11 November 2003 Morning Edition

Kosovo News

· Injured Kosovo Serb still in serious condition (Tanjug)
· UNMIK investigators are arriving in Belgrade (Tanjug)
· UNMIK's privatization model to result in Kosovo's independence, (Tanjug)
· Democrats court Kosovo Serbs (Beta)
· Daci refuses Kosovo decentralization proposal (Beta)
· Serbia “essential” for Kosovo privatization (Beta)
· Covic, Schumann urge Belgrade and Pristina to resume dialogue (Serbian Government)
· Covic, Gross discuss organized crime and Kosovo-Metohija, (Serbian Government)
· Privatization in Kosovo possible only with Serbia's consent (Serbian Government)
· Denmark's Crown Prince visits Danish troops in Kosovo (AP)
· Edward Perkins: No One Wants an Unstable Region (SE Times)

Regional News

· Presidential election “likely to fail” (Beta)
· Desperate times… (Tanjug)

World News

· Bush to present Presidential Medal of Freedom to NATO secretary-general (AP)
· London more at risk of terror attack than New York, Washington: study (AFP)

Injured Kosovo Serb still in serious condition

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Nov 10 (Tanjug) - The condition of Aleksandar Stojkovic, 75 year old Serb from the Gnjilane area, who was severally beaten two days ago by a group of ethnic Albanians, remains serious and he is in hospital in northern Kosovska Mitrovica, deputy chief surgeon Dr Milan Ivanovic told Tanjug Monday.
Stojkovic is in intensive care on life support, as he has suffered fractures of the jaw and ribs, head injuries and internal bleeding, Ivanovic said, adding that the victim’s condition must be stabilized before he can undergo surgery.

UNMIK investigators are arriving in Belgrade

18:45 BELGRADE , Nov 10 (Tanjug) - Head of the Kosovo-Metohija coordination centre Nebojsa Covic said on Monday that UNMIK police investigators would arrive in Belgrade on Tuesday, within an investigation into the recent publication of photographs of KLA members holding severed human heads. Covic said that UNMIK investigators would meet with police General Svetislav Djurdjevic, the Serbian interior minister's advisor.

UNMIK's privatization model to result in Kosovo's independence, coordination centre official

BELGRADE , Nov 10 (Tanjug) - Commenting on the departure of UNMIK head Harri Holkeri to New York in order to call on the United Nations to grant immunity to Kosovo Creditor Agency (KAP) officials, head of the Kosovo-Metohija coordination center’s economic development and reconstruction sector Milena Vasic told Tanjug on Monday that this was another step towards the independence of Serbia's southern province.
"The initiated privatization process is illegal and this model does not exist anywhere else in the world and Holkeri's intention to call for immunity for KAP officials directly supports ethnic Albanian demands for the independence of Kosovo-Metohija," Vasic said.

Democrats court Kosovo Serbs (Beta)

GRACANICA -- Monday – Kosovo’s Serb Resistance Movement has urged Kosovo voters, both resident and displaced, to vote for DOS candidate Dragoljub Micunovic in next Sunday’s election for a Serbian president.

“Kosovo Serbs should take part in this election and make their contribution to the stabilization of the situation in Serbia,” the party said in a statement, adding that it supported Micunovic.

The Resistance Movement is also reported to be considering an offer to join the Democratic Party, the strongest party remaining in the rump DOS coalition in Serbia.

According to unofficial information the Democrats have offered the Movement strong representation in party structures in return for joining.

Negotiations are also under way for Serb Resistance Movement members to appear on the Democratic ticket in the coming parliamentary elections in Serbia.

Daci refuses Kosovo decentralization proposal (Beta)

PRISTINA -- Monday – The chairman of the Kosovo Assembly, Nexhat Daci, said today that there will be no decentralization in Kosovo while parallel institutions exist in the province.

Daci was responding to recommendations presented today by Council of Europe envoy Carlo Civiletti.

