of rebel forces in the Indonesian province and the withdrawal of Indonesian troops from the province.
Rugova would like Havel to be mediator of talks on Kosovo
PRISTINA, Nov 14 (CTK) - Kosovar President Ibrahim Rugova would welcome if former Czech president Vaclav Havel became the mediator of the talks on the future of Kosovo, he told journalists today after meeting Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek who is on an official visit to the country.
Rugova said that Havel could help Kosovo as a personality, after Paroubek offered him that Czech diplomats or politicians could help solve the problems of Kosovo.
Havel told CTK he is not sure whether he would be able to accept such a task.
"I am of course pleased when somebody has such a suggestion. However, I am not sure whether I would be able to cope with such a task," Havel said.
Paroubek presented a similar offer in Belgrade on Sunday. He said that Serbian representatives welcomed it.
Paroubek did not release who exactly the Czech negotiators could be. According to some information, diplomat Sasa Vondra is among the candidates.
Paroubek is on a four-day visit to the West Balkans. He inquired about the opinions of Serbian, Montenegrin and Kosovar politicians about the future political organisation of Serbia and Montenegro. During his visit in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Pristina he repeatedly said that the Czech Republic will play a more important role in the region.
The Serbian government wants the autonomous Kosovo to remain a part of Serbia in the future, while the Kosovar inhabitants, most of them being ethnic Albanians, call for autonomy. Rugova said today he wants his country to be a part of the EU and NATO.
Apart from political initiative, Paroubek offered local politicians Czech investment, mainly in the area of insurance, power industry and chemical industry.
Seminars on the transformation of Czech economy will be opened for representatives from the former Yugoslavia in Prague. Paroubek said that Serbian students will have easier access to Czech universities thanks to a new cultural agreement.
Rugova said that Havel could help Kosovo as a personality, after Paroubek offered him that Czech diplomats or politicians could help solve the problems of Kosovo.
Havel told CTK he is not sure whether he would be able to accept such a task.
"I am of course pleased when somebody has such a suggestion. However, I am not sure whether I would be able to cope with such a task," Havel said.
Paroubek presented a similar offer in Belgrade on Sunday. He said that Serbian representatives welcomed it.
Paroubek did not release who exactly the Czech negotiators could be. According to some information, diplomat Sasa Vondra is among the candidates.
Paroubek is on a four-day visit to the West Balkans. He inquired about the opinions of Serbian, Montenegrin and Kosovar politicians about the future political organisation of Serbia and Montenegro. During his visit in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Pristina he repeatedly said that the Czech Republic will play a more important role in the region.
The Serbian government wants the autonomous Kosovo to remain a part of Serbia in the future, while the Kosovar inhabitants, most of them being ethnic Albanians, call for autonomy. Rugova said today he wants his country to be a part of the EU and NATO.
Apart from political initiative, Paroubek offered local politicians Czech investment, mainly in the area of insurance, power industry and chemical industry.
Seminars on the transformation of Czech economy will be opened for representatives from the former Yugoslavia in Prague. Paroubek said that Serbian students will have easier access to Czech universities thanks to a new cultural agreement.
UN Envoy Urges EU To Take Bigger Role In Future Of Kosovo
BRUSSELS (AP)--Martii Ahtisaari, the U.N. envoy to lead talks on Kosovo's future, called on the 25-nation European Union on Monday to step up aid and involvement in the reconstruction of the province.
Speaking to an E.U. seminar on crisis management, the former Finnish president said the E.U. should "shoulder an even bigger share of responsibility of the peace and stability in Kosovo." He said the E.U. had to look at taking over policing and judicial reforms and administration in Kosovo once the future of the province, which is still part of Serbia-Montenegro, is settled.
"The member states have to start preparing for this undertaking both in terms of financial resources and the significant number of personnel," he said.
E.U. External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the E.U. "can make a huge contribution" in the years ahead. The E.U. has given EUR60 million in reconstruction aid to Kosovo this year, aiming to back political and economic reforms there.
Ahtisaari was picked by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to oversee status talks for Kosovo. The Finn faces a difficult task, as Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians want independence, while Serbia wants to retain some formal control over the province.
Ahtisaari told reporters he would go to the Balkans later this month and move to Vienna by January to start the negotiations. His talks next week would be with officials in Kosovo, Serbia-Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania, he said.
He refused to set a deadline by which an agreement on the future of Kosovo was expected.
"Everyone understands that this process can't go on forever and we have to go forward as fast as we can," Ahtisaari said, adding he welcomed all the proposals being put forward.
There are three possible outcomes to the talks: independence for Kosovo with some international oversight for years to come; partition along ethnic lines; or some form of status that preserves Serbia's sovereignty over the territory.
Kosovo, which now is a province of Serbia, has been administered by the United Nations and patrolled by NATO peacekeepers since mid-1999, when NATO launched an air war to halt a crackdown by Yugoslav government troops against separatist ethnic Albanian rebels.
He said the talks will involve a contact group with representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States, and stressed that the E.U. has a key role to play in reaching a solution.
The E.U. appointed Stefan Lehne as its representative to help Ahtisaari in the talks. The Austrian currently serves as director for southeastern Europe at E.U. headquarters and is a senior adviser to E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Ahtisaari recently oversaw the successful negotiations between the Indonesian government and Aceh separatist rebels, which has led to the decommissioning of rebel forces in the Indonesian province and the withdrawal of Indonesian troops from the province.
