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CONTENTS: SHALA: THE VOTER AND THE VERDICT OF COOPERATION Zėri, on page one, carried a column by its publisher Blerim Shala, in which he comments on the steps to be taken in the post-election period. "The elections are over, now it has to be decided what should be done. On 24th November, UNMIK and OSCE announced the final results of the parliamentary elections in Kosovo. They reconfirmed the new political forces in Kosovo and once again proved the necessity of creating a coalition government, for the next three years. These are completely new circumstances, unknown to the Kosovar political scene. Now comes the time for much more maturity and creativity to bring together the three main Kosovar political parties, which, according to the election results, have won the verdict of cooperation and not confrontation. The past days has not shown that the first lesson from the general elections - the necessity for a coalition - has been understood in Kosovo. For many people, the campaign to form a coalition is not much different from the election campaign: therefore, on the one hand, there is an alleged willingness towards cooperation, and on the other hand there are insurmountable problems of partnership, such as a continuous denunciation of other parties with whom they should form such a coalition. The black and white scene, which was nonetheless never stable when it comes to relations between our main political parties, has ended on the 17th November. From now on, ways must be sought as to how to get together Kosovo's leading politicians, how to remove the tensions from the political atmosphere, and how to reach a coalition government." TAHIRI: A NECESSARY INTER-PARTY AGREEMENT Rilindja, on page on, and nine carried a commentary by its editor-in-chief Ramush Tahiri, who wrote: "Before the results of the general elections were announced, various parties began announcing initiatives regarding the establishment of a coalition, which would serve to establish an effective government and the necessary organs as soon as possible in order for the 'state' of Kosovo to function properly. Under the international administration and with limited competences, the establishment of the government symbolizes the state of Kosovo, but it should also make it possible to solve Kosovo's final status in accordance with the people's will. Following the parliamentary elections, the period of administering Kosovo enters a new stage, in which the internationals will slowly hand over the government to the Kosovars who have legitimacy and legality. It was once said that this period is supposed to last three years, which is the same period of time the parliament and the institutions will be in power. But how long will the period last and when will the UN Security Council issue a new resolution for Kosovo's independence? These elements include the way governance is taking place during this stage, the inter-party relations, inter-ethnic relations, the way we approach and solve the various problems that come to the surface and Kosovo's stance towards major issues concerning Kosovo itself and the region. The first challenge for Kosovars is already here. Since none of the parties won a simple majority of the votes, which is required to form a government on its own, it is necessary to enter a coalition. After numerous investigations were carried out, the electoral system in Kosovo was built in a specific way, which made it possible for all entities and nationalities to participate - entities, which were are presented in the media and public due to specific reasons and not because of their true worth and responsibility. The Constitutional Framework, which cannot change during the next three years, describes the precise ways to form a government and the appropriate functions of its institutions. According to the Constitutional Framework, the party or coalition that receives most of the votes will have the right to elect the president of Kosovo, the parliament and the Prime Minister. The voting in parliament will take place behind closed doors. Based on the West's results of the general elections, the LDK will take over the government, but it will have to enter a coalition with various parties such as the Bosnians, Turks, Ashkalis, etc. However, since this is not possible, the LDK will be forced to enter a coalition with at least one Albanian party, and this will have to be the AAK. We can say that the LDK with 47 votes and the PDK with 26 would easily establish a strong and effective governmental coalition. Together with 10-15 votes, these two parties would elect Kosovo's president and would be capable of passing important bills, which require a two-thirds majority in parliament. The various talks among the political parties have already begun. Postponing the meeting of the parliament for 10 December is almost convenient for the parties. What is more, the delegations of the Quints are expected to come to Kosovo and convince the Kosovar entities that the greater the coalition, the better it is for Kosovo. According to the Constitutional Framework, a government, which consists of nine ministries, will also have a ministry headed by a Serb and a ministry under a Bosnian. Thus, the Albanian parties will have to divide only seven ministries, including the Prime Minister. Considering the limited competences of the government and the Prime Minister, it would not be a surprise for the LDK to hand over the post of Prime Minister to the other party in the coalition, being aware that the Special Representative of the Secretary General would introduce Kosovo to the international community. We should not forget that following six months of successful governance, the LDK expects the internationals to hand over the government to the Kosovars, including the ministry of foreign affairs and that of justice. It is quite an important issue of knowing who the candidates will be. Understandably, they must be high personalities in Kosovo and the international arena. They should not have a bad reputation and must be capable of cooperating with all the other entities and citizens. Since the LDK has been leading a political life in Kosovo for more than a decade, the LDK will most probably announce that its chairman Ibrahim Rugova will run for president and Kolė Berisha for president of the parliament. The PDK will announce Bajrush Xhemajlu for Prime Minister. The PDK discussed the issue of other candidates for this post. Obviously, it decided to save its leader Hashim Thaēi for later since Xhemajli appears more convenient at the time due to his past and activities. Xhemajli is also respected among PDK and is supported by other entities as well." If we consider the leaders' previous statements regarding them not fighting for the government, but building the state of Kosovo, we come to the conclusion that we do not need the ministers of the Contact Group to intervene in order for Kosovars to divide the important posts among them. The other alternative is that the bodies will not be established at