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CONTENTS: 23 NOV. 2001 FIRST PARLIAMENTARY SESSION TO BE CHAIRED BY
HAEKKERUP According to UNMIK spokeswoman Susan Manuel, UNMIK Chief Administrator Hans Haekkerup will chair the first session of Kosovo's Parliament, reported Koha Ditore on page three. Manuel also added that the three Kosovar parties, which won the majority of votes, and the representatives of the Serb community and a representative of non-Albanian communities will elect the seven-member chairmanship of the parliament. "The Democratic League of Kosovo, the party that won the majority of votes, will inform the chairmanship on its two appointees which will carry out the duty of Parliament Chairman," Manuel said.
Zëri on page one carried a column by its editor-in-chief Blerim Shala commenting Kosovo's future and the leaders' contribution to improve the general situation. "The efforts to prevent a crisis following the general elections in Kosovo, which endanger the establishment of Kosovo's government, supported by a majority of the deputies in Kosovo's parliament, should consist of two facts that cannot change: the first fact shows us that the Kosovars' vote was cast in a manner that makes it impossible to establish Kosovo's central government by a single Albanian party. The second fact shows us that as a consequence of the failure in the process of establishing the government, new and extraordinary elections cannot take place in Kosovo. If the three main Albanian parties, the LDK of Ibrahim Rugova, PDK of Hashim Thaçi and AAK of Ramush Haradinaj would understand these two facts, it would be much easier to reach an agreement about dividing the government and the main ten posts, those of the president, prime minister, seven ministers and the president of the assembly. Another important issue concerns our three leaders ending bringing messages across and making public gestures, which they have done very often in the past. This should stop in order to create the image of unconditioned cooperation among them. We know that until now, such political behavior, which would bring about genuine cooperation among the three political leaders and their parties, was not always present. Now is not the time for such gestures or public messages. The time has come to reach an agreement. This is not a matter of mercy or generosity. It is an issue of joint interest of the LDK, PDK and AAK in establishing a government that represents the majority of the Kosovo voters and is focused on the quality and leadership of these parties. A functional compromise cannot take place in Kosovo if Rugova, Thaçi and Haradinaj are not part of the ten main posts during the next three years. This is not a game in which the parties make conditions and interfere in each other's policies. If the main three parties attempt to avoid governmental responsibility by appointing second-hand politicians for the main posts, the achieved compromise will be temporary. It will not be possible for us to correct the eventual failures during the next three years of governance. The almost inevitable failure of the governance will close the door to Kosovo's independence. It is not important who is to blame for the failures, be it an individual or many parties. We will all lose if Kosovo does not turn into an independent state soon. This target seems unreachable unless we enter a great coalition. In this case, Kosovo's government would fulfill all of the criteria, starting from national interest all the way to international interest. These interests which unite in the idea of collectively, including two minority ministers representing the government. More than any other, this government is capable of fulfilling the main obligations which will be evident during the next three years. These obligations include leading Kosovo, contributing to stabilization in the region and reaching the chapter of finding a solution for Kosovo's final status."
