Media Analysis 24 September 2003

• Why is independence a more realistic option according to western capitals?
  
• Thaçi: Kosovo's independence is non-negotiable (Epoka e Re)
• Shala: The local victims of a dialogue (Zëri)
• Viti expects sports hall as reward for weapons hand-in (Zëri)
  
• Cernica shouldn't be punished collectively, perpetrators must be found (Zëri)
  
• VALA 900 is very expensive and offers very little (Koha Ditore)
  
• Ibrahim Rexhepi: About the Drini insurance company (Koha Ditore)
  
• Editorial: Bread (Kosova Sot)

  Belgrade Media Update

• Contact Group backs Holkeri dialogue plan (B92)
  
• Marovic and Holkeri on dialogue opening (Tanjug)
  
• Kosovo repatriates seek help from Serbia (SRNA)
  
• OSCE warns of potential violence in Kosovo (SRNA)
  
• Marovic meets with Bush (RTS)

Why is independence a more realistic option according to western capitals?
Citing western diplomatic sources, Zëri claims that 2005 should be the crucial year to resolve the final status of Kosovo. 'The excuse for this position is related to the commitment of new authorities in Kosovo and Serbia, as a result of parliamentary elections that will be held in 2004, the presidential elections in the US and in the end the expiration of the Agreement for the Union of Serbia and Montenegro,' the paper added.

The same sources told Zëri that there are a lot of ambiguities surrounding the procedure for achieving the final status, the mediating mechanisms and the mechanisms that would implement the agreement on the status of Kosovo. It is supposed that the Contact Group would spearhead the resolution of status, and then the process would be certified by the United Nations Security Council, which would then adopt a new resolution. It is also believed that international presence will be required during the process of implementing the status of Kosovo.

Zëri added that western capitals perceive the solution of the territorial division of Kosovo as unstable and very dangerous. Even SRSG Harri Holkeri, during meetings with high-ranking western officials, said that the division of Kosovo couldn't even be considered. 'However, it is known that the leadership of the Serbian regime hasn't given up from this proposal, which Belgrade considers realistic and a kind of compromise that could be backed by the West when the issue of status is addressed. Serbian officials have probably received signals from some western diplomats in Belgrade that the division of Kosovo could not be excluded as a possible solution, if it wouldn't pose consequences for Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina,' added the newspaper.

Another solution for Kosovo's final status would be a union between Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. However, there are only a few western diplomats that favour this solution, which would not be backed by leaders in Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro.

Zëri claims the independence of Kosovo is considered a guarantee of the stability of Macedonia. For this reason, senior political levels in Macedonia have strengthened the belief that the sooner Kosovo's status is decided, without any changes to its borders, the better for Macedonia.

According to Zëri, so far only one western government has prepared a possible proposal for the status of Kosovo and 'the most realistic chances are related to Kosovo's independence according to 1794 borders'.

Thaçi: Kosovo's independence is non-negotiable (Epoka e Re)
Epoka e Re reported that in an interview for the BBC, PDK leader Hashim Thaçi said he believes the people of Kosovo will decide on the future of Kosovo through a referendum. Thaçi said that there would be no compromise on Kosovo's political status, and in his opinion the independence of Kosovo should be non-negotiable and recognized internationally.

The reactivation of the Contact Group on the issue of Kosovo shows the seriousness of the determination of the group's member countries to deal more concretely with the final solution of Kosovo's political status. We shouldn't pay too much attention to the time and meeting place of eventual talks between Pristina and Belgrade, but we must focus on more substantial issues that are important to overcome the status quo and to move with safe steps toward the future of both countries, certainly with the concrete commitment of the international community and the Contact Group, according to Epoka e Re.

Mr. Thaçi, you said that the Contact Group would advance the process of Kosovo's political status. However, the Albanian-Serb dialogue isn't related to political status, but to certain technical issues…
In my opinion, there can be only political and not technical issues between Prishtina and Belgrade. We can call the processes whatever we like, but everything between Prishtina and Belgrade is political. The fact that the Contact Group has met to discuss this process shows the high level of seriousness that the Contact Group is showing for this sensitive issue. From the Kosovar point of view, this problem can seem easy, but we must understand that there are several factors that will determine the future of Kosovo. I am optimistic that the people of Kosovo are going to determine the future of the country through referendum and in the end it is going to be the independence of Kosovo.

So you are claiming that the independence of Kosovo will be resolved with the beginning of Albanian-Serb talks?
I don't think that the independence is going to be achieved through talks or dialogue, but I am optimistic that the international community will recognize the democratic reality in due time, because of the fact that an independent reality is being created in Kosovo everyday. If we are going to wait for Serbia to recognize the independence of Kosovo, then this is an unachievable dream, or if Belgrade expects Kosovo to give up on independence.

Mr. Thaçi, where do you see yourself, your political party and the Albanian side in general on the eve of talks with Serbia?
We have a coalition government and co-responsibility in the executive of Kosovo. I think that it is of special importance to start building an internal consensus, first inter-Albanian and then inter-Kosovar, in order not have Albanian-Serb talks but talks between Kosovars and Belgrade Serbs, in order to show the world that we are building an independent and democratic Kosovo where all citizens will have equal rights. No one needs to fear the progress of Kosovo's political status, the independence of Kosovo, because it is not going to be independent only for Albanian citizens, but we are going to build a civic democracy.

Therefore, independence is something that cannot be negotiated and there can be no compromise on this issue?
No one has the right to make compromises on independence, and if someone tries to do so he will fail, because the will of the people of Kosovo is more powerful than the aspirations of any Kosovar politicians.

Therefore, you have determined the platform for the independence of Kosovo in the announced talks?
I think that the will of Kosovar citizens is very clear to both Kosovar institutions and the democratic world. There will be no compromise on Kosovo's political status, and it should be non-negotiable and recognized internationally. But even we in Kosovo must build the reality of the recognition of independence.

Shala: The local victims of a dialogue (Zëri)
In a front-page editorial for Zëri, Blerim Shala wrote that 'the issue of dialogue between Kosovar and Serbian representatives, which is expected to be clarified by the Contact Group in New York on Tuesday, has truly brought to the surface the numerous deficiencies in the functioning of local authorities'.

