23 December 2002, Monday Edition

CONTENTS

Daci has asked Steiner for competencies to elect judges and prosecutors (Koha)

 Koha Ditore carried an interview with Special Assistant to the Director off Justice Department, Anna Myriam Rocatello.

"The last letter that Kosovo Assembly President Nexhat Daci sent to UNMIK chief administrator Michael Steiner says that they (the Assembly) should be involved in the selection of candidates and that all applications should be included. Therefore they cannot approve the recommendation by the Kosovo Prosecutorial and Judicial Council (KPJC) (to appoint judges and prosecutors) because they weren't part pf the selection," said Rocatello.

According to Rocatello, right after Daci's letter, the SRSG received a letter from the President of the KPJC, Timothy Clayson, informing the SRSG that the Assembly have not asked him for additional information regarding the recommended judges and prosecutors.

Rocatello, who is one of the most senior officials in the Department of Justice, says that all of the 42 candidates appointed by Steiner satisfy the criteria to work in Kosovo and that the KPJC is obliged to check any evidence that might be brought forward regarding the integrity of judge or a prosecutor.

"The application period for positions for local judges and prosecutors was opened in April 2002. We received 119 application from Albanians and 60 from minorities in Kosovo. They all had to be checked, even the references that were mentioned in their applications," said Rocatello. She explains that some displaced Serbs who expressed their willingness to return to Kosovo also handed in applications.

Rocatello explains that candidates had to fulfill several criteria. "The candidates need to have adequate qualifications, to have diploma from a faculty of law, to have passed the bar exam, and work experience appropriate to the job for which they applied. Moreover the candidates need to be of high moral character, have clean police records and not to have been involved in discriminatory practices," said she.

A detailed check was conducted by the KPJC and the candidates' documents were double-checked. Afterward the presiding judges and head prosecutors in Kosovo were consulted on the short list of candidates. On 1 November the KPJC handed their recommendations to the SRSG and the Kosovo Assembly.

"After the recommendations were passed on, a meeting was set by KPJC with the Assembly committee on Legislation and Constitution Issues. On 11 November, the KPJC President met with the Assembly Committee. Together they looked closely at the qualifications of every candidate and answered the questions of committee members. The Assembly Committee had the chance to check every candidate's qualifications," said Rocatello.

"When the Assembly Committee went to the Kosovo Assembly with the KPJC recommendations (14 November) there was a general debate for the whole list. The Assembly said that these candidates were unsuitable and that they didn't have sufficient information. The Assembly asked the SRSG to postpone the decision for the maximum period allowed, which is 10 days," said Rocatello.

She believes that KPJC had sufficient information for the recommended candidates. "We handed to KPJC all the documentation. Maybe we left something incomplete, maybe we weren't clear enough. After the 14 November postponement, the president of the KPJC wrote to Kosovo Assembly and Assembly Committee to say, 'We are here: tell us what do you need, what are your complaints and we will do whatever possible to provide additional information so you can decide. Kosovo Assembly or Assembly Committee didn't ask for any additional information nor did they write to us to specify what information they needed, or which candidates they opposed. They didn't do anything," explains Rocatello.

She explains that on 6 December the SRSG used his authority and decided to appoint the recommended candidates. The swearing in ceremony took place on 12 December.

"Later we were informed that Daci again wrote to the SRSG informing him that the Assembly had again postponed the voting and requested more information. I know that KPJC President replied not to the Kosovo Assembly President but to the SRSG. In fact the letter requests the SRSG to transfer the competency to choose the candidates. "In the last letter that Daci wrote to the SRSG, it is said that they (Assembly) wanted to be involved in selecting, they want to receive applications from all candidates, therefore they considered that they could not approve the KPJC recommendation because they were not part of the selection process. They wanted to change the candidates recommended by KPJC, however they don't have the authority to do this," said Rocatello.

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Kosovo C the only hope for sufficient electric energy in Kosovo (Zëri)

Zëri ran a report, asking about the mid-term and long-term plans to solve the lack of the electric energy in Kosovo. The power plant Kosovo C will start its electricity production in the beginning of 2007, if everything goes as planned, but it could be delayed until 2010. Meanwhile, if the status of Kosovo remains undefined, certainly Kosovo C will exist only on paper.

