Dec 7 - 20, 2012 Issue No. 101 www.prishtinainsight.com Price € 1

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NEWS

Opinion: Albania’s Unlikely Birthday

CULTURE

Gjilan Waste Deal withAustria Faces Probe

A Kosovo prosecutor is investigating thetown hall in Gjilan over allegations ofirregularities related to a deal reached inMay with an Austrian company to set up aprivately run sanitation company.

Under the 15-year deal, known as a pub-lic-private partnership...

page 7business

Haradinaj Return SpellsChange for Kosovo’s Politics

Experts in Prishtina are already weigh-ing the potential political impact ofRamush Haradinaj’s return to his home-land.

Haradinaj returned to Kosovo as a freeman to a rapturous welcome following hisacquittal by the Hague ...

page 4news

CULTURE

Fox Marble’s top representa-tive in Kosovo reported onSeptember 26 that he was

assaulted near the Grand Hotel inPrishtina by a businessman who’dbeen refused shares in the compa-ny.

Two months later, on November30, Fox Marble learned that theIndependent Commission forMines and Minerals had revokedfour of its five exploration licensesfor granite and marble in Kosovo.

Fox Marble, which is incorpo-rated in the United Kingdom buthas all its assets registered inKosovo, said this sends a chillingmessage to any foreign investors

looking to put their money intoKosovo.

The Independent Commissionfor Mines and Minerals said therevocation of licenses was donelegally because the Fox Marblehadn’t met deadlines to begin min-ing operations.

Fox Marble had raised 10 mil-lion pounds (12.3 million euro) inthe London Stock Exchange inAugust. After the ICMM decision,shares plunged 25 percent.

“This is racketeering”:

Shahini told Prishtina Insightthat the man who attacked him,Latif Lushtaku, had said FoxMarble wouldn’t be able to operatein Kosovo if it didn’t give him

shares. Lushtaku denied attackingShahini or demanding shares inFox Marble.

“We met twice before with LatifLushtaku. The first time, he con-tacted me through another person.He wanted shares in our endeav-our. This is racketeering,” Shahinisaid.

Shahini said their nextencounter was on the street, whenLushtaku and another personstopped him, pushed him over andassaulted him.

The Fox Marble representativesaid he sustained no seriousinjuries and reported the case atKosovo Police Station No. 1 inPrishtina.

“For as much as I know, despitethe report (to the police), nothing

happened,” said Fox Marble CEOChristopher Gilbert.

Kosovo Police spokesman AgronBorovci said police filed a criminalreport against two suspects andforwarded the case to MunicipalProsecution Office. “The policeinterviewed all persons involvedin the incident,” Borovci said.

Businessman denies accu-sations

Lushtaku told Prishtina Insightthat he merely had a chanceencounter with Shahini outsidethe Grand Hotel but said he wasn’taware that he represented FoxMarble.

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Fortunes Sour for Fox MarbleShares tank after Kosovo mining commission revokes four of five exploration licenses. UK-based company says decisionbroke law and set bad precedent for foreign investment.

Peja Security DealDraws Charges ofFavouritism

NEWS

> page 10-11

Diplomat BlamesAssets Blunder onEmail Mix-up

NEWS

> page 6

By Jeta Xharra and Petrit Çollaku

> page 9

Texts ProvingCorruption AreFake, Limaj Says

> page 5

> page 3

Albania to OfferCitizenship toEthnic Brethren

The Balkans’Belligerent UltrasAvoid Penalties

KosovoWiretapsReveal RulingParty’sSavage Feuds

Leaked recordings revealthe vicious power strug-gle raging between theruling Democratic Partyof Kosovo leaders – aswell as their taste forcoarse language.

See Page 5

Dec 7 - 20, 2012

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news2

+381 38 602042, +377 44 243367, +386 49 243367

from page 1

“Isen Shahini used to be a mili-tary man in the Tito time and thenin the KLA. I know he owns arestaurant, but I had no clue heworks for Fox Marble,” Lushtakusaid.

“I have never attacked him. Inever wanted any shares in thatbusiness. These are their mines.And they can do whatever theywant with them,” he said, addingthat police never interviewed him.

A police source said hewas interviewed.

Lushtaku owns two companies,L&L, in mining, and N’pike, in realestate. The former also had alicence terminated by the ICMMin November.

Lushtaku also owns shares inPrague Metal, which is licensedfor exploration of iron and nickelnear Hani i Elezit.

Licensing dispute

Fox Marble had obtained itslicenses from the ICMM onOctober 31, 2011, which were to bevalid until 2035.

According to ICMM, FoxMarble failed to observe thelicense conditions, which requirethat license holders begin theirfield activities within threemonths from the moment thelicenses were awarded.

Gilbert, Fox Marble’s CEO, saidthe commission broke the law bynot warning the company beforerevoking its licenses and not giv-

ing it 60 to 120 days to respond,according to Article 9 of the Lawon Mines and Minerals.

He said that initially inDecember 2011 Fox Marble hadrequested a three-month exten-sion of its deadline to start fieldwork because of poor weatherconditions.

Gilbert said that in the nextquarter, from May 1 to July 31, thecompany delayed work in itsfourth quarry in order to clean upthe site to make way for heavymachinery.

Gilbert said he and companydirector Colin Terry, in the pres-ence of UK Ambassador toKosovo, Ian Cliff, explained toEconomic Development MinisterBesim Beqaj on July 27 that thecompany would soon be listing onthe stock market and would bedoing more work in the nextquarter.

Beqaj was clear, Gilbert said,that while this was an issue forthe ICMM, “three months ofdelay would not be a problem, andthat he would talk to the ICMM.”

“We have subsequently in thatquarter put equipment onto fourof our five sites and opened onequarry,” Gilbert said, adding thatthe company would have opened asecond mine in Peja this weekand another one in Rahovecimmediately thereafter.

Commission: We actedpursuant to the law

On November 26, theIndependent Commission forMines and Minerals terminated

35 licenses of companies, includ-ing four licenses of Fox Marble.

The ICMM made the decisionsince none of the companies,according commission, had beenable to perform their commit-ments to start exploration.

“The companies have notbegun their work within threemonths from the license award,as required by the law. Ourresources cannot remainunused,” Ahmet Tmava, chair-man of the ICMM board, toldPrishtina Insight. He added thatthe commission had expeditedFox Marble’s license applica-tions.

The fifth license of the compa-ny, which allows it to mine deco-rative stones Rahovec, has beensuspended. The ICMM said itwanted more information aboutthe work being done, since thelicense had been issued a yearago.

“Our inspectors have visitedthe site, and only saw one truckand one excavator. It only had asmall pit, and that was all thatwas done,” Tmava said.

Asked whether the commissionhad breached the law in failing togive the license holder a noticeperiod of at least 60 days, Tmavasaid: “The commission has actedpursuant to the law, and there is aperiod of 30 days for companiesto file a complaint with the com-mission.”

This notice was never given toFox Marble.

Gilbert said the termination oflicenses has generated a largeamount of confusion with its

partners and investors, and dis-trust.

“In a comment I got from aninvestor, he stated that after thisnews, no one will ever invest inKosovo again,” Gilbert said.

Fox Marble in Action

Fox Marble has become the firstKosovo-based firm listed on theLondon stock exchange, onAIM, Alternative InvestmentMarket.

Last August, Fox Marble hadsuccessfully raised almost £10million from investors ahead ofits AIM listing.

Gilbert told the media inLondon last year that JamesCaan, star of BBC businessshow “Dragon’s Den”, throughhis company “HamiltonBradshaw Capital Partners”,

had invested an undisclosedsum of money in the company.

Fox Marble had access to over300 million cubic metres of pre-mium quality marble includingwhite breccia and honey yellowonyx.

Fox Marble had estimated thatwhen the plant would be at fullproduction rate, it could obtainprofits at the rate of 25.9 Millioneuros, before interest and taxes.

The marketing document byFox Davies explained in detailsthe marble potential in Kosovo,and the plans of Fox Marble forproduction in 2013.

It estimated that there is anestimated presence of 91.3Million cubic meters of indicat-ed resources and inferredresources, and 235 millionCubic meters of decorationstones.

Fortunes Sour for Fox Marble

Fox Marble CEO Christopher Gilbert says the licensing problems have discouragedinvestors.

Following four hours of talkswith Kosovo and Serbianleaders on Tuesday,

Catherine Ashton, the EU ForeignPolicy Chief, said that implemen-tation of the border agreementwill start on December 10 on twoborder crossings.

“The two Prime Ministers con-firmed the conclusions of the[Integrated Border Management]IBM working group, according towhich two gates (1 and 3) are nowready and will be operational on10 December," she said.

"Two more gates (5 and 31) willbe ready on December 31,” thestatement from Ashton’s officeadded.

Under the terms of the IBMagreement, Kosovo and Serbiancustoms and police officers willstand under one roof once theagreement is put into operation.

The statement also said thatDacic and Thaci had agreed toeach appoint a liaison officer.