If talks with Belgrade are really delicate and problematic, as it is being claimed by all Kosovar officials and politicians, then the government is right when it makes the request to the Kosovo Assembly to take a stand regarding these talks. But the latest assembly session revealed the fact that the assembly has turned into a debating club, where people can say whatever they want and in the end not know what the value of this internal Kosovar dialogue actually is.

It seems that sometimes our politicians think they are lucky enough to have the international administration that they can blame for problematic cases, such as dialogue with Serbia.

Whatever the talks with Serbia, they are going to have consequences for Kosovo's political scene if Kosovar officials enter these talks the way they plan to. These talks will probably serve to launch the first phase of the election campaign in Kosovo.

The biggest victim of dialogue with Serbia could be the Kosovo Government.

Epoka e Re forbidden from Dubrava Prison without explanation
Epoka e Re called the decision to ban the paper from Dubrava prison by the authority that heads prison an 'arbitrary and illegal act'. 'We have not received any decision by the Kosovo public prosecutor or any announcement from the courts,' says Fehmi Baftiu, the paper's legal representative. 'We will file charges against the leading authority of Dubrava prison and ask for compensation regarding the illegal ban,' he said, and added that the ban contravenes international conventions.

What does CDHRF say?
Ibrahim Makolli, a senior official at the Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) told Epoka e Re that the council was not aware of the ban, but Makolli added that 'if it is true, then this is unacceptable because prisoners ought not be denied the right to information'.

Makolli adds that a newspaper cannot be banned from prisoners without the prior decision of a competent body that it has violated the journalistic code. 'If this is true, then Dubrava prison authorities have violated a norm, because in no way can prisoners be denied the right to information,' he said.

UNMIK claims to know nothing!
Epoka e Re's correspondent in Istog, Rifat Sadikaj, tried to communicate with the director of Dubrava prison but he only managed to do so through a phone in Gate 2. 'For such a visit, you have to report to the information office at the Department of Justice in Prishtina,' Dubrava prison director Geoffrey Chester reportedly told the journalist.

Epoka e re says it tried to contact the director of Kosovo prisons as well, but according to the director's secretary, this requires a written request that would explain the reason for the meeting and the director would then decide whether he is ready for such a meeting or not.

According to members of security at the Directorate of Kosovo Prisons, there is no spokesperson or media officer in this institution. Thus, it seems, according to the paper, that prison heads are hiding of their face from the public.

UNMIK spokeswoman Izabella Karlowicz reportedly said that UNMIK is not informed about the ban on this newspaper.

Note: Epoka e Re also published an editorial by Editor-in Chief Muhamet Mavraj, which included the following statement:
'UNMIK police knows clearly from me that we know about the serious crimes committed by them, which we have not published, simply because of the serious events during the summer and for the sake of criminal investigations. But if they continue to treat us like this, I will publish them in the near future.'

Viti expects sports hall as reward for weapons hand-in (Zëri)
Zëri reported that Kosovo Assembly member Kolë Berisha and Berim Ramosaj, advisor to Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova on economic issues, visited the municipality of Viti/Vitina yesterday. Municipal officials briefed Berisha and Ramosaj on the overall political and economic situation in the municipality.

Musa Misini, chairman of the Viti/Vitina Municipal Assembly, briefed Berisha and Ramosaj on the work that the municipal leadership was doing to have functioning institutions and also informed them about concrete projects in the municipality.

Misini promised that his team would achieve successes in advancing public services, 'and we expect that our citizens are going to fulfill their obligations, for example, pay their property taxes as the only current revenue of the municipality'. According to Misini, members of the Serb minority don't fulfill their civic obligations and they don't pay their property taxes. 'They also don't pay for municipal services. Regardless of this, we as a municipal leadership are determined to do more for the economic development of ethnically-mixed areas so that all citizens can feel equal in the new postwar reality,' he added.

Zëri reported that a Serb official had started work in the municipality's Directorate of Finances and Budget, and another two members of the Serb minority were already working in the directorate. 'It was also announced that a representative of the Serb minority would take over the empty seat of the municipal deputy chairman,' the paper added.

Misini said that residents of Viti municipality were willing to assist UNDP, KFOR and UNMIK's initiative for handing over weapons. 'By handing in their weapons, they are going to contribute to a safer environment,' said Misini, 'This is why the municipality of Viti is currently leading Kosovo in this action. The successful implementation of this action also implies the initiative to build a sports hall.'

Berisha encouraged the municipal leadership in its work and added that the integration of non-Albanian minorities in municipal authorities was a very good result. 'Therefore, we support you in your work,' he said.

Berisha also praised the work of Viti municipality in collecting property taxes and called on minorities to support the same activities.

Ramosaj also had words of praise for the work of municipal authorities and added that the presidency and other structures were willing to support economic initiatives for development in municipalities. Ramosaj also added that in this respect attractive programs would take priority.

Cernica shouldn't be punished collectively, perpetrators must be found (Zëri)
Zëri reported that local and international leaders visited Cernica with the purpose of diminishing interethnic tensions.

Since the end of the war, Cernica, an [ethnically] mixed village of Albanian and Serbian population, has been facing interethnic incidents. As a result, this village was brought under control, while the recent incident in which a Serb citizen died and four others were injured has brought back the feelings of insecurity again. This was the reason why the Gjilan municipal leadership, UNMIK officials, KFOR and UNMIK Police and KPS officials met in Cernica with Albanian leaders in order to help in reducing the tensions and to restore confidence among the communities after such a tragic incident occurred a few days ago. The president of Gjilan Municipality, Lutfi Haziri, said that the Cernica tragic case has not only harmed interethnic relations in this village, but has also created a bad image of the municipality among the public and of Gjilan municipality, which was evaluated as the best example in Kosovo of tolerance and cooperation among the communities. He and the official visitors demanded that Cernica village representatives assist the police with all information available to help find the perpetrators. UNMIK police officer Charley Geeri is in charge of the investigation in this case. He said he could not give any details because the investigations are underway. He added that the police are following few clues that may possibly lead to the perpetrator. In order to solve this case as fast as possible, he offered the villagers a phone number through which they contact police 24-hours a day and their identity will remain confidential for all information provided.

