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07 December 2002, Saturday Edition
CONTENTS
· SRSG
Michael Steiner meets with KPC Commander Agim Çeku (all
dailies)
· Shala: KPC
and the UNMIK standards (Zëri)
· A new resolution
of the Security Council is required for Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
· Steiner to
travel to the US next week (Zëri)
· Jo Trutschler
will not be released from detention (Koha Ditore)
· Bogdanovic:
I am prepared to leave Govt, although I have no problems
· SRSG Steiner
and Joseph Rieder visit power plant in Obilic (dailies)
· What will
be the model of decentralization of power in Kosovo (Kosova
Sot)
· Crisis and
consequences of Serb returns (24 Orë)
SRSG Michael Steiner meets with KPC Commander Agim Çeku
(all dailies)
All dailies carry reports on the press conference by SRSG Michael Steiner
and KPC Commander Agim Çeku after their meeting at UNMIK HQ in
Prishtina yesterday.
'Professionalism is a key element when we talk about the KPC and I think that in this respect the KPC is achieving genuine progress,' said SRSG Steiner. 'Another key element in my opinion is that the KPC should have the role of reflecting the society that we want to create in Kosovo, a multiethnic, democratic and free society'.
Steiner added that the KPC must reduce its contingent in an adequate manner; fulfill its duties in accordance with the mandate, establish relations with all communities and have a proper participation of minorities.
General Çeku: Right from the beginning we have fully accepted Resolution 1244 and the authority of UNMIK and of the SRSG over the KPC; however, we have also expressed our objectives and aims by emphasizing that we want to achieve these goals in accordance with the international community and that we want our objectives to be not only in the interest of our citizens, but also in the interest of the international community.
Under a headline Clash between Çeku and Steiner, Epoka e Re claims that the SRSG and the KPC Commander had a 'hot meeting'. Epoka e Re quotes SRSG Steiner as saying that the arrests of KPC members are individual. On the other hand, it quotes Çeku as saying, 'The arrests of KPC members are individual, but they seriously damage the KPC and we don't want such arrests to happen again'.
Shala: KPC and the UNMIK standards
(Zëri)
Zëri carries a column by editor Blerim Shala, in which he says that
'from the international perspective, the identity of the Kosovo Protection
Corps as well as other important institutions in Kosovo, recognizes the
transitional phase and the phase when the status of the KPC will be formally
clarified. This is why the KPC was included in the plan of standards that
the Kosovan society must fulfill in order to be prepared to enter the
period of resolving the final status.'
Shala says that the future professionalism of the KPC and the reflection of the ethnic structure in its composition were outlined as two of the most important goals of the KPC during the meeting between SRSG Steiner and KPC Commander Çeku. 'This is in the full interest of UNMIK and KPC and there is no reason whatsoever why steps shouldn't be made toward the fast fulfillment of this aim. The fulfillment of these two goals will surely help in clarifying the final identity of the KPC. In reality, this identity should not depend much on the final status of Kosovo. Whatever the final status will be, Kosovo will surely have a government, an assembly, local authorities, KPS, KPC and a judiciary. Or it will have all the elements of an authority organized in all the possible segments. Therefore, regardless of the solution of Kosovo's issue, we are going to need a force of defense and the KPC should be the carrier of this process.'
A new resolution of the Security
Council is required for Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore carries a report on a meeting that was held on Thursday in
Washington DC under the auspices of the US Institute for Peace. The participants
of the meeting, which gathered analysts and politicians with influence
from western Europe and US, reportedly concluded that Kosovo needs a new
resolution of the Security Council which would determine the criteria
based on which Kosovo could achieve its independence.
During an interview for Koha Ditore, Daniel Serwer, director of the sector for Balkans Initiatives within the US Institute for Peace, was cited as saying, 'The majority of participants have claimed that the time has come to think seriously about Kosovo's final status, but they have also emphasized that previously a close coordination must be assured between the UN, Europeans, Americans and the Russians. One thing that everyone has agreed on is that a new resolution of the Security Council might be needed. Therefore there will be a need for a solution that will go through the Security Council. Those who want independence (this implies the Albanian majority) must start thinking very seriously of what is necessary to compile a new resolution of the Security Council that would bring independence. And undoubtedly one of the things that is required is a better treatment of Serbs.'
