31 October 2003 Afternoon Edition

Kosovo News

· A Serb beaten up in center of Gnjilane (Tanjug)
· UN: New Envoy Says 'Uphill Battle' Ahead In Democratizing Kosovo (RFE)
· Kosovo governor says immediate future uncertain (B92)
· KFOR and Macedonia still worried about extremist groups (dpa)
· Slovene soldiers to participate in Kosovo peace mission (dpa)
· Former KLA Leader Agim Ceku Arrested, Then Released (SE Times)
· Macedonia: Refugees Face Deportation (IWPR)

Regional News

· Belgrade to discuss indictments next week (FoNet)
· Balkans peace broker Owen to testify Monday in Milosevic trial (AFP)

A Serb beaten up in center of Gnjilane

GNJILANE, Oct 31 (Tanjug) - Djura Stojkovic (70) of the village of Donje Budrige, near Gnjilane, has been beaten up in the center of Gnjilane and was seriously injured.
On Thursday, Stojkovic was walking down the main street towards the municipality building when he was brutally attacked.

UN: New Envoy Says 'Uphill Battle' Ahead In Democratizing Kosovo

By Robert McMahon (Radio Free Europe)

United Nations, 30 October 2003 (RFE/RL) -- The United Nations' new special envoy in Kosovo, Harri Holkeri, says he faces an "uphill battle" in trying to transform the province into a democratic society, but that the task is achievable.

Holkeri told reporters at the UN yesterday that he is committed to the "standards-before-status" policy requiring Kosovo's mainly Albanian institutions of self-government to achieve reform benchmarks. "The future status is very much dependent on how we are going to succeed with the benchmarking," Holkeri said. "We need the results on that area first. The sooner we can see improvement on that side, the sooner we can ask the Security Council to open the discussion [on status]."

Holkeri was expected today to address the Security Council for the first time to provide a progress report on the benchmarking program begun under his predecessor, Michael Steiner.

Holkeri, a former Finnish prime minister, will discuss a new plan to set clear timelines and success criteria for reform in Kosovar institutions. One of those benchmarks was establishing high-level dialogue between Prishtina and Belgrade.

The two sides held their first meeting on 14 October, although some key figures on both sides were absent and little real dialogue took place. But Holkeri said the meeting helped lay the groundwork for lower-level talks on practical issues. "The main thing was that the meeting took place, and we had the opportunity to launch the basic idea," Holkeri said. "And now the working groups on four already-decided areas, I hope, will start next month."

The four areas include discussion on the return of about 200,000 Kosovar Serbs to the province, cooperation on the issue of nearly 3,700 missing ethnic Albanians, and subjects such as energy, transport, and communications.

Holkeri said he wants the UN Mission in Kosovo to be a partner with the ethnic Albanian-led provisional government in helping it democratize and establish a free press, free speech, rule of law, and other standards.
But he acknowledges the difficulties ahead. He noted that on his first day in the province in August, unknown gunmen shot and killed two Kosovar Serb boys, in what appeared, he said, to be a message directed at him. "The way of Kosovo is not rosy at all, and for my part, I think it will be an uphill battle," Holkeri said. "But Kosovo is not -- is not -- a mission impossible, as it has been regarded sometimes."

He said that despite disturbing incidents of ethnic violence, overall crime figures continue to decline. He said there are plans for the reduction in the numbers of both UN police -- now totaling about 3,700 -- and some NATO-led forces patrolling the province. He did not provide any figures but noted that the Kosovo Police Service now has more than 5,700 active members, 15 percent of whom are ethnic minorities.

Holkeri said that at today's Security Council meeting he would urge the international community to stay engaged in Kosovo's political affairs.

Kosovo governor says immediate future uncertain (B92)

NEW YORK -- Friday – The top United Nations diplomat in Kosovo has offered a bleak picture of life in the province four years after the end of the war, telling the Security Council that the immediate outlook for Kosovo is uncertain.