Cernica villagers say that they are willing to work together with Serbs for the benefit of all, while Mehmet Vranoci said that the Serb leadership from Cernica should participate in this meeting. Some people like Nijazi Zeqiri said not to prejudge the guilty ones and not to arrest innocent people.

'It is possible that someone saw something about the incident that happened here, but they are Serbs because the time and place where the crime happened is not frequented by Albanians,' Zeqiri was quoted as saying, while the police did not exclude the possibility of considering some people with a problematic background, but they said that everything would be looked at in detail.

Colonel Alen Ponsini, commander of Camp Monteith in Gjilan, at this meeting with the Cernica village leadership, called it a positive step and said that Cernica's problems cannot be solved either by KFOR or UNMIK Police, but by the people that live there. UNMIK representative for communities, Zerihum Elmaz, said that in these tragic cases, it is obligation of the village's majority leadership to visit their Serb neighbors, who were suffering in this moment regarding what has happened to them. For eight months Cernica has had no incidents, so that the international community, who set aside this village, decided to begin the first projects for improving the infrastructure.

The advisor to the Gjilan municipal assembly, Enver Bllaca, who is a resident of Cernica, said that we should consider that different emissaries are coming to Cernica who are working to create divisions and factions as well. They promises separate schools to Serbs even in the presence of UNMIK representatives, while they call Albanians enemies. Therefore, Bllaca demanded that Serbian envoys be prohibited entrance to Cernica, who do not like a safe Cernica.

Gjilan municipal deputy president Xhemajl Hyseni, who is also deputy of the LDK branch in Gjilan, said that nobody has the right to create hypotheses about people if the perpetrators are unknown. He wanted to call the attention of the participants in this meeting to the fact that although bad things had happened, four years ago the majority population agreed to live with the Serb minority in Cernica despite all the bad things that had happened here. He said that this had not suited somebody and that for four years they worked for this [rapprochement] not to happen and to undermine all the engagements of locals and internationals.

President Haziri said that Cernica should not be punished collectively, not be kept blocked and put under curfew by the police, as happened before, just because somebody is causing problems here, and he also invited the leaders again to help find the perpetrators. He added that nobody had more to lose than the Albanians in this case.

Another meeting has been announced for Cernica, but this time with the leaders of the Serbian community, in order to return life to normal and so that village does not feel blocked because of the incidents which are still unsolved.

Miftari: About the day when Albanians will complain to Enver B. that the elevator is broke
Koha Ditore carried an opinion piece by Naser Miftari, who wrote:

Enver B. comes to my apartment on the first day of every month. He is the person that collects five euros for an elevator that works for only the first three or four days of the month.

On the other 27 to28 days, the members of more than 70 families go up and down the stairs and one thinks that they are dying while climbing up the building without lights, and most of them climb 9, 10, 11 and 12 floors, after they work for maybe 12 hours a day.

Similar to the elevator that many people call 'Enver's elevator', that is more or less the way that everything else is functioning in Kosovo, ever since we started the parallel system in the beginning of the 1990's against Serbia, and which we have been continuing against ourselves ever since the end of the war, four years ago. 'Some pay and some don't,' says Enver, pointing out his truth as to why the elevator doesn't work. The important thing is that on the fifth of every month and until the first of the next month, the people have no elevator. But Enver doesn't say this because he doesn't have the mandate for this, and I don't know why this reminds me of our authorities. In other words, they tell only one side of the truth, the one that protects their part of the job. How long this will continue, both with Enver and with them, I don't know.

I know that I am extremely surprised when I see people climbing up 12 floors. After all, there is no other way to do it, unless they have catapults. Sometimes I try to read in the eyes of my neighbors if they made the payment or not. And this happens to be extremely difficult to find out. Because both the ones that have made the payments and the ones that have not, climb the stairs in silence.

I am also surprised and concerned by the fact that none of them moans or complains; they simply walk bow-headed and don't say a thing…

I have given this much thought and I have reached the conclusion that Albanians, not only the ones living in this building with a broken elevator, but also all the others, simply don't complain. The elevator is known to belong to Enver. I think that they wouldn't complain even if Enver thought about selling the elevator or bringing it into his sleeping room, because in the opinion of these people, the thing that is social is something that doesn't necessarily belong to him too. And slowly people have started to look like someone that doesn't live here anymore. I don't think the day will come when Albanians will complain to Enver that the elevator doesn't work.

And it is quite difficult to put your head into everybody else's mind and to think about what they are thinking to themselves while climbing to the 12th floor. It isn't worth constructing buildings higher than three apartments. People in New York buy apartments on higher floors because it is cheaper! I am starting to think that all they think about is how to offer themselves a solution that would not force them to get so tired. Possibly a ground floor that would send us back to the parallel system of the ground floor. It would be hard for someone to believe that by fixing the elevator and the issue of electricity they would have more reason to live in skyscrapers.

And in such a situation there can only be some religious enthusiasts, who would think that living in the 12th floor means being closer to God. I don't see another reason for someone to live in the 12th floor, and this is more or less defining everyone's way of thinking. The elevator can be the smallest element in the daily lives of Albanians, in Prishtina, in Kosovo, and everywhere… However, our daily lives are being built in silence, without noise and complaints. No one asks questions about anything anymore. Why don't we have electricity, why don't we have an elevator, why don't we have water…

We simply know everything, say some school teachers when answers are nowhere to be found.

VALA 900 is very expensive and offers very little (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore carried a report about services that Kosovo mobile operator VALA 900 offers to its clients.

At a time when phone messages were exchanged within the VALA 900 operator, each subscriber could send message to his relatives around the world, but this happened for only two weeks. 'The PTK boar decided to stop all written message exchanges, except those within the VALA 900 operator,' said the PTK board member under the promise of full anonymity. He added that reason for this is very simple and at same time very banal.

