Kouchner goes to Ankara to discuss Kosovo Turks

SRSG Bernard Kouchner was to be expected in Ankara on 31 July, at the invitation of Turkish Foreign Minister Ismael Cem, to discuss the situation of the Turkish community in Kosovo and convince the Foreign Minister to use his influence to advise the Kosovo Turks to join the political process now moving Kosovo toward self-government.

Many  Kosovo Turks did not participate in the recent registration  because of the belief that Turks are not being offered rights commensurate with what they enjoyed in the past.  Thus they have excluded themselves from the voters' list for municipal elections this fall.

Dr. Kouchner believes that the rights to be enshrined by the interim institutions guarantee the status of Kosovo Turks as full and equal  members of Kosovo's society and at the same time as a community entitled to practice its language equally with the Albanian and Serbian communities.

UNMIK has been taking steps to guarantee the Turkish community in Kosovo the full enjoyment of its rights that existed until 1989. Two representatives of the Turkish community, Sezair Shaipi and Esat Hafez, now sit on the Kosovo Transitional Council (KTC). The draft Regulation on Self-Government of Municipalities in Kosovo guarantees that, in municipalities where they are a substantial part of the population, the Turkish community will be fully entitled to use its language in relations with the administration. However, UNMIK and part of the Turkish community--in particular the Turkish Democratic Union--have disagreed over what those rights were and should be, and over what obligations the interim institutions have to the Turkish community.

The issues in dispute have focused mainly on the status of the Turkish language. "Our request from the international community and UNMIK is simple," wrote Mahir Yagcilar, President of the Turkish Democratic Union earlier this month. "Return of our rights cited in the 1974 Constitution of the Autonomous Socialist Province of Kosovo." Yagcilar argued that Turkish then was equal with the Serbo-Croat and Albanian languages.

UNMIK believes that such equality was never implemented and that to translate signs, documents and official proceedings across Kosovo would be impractical and unjustified, considering the demographics of the Turkish community.

The Regulation on Self-Governance of Municipalities, expected to be signed this week, will in fact result in more actual use of official Turkish than was common during the 1970s and 1980s. Where a community's language is other than Albanian or Serbo-Croat and that community is a substantial part of the population, official business may be offered in that community's language.
 
Kosovo Turkish represenatives have also been critical of UNMIK for failing to revive Turkish-language programming on RTK-TV and the former Turkish language newspaper Tan, both previously subsidized by the Serbian government.. As RTK broadcasts for only two hours a day currently, UNMIK has said that in the future, air time may be found for Turkish programming. Meanwhile, UNMIK's Blue Sky Radio broadcasts daily news in the Turkish language.
 
SRSG Kouchner on July 8 presented his proposals to the Turkish community leaders in Prizren and reaffirmed his commitment to enabling all communities in Kosovo to express, preserve and develop their national, cultural, religious and linguistic identities.   The Kosovo Turks were divided over accepting the proposals which Dr. Kouchner was to have discussed today in Ankara.

Winter programme for energy announced

An ambitious programme to ensure electricity supplies during the coming winter--aimed at providing reliable and affordable power to Kosovo and enabling the Kosovo Power Company (KEK) to become a financially sound and commercially viable enterprise--was announced by UNMIK Pillar IV (Economic Development) last week. Based on the assumption that the demand will remain roughly the same as it was last winter, peaking at some 650 megawatts, the programme envisages major improvements on both the demand and the supply sides.
 
On demand: consumers have two major responsibilities--they should pay for the power consumed; and use electricity responsibly, so that power is not wasted. On supply: three units of Kosova A, which currently produce about 300 megawatts, will be more reliable during the winter thanks to repairs and better maintenance. At Kosova B, unit 1 generates 220 megawatts, and unit 2 will generate 250 megawatts after an overhaul to be lasting from August to November. In addition, the distribution system has been improved with help from the United Kingdom and Denmark.
 
To ensure a more efficient management of the KEK, a smaller Board of Directors--six members instead of nine--was also announced. Alan Pearson, acting head of Pillar IV, said the restructuring represented a "change in the philosophy on how KEK must operate in a market-based economy". First, it will streamline the decision-making, and second, the action marks a shift away from a structure that was focused mainly on production aspects of the business towards one that will concentrate on financial and commercial aspects and on ensuring the efficient operation of the company.
 
The names of the five newly appointed directors and their respective titles have already been announced: Istref Klinaku (Production); Naim Bejtullahu (Distribution, Transmission and Dispatch); Visar Kelmendi (Finance); Fadil Ismaili (Commercial Director); and Fehmi Ymeri (Restructuring). Shortly, appointments for a Corporate Services Director and an Executive Administrative Officer, the second executive officer post, will be made. Fatos Aliu continues as KEK's Chairman ad interim. Recruitment for senior management positions will begin very soon

Austrian President visits the KTC

The President of Austria, Mr Thomas Klestil, on a visit to Kosovo, attended last week's session of the Kosovo Transition Council (KTC), to which he gave a statement.

Prseident Klestil reviewed the progress made so far by both the International Community and the local population, saying that, "the list of accomplishments was impressive. The Interim Administration was in place and functioning, in spite of the extremely difficult conditions under which it had started." He further noted that "International and local policing had enhanced their activities, although much still had to be done, and the OSCE police school was operating very successfully.  There are good relations between the International community and the representatives of the local communities and groups, and cooperation among some ethnic communities has already started."

 However he felt that "there was a list of areas where not enough progress, or, even where no progress had been achieved, particularly in the area of security, where, in particular, the Serb community was very vulnerable." Expressing some concern on, among other things, widespread organized crime, he noted that "conditions under which all groups in Kosovo can live in safety and peace are not yet established."

Mr. Klestil's comments prompted a lively discussion in which most council members participated and stated their positions. The discussion covered all aspects of development in Kosovo, from the issue of detainees to the matters concerning the establishment of future economic growth and investment.

 President Klestil concluded his visit to the KTC by expressing a special thanks to SRSG Bernard Kouchner on the incredibly tough job he had and the personal effort he was making to achieve progress.

Be smart, beat the queues!

12 more days for civil and voter registration

Avoid the last-minute lines at registration centres all over Kosovo by registering before the 15 July deadline RIGHT NOW. Remember that being on the Civil Registry entitles you to a UN Identity Card and to vote in the municipal elections. It also opens up the opportunity to apply for Travel Documents.