"To begin with, as part of theEU's facilitating role, the EUDelegation in Belgrade and the EUOffice in Prishtina will providethe liaison office for the liaisonofficers,” the statement contin-ued.

This was the third meetingbetween Dacic and Thaci inBrussels.

They first met on October 19with Ashton, who is now the mainmediator in talks between bothparties.

Another meeting between Thaci,Dacic and Ashton followed onNovember 7 but little information

was published on the discussion.EU-mediated talks in Belgium

started in March 2011, three yearsafter Kosovo declared independ-ence from Serbia.

Serbia has vowed never to recog-nise Kosovo as a state, but says it isopen to deals that improve dailylives on both sides of the [fromSerbia's point of view unrecog-nised] border.

So far, the two sides havereached deals on freedom of move-ment, university diplomas, region-al representation and on trade. Butnot all the deals have been imple-mented.

Following Tuesday's meeting,Dacic said that Serbia would sus-pend the border agreement “if theagreed regime is violated in thefield.

“A guarantee for the implemen-tation of the agreement is the pres-ence of EU High Representative

Catherine Ashton,” Dacic said.He also stressed that the agree-

ment on border management, asfar as Serbia was concerned, was"status neutral", that is, it will notprejudice Serbia's claim to Kosovo.

Thaci confirmed after the meet-ing that Prishtina would not placeany state symbols on the border ifBelgrade did the same.

The dialogue is due to continueon January 10.

Kosovo, Serbia PMs Agree Border Deal ActionIvica Dacic and Hashim Thaci have agreed that four border crossings will start working bythe end of the year and agreed to appoint liaison officers.

Bojana Barlovac

Thaci, Ashton and Dacic after another meeting.

Dec 7 - 20, 2012news 3

Former Transport Minister FatmirLimaj has told prosecutors that thePrime Minister, Hashim Thaci, gave

him a doctored transcript of text messagesthat appear to incriminate him in the ongo-ing corruption case related to his ministe-rial work.

An EU rule of law, EULEX, prosecutor,Johannes Picker, indicted Limaj and sixother suspects on November 16 on chargesof organized crime and money laundering.

Investigators found the transcript inLimaj’s home in 2010 along with a USBmemory stick containing a “cleaned ver-sion,” according to prosecutors.

The messages show correspondence in2009 between Endrit Shala, Limaj’s advisorin the ministry, and Florim Zuka, owner ofthe Tali company from Gjilan.

The messages “contain numerousincriminating data against Fatmir Limaj,Endrit Shala, and Florim Zuka,” theindictment says.

The printed copy contains a briberyagreement for 250,000 euro between Shalaand Zuka for a road maintenance tender inGjilan.

The indictment, which has yet to be con-firmed in court, accuses Zuka of payingLimaj and his associates the 250,000 eurothrough Shala as intermediary.

Shala says the messages were falsified.“These SMSs are planted; it’s been proventhat they are fabricated,” Shala toldPrishtina Insight on November 30.

“I don’t know who fabricated them, orhow the fabrication was set up. I will speakabout this in court,” he added.

Shala’s assertion reflects Limaj’s ownwords when prosecutors interviewed himsix times in 2011 and 2012.

“There are two or three places where thetext was changed and another text wasplaced there instead,” Limaj told prosecu-tors.

In support of Limaj’s line, the officialrecord of the SMS messages to Shala’s

number, which prosecutors obtained fromPost and Telecom of Kosovo, PTK, did notcontain the incriminating messages.

The SMS file contained in the USB stickfound in Limaj’s home also did not containthe incriminating messages about thebribery.

The author of the SMS file was thebrother of Limaj’s driver, according to theindictment.

Limaj says Thaci involved:

When prosecutors asked Limaj how heobtained the hard copy holding the incrim-inating messages, he said Thaci had givenit to him.

“I went to the Prime Minister’s office.Someone had given it to the PrimeMinister,” Limaj told prosecutors, withoutspecifying the date when Thaci allegedlygave him the copy.

“The Prime Minister gave it to me andsaid, ‘Look at this.’ I looked it and took itseriously. I was alarmed.

“I left it there. I called my advisor [Shala]and told him: ‘Explain what’s happened.He said: ‘No, give me an hour,’” Limaj toldprosecutors.

Thaci’s office did not respond toPrishtina Insight’s request for a commenton whether he’d given Limaj the SMS tran-script.

Limaj also told prosecutors that parts ofthe official PTK record of the text mes-

sages had also been faked.“I thought of filing a lawsuit but lost the

document… I had no idea whether Shala orI had it. That’s why it was found in myapartment,” he said.

In the course of another interview,Limaj said he took the SMS transcript withhim and gave it to Shala.

Shala “saw his name and his numberthere, and compared the copy with that ofPTK,” he said.

Asked recently by Prishtina Insight ifthe defence might call Thaci as a witness,Limaj’s lawyer, Tahir Rrecaj, said he wasunsure.

“The hearing confirming the indictmentmust first be held, and we have to receive acopy and review its basis and facts, andonly then we will know how to proceed,”Rrecaj said.

Limaj, his two brothers, Florim andDemir Limaj, his former cabinet chief,Shala, Nexhat Krasniqi, Gani Zukaj, an ITadministrator and Zuka, owner of the Taliconstruction company, are charged withmanipulating tender procedures and giv-ing and receiving bribes.

EULEX has been investigating Limajsince April 2010 when police raided theTransport Ministry and Limaj’s propertiesin Prishtina as part of an investigationinto road tenders issued between 2007 and2009.

Limaj has denied any wrongdoing dur-ing his time as head of the ministry.

Editor’s Word

WhichPassport

When Albania declared independencea century ago, the goal of unifyingAlbanians in a single state was para-

mount. But these days, it isn’t so desirable,especially from Kosovo’s perspective.

Despite Albania Prime Minister SaliBerisha’s idea to give every ethnic Albanian apassport, in essence there are no strong polit-ical groups working toward unification. Theproblem is, that it’s difficult to transformpublic stances such is the one coming fromBerisha, into political action.

But, proponents of the unification projectmust seriously take into account the feelingsand the reasonings of all those supportingand believing in an independent Kosovo,according to its February 17, 2008 declarationof independence. Supporters of the Kosovostate are not few and they support Kosovoboth as an ideal and as a pragmatic organiza-tion, parallel to taking into consideration thepowerful integration impetus towardsEurope.

Proponents of the unification of Albaniansinto one state, wherever they appear, oftenhave a lack of courage to risk their currentsociety position, afraid of public opinion.

In addition, with Kosovo in talks withSerbia, the unification calls are detrimentaland an invitation for territorial arguments,such as Belgrade’s proposal for a possibleDayton-style solution, a partition.

They are discouraging for the coexistenceof different ethnicities in one space, in thisregion, even though that coexistence is a factin the developed world, and it was successfulin the past in the Balkans as well, untilSlobodan Milosevic came into play.

They are a manipulation of the fate offuture Kosovars as, particularly at this pointof economic underdevelopment, living in thissmall country helps people to get out ofpoverty and anonymity more quickly.Everyone has a better chance of beingemployed in a municipality, agency, ministry,embassy or to be part of Kosovo’s film or lit-erary scenes.It is certain that in other organ-izations, at least for a while, their opportuni-ties will be more limited.

So it is a job and experience opportunity.And, on the contrary, the state of Kosovodoesn’t prevent economic and cultural inte-gration among Albanians.

It is also not rational to be attracted by suchprojects when no one’s existence is threat-ened from an ideology - as it did duringMilosevic era.

One should also remember that there areother ethnicities which are an integral part ofour society and share the history and manyviewpoints with the majority. Kosovo is theirhomeland as well, but maybe that could notbe the case with an-all Albanian state.

Instead, the project that Albanians and oth-ers in Kosovo should be supporting is one thatsupports the development of everyone. Anexperienced, educated and prosperous citizen- this is the passport that was missing in thepast.

Often this exactly is the ultimate objectiveof political systems. For these reasons, reflec-tions on November 28, for many, served as areminder of the vital importance that themaintaining of the state of Kosovo and imple-menting its Declaration of Independence hasfor Kosovars.

Grand ethnic projects belong to the past.

Texts Proving Corruption AreFake, Limaj SaysEx-minister told prosecutors that an incriminating SMS printout found in his home was doctored and given tohim by prime minister Hashim Thaci.

By Liridona Hyseni

By Artan Mustafa

Former Transport Minister Fatmir Limaj is accused of corruption from his time at the ministry.

Limaj says incriminating text messages were doctored.

news4 Dec 7 - 20, 2012

YMCK

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Experts in Prishtina arealready weighing the poten-tial political impact of

Ramush Haradinaj’s return to hishomeland.

Haradinaj returned to Kosovo asa free man to a rapturous welcomefollowing his acquittal by the HagueTribunal on Thursday.

Many predict a future governingcoalition between his Alliance forthe Future of Kosovo, AAK - now inopposition - and the governingDemocratic Party of Kosovo, PDK.

