UNMIK on Air
Week Round-Up
(Martin Redi)
On the program today:
Land use regulation – a key step
on the road to economic development in Kosovo.
And
Snezana a Kosovo Serb, returns to Prishtina after four years.
But first
A little girl reciting: Everybody celebrates; everybody is welcomed. Janjevo is fulfilled with
happiness and joy
The Croats of Kosovo recently celebrated their 700th anniversary here.
People from many nationalities and religions celebrated together in the little
town of Janjevo... it looked like the
world in miniature.
The biggest Croat community in Kosovo is now living in Janjevo, but it is
the smallest ethnic community with not more than 360. They moved here from Dubrovnik
in 1303, says the local parish priest
Mate Palic.
Mate Palic: They were craftsmen, mine workers, qualified masters. They took the mine
and later they came under Mletacku Republika but they survived and they have
done their job up to now. It runs in our genes. Our people in Janjevo and
outside work in the same activities and jobs. 700 years is a long tradition and
with God's help Janjevo people saved their identity, religion and belonging to
Croat nation.
Janjevo
was originally a village of miners but at the end of 17 century when the mines were exhausted, Janjevo’s
inhabitants turned to metalworking and the marketing of their products, above
all gold jewelry.
St. Nikola is believed to be
the savior of Croats throughout the worst periods of their history. The Church
in Janjevo bearing his name was built in 1856. Though a big imposing building,
its front yard was not large enough for all the guests.
Song: Janjevo shines, Ready to warmly receive all
the visitors
Oh God give them peace and harmony
Surrounded by astonishing hills, covered by wonderful blue sky,
Janjevo celebrates a big anniversary
The whole Janjevo finds a
pleasure in it.
Most of Kosovo’s Croats
left before the war including several thousands from Janjevo.
Mark Sopi, Catholic Bishop in
Kosovo, says it is not only Croats who had to leave their homes, and urges them
to come back.
Mark Sopi: Comeback in
Janjevo. Every return in Janjevo will make us happy. Kosovo is free today.
Kosovo wants to create a multiethnic society and is opened to all. Anybody who wants to come back to Janjevo
will be warmly received and will have our complete support. And you who said
goodbye to Janjevo, come here and visit your homeland. Come more often and drop
by this precious holy place of St. Nikola.
During
this long period there has been much turbulence, both political and economical.
Wars, and other disasters brought destruction and poverty to Janjevo. Yet the
people managed to survive, says Mate Palic.
Mate
Palic: Each time they found themselves at the bottom they managed
to rise up from the ashes and start again, and found ways to survive, and today
we are the smallest minority in Kosovo. There are 350 Croats in Janjevo; we are
surviving thanks to harmony, God’s help, and other neighboring people with whom
we live in peace and tolerance.
Mate Palic – whose
multi-ethnic parish includes many Albanian Catholics as well as Croats.
JINGLE
Economic
development is a key indicator of concrete progress in Kosovo – and
privatization, stress international officials, is a major part of this
process. Since its creation, one of
UNMIK’s top priorities has been to effect a fair and legal transition from a
centralized to a decentralized economy. The focus has been on private ownership
of business and economic growth in the private sector.
A critical part of this task was
the promulgation last week by UNMIK chief Michael Steiner of a regulation
addressing the problems of land ownership by socially owned enterprises, SOEs.
The Land Use Regulation is
described as critical to Kosovo’s economic and political future, providing a
legal framework for the process of privatizing socially owned enterprises.
Juergen Voss, Associate head for
Economic Reconstruction explains that the regulation converts land use rights
held by socially owned enterprises (SOEs) into 99 year lease holds which can be
freely transferred and used as a guarantee for securing credits.
Juergen Voss: First
of all the regulation does nothing with redefining land use right of social owned
enterprises. It converts such rights in the context of privatization program
into lease which can be freely transferred and which can be used as collaterals
to secure credits, so it can be mortgaged.
And Voss stresses, that’s all that
Regulation does. But Serbian authorities were unhappy with the adoption of the
Land Use Regulation. In the words of Vice Prime Minister Nebojsa Covic, it
amounted to nothing short of “robbery of land and socially-owned companies”.
UNMIK denies these accusations – Belgrade it says was fully consulted regarding
privatization and all legitimate stakeholders are guaranteed recourse to law.
Moreover, all key international players were consulted, as were legal experts
and donors. Juergen Voss, again.
Juergen Voss: It doesn’t
transfer itself anything. It does especially, not attach at all the question of
ownership right. This is exactly the point why the use rights are converted
into leases, but not into ownership rights, in order to avoid, in any way to
prejudge the question who maybe the real titleholder, the owner of land which
is subject to these land use rights.