Speaking to an E.U. seminar on crisis management, the former Finnish president said the E.U. should "shoulder an even bigger share of responsibility of the peace and stability in Kosovo." He said the E.U. had to look at taking over policing and judicial reforms and administration in Kosovo once the future of the province, which is still part of Serbia-Montenegro, is settled.
"The member states have to start preparing for this undertaking both in terms of financial resources and the significant number of personnel," he said.
E.U. External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner said the E.U. "can make a huge contribution" in the years ahead. The E.U. has given EUR60 million in reconstruction aid to Kosovo this year, aiming to back political and economic reforms there.
Ahtisaari was picked by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan to oversee status talks for Kosovo. The Finn faces a difficult task, as Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians want independence, while Serbia wants to retain some formal control over the province.
Ahtisaari told reporters he would go to the Balkans later this month and move to Vienna by January to start the negotiations. His talks next week would be with officials in Kosovo, Serbia-Montenegro, Macedonia and Albania, he said.
He refused to set a deadline by which an agreement on the future of Kosovo was expected.
"Everyone understands that this process can't go on forever and we have to go forward as fast as we can," Ahtisaari said, adding he welcomed all the proposals being put forward.
There are three possible outcomes to the talks: independence for Kosovo with some international oversight for years to come; partition along ethnic lines; or some form of status that preserves Serbia's sovereignty over the territory.
Kosovo, which now is a province of Serbia, has been administered by the United Nations and patrolled by NATO peacekeepers since mid-1999, when NATO launched an air war to halt a crackdown by Yugoslav government troops against separatist ethnic Albanian rebels.
He said the talks will involve a contact group with representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States, and stressed that the E.U. has a key role to play in reaching a solution.
The E.U. appointed Stefan Lehne as its representative to help Ahtisaari in the talks. The Austrian currently serves as director for southeastern Europe at E.U. headquarters and is a senior adviser to E.U. foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Ahtisaari recently oversaw the successful negotiations between the Indonesian government and Aceh separatist rebels, which has led to the decommissioning of rebel forces in the Indonesian province and the withdrawal of Indonesian troops from the province.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
Kosovo effectively independent, Slovene president tells paper
Text of report in English by Slovene news agency STA
Maribor, 12 November: The resolution of the Kosovo issue requires a clear and easy-to-understand solution, which is what my plan is about, President Janez Drnovsek has told a Slovene paper in reference to his nine-point Kosovo status plan.
Defending his plan in an interview published in Saturday's [12 November] Vecer, Drnovsek said that the situation on the ground in Kosovo is that of an independent state.
International forces have been stationed in the province for six years now, but the province is effectively independent, he said, adding that there was no Serb police or army stationed there.
According to him, Serbian claims that Kosovo is still part of Serbia run contrary to the situation on the ground. If Serbian officials think that they bring Kosovo under its control again, it will result in another war, Drnovsek is convinced.
"Serbian politicians have been unable to come clean to the Serbian public," Drnovsek said in a reference to the state of affairs in Kosovo.
Moreover, Drnovsek rejected suggestions coming from Serbia that he has been influenced by the Albanian lobby in drawing up his plan. He said that these allegations are nothing new, as they were tossed around back in 1989, when he first tried to solve the Kosovo issue.
The fact is that 16 years have passed since then and that Serbian politicians have been unable to solve the problem, while the international community has been very slow in acting, Drnovsek told Vecer.
Drnovsek would not confirm or deny claims that Brussels and Washington are behind his plan for Kosovo, saying only that he was in touch with many politicians who wish to see a final solution for Kosovo.
The Slovene president is convinced that negotiations on Kosovo could be wrapped up quickly. "Maybe sooner than in six months if we don't go in circles too much," he said, adding that his plan contains elements for which both sides know will have to be part of a final solution.
Asked about whether his plan will lead to a deterioration in relations between Slovenia and Serbia-Montenegro, Drnovsek said that relations should improve if Serbia gets out of the current routine and starts focusing on its European aspirations.
Meanwhile, Drnovsek said there was a great air of defeatism in the international community in general, with few people willing to come up with solutions to the challenges faced by the world.
"This is one of the reasons why I have started to tackle global issues. Not only Kosovo, which is more of a regional issue; I have also come up with proposals for the EU and WTO and have warned about the current state in the UN," he said.
Source: STA news agency, Ljubljana, in English 1215 gmt 12 Nov 05
Maribor, 12 November: The resolution of the Kosovo issue requires a clear and easy-to-understand solution, which is what my plan is about, President Janez Drnovsek has told a Slovene paper in reference to his nine-point Kosovo status plan.
Defending his plan in an interview published in Saturday's [12 November] Vecer, Drnovsek said that the situation on the ground in Kosovo is that of an independent state.
International forces have been stationed in the province for six years now, but the province is effectively independent, he said, adding that there was no Serb police or army stationed there.
According to him, Serbian claims that Kosovo is still part of Serbia run contrary to the situation on the ground. If Serbian officials think that they bring Kosovo under its control again, it will result in another war, Drnovsek is convinced.
"Serbian politicians have been unable to come clean to the Serbian public," Drnovsek said in a reference to the state of affairs in Kosovo.
