CONTENTS

WHAT IS BEING PREPARED FOR KOSOVO?
AMERICA FOR A THIRD REPUBLIC, POLITICAL PARTIES FOR INDEPENDENCE
MACEDONIAN PM AGAINST THE IDEA OF NEW YUGOSLAVIA
SHALA: KOSOVO AND MIDDLE EAST CRISIS
KOSTUNICA: INDEPENDENT KOSOVO WOULD CREATE PROBLEMS FOR FRY AND MACEDONIA

WHAT IS BEING PREPARED FOR KOSOVO?

Zëri carried on page one possible outcomes after changes in the Serb regime.
 
Changes in Serbia offer more risks then opportunities for the solution of the Kosovo problem in accordance to the will of the Kosovars is an impression among international judicial experts, which wanted to remain anonymous.

After the end of the conflict, the international community achieved a consensus at the Contact Group and UN Security Council Resolution 1244 formed three stages to achieve a solution for Kosovo: 1. Emergency period, which was concentrated on the return of refugees and installation of security mechanisms through KFOR and UNMIK police; 2. Middle term period, which would last five or more years, in which period a sound democratic government would be created; 3. Phase during which negotiations would start to determine Kosovo's final status.

There is a predominant logic among international instances that considerable time would be needed to develop democracy and stability in Kosovo and the region to come to the delicate phase of a long term solution for Kosovo. An American judicial expert told Zëri that the US Administration still believes that Kosovo, Montenegro and Serbia need time to stabilize within themselves. Official Washington evaluates that the process of international management should take in consideration the will of the people expressed in a referendum for the Kosovo's final status, "Referendum is not the only mechanism in determining the final status but it is an important one". Rambouillet and UN Security Council Resolution 1244 have achieved in an oblique way that Kosovo ensures the status of a self determining ethnity through a referendum. This was the biggest achievement of the Rambouillet conference", said this international expert.
 
In some northern European centers, there is a dilemma concerning this issue. There are more evaluations that Serbia's democratization could bring restoration of the federacy with Belgrade as the center and less of those that prefer a non-problematic political disintegration of the federal republic as the one between Czech-Slovaks in 1991. For this reason most of the western counties refuse to back up Montenegro's ideas of a fully independent Montenegro, and they suggest that official Podgorica seriously re-examine Belgrade's offer to salvage ties between Montenegro and Serbia. International judicial experts confirm that Montenegro and Serbia could create a confederacy, which would have full political and financial support of the west.

What would in this case happen to Kosovo and how would this reflect to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and the concept of a long-term solution for Kosovo? The judicial expert said, "Formally this act should not effect the validity of the UN Security Council Resolution 1244.  However, politically a great deal could change for Kosovo and its people. The Serb leader could make this calculation: with creation of a union or a confederacy between Montenegro and Serbia, the  territorial integrity of the FRY would be spared and support of west would be won (something that was not possible under Milosevic's regime) and it would eliminate in the end the possibility that the west would bring the Kosovo problem. Serb leaders think that a worthy democratic Serb-Montenegrin confederacy could influence the quality of Kosovo's final status, which would be farther from independence.  The people of Kosovo would have to face an fait acompli, which implies that Kosovo is included not as a separate entity within the Serb-Montenegro confederacy but as a part of Serbia with a limited political status".

What should Kosovar politicians do to prevent this unfavorable situation for Kosovo? The expert said, "Whatever Kosovar politicians decide to do they will be faced with dangers. If Serbia and Montenegro agree to form a confederacy then there will be very little maneuvering room for Kosovar politicians. Therefore, they have to insist on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1244 and that Serb-Montenegro agreement should not effect the process of solving the situation in Kosovo. If Serbia and Montenegro enter co-federal ties then Kosovo should reconfirm that it has the legal capacity to remain a separate entity, which could decide to join the confederacy or go towards independence. Kosovars should not ignore creation of this confederacy especially if this project is fully supported by the west. However, it may be Kosovars should form as soon as possible a local government after local elections, because then and only then they can have a negotiating body with full responsibility for making the needy decisions", said this judicial expert. 

AMERICA FOR THIRD REPUBLIC, POLITICAL PARTIES FOR INDEPENDENCE

Koha Ditore carried on page one a report on an American proposal for Kosovo and the reaction of Kosovar political parties.

The US proposed that Kosovo obtain the status of third republic within Yugoslavia said western officials to Associated Press. According to an anonymous source, Washington believes that this formula offers the best chance for stability in the Balkans and it reduces possibilities for further ethnic conflicts. Kosovar political parties repeated on Monday that this proposal is "unacceptable" for Kosovo and this solution would stabilize neither Kosovo nor the region.  

LDK: ”Kosovar Albanians have proved that they do not want to live in Yugoslavia". LDK vice president Kolë Berisha expressed his doubt that this idea has derived from the State Department. Nevertheless, said Berisha, "Albanians have proved in the last ten years, first with peaceful then with armed resistance, that they do not want to live in Serbia or the so-called Yugoslavia. There is no force on the face of the earth that would compel Kosovar Albanians to live in a federacy or confederacy with Yugoslavia no matter how high is the level of democracy in Serbia or Yugoslavia" said Kolë Berisha. 

