06 November 2002

CONTENTS

Kosovo Assembly Presidency discusses Constitution of S+M Union (dailies)

All dailies carry reports from yesterday's meeting of the Kosovo Assembly Presidency which discussed the preamble of the constitution of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro which mentions Kosovo as a part of Serbia.

Koha Ditore reports that the assembly presidency has referred to the abovementioned act not only as a provocation but also as constitutional aggression.

Koha Ditore claims that some members of the assembly presidency have even referred to Serbia as 'a devil that will ruins everything that is achieved in Kosovo', and that Serbia is trying to re-divide the territory of Kosovo.
Zëri reports that the biggest Albanian parliamentary groups have announced moving a resolution or a statement, rejecting the preamble.

Bajram Kosumi, member of the assembly presidency, was quoted as saying, "I want to use this opportunity to say that what has happened with the constitutional charter is not a simple political issue, but one of the most serious provocations against the process in Kosovo since the conflict… In a way, Belgrade is playing the devil's role by trying to ruin what is being achieved in Kosovo. We work one day, one year, three years and all of a sudden Belgrade comes out and tries to ruin that."

Kosumi also said that it is very bad that Belgrade has assistance from someone else on this issue. "EU and Solana should know that Kosovo is walking on its path of statehood and it will have nothing in common with Serbia, Montenegro or Yugoslavia," he added.

Fatmir Sejdiu, another member of the assembly presidency, said that through this act Serbia and Montenegro have shown that they want to re-divide Kosovo or re-determine its status. "This cannot happen. We think that the Kosovo Assembly will give a direct answer because we perceive this as a direct attack."

Sejdiu said that the resolution expected to be issued by the Kosovo Assembly would show the true will of the people of Kosovo.

Xhavit Haliti, another member of the assembly presidency, said that the recognition of the preamble would imply the destabilization of the region. He also expressed his belief that such an act wouldn't be recognized by the UN Security Council "because in New York, Kosovo has many friends in circles that would not endorse such a thing."

Top

Surroi: The unhidden devil of a preamble (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore carries a commentary by publisher Veton Surroi regarding the preamble of the Constitutional Charter of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro. Surroi wrote:

1. In the developed world, when it comes to business or political contracts, there is a saying that the devil is in the details. This means that the contract can seem quite fine at first sight but the small letters at the end of the contract completely change the original meaning. It seems to me that in more than ten decades in the former Yugoslavia it has been proved that the devil of the contracts hides in preambles. In this case, the constitutional preamble.

No exception is the new preamble that was prepared for the constitutional contract between Serbia and Montenegro, which says that Kosovo is part of Serbia.

Earlier, during the dissolution of the former Yugoslavia, two preambles became very famous: the preamble of Croatia and that of Macedonia. In both cases, the public opinion was focused on formulations that were related to the definition of both countries, where people who were in the minority lost their important status. In the case of Croatia, it was the Serbs; in Macedonia, the Albanians.

In both cases, the preamble was casus belli, a reason for war. People who were discredited in the Constitution, tried to change this legal movement through arms.

2. In both cases, the text of the Constitution didn't attract the attention of the public opinion. The truth is that both post-Yugoslav constitutions had huge failures in the formulations regarding the protection and equality of minorities; however, this was not a topic of discussion. The preamble was enough for an ordinary citizen.

The new constitutional contract of Serbia and Montenegro has nothing new in this respect. Given the current situation of negotiations, this is more of an inter-state agreement, with fewer joint institutions than Greece and Bulgaria; however, what is interesting to our public opinion is the insistence of those who compiled this contract that the preamble should legally define Kosovo as part of Serbia. In fact, the text of the preamble has no legal effect.

This is where one of the devils of the contract hides. Though it has no direct legal effect, Serbia's persistence to include Kosovo in the preamble is a current political need and a political projection of the future. Now there is a need to tell Serbian citizens that this government cares about the future of Serbs in Kosovo, and it is hoped that the current legal inclusion of Kosovo in the preamble will be one of the arguments in the coming months when there will be talks on the status of Kosovo and the status of Serbia and Montenegro as countries.