Moreover, Drnovsek rejected suggestions coming from Serbia that he has been influenced by the Albanian lobby in drawing up his plan. He said that these allegations are nothing new, as they were tossed around back in 1989, when he first tried to solve the Kosovo issue.
The fact is that 16 years have passed since then and that Serbian politicians have been unable to solve the problem, while the international community has been very slow in acting, Drnovsek told Vecer.
Drnovsek would not confirm or deny claims that Brussels and Washington are behind his plan for Kosovo, saying only that he was in touch with many politicians who wish to see a final solution for Kosovo.
The Slovene president is convinced that negotiations on Kosovo could be wrapped up quickly. "Maybe sooner than in six months if we don't go in circles too much," he said, adding that his plan contains elements for which both sides know will have to be part of a final solution.
Asked about whether his plan will lead to a deterioration in relations between Slovenia and Serbia-Montenegro, Drnovsek said that relations should improve if Serbia gets out of the current routine and starts focusing on its European aspirations.
Meanwhile, Drnovsek said there was a great air of defeatism in the international community in general, with few people willing to come up with solutions to the challenges faced by the world.
"This is one of the reasons why I have started to tackle global issues. Not only Kosovo, which is more of a regional issue; I have also come up with proposals for the EU and WTO and have warned about the current state in the UN," he said.
Source: STA news agency, Ljubljana, in English 1215 gmt 12 Nov 05
Slovene president presents his status plan in Kosovo
Text of report in English by Slovene news agency STA
Pristina, 12 November: Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek outlined his Kosovo status plan during a visit to the restive province on Saturday [12 November]. Drnovsek met representatives of the UN Mission to Kosovo (UNMIK) and Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova, while also visiting several Serb Orthodox monasteries.
Kicking off the visit in Pristina, Drnovsek met senior UNMIK representative Jean Dussord and his team to present the details of the nine-point plan for the future of Kosovo, which envisages independence for the province given that certain conditions are met.
According to Drnovsek's foreign policy adviser Ivo Vajgl, who accompanied Drnovsek on the visit, UNMIK representatives stressed that they value Slovenia's contribution to international efforts to ensure stability in Kosovo.
Vajgl said that UNMIK officials believe negotiations on the future status of Kosovo will demand a high degree of willingness from both Serbian and Kosovo officials to compromise, as well as a need for all parties who are familiar with the situation to contribute to a final solution.
UNMIK officials believe that maintaining status quo would be the worst solution for Kosovo, as it would only lead to greater problems, Vajgl told STA.
Meeting Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova, Drnovsek stressed the importance of protecting the Serb minority in the province and giving it sufficient autonomy. Part of this includes the protection of sacred Serb sites, he said.
Drnovsek pointed to his proposal that a number of key Serb sites be given ex-territorial status and provided international protection as part of the efforts to settle the status of Kosovo.
Continuing his visit, which came at the invitation of the Serb Orthodox Church, Drnovsek visited the 14th century Orthodox monastery at Gracanica, as well as Orthodox monasteries at Pec and Decani, which are earmarked for ex-territorial status under his plan.
Drnovsek's visit comes just two weeks after his official visit to Serbia was cancelled by the Serbian authorities in the aftermath of his unveiling of a plan for the status of Kosovo.
While Serbian leaders were angered at his statement that independence was the only realistic option for the province, Kosovo Albanians said his proposal was less than what they demand.
Drnovsek went on the visit despite advice from the Slovenian Foreign Ministry against it. The ministry, which has distanced itself from Drnovsek's plan, said on Friday that the visit should not go ahead because the head of the UN Mission to Kosovo (UNMIK) Soeren Jessen-Petersen is not expected to be in the province.
Source: STA news agency, Ljubljana, in English 1525 gmt 12 Nov 05
Pristina, 12 November: Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek outlined his Kosovo status plan during a visit to the restive province on Saturday [12 November]. Drnovsek met representatives of the UN Mission to Kosovo (UNMIK) and Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova, while also visiting several Serb Orthodox monasteries.
Kicking off the visit in Pristina, Drnovsek met senior UNMIK representative Jean Dussord and his team to present the details of the nine-point plan for the future of Kosovo, which envisages independence for the province given that certain conditions are met.
According to Drnovsek's foreign policy adviser Ivo Vajgl, who accompanied Drnovsek on the visit, UNMIK representatives stressed that they value Slovenia's contribution to international efforts to ensure stability in Kosovo.
Vajgl said that UNMIK officials believe negotiations on the future status of Kosovo will demand a high degree of willingness from both Serbian and Kosovo officials to compromise, as well as a need for all parties who are familiar with the situation to contribute to a final solution.
UNMIK officials believe that maintaining status quo would be the worst solution for Kosovo, as it would only lead to greater problems, Vajgl told STA.
Meeting Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova, Drnovsek stressed the importance of protecting the Serb minority in the province and giving it sufficient autonomy. Part of this includes the protection of sacred Serb sites, he said.
Drnovsek pointed to his proposal that a number of key Serb sites be given ex-territorial status and provided international protection as part of the efforts to settle the status of Kosovo.
Continuing his visit, which came at the invitation of the Serb Orthodox Church, Drnovsek visited the 14th century Orthodox monastery at Gracanica, as well as Orthodox monasteries at Pec and Decani, which are earmarked for ex-territorial status under his plan.
Drnovsek's visit comes just two weeks after his official visit to Serbia was cancelled by the Serbian authorities in the aftermath of his unveiling of a plan for the status of Kosovo.