'Our clients are not calling countries abroad, they are using only messages and in this way we are not producing a profit,' was given as the reason to stop messaging abroad. The same source claims that for the two weeks they generated same revenues as with phone calls.

'Regarding the higher prices for one minute to talk abroad, everybody is giving up using the phone and they usually use landlines or a phone booth,' the paper's source was quoted as saying, calling it a mistaken decision to block exchanges of messages abroad.

None of the regional operators prohibit their clients from the right of exchanging SMS in order to force them to make phone calls. On the contrary, prices of the SMS are very cheap, which stimulates this form of communication.

For possible changes in this policy, KTA should be consulted. 'When the possibility of diminishing revenues is mentioned, people from the KTA react very harshly, regardless of whether there is a good analysis or not, by refusing every kind of project,' concluded the paper's 'reliable source'.

Ibrahim Rexhepi: About the Drini insurance company (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore carried an opinion piece by Ibrahim Rexhepi who commented on the recent economic developments in Kosovo.

The news that came from an anonymous source is that the Drini Insurance Company is selling 51% of its shares. But it was confirmed that it had nothing to sell, even more, that they did not pay the necessary €2,500,000 to get a license from the Banking and Payment Authority.

The problem now is not with the Drini Insurance Company. In fact, it had a license and they sold 8,000 insurance policies. The BPK is the authority that must explain this anomaly or explain how easy is to get a license for such a delicate business, for something that is directly connected with the citizens.

In other words, the Drini case proves that you can have not a single cent in your pockets and make a request to the BPK and get your license. Later on, you will sell the insurance policies, collect money from the citizens, and, in the end, the BPK will take control of the company.

According to the regulation, regardless of what happens, the insured are not affected. A source to compensate them will be found. Assets from that business could be used, half of which the company is obliged to deposit with the BPK.

In this case, BPK is delayed. They could have better solutions, amongst which the best one is to not give licenses to companies that do not meet the criteria. By so doing, it will preserve its image as an institution for licenses and supervision and also that it is able to provide a safe market.

It is horrific when you hear from responsible persons in Kosovo's economy that public companies, such as KEK, PTK, Prishtina Airport, do not exist on a legal basis. It means that they could work, create a significant position for the economy and residents, but the law doesn't say what they are and whom they represent.

But what will happen if, for example, the house caught on fire because of the higher voltage?

Another example: Who should be responsible if an airplane crashes at the Prishtina airport?

If such a case happens, it will be easy for the courts to say that the guilty party doesn't exist at all.

Tragically, this is happening four years after the war is over, four years after the creation, development and building of legal and institutional infrastructure.

When everybody was thinking that everything was going along normally, when the basis for a safe future was being created, we face cases that we couldn't even imagine.

Everything proves that Kosovo is still swimming in anarchy, but not only due to the guilt of the Kosovars.

In order to create other circumstances, we face the problem of the competencies again. If in the Drini case the sole responsibility belongs to the BPK, work is getting complicated when it comes to the public enterprises. It belongs to the KTA, UNMIK Pillar IV and the Kosovo Government and Assembly to adopt laws on this topic. Resolution of this dilemma will accelerate work for the adoption of laws.

Extension of this chaos will cost our economic development a lot. Considering this situation, each future investor will think about whether to invest in this market or not. He will think about the fact that none of the public enterprises has defined its status. What should a person do whose business fails because of the lack of electricity, lack of communication and lack of water?

Therefore, stories about sustainable economic development begin to seem unserious.

Editorial: Bread (Kosova Sot)
Kosova Sot commented on the new price of bread and its impact on the life of ordinary citizens.

1. The bakeries decided to take away an additional ten cents from hundreds and thousands of Kosovar bread buyers. Considering that wheat is primarily imported from Serbia, while the domestic harvest this year were catastrophically small, businesses that produce wheat products have not been patriotic and have decided to burden the poorer families. At the end of the day, this is a market economy and nobody can dictate, offer and request. But price increases have intensified with the implementation of the new European currency [euro], by causing horrific living conditions, while the revenues per capita are very low. Bread is more expensive, coffee is more expensive, a hamburger was sometimes DM2, while now is 30% percent more expensive…

2. The government is very busy with the issue of the dialogue. Perhaps it has forgotten to prevent increases in the price of bread. On the other hand, the Kosovo Assembly does not even think about putting on agenda the economic and social crisis. For the deputies, it is important to speak about rhetoric and politics, rather then to speak about resident's problems. This indifference is so big, so the Assembly Presidency says that is not reasonable to discuss about this issue in the next session.

3. Surely the Contact Group did not discuss the price of bread in Kosovo. They discussed the place where Albanians and Serbs will meet, who will mediate, what are the forms of pressure to convince entities to seat around the table and same things that have been repeated thousands time. Regardless of the importance of these talks, Kosovo's citizens required better living conditions. It is exactly that the standard which never is talked about, which is also not included in the famous Steiner theory.

4. All these things will be resolved by Kosovo's status. It is talked about too much, but nothing is done. By returning to bread again, we think that until the status issue is resolved, who knows how much the price of bread will be …

Belgrade Media Update

Contact Group backs Holkeri dialogue plan (B92)
The Contact Group last night agreed that the first direct talks between Belgrade and Pristina should begin in Vienna in the middle of next month. The Contact Group, which consists of the US, Russia, France, Germany, the UK and Italy, met during last night's UN General Assembly meeting. European Union representatives were also present.
A statement issued after the meeting called for practical steps to improve the quality of life in Kosovo and reiterated that the international community would not tolerate attempts to pre-empt Kosovo's final status. There has been no direct contact between Belgrade and Pristina since NATO spent three months bombing Yugoslavia in 1999, after which the province was placed under a UN protectorate. The Contact Group emphasized the need to deal with 'standards before status', establishing good government and building trust and reconciliation before addressing the sensitive issue of the final status of the province.
Serbia-Montenegro Foreign Minister Goran Svilanovic said last night that Holkeri had told him that the initial round of talks would be between Belgrade and Pristina officials at the highest level. After that, Svilanovic told B92, discussions would continue between various working groups. 'We expect the Kosovo delegation to also included Serb representatives and ministers within the Kosovo Government, with consultants supplied by UNMIK. 'We have a platform for these talks. Our team will be headed by Kosovo Coordination Centre chief Nebojsa Covic and we are preparing for the dialogue,' said Svilanovic. 'Covic told B92 that the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade should be one phase in the process of meeting the standards for discussion of the province's final status. 'In this dialogue there is no room for discussion of the finals status, so this issue should be put aside. 'I expect the most senior officials to attend the first meeting because I see that all sides have various concerns. 'The problem of Kosovo is not the problem of any one individual, and nor should it be treated as a hot potato,' said Covic.
Holkeri has indicated that he will announce a starting date for the talks after consultations with EU officials. At the Contact Group meeting, he insisted that the Kosovo delegation must be multi-ethnic, that the Serb delegation take part in the dialogue, that he will be chairman and that representatives of the Contact Group, the EU, NATO and the US should attend.