SRSG Steiner to travel to the
US next week (Zëri)
Quoting senior sources at UNMIK, Zëri reports that SRSG Michael Steiner
will travel to the US next week. The same sources told Zëri that
Steiner would meet with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and the senior
advisor for national security to President Bush, Condoleezza Rice. According
to the source, Steiner will stay in Washington and New York.
'The SRSG's visit to the US comes at a time when there is a lot of talking going on in Prishtina for the preparation of talks for Kosovo's final status, while in the meantime the UNMIK chief says that the eight points of the standards determined by him should fulfilled before addressing the status issue,' added Zëri.
Jo Trutschler will not be released
from detention (Koha Ditore)
A representative of the prosecutor's office in Bochum, Germany, has told
Koha Ditore that Jo Trutschler, the former chairman of the KEK Supervisory
Board (KEK) will be held in detention for the coming two-three months.
The same official told Koha Ditore that the prosecutor's office would
do everything so that Trutschler is held in detention until the trial
starts.
Koha Ditore reports that the Bochum prosecutor's office refused to comment on a statement made yesterday by UNMIK Pillar IV Head Andy Bearpark who said that he would testify in the trial against Trutschler.
In a front-page article related to previous fraudulent activities at the Kosovo Power Corporation, Kosova Sot reports that KEK senior officials and international managers at the power sector have admitted that 4.5 million Euro were stolen from KEK, a scandal which included internationals and locals. '…If the details of tenders, investments and contracts realized during the three-year period after the conflict are also 'studied', then some senior KEK officials would also end up behind bars,' added Kosova Sot.
Bogdanovic: I am prepared to leave
Govt, although I have no problems (24 Orë)
Goran Bogdanovic, Minister of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Developments,
is quoted as saying in 24 Orë, 'I am prepared to leave the Government,
although I don't have any problems with the Government like Coalition
Povratak does, but this doesn't mean that I will not show my solidarity
with them.'
'I am not ignored by the Prime Minister to include in the agenda what I propose. My requests are always respected,' said Bogdanovic. He also added that the Forestry Law that was recently approved by the Assembly was unacceptable and that it could be endorsed only when his ministry presents it.
SRSG Steiner and Joseph Rieder
visit power plant in Obilic (dailies)
Several daily papers carry reports on the visit by SRSG Michael Steiner
and KEK Managing Director Joseph Rieder to the power plant in Obilic.
Under a headline KEK didn't provide a surprise this year, B2 is still being tested, Koha Ditore reports that despite expectations that around 300 megawatt of electricity would be added to the power supply system in Kosovo, the only thing that happened on Friday was the visit by UNMIK chief Michael Steiner.
Kosova Sot reports that block 2 of the Kosovo B power plant is expected to be reactivated in the next two days. The daily newspaper quotes SRSG Steiner as saying, 'This is the best thing to happen to Kosovo's citizens on the eve of wintertime.'
What will be the model of decentralization
of power in Kosovo (Kosova Sot)
Kosova Sot reports that local analysts warn that the process of decentralization
should be conducted very carefully and seriously, and that the forming
of new municipalities would not be a good step.
Kosova Sot quotes Ramadan Avdiu, advisor to Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi, as saying that the Government was compiling a plan for the decentralization of power in Kosovo. 'This will also involve UNMIK and CoE experts, and there will be a joint group that has resulted from the meeting that SRSG Steiner had with political leaders'.
Crisis and consequences of Serb
returns (24 Orë)
24 Orë carries a commentary that originally was broadcasted by Radio
Free Kosovo and which comments on 'the crisis and consequences of Serb
returns'. 'When it comes to the return of Serb colonists to Kosovo, we
must bear in mind the complexity of this issue because this is not only
about the return of unlucky Serbs who suffered from the Turks and from
irresponsible Albanians, and because this is not only about the return
of peaceful Serbs who want to co-exist with Albanians as some of them
have done in the past. Those Serbs have not fled from Kosovo. However,
mass return also foresees the return of the murderous gangs of the Serbian
Interior Ministry, as Covic has announced and wasn't refuted by any international
or local representative,' notes the commentary.