They are less clear on how theAAK plans to achieve its involve-ment in government withHaradinaj “at the front” of it.

Before his trial he was brieflyPrime Minister, for about 100 days,in 2005.

“It remains to be seen if this ispossible now, without holding elec-tions, or whether we will have towait for elections – either extraordi-nary or regular ones,” AgronBajrami, editor of the daily KohaDitore told Prishtina Insight.

Kosovo held extraordinary elec-tions at the end of 2010 to overcomea crisis that occurred after theDemocratic League of Kosovo, LDK,left the governing coalition with thePDK.

Having won more than 30 per centof the votes, the PDK, led by HashimThaci, was mandated to form a newgovernment.

Behgjet Pacolli’s Alliance for New

Kosovo and other parties led by theethnic Serbian minority wereincluded in the governing coalitionwith PDK.

Pacolli was then electedPresident of Kosovo, but his elec-tion was annulled by theConstitutional Court, whichdeemed the process unconstitution-al.

To resolve the legal vacuumcaused by the ruling, the PDK, theLDK and the AKR agreed to electAtifete Jahjaga as an interimPresident until electoral reformshad been implemented.

These reforms were blocked thissummer because of different standsthat the parties have with regard toJahjaga’s mandate.

Blerim Shala, an AAK deputyhead, said on Thursday that “newelections may not be held without anew Law on Elections”.

Ilir Deda, executive director ofthe Kosovar Institute for PolicyResearch and Development, toldBIRN that “the most democraticoutcome would be parliamentaryelections… and, based on thoseresults, a new, full legitimate gov-ernment.”

He did not rule out the possibilityof a political agreement betweenthe PDK and AAK that would lead toa new coalition.

“In Kosovo where basic democra-cy is still desirable, everything ispossible,” he said.

“Any change in the current gov-ernment’s composition withoutholding elections would be a manip-ulation of… politics,” Bajramiadded.

“As Thaçi is Prime Minister him-self, the eventual ranking ofHaradinaj at top of the governmentwould be rational to the PDK only if

the PDK took over the presidency,”he added.

However, Jahjaga says she has aright to complete her five-year man-date given in April 2011.

The Constitutional Court thissummer said that an interruption ofJahjaga’s mandate would “reducehuman rights and freedoms” andwas “not in line” with the constitu-tion.

Under the constitution, parlia-ment has a four-year mandate,while the President has a five-year

mandate.Until the future of the AAK’s

eventual role is resolved, Haradinajwill be a leader of the opposition inthe Kosovo Assembly, where hisparty has 11 of the 120 seats.

The AAK’s Blerim Shala wasrecently appointed political coordi-nator of the government-led dia-logue with Serbia.

This move was considered a sig-nal of future coalition plansbetween the PDK and AAK.

Haradinaj Return Spells Change forKosovo’s PoliticsThe acquittal of the former KLA leader and former Prime Minister paves the way for hispolitical comeback – but what form that will take remains unclear.

The world knows him as a for-mer guerrilla force com-mander charged for war

crimes during the conflict of 1999in Kosovo.

In Kosovo he is one of the keyfigures of the former KosovoLiberation Army, KLA, a leader,politician and hero. He is also sonto Hilmi, husband to Anita andfather to Gjini, Hana and Trimi.

Haradinaj, 44, has spent the lasttwo years in The Hague, in thedetention unit of the InternationalCriminal Tribunal for formerYugoslavia, the ICTY.

The Tribunal has charged himwith crimes against humanity andviolations of the laws and customsof war during the war in Kosovo inthe late 1990s.

On Thursday, November 29, hewill appear before the court to hear,for a second time, its verdict onthose charges.

Idriz Balaj and Lah Brahimaj,his former KLA comrades, will bein the same court as part of the“Haradinaj et al” case.

The trio are accused of torturingand killing prisoners in a KLA-runcamp at Jablanica during theKosovo conflict.

The charges are not the onlything that the suspects have in com-mon. Fate brought them togethermore than a decade ago in theirarmed revolt against the Serbianpolice and military, which thencontrolled the country.

Plans to fight a ground war forKosovo’s independence were not onthe horizon in 1989 when Haradinajleft Kosovo to Switzerland.

By then, like most ethnic

Albanians in Kosovo, he had com-pleted military service with the for-mer Yugoslav People’s Army, JNA.

Conditions for armed resistanceweren’t yet ripe as the KosovoAlbanian leader, Ibrahim Rugova,vainly pursued a peaceful strugglefor self-determination.

Far from home, Haradinaj did arange of different jobs, from con-struction to nightclub bouncer,before returning to Glogan, wherehe was born, after about six years.

He soon became involved inmobilizing the new guerrilla army,the KLA, preparing and carryingout attacks on Serbian targets.

At a funeral in November 1997,KLA members appeared for thefirst time in public carryingweapons. Among them wasHaradinaj’s younger brother, Daut.

Kosovo Albanians guerrillas con-tinued operations periodicallyuntil March 1998 when all-out warerupted.

Haradinaj’s previous personalloss, the assassination of his broth-er, Luan, by the Serbian police wasfollowed by the killing of AdemJashari, one of the architects ofthe KLA.

Serbian forces killed him and 40family members, on March 5 of1998, after laying siege to the familyhome in Prekaz, in the Drenicaregion.

Miles from Drenica, Haradinajcontinued operations as a com-mander of the KLA Dukagjini zonein western Kosovo.

NATO intervention in 1999 endedthe war in Kosovo with theenforced withdrawal of Serbianforces.

Haradinaj changes roles, becom-ing deputy commander of theKosovo Protection Corps, a civilemergency force created by the UNto absorb the former rebels.

His contacts with former UN offi-cials like Steven Shook or Larry

Rosin served his political careerwell after 2000, when he establishedhis own party, the Alliance for theFuture of Kosovo, AAK.

The transformation from“Rambo”, as he was nicknamed, toa politician, was not an easyprocess in the UN-administratedcountry.

Growing up in a region wherethe Canon of Leke Dukagjini, theAlbanian customary law code, stillheld sway, Haradinaj had to adjusthis ideas to a modern context.

At the same time he remainedfaithful to his credo: “Dignity, prideand honour”.

Entering politics, in the mean-time, was also the aim of HashimThaci, the KLA’s former politicalleader, who had established theDemocratic Party of Kosovo, PDK,a future rival to the AAK.

Longtime independence leaderRugova, head of the DemocraticLeague of Kosovo, LDK, was alsostill on the scene, though manyLDK members left to join the PDKor AAK.

Haradinaj competed withRugova and Thaci in Kosovo’s firstelections in 2001 with little success.

His party made its first majorbreakthrough in the second gener-al elections in Kosovo in 2004, whenthe AAK came second.

Haradinaj then became PrimeMinister through a coalition withRugova’s LDK.

After only a hundred days at thehead of government, Haradinaj’spolitical career was derailed by theICTY.

On March 4, 2005, it issued anindictment against him and his twoco-accused, Balaj and Brahimaj.

Surrounded by cabinet mem-bers, Haradianj held an extraordi-nary press conference, informingthe public of the Tribunal’sdemand that he appear before thecourt.

He resigned and surrendered vol-untarily to the Hague four daysafter the indictment was issued.The international community inPristina gave him a memorablesend-off before he left for TheHague with some ambassadors vis-ibly disturbed by his departure.

In April 2008, the ICTY acquittedhim of torture, murder, rape anddeportation and he returned toKosovo to a hero’s welcome.“Ramuuush, Ramuuush, Ramu -uush”, the crowds shouted atPrishtina airport.

Looking forward to his come-back was also the AAK. Weakenedby Haradinaj’s absence, it had beenpushed into opposition after thegeneral elections of 2007, when thePDK and the LDK formed a newgovernment.

His efforts to revive his partywould again be interrupted by amessage from The Hague, however.

On July 21, 2010 the AppealsChamber of the ICTY partiallyquashed the acquittals of the for-mer KLA trio and ordered a partialretrial.

The Tribunal prosecution hadconvinced an appeals judge that ithad not been given time to hear evi-dence from two key witnesses.

The Hague Tribunal has acquit-ted Haradinaj, Balaj and Brahimajon November 29, 2012 of all chargesof committing war crimes duringthe Kosovo conflict of the late 1990s.

Kosovo Rambo With a Taste for PoliticsRamush Haradinaj had made a successful transition from guerrilla leader to politician -until The Hague threw its spanner in the works, not once but twice.

By Edona Peci

By Edona Peci

Haradinaj and Thaci appear on good terms.

Ramush Haradinaj is back.

PROFILE

news 5Dec 7 - 20, 2012

YMCK

The recordings - which thePDK insists are fakes - por-tray a deeply fractured party

whose suspicious leader, HashimThaci, fears losing control.

In one unguarded moment,Prime Minister Thaci can be harddescribing another PDK leader inprofane terms.

