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CONTENTS: 17 NOVEMBER 2001 HAEKKERUP
Kosova Sot on page seven carried the second part of the interview with UNMIK Administrator Hans Haekkerup. Following the approval of the Common Document, Covic said that Serbia is returning to Kosovo and that he was guaranteed that Kosovo would never become independent. I believe that his statements are incorrect. The document you have signed makes it possible for Kosovo Serbs to study based on Serbia's program of education. Why is this the case when we consider the fact that they are in Kosovo? I believe that the Ministry of Education is responsible for this issue. It should be possible for Kosovo Serbs to be able to go to study in school in their own language and this should be done in such a way that they are able to able to further their education in Serbia if they wish to. This is the case everywhere in the world because these are pan European standards and no one has the right to violate them. The PDK and AAK have issued a joint declaration, which requests you to stop issuing new regulations until Kosovo's Parliament is established. What will you do about this? There are several misunderstandings about this. As you know, there are several regulations that must be issued and implemented before the elections are conducted. Otherwise, we would not have been able to hold elections at all. There are regulations that must be issued and implemented before the assembly is established. We will discuss this issue at the IAC meetings. There are also many regulations that will be implemented in the fields of the reserved government. These regulations are not within the competencies of the new assembly or the interim self- government. I, therefore, have to approve some of these regulations. As usual, I will do this through the IAC. Is it possible for the new government to replace UNMIK's regulations with new laws or to repeal the current regulations? What is the authority of the future assembly on this issue? The assembly has the right to do this only in the fields it is responsible for. Certainly, the assembly can issue new regulations, which can change the current ones. As you probably know, I will sign them unless they are not in accordance with the UN Security Council Resolution 1244. Several analysts believe that 5the role of the new Assembly will be
very limited
.. What about the issue of defense and foreign affairs? Will the new assembly consist of a special commission that deals with these issues? No, these are not among their responsibilities. As you know, KFOR and UNMIK Police are here to deal with the security issues. As far as the foreign affairs is concerned, Kosovo will have a president, who will surely go abroad and meet state leaders, politicians and prime ministers. People from abroad will come here to meet the president. The prime minister will do this as well. We will not have a ministry of foreign affairs because this is a reserved power. However, you will probably have a great deal of international contact. The only difference is that these men will not be political party leaders anymore; they will be the population's elected representatives. Several analysts believe that the elections will result in a conflict between UNMIK and the Kosovo Assembly. What is your response on this issue? This is not supposed to happen, but there are people who might try to initiate it. However, due to my knowledge of political leaders and their people, I am positive that we will cooperate. I believe that the Constitutional Framework makes the competencies quite clear. The assembly or members of the assembly might want to raise issues, which are not among the competencies of the assembly. This will simply not be on the agenda because it would clash with the UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the Constitutional Framework. According to COMKFOR Gen. Valentin, two KPC members were first suspended and then fired. Who are these members and what evidence have you found against the other three KPC members during the investigations? I believe that only one of them was fired due to violation of the rules of the suspension As far as the others are concerned, I am afraid that they will remain suspended for as long as they are in the black list. Is there something new on the Skėnderaj case? No, there is nothing new in the case of Skėnderaj, but I am sure that the investigations are ongoing. How do you see Kosovo in five years? I see Kosovo in a much better situation. But I will not be the one to decide on the final status of Kosovo. What I have to do is take necessary steps in helping to solve the issue of the final status in the future.
Zėri carried on page one a column by Blerim Shala, who wrote: Tomorrow for the first time with votes and the free will of the people of Kosovo parliament will be elected. The high importance of elections is tied to this fact and not so much as to who is going to win, this or the other party. This is not a new discovery on the last night before elections but a political reality. Until June 1999 we were not aware what freedom was. Until November this year we did not know what are free elections for a central government. After these elections and the formation of a democratic government and parliament in every possible version, we will have to return to the stage we were in June 1999. The way we were in January and February 1999, we had to unite and bring about new conditions to free Kosovo. The trump card for the government, with the aim of gaining independence, would be if the main Kosovo politicians form a coalition government and the basis for a scheme of being in the government and in the opposition. The first Kosovo democratic government will face problems that will need a joint response from the main Kosovar political elements. Kosovo's independence calls for cooperation and
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