RTK News Headlines
Two Children Die, Two Others Heavy Wounded in
an Accidental Grenade Blast
The report focuses on a fatal incident that occurred on Friday in the
village of Koliq, Kamenica municipality, in which two children were killed
and two others received heavy wounds after an accidental explosion of
a grenade with which they were playing in an "abandoned house".
The wounded children were immediately sent to US Bondsteel base hospital and eventually transported to a clinic outside the country.
Also, the report informs about another similar incident that occurred in Albania proper in which two villagers were reported killed after stepping on a landmine near the Kosovo-Albania border.
SRSG Steiner Praises KPC, Demands Multiethnic
Structure
The report focuses on the statement by SRSG Michael Steiner regarding
the Kosovo Protection Corps, in which he praises the organization for
its professionalism. The SRSG was quoted as demanding the KPC to enrich
its multiethnic structure with 15 percent of non-Albanian members.
Some, eight per cent of this amount should consist of members of the Kosovo Serb community. SRSG Steiner was also said to have had a "closed doors" meeting with the leadership of the KPC on Friday.
Power Supply Improves After Kosovo B2 Reactivation,
Restrictions Schedule Unchanged
Although one of the major Kosovo power plants "Kosovo B2" was
reactivated after a severe damage by a fire that occurred in July, the
power supply restrictions schedule will remain unchanged.
A report on the power situation in the country focuses on the information regarding the reactivation of the plant and the fact that the electricity import from neighboring countries will conclude.
According to KEK officials, Kosovo will produce more electricity but it will face the increase of consumption due to low temperatures.
German KFOR to Stay in Kosovo for a "Longer
Time", German Defense Minister
A short report on the visit by the German Defense Minister Peter Struck
focuses on his statement regarding the presence of German troops in KFOR.
Struck noted that the troops will continue to remain in the region for
a long time and that "for the moment there is no reason to cut down
the size of the German contingent with KFOR."
Struck was said to have met with COMKFOR Gen. Fabio Mini and other KFOR officials.
Former KEK International Manager Trutschler: "Money
was Meant for KEK Workers' Pensions"
The report focuses on the arrest of Joe Trutschler, the former KEK international
manager, on charges of heavy fraud and misuse of some 4.5 mil euros -
part of the international community's assistance to the Kosovo power plants.
The RTK report notes that the money was located in his personal bank account in Gibraltar, although Trutschler was quoted as stating to the court that his idea was to establish a "pension-fund for the KEK workers".
Kosovo Press Headlines
Koha Ditore
Front page
· A new resolution of the Security Council is required for Kosovo
· Jo Trutschler will not be released from detention
· What is expecting Albania in negotiations with the EU
· After floods in airfield, flights return to normal
· Testimonies of Ramush Mehmetaj's brother, father and grandson
Other headlines
· Meta to visit Kosovo in the end of the month (2)
· Steiner: KPC must have the role of reflecting the society, which
UNMIK wants to create (3)
· Ambassador Sarry sets conference on borders for spring (3)
· EU helps Macedonia with 46 million euros (4)
· Trajkovski opposes meeting of signatories of the Ohrid Agreement
(4)
· Two Albanian shepherds die after stepping on mines at Kos-Alb
border (6)
· KEK didn't provide a surprise this year, B2 is still being tested
(7)
· UNMIK to move forward process of privatization and ownership
(7)
· Albanian citizen who was smuggling drugs from Serbia to Kosovo
arrested (9)
· Muça: Flag, anthem and then Rugova (10)
Zëri
Front page
· Steiner and Çeku agree that KPC must reflect the society
which is being created in Kosovo
· Shala: KPC and UNMIK standards
· Not even the visit by the SRSG helped B2 to return to production
· Assembly has not been constituted on ethnic basis and there is
no majority
· Ilir Meta to visit in the end of the month
· Germany's contribution for KFOR remains a priority issue, says
Struck
· EU promises financial assistance for Macedonia
Other headlines
· Steiner to travel for the US in the coming week (2)
· Statements of Ethem Çeku and Ekrem Lluka were read (4)
· Trajkovski tries to cheat the EU initiative (5)
· Nano: Tirana and Belgrade must turn into centers of regional
integration (5)
· Albanians don't participate in Serbian presidential elections
(5)
· Serb forces arrest four Albanians at boundary between Kosovo
and Serbia (8)
· KFOR blocks village of Debëllde (8)
· Serbia and Montenegro endorse Constitutional Charter (9)
Bota Sot
Front page
· Steiner keeps his promise: There will be more electricity in
Kosovo!