While Serbian leaders were angered at his statement that independence was the only realistic option for the province, Kosovo Albanians said his proposal was less than what they demand.
Drnovsek went on the visit despite advice from the Slovenian Foreign Ministry against it. The ministry, which has distanced itself from Drnovsek's plan, said on Friday that the visit should not go ahead because the head of the UN Mission to Kosovo (UNMIK) Soeren Jessen-Petersen is not expected to be in the province.
Source: STA news agency, Ljubljana, in English 1525 gmt 12 Nov 05
Continued US presence in Kosovo "vital": UN
COPENHAGEN, Nov 12 (AFP) -
The continued presence of the United States in Kosovo is "vital" to ensuring stability and determining the final status of the region, Kai Eide, the United Nations Secretary General's special envoy to Kosovo, said on Saturday.
In an address to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly being held in Copenhagen, Eide presented a report on the fragile situation in the province, calling for the US to remain involved.
"To the US delegate in this assembly, I want to say the US must continue to be engaged in Kosovo as long as necessary," he said.
"A United States contribution to the Kosovo Force (KFOR) is essential in order to provide a visible expression of continued engagement," he said.
The international KFOR force has been responsible for establishing and maintaining security in Kosovo ever since the UN and NATO took over control of the region in June 1999.
The move followed a NATO air war against Yugoslavia that forced then president Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his troops from the Albanian-dominated province.
Tensions have remained high with Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders eager for talks leading to independence, while Belgrade and the Kosovo Serbs want the territory to remain part of Serbia and Montenegro.
On Saturday, Eide emphasized the importance of a continued NATO presence in the province.
"Nato will also have to continue its presence. No other organization can currently provide the same basis of stability," he said.
The continued presence of the United States in Kosovo is "vital" to ensuring stability and determining the final status of the region, Kai Eide, the United Nations Secretary General's special envoy to Kosovo, said on Saturday.
In an address to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly being held in Copenhagen, Eide presented a report on the fragile situation in the province, calling for the US to remain involved.
"To the US delegate in this assembly, I want to say the US must continue to be engaged in Kosovo as long as necessary," he said.
"A United States contribution to the Kosovo Force (KFOR) is essential in order to provide a visible expression of continued engagement," he said.
The international KFOR force has been responsible for establishing and maintaining security in Kosovo ever since the UN and NATO took over control of the region in June 1999.
The move followed a NATO air war against Yugoslavia that forced then president Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw his troops from the Albanian-dominated province.
Tensions have remained high with Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders eager for talks leading to independence, while Belgrade and the Kosovo Serbs want the territory to remain part of Serbia and Montenegro.
On Saturday, Eide emphasized the importance of a continued NATO presence in the province.
"Nato will also have to continue its presence. No other organization can currently provide the same basis of stability," he said.
Friday, November 11, 2005
Hague gives Serbia 7-week deadline for Mladic
BELGRADE, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The Hague war crimes tribunal turned up the heat on Serbia on Friday, telling it to deliver top fugitive Ratko Mladic by the end of this year or face "excommunication", Defence Minister Zoran Stankovic said.
The seven-week deadline to hand over the former Bosnian Serb military commander was issued on a visit to Belgrade by United Nations war crimes tribunal president Theodor Meron.
It tightens the screws on Serbia as it faces talks that could lead to the loss of Kosovo, the Albanian-dominated province which has been under U.N. control since 1999.
"Unless Mladic is in The Hague by a certain deadline, we will be excommunicated from Euro-Atlantic integration," Stankovic said after talks with Meron.
"If we do not fulfil this obligation by the end of this year, the citizens of this country will see some very difficult moments," the minister told Serbian state television.
Cooperation with The Hague is vital to Serbia's bids to join NATO and the European Union in the next decade, closing a 15-year chapter of war and sanctions following the breakup of former Yugoslavia.
Mladic and wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic are both indicted for genocide in the 1992-95 siege of Sarajevo and the massacre of up to 8,000 Muslims in the town of Srebrenica during Bosnia's ethnic war.
The court's certification that Belgrade is sincerely committed to Mladic's arrest has in the past been central to EU and NATO assessment of its worthiness to progress in these membership bids, the country's top priority.
Meron told reporters after talks with Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica that "the international community is truly impatient about the endless delays in the fulfilment by Serbia of its remaining international obligations."
"This is especially so regarding failure to deliver Ratko Mladic ... and the lack of visible and full support for efforts to capture and transfer Radovan Karadzic and other fugitives who are within reach of the authorities in Belgrade," Meron added.
NO ARMY RENEGADES, MINISTER SAYS
Meron's subsequent meeting with Stankovic was regarded as highly significant by Serbian media, raising speculation that a desperate effort may be under way to arrest Mladic.
Stankovic was once close to Mladic and his recent appointment was seen in Serbia as a sign that the government may be making serious efforts to bring him in.
Karadzic is believed to be hiding somewhere in Bosnia or his native Montenegro. Mladic is rumoured to be somewhere in Serbia, possibly being protected by renegade elements in the Serbian military or intelligence apparatus.
Stankovic said he had told Meron there was no evidence that hardline nationalist elements of the military were sheltering the general, as the Hague prosecutors suspect.
"If there is a part of the army that was hiding him, it would not be good news for us," Stankovic said.