Bota Sot on page five carried a reaction by Bajrush Morina regarding the published articles against LDK Chairman Ibrahim Rugova and his party. Morina stressed: "Political 'bad weather and rain' in Kosovo following the announcement of the general elections has brought many things to the surface. These in return blemish the Albanian policy and make Kosovo's current political environment stink. Pleased with the bad weather, paid analysts and members of specific coalitions immediately tainted Albanian personalities and their work by making pathetic and dirty political combinations and analyses. These analysts, who have various genetic, political and geopolitical backgrounds, have written the worst accounts in their papers. They counted, added, multiplied and divided ciphers which are not the proper ones for establishing free and democratic institutions of the state of Kosovo, such as a presidency, government and parliament. As far as these 'political analysts' are concerned, Ibrahim Rugova as the president of Kosovo is a ' solution with many problems'. A political combination consisting of the PDK, AAK, Serb coalition Povratak and Bosnian Vatan for the pundits seem 'mission impossible'. These calculating politicians believe that the humanist Flora Brovina should be elected president; Ramush Haradinaj Prime Minister and Serb representative Gojo Savic should be appointed president of the parliament in Kosovo. If we translate from the 'Slav' language into Albanian, this means that they would like to see a Serb as head of the first free and democratic parliament in Kosovo more than they would like to see an Albanian. They would do this multiethnic 'sacrifice' of theirs in order to reach their pathetic target of not allowing Ibrahim Rugova to become the president of Kosovo. Nevertheless, the November elections were, in a way, a political school for all political currents in Kosovo. But the Kosovar political parties were not satisfied with the results of the general elections for many reasons. Several of them had great expectations. Some of them expected more and gained less. Others gained a lot but still are not satisfied. But there are parties that did not win anything at all. The results of the general elections satisfied the political currents and people cannot seem to stop writing lies, people who do not want Kosovo to have a stable government and a president and a strong parliament, which would announce Kosovo's independence. In fact, the results of the elections satisfied those men and women, who live by the old Albanian political proverb, which says, 'may my son die, just because it would hurt my daughter-in-law'. These people have absolutely no limits. Nothing is sacred for them. They will not stop until they reach their target. They are inventing everything possible. They are even cooperating with Serbs in this aspect only for Rugova not to become president, LDK not to establish the government of Kosovo, and the parliament not to announce Kosovo's independence. Therefore, be careful of the combinations that are made against Rugova, the LDK and the independence of Kosovo."
"Though the results, similar to the flow of the general elections in Kosovo present a positive development in the possibilities for an independent Kosovo, in the future there will be an ever-growing conflict between UNMIK's mission and the recently-elected power in Prishtina," Janusz Bugajski, a renowned US experts on the Balkans, told Voice of America, reported Koha Ditore on page three. According to Bugajski, there is going to be an inevitable conflict between the expectations of Kosovar Albanians, who thanks to the new parliament can govern independently, and the limitations foreseen by the UN mission in Kosovo. "We could also face a paradoxical situation in which the policy of the United Nations would be in opposition with the US policy," added Bugajski. Despite the difficulties, the US expert claimed that Kosovo is on the path to independence. "I think that after the establishment of central authority, Prishtina can start applying pressure upon the United Nations to recognize Kosovo's greater self-government," he concluded.
Serbs living in northern Mitrovica interested in working for the municipal administration at the Municipal Council will not have to work in the southern part of the town. UNMIK's municipal administration in Mitrovica has put in place a municipal branch in the northern part of the town. Thus they are continuing with the trend of establishing divided institutions: the university, the hospital, "the bridge watchers", the Yugoslav offices for documents and passports. At the same time, the administration denies the existence of parallel institutions, reported Koha Ditore on page one. Gyorgy Kakuk, spokesman for UNMIK in Mitrovica, said Thursday that municipal administrator John Rogers sent a letter yesterday to Mihajlo Matanovic, secretary of the northern branch, and Zoran Bratic, the branch's chief executive. According to Kakuk, through the letter Rogers informed the Serb officials that UNMIK's municipal administration would be responsible for making the vacancy announcements. Kakuk also told journalists that UN Security Council Resolution 1244 has been fully acceptable by Belgrade authorities, recalling at the same time Haekkerup's statement that there would be only one municipal assembly in Mitrovica. "The Municipal Administrator John Rogers is responsible for the functioning of the town as an entirety," said Kakuk, adding that the municipal coordinating office in the northern part of the town is quite necessary in the process of putting in place an efficient administration. According to the paper, Kakuk admitted that the Mitrovica Municipal Council was not consulted on the matter, because administrator Rogers is responsible in this aspect. He added that the vacancy announcement is expected to be made public within two weeks. "UNMIK hopes that many of the former employees of the Municipal Council will apply for the jobs, because they have the required qualifications," said Kakuk. Kakuk denied claims that the branch of the municipality is a parallel structure. "The branch is not a parallel structure, it will be under