Marko Kosher, one of the supervisors at UNMIK for energy issues, is skeptical that the provision of electricity is to be more normalized in the mid-term in Kosovo.
Kosher says that there are many factors that have contributed to the latest energetic capacity increases, "whereas the minimum time to build an energy plant is in the year 2007." This hypothetical power plant should produce 600MW and it would cost around 600 million dollars.

The Energy Committee developing a mid-term and long-term energy strategy is nearing completion of its work. The members of this committee have outlined three options.

"One talks about the energy capacity with coal, whereas another talks about the capacity based on using gas", says Kosher.

Kosher says that from an economic perspective, a coal-fired plant would be a better solution for Kosovo.

"Here we have two issues, the first is the coal, which Kosovo has, and the second positive issue is the number of employers that need to be employed", Kosher told Zëri.

There has been speculation that Bulgaria is interested in investing in a strong power plant in Kosovo. All this speculation is based on the fact that Bulgaria's energy has its support from nuclear power plants, which must be shut down by the year of 2008 because of the great risk they pose.

"I haven't heard of any such plan. I know that the Bulgarians have signed two contracts for building two new energy plants in the country, fired by coal".

These two new capacities in Bulgaria will produce 300 MW - altogether 600 MW - and are financed by the United States, Kosher says. And the help comes from the fact that Bulgaria is one of the potential states to become a new member of the EU in the second round in 2007.

However Kosovo isn't as lucky as the Bulgarians are, because they are behind in every respect. In the end, regardless of whether Kosovo waits for a new power plant or not, the darkness is still inevitable until the end of this decade.

Basri Limari one of the energy experts in Kosovo says, "The building of the two blocks in Kosovo B has been a first phase, whereas the second and the third phases are intended to also build up four new blocks in this power plant".

Meanwhile, SRSG Michael Steiner says of Kosovo C: "Without new electric capacities, for example Kosovo C, Kosovo will continue to face problems".

The most optimistic foresight for this winter: three hours on, three hours off.

Around 20 million euro was destined to be used for a renovation on the five blocks of the two power plants in Kosovo. Yesterday the fifth block of Kosovo A returned to production. The provision of electricity throughout Kosovo this weekend has been a disaster; four hours off and two on, even though everyone claims that the blocks are in "good shape" or "top form". This is just an interlude for what we as citizens are expecting this winter, and not to forget it can get worse, since Bulgaria has stopped exporting electricity. Until today 120 MW have been imported, whereas from today only 50 MW are going to be imported. KEK yesterday produced from the three blocks of Kosovo A, A3, A4, and A5, which all together produced around 270 MW, and with the 120 MW imported add up to 400 MW, that isn't enough for four hours in the dark and 2 hours with light.

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Serb National Council calls Serbs not to join KPC, those who are already in to leave (Zëri)

It seems that the Chief of UNMIK made a mistake when he asked General Agim Çeku to include members of the Serb minority in the KPC, reports Zëri.

The "Anti KPC" mood among the Serbs has been taken up by the Serb National Council for Kosovo and Metohija, which the Serb media present as the greatest organization uniting Kosovo Serbs, including a lot of Serb politicians from different Kosovo political parties.

This organization asked the International Community to demilitarize the so-called UCK, which has been transformed into the KPC.

"Transforming this organization into the military forces of Kosovo, can cause destabilization throughout the region, especially when given the criminal role of these formations before, during and after the war", said a participant at the KNS meeting, where other officials from northern Kosovo also participated.

Serb National Council has called all the Serbs "not to join the KPC, and those who already have should immediately leave this organization, because this is an UÇK product". The "Serb National Council of Kosovo and Metohija" also asked the Security Council and NATO to work hardly on the security plan for the Serb Minority in Kosovo.