"In fact, that would mean that we do not know what's going on in our army and that a part of our army had broken away, which is not true as far as we know and as far as we have checked the reports that they gave us."
Meron said Kostunica had assured him "in unequivocal terms, in fact he spoke of 100 percent commitment" that Serbia would abide by its obligations.
Serbia has delivered 13 suspects to The Hague in the past year, winning praise from the tribunal and major powers.
It got a break in the unrelenting pressure it has faced on the issue last month, when the EU decided to start talks with Belgrade leading to eventual membership, even though Mladic is still at large.
But the brief respite was never official, and on Friday Meron noted that the last handover was six months ago.
Now the major powers, at the same time as signalling to Serbia that Kosovo is lost, are pushing the Serbs to deliver one or both of the top two fugitives before the anniversary of the peace accord which ended the Bosnia war 10 years ago on Nov. 21.
Western powers intervened belatedly to stop the war after more than 200,000 people died.
The likelihood that Mladic and Karadzic may still not be behind bars before the 10th anniversary of the Dayton accords is seen as a further embarrassment for them.
The seven-week deadline to hand over the former Bosnian Serb military commander was issued on a visit to Belgrade by United Nations war crimes tribunal president Theodor Meron.
It tightens the screws on Serbia as it faces talks that could lead to the loss of Kosovo, the Albanian-dominated province which has been under U.N. control since 1999.
"Unless Mladic is in The Hague by a certain deadline, we will be excommunicated from Euro-Atlantic integration," Stankovic said after talks with Meron.
"If we do not fulfil this obligation by the end of this year, the citizens of this country will see some very difficult moments," the minister told Serbian state television.
Cooperation with The Hague is vital to Serbia's bids to join NATO and the European Union in the next decade, closing a 15-year chapter of war and sanctions following the breakup of former Yugoslavia.
Mladic and wartime Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic are both indicted for genocide in the 1992-95 siege of Sarajevo and the massacre of up to 8,000 Muslims in the town of Srebrenica during Bosnia's ethnic war.
The court's certification that Belgrade is sincerely committed to Mladic's arrest has in the past been central to EU and NATO assessment of its worthiness to progress in these membership bids, the country's top priority.
Meron told reporters after talks with Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica that "the international community is truly impatient about the endless delays in the fulfilment by Serbia of its remaining international obligations."
"This is especially so regarding failure to deliver Ratko Mladic ... and the lack of visible and full support for efforts to capture and transfer Radovan Karadzic and other fugitives who are within reach of the authorities in Belgrade," Meron added.
NO ARMY RENEGADES, MINISTER SAYS
Meron's subsequent meeting with Stankovic was regarded as highly significant by Serbian media, raising speculation that a desperate effort may be under way to arrest Mladic.
Stankovic was once close to Mladic and his recent appointment was seen in Serbia as a sign that the government may be making serious efforts to bring him in.
Karadzic is believed to be hiding somewhere in Bosnia or his native Montenegro. Mladic is rumoured to be somewhere in Serbia, possibly being protected by renegade elements in the Serbian military or intelligence apparatus.
Stankovic said he had told Meron there was no evidence that hardline nationalist elements of the military were sheltering the general, as the Hague prosecutors suspect.
"If there is a part of the army that was hiding him, it would not be good news for us," Stankovic said.
"In fact, that would mean that we do not know what's going on in our army and that a part of our army had broken away, which is not true as far as we know and as far as we have checked the reports that they gave us."
Meron said Kostunica had assured him "in unequivocal terms, in fact he spoke of 100 percent commitment" that Serbia would abide by its obligations.
Serbia has delivered 13 suspects to The Hague in the past year, winning praise from the tribunal and major powers.
It got a break in the unrelenting pressure it has faced on the issue last month, when the EU decided to start talks with Belgrade leading to eventual membership, even though Mladic is still at large.
But the brief respite was never official, and on Friday Meron noted that the last handover was six months ago.
Now the major powers, at the same time as signalling to Serbia that Kosovo is lost, are pushing the Serbs to deliver one or both of the top two fugitives before the anniversary of the peace accord which ended the Bosnia war 10 years ago on Nov. 21.
Western powers intervened belatedly to stop the war after more than 200,000 people died.
The likelihood that Mladic and Karadzic may still not be behind bars before the 10th anniversary of the Dayton accords is seen as a further embarrassment for them.
Ahtisaari: no set timeline on Kosovo talks, EU's role vital in negotiations
HELSINKI, Finland (AP) - The U.N.'s newly appointed envoy to lead talks on Kosovo's future status on Friday declined to set a timeline for the negotiations and stressed the role of the European Union in the disputed Balkan region.
Martti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish President who will oversee the talks, said he plans to visit the region at the end of this month "to listen to the parties and collect impressions."
Ahtisaari told reporters in Helsinki it would be "totally irresponsible" for him set a timeline for the negotiations. "It's pretty much the parties that will decide how fast or slowly we will move," he said.
However, he said "everybody understands that this sort of situation we have at the moment cannot continue forever."
Ahtisaari faces a difficult task as Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians want independence, while Serbia wants to retain some formal control over the province. The United Nations has administered Kosovo since NATO's 1999 air war against Yugoslavia, launched to halt a crackdown by government troops against separatist ethnic Albanian rebels.
Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic acknowledged that Serbia must be "realistic" about Kosovo's future, but said Belgrade will oppose independence for the province during the negotiations.