“The short-to-medium term outlook for Kosovo is uncertain, but the strong desire of Kosovo’s people to live in a peaceful, stable, lawful society is crystal clear,” Harri Holkeri said yesterday in New York.

The former Finnish prime minister urged Kosovo’s leaders to do more to discourage the inter-ethnic violence that continues to plague the province. Many refugees, especially from minority communities, he said, remain afraid to return to their homes because of ethnic violence. Unemployment also remains high, at about 57 per cent.

Holkeri, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Kosovo, had strong words both for Kosovo Albanian leaders and the authorities in Belgrade. Noting that Serbia-Montenegro continues to operate parallel courts and coordinating structures outside the jurisdiction of the UN mission, he said that Belgrade “must work with Kosovo structures and replace this unacceptable policy with a commitment to truly multi-ethnic organs of government in Kosovo”.

He called on Kosovo Albanian leaders to stop making their participation in talks with Belgrade conditional on changes to government structures and the creation of new ministries. “Such bargaining is not acceptable. Dialogue is on of the standards approved by the Security Council,” he said.

Kosovo’s prime minister refused to attend talks with Belgrade in Vienna on October 14 after failing to receive guarantees that his government would be granted a number of new ministries that have so far been under the jurisdiction of the UN mission. MPs in Pristina yesterday voted in favour of changing the province’s Constitutional Framework that defines the distribution of powers.

Holkeri did note “signs of progress” in the economy and welcomed the government’s agreement to resolve problems with the electricity supply. He asked for firm commitment from all parties to ensure the situation improves.

KFOR and Macedonia still worried about extremist groups

Skopje (dpa) - Macedonia and NATO-led peacekeepers in Kosovo (KFOR) remain worried about the potential danger of extremist groups, which emerged in Albanian-dominated regions around the United Nations administered province.

Macedonian Defence Minister Vlado Buckovski and KFOR commander, General Holger Kamerholf said that the two sides will continue the intense exchange of information and border control to eliminate the potential danger of extremist groups.

``The problem worries both sides, and we have to work as good as we can to tackle that issue'', said General Kamerholf after the meeting, aimed at boosting the co-operation between Macedonian authorities and KFOR troops on the border control.

Macedonia has been relatively calm after the ethnic Albanian insurgency in 2001, but a number of extremist and criminal groups threatened to undermine internationally mediated efforts aimed at the full reconciliation of two main ethnic groups in the country.
The best known amongst those groups, the underground Albanian National Army (AKSh), which pledged to fight until the unification of all Albanian-dominated regions into the single state, claimed the responsibility for dozens of deadly hit-and-run attacks in the past two years.

Western observers, including the influential International Crisis Groups (ICG), warned both internationals and Skopje officials recently that ``a less self-congratulatory assessment of the track record'' is needed to create lasting stability in the country.

Slovene soldiers to participate in Kosovo peace mission

Ljubljana (dpa) - Eleven Slovenian soldiers are to participate in the NATO-led international peacekeeping forces in Kosovo (KFOR), the STA news agency reported Thursday.

Slovenes are expected to leave later this week and will be deployed in the sector south, where they will serve under German-Italian command.

Kosovo is Serbia's southern province under the U.N. administration and is inhabited mostly by ethnic Albanians. The Serbian army and police were bombed out of the province during the NATO-led air campaign in the spring of 1999.

Former KLA Leader Agim Ceku Arrested, Then Released

By Berat Buzhala for Southeast European Times in Pristina

International airports have become risky places for the former leaders of what was known as the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). This has become even more apparent with the arrest last week of General Agim Ceku by Slovenian police forces at the Ljubljana airport.

Ceku, former general commander of KLA and now commander of the civil Kosovo Protection Corps, was arrested on his way back to Pristina while he was passing through Slovenia on his way from Croatia, where he was visiting his family.

UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri told Slovenian police on 23 October to secure the release of Ceku, saying that his mission has sole jurisdiction over such cases and that the warrant issued by Serbian authorities is invalid.

"We have released Agim Ceku because we are convinced that the court that has issued the indictment does not have competencies over Kosovo," said Slovenian authorities, following Holkeri's intervention.