In the recording postedYouTube, Thaci can be heardinstructing PDK parliamentarycaucus head Adem Grabovci andanother party leader to appear inhis place at a PDK event.

The venue of the event,Malisheve, is a bastion of VicePresident Fatmir Limaj’s, a for-mer ally of Thaci’s now turned foe.

“Go, make a short speechbecause those dogs there have aproblem with me, not you,” Thaciinstructs Grabovci.

The mayor of Malisheve, IsniKilaj, has confirmed that Thacidid not attend the event but thatGrabovci and other PDK leaderswent instead.

Last week, the PDK denouncedthe recordings as fake and calledon the European Union’s rule oflaw mission, EULEX, to investi-gate “fabricated tapping.”

On Tuesday, the EU mission con-demned the release of the record-ings - while not disputing theirauthenticity. “EULEX deplores thefact that the phone interceptsended up in the public domain,” itstated.

But, far from denying theirauthenticity, EULEX said theyformed part of an ongoing corrup-tion probe into the Ministry ofTransport, a case in which ex-min-ister Limaj is charged.

It said the recordings all werecourt authorized. The missionoffered no information about thescope of the phone intercepts orwhat role they played in the Limajcase.

A EULEX prosecutor handed therecordings and all its other evi-dence to the court and defenseattorneys on November 16, when itissued an indictment of Limaj andothers.

EULEX meanwhile said theSpecial Prosecutor’s Office wasinvestigating whether the releaseof the recordings into the publicdomain broke the law.

Prishtina Insight has obtainedconfirmation from other sourcesthat many of the conversationsoccurred just as they have beenportrayed.

Krasniqi called ‘dog’ – andworse:

It is unclear how many otherrecordings exist beside those post-ed on YouTube. Those leaked con-sist solely of conversationsbetween PDK leaders in Thaci’swing of the party, and do not

appear to relate to directly to theMinistry of TransportInvestigation.

The most revealing, and mosthighly coloured, exchanges con-cern the speaker of the KosovoAssembly, Jakup Krasniqi, who isincreasingly at odds with Thaciand his allies.

Krasniqi has accused Thaci ofnot respecting parliament on sever-al occasions and has also boycottedparty elections.

In one conversation, Thaci canbe heard asking if there is any-thing new on “our bandits” and on“Jakupovski”, a Macedonianizedversion of Krasniqi’s first name.

In another chat, Grabovci can beheard discussing Krasniqi with theEuropean Integration Minister,Vlora Citaku.

“We have the situation undercontrol, but it’s slipping away fromus sometimes,” Grabovci com-plains.

“Unless Jakup [Krasniqi] isremoved, there is nothing,” Citakuanswers. “You are being sabo-taged.” Citaku has declined to com-ment to Prishtina Insight about therecording.

Krasniqi also features promi-nently in a conversation betweenGrabovci and the mayor ofSkenderaj, Sami Lushtaku.

“Oh, that motherf-----, what a doghe has become, why don’t you f----gbring him down! Can’t you do it, orwhat?” the mayor asks.

“Only because we didn’t want tocreate a scandal, but he is askingfor it, and it won’t be long,”Grabovci replies, confidently.

“I would have showed him thedoor, even if were the son of AdemJashari,” Lushtaku said, referringto a late hero of the Kosovo conflict.

Contacted by Prishtina Insight,Grabovci dismissed the signifi-cance of the phone tapping. “I don’tcare who records whom… Theseare speculations… I have no com-ments,” Grabovci said.

The Mayor meanwhile con-firmed that he while he often spokewith Grabovci over the phone, theynever spoke ill of Krasniqi. “WhenI have something to say aboutJakup Krasniqi or anyone else, Ispeak openly,” Lushtaku said.

Krasniqi declined to speculate onthe authenticity of the tapes butsaid the words reportedly spokenabout him came as no surprise.

“Ask them. It’s their obligation tocome before the public and explainwhether these are true or not,” he

said. To me this not a surprisebecause their stances against meare obvious.”

Krasniqi said the PDK leader-ship was welcome to try to removehim as speaker of parliament. “Ifthey want they can initiate the pro-cedure and dismiss me,” he said.

Scandalous fabrication:

Embarrassed by the unpleasantlight that the tapes cast on theinner workings of - and petty rival-ries within - the PDK, Thaci stilldenies their authenticity anddemands an investigation.

The government “urgentlyrequests the competent authori-ties… and EULEX to shed light onthis scandalous and illegal case,” apress release said.

“Such actions are a directattempt of certain domestic andinternational mechanisms toblackmail and sabotage institu-tional stakeholders and the func-tioning of our state institutions,”it added.

Kosovo Police had initially saidit was investigating what it consid-ered to be illegal recordings. It hassince backed away from the state-ment after EULEX announced thatit had performed the wiretaps witha court order.

Kosovo Wiretaps RevealRuling Party’s Savage Feuds Leaked recordings reveal the vicious power struggle raging between the rulingDemocratic Party of Kosovo leaders – as well as their taste for coarse language.

Serbs in Northern Kosovo protest against the implementation of an agreementbetween Kosovo and Serbia on an Integrated Border Management. The protest haltedthe construction works at Jarinje as part of the IBM. Today, mayors of four municipali-ties in the north will decide whether they will stop the protest. (AP Photo/Zveki)

Photo News: Border Deal Protest

By Edona Peci

In leaked wiretaps, Thaci asks about "our bandits" in the assembly.

Kosovo’s Anti-CorruptionAgency has named theambassador to Italy,

Bukurije Gjonbalaj, as one of 19newly appointed officials whofailed to declared their assets by amid-November deadline the.

However, following release ofthe news last week, Gjonbalaj hastold Prishtina Insight that shenever received an assets form andimmediately sent a disclosure tothe agency when she learned ofthe problem.

“I only learned about my nothaving declared [my assets intime] from friends in Prishtina,”she said.

Gjonbalaj told Prishtina Insightthat she has since found out thatthe form was sent to the wrongemail address.

“This happened due to a mistakewith the official electronic

address,” she said, adding that theform was sent to another officialwho has the same name.

“We are two officials with samefirst name and family name,”Gjonbalaj explained.

The 19 officials representedabout 8 per cent of the new govern-ment officials. They did not makethe legally mandated financial dis-closures by November 16.

The Anti-Corruption Agency“calls on all new officials, from themoment of appointment to a sen-ior public post, to declare theirwealth in order to demonstrate…respect for anti-corruption laws,”the agency said in a statement onNovember 22.

Other officials who failed to sub-mit reports by the November 16cut-off included staffers in theForeign and Culture ministries,municipal councilors inGracanica, Malisheve andMitrovica and prosecutors.

Officials face fines of 1,000 to2,500 euro for not declaring theirwealth in time, according to a 2010Law on the Declaration, Originand Control of Wealth.

Diplomat BlamesAssets Blunder onEmail Mix-upAs Anti-Corruption Agency names ambassador to Rome asone of 19 officials who failed to disclose assets, she saysthe form was emailed wrongly.

By Donjete Hoxha

Bukurije Gjonbalaj, left, is Kosovo's new ambassador to Italy.

YMCK

news6 Dec 7 - 20, 2012

Asecurity contract awardedby the municipality of Pejato a consortium partly

owned by two municipal officialsdid not break Kosovo’s conflict ofinterest laws, according to theAnti-Corruption Agency.

Peja-based Magnum and KosSecurity secured a year-longcontract in February.

They will be paid 16,000 euro amonth to guard municipal facili-ties, although the consortiumdid not offer the lowest bid, noris it properly licensed.

Two officials in the municipaleducation department, seniorofficer Leonard Shabanaj andsenior finance officer VllaznimPergjegjaj, are shareholders inMagnum.

However, the Anti-CorruptionAgency investigated the tenderand concluded in November thatit did not violate the 2011 Law onPreventing Conflict of Interest.

The law “does not considerthem senior officials [in the cityhall], so it’s not a conflict ofinterest,” said Hasan Preteni,head of the Anti-CorruptionAgency.

But Veton Mujaj, head of thewatchdog organisation Eye ofVision, said the deal was “illegaland immoral.

“It shouldn’t have happened.When such cases are noticed,the responsible bodies shoulddeal with them seriously,” Mujajsaid.

Bidding without a license:

When the consortium won thetender on February 16, Magnumhad only been established inDecember and did not have a secu-rity-services license from theInterior Ministry.

According to the ministry, secu-rity companies cannot operatewithout a license.

The notice for the tender stipu-lated that the operator was obligedto possess a license. Kos Securityhad one.

Merita Vidishiqi, an InteriorMinistry official, told PrishtinaInsight that Magnum received itsEssential Security License on May16 – months after the consortiumobtained the contract.

When Prishtina Insight contact-ed the office of Peja Mayor AliBerisha, in October, it respondedthat because Magnum had appliedfor a license by the time of the ten-der, the consortium met the bidrequirements.

