Week in Review 20th  October
By Birol Urcan

 

· Status quo in Kosovo cannot last, says Burns

· Avian Influenza

· 36 activists of Vetėvendosje Movement arrested

· Police admits existence of armed groups

· OSCE ambassadors visit Kosovo

· Buckovski and Kosumi fail make progress on border talks

· Kosovo Serbs will not be in Pristina delegation

 

Hello and welcome to the week in review.

Throughout the week, the risks and potential danger of the arrival of Avian influenza filled the pages of the press. Over several days, lead articles informed the public of the dangers and actins being undertaken both locally and internationally. Although the media is saturated with reporting on the subject, at the weeks end, the definitive actions of the government to be undertaken should there be an outbreak of avian influenza, remained unclear.

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The U.S. Undersecretary of State, Nicholas Burns, said in Paris that "negotiations on the future status of Kosovo should start at the end of November," and added that he could be appointed as a U.S. representative in the negotiations.

"We do not know where this process would take us, but it should be better than the status quo that has brought neither peace, nor stability in Kosovo in the past years," Nicholas Burns said at a news conference held at the US embassy in Paris

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The police arrested on the Wednesday the 19th,  36 activists of Vetėvendosje Movement who had painted the word,  FUND,  which in Albanian means the end, on UN vehicles parked in the center of Pristina.

Amongst those arrested was the leader of the Vetėvendosje Movement, Albin Kurti. Also  Also among those arrested were journalists, including an Associated Press’s photographer Visar Kryeziu.


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Over the weekend twenty five OSCE ambassadors visited Kosovo on a fact finding mission, prior to their summit in Vienna, in late October. While in Kosovo, the group, separated into different delegations and toured throughout the regions.

 

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UNMIK Police Commissioner, Kai Vittrup reported that armed groups, wearing black uniforms have appeared in the western part of Kosovo, adding that police is ready to arrest them.


The Police Commissioner at the press conference on Wednesday added that the police has increased security measures in western Kosovo and they will intervene immediately if these armed groups reappear.

“Security level is satisfying and it is a responsibility of police to maintain a stable situation, especially at this stage, when Kosovo is moving towards status talks,” Vittrup said

 
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Earlier this week the Prime Ministers of Kosovo, Bajram Kosumi and Macedonia Vlado Buckovski, failed to make progress on talks concerning the demarcation of the border.

Although the media had hope to be able to report on progress, Buckovski said "There was nothing spectacular," to report after an informal dinner with Kosumi, on the evening of the 18th.

Buckovski added that "the friends from Pristina" have assured him that they respected the territorial integrity of Macedonia and wished to improve the good relations between Pristina and Skopje.


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Political representatives of the Kosovo Serbs dismissed a possibility for them to be a part of the Pristina delegation for negotiations on the Status of the province, explaining that they belonged in the Belgrade team, since their political position is opposite to that of the Kosovo Albanians 

"It is out of the question for us to participate in Kosovo's team, because we do not share the Albanians' stands about the future organization of Kosovo and Metohija," said Goran Bogdanovic, the President of the Democratic Party for Kosovo, based in Belgrade party.

That was our week in review, thank you for listening and have a good weekend.