· MA chairman crosses the Iber bridge for the first time after
the war
· I gave you my vote, give me a roof!
· The day when the presiding judge will say the final verdict is
getting closer
· US condemn Karachi attack and ask for investigations for murders
in Skopje
· The memory of the Albanian hero
· AANC expresses concern over the visit of Nicholas Gage to Albania
Other headlines
· German troops will remain in Kosovo for a long period of time
(2)
· Finish troops prepare to be deployed in Fushë Kosovë
(2)
· Skodowski: Kosovo, one of the most beautiful places in Europe
(4)
· [Macedonia] EU conditions assistance with Ohrid Agreement (5)
· Sokoli: Serbs killed the family of Ali Sharku (5)
· Theft in KEK doesn't bear only the name of Jo Trutschler (6)
· SRSG Steiner meets with General Çeku (8)
Kosova Sot
Front page
· If 'other side' of tenders and contracts is investigated - the
number of thieves might be doubled
· Kosovo can no longer be governed by Belgrade, says Serwer
· Mini: The bridge was incorrectly taken as a symbol of division
· Steiner asks from Çeku a multiethnic and professional
KPC
· How did Trutschler fail to lose track of the funds
· B2 expected to be reactivated today
Other headlines
· What will be the model of decentralization of power in Kosovo
(3)
· How long will KFOR German troops remain in Kosovo? (4)
· What are the predictions for electricity according to Energy
Committee? (4)
· After Steiner, Spahija crosses the bridge on foot (6)
· Serb representatives call on their fellow citizens to vote for
Kostunica (6)
· Albanians in Presevo Valley will boycott Serbian elections (6)
· Ilir Meta receives invitation from Steiner to visit Kosovo (6)
Epoka e Re
Front page
· Clash between Çeku and Steiner
· Statements of Ekrem Lluka and Ethem Çeku were read
· What is Nicholas Gage looking for in Albania?!
· Teacher Fehmi Berisha sues a KPS police officer
· Promise was kept, but there is no electricity
· Money for teachers disappears - teachers feel cheated
· KFOR blocks village of Debëllde
· Singer Mahmut Ferati wounded near Tetovo
Other headlines
· Ilir Meta to visit Kosovo (2)
· Nano invites Djindjic for a visit to Tirana (2)
· Two Albanian shepherds die after stepping on mines (3)
· One dead after incident with knives in Suhareka (3)
· ICG accusations for Belgrade-Baghdad military cooperation are
still in force
· Rexhepi and Encler talk about return and integration of minorities
(7)
· Minister Struck met with General Mini (7)
24 Orë
Front page
· Doctor's expertise eliminate Vesel Muriqi's fabrications
· KPC is one of the foundations of Kosovo's development, says Steiner
· Be careful with electricity, because KEK is not a new Mercedes,
says Steiner
· Flag is not a private property of Ibrahim Rugova
· Crisis and consequences of Serb returns
Other headlines
· Rexhepi: Repatriation should be done gradually (6)
· Bogdanovic: I am prepared to leave Govt, although I have no problems
(6)
· Serb leaders call on Kosovo Serbs to vote for Kostunica (6)
Belgrade Media Highlights
· Svilanovic: No grounds for talks on the final status of Kosovo
(B92/Tanjug)
· Rexhepi: Too early for political negotiations with Belgrade (Politika)
· UNMIK chief says KPC should reflect a multiethnic society (Glas)
· 261 polling stations to be opened in Kosovo on Sunday (Nacional)
· UNMIK is slowing down exhumations, assesses Dr.Dobricanin (Glas)
· Land mine kills two Albanians (Danas)
· War crimes suspect stopped a hunger strike (Radio Belgrade 1)
· Djindjic to sack Covic?(Nacional)
Svilanovic: No grounds for talks on the final
status of Kosovo (B92/Tanjug)
Belgrade authorities believe that in the present climate there are no
grounds for talks on the final status of Kosovo, and that the priority
ought to be given to progress on the ground, Yugoslav foreign minister
Goran Svilanovic said in his address to the participants of the OSCE's
Ministerial Council in Porto. He assessed that the OSCE could contribute
to improve the status of the Serbs and other non-Albanians in Kosovo whose
rights are seriously violated. Svilanovic emphasized that if the situation
in the province is to be improved, then the region should be decentralized
and the displaced people, more than 230,000 of them, returned.