After we informed the mayor’soffice that the Interior Ministrysaid that Magnum was not allowedto operate without a license, theoffice countered that the tenderremained valid as Kos Securityhad a license.

Peja’s procurement manageralso defended the contact. XhemeBerisha said the two educationofficials weren’t involved in thecontract, which was signed withthe company manager, ValentinaMorina.

Berisha recalled that theReviewing Body of Procurementhad looked at the tender after a los-ing bidder filed a complaint andhad rejected the complaint.

Meanwhile the two municipalofficials who are shareholders inthe security company toldPrishtina Insight that the contractdoes not constitute a conflict ofinterest.

“I had no influence in winningthe tender. Magnum won itbecause it offered the lowest price,not because I’m involved in it,”Shabanaj said.

He said he didn’t see a conflictbecause he was only a shareholderin the company, not a manager.

Pergjegjaj said that pursuingthe security contract had beenMorina’s idea alone.

Lowest bidder lost out:

“Morina expressed the desire tomake an offer for this tender. Itdoesn’t have anything to do withus. I had no direct connection,” hesaid. Morina declined to com-

ment.Magnum won the contract over

two other bidders BodyguardSecurity of Prishtina andPhysical Security of Kosovo.

Bodyguard offered to guardPeja’s municipal facilities for18,000 euro a month, compared toMagnum’s offer of 16,000 euro.

The winner of the previousyear’s tender, Physical Security ofKosovo, had offered to do it for farless, for only 9,900 euro per month.

Shefqet Damka, PhysicalSecurity’s owner, told PrishtinaInsight that he lost the tender dueto favouritism.

“My company didn’t win thisyear because I am not from Peja, Iam from Prizren, and don’t haveanybody working in the munici-pality,” he said.

Xheme Berisha, Peja’s procure-ment manager, rejected Damka’saccusation, saying his company

lost the tender because of its poorperformance in the preceding con-tract.

“Physical Security receivedwarnings from the municipalityfor not completing its work proper-ly, which is why they have notobtained the tender,” Berisha said.

However, Peja Municipality toldPrishtina Insight in a statementthat it was “seriously reviewingthe case,” noting again that theOffice of the Auditor General hadlooked into it and found no irregu-larities.

The Office of the AuditorGeneral said that it was reviewingthe tender and would release itsfindings next year.

“We are in the intermediaryaudit phase and publishing thisaudit report will be done by June2013 at the latest,” auditor spokes-woman Qendresa Mulaj toldPrishtina Insight.

Peja Security Deal Draws Charges ofFavouritismAfter the municipality awarded a security contract to a firm that counts two local officials as shareholders, one of the losers has cried foul. But the Anti-Corruption Agency concluded that the tender didn’t break conflict-of-interest laws.

Serbia's Prime Minister,Ivica Dacic, onWednesday met the

Serbian leadership followinghis third meeting with hisKosovo counterpart, HashimThaci, and the EU ForeignAffairs Chief, CatherineAshton, in Brussels.

After the meeting withSerbian President TomislavNikolic and other officials,Dacic said he had obtained sup-port to continue negotiationswith Kosovo and implement allpreviously agreed deals.

In Brussels, Serbia andKosovo agreed that implemen-tation of the border agreementwill start on December 10 attwo border crossings whileeach side will appoint a liaisonofficer.

Commenting on the borderagreement, Dacic said he hadnot signed or agreed anythingnew, as the previous govern-ment had already reached thisdeal in February.

“These liaison officers arenot ambassadors. They will bewithin the missions to the EUand will coordinate implemen-tation of agreements,” Dacictold the public broadcaster,RTS.

On Thursday, Dacic met rep-resentatives of Kosovo Serbswho for the past two days have

been staging protest at Jarinje,one of the crossing points innorthern Kosovo where theIBM agreement should takeeffect.

Kosovo Serbs oppose the bor-der agreement as tantamountto Serbian recognition ofKosovo's independence.

Under the terms of the IBMagreement, Kosovo andSerbian customs and policeofficers will stand under oneroof once the agreement is putinto operation.

“There are no reasons [forKosovo Serbs] to protest. Serbiawill remove those who proteston our side of administrativecrossing as such protests needto be in line with state policyand not against the state,”Dacic said.

“We should not play with thedestiny of Kosovo. I urge every-one not to start any battles thatwe cannot win,” he added.

EU-mediated talks inBelgium started in March 2011,three years after Kosovodeclared independence fromSerbia.

Serbia has vowed never torecognise Kosovo as a state, butsays it is open to deals thatimprove daily lives on bothsides of the [from Serbia'spoint of view unrecognised]border.

So far, the two sides havereached deals on freedom ofmovement, university diplo-mas, regional representationand on trade, but not all thedeals have been implemented.

Serbia PM Pledges Kosovo Solution in 2013Serbia will be ready to discuss final solutions for Kosovo in the coming year, Ivica Dacic says.

By Liridona Hyseni

Marija Ristic

A municipal security contract in Peja is raising eyebrows.

Ivica Dacic

YMCK

news 7Dec 7 - 20, 2012

AKosovo prosecutor is investigatingthe town hall in Gjilan over allega-tions of irregularities related to a

deal reached in May with an Austrian com-pany to set up a privately run sanitationcompany.

Under the 15-year deal, known as a public-private partnership, the Austria-basedMoser Group, represented by Ecovision inKosovo, has joined forces with the munici-pality to create a new company,EcoHigjiena.

Gjilan is the majority owner of Higjiena,which was in charge of cleaning the town,the market and cemetery, as well as collect-ing garbage.

The new company, EcoHigjiena, hasassumed those duties under the manage-ment of the Austrian firm, which will own51 per cent of the company and invest 1.5million euro over three years.

Profits are to be divided between Higjienaand Moser, according to their ownershipstakes.

Jetish Maloku, chief prosecutor of theDistrict of Gjilan, told Prishtina Insightthat a prosecutor, Afrim Shefkiu, is investi-gating the deal but provided few details.

“Investigations have started and a prose-cutor appointed. We can’t give out any moreinformation since investigations… are inthe initial stage,” Maloku said.

The prosecutor, Shefkiu, also disclosed nofurther information. Meanwhile, theEconomic Crimes Units has been question-ing officials involved in the tender.

While details of the allegations areunclear, sources close to the investigationwho spoke on condition of anonymity saidthe prosecutor was reviewing an insurancepolicy that Ecovision purchased fromGrawe Elsig, which insured a vehicle to beused for EcoHigjiena.

Riad Rashiti, director of economic devel-opment in Gjilan, who oversaw theEcoHigjiena deal, is a manager of GraweElsig, as is his wife.

The Anti-Corruption Agency said Rashitiearns 9,600 euro a year and his wife 8,800

euro a year working at Grawe Elsig.Rashiti told Prishtina Insight that he did-

n’t see any problems about working for theinsurance company that did business withEcovision. “I do not think this is a conflict ofinterest,” he said.

Probe’s significance dismissed:

Mayor Qemajl Mustafa told PrishtinaInsight that four municipal officials havebeen interviewed in the case.

“I haven’t been interviewed yet. But theseinvestigations are normal. The prosecutionis obliged to investigate when it suspectsirregularities,” he said.

Mustafa, who inked the deal with Moser,maintained that the investigators would notuncover anything illegal.

“I trusted my people to lead this processand we have done a job for the benefit of thecitizens,” he said.

“Under no circumstances has there beenany violation in initiating a public-privatepartnership for Higjiena,” he added.

While Kosovo’s water and waste regulatorreported that it was satisfied with Higjiena’sperformance, Mustafa said the new compa-ny would serve the people of Gjilan better.

“It was the best contender in the tenderand it won,” Mustafa said, of Moser Group.

Moser completed a successful pilot proj-ect for collecting waste in Gjilan in 2009,based on an agreement of understandingbetween the municipality and the company.

Moser went on to play a key role in push-ing the public-private partnership before it

won the tender against one other bidder. Directors of the Moser did not respond to

Prishtina Insight’s questions about theinvestigation into the public-private part-nership.

Adviser saw problems:

Prishtina Insight has learned that inSeptember 2010, Christian Moser of theMoser Group and Senad Ramaj of Ecovisionsent a letter to the municipal assembly andto Mayor Mustafa.

In this letter, which we obtained, Moserand Ramaj asked municipal officials to drafta model for a public-private partnershipbetween Ecovision and Higjiena, seeking atleast 51 per cent of the shares.

The municipality agreed. Meanwhile,Mustafa asked the shareholders commissionof the publicly-owned Higjiena firm to beginpreparing the public-private partnership.

On August 26, 2011, the municipal procure-ment office issued a notice to solicit bids fora public-private partnership.

On December 1, the office qualified theMoser Group’s Ecovision and another firmin Viti, Metali. On May 23, the municipalityclosed the deal with Moser.

Nazim Jashari, one of two advisers con-sulted by Mustafa for the transaction, saidGjilan had ignored his advice by choosing aprofit-sharing model.