On the press-release released after the meeting in Graçanica, says that in the security plan for Kosovo Serbs the possibility of the "return of Yugoslav Army and Police in Kosovo" should be included. According to them, this was foreseen by Resolution 1244 and the Technical-Military Agreement in Kumanovo.

The same demands were issued on the day when one of the Albanian political parties (AAK) issued a resolution calling on the Assembly of Kosovo to declare the independence of Kosovo and for recognition by the International Community.

The Serb National Council said that the situation in Kosovo is very hard for the Serb minority and condemned "Albanian extremist criminal acts" as well as Steiner's plan for returning Serb Minority in Kosovo, because according to them this process will take hundred years.

This Council asked Steiner to do something more serious for decentralization in all areas, urging the Serb "Povratak" decision not to cooperate with the Assembly because Serbs are always discriminated against.

The Serb Coalition "Povratak" has 22 representatives in the Assembly, 12 of them are elected in the year 2001. Also, two of them are Presidency Members.

According to the KNS meeting, Steiner is not working properly on a stabilization plan for North Mitrovica, already agreed with Belgrade, but he is working against Serb interests and is inflicting an Albanian regime to all citizens in the region.

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Palokaj: What are internationals bringing in Kosovo? (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore carries a report from its Brussels based correspondent, Augustin Palokaj, who is currently in Prague.

In today's global world everything is multinational. Such are the big companies, it is very difficult to determine where they are based, and the same is happening with most big cities in the west and the east. Who can say that today London is a typical English town, New York an American one, Amsterdam a Dutch, or Shanghai a Chinese one? In one of the most beautiful town in Europe, Prague, it is very difficult to find a typical Czech pub because modern cafes have replaced them. Most of the population in Brussels isn't comprised of locals. All of these towns are highly developed, there are many foreigners living in them, and there are thousands of workers employed by Microsoft, Cisco, Shell, IBM and others. All of these towns are proud of being international and cosmopolitan, open to foreigners and they compete to be the one in which foreigners feel the best. Also in all of these towns you don't need to know the local language, because all have their own English as a language of communication that is understood by citizens from Asia, Northern Africa or east European countries.
Foreigners in these towns have helped change the image, have influenced that they become more modern and they have also influenced the architecture. Moreover, in some of these towns the arrival of foreigners, or as it has become a practice to call them 'internationals', has influenced the local population to move from the center of the town to the suburbs or even to other towns. In Brussels and Amsterdam it is cheaper to live in the center of the town than in the suburbs, because the multinational and cosmopolitan environment are very good to work, however the city noises isn't so good for a family to live in. Among the richness that was brought by foreigners and the noise they have created, the economic development counts for more. Therefore all important western world towns attempt to draw as many big companies as they can. Moreover some cities like Brussels have decided that foreigners who live there have the right to vote in local elections, because they live there and they can also decide about their lives.

What did internationals bring to Kosovo?
If we look at the streets of Prishtina, English is heard very often, it is used even more in restaurants and cafes, and there is an impression that Prishtina is slowly becoming a cosmopolitan town as the other western European towns. However, this first impression is deceptive. Prishtina is full of employees from the UN, NATO and different NGO's. Even though their number has drastically decreased they are still present and it is good that they are still in Kosovo. However they are staying in Kosovo for a very short time, in their ad hoc missions and without any aim to start a new life here. Thus the capital of Kosovo and Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and before Sarajevo it happened with Zagreb in Croatia is different from the cosmopolitan towns mentioned above. "There are more internationals in Prague than there are in Prishtina and Sarajevo combined. However in the capital of Czech Republic they aren't bureaucrats with short-time contracts, who are excluded from paying taxes, they are investors with long-range plans, they open new jobs and aid the economic development of the country. This is the truth told by the international administrator in Bosnia, Paddy Ashdown. According to him it would be better that instead of bureaucrats investors come to Balkan countries, because now the citizens mostly need jobs, without which they cannot feed their families. Bureaucrats cannot create these new jobs.

