UNMIK ON AIR

WEEK IN REVIEW

APRIL 22ND

Hello and Welcome to Week in Review for April 22nd , 2005 from the studio of UNMIK ON AIR ….

· Ramush Haradinaj was temporarily released to attend the burial of his brother Enver.

· The bones of at least 12 bodies, believed to be the remains of victims from the period of 1998-1999, have been found in a cave near the Klina village of Dush

· A bomb blast last week in front of the offices of ORA in Pristina

· and Olli Rehn calls on President Rugova to meet President Tadic

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The assassination of Enver Haradinaj, brother of former Kosovo Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj, was the leading story in all dailies this week.

The press reports that Enver was killed last Friday near the village of Raushiq/Rausic, near Pec/Peja. The vehicle in which Enver was travelling was riddled with bullets and he died before getting to the hospital.

The Kosovo Government, the Assembly, international officials and local political parties immediately condemned the killing.

As a sign of respect President Ibrahim Rugova declared the day of burial, last Sunday, to be a day of mourning.

PDSRSG Larry Rossin said that UNMIK was shocked by this tragic event and added that UNMIK Police would do everything to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

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The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, which was led by Ramush Haradinaj, stressed in its reaction that the assassination was politically motivated and represented a serious blow to the Haradinaj’s family.

The killing of Enver Haradinaj raised speculations about the stability and safety in Kosovo. The leading headline in Pristina daily Express was The killing that opens hell’s doors. ‘In the eyes of many, the bullet that ended Enver Haradinaj’s life has started a war,’ reads the sub-header.

Lajm quotes unofficial sources as saying that there is talk in Pec/Peja and Decan/Decani that Enver was a victim of vengeance between two clans in Decan/Decani, however the Police did not confirm.

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All Pristina dailies covered extensively on their front pages the burial ceremony of Enver Haradinaj ICTY granted the temporary release of Ramush Haradinaj to attend the burial ceremony of his brother Enver.

According to the press, Ramush Haradinaj was released on condition that he does not contact witnesses mentioned in his indictment and does not talk to the media.

Also, the Pristina court decided to allow Daut Haradinaj, who is serving a five years sentence in Dubrava prison, to attend the burial.

According to the local press, thousands of people from across Kosovo and beyond attended the ceremony.

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The investigation is ongoing and police declined to give more details so far.

‘Three crime unites are dealing with investigations. We cannot disclose more information as it could damage the investigations’, Rrahman Sulejmani, the head of KPS Criminal Police Department, was quoted as saying.

Before his departure back for The Hague, Ramush Haradinaj met with Ibrahim Rugova.

‘The President expressed his condolences for the killing of Enver Haradinaj, and highly appreciated the maturity of his family and of Deçani and Kosovo people in general’, states the press release from the Presidency.

Rugova also expressed his appreciation to the ICTY for allowing Ramush Haradinaj to attend his brother’s burial ceremony.

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Last week the bones of at least 12 bodies, believed to be of victims from the period of 1998-1999, have been found in a cave near the Klina village of Dush.

Teams of German experts, who are searching the site for more possible bodies, are investigating this mass grave. UNMIK has confirmed this news, and arranged for journalists to visit the site.

‘It is believed that these are bones of non-Albanian bodies, but we are waiting for the final expert assessment’, said Jose-Pablo Baraybar, head of the UNMIK Office for the Missing Persons and Forensics.

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After strong explosion destroyed last Sunday destroyed ORA offices in Pristina, the police have decided to provide an escort to the ORA leader Veton Surroi.

Apart from material damages to the office, three children were injured by flying glass.

ORA leader Veton Surroi calls the explosion a ‘political murder attempt’.

Local press reports on the visit of the PDSRSG, Larry Rossin to the scene who said that this is not the future Kosovo needs.

“Any progress that Kosovo can register towards final status and towards its future aspirations can only be undermined by what happened here and by this kind of activity, but also by the kind of mentality that underlies it”, Lary Rossin was quoted as saying, “This is not a democratic mentality, believe me. It is not a constructive or positive mentality for the future of Kosovo”.

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and with this we end this weeks Week in Review... thanks for listening us and stay