“The model that the municipality chose,dividing the profit based on shares, leavesroom for manipulation of the profit by theprivate company,” Jashari insisted.

“We proposed a contractual model of pub-lic-private partnership by which the investorwould have paid the municipality a fixed tar-iff,” Jashari added, noting that such a dealrequires vigilant monitoring.

The only fixed amount in the deal was themore than 37,000 euro transaction fee thatMoser had to pay the municipality.

Second bidder’s complaint rejected:

Metali’s owner, Elbasan Alidema, contest-ed tendering process.

The Procurement Office of Gjilan notifiedAlidema that Metali was a qualified bidderbut said he would only be invited to negoti-ate with the municipality if the agreementwith Moser Group fell through.

Alidema later complained to theProcurement Review Body, which rejectedthe complaint because it was submittedbeyond the legal deadline.

The body said Alidema should have com-plained as soon as he was pre-qualified asthe backup bidder, not after the award of thetender.

Alidema told Prishtina Insight that theMoser Group wasn’t properly qualified forthe work and that he wasn’t given propernotification in the process.

Pilot project criticised:

In Moser Group’s earlier work in Gjilan,the Austrian company operated a six-monthpilot project to test its waste-collection sys-tem.

It is not clear if the project involved anymoney, but Kosovo’s Water and WasteRegulatory Office deemed it unacceptableafter Higjiena’s board sought a legal opin-ion.

The head of the regulator’s legal depart-ment, Mejreme Cernobregu, wrote thatanother company could not perform thework of Higjiena, which already had therequisite license.

“In this context, the pilot project to testthe system of waste collection I consideralarming,” Cernabregu wrote in the letter,which Prishtina Insight obtained, “becausecompanies licensed by the Office of theWater and Waste Regulatory Office areobliged to offer services according to thestandards and rules of WWRO.”

By Parim Olluri

Gjilan Waste Deal with Austria Faces ProbeInvestigation targets officials after 15-year deal puts Austrian company in charge of sanitation service while collecting more than half the profits.

This year's regional summiton cooperation was held inMontenegro's coastal town

of Budva on Wednesday and wasattended by the president ofMontenegro, Filip Vujanovic, hisKosovo counterpart AtifeteJahjaga, the heads of state ofAlbania, Bujar Nishani, andMacedonia, Djordje Ivanov.

Serbia’s head of state, TomislavNikolic, did not attend the sum-mit.

According to the local media,Nikolic declined the invitation toattend in protest over the recent

Hague Tribunal acquittal the exKosovo Liberation Army, KLA,commander, Ramush Haradinaj,and the presence of Kosovo’s pres-ident at the summit.

The summit’s main messagewas the need for closer regionalcooperation, primarily in thefields of fight against organizedcrime and corruption, cross-bor-der cooperation, economy andEuropean and NATO integration.

Following the meeting with hiscolleagues from the region, theAlbanian president, BujarNishani, told the press thatAlbania’s relations with all itsneighbours were good, includingMacedonia, despite the recentincident when the Macedonianflag was burnt.

“Isolated, individual andprovocative incidents are a sub-ject for judiciary, but by no meanscould they harm the good rela-tions between our two countries,”said Nishani.

The expected exchange ofambassadors betweenMontenegro and Kosovo was alsoamong the issues which drewattention of the press.

In late May, four years after itrecognised Kosovo's independencein 2008, Montenegro's governmentsaid it was to open embassy inPrishtina.

Still, Vujanovic refused toappoint an ambassador toPrishtina until Montenegrinsobtain ethnic minority status inKosovo.

Atifete Jahjaga, Kosovo’s presi-dent, repeated on Wednesday thatthe recognition of ethnic minority

statuses for both Montenegrin andCroat communities in Kosovo wasjust a matter of time.

Montenegro Summit Calls forCloser Regional CooperationThe heads of states of Western Balkan countries have called for closer regional cooperation at their annual summit which was not attended by the Serbian president.

A public-private partnership, EcoHigjiena, now provides Gjilan's sanitation services.

Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga attended the Balkan regional summit. Serbian President Tomislav Nicolic, however, did not.By Milena Milosevic

neighbourhood business 8 Dec 7 - 20, 2012

Croatia Airlines Gets Government Aid

National carrier Croatia Airlines has received acapital boost of EUR 106 million from the govern-ment in Zagreb.

The injection of funds was approved several monthsahead of Croatia's anticipated EU accession as a meansto avoid strict EU competition regulations, observers say.

The main goal of this investment is to power a turn-around plan which aims to help the national carrierbreak even and become profitable in 2012. In order toachieve this goal, Croatia Airlines plans to graduallydownsize, cutting 10 percent of its staff over the next twoyears.

The government funds are to be transferred in twoinstallments, the first one covering Croatia Airline’sdebts of EUR 82.6 million and the second investing EUR19.8 million to make the carrier more competitive. Thenet loss of Croatia Airlines in the first nine months of2012 is EUR 1.4 million, a significant improvement overthe EUR 4.2 million loss reported for the same period of2011.

From January to September 2012, Croatia Airlines car-ried over 1.5 million passengers, up 3.5 percent comparedto 2011 figures. The average cabin load factor also wentup by three points, reaching 70.3 percent.

Indian Firm Plans Lakeside Resort inMacedonia

‘Sahara India Pariwar’, owned by the billionaireSubrata Roy, plans to build a luxury recreational com-plex on the shores of Lake Ohrid.The company did not reveal the expected cost of the

lakeside complex that will include hotels, casinos and agolf course.

But media reports suggest that the investment willamount to at least 40 million euro.

The complex will be developed “across 240 hectaresaround the Lake Ohrid, consisting of world-class hotels,casinos, residential and recreational facilities and aninternational standard gold golf course,” read a state-ment by Subrata Roy’s son, Seemanto Roy, director andhead of the company’s international business depart-ment.

Subrata Roy visited Macedonia in mid-June, when hereceived a warm welcome from Prime Minister NikolaGruevski and his economic team.

During his stay, Roy scanned several investment oppor-tunities and promised to propose several ideas to the gov-ernment.

The Indian company says the project has beendesigned by Atkins, a UK-based engineering, design,planning, project management and consulting servicescompany.

Romanian Online Shopper Sold for$80m

The South African-based media conglomerateNaspers has paid 80 million US dollars for a major-ity stake in the Romanian site emag.ro, media

reported. This is one of the largest transactions in theRomanian online sector so far.

Emag.ro was launched 11 years ago and sells mainlyelectronics, IT and home appliances and music. The com-pany posted a turnover of 145 million euro last year.

Naspers already owns other online companies inRomania, including PayU and the online platformsautovit.ro, mercador.ro and compari.ro.

Online shopping is becoming popular in Romania.Millions of people used it to join the annual discountshopping day on November 23, known as Black Friday,hoping to benefit from bargain prices that only last forthe day.

Bulgaria Offers Citizenship to RichInvestors

Foreign nationals can obtain citizenship if theyinvest at least half a million euro in a companyinvolved in a high-priority investment project, par-

liament says.The foreign investors in question are also required to

have had permanent residence status in the country forat least one year.

The companies they invest in should not be bankrupt,in ongoing bankruptcy proceedings, or in debt to theBulgarian state or municipalities.

The amendments to the Encouragement ofInvestments Act were passed on second reading onThursday.

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“Four months ago Serbia’s publicfinances were in a coma. Nowthey’ve woken up and there are

visible signs of recovery”.Mlađan Dinkić, Minister of

Finance and Economy, explained hisoptimistic observation, made onNovember 20th by recalling that backin August “the government didn’thave money for the following week,while financing now is secured forsix months“.

The change follows the second suc-cessful sale of eurobonds in mid-November in the middle of talks withthe IMF on economic developmentsin Serbia.

The government secured an addi-tional $750 million [€581.7 million] inloans from international marketswhich, according to the FinanceMinistry, “is a clear sign that theinternational markets take seriouslythe government’s fiscal consolida-tion programme and the proposed2013 budget”.

The budget, currently before par-liament, predicts a budget deficit of121.9 billion dinars [€1.07 billion], or3.6 per cent of GDP, compared to 6.2per cent of GDP in 2012. “The budget,which aims to halve the fiscal deficit,marks a radical shift in publicfinance and forms a basis for the sta-bilisation of the economic situa-tion,” Dinkić told MPs.

The IMF mission that visitedBelgrade from November 13th to 20thto discuss economic developmentsand the budget was more reserved.

The mission warned that Serbiafaces numerous challenges, includ-ing an unsustainably high fiscaldeficit for 2012, growing public debt,rising unemployment and double-

digit inflation.Welcoming the fiscal measures

that the government introduced, itsaid scope remains to improve thequality of the budget.

“The mission believes that theidentified measures may not trans-late into the full needed adjustmentin 2013, while at the same time viewsthe announced 2013 budget deficittarget as overly ambitious,” Zuzana

Murgasova, head of the IMF delega-tion, said in statement released onNovember 20th.