UNMIK's administration," he said, underlining the fact that UNMIK is trying to improve the life of the residents of the northern part and that they have to cooperate if they wish for a normal life. The paper remarked that Kakuk made public the date of the establishment of the office only after a journalist raised the question. In addition, the paper also carried the comments of the representatives of Mitrovica's municipal council. Mustafa Pllana, deputy chairman of the municipal council, said that the branch was an office of the Committee for Communities at the municipal council and that it was in accordance with the regulations on local administration. On the other hand, the officials of the Kosovo Democratic Party (PDK) and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) referred to the recently established branch as a parallel institution that leads toward the division of the town. Bajram Rexhepi, chairman of PDK branch in Mitrovica, told the paper that the establishment of the municipal branch in the northern part of the town is completely unacceptable. According to Rexhepi, the undertaken step is part of an old plan to solve Mitrovica's status by establishing two small municipalities, one in the north and the other in southern part, which would be under the auspices of a joint municipality under UNMIK's supervision. "Nonetheless, we had opposed and prevented such an initiative at that time, whereas now, in the time of when unique institutions are established in the Kosovar level, it is fully unacceptable to undertake such a step," added Rexhepi. Nazmi Fejza, leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo in Mitrovica, said that regulation 2000/45 allows the establishment of an office of the Committee for Communities. "But it doesn't allow it to have a secretary and a chief executive, as stated by UNMIK spokesman," Fejza elaborated. "I certainly am against such decisions because it doesn't lead toward the integration of the administration, but rather toward its disintegration and the division of the town." Providing further comments on the matter, the paper noted: "the entire (lack of) information is a result of the trends applied by the international administration ever since its deployment in Mitrovica. Many things took place in the divided town, and the Albanians were not aware of that, or they were misinformed. Initially, in the first months of UNMIK's administration in Mitrovica, a secret agreement made between the international administrator and the Serb representatives led to the creation of the so-called 'Bridge Watchers'. The event was made public a year and a half later by KFOR French General Falzone and indirectly confirmed by then-UNMIK spokesman in Mitrovica Michael Keats. Afterwards, Stefano Di Mistura, another international administrator, allowed the Serbs to remove the United Nations flag from the hospital in the northern part of the town, thus leaving the health institution in their hands, whereas he continuously claimed that it is under UNMIK's administration." "Nonetheless," added the paper, "up to this day, the Serbs have boycotted the Mitrovica Municipal Assembly, whereas now the international administration has given them a branch of the assembly in the northern part of the town." "Last year, the international administration in the divided town made a lot of decisions which were made public only after their implementation took place. Last summer, KFOR had planned to build a 'fence' between banks of the Ibër River, but later, along with the UNMIK administration, KFOR had to annul the decision only due to the fact that the secret plan fell in the hands of Albanians, who then protested and expressed their outrage against the division of the town and the lack of transparency by the international presence in Kosovo." "During the last two months, there were two additional surprises for Albanians in northern Mitrovica. There were initial steps to build an Orthodox church in the hill where the Miners' Monument is located, whereas UNMIK claimed that they hadn't been informed until a bulldozer leveled to the ground the southern part of the hill. However, the cornerstones of the church were not laid because municipal administrator John Rogers received the request for a construction license and he is currently considering it."
A year has passed since the killing of Dr. Ibrahim Rugova's information counselor, analyst, writer, and patriot Xhemail Mustafa. He was killed by a group of fanatics who want to solve with violence the problems in Kosovo. They are against peace and democratic development, against freedom of speech they want to create anarchy and chaos in Kosovo. They think that by murdering they will achieve their goals, reported Bota Sot on page one and seven. Even today after a year has passed since the killing of Xhemail Mustafa, PDK Chairman Hashim Thaçi still does not make public the names of Mustafa's killers, when it is known that the PDK leader has emphasized several times he knows the identity of the killers. How did Hashim Thaçi receive reliable information regarding the names of the Mustafa's killers is a question that requires a long explanation. While PDK leader continues to hide the names of the criminal that killed one of Kosovo's greatest men, his family and many in Kosovo continue to feel the pain and grief for the killing of their most loved-one. It is a shame for Thaçi who says that he knows the identity of the killers and does not make them public. With this unscrupulous act Thaçi is killing Xhemail Mustafa for the second time. Leaders like him who hide the criminals are nothing more than people who work for individual and party interests and not state ones, because it is in our interest that criminals are caught and brought to justice. A state cannot be formed by hiding criminals as Mr. Thaçi is doing. Condemning the criminals and bringing them before justice from a state. Maybe Thaçi is not making public the names of Mustafa's killers, because they might be his political followers or, he made the comment only for political marketing. Regardless of the reason, Thaçi's silence is an immense shame on him who with this action is hiding crime in Kosovo.