Covic seems to have changed his
tune somewhat since – he is now quoted as encouraging Serb businessmen,
especially those from Kosovo to present tenders for future privatization bids.
This he reportedly said would protect Serb national interests.
Kosovo
Albanian leaders feel the Land Use Regulation will to an extent correct the
balance. Kosovo’s Albanian majority, says Tome Hajdaraj, head of the Assembly
Commission for agriculture, forestry and rural development, was badly hit by
nationalization. The new regulation he hopes will bring the land back to legal
owners.
Tome Hajdaraj: With the colonization of Kosovo,
in 1948, not to mention 1937, 1912, 1953, 1963, 1989, unfortunately the land
was grabbed by the majority population through nationalization under the
pretext that they were not loyal to the authority, or that they did not have
enough family members to till the land, so the land was given to colonizers, 5
hectares each, those who had a boy over 16 got 2 extra hectares.
But for UNMIK, the key is protecting the
interests of all of Kosovo’s people regardless of ethnic background – strong
protections are included for workers who feel they have been discriminated against
and the Kosovo Trust Agency itself is subject to strict rules under the Land
Use Regulation.
The Regulation also clearly
defines the entitlement of employees – a 20 percent fee of tender proceeds will
be distributed to all eligible workers of an SOE. The eligibility of a worker
is also clearly defined – they must be currently employed and they must have
worked for at least 3 years. All lists of eligible employees must be published
in Albanian and Serbian. UNMIK is
confident that all possible precautions have been taken. For Ali Jakupi, Minister of Trade and
Industry, the regulation paves the way for the long waited privatization.
Ali Jakupi: Today
is a big day, this is a historical date, because from today on we will be more
and more familiar with the market economy, with countries that have embraced
the concept of market economy earlier. Kosovo from today continues to distance
itself from the former socialist system, and the social and public property for
over 50 years will have new owners and will be transformed, and will be
competitive with development countries.
Tender invitations for the first
six enterprises earmarked for privatization by the KTA Board have been already
published. The stage is set for the investors, both domestic and foreign. The
land use regulation should provide the necessary kick-start for a modern and
efficient Kosovar economy.
Snezana Borzanovic has been living with memories
of Kosovo since she was displaced by the 1999 conflict. For the last four years, she’s been writing
her memoirs in Belgrade, hoping, praying for help to return home. But home is
Prishtina, still a sensitive location, if not a no-go area for would be Serb
returnees.
Prishtina was where Snezana was born and bred. A
mother of two, she worked for years in the gynaecological department of
Prishtina hospital. She now just about manages to make ends meet on a meagre
pension, the reward for years of hard work.
Tired of waiting for help
from refugee agencies, Snezana decided to pack her belongings and make the trip
to Pristina.
Snezana Borzanovic: I appealed to
the coordination centre for help. They told me no, it is not time yet; then I
insisted, and kept going back there. Why would somebody force me to live
somewhere if I didn’t want that and at the same time not allow me to live in my
own place? And I’m not the only one. Many people want to return, but
unfortunately they cant cope with it. They all want to come, but all doors are
closed for us. We don’t know whom to speak with.
After many attempts, it
was thanks to UNHCR, that she finally found accommodation in a Serb-owned
apartment in Pristina for six months.
As UNHCR official Mishko Mimica explains, Snezana is the first Serb to
return to Prishtina even though she was denied access to her own flat. And he
adds, it takes a certain amount of courage, since no Serbs live in Snezana’s
new neighbourhood.
Mishko
Mimica: She
actually believed that she could return based on her relationship with her
Albanian neighbours from before the war. When she went to her flat, she
realised she didn’t know a single neighbour. Everything had changed in the last
year, and of course she didn’t feel safe to remain there.
After the conflict, most
apartments vacated by fleeing Serbs were simply taken over by Albanians, many
from remote villages. Snezana’s apartment too, was occupied by Albanians until
they were evicted by the Housing and Property Directorate. But, it is not
secure enough for Snezana to return to her flat.
Unable to move around
freely in Pristina, Snezana is forced to buy her daily rations in the open
market in Gracanica, a Serb enclave, five kilometres away and there are times
when she shops in Prishtina with an Albanian speaking Serb neighbour.
Snezana Borzanovic: To be
honest, I never imagined that there would not be any Albanians. We lived in one
society; a fine society before, living with one nationality is not good. We
socialised together and I don’t see why this should change now.
Snezana’s case is not just about one individual
- if she is able to return to her flat and live normally, it would be a
powerful message to other Serb IDPs that return is not just wishful thinking.
It will also be a sign that things are changing for the better in post-war
Kosovo.
And on that note we end this weekends edition of
UNMIK on Air. Have a great weekend and stay tuned for more.