It is a "harsh reality" that Serbia has had no authority over its southern province since 1999, Draskovic said. "But if we are wise and realistic, we could wrap up the talks successfully."
On the other side, Albania's parliament issued a resolution Friday saying it hoped the negotiations would end in independence for Kosovo.
"(Parliament) strongly believes that a stable result would come out of the negotiating process reflecting the aspirations and the free will of the Kosovo citizens for an independent, democratic and European state," the resolution said.
In Helsinki, Ahtisaari said the talks will involve a contact group with representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States, and stressed that the EU has a key role to play in reaching a solution.
The 25-nation bloc "is an important partner in this exercise because (the) EU is a major donor and political stake holder in Balkans in general and in Kosovo in particular," Ahtisaari said.
Earlier this week, the EU appointed one of its top Balkan specialists, Stefan Lehne, as its representative for the negotiations. The Austrian currently serves as director for southeastern Europe in the secretariat of the EU's council and is a senior adviser to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Ahtisaari said he will start on working on his assignment immediately by setting up office in Vienna, from where the mission will be administrated, and then visiting the Balkan region, including Kosovo, Serbia, Albania and Macedonia.
Martti Ahtisaari, the former Finnish President who will oversee the talks, said he plans to visit the region at the end of this month "to listen to the parties and collect impressions."
Ahtisaari told reporters in Helsinki it would be "totally irresponsible" for him set a timeline for the negotiations. "It's pretty much the parties that will decide how fast or slowly we will move," he said.
However, he said "everybody understands that this sort of situation we have at the moment cannot continue forever."
Ahtisaari faces a difficult task as Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians want independence, while Serbia wants to retain some formal control over the province. The United Nations has administered Kosovo since NATO's 1999 air war against Yugoslavia, launched to halt a crackdown by government troops against separatist ethnic Albanian rebels.
Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic acknowledged that Serbia must be "realistic" about Kosovo's future, but said Belgrade will oppose independence for the province during the negotiations.
It is a "harsh reality" that Serbia has had no authority over its southern province since 1999, Draskovic said. "But if we are wise and realistic, we could wrap up the talks successfully."
On the other side, Albania's parliament issued a resolution Friday saying it hoped the negotiations would end in independence for Kosovo.
"(Parliament) strongly believes that a stable result would come out of the negotiating process reflecting the aspirations and the free will of the Kosovo citizens for an independent, democratic and European state," the resolution said.
In Helsinki, Ahtisaari said the talks will involve a contact group with representatives from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Russia and the United States, and stressed that the EU has a key role to play in reaching a solution.
The 25-nation bloc "is an important partner in this exercise because (the) EU is a major donor and political stake holder in Balkans in general and in Kosovo in particular," Ahtisaari said.
Earlier this week, the EU appointed one of its top Balkan specialists, Stefan Lehne, as its representative for the negotiations. The Austrian currently serves as director for southeastern Europe in the secretariat of the EU's council and is a senior adviser to EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Ahtisaari said he will start on working on his assignment immediately by setting up office in Vienna, from where the mission will be administrated, and then visiting the Balkan region, including Kosovo, Serbia, Albania and Macedonia.
Macedonia says independence likely for Kosovo
SKOPJE, Nov 11 (Reuters) - Serbia's disputed southern province of Kosovo is likely heading for a form of independence in U.N.-mediated negotiations about to begin, the prime minister of neighbouring Macedonia said on Friday.
In a fresh blow to Serbian hopes of keeping hold of the majority-Albanian province, Vlado Buckovski said he saw "conditional independence" as the likely outcome of talks. Talks are expected by the end of this month, but no date has been set.
"Kosovars want independence, not today but yesterday," he told Reuters.
"Belgrade has taken a major step forward by saying it is ready to negotiate on something more than autonomy but less than independence. Conditionally speaking, I translate that as conditional independence."
He said Albanians would have to earn it by guaranteeing the security and rights of the Serb minority.
"How will it be reached? If you ask me, through a very hard process, where some standards will have to be met."
Macedonia is the second former Yugoslav republic to predict independence for Kosovo, legally part of Serbia but run by the United Nations since the 1998-99 war.
ONE STEP FURTHER
Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek went one step further last month by advocating independence.
Belgrade promptly cancelled his scheduled visit the next day, in a sign of the diplomatic minefield awaiting U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari, who is expected to begin a first round of shuttle diplomacy before the end of November.
The United Nations took control of the province of 2 million people in 1999, after NATO bombing drove out Serb forces accused of killing 10,000 Albanian civilians in a two-year war with separatist guerrillas.
Albanians account for 90 percent of the population and reject any return to Serb rule. Serbia, which considers Kosovo its religious heartland, says they can have full autonomy, but not their own state.
Serb leaders warn of a domino effect across the Balkans if Kosovo Albanians get independence, not least among Albanians in Macedonia and Serbs in Bosnia.
But Buckovski said any solution that respected Macedonia's borders could not destabilise the country.
"For Macedonia, a stable Kosovo definitively means the stabilisation of the region."
His comments were in line with Western diplomats, who say a form of independence under international supervision is the most realistic option on the table.
(Additional reporting by Kole Casule)
In a fresh blow to Serbian hopes of keeping hold of the majority-Albanian province, Vlado Buckovski said he saw "conditional independence" as the likely outcome of talks. Talks are expected by the end of this month, but no date has been set.