In June, Hungarian police detained former KLA leader Hashim Thaci for several hours on the basis of an old Serbian arrest warrant issued when Slobodan Milosevic was in power, according to his political party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (DP). Thaci, who now heads the DP, was released after then-UNMIK chief Michael Steiner intervened with the Hungarian Foreign Ministry.

The international indictment against Ceku came from Interpol and was signed by the Pristina Regional Court in Nis, Serbia. After the war, the Serbian staff of Kosovo courts was reorganized within Serbia and continues to claim legitimacy over Kosovo, which is administered by the UN.

Serbian Judge Danica Marinkovic has dealt with the files of former KLA members and has pressed charges against two of the main leaders for the alleged killing of Serbs during and after the war. Marinkovic charges Thaçi and Ceku with killing around 700 people.

Officials in Belgrade expressed disappointment at Slovenia's move. Meanwhile, Serbian Justice Minister Vladan Batic has not given up. He has requested that UNMIK extradite Ceku, Thaçi and Ramush Haradinaj to Serbia for trial.

Macedonia: Refugees Face Deportation

Thousands of Roma could be forcibly returned to Kosovo if, as seem likely, they turn down the offer of asylum in Macedonia.

By Nikolaus Steinberg in Skopje (IWPR)

Roma refugees who fled from Kosovo to Macedonia during the 1999 conflict are not expected to take up Skopje's offer of political asylum because many are under the false impression that they will be resettled in the West.

The community could now face deportation back to Kosovo, despite international concerns for their safety.

A new European Union-backed asylum package offered by the authorities - which gives the Roma benefits equal to those enjoyed by Macedonian citizens - now looks set to be ignored because some community leaders appear to have rejected it and encouraged their members to hold out for a new life in the West.

The government's deal would give every refugee the right to work, access to the health and education system and state unemployment benefits of around 50 euro a month.

But with only days to go before the November 6 deadline to apply for the deal, IWPR has learned that many of the 2,600 Kosovar Roma in Macedonia have little or no idea of what is being offered and mistakenly believe they could apply for asylum in an EU country or the United States.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the Macedonian government and a network of local and international non-governmental organizations share responsibility for both informing the Roma of their options and helping them with the asylum application process.

However, NGO spokespersons say the task has been difficult as many refugees are spread across Skopje. Macedonian lawyers involved in the campaign say they have had to drive around the city tracking down Roma families now living in private accommodation.

At the same time, local and international Roma leaders have encouraged the refugees to snub the government offer and hold out for asylum in the West - although their chances of achieving the latter are almost non-existent.

Should they persevere with this vain hope, the Roma risk being deported back to Kosovo, despite United Nations warnings that it remains unsafe for them.

Macedonian interior ministry spokesperson Mirjana Konteska told IWPR those refugees who refuse the asylum deal "will be treated as aliens and sent back to the countries they came from. Our policemen will find them, if not today or tomorrow, then the day after".

This is not the first time that Roma leaders have gone against the international community's advice.

In June, they backed more than 700 refugees in their attempt to cross the border into Greece, even though they new there was little chance of them being allowed to stay.

Nicolae Gheorghe, advisor on Roma issues at the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, told IWPR, "The leaders were well aware that the refugees would not be admitted.

"It was a protest and the leaders wanted an international audience to pay attention to their plight - but many refugees did believe they would be admitted, and many still do."

The move may have drastically backfired. Since the standoff on the Greek border, the EU has put pressure on Macedonia to grant the Roma refugees formal status, which would make them ineligible to apply for asylum elsewhere. Having now done so, Skopje will have little sympathy for any Roma who reject the offer.

To date, only 120 refugees have applied. As well as confusion over what the process entails, many are suspicious of the authorities' intentions.

Others fear that they will lose their passports and papers if they accept asylum in Macedonia and mistakenly believe that they won't be able to go home when Kosovo's security situation improves.
Reflecting these concerns, Bajram Berisha, a 20-year-old Roma father of four, said, "If I give them my papers, my family will be trapped here and we won't ever be able to go back to Kosovo."