all and the internationals will not hand over the mandate despite the great investments that were made in the political scene and the democratization of life in Kosovo. The international mechanisms in Kosovo should not fail. What is more important, the people who voted in freedom, gave an example of good organizational skills and proved that they deserve a democratic government. They should not be disappointed and lose their hopes." I AM DEPARTING IN DECEMBER MY FLOWER, I AM LEAVING YOU UNDER SERBIA Bota Sot on page twenty-seven carried an imaginary interview with OSCE Head of Mission Daan Everts. In its introduction to the imaginary interview, the article noted: "Daan Everts! Should we present him in other words? A priori - Denny! Denny Boy! Denny who did what he did, and made "Povratak" the second party in the Kosovo Parliament. OK, the PDK has two more seats than "Povratak" in order not to show that the Serbs (the paper uses a rude word for Serbs, our remark) are the second. There is no pleasant parliament in which freedom fighters have eight seats, and the paramilitaries, whom the freedom fighters have fought, have 22 seats. You would say what is Denny Boy's fault in all this?!? It is Denny Boy's fault, because he along with Kouchner and the other Africans and the communist Europe lied to Albanians for two years. Denny and Kouchner (Haekkerup can be no better) never said that based on Resolution 1244 and Kumanovo Agreement, UNMIK and Belgrade have the mandate, whereas the Albanians are not favored even a little bit. We might ask: why, was it Denny's fault that the Albanians couldn't read Resolution 1244, is it Denny's fault that the Albanians accepted the role of political clowns without any fact? Mr. Daan, we are very pleased that you are finally leaving Kosovo, the way you are, because in the end it has been discovered that you are tired of working for the Serb cause, and by forging the votes for "Kosovars"! Everts: Why, am I the only one? Surely you are only the executor; you have only carried out the orders sent by the European Union. Therefore, you have worked for money, you got the money and you don't give a damn about the blood of Albanian children in Kosovo and Albania. How can you spend your money earned in Albania and Kosovo, at the time when the Albanian people were going through the most difficult episode in their history! Look, don't you talk that way, because I can decide to stay in Kosovo for another mandate, if it was for the money! But I don't want to! But how could you prolong your stay in Kosovo, when the political strategy of your colleagues and you has been discovered? You know when it is time to hit the road and bring here another successor who would rip our backs for another three years. Can you tell us why you love the Serbs (author uses rude name for Serbs, our remark), so much? Look at it yourselves, see if you can find a way, and then we'll help you too. It is very well known why we love the Serbs so much. Listen Daan, why don't you look at it yourself, bon voyage and may you never get back! Listen, this country has endured through many invaders for five hundred years, but each and every one of them left their heads here. You are not a fool for leaving this place earlier, because you're a fox. I curse you in silence. MITROVICA IS NOT DIVIDED FOR PROSTITUTES AND THEIR BOSSES The biggest danger from the rapid development of prostitution in the divided town of Mitrovica presents a close cooperation between the Serbs in the northern part and the Albanians in the southern part through dark and profitable underground channels, reported Kosova Sot on page seven. Trying to shed light in the dark 'underground' of organized crime in Kosovo, one of those that profitting from trafficking in women from and into Mitrovica is Muharrem known as Rremi. At the beginning he was reluctant to talk to our newspaper but in the end he submitted. His uncle Esat Haxhiavdic who lives in Novi Pazar and transports wood twice a week for one merchant in Vushtrri, helps him to get the "merchandise" from Montenegro and southern Serbia. When he brings the girl to Kosovo I find her a job. At first they oppose, however when I allow them to talk to their family in Serbia or Montenegro and afterward they accept to work in the night bars and different brothels. The channels through which prostitutes come here from Serbia are very efficient, because there are girls from Moldavia, Russia, Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania that are giving their professional services to the internationally accredited personnel in Kosovo. I have a small bar in Mitrovica. It has six tables on the first floor and on the second floor it has three rooms to accommodate the guests said one of the Albanian bosses. He explained that the two waitresses are always in mini skirts and have a smile in their faces. Upstairs there are three young ladies Sonja (19) is Bosnian, Danica (22) is Serbian-Bosnian and Afėrdita (25) is Albanian. Fehmi, the "boss" threatened our paper on Saturday that if we published his name (for all the good and bad things that everyone in Mitrovica knows) hw would sue us in a court of law. He publicly admitted that in the beginning he was smuggling cigarettes to make ends meet, but several months later he "made it big" when he negotiated with one of the Serb "friends" Srdjan Ognjenovic, and he made an agreement to start trafficking girls for prostitution. Fehmi found a place in northern Mitrovica where he could enter the southern part without any control because they enter it as Serbian citizens. He and his other colleagues have accepted an important fact that Albanian girls do not want to offer their services to Serb and Serb girls do not want to offer their services to Albanians but only to the foreigners that came to Kosovo. Fehmi says that there is very good cooperation with Serbs who are trafficking girls. The prices vary by the age of the girl and how she looks, however competition is so stiff because there are girls in Kosovo from all over Europe. Fehmi is indifferent to the 17 November elections and the powers that Kosovo's Parliament might have in the future to approve the laws that could legalize brothels in Kosovo. "As long as there are missionaries and international troops I do not worry," said Fehmi. He added that he does not have problems with the police. "If they come one of the waitresses with the loveliest perfume brings them drinks then they get up to leave and I do not charge them for the drinks," explains Fehmi. On the other hand UNMIK police in Mitrovica could only say that there
is prostitution in Mitrovica but nothing more. Meanwhile UNMIK police
sources in Prishtina has only re-confirmed that prostitution has developed
to a higher level in Kosovo and we know that, however, they are not at
liberty to confirm that Albanians and Serbs are organizing prostitution
rings in Kosovo and Mitrovica, said a spokesperson for the Pakistani UNMIK
police, Kunwar Asif Sarfaraz. He added that if Kosova Sot has more
information it should "help us in this direction". |