"Kosovars want independence, not today but yesterday," he told Reuters.
"Belgrade has taken a major step forward by saying it is ready to negotiate on something more than autonomy but less than independence. Conditionally speaking, I translate that as conditional independence."
He said Albanians would have to earn it by guaranteeing the security and rights of the Serb minority.
"How will it be reached? If you ask me, through a very hard process, where some standards will have to be met."
Macedonia is the second former Yugoslav republic to predict independence for Kosovo, legally part of Serbia but run by the United Nations since the 1998-99 war.
ONE STEP FURTHER
Slovenian President Janez Drnovsek went one step further last month by advocating independence.
Belgrade promptly cancelled his scheduled visit the next day, in a sign of the diplomatic minefield awaiting U.N. envoy Martti Ahtisaari, who is expected to begin a first round of shuttle diplomacy before the end of November.
The United Nations took control of the province of 2 million people in 1999, after NATO bombing drove out Serb forces accused of killing 10,000 Albanian civilians in a two-year war with separatist guerrillas.
Albanians account for 90 percent of the population and reject any return to Serb rule. Serbia, which considers Kosovo its religious heartland, says they can have full autonomy, but not their own state.
Serb leaders warn of a domino effect across the Balkans if Kosovo Albanians get independence, not least among Albanians in Macedonia and Serbs in Bosnia.
But Buckovski said any solution that respected Macedonia's borders could not destabilise the country.
"For Macedonia, a stable Kosovo definitively means the stabilisation of the region."
His comments were in line with Western diplomats, who say a form of independence under international supervision is the most realistic option on the table.
(Additional reporting by Kole Casule)
Slovene Foreign Ministry advises president against Kosovo visit
Text of report in English by Slovene news agency STA
Ljubljana, 11 November: The Foreign Ministry has advised President Janez Drnovsek against visiting Kosovo on Saturday [12 November]. However, the president says his visit will go ahead nonetheless.
The Foreign Ministry advised against the visit because the head of the UN Mission to Kosovo (UNMIK) Soeren Jessen-Petersen is not expected to be in the province on Saturday, the ministry told STA.
According to the ministry, the president's foreign policy adviser Ivo Vajgl asked the ministry to give its opinion on the visit.
Meanwhile, Drnovsek has already said he intends to visit the province in spite of the ministry's advice.
Drnovsek is expected to visit several Orthodox monasteries in the predominantly Albanian province as part of his visit.
According to the president's office, Drnovsek will visit those religious and historical sites that would be granted special protection under his Kosovo status plan. The visit has been arranged in cooperation with the leadership of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
"After all, I will be the guest of the Serb Orthodox Church and I think this in itself is a gesture that, I hope, will lead to positive things," Drnovsek told public broadcaster TV Slovenija.
President Drnovsek, who will be accompanied by his foreign policy adviser Ivo Vajgl, is also scheduled to hold talks with high representatives of the UNMIK.
Source: STA news agency, Ljubljana, in English 1905 gmt 11 Nov 05
Ljubljana, 11 November: The Foreign Ministry has advised President Janez Drnovsek against visiting Kosovo on Saturday [12 November]. However, the president says his visit will go ahead nonetheless.
The Foreign Ministry advised against the visit because the head of the UN Mission to Kosovo (UNMIK) Soeren Jessen-Petersen is not expected to be in the province on Saturday, the ministry told STA.
According to the ministry, the president's foreign policy adviser Ivo Vajgl asked the ministry to give its opinion on the visit.
Meanwhile, Drnovsek has already said he intends to visit the province in spite of the ministry's advice.
Drnovsek is expected to visit several Orthodox monasteries in the predominantly Albanian province as part of his visit.
According to the president's office, Drnovsek will visit those religious and historical sites that would be granted special protection under his Kosovo status plan. The visit has been arranged in cooperation with the leadership of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
"After all, I will be the guest of the Serb Orthodox Church and I think this in itself is a gesture that, I hope, will lead to positive things," Drnovsek told public broadcaster TV Slovenija.
President Drnovsek, who will be accompanied by his foreign policy adviser Ivo Vajgl, is also scheduled to hold talks with high representatives of the UNMIK.
Source: STA news agency, Ljubljana, in English 1905 gmt 11 Nov 05
Situation in Kosovo critical, must be solved carefully -Clinton
PRAGUE, Nov 11 (CTK) - The situation in the south Serbian province of Kosovo is critical and must be solved very carefully, former U.S. president Bill Clinton said at the conference of the Club of Madrid in Prague today.
Clinton said that he has always supported the freedom of Kosovo.
He said that it is necessary to maintain two things in the province - the peace and respect for legitimate rights of the citizens, including the minorities.
He said that what the Serbs did to Kosovar Albanians was horrible but that the Albanians should not do the same in revenge.
Clinton was U.S. president from 1993 to 2001. Under his presidency, the Allies headed by the USA waged a war against former Yugoslavia in 1999 that resulted in the departure of Yugoslav troops from Kosovo which has now been under the administration of the United Nations.
Clinton said that mutual respect is necessary also in other parts of the world, for example between Christians and Muslims. Turkey should definitely join the EU because of this to become a defence wall against Islamic fundamentalism and terror, he added.
The Club of Madrid was established by former heads of state and government in Madrid in October 2001 at the end of an international conference on the transition to democracy. The present conference is its first event held outside of Spain.