3. Such acts of Serb authorities prejudge the entire process that brought an end to the war in Kosovo. The war was over in June 1999 with the joint adoption of the open concept of Kosovo's status; which said, first build self-governing institutions and later determine without any prejudgment the status of Kosovo. The definition of those who compiled the new contract between Serbia and Montenegro is that regardless of the future development of Kosovo, it will still remain a part of Serbia.

Such a step by Serb authorities is no surprise. Social reforms, especially in relation to Kosovo, are at an initial stage and in some areas haven't even started. Chauvinism is still the leading ideology in the Serb opinion on Kosovo, whereas the state strategy through which Kosovo would be held within Serbia doesn't have to be looked for in a secret document. One should do nothing more except to look at the enclaves and analyze the parallel structures of the Serb state which operate in civil administration (travel documents), healthcare, education, and the field of security (parallel ties with the Serb Ministry of Interior Affairs and the Ministry of Defense).

In this respect, the words written in the preamble do not reflect a wish, but a charade that is being conducted on a daily basis right before UNMIK's eyes. Therefore, there is nothing surprising from the Serb side. The surprise rests on the tolerance of UNMIK and the European Union; the latter will have the final say regarding the constitutional contract between Serbia and Montenegro.

4. In the coming days, Kosovar institutions will react strongly to the Preamble, and there is no doubt that such a thing should be done. In my opinion, the problem is that except for declaring this preamble as null and void for the citizens of Kosovo, neither the Assembly nor the Government have the capacity to intervene where this preamble will be implemented. I am referring to our two basic institutional deficiencies: the Assembly and the Government do or can do very little for the majority of Kosovar citizens. And therefore, they do or can do very little for the minority communities. In the eyes of Serbs, as proved by the Yugoslav government in a press release issued yesterday, Belgrade is the administrator and this is the new reality which is being created in the ground without even waiting for the adoption of the Preamble. Once it is adopted, the preamble will only serve as a formal legal cover-up for it.

Top

PM Rexhepi: Stay with us because we still have work to do in Kosovo (dailies)

All dailies provided extensive coverage on the donors meeting held yesterday in Brussels. PM Rexhepi spoke of the need for Kosovo to be a state where everyone is equal. "Peace in Kosovo will become permanent only if there are functional institutions. Speeches on tolerance will not solve problems; action and realistic approach is required to solve the problems," Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi told the meeting.

SRSG Michael Steiner was quoted as saying, "regardless of what its status will be, Kosovo must be multiethnic and integrated and all its citizens must live in safety and with dignity…In order to move towards Europe, European standards must be fulfilled." He also said that along with the Kosovo Government he is committed to establishing law and order throughout Kosovo and not to allow the parallel structures to function in the north. "I am committed to solving the problem caused by the vacuum of law in northern Mitrovica," said Steiner.

"No matter what its final status, Kosovo will be integrated in Europe for which it has to fulfill European standards. We are glad that in this direction we have the support of our friends over the Atlantic," said representative of the Council of Europe Reinhardt Pribe. He mentioned an incident in Pec/Pejë where several elderly Serbs were attacked, saying "such incidents mustn't be repeated in Kosovo because they will destroy Kosovo's reputation," said Pribe.

Rexhepi also mentioned the need for the return of refugees as one of the priorities of the Kosovo Government. "We need aid for those who want to return and those who consider Kosovo as their permanent home, we have to create new jobs so they have a place to return to and work," said PM Rexhepi. He stressed that he will not talk about Kosovo's final status. "This status will be achieved soon with the joint effort of the international community".

Steiner thanked everyone who has helped Kosovo until now, as did PM Rexhepi, who also called on donors to remain in Kosovo. "We don't know where new jobs will come from, especially when many restaurants, coffee bars, gas stations, construction companies will start losing their business as a result of a smaller presence of the international community".

Kosovo Prime Minister said that Kosovars are ready work and they understand that a difficult task lies before them. "Stay with us because we still have work to do in Kosovo,' said Rexhepi.

