CONTENTS

· BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER IVAN KOSTOV VISITS KOSOVO
· HARADINAJ: THOSE WHO SLANDER MUST PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE
· REINHARDT: ARMY ITSELF CANNOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM
· ALLIANCE CLOSE TO FAILURE?
· CLARK AND ROBERTSON IN MITROVICA ON 24 MARCH

BULGARIAN PRIME MINISTER IVAN KOSTOV VISITS KOSOVO

Ivan Kostov, the Prime Minister of Bulgaria, during his visit in Prishtina Sunday, proposed to increase the number of Bulgarian police officers and offered his contribution to an eventual dialogue between Serbs and Albanians in Kosovo Sunday in Prishtina, reported Koha Ditore on page three. Kostov who was accompanied by Deputy Foreign Minister of Bulgaria, Marim Rajkov, met Sunday afternoon with UNMIK Chief Bernard Kouchner, COMKFOR General Klaus Reinhardt, as well as with Kosovar political leaders.

Referring to an UNMIK press release following the meeting, the paper said that SRSG Kouchner welcomed the visit of the Bulgarian Prime Minister as well as the contribution of Bulgaria for peaceful efforts in Kosovo, especially the process of confidence building. "Not only that they have offered us assistance on the ground but they also offered us a perspective for dialogue," Kouchner was quoted as saying.

Commenting on the meeting, Hashim Thaçi, the chairman of Kosovo Democratic Progress Party, said that discussions were held not only about the situation in Kosovo, but also in the region in general, as well as about the creation of a more progressive policy. Ibrahim Rugova, the chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo, told the paper that they had a very important discussion with Kostov about the current situation in the region. "We will have Bulgaria's support in the reconstruction of Kosovo," Rugova added.

Referring to a report by the Belgrade-based Beta news agency, the paper reported that earlier during the day, the Bulgarian Prime Minister had met with leaders of the Serb National Council in Gracanica and asked them to accept their part of the responsibility creating complete peace in Kosovo.

Before the meetings in Prishtina, Kostov visited Bulgarian troops in Prizren, and he also met with Bulgarian police officers that serve in the UNMIK Police in Kosovo, concluded the paper.   

HARADINAJ: THOSE WHO SLANDER MUST PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE

Zëri on page three carried an interview with General Ramush Haradinaj, Deputy Commander of the KPC, through which he reacted on the accusations directed against him by the daily paper Epoka e Re. At the end of last week, this paper published on its front page the pictures of Generals Agim Çeku and Ramush Haradinaj, on which it was written that the first "tolerates murders" while the second "controls prostitution". According to the paper, the accusations of the two Generals were taken from the British daily the Guardian, which referred to a confidential report of Bernard Kouchner's office, prepared for the UN Secretary-General. "For the readers and the Kosovo public opinion I would like to reiterate that never in my life did I engage in any other activities than the ones I did publicly - as a soldier at the Kosovo Liberation Army and as a regular member of the Kosovo Protection Corps.  I carried out my duties with honor and sacrifice, by working extended shifts and under the very difficult conditions we have today. What has been published is a slander and it is not true that UNMIK's report is as presented and it is not true that my name is mentioned there. There is no truth at all in this respect," said Haradinaj in the beginning of the interview.

Haradinaj said that not only was there no mention of his name in the report to which Epoka e Re referred, the report did not even allude to his name in any way. "I think that this is a bad-intended combination of those who wrote this article and of those who are behind them. The Kosovar public opinion will realize in time the reasons why they acted in this way.  At the moment I can only say that those who set everything aside and see only their personal interest or the interests of a group, or to say it more concretely their carriers, are preparing such games today in order to discredit the honorable activity and work of others who want to help themselves and the country and to try to give Kosovo what it lacks and has lacked," said Haradinaj. He added that only the paper, which published the article, saw in it an allusion to his name. "Of course I am thinking about the chief of this paper, who must be one of those people who wander all day in some circles and do nothing good for Kosovo," said Haradinaj.

Asked about the possible motives of the involvement of this paper in the campaign against the KPC, Haradinaj said that today the Kosovar society in all of its aspects was criticized and it would be difficult to imagine that the KPC, as a part of this society, would be saved. "We are self-critical and we say that we have a lot of deficiencies and difficulties, but not for what we are accused - KPC commander of tolerating murders and deputy commander of prostitution - this is a slander, unfounded and shameful," said Haradinaj. He added that this paper had never talked to them on this issue, stressing that he thought that the paper had talked to its advisors in Kosovar circles, "which are dirty circles and have started dirty games like these".

Responding to the question whether he or General Çeku tried to contact the office of Mr. Kouchner for an explanation, Haradinaj acknowledged that he would request a meeting focusing only on this subject. "To tell you the truth, I am disappointed and surprised that anyone can dare to refer to the office of Mr. Kouchner, and Mr. Kouchner is not taking any actions against slander. We will ask for concrete measures to be undertaken against these slanderers. I have also planned to visit that editorial office. I will request from them to present facts to support what they have said.  Because today I made a printout of the original article of the Observer, in which the reality is different.  It is not the one presented in the paper. Of course, I will request from them to apologize publicly, in front of me and in front of public opinion for this slander and I would request them not to slander in the future," said Haradinaj.