Rexhepi: Too early for political negotiations
with Belgrade (Politika)
It is too early for political negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina
but it is necessary to talk about some concrete issues of common interest,
said Bajram Rexhepi. He pointed out to the necessity for discussing economic
cooperation, fight against organized crime and exchange of information
on the kidnapped and the missing. Rexhepi said that he is endeavoring
that the final status of the province should be resolved within the next
two years but added that he approved the assessments by international
factors whereby it is necessary to create a democratic and multiethnic
society in Kosovo before the status was decided on.
UNMIK chief says KPC should reflect a multiethnic
society (Glas)
The Kosovo Protection Corps should reflect a multiethnic society that
UNMIK wants to establish in Kosovo, UNMIK chief Michael Steiner said after
meeting KPC Commander Agim Ceku. Steiner and Ceku discussed the meeting
of these standards before a dialogue starts on the final status of Kosovo.
261 polling stations to be opened in Kosovo on
Sunday (Nacional)
Around 100.000 Kosovo citizens will be able to participate in the Serbian
Presidential elections and vote at 261 polling places on Sunday, said
the Republican Election Commission Secretary Ljiljana Benac Santic. At
these polling places can vote all citizens registered in the voting lists
and the majority of them are Serbs.
UNMIK is slowing down exhumations, assesses Dr.Dobricanin
(Glas)
"UNMIK simply keeps avoiding to let us work on the existing locations
that contain several hundreds bodies. We suppose that these bodies mostly
belong to the missing Serbs," said Dr. Slavisa Dobricanin speaking
at the press conference in Nis, organized by the Association of the Families
of the Missing and Kidnapped Kosovo Serbs and the Resource Center for
Human Rights. Dr. Dobricanin said that he was getting the impression that
someone was having something against speedier work of the forensic experts
in Kosovo.
Land mine kills two Albanians (Danas)
Two Albanians were killed yesterday while attempting to illegally cross
the border between Kosovo and Albania, said today KFOR spokesperson Andrea
Angeli. The two unidentified men were killed by a land mine near Cafa
Morina. Their bodies were discovered by Italian KFOR troops and transported
to the Djakovica/Gjakove hospital.
War crimes suspect stopped a hunger strike (Radio
Belgrade 1)
By the decision of the Supreme Court of Serbia, Sasa Cvijetan, a reserve
officer of special units of the Serbian Interior Ministry, charged with
war crimes against Albanian civilians in Kosovo in 1999, is currently
in the District Prison in Belgrade and is to be tried by the Belgrade
District Court in renewed proceedings. According to unofficial information,
Cvijetan has stopped a hunger strike begun in the prison in Prokuplje,
south Serbia, seven days ago. It is the District Court in Belgrade that
is to have jurisdiction over the case of Cvijetan and Dejan Demirovic,
another person charged with the same act, who is currently on a run, as
the prosecution in Prokuplje had demanded exemption of the court and prosecution
there.
Djindjic to sack Covic? (Nacional)
In the announced reshuffle of the Serbian Government Nebojsa Covic will
lose his Vice Premier's post, Nacional has learned in well-informed sources.
The reshuffle is to take place in mid-December and Covic's removal will
be explained as "a necessity to refresh the work of the Government
and the CCK," but the real reason lay in his refusal to follow Premier
Djindjic's line, as well as his involvement in certain financial affairs.
The DA's Vice President Nada Kolundzija rejected this, "I think that
someone is trying to fabricate this story and to plant it to the press.
It is totally impossible for Nebojsa Covic to lose his post in a reshuffled
republican government.