Marovic and Holkeri on dialogue opening (Tanjug)
Following the Contact Group meeting in New York on Tuesday, Serbia and Montenegro President Svetozar Marovic met with UNMIK Chief Harri Holkeri, who informed Marovic that he expects a dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina to start in mid-October and to be held in Vienna with a participation of representatives of the international community, including the European Union. At their Tuesday meeting, political directors of the Contact Group (U.S.A, Russia, Great Britain, France, Italy and Germany), with the participation of UNMIK Chief Harri Holkeri, supported the initiative for the opening of a dialogue by mid-October.

Kosovo repatriates seek help from Serbia (SRNA)
Residents of Serb villages in Kosovo's Klina municipality have asked for assistance from Serbia in order to 'make a living from work and not from humanitarian aid'.
'We want help from Serbia, not from the NGOs and the Red Cross,' said local leader Golub Doncic. Despite constant promises from Belgrade's Kosovo Coordination Centre, no assistance has been received from Serbia, he said. 'Because of the delay in building a school we have sent our schoolchildren back to Serbia, which means we've postponed mass repatriations for another year. 'The people who are most responsible for this are our representatives in the Coordination Centre who spend absolutely no time here,' said Doncic. The chairman of the Serbian Parliament's Kosovo Committee, Momcilo Trajkovic, ahs told the Klina residents he will intervene to ensure they receive assistance as soon as possible. He also called on UNMIK and KFOR to improve security conditions in the region, which he described as a prerequisite for repatriations. Trajkovic also underlined that the issue of refugee returns was one for Belgrade, because this was the only way to keep a grip on Kosovo. A six-strong delegation from the Serbian Parliament today visited the villages of Bica and Grabac for the first time since the UN mission was deployed in the province in 1999. In that time only ninety Serbs have returned to the villages.

OSCE warns of potential violence in Kosovo (SRNA)
The head of the Pristina OSCE mission's Democratization Division, Friedhelm Frishenschlager, said today that new violence could erupt in Kosovo at any time. Frishenschlager, who is a former Austrian foreign minister, said that attacks such as the slaying of Serb children in Gorazdevac, were in fact aimed against the international community. 'The extremist forces want the international community to withdraw from Kosovo,' he told media in Vienna, adding that some Albanians also wanted Serbs out of Kosovo. 'The Serb side doesn't see itself as an ethnic minority, although Serbs make up only six per cent of the Kosovo population and all Serbs returning to Kosovo are strictly against autonomy,' said Frishenschlager.

Marovic meets with Bush (RTS)
SCG President Svetozar Marovic spoke with US President George W. Bush today in New York. Marovic and Bush spoke at the reception organized by the US President for the heads of states participating in the work of the 58th session of the UN General Assembly. President of SCG is to meet twice with the US Secretary of State Colin Powell. Besides a bilateral meeting with Powell, Marovic is also expected to attend a meeting of the heads of the Balkan countries with the US State Secretary, which is to address the fight against terrorism.

· Main Stories 24 September
· Talks in Vienna by mid-October, status issue untouchable (Koha)
· DPKO chief Guehenno/SRSG Holkeri discuss UNMIK (Zëri)
· Morina, Brovina, Todorovic - Kosovar candidates for talks (Kosova Sot)
· Why is independence more realistic option according to a western capital?
· Thaçi: Kosovo's independence is non-negotiable (Epoka e Re)
· Mihajlova: Kosovo's independence is stability factor in the region (Koha)
· Daci's Cabinet: Pristina will agree to Contact Group's request for talks (Zëri)
· Spahija: Some have become collaborators with Serb extremists (Koha)
· Is someone trying to create a Serb municipality in Fushë Kosovë? (Zëri)
· Lambsdorff: Too early for changes in fiscal policies (Koha Ditore)
· Shala: The local victims of dialogue (Zëri)
· Higher price of bread announces serious social crisis in Kosovo (Zëri)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Talks in Vienna by mid-October, status cannot even be addressed (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports that six countries of the Contact Group gave the green light to SRSG Harri Holkeri's plan for the start of dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade, agreeing that the first meeting should be held by mid-October in Vienna. However, they gave no special recommendations on whether delegations should be led by prime ministers or other officials.

Koha Ditore also reports that Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi and inter-ministerial coordinator Todorovic said that Holkeri contacted them by phone from New York and told them that the Contact Group had agreed with his plan.

DPKO's Guehenno, Harri Holkeri talk about UN mission in Kosovo (Zëri)
Zëri reports that the UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri met yesterday with the head of the UN Department for Peacekeeping Operations in New York, Jean Marie Guehenno.

Citing information provided by UNMIK officials, Zëri reports that Holkeri and Guehenno talked about the current situation in Kosovo, the road ahead and the practical issues related to the UN's mission in Kosovo.

Morina, Brovina, Todorovic - Kosovar candidates for talks (Kosova Sot)
Kosova Sot cites its sources as saying that Kosovar the delegation for talks with Belgrade could include: Minister for Transport and Communications Zef Morina; Flora Brovina, the chairperson of the Kosovo Assembly Committee on Missing Persons; and Milorad Todorovic, on the issue of return of IDPs.

