Hello and Welcome to Week in Review for Sept 17, 2004 - where we bring you a wrap up of some of the main news items in and around Kosovo. I’m Jackson Allers.
Toping the early part of this week’s news…
On Monday, the new Commander for NATO forces in Kosovo, French General Yves de Kermabon held his first significant joint press conference with the new UN administrator, SRSG Soren Jessen-Petersen.
Speaking to a packed hall, Kermabon, said cooperation between UN police, local police, and NATO has increased since the March violence - joint riot control exercises have taken place, and he stressed that KFOR along with the Kosovo Government are committed to improving security for Kosovo’s minority communities.
General Kermabon put particular pressure on the Kosovo Government to assure that security measures were being met, but added the Kosovo Serb community had a direct responsibility to involve themselves in the Kosovo Advisory Group on Security.
In regards to the upcoming October Parliamentary elections, Kermabon announced a NATO measure called “Determined Commitment.”
“We have more than 2.000
soldiers coming from three different countries to ensure the safety during all
the election period, first during the campaign and second during the election.”
For his part SRSG Jessen-Petersen fielded questions at the
press conference about Serb participation in the upcoming elections.
Jessen-Petersen once again stressed that Kosovo Serbs must participate without
conditions being dictated by Belgrade.
“Participating in the elections does not mean just turning
up on the day and vote. It means giving the politicians an opportunity to be
out there campaigning, discussing their concerns, but also suggesting what kind
of actions should be taken by the new government, by the authorities in moving
the process forward.”
Jessen-Petersen also reiterated his commitment to the
dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina on issues of institutional guaranties
for minorities – something both governments have included as part of separate
plans on the decentralization of local government in Kosovo.
“We have made
it clear, the Kosovo plan, the framework document developed here is the plan on
the table and if we believe that that could improve the framework document
developed here, then it is evidently in our interest to improve, provided that
we believe that the Pristina plan can be improved.”
UNMIK On-Air will continue to follow the decentralization
issue as it develops.
In local
news….
Kosovo’s top political candidates made public disclosure of their personal income and assets – a condition of running in the general elections this October.
Topping the list at €40 million was Kosovo media-mogul, Veton Surroi, founder of the newly formed ORA citizen initiative and publisher of the daily newspaper, Koha Ditore.
Alliance for the future of Kosovo or AAK party leader, Ramush Haradinaj was second with an estimated €2.2 million, third was Assembly Speaker, Nexhat Daci at €450 thousand. President Ibrahim Rugova was fourth with €403 thousand, Democratic Party of Kosovo or PDK Chairman, Hashim Thaci was fifth with €360 thousand, and Prime Minister Bajram Rexhepi rounded out the list at €150 thousand.
According to financial statements, very little hard currency from the candidates actually resides in Kosovo banks.
Meanwhile…
Kosovo’s first privately owned public opinion, media-market research company, Index Kosova, has just released a survey of the television and newspaper market in the region.
According to the survey, 48.6% of those Kosovans questioned found that Radio Television Kosova was the most reliable television news source while 90.1% of those surveyed said TV21 was the most watched television station. Although Koha TV is the least trusted television station, Koha ditore is the most trusted daily newspaper with a 24% approval rating.
When asked why some local journalists doubted the credibility of the survey, Visar Berisha, Managing Director for Index Kosova said it all depends on who they work for:
“We have seen that the ones who are not on top complain, once they get up on top they start praising us and putting our new press releases as front page items.”
And Finally….
MUSIC
On Thursday, the United Nations administration in Kosovo bid farewell to Carne Ross, who served as the Strategy Coordinator for implementing the 8 democratic benchmarks, or Standards, meant to propel Kosovo towards status talks in mid-2005.
Citing personal
reasons, Carne Ross says his departure is occurring sooner than he hoped. At
his farewell press conference, Carne Ross said the next 6 months will be
crucial for the Government – fulfilling the Standards, he said, is the way to
demonstrate progress toward a democratic and multi-ethnic Kosovo.
“Rule of law, functioning
democratic institutions returns, decentralization, those are the priority areas
that the international community will be paying special attention to in their
assessment of the standards.”
And
this concludes this edition of Week in Review a production of UNMIK ON-Air.
Listen during this time every Friday for UNMIK’s Week in Review I’m Jackson
Allers…goodbye.