PDK: "We will only discuss independence". PDK vice president Arsim Bajrami said that with creation of a new reality, the "international community should look into the causes of the Kosovo crisis and not its consequences". The concept of a Kosovo republic within a new confederacy, according to Bajrami, is "unacceptable and destined to failure" and, according to Bajrami, "Albanians do not have historical or present ties with a possible form of state. If a solution is searched for which would have a perspective for Kosovo then this solution should be based on an independent republic of Kosovo, which would stabilize Kosovo and the region. We will negotiate with the international factor and the USA on the only option and that is Kosovo's independence" said Bajrami.

PQLK: "We Albanians have our aim: independence". PQLK official Ibrahim Shala said, "Political power centers have their objectives concerning Kosovo, but we Albanians have ours - independence", said Shala. Any ties with Serbia or Yugoslavia "is unacceptable" and he added that "it is to early to discuss such issues with Serbia" while there are still unsolved issues.

PSDK: "There is no way but independence". PSDK high official Ekrem Arifi said, "Albanians accepted twice their imposed fate in "Yugoslavia", first within the Serb-Croat-Slovene kingdom and afterwards in Tito's so-called "Yugoslavia".

According to Arifi for the second time, "Albanians were so humiliated and degraded that is illusory that any political party or individual would accept any ties with Serbia. The Albanian people have bled for an independent state and there will be no turning back from this path", said Arifi.
 
USD: "A scandalous proposal". PSD president Luljeta Pula-Beqiri said, "It is revolting that a proposal like that would be even considered. People here did not bleed for a substantial autonomy or a republic within any kind of Yugoslavia" said Beqiri.

PSHDK: "It is time that new states are formed". PSHDK vice president Nazmi Halimi said, "Whatever Yugoslavia is formed it will have the basis of a Serb domination keeping Kosovo and Montenegro oppressed, this time much loosely then during Tito or Milosevic. We think that time ahs come for new states to form like Kosovo, Montenegro, and Serbia" said Halimi.   
 
KOSOVO AND THE MIDDLE EAST CRISIS

Zëri on page one carried a column by Blerim Shala in which he noted:
 
These issues have more differences than similarities. Kosovo and Palestine’s problem, with all the comparisons in the past that tell about poetic imagination, have a common point with immense importance. The American president, Clinton a few days before the meeting in Camp David, where immense efforts were made to enclose the peace process in the Middle East, stated that status quo in the peace process is not a solution, but a problem of its own and a permanent crisis source. The failure of finding a final solution, which was supposed to legitimize the Palestinian state in borders acceptable to Israel and America, made possible the remaining of the problem, that only a spark was needed in order for the conflict to explode again. Ignoring the danger or leaving a political peace process halfway done or just a few steps away from its solution, may influence the process to turn the opposite way, and go back to zero position or somewhere near. This conclusion following the latest happenings in Palestine goes for Kosovo, too. Of course, the situation in Kosovo, as far as safety is concerned is different, because here after all thousands of KFOR soldiers are stationed, and the west does not intend to tolerate a new war. Nevertheless, Kosovo’s issue does not tolerate ignorance or schemes that seeks a solution through Belgrade and not here in Pristina.

MACEDONIAN PM AGAINST THE IDEA OF A NEW “YUGOSLAVIA”

Koha Ditore on page three carried an interview by Macedonian PM Lubco Georgievski given to the daily “Dnevnik” in Skopje. He stated, "What we see in Yugoslavia is the end of the Milosevic era and the beginning of a new crisis: the battle between the new opposition and the new democratic regime, and the problem of Kosovo and Montenegro", he added "that Yugoslavia will be seen as a crisis region for the several next years".

According to Georgijevski, Macedonia, used Kosovo in a political and economic sense in order to pace the short-term political issue of Kosovo and the same thing might occur to Yugoslavia. The sole philosophy is how a crisis can be transformed into a chance.

In response to the question of what he expects from the new Serbian regime, he responds that he is quite positive, “there isn’t any problem for us not to finish the Yugoslav issue, and we have Kostunica’s statements that they are ready for a new beginning, and as far as the border issue is concerned, we will have a solution for that, too.”

The paper continues regarding Carl Bildt’s idea for regional ties, to which Georgievski responds that the options are very clear, and they do not accept any regional politics on some sort of Yugoslavia, reduced in length and width. They only accept maximum cooperation for regional and initiative ties.

The paper ends with Georgievski’s conclusion that Macedonia has a clear position, and loves the Balkans. “We love the Balkans and we want to be tied with them, but not in some structural estates,” stated the PM of Macedonia.

KOSTUNICA: “AN INDEPENDENT KOSOVO WILL CREATE PROBLEMS FOR YUGOSLAVIA AND MACEDONIA

Koha Ditore on page three carried an interview by Kostunica with the Greek newspaper “Sunday Tipos”. According to him, Kosovo is a part of Yugoslavia and with its independence problems will be caused not only in Yugoslavia, but also in Macedonia.

According to Macedonian broadcasting news agency, MIA, Kostunica stated that he’s waiting for Belgrade to find a “common language” with Podgorica and that there are more elements that unite Serbia with Montenegro than elements that separates them.

The paper continues with Kostunica stating that he has no intentions to deliver Milosevic to The Hague, and that neither Radovan Karadjic nor Ratko Mladic were supposed to be there.