Why is independence a more realistic option according to a western capital?
Citing western diplomatic sources, Zëri claims that 2005 should be the crucial year to resolve the final status of Kosovo.

Zëri claims that only one western government has prepared possible proposals for the status of Kosovo, and that 'the most realistic chances are related to Kosovo's independence according to 1794 borders'. [more in Media Analysis]

Thaçi: Kosovo's independence is non-negotiable (Epoka e Re)
Epoka e Re reports that during an interview for the BBC, PDK leader Hashim Thaçi said he believes the people of Kosovo will decide on the future of Kosovo through referendum.

Thaçi said that there would be no compromise on Kosovo's political status, and in his opinion the independence of Kosovo should be non-negotiable and recognized internationally.

Mihajlova: Kosovo's independence is stability factor in the region (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports that the former chief of Bulgarian diplomacy, Nadezda Mihajlova said that an independent status for Kosovo would bring stability to the Western Balkans. 'Stability in Serbia-Bosnia and Herzegovina-Croatia and Serbia-Macedonia-Kosovo relations can be secured through the independence of Kosovo,' he added.

Daci's cabinet: Pristina will agree to Contact Group's request for talks (Zëri)
Zëri reports officials from Kosovo Assembly speaker Nexhat Daci's office as saying that Kosovar institutions must accept the start of technical talks with Belgrade if this is required by the Contact Group.

Ramush Tahiri, Daci's political advisor, told Zëri that 'it is the task of Kosovar institutions to accept dialogue and to prove that they are capable of resolving certain practical issues in a diplomatic manner.' [more in Media Analysis]

Spahija: Some have become collaborators with Serb extremists (Koha Ditore)
Faruk Spahija, President of the Mitrovica Municipal Assembly, has accused certain individuals at UNMIK Police of cooperating with Serb extremists 'who are interested in inciting violence in northern Mitrovica,' Koha Ditore reported.

'A special responsibility for this falls on the head of the UNMIK administration in the north, Ramish Abishek, and the behavior and actions of the commander of the northern station, Joe Napolitano,' Spahija added.

Bota Sot quotes Spahija as saying that UNMIK has failed to offer a proper reaction to the deployment of the 'Bridge Watchers' in the Kodra e Minatoreve [Miners' Hill] area of north Mitrovica where Albanians are in the majority. [more in Media Analysis]

Is someone trying to create a Serb municipality in Fushë Kosovë? (Zëri)
Citing a reliable source close to developments in the Serb community in Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje, Zëri reports that Serbs are working toward declaring their own parallel municipality there.

Asked to comment on the issue, MA President Skender Zogaj was quoted as saying, 'If the Serb side takes the step toward creating a parallel municipality, from the minute of the declaration, we will not be responsible for the security of Serb citizens in our municipality.'

MA Vice-President Milan Djekic said he was certain they were not working to create a separate Serb municipality. 'I haven't heard anything like that and that means that something like that doesn't exist.' [more in Media Analysis]

Lambsdorff: Too early for changes in fiscal policies (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore carried a report from the meeting between the UNMIK Pillar IV Head Nikolaus Lambsdorff and senior officials from the Kosovo Chamber of Commerce. 'We have started to review the system of customs duties and taxes, but I think that there is no urgent need to make quick decisions,' Lambsdorff was quoted as saying.

Koha Ditore also quoted KCC chairman Ismajl Kastrati as saying, 'The time toward which we are advancing in terms of Kosovo's economy requires UNMIK, the government and all institutions to deal more with the issue of economic problems and less with security issues.'

Shala: The local victims of a dialogue (Zëri)
'If talks with Belgrade are really delicate and problematic, as it is being claimed by all Kosovar officials and politicians, then the government is right when it makes the request to the Kosovo Assembly to take a stand regarding these talks. But the latest assembly session revealed the fact that the assembly has turned into a debating club, where people can say whatever they want and in the end not know what is the value of this internal Kosovar dialogue,' writes Blerim Shala in an editorial for Zëri.

'It seems that sometimes our politicians think they are lucky enough to have the international administration that they can blame for problematic cases, such as dialogue with Serbia,' Shala added. [full translation in Media Analysis]

Higher price of bread announces serious social crisis in Kosovo (Zëri)
Zëri reports that an internal agreement between the members of the Association of Bakers in Prishtina has led to a situation where citizens are going to pay 40 cents for one loaf of bread.

Officials of the Ministry of Agriculture told the paper that the increase of 10 percent was reasonable, and the same officials added that 40 cents for one loaf of bread was completely unreasonable.

Zëri reports that after the growing prices, UNMIK has agreed with the request of the Kosovo Government to drop the price of wheat and flour from customs; however, agricultural experts claim that this won't help solve the problem.

Kosovo Press Headlines
Koha Ditore
Front page
· Dialogue in Vienna in mid-October, status issue untouchable
· Judicial Faculty students are called 'cattle' by their professors
· Robertson: Criminals should be arrested, but with proportional use of force
· Video records show Ivanovic, his lawyers call it a fake
· Mihajlova: Kosovo's independence is a stable element in the region
· Four dead and seven injured in an accident

Other headlines
· Xhevat Ademi arrested and later released (2)
· Regional cooperation short route to integration (3)
· Some people have become collaborators with Serb extremists (3)
· Ministry of Education: School without licenses will be closed (4)
· It is time to know who is using Prishtina airport? (4)
· Albanian and Serb youths conduct dialogue in Berlin (5)
· Kosovars attempt to improve welfare of children (5)
· SRSG appoints Slovenian expert to review law on officials documents access
· Lambsdorff: It is early to change fiscal policy (6)
· Conference on privatization in Vienna (6)
· Recommendation to shorten length of studies at Medicine Faculty (6)
· Commander Arusha a suspect in several killings in Kosovo (7)
· Lawyers offer €1,000,000 caution in Bojku case [Macedonia] (7)
· Gjilan: It is necessary to diminish tensions after killing of Serb (8)
· Rahovec: Few directorates have Serbian workers (8)
· Albanian children still out of school (8)
· Gjakova: Roads are in very grave condition (9)
· Istog: Another 1,265 houses need to be built (9)
· Miftari: Day when Albanians complain to Enver B. that elevator is broke (10)
· Manastir will decide fate of Macedonia (10)