The mission is expected to returnin spring 2013, when it will discuss apossible three-year precautionaryarrangement.

The Finance Minister can count ona parliamentary majority to adoptthe Budget Law.

But experts argue that this budgetmay not last long, mainly because ofunderestimated expenditures.

They say that despite securedfinancing for the first half the 2012,Serbia will still need an IMF arrange-ment in order to reduce the risks ofdebt and deficit financing and facili-tate implementation of difficultreforms.

Increased interest rates

The Fiscal Council, an independ-ent body, has made more concretecriticisms of the budget, predictingthat the deficit will reach at least 4.2per cent of GDP.

In a report the Fiscal Council saidthat the budget is short some 25 bil-lion dinars [€220 million], or 0.7 percent of GDP, to meet the targeteddeficit, as it predicts higher spendingon the procurement of goods andservices, subsidies, welfare benefitsand interest rates.

The budget predicted less overallspending on subsidies, while expens-es on interest will rise more dramati-cally as a result of soaring publicdebt.

The cost of interest rates willincrease from 65.9 billion dinars[€582.7 million] to 90.1 billion [€797million].

The Council predicts that anincrease in revenues is more likely ifthe inflation rate is higher than pre-dicted.

Experts generally welcome theintention to cut the deficit, but won’tbe surprised if the government soonrevises its calculations.

Dragovan Milićević, an economist,says the gap between revenue andspending in the first quarter of 2013will be the first sign that a budgetrevision may be necessary.

“If the plan is not working, we canexpect a revision in the second quar-ter, probably with a higher deficit,which will lead to additional borrow-

ing,” Milićević warned.Ljubomir Madžar, another econo-

mist, also believes the governmentcould be forced to change its calcula-tions over the coming year, as politi-cal constraints hamper its desire tocut spending.

He believes that the presence ofthe IMF will be beneficial for publicfinance, as it will mitigate the effectsof fiscal adjustments and unpopularstructural reforms.

According to the Fiscal Council,the achievement of a target deficit of1.9 per cent and 1 per cent in 2014 and2015 respectively, as envisaged by thegovernment’s fiscal strategy, dependsmostly on structural reforms to thepension system, healthcare and stateenterprises, about which the govern-ment has yet to present more detailedplans.

IMF guarantees credibility

There is one more urgent reasonwhy Serbia wishes to secure anagreement with the IMF. Followingthe IMF visit, Dinkić said that Serbiawill not require the IMF’s financialassistance in 2013.

“Serbia needs the IMF for credibil-ity purposes as the arrangement willimprove our credit rating,” he said.

Jasna Atanasijević, chief econo-mist at Hypo Alpe-Adria-Bank, saysthat under present conditions a pre-cautionary agreement with the IMFis not urgent, but stresses its long-term importance.

“The precautionary arrangementgives Serbia implicit guarantees foreasier and more favourable borrow-ing, as well as indirect mechanisms ofcontrol of public spending and relat-ed reforms,” she said.

She adds that in conditions ofuncertain recovery in the euro-zone,potential destabilisation of the situa-tion in Serbia - in the absence of IMFsupport - could have an impact onmacroeconomic stability.

Milojko Arsić, professor at theFaculty of Economics, says that with-out the agreement the governmentcould face difficulties, as its ability toraise loans on the market woulddepend purely on investors’ percep-tions of Serbia’s credibility.

“If economic trends become morenegative and the deficit is higherthan planned, investors could eitherrefuse to refinance previous loansand finance the deficit, or seek higherinterest rates,” he said.

“We could do without the IMF, butthe market is a strict and capriciousjudge, prone to mood swings, and theIMF acts as a form of insurance inthese situations,” he noted.

As Milićević points out, Serbia isheavily dependent on financial mar-kets, as a third of total budgetresources is financed through debt.

Next year the government willhave to borrow €5 billion just tofinance existing debt and the budgetdeficit.

If, for any reason, investors do notbuy government bonds in sufficientvolume, the budget will not be able tomeet its obligations regarding previ-ous loans or paying pensions orsalaries, he concludes.

By Stevan VELJOVI

Serbia’s Upbeat BudgetPlans Leave Experts ColdBond sale may have rescued finances for start of 2013, but most experts say ministers will stillhave to revise their optimistic budget calculations.

Size of the public debt inOctober 201257.5% of GDP

The legal ceiling for public debt 45%

Targeted fiscal deficit for 20133.6% of GDP

Estimated GDP growth for 20132%

Mladjan Dinkic

neighbourhood news 9Dec 7 - 20, 2012

“This bill will be a governmentinitiative as part of the cen-tennial [celebrations],”

Berisha declared in Vlora, the cityfrom which Albania's independ-ence was proclaimed in 1912.

“The law will offer speedy citi-zenship to every Albanian whoapplies, no matter where he is,” headded.

Albania last week celebrated the100th anniversary of its declara-tion of independence from theOttoman Empire.

Ethnic Albanians do not enjoyparticular benefits or positive dis-crimination when it comes to get-ting citizenship of Albania. Apartfrom exceptional cases, they haveto reside in the country for morethan five years before applying,like everyone else.

The citizenship offer will be par-ticularly attractive to KosovoAlbanians, as Kosovo is the onlycountry in the Balkans that doesnot have a visa-free regime with

the EU's Schengen area. Kosovarswith Albanian citizenship willtherefore find it easier to travel tothe EU.

With the June 2013 parliamen-tary elections approaching,Berisha has tried to re-invent him-self as a super-patriot.

A series of statements over thelast week have angered some ofAlbania’s neighbours by appear-ing to suggest he advocates a bigAlbania that includes majority-Albanian areas beyond Albania'sborders.

“There is a phobia against

Albanians in the region and thiswill disappear only throughnational unification,” Berisha saidrecently.

“We should take up all measuresfor Albanians to feel united andtear down the wall that dividesthem,” he concluded.

As a consequence of the Balkanwars of 1912/13, and the subse-quent arrangement of borders inthe Balkans, large numbers ofAlbanians live beyond the coun-try's borders in neighbouringKosovo, Macedonia, Montenegroand Serbia.

Albania to Offer Citizenship toEthnic BrethrenPrime Minister Sali Berisha announced on Tuesday that the government intends to offer aspeedy path to citizenship to ethnic Albanians across the world.

Serbia's Prime Minister onWednesday expressed hissorrow about the death of the

country's NATO ambassador whocommitted suicide in Brussels onTuesday.

Media reports said that he killedhimself at the airport in Brusselsby jumping from a parking garageplatform in front of Zoran Vujic,Serbia's Deputy Foreign Minister.

According to Associated Press,Milinkovic was meeting Serbianofficials arriving for talks atNATO. After the delegationarrived, as they walked over totheir cars in the diplomatic garageMilinkovic suddenly strolled to abarrier, climbed over it andjumped, one of the diplomatsrecalled.

The incident happened ataround 18:00 (17:00 GMT).Emergency services were called tothe scene, but were not able torevive Milinkovic. Serbian jour-nalists said Milinkovic hadappeared normal during the day,talking and chatting with them asthey covered a NATO foreign min-isters meeting.

Prime Minister Ivica Dacicexpressed condolences to the fami-

ly and friends of the late ambassa-dor. "Belgian police are investigat-ing the case, but apparently it wasa suicide," Dacic told reporters onWednesday.

NATO Secretary General AndersFogh Rasmussen said in a state-ment that he was "deeply sad-dened" by the news.

"Ambassador BranislavMilinkovic was a highly respectedrepresentative of his country andwill be missed at NATO headquar-ters," Rasmussen said.

Jelena Milic, director of theBelgrade Centre for Euro-AtlanticStudies, CEAS, told PrishtinaInsight that Milinkovic's death wasa loss for Serbia.

"Milinkovic was extremelyversed in multilateral diplomacyand committed to Serbia's activeparticipation in those organiza-tions where he representedSerbia," Milic said.

The Foreign Ministry recalled arespected diplomat and lawyerwho had served in Vienna andBrussels.

"He remains in the memory ofhis colleagues as a skilled diplo-mat, a versatile scholar and a nobleman," the Ministry said.

Milinkovic's wife was informedof the news in Dublin and immedi-ately went to Brussels. The couplehave a six-year-old son.

Milinkovic, a lawyer by training,was appointed Ambassador toNATO in 2009. Earlier, he was a spe-

cial envoy to NATO. Before that, hewas a Permanent Representative tothe OSCE and the United Nations.

He is the author of numerouspublications on international rela-tions, human rights and security.He was the editor of magazines"International Politics" and"European Legislation".

Serbia is not a member of NATObut joined NATO's Partnership forPeace, PfP, in 2006.

Bojana Barlovac

Besar Likmeta

Milo Djukanovic's new gov-ernment, led by hisDemocratic Party of

Socialists, DPS, has 16 ministersand 4 vice prime ministers. Theformer Prime Minister, IgorLuksic, has been appointedForeign Minister and Vice PrimeMinister.