Will anyone working for UNMIK today invest his or her money in Kosovo?
Drawing in foreign investments is a priority that is heard from the mouth of every official in Kosovo's administration, international or Kosovar, we have heard in America, Ireland and Belgium. Investment creates new jobs, they create new taxpayers who create a bigger budget, which enables the functioning of the state, and then that state can help the citizens. In Kosovo's current situation and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is little chance for foreigners to invest. Let UNMIK employees be sincere, which one would invest in Kosovo under these conditions when no one knows what will happen to Kosovo, or where will it go.
The example with Poland and Czech Republic shows that when it is clear what is going to be the fate of the country, there is no lack of investments. Prague and Warsaw, cities that were in the past visited even by Kosovo teachers with only half of their pay because it was so cheap there, now have become very attractive towns in the world of investment. This pull in drawing foreign investments came the moment that it was announced that they would become EU members and have totally separated from their communist past, both mentally and legally.
In these two towns the internationals have brought wealth, by spending their money, but in Prishtina and Sarajevo only a part of the population has benefited from them. International bureaucrats in Kosovo have caused a price rise in Prishtina, from apartment rents or other prices just as it ahs happened in Brussels. Life has become more expensive and that local entrepreneurs have made the wrong short-term investments in services, restaurants, bars and there was no investing in production. Now that the number of international is decreasing, such businesses are staring to go bankrupt. However we should not forget that a large part of Kosovars found jobs with the international administration, they worked as interpreters, drivers or guards, they managed to feed their families, some of them to rebuild their homes and even go to school. They managed to gain from them a new experience. However nothing was achieved in the long-term. We would love to see now more foreigners in Prishtina, but this time in different professions, more investors and businessmen and fewer bureaucrats.

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Shala: Initiative and Kosovo Government (Zëri)

Zëri carries an editorial by Blerim Shala who comments on the wide coalition between three Kosovar political parties that enabled the formation of the Kosovo Government. Shala wrote:

It seems that the idea for a broad coalition government in Kosovo was a serious misunderstanding. Or maybe it is something else: everything is only a plan for getting out of the evident crisis in the process of forming a central government in Kosovo, adopted in an ad hoc fashion after the general elections without any thinking about the long-term consequences.

Thus the coalition government isn't the place where Kosovo politics is being conducted, at least not among Kosovars, but only the source of dividing posts along party lines.

Why do we say this?

Last week we witnessed different initiatives, serious and funny ones by our local officials and politicians. The last one came from AAK, which asks the Kosovo Assembly to approve the Declaration for Independence of Kosovo, which would call the USA and western countries to recognize Kosovo's independence.

In meeting with different international officials, including here the UN SC delegation, Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova has repeated his request for a formal recognition of Kosovo's independence.

If order were respected, or should we say better, if we truly believed that the government were the true center for political decision-making in Kosovo, these proposals and initiatives would be proposed there, naturally without even hesitating to question the author.

If they afterward received the support of the three main political parties, then it could be brought up at the Kosovo Assembly Presidency and in the end Kosovo Assembly. From this, it is apparent that we have a false government coalition.

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How does Europe guard its borders? (Koha Ditore)

For the first time in the European Union's history, at the initiative of the German Border Police (BGS), joined by Italy, Greece and Britain, patrolled together along the German-Polish border, reports Koha Ditore.

This joint action, which lasted for five days, is a test for the European Border Police. These united teams, which have been patrolling together, wore their National uniforms, but this time they've worked together. Eight of these men were from Italy, seven from England, and two from Greece.

The Secretary of National Parliament of German Interior Ministry, Mr. Fritz Rudolf Korper, declared that these actions are taking place because of high illegal emigration and organized crime. This project is an agreement between Interior German Minister Otto Schily, who in 2001 agreed on the project with his Italian colleague, Mr. Scajola.

The "European Border Police" is still in the development phase and it is only a question of time before it becomes a daily issue because now a lot of agreements have been signed for cooperation between different European countries.

These staff will also continue to exchange information and communicate with about their national practices. This may cause problems from different administrative and legal organizations. Otherwise, the foundation for these projects comes from the European Council agreement in Seville, Spain, on June 2002, which is called "A plan for protecting the outside borders of the EU countries".