Economy Section
· Ibrahim Rexhepi: About Drini Insurance Company
· IES: Mitrovica, town that is dying
· VALA 900 is very expensive and offers little
· Airport has €12 million in its account

Zëri
Front page
· Why is independence a real option according to a western capital?
· Contact Group says to begin dialogue in mid-October in Vienna
· Shala: Internal victims of a dialogue
· Clark achieves same popularity as Bush
· Daci's Office: Prishtina will accept demand for dialogue
· Who is trying to establish a Serbian municipality in Fushe Kosova?
· Lindholm: Demaçi had no entrance visa for Austria
· Breaking news: Four dead and ten injured in an accident

Other headlines
· First privatization conference was held in Vienna (2)
· Commission investigating incident at Dubrava begins work today (2)
· Who is demanding money on behalf of AKSH in Kosovo? (2)
· Bulgaria is preparing to accept UNMIK travel documents (2)
· Holkeri and Mari Geno talk about mission in Kosovo (3)
· Three-member panel on law for access on official documents (3)
· Increase in bread price announces a deep social crisis in Kosovo (4)
· 24 enterprises are sent for privatization (6)
· Grand Hotel will be privatized in November (6)
· UNMIK won't rush to change fiscal policy (6)
· Video records show defendant throwing stones (7)
· UNDP: Unresolved status is not a reason not to hand in weapons (7)
· Moisiu and Trajkovski call for implementation of Ohrid Agreement (7)
· Robertson: Breza was a lession for everybody in Macedonia (7)
· Kosovo's children should have equal rights (7)
· Ministry of Public Services is not responsible for Rilindja archives (8)
· Cernica shouldn't be punished collectively, perpetrators must be found (9)
· KFOR checks every entrance to Debellde (9)
· Viti expects sports hall as reward for weapons hand-in (9)
· Road between Mitrovica and Podujevo a priority next year (9)
· Spahija: 'Bridge Watchers' staying in houses bought by Serbian govt (10)

Bota Sot
Front page
· Recruiting, creation of funds on behalf of AKSH is crime
· Bulgaria is interested in opening a representative office
· Spahija: No adequate UNMIK reaction toward 'Bridge Watchers'
· Detention of Commander Arusha will lead to perpetrators
· FYROM is going backwards
· All Serbian massacres
· Are people who buy Zëri and Koha Ditore rightwing?
· My arrest had a political motivation
· Where did Jakup Krasniqi make his mistake?

Other headlines
· Kosovo govt requires recognition of UNMIK travel docs by Bulgaria (2)
· Kosovo representation (2)
· Strong municipality, great support to implement Kosovo's independence (2)
· Vienna: Conference about privatization in Kosovo (3)
· World Bank wants to be partner in developing Kosovo (3)
· Assistance for Mitrovica (3)
· Countries that comprise UNMIK do not recognize its travel documents (4)
· Contact Group discusses Kosovo (5)
· Buçpapaj: Why Albanians respect Powell and Clark but not Moisiu (5)
· Ajeti: International justice shouldn't tolerate crimes by Serbian criminals (6)
· Kosovo was always Albanian (7)
· Former US President Clinton honored Prishtina and its citizens (8)
· There is no reason to increase price of bread (8)
· Military mission to be replaced by police mission [Macedonia] (10)
· Robertson: Skopje should learn lesson from Breze (10)

Kosova Sot
Front page
· Morina, Brovina and Todorovic candidates for dialogue with Belgrade
· Rugova and Rexhepi do not know how to spend money
· Dialogue begins in Vienna in October
· Archives and funds, hostages to the dialogue
· Four dead and eleven persons injured in an accident
· Hand in weapons, win $225,000
· KEK demands surplus, spent big money on propaganda
· Editorial: Bread

Other headlines
· To recognize independence and travel documents (2)
· Rugova: One day, member of World Bank (2)
· Gashi: Americans to mediate (2)
· Daci absent, meeting fails (3)
· Slovenian Pavlin discusses complaints from Serbs (4)
· UNMIK travel document causes problem (4)
· Draga: Making border area part of Europe (5)
· Fatmir Limaj deserves assistance from our people (6)
· Video records as material evidence (6)
· KPS should help citizens to prevent crimes in Kosovo (6)
· Grand Hotel will be privatized in November (7)
· Serbian Telecom interferes illegally in Kosovo (8)
· What are benefits and possibilities of investing in Kosovo? (8)
· UNMIK does not rush to change fiscal policy (8)
· A tender that caused chaos (8)
· Everything is politicized in Kosovo (9)
· Illiteracy level in Kosovo is 21% (9)
· Unlicensed schools have no right to operate (9)
· Consumers: There is no reason for higher price (10)

Epoka e Re
Front page
· Dialogue in Vienna in three weeks
· Seventeen artists sing for Limaj
· Epoka e Re is prohibited at Dubrava prison without reason
· Mavraj: There goes another UNMIK stupidity…
· PDK: Eqrem Kryeziu to be dismissed from his post
· Bread costs 40 cents
· Qosja: They took nothing from Kosovo and gave everything for it
· Accident: Four dead and ten injured

Other headlines
· Thaçi: Indepence is non-negotiable (2)
· Support for Limaj Fund (5)
· Dialogue is close, Kosovo institutions are nowhere (6)
· US seriously discussed separation of Kosovo and elimination of Milosevic (6)
· Mihajlova: Kosovo's independence makes Balkan stable (6)
· This is how Demaçi was stopped in Vienna (7)
· In Vienna, KTA presents possibilities for investments (8)
· Unlicensed schools have no right to advertise (8)
· Children's rights should be everybody's responsibility (8)
· Spahija accuses UNMIK Police of cooperating with Serbian extremists (9)
· Cernica shouldn't be punished collectively (10)
· Kosovar institutions are irresponsible towards will of citizens (11)