Steiner wants clear EU statements that Serb-Montenegrin agreements don't legally oblige Kosovo
Koha Ditore carries a report from the meeting between SRSG Michael Steiner and Javier Solana, Chris Patten and the ambassadors of EU countries. "To me, it is really not important what is written about Kosovo in a letter between Belgrade and Podgorica; however, it is important that organizations such as the EU hold a clear stance that the status of Kosovo cannot be decided by a third party," Steiner told Kosovar journalists in Brussels.

Steiner also said, "UNSC Resolution 1244 doesn't mention Kosovo as part of Serbia, and to be honest, I can never see Kosovo as part of Serbia anymore". Steiner repeated a statement about Serb enclaves during the donors meeting. "It is truly shameful that there are still enclaves in Europe in the 21st century," he was quoted as saying.

"Kosovo needs mental peacekeeping," said Steiner and added that the majority must accept and support the return of the minority. Steiner told journalists that he is satisfied with the fact that the "Kosovo Government, UN Security Council, EU and most of the international community have accepted benchmarks that have to be fulfilled before the issue of the final status is discussed".

PM says Kosovo will declare independence if Serb-Montenegro preamble is accepted
Zëri claims that UNMIK chief administrator Michael Steiner and Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi have warned EU officials that the eventual inclusion of Kosovo in the constitutional charter of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro would be a very dangerous act for the entire region. According to Zëri, PM Rexhepi said that if the EU accepts the preamble, then the highest local institution in Kosovo, the Assembly, would declare the independence of Kosovo.

After the donor's conference, which Rexhepi evaluated as very successful, he added that Kosovo would one day become a full member of the EU as a state. The Prime Minister's enthusiasm is unshakeable despite the Serb-Montenegro Constitutional Charter, which stresses, "Kosovo is part of Serbia". Rexhepi said, "The preamble is a wrong decision. We believe that EU will not accept this preamble. However, if they do, then we will radicalize our stance. If this preamble is accepted by the EU we will react and we will go to the Kosovo Assembly to demand a declaration of independence for Kosovo," said Prime Minister Rexhepi.

Top

Rexhepi: Kosovo's special status similar to Hong Kong and Taiwan (Kosova Sot)

Kosova Sot carried an interview that Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi gave to Voice of America after the Donor's Conference in Brussels.

From your latest attempts it is clearly seen that you are stressing foreign investments in Kosovo. What did the donors promise during the conference?
Yes, they did not make promises but they pledged a readiness to aid Kosovo. Some of the countries said that they would not reduce their donations and they are willing to continue with the donations for Kosovo, because this was presented as a joint project by the international community and Kosovo institutions and when donations are used properly then there is a readiness to continue with the donations. Given the fact that Kosovo is a part of Europe, it is easier for donors to give to Kosovo than outside Europe.

Kosovo held three elections that were seen as very successful by the international community. However it seems that sustainability has not been achieved to the requisite level and investors are still frightened of investing in Kosovo. What can your government do to change this impression in case it is only an impression?
We have to continue with the same strategy as we have until now together with UNMIK and Mr. Steiner's priorities. I also agree that holding the three elections cannot create completely democratic state according to European and international standards, but this is a process and we have shown that we are on the right path. I believe that not only Kosovo but also none of the neighboring countries can become democratic just by organizing two or three elections.

Albanians showed a positive spirit in developing small businesses right after the conflict. Do you believe that they will know how to act when foreign investments start coming in?
I am certain that they will show the same spirit and the vitality for business. We have to continue to work in preparing the conditions for foreign investors so their investments are more secure. It was indirectly mentioned that the spirit and vitality of the Kosovo population was very high during the process of rebuilding homes when more than two thirds of the work force was drawn from the locals.

Mr. Rexhepi you tie the issue of Kosovo's status with foreign countries, which is one issue and the other which is the creation of conditions for minorities which is one of the main priorities of the international community.
Yes, I believe that this is one of the realistic issues and there can be no major investments until Kosovo's status is defined. However, at the donor's conference and tomorrow at the Council of Europe seminar we will look into the possibilities of having investments before defining Kosovo's final status because we cannot wait for the final status and then for the investments. We have to attempt to find a form similar to Hong Kong or Taiwan to have investments and have economic development, after this the final status will be very easy.