Civiletti described the recommendations as being based on demographic and territorial criteria as well as the number of communities involved.

Serbia “essential” for Kosovo privatization (Beta)

BELGRADE -- Monday – The approval and participation of Serbia as the largest stakeholder and property owner in Kosovo is essential for privatization to continue, the Kosovo Coordination Centre in Belgrade said today.

A statement from the Centre claimed that the method of privatization chosen by the Kosovo Trust Agency pre-empted the final status of the province and discriminated against Serbs and displaced employees of companies undergoing privatization.

The Centre also insisted that international standards must be fully honored in ownership transformation process.

Covic, Schumann urge Belgrade and Pristina to resume dialogue

Serbian Government

Belgrade, Nov 10, 2003 - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic and Council of Europe's Political Affairs Director General Klaus Schumann met in Belgrade on Monday and agreed that Belgrade and Pristina must resume direct talks in order to solve ongoing problems in Kosovo-Metohija.

The so-called "standards before status" policy aims to address the problems that permeate the everyday life of the Kosovo population, including safety conditions, the need to create a democratic and multiethnic society, the return of displaced persons and the fate of missing and kidnapped persons, said Covic.
The Deputy Prime Minister added that the Council of Europe is due to debate the Kosovo issue next April.

Schumann said that the Council of Europe will continue assisting Serbia-Montenegro's efforts in solving the province’s problems and stressed that the two sides must resume the dialogue.

Kosovo problems do not date back just to 1999, but have started a long time ago, said Schumann, noting that there is a profound lack of confidence amongst the peoples of the province and ongoing arguments on both sides. According to him, the Council of Europe sees the "standards before status" approach as crucial as it implies the rule of law.

Covic, Gross discuss organized crime and Kosovo-Metohija crisis

Serbian Government

Belgrade, Nov 10, 2003 - Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic and Czech Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior Stanislav Gross on Monday discussed ways of combating organized crime in the region and resolving the crisis in Kosovo-Metohija.

During the talks, Covic reiterated that the Belgrade authorities truly endorse the "standards before status" principle in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

Standards should be measurable and more clearly defined, and the principle should help create a peaceful, tolerant and multiethnic environment in the province, administered by the of rule law which should establish democratic institutions, read a statement by the Covic's cabinet.

Deputy Prime Minister Gros said that Kosovo-Metohija is an integral part of the State Union of Serbia-Montenegro, which is the position backed by the Czech government and is in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, read the statement.

Privatization in Kosovo possible only with Serbia's consent and participation

Serbian Government

Belgrade, Nov 10, 2003 - The Coordinating Centre for Kosovo-Metohija said in a statement that the privatization process in the province can be carried out only with the full respect of international standards, and the consent and participation of the Republic of Serbia as the major creditor and property owner in that part of its territory.

The privatization method implemented by the Kosovo Trust agency presupposes Kosovo's independence and infringes upon the constitutional rights of the Republic of Serbia and those of the former workers of Kosovo's socially-owned companies currently living in Serbia, read the statement.

Such an attitude has political, economic and legal consequences for the above-mentioned legal entities, who will have to urge the international arbitration to protect their interests.

Denmark's Crown Prince visits Danish troops in Kosovo

KOSOVSKA MITROVICA, Serbia-Montengro (AP) _ Denmark's Crown Prince Frederik, heir to Europe's oldest monarchy, arrived for a three-day visit with Danish troops at the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo.

An honor guard stood still as the 35-year old Frederick, dressed in military uniform, saluted and greeted them at the Danish military camp Olaf Rye, just outside Kosovska Mitrovica, some 40 kilometers (25 miles) north of Pristina.

Denmark's 450-man contingent serving with the NATO-led force, known as KFOR, includes some 100 soldiers from Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia.