Belgrade Media Highlights

· Holkeri tries to ensure dialogue starts at level of PMs (Glas/Beta)
· Marovic expects Contact Group to set date for start of dialogue (Glas/Fonet)
· Mini visits Visoki Decani (Blic)
· Batic discusses indictments against KLA leaders (Balkan)
· Rasim Ljajic's interview (Vecernje Novosti/Tanjug)
· Momcilo Trajkovic: Serbs in both delegations (Vecernje Novosti)
· Trial of SNC leaders continues (Danas/Beta)
· UNMIK Police fine drivers of vehicles without KS license plates (RTS)
· Bus with children from Gorazdevac stoned (Politika)
· Kosovo Agency presents new investment possibilities (Danas/Beta)

Holkeri tries to ensure dialogue to start at level of PMs (Glas/Beta)
Koha Ditore cites sources in UNMIK as saying that in today's meeting with the Contact Group, UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri will try to ensure the participation of the Kosovo PM Bajram Rexhepi and the Serbian PM Zoran Zivkovic at the initial meeting of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue on the technical issues.

Marovic expects from Contact Group to set the date for the beginning of the dialogue (Glas/Fonet)
SaM President Svetozar Marovic told BBC that he expects from the Contact Group and the Chief of UNMIK Harri Holkeri to set the date for the beginning of dialogue with Pristina. "The thing that I expect from today's meeting with Holkeri is, of course, to definitely set the date for the beginning of the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. Our side is ready to start with it right away and to truly focus the dialogue on things that are in effect on the basis of Resolution 1244. It would be good for the optimism that Holkeri has been conveying to all sides interested in solving the problem of Kosovo to result with setting the date for the beginning of the dialogue," said Marovic.

Mini visits Visoki Decani (Blic)
KFOR Commander Fabio Mini, who is to soon leave this post, has visited the Visoki Decani monastery, the Serbian Orthodox Church announced. General Mini expressed during the visit firm resoluteness of the Italian KFOR "to protect and preserve" the monastery as "the large sanctuary that represents the pearl of Christian architecture and art."

Batic discusses indictments against KLA leaders (Balkan)
Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic will visit the ICTY, where he will discuss a take-over of the evidence this court has on the Serbia Telecom scandal. The meetings will focus also on evidence of war crimes committed by former KLA leaders against Kosovo Serbs. They will discuss giving a certain number of trials for war crimes to the courts in Serbia.

Rasim Ljajic's interview (Vecernje Novosti/Tanjug)
SaM Minister for Human and Minority Rights Rasim Ljajic has stated in talks with the presiding of the first working table of the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe Elizabeth Rehn, that extreme forces in Kosovo and Metohija are trying to internationalize the issue of this province with incidents, but that the state is maintaining full stability of the region with measures it is undertaking, and accelerating full integration of Albanians into the institutions of the system, Tanjug reports.

Momcilo Trajkovic: Serbs in both delegations (Vecernje Novosti)
Serb representatives from Kosovo and Metohija should be at the same time in the Serbian state delegation and Kosovo interim institutions for the upcoming Belgrade-Pristina dialogue. Serbs are taking part in the authorities both in Kosovo and Metohija and central Serbia, and it is quite natural for them to be represented in both delegations. The existence of two levels of the participation of Kosovo Serbs would be the real Serbian position. Truly, it is a bigger problem for me as to how the Serbs from Kosovo will be in that delegation of Kosovo interim institutions when they have no joint platform with Albanians. For two years now, our representatives are participating in the Kosovo Assembly, but haven't found so far a joint platform. Still, I expect us to be represented at both levels and I don't see an obstacle to that initiative, SPOT leader Momcilo Trajkovic told Novosti.

Trial to SNC leaders continues (Danas/Beta)
At the trial proceedings against SNC leader for northern Kosovo Milan Ivanovic and chairman of the Council's Municipal Committee, Nebojsa Jovic, in Mitrovica, two key witnesses - US policemen - testified on Tuesday. A video footage of 8 April 2002 was previously shown. Defense counsel Ljubomir Pantovic said that only those sections supporting the prosecution had been selected and added that he would decide on evidence to be presented at court following consultations with other members of teams of lawyers.

UNMIK Police fines drivers of vehicles without Kosovo license plates (RTS)
UNMIK Police has started fining people driving vehicles without KS license plates in the municipality of Leposavic. The President of the Municipal Assembly Velimir Bojovic said that UNMIK Police did not even accept proofs that insurance has been paid for these vehicles. "An agreement on introducing KS license plates in the northern part of Kosovo still has not been reached with the Serbian authorities, i.e. the deal was to postpone the solving of the problem until the final solution was reached. In spite of this, the special UNMIK Police unit came from Pristina to Leposavic and started stopping vehicles, fining and taking away driving licenses from drivers whose vehicles did not have KS license plates," said Bojovic. He added that this has upset the people who felt this as yet another way of exerting pressure on Serbs in northern Kosovo.

Buses with children from Gorazdevac stoned (Politika)
A convoy of three buses with 150 students and 30 teachers and professors of the elementary and high schools from Gorazdevac, who were returning from Belgrade, had been stoned near Rudnik, Srbica municipality, on the Mitrovica-Pec highway. Significant material damage was inflicted, but, luckily, nobody was hurt. Apart from the attacks and daily provocations, Serbs have no intention of leaving the village. Let us recall that Gorazdevac is the only village in the Pec municipality where around 1000 Serbs have not left their homes. In the summer of 1999, around 30,000 Serbs left the Pec district together with the army and members of the Serbian Interior Ministry.

Kosovo Agency presents new investment possibilities (Danas/Beta)
The Kosovo Agency for privatization has presented at the Austrian Chamber of Commerce in Vienna the possibilities for investing in the Kosovo economy. Deputy President of the Kosovo Trust Agency Ahmet Salja has said in his address to numerous Austrian businessmen that the privatization process is very important for Kosovo's future and that not only an inflow of capital is expected from privatization, but also a stimulus for industrial production. Representatives of UNMIK and other international institutions in the region were united in the assessment that the conditions for investing had been created, and that investments were necessary for Kosovo's future.