Top

Shala: Kosovo and donors - half way through (Zëri)

Zëri carries a column by editor Blerim Shala, in which he speaks of the necessity of continuous assistance to Kosovo. Shala wrote:

It is ever so difficult to keep donors tied to Kosovo. It has been almost four years since the war in Kosovo, new problems have emerged in the meantime, and the EU has other priorities. Further, there are the usual things with the donors: lack of patience, tiredness and dissatisfaction with the results achieved in the country which received assistance.

In order to assure continuous donations, the UNMIK chief Michael Steiner and Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi should provide additional arguments at the donors conference in Brussels on 5 November.

It seems that their main argument is that Kosovo is half way down the right path. The success that has been achieved until now, the high security level and the political progress can be affected if there is no additional assistance for Kosovo.

Further, Kosovo's undetermined political status makes it impossible for Kosovo to stand on its own two feet because everyone knows how complicated is the process of getting loans, privatization and investments. All these things are parts of the wish list of Kosovars, and not comprising parts of a political and economic mid-term projection.

Kosovo cannot turn back. In the end, if it does turn back that would have consequences for the stability of the entire region. This is another reason why donations are very necessary for Kosovo.

Top

Baliq signs an agreement with LDK to co-govern Pec/Pejë and Dragash (Dailies)

Chairman of the Bosnian Coalition Vatan, Numan Baliq signed Tuesday in village Vitomiric near Pec/Pejë an agreement with four LDK representatives to co-govern three Kosovo municipalities, Pec/Pejë, Dragash and Prizren, report all dailies.

On the LDK side, Ymer Muhaxheri and Ali Lajçi representing LDK branch in Pec/Pejë, Halim Shemsedini representing LDK branch in Dragash and Fadil Kryeziu representing LDK in Prizren, signed the agreement.

LDK and Vatan released a joint communiqué saying that municipal governments in Pec/Pejë and Dragash will be governed jointly by these two entities. On Prizren a coalition agreement has been reached in principle by these two political entities, Baliq told Koha Ditore by telephone that the situation in Prizren is little more complicated since Vatan and PSHDK votes are not enough to form a municipal government. "This was the only possible solution because only LDK could form a coalition for the government in Pec/Pejë," said Baliq. He explained that in Prizren, LDK has to talk to AAK, Turkish and other political entities which have seats in the Prizren Municipal Assembly.

In Pec/Pejë, Coalition Vatan has won only one vote. However, this vote is crucial because coalition LDK-PSHDK-Vatan has now 21 out of 41 seats, which is the necessary majority, while the two rival entities PDK and AAK have jointly won 16 seats.

In Dragash, LDK won eight seats and Vatan three seats, out of 21. This coalition has the necessary majority in this municipality. In Dragash, PDK won 6 seats, AAK 1, LPK 1 and GIG 2.

In Prizren, the situation is more complex. LDK won 16 seats, PDK 12, KDTP 4, AAK 2, Vatan 4, DPP 1, Povratak 1, PD 1, PSHDK 1 and BSDAK 1. The LDK-PSHDK-Vatan coalition has 19 seats while the PDK-AAK coalition has 14 seats. To have the majority in Prizren municipality, 21 votes are needed.

"Vatan betrayed" is the title in Epoka e Re on the coalition between Vatan and LDK. The paper calls this as the first political event after the 26 October elections which has left people with many dilemmas and many uncertainties. The unexpected coalition between Vatan and LDK has most certainly marked the first political event after local elections and the first "betrayal" in the post war Kosovo political scene. For still unknown reasons and mysterious awards, Vatan Chairman Numan Baliq joined in with LDK in Pec/Pejë and Dragash.

The communiqué on the agreement with LDK doesn't explain what rewards Vatan will receive, whether it be posts, money or promises. If it is posts, which are these posts which would not satisfy others? However, the coalition with LK in Prizren isn't sufficient to form a government.

"We haven't had any talks at central level in finding a formula for co-governing because we have left this to the municipal branches. We would agree with who ever they make agreements with. We have contacted several municipal entities, among them Coalition Vatan. We have no information on the above-mentioned coalition, however we believe that it would be better if Vatan formed a coalition with opposition parties. Naturally this is their right and we will respect their choice," said member of the AAK presidency, Bujar Dugolli.