Frederik, who is to marry Australian commoner Mary Donaldson next year, is a major in the army and air force, and a navy commander. He also volunteered for the Danish Navy's elite Froemandskorpset. Currently, he is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Strategy at the Royal Danish Defense College.

The KFOR force is made up of 20,000 soldiers from 34 countries. It was deployed in 1999 after NATO intervened to stop a crackdown by Serb forces on ethnic Albanians.

Edward Perkins: No One Wants an Unstable Region

By Valentin Nesovski for Southeast European Times

Southeast European Times: Mr Ambassador, what do you think about recent developments in Southeast Europe? Do you expect further stabilization of the region or are there new crises in front of us?

Ambassador Edward Perkins: I see only one real answer to that part of Europe and that is to try and subordinate the things that have separated parts of that region for years. I look at the region as having the potential for developing in a co-operative way politically, socially and particularly economically. When I was at the UN working on this issue, I went back and looked at the history and I could see within this history incidents of promise. I look forward to the day when these dividing issues can take a secondary role and the other role is a contributing area to the world order of nations. I believe that southern Europe has the possibility of great potential. Because I think we get into a trap when we start thinking how long is it going to take. I think we as a people have to be willing to take as long as it takes and not just dwell on a timeline because it took a long time to get to where we are right now.

SE Times: Talks between Serbs and Kosovo Albanians started last month. How do you assess this first sign of willingness to address issues through dialogue rather than weapons?

Perkins: It took a long time to get here but a very short time when you think about how long the problem took to be created. I am just pleased that they are talking to each other. As long as talk is going on then there is a plus somewhere in the future. I look at this as a very positive sign.

SE Times: In your opinion, will these talks contribute to the export of stability from Kosovo? Or, rather, during the final stages of dialogue on Kosovo's future status, will neighboring states like Macedonia or Greece feel threatened? Is there a danger of instability?

Perkins: There is always a danger of unintended consequences resulting from any kind of geopolitical discussions. But, I consider it the precursor to leading the path to an unlimited and undefined future, which I think will be a plus. I think the beginning of these contacts provide a way for numerous peoples and various countries -- Serbs, Albanians and others -- to be positive in looking at and answering the question "How can we make this region a better place so that it is not always being managed politically by outsiders or told what to do by outsiders but can in fact determine its own destiny?" And, I think that is the key. Destiny is in the hands of the people who occupy it.

SE Times: Speaking about the future status of Kosovo, the international community’s policy is "standards before status". Do you agree with this approach?

Perkins: I wonder if you can have all of one or all of the other at a given time. I have heard many groups of people say things like ‘Let’s have political freedom first and then we worry about education and standards.' But I think the two must go hand in hand. It is difficult to lay one aside by all the people and to agree on it and then say once this is achieved we will go back and take up the other. I think there has to be a mixture of the two and I think that they always have to be talking about it. And what I mean by that is we can’t lay down a set of rules that are inviolable because as you’re talking you are growing and as you grow other ideas come forth that ought to be considered. I think you have to be open for that sort of thing.

SE Times: Do you believe that further status will be independence? According to Resolution 1244, Kosovo is still a part of Serbia and Montenegro.

Perkins: That’s right. My view is if independence is the answer, then by all means that’s the way it should go. I know the Kosovars have pushed for independence for some time. When I was at the UN there was no definitive statement on that.

Presidential election “likely to fail” (Beta)

BELGRADE -- Monday – There is little chance that next Sunday’s election for a Serbian president will succeed, because the election is unlikely to attract the fifty per cent voter turnout required, survey results published by the Centre for Policy Studies today indicate.

Just over half (52 per cent) of respondents said they intended to vote, but 63 per cent said that either they wouldn’t or that they didn’t know who to vote for.

Centre analysts say that a large proportion of those say they will vote will not actually cast a ballot and that the turnout in the first round will be little over 40 per cent.