Haradinaj said that he didn't want to believe that this campaign was linked to reports that he would leave the KPC and create a political party, but he did not, however, reject the possibility. He confirmed reports saying that he would be leaving the KPC and said that he would work for a society in which nobody would be allowed to offend or slander, as some people are doing. "I am leaving the Kosovo Protection Corps on 10 April 2000. So, after this date, I am a civilian citizen of Kosovo and I will start my activity in other areas of life in order to help my country. This is all I can tell you at the moment, " concluded Haradinaj.

REINHARDT:  THE ARMY ITSELF CANNOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM

Koha Ditore on page two carried a report on the interview of COMKFOR General Klaus Reinhardt for the German paper Welt am Sonntag.  The paper noted that one  month from now, on 18 April, Reinhardt would be replaced at the post of COMKFOR by the Spanish General Ortunio, the commander of Eurocorps.

“Chaos prevailed when we arrived. There were no shops, restaurants, food items.  Hospitals were not working, schools were closed, and so was the university. The streets of Prishtina are full of cars today, schools are open and the university is functioning”, said Reinhardt, responding to a question on the successes the peacekeeping mission has achieved so far. He stressed that the greatest success was reached in the security sphere.  In the beginning there were 30 to 40 killings a day, as well as destruction, arson and looting.  Now there are three killings a week, and people live relatively in peace except in Mitrovica region.

Commenting on the situation in Mitrovica, Reinhardt said that increasing the number of soldiers in town would not solve the hatred as the main problem.  “Soldiers can calm down the situation but not solve the problem”, Reinhardt said.  He added that the division of the town did not present a solution.  The creation of a political and economical basis is needed in order to give people a chance for their future, since 85 per cent of the population are unemployed. Reinhardt announced the opening of seven factories, where he said that Albanians and Serbs could work together.  He also said that Serbs would be offered more security. “We need Serbs as partners,” Reinhardt had stressed, noting that the main purpose of KFOR was to establish “peaceful coexistence” and not aim for multi-ethnicity.

Saying that KFOR and UNMIK would have to stay in Kosovo for several more years, General Reinhardt did not see the first anniversary of KFOR deployment as a chance to celebrate. “A completely new public administration should be established, and such things require patience, time, money and knowledge. At least five years are needed for this,” ended Reinhardt.

ALLIANCE CLOSE TO FAILURE?

Zëri on page two carried a report on the analysis on the situation in post-war Kosovo by the American Agency for Analytic and Consultative Services Stratford,.

The document which is titled "Kosova: A year after" begins by saying that it seemed the North Atlantic Alliance (NATO) had failed to fulfill its main goals in Kosovo, which were to control crime and to fight against weapons and drug smuggling. After analyzing preparedness, expenditures and measures that were undertaken by NATO to implement peace in Kosovo, the agency assessed that, after one year, the peacekeeping mission of the Alliance, named as KFOR, has failed.

The Stratford document noted that the violence in Kosovo is continuing and that the Alliance is continuing to lose control. "Sources from the field indicate that weapons are mainly in the hands of former KLA combatants, while NATO troops are being attacked by both ethnic Albanians and the Serb minority," it was added.

After noting that the Kosovo Liberation Army had to be demilitarized, the analysis also said that the guerilla force still held strong positions so that KFOR had to protect itself not only against the Serbs, but also against its former allies or those elements which seem to exert violence and threaten international forces. Referring to reports of the international police, Stratford said that even after the demilitarization of the KLA, its former members still carry arms, and that nearly 5,000 KPC members had licenses to carry weapons, but that these licenses were copied, so that now other persons also carried arms.                                       

According to the paper, a large part of the analysis was dedicated to drug and weapon smuggling and Kosovo's role in it. "The KLA is indebted to Balkans drug organizations, which funneled the transfer of money and weapons to the guerilla before and after the conflict. Kosovo is the heart of drug trafficking, which comes from Afghanistan, through Turkey to the Balkans and then onwards to West Europe. This Balkans road supplies 80 per cent of Europe with drugs. For the KLA, the Balkans road is not the only one for transport of heroine into Europe and for mass profit, but it is also a channel to infiltrate weapons into the Balkans," it was said in the document.

In closing, the analysis assessed Kosovo as being a renewed problem to NATO, because it threatens to spread smuggling, criminality and violence in the Balkans region. "NATO is now facing dilemmas. It must take the situation in Kosovo under control, by increasing the number of its troops and by confronting its allies. In order to control the situation, the Alliance must review its ally in Kosovo. There are signs that the West will use Rugova against Thaçi for a long time. During the last visit to Kosovo, the State Department spokesman, James Rubin met Rugova.  This was the first high level meeting of U.S. officials with Mr. Rugova after meetings last year," concluded the analysis.

CLARK AND ROBERTSON IN MITROVICA ON 24 MARCH

NATO Secretary-General George Robertson and NATO SACEUR General Wesley Clark will visit Kosovo on the 24 March, the day when the attacks of the allied forces against the Serb forces started, reported Zëri on page three. It is expected that Robertson and Clark would visit Mitrovica and meet with high international officials in Kosovo, including COMKFOR General Klaus Reinhardt.

The paper reported that Robertson and Clark would be in Kosovo at the same time when NATO will carry out a maneuver called DR2K, which means "Dynamic Response Kosova 2". 

* Prepared by UNMIK Division of Public