Skopje has already signaled its willingness to deport refugees, sending three Roma back to Kosovo last month after they were caught with fake travel papers.

Isaac Robinson, a lawyer with the Norwegian Refugee Council, NRC, one of the main non-governmental organizations involved in the asylum process, said the forcible return of the Roma is now clearly on the cards unless they take up the government's offer.

"When you deport three people at the same time as you are building an asylum process, the message you are communicating to refugees is very clear - accept our offer or you will be sent back," he said.

Marija Bosse, president of a Roma community centre in Shutka, agreed that it was now clear that the dream of a life in the West was unrealistic. She argued the refugees should understand that the asylum offer is not only acceptable, but that it is their only viable option, "It's a good deal - they will get the same care as Macedonian citizens."

The conflicting advice has left many Roma unsure of their next move.

Hassan, a resident of the Katlanovo refugee camp, said he and his family had not yet come to a decision. "We are afraid to go back home but we still do not see any future in Macedonia," he said.

Others say that given the choice between deportation to Kosovo and a life in Macedonia, they'll simply pay a trafficker to take them to the West.

One refugee, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "The traffickers want 10,000 euro for passage into Switzerland. I don't know where I'll get the money from, but I may have to try if there is no other way."

Nikolaus Steinberg is an independent researcher on ethnic conflict.

Belgrade to discuss indictments next week (FoNet)

BELGRADE -- Friday – Belgrade’s National Council for Cooperation with the Hague Tribunal will meet next week to discuss the indictments issued recently against four top army and police generals, Council president Goran Svilanovic said today.

Svilanovic, Serbia-Montenegro’s foreign minister, said he would schedule the meeting after talks with the Serbian prime minister and interior minister, and the suspects who are available. “It’s realistic to expect it won’t be today, but next week”, he told Radio Belgrade 202.

Belgrade has reacted strongly against the decision to indict the four men, including the interior minister’s assistant and head of Public Security, Sreten Lukic.
Lukic has been indicted for his role in the 1998-99 Kosovo war, alongside his predecessor as public security chief, Vlastimir Djordjevic, former chief of staff Nebojsa Pavkovic and retired army general Vladimir Lazarevic.

Balkans peace broker Owen to testify Monday in Milosevic trial

THE HAGUE, Oct 31 (AFP) - Former Balkans peace broker David Owen will take the stand in the war crimes trial of Slobodan Milosevic here Monday to testify about the influence the former Yugoslav president held over the warring parties.

Owen, a former British foreign minister who was the European Community's peace envoy to the former Yugoslavia from 1992 to 1995, is expected to provide insight into the balance of power in the Balkans during the wars in Bosnia and Croatia.

Prosecutors have been trying to show that Milosevic controlled rebel Serbs in Bosnia and Croatia during the 1991-95 wars and thus can be held responsible for atrocities committed there.
In a written statement submitted to the court in September, Owen saidhe thought that Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic distanced himself from Milosevic in 1993. Before that time, Milosevic treated the Bosnian Serb leader "as someone largely under his control".

"After May 1993 ... I felt a change in Karadzic. He progressively became more independent of Milosevic," Owen said in the statement.

In August of 1993 Owen wrote that it was "obvious that Milosevic's influence among Bosnian Serbs had waned ... and (Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko) Mladic was increasingly difficult to control".

His testimony could bolster Milosevic's claims that he had no influence over the Bosnian Serb leadership at the time of the slaughter of thousands of Muslims in the Bosnian town of Srebrenica in July 1995. The Srebrenica massacre is an important element of the genocide charge against the former Yugoslav president.

Milosevic has been on trial before the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) since February last year. He faces over sixty charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity for his role in the 1990s wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo that tore apart the Balkans.

For the bloody war in Bosnia that left over 200,000 people dead, he faces a separate charge of genocide.

Owen, 65, is now a member of the House of Lords, the British upper chamber of parliament. His testimony is expected to take at least two days.