The survey results indicate that 21 per cent of respondents would vote for DOS candidate Dragoljub Micunovic and nine per cent would vote for the Serbian Radical Party candidate, noting that the party historically has drawn far more votes in elections than predicted by surveys.

If parliamentary elections were held now, eight per cent of respondents would vote for the Democratic Party, seven per cent for the Radicals, six per cent for Vojislav Kostunica’s Democratic Party of Serbia, five per cent for G17 Plus, two per cent for the Socialist Party of Serbia and seven per cent for other parties.

As many as 65 per cent of respondents say they would not vote or do not know who they would vote for.

According to the survey, the most popular politicians in Serbia are Dragoljub Micunovic, Vojislav Kostunica and G17 Plus leader Miroljub Labus, with fifty per cent of respondents reporting a positive opinion of them.

Least popular are Deputy Prime Minister Cedomir Jovanovic, and Radical Party presidential candidate Tomislav Nikolic: only about twenty per cent of respondents have a positive opinion of them while fifty per cent or more have a negative opinion.

The survey was conducted in Serbia between October 24 and 26 on a sample of 1,636 adults.

Desperate times… (Tanjug)

BELGRADE -- Monday – Dragoljub Micunovic, the governing coalition’s candidate for Serbian president, has written to the leaders of the two most popular opposition parties asking them to encourage their supporters to take part in Sunday’s election.

“Everyone knows it is in Serbia’s interest to elect a president as soon as possible”, Micunovic wrote in letters to Democratic Party of Serbia leader Vojislav Kostunica and G17 Plus leader Miroljub Labus.

Micunovic, the frontrunner for Serbian president, must make sure at least 50 per cent of the electorate takes part in the election for the result to stand. Recent opinion polls suggest this is unlikely.

Labus and Kostunica, who ran in the first two failed elections last year, have said that presidential elections are not enough to resolve the political crisis in Serbia. They are calling for parliamentary elections.

Bush to present Presidential Medal of Freedom to NATO secretary-general

WASHINGTON (AP) _ President Bush will award the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Wednesday to outgoing NATO Secretary-General Lord Robertson, who has overseen the alliance during its greatest period of transformation, the White House announced.

Robertson, who is stepping down from the post in December, will receive the nation's highest civilian honor at a White House ceremony during his final visit to the United States as secretary-general.

He and Bush will discuss Iraq, Afghanistan, peacekeeping operations in Bosnia and Kosovo and also plan for the 2004 NATO summit in Istanbul, Turkey, the White House said.

``Lord Robertson has overseen the most significant transformation of NATO in its history, bringing in seven new members and addressing the security challenges of a new era,'' White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Monday.

Robertson will be succeeded by Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer on January 1.

London more at risk of terror attack than New York, Washington: study

LONDON, Nov 11 (AFP) - London is more at risk from a terrorist attack by Islamic extremists than either New York or Washington, according to a study published here Tuesday.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair's support for the United States during the war in Iraq has helped increase the likelihood of a suicide attack in London, the Control Risk Group consultancy said.

Another factor making an attack on London a "serious possibility" is Britain's large Muslim population, it said in a report.
"London has become the pre-eminent terrorist target in Western Europe," said Jake Stratton, research director of the Control Risk Group's 2004 RiskMap report.

Previously the Islamic extremist threat had been a "vague, undefined war against the West", he said.

"But in the last year Britain has reinforced its position in the eyes of the Islamic world as the major ally of the US," he added.

The risk of an attack on London has now risen from "weak" to "average" since last year, while for the rest of Western Europe and the United States the risk remains low.

London, where Britain's political and economic power is concentrated, is a "very attractive target for Islamic extremists", Stratton said.

A terrorist attack on the city would probably be in the form of a suicide attack either by an individual or a car bomb, the report said.

Burundi, Somalia and Liberia are among the most dangerous countries in the world, the report said.

Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Colombia are also considered high risk countries.
Kosovo, Albania and Bosnia top the table of the most dangerous countries in Europe.