Why did an initiative by two western diplomats fail to arrange the meeting Rugova-Thaçi-Haradinaj? What kind of government does the west want in Kosovo? How will the Serb coalition Povratak act? What are the possible scenarios for solving the post-elections crisis reported Zëri on page one and three. "We are waiting for the results of the initiative by the three main political parties in Kosovo. Until now their conduct has been excellent: the campaign and Election Day are an example how things should be conducted. However, LDK, PDK and AAK have the final test to pass. The test of compromise. This is the main lesson of democracy and the three parties should show their maturity in the coming days. We not only want a government of political compromise but we also want quality amongst the members of the government. We want to see an effective and representative government " These were the words of one of the main western diplomats in Prishtina who repeated them several times in separate meetings with Dr. Ibrahim Rugova, Hashim Thaçi and Ramush Haradinaj. Two western diplomats tried to organize a meeting between the three main political leaders but were unsuccessful. It was planned to discussed the modality of dividing the government after 17 November elections. It looks like this time LDK was the one that was not ready. The very harsh and ill-thought reaction that came from Brussels toward Rugova's public call to recognize Kosovo's independence has also brought turmoil among the LDK leadership and Dr. Rugova. According to announcements made by UNMIK there will be very little time to recover for LDK and the other two parties. UNMIK Chief Administrator Hans Haekkerup, insists that the first session of the parliament is held on 30 November, even though western diplomats in Prishtina believe it will very difficult to achieve an agreement on the triangle LDK-PDK-AAK. What is known from the previous official meetings between Kosovar politicians and western diplomats is that LDK still does not have a clear standpoint, except the post of the president which should belong to Rugova, PDK aims to get the post of the Prime Minister and oppose Rugova's aim to become Kosovo's president, while the AAK is not even considering the possibility of entering a two-way coalition because it fears PDK's strong opposition. The Serb coalition Povratak does not seem to have the will to interfere in any way in the compromise that Albanians have between each other, even though this position could change in the coming days. A coalition between Povratak and Albanian parties for the time being is unrealistic from the both perspectives. For Albanian parties and the Serb coalition Povratak that does not have the support of the majority of the Serb population that lives in Kosovo especially they have a formidable political opponent in northern Mitrovica, where they had only a symbolic number of votes. The first scenario, where the three Albanian political parties agree, looks from today's perspective as impossible. The second scenario relies on going to the first parliamentary session without an agreement, where everything will be left to a secret vote to elect Kosovo's president who then proposes Kosovo's Prime Minister. There are possible surprises, however it may be difficult for the president to receive the majority it needs. Only should something unexpected happen and Povratak members take sides. Then the tensions in Kosovo's Parliament will boil and would start the blocking of the process of forming Kosovo's government. The third scenario is one of the involvement of western diplomats in Prishtina in the interest of forming a great coalition, which not only would ease up the relations between LDK-PDK-AAK and fulfill the personal ambitions of the Kosovar head politicians but also calm down the anxieties that the Serb coalition Povratak has toward the great Albanian coalition. This scenario seems as the only feasible one if we want to create an effective and representative government, a joint interest of the Kosovar and the west.
The chairmanship of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo takes a stance on co-governance. "It is quite necessary to reach a preliminary agreement for co-governing and its implementation through the three main Kosovar Albanian political parties: LDK, PDK and AAK," is the standpoint of the Alliance's chairmanship, reported Koha Ditore on page one and two. "To achieve an agreement as a necessity before the Kosovo's Parliament is constituted along with the institutional bodies that will derive from the government, there is a need to have a meeting between the three main Kosovar Albanian political parties," said an AAK communiqué signed by Ramush Haradinaj. If this agreement is not reached then AAK will not participate in the
executive bodies of Kosovo's government, respectively in co-governing of
Kosovo. If the agreement for co-governing is not achieved AAK will
continue to be constructive in the commitments that it has in Kosovo's
Parliament. AAK explains its readiness to unconditionally cooperate with
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