Clinton said that he has always supported the freedom of Kosovo.
He said that it is necessary to maintain two things in the province - the peace and respect for legitimate rights of the citizens, including the minorities.
He said that what the Serbs did to Kosovar Albanians was horrible but that the Albanians should not do the same in revenge.
Clinton was U.S. president from 1993 to 2001. Under his presidency, the Allies headed by the USA waged a war against former Yugoslavia in 1999 that resulted in the departure of Yugoslav troops from Kosovo which has now been under the administration of the United Nations.
Clinton said that mutual respect is necessary also in other parts of the world, for example between Christians and Muslims. Turkey should definitely join the EU because of this to become a defence wall against Islamic fundamentalism and terror, he added.
The Club of Madrid was established by former heads of state and government in Madrid in October 2001 at the end of an international conference on the transition to democracy. The present conference is its first event held outside of Spain.
ISSR Consultative Group holds inaugural meeting in Pristina (dailies)
Several daily newspapers cover yesterday’s inaugural meeting of the Consultative Group of the Internal Security Sector in Pristina. Zëri says that Kosovo has finally started to set up its security architecture, “which it will days after the resolution of its final status”.
The paper quotes SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen as saying that as the process of resolving Kosovo’s political status has commenced, “it is important for local institutions to continue standards implementation and reforms in local government”.
Prime Minister Kosumi was quoted as saying, “Kosovo has a special place in regional security, therefore, it needs to build security structures in cooperation with the international community”. The PM has suggested that within the process of reviewing security in Kosovo one should evaluate the role of the Kosovo Protection Corps, which according to him, would contribute to these processes alongside NATO.
The paper quotes SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen as saying that as the process of resolving Kosovo’s political status has commenced, “it is important for local institutions to continue standards implementation and reforms in local government”.
Prime Minister Kosumi was quoted as saying, “Kosovo has a special place in regional security, therefore, it needs to build security structures in cooperation with the international community”. The PM has suggested that within the process of reviewing security in Kosovo one should evaluate the role of the Kosovo Protection Corps, which according to him, would contribute to these processes alongside NATO.
Resolution on independence at the Assembly on 17 November (Dailies)
Dailies report that the Assembly of Kosovo is going to raise the Resolution on Independence for endorsement in its session on 17 November. Dailies also report that PDK senior official Hydajet Hyseni has offered his resignation from the post of head of the Assembly Committee for Legal Issues, because his suggestions have not been included in the Resolution text.
Express reports that the parliamentary groups have agreed to declare once again the independence of Kosovo. The writes that according to UNMIK Information Director, Hua Jiang, the SRSG has said on several occasions that the resolution should serve as a guide for the Negotiations Team during the process of status talks. However, says the paper, the preamble of the Resolution has not a single word on the explanation that the SRSG had asked for. Jiang further said that she believed there will be more work on the draft resolution.
Zëri writes that the yesterday’s developments about the Resolution have raised concern among foreign offices in Kosovo.
Express reports that the parliamentary groups have agreed to declare once again the independence of Kosovo. The writes that according to UNMIK Information Director, Hua Jiang, the SRSG has said on several occasions that the resolution should serve as a guide for the Negotiations Team during the process of status talks. However, says the paper, the preamble of the Resolution has not a single word on the explanation that the SRSG had asked for. Jiang further said that she believed there will be more work on the draft resolution.
Zëri writes that the yesterday’s developments about the Resolution have raised concern among foreign offices in Kosovo.
Former Finland President Confirmed As UN Envoy In Kosovo Talks
HELSINKI (AP)--The United Nations Security Council has approved the appointment of former Finnish President Martti Ahtisaari as the U.N.'s chief envoy to oversee talks on Kosovo's status, the Finnish Foreign Ministry said Friday.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan last week appointed Ahtisaari to lead the talks, which are expected to start soon.
He faces a difficult task as ethnic Albanians want independence for Kosovo, while Serbia wants to retain some formal control over the province.
The U.N. has administered Kosovo since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's 1999 air war against Yugoslavia.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan last week appointed Ahtisaari to lead the talks, which are expected to start soon.
He faces a difficult task as ethnic Albanians want independence for Kosovo, while Serbia wants to retain some formal control over the province.
The U.N. has administered Kosovo since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization's 1999 air war against Yugoslavia.
Thursday, November 10, 2005
Burns is right, say Kosovans (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports on reactions from Kosovo after the statement to the US Senate by Undersecretary of State Nicholas Burns that independence has to be deserved.
The paper quotes local politicians and analysts as saying that Kosovan leaders must put in more serious work and show their muscles not to each other, but to the other side so that independence can be guaranteed.
The paper quotes local politicians and analysts as saying that Kosovan leaders must put in more serious work and show their muscles not to each other, but to the other side so that independence can be guaranteed.
European Commission drafts special annual report on Kosovo (Koha)
Koha Ditore reports on the front page that the European Commission has for the first time drafted a special annual report on Kosovo. The paper says the EC has seen little progress in Kosovo and lots of shortcomings.
The European Commission has underscored that the Kosovo institutions in general have demonstrated growing dedication for implementation of the Standards, however there are democratic shortages.
The European Commission has underscored that the Kosovo institutions in general have demonstrated growing dedication for implementation of the Standards, however there are democratic shortages.
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