The leaders of the Bosniak andCroatian ethnic minority parties,Rafet Husovic and MarijaVucinovic, who, together with acoalition representing theAlbanian minority have ensured aparliamentary majority for thenew government, also get theirshare of posts.

Husovic will be Vice PrimeMinister in charge of regionaldevelopment, while Vucinovic willbe Minister Without Portfolio.

Djukanovic stepped down asPrime Minister in December 2010,

handing over his post to Luksic,who was then Finance Minister.

Presenting his programme,Djukanovic listed European andNATO integration, the fightagainst organized crime and cor-ruption, establishment of the ruleof law and the creation of 40,000jobs as top priorities.

Opposition politicians criticisedboth the return of the former PMand his DPS, which has been themain pillar in each Montenegringovernment since the start of thepolitical transition fromCommunism in 1990.

The general election inMontenegro was held on October14, along with local elections in thetowns of Budva, Niksic and Kotor.

The DPS and its allies in theEuropean Montenegro Coalitionwon 39 of the 81 seats. Bosniak,Albanian and Croat ethnic minori-ty parties won six mandates andhave since allied with the DPS.

The remaining 36 seats are heldby opposition Socialist People'sParty, the Democratic Front andPositive Montenegro.

Djukanovic Unveils NewGovt in MontenegroAfter parliament endorsed the programme and structureof his government late on Tuesday, Milo Djukanovic hasofficially returned as Montenegro's Prime Minister.

The Independent Trade Unionof Medical Clinics, which isheading the strike by

medics, on Tuesday said they willerect tents in front of the HealthMinistry, demanding Todorov’sresignation, if he acts on threatsto punish the strikers.

The warning came after the min-istry on Monday boosted inspec-tions of clinics and urged unsatis-fied patients to report medics whohad failed to treat them.

“The inspections... are clearlyintended to scare doctors from sup-porting the strike,” the head of thetrade union, Dajan Stavric, said onTuesday.

The striking doctors are angryabout the Health Ministry’s newmethod of calculating their wages,which is based on the number ofpatients they have treated over theprevious month. In addition, theywant an immediate increase inbasic wages.

Before sending in inspectors,Health Minister Todorov down-played the importance of thestrike, arguing that it was “politi-cally motivated”, by the opposi-tion, and lacked support.

“Patients are being left untreat-

ed… so I will be forced to takemeasures very soon,” Todorov saidat the weekend.

Medics said they remained defi-ant.

“As you can see, we are gatheredhere in our hundreds so that theminister can see us. It should alsobe clear that this strike is not polit-ical,” Stavric told a rally before theHealth Ministry this weekend.

After being refused a meetingwith the minister, the doctors nowseek talks with the Prime Minister,Nikola Gruevski. So far, he hasremained silent about the strike.

Todorov, however, continues toinsist that the strike is illegal andto deem its organizers irrelevant.

He has meanwhile launchedtalks with another, recentlyformed, parallel union, called“Mother Theresa”, which does notsupport the strike.

The parallel union emerged outof the blue in September, just asthe strikers announced theirintention to strike.

During the current strike onlyemergency cases are being treatedin most public health facilities.

Support for the strikers hascome from the Union ofMacedonian Journalists andMedia Workers. The union hasused a statement to express soli-darity for the medics, encouragingthem to resist pressure from thegovernment.

Macedonia's Striking Medics Vowto Resist ThreatsMacedonian doctors staging a two-week-long strike saythey will take more radical steps if Health Minister NikolaTodorov acts on threats to punish them.

NATO Ambassador's SuicideStuns SerbiaPrime Minister expresses sorrow over the shock death of the ambassador to NATO,Branislav Milinkovic, who was reported to have killed himself in Brussels on Tuesday.

Milena Milosevic

Sinisa Jakov Marusic

Branislav Milinkovic

Sali Berisha wants to give passports to all Albanians

Nikola says the Komiti boyswere defending their turf,but Blerim says the turf

was not theirs to defend. Nikolasays the Komiti were heavily out-numbered. Blerim says they hidbehind the police.

Nikola and Blerim are in theirlate teens. They belong to rivalgangs of football fans whose rival-ry has little to do with football.

Last year, the two groupsattacked each other in theMacedonian capital, Skopje, faraway from any stadium or sport-ing fixtures.

They fought in a medievalfortress perched above the citycentre, bringing stones and knivesto defend faith and nationhood –suitable causes for the setting,even if it was built with bigger bat-tles in mind.

“This is a real war,” says Blerim,a talkative, skinny 17-year-old witha precocious interest in politics.He belongs to the Sverceri, or“Smugglers”, a band of footballfans whose members come fromSkopje’s minority ethnic Albanianpopulation.

“At the stadium, we fight withwords,” he says. “On the street, wefight with fists. We defend ournational identity with our blood.”

Nikola, also 17, belongs to the

Komiti, a group of hardcore foot-ball supporters, or ultras, whosemembers come from Skopje’smajority Macedonian community.

“When will they stop dishonour-ing us?” he asks of the ethnicAlbanians who had blocked anattempt to build a church-shapedstructure in the fortress. “No onedestroys a church in our Orthodoxcountry!”

Football fans are known forbrawling and bravado in thestands – but the ultras of theBalkans have also flexed theirmuscle for political masters.

During the wars of the 1990s, theterraces of the top clubs deliveredrecruits to paramilitary unitsacross the former Yugoslavia.Most notorious of these were theTigers, a militia formed largelyfrom Red Star Belgrade hooligansand commanded by the gangster,Zeljko Raznatovic – better knownas Arkan.

The old militia bosses havesince been killed or dispatched towar crimes courts, but the region’snew generation of ultras stillenjoys notoriety – and a reach thatextends far beyond the terraces,into society and politics.

Serbia’s hooligans have riotedin protest against gay rightsparades, and were recently in thenews for racially abusing the play-ers of England’s under-21 team.

Outbreaks of hooliganism oftenfollow political skirmishes inMacedonia, which stepped backfrom the brink of civil war justover a decade ago.

The country is now governed bya fractious coalition of nationalistparties that rely on each other’ssupport – but are bitter rivals inevery other sense. Ethnicitydefines the country’s politics, assharply as it divides its ultras.

Exchanges in parliament haveset the tone for confrontations inthe stadium, and on the streets.The fortress clash between theKomiti and the Sverceri, forinstance, was triggered by a rowbetween the coalition parties.

Are the ultras a convenient toolfor Macedonia’s feuding politi-cians? Or are they simply a chan-nel for male aggression and ethnic

animosity?Several experts told the Balkan

Investigative Reporting Network(BIRN) that politicians and foot-ball-fan associations are locked ina symbiotic relationship, wherepatronage is traded for endorse-ment.

The big political parties doindeed have historic ties with foot-ball clubs and their supporters.But they deny any links with themost violent ultras – and BIRNfound no evidence to suggest theselinks exist.

Nevertheless, interviews withfans across the ethnic dividereveal that they regard themselvesas the foot soldiers of the national-ist causes that dominate politics.

Though some fans claim to fearthe courts, their violence oftenescapes serious sanction. Wherethe hooligans of western Europehave been stigmatized, the ultrasof Macedonia generally expecttheir activities to enhance theirstatus.

“The doors of local government,companies and political partiesare always open to us,” said a 22-year-old from the city of Tetovo,

and a leader of the Ballisti, sup-porters of the FK Shkendija foot-ball club.

Although he has faced severalcharges of violent behaviour,including involvement in anattack on a police officer, theleader claims he has never spentmore than 10 days in custody.

Heirs to the gunmen

Macedonia emerged largelyunscathed from the Balkans warsof the 1990s – but in 2001, thecountry looked as if it mightbecome yet another casualty ofYugoslavia’s bloody collapse.

The ethnic Albanian minoritymake up a quarter of the popula-tion, and had long complained ofdiscrimination. Emboldened bythe defeat of Serbian forces inneighbouring Kosovo, ethnicAlbanian guerillas fought skir-mishes against an army dominat-ed by the ethnic-Macedonianmajority. The violence escalated,towns were divided and thou-sands of people were displaced.

An internationally brokeredpeace deal, the Ohrid accord, halt-ed the violence in 2001 and grant-ed the ethnic Albanians greaterautonomy and authority. Theguerrillas entered the govern-ment as coalition partners.

Below the surface, however, ten-sions simmered. Much of thecountry is effectively partitionedbetween the two communities.Many Macedonians believe theethnic Albanians have takenmore than their fair share fromthe peace deal. The ethnicAlbanians, on the other hand,accuse the Macedonians of steadi-ly undermining the Ohrid accord.

And where provocative rhetorichas given way to street-fighting,the ultras have been at the front-line.

Macedonian football supportersroutinely accuse their rivals ofacting hand-in-glove with politi-cians. Ethnic Albanians fans levelexactly the same charge at theMacedonians. Both sides deny

each other’s accusations.Lazar Nanev, a senior judge

who has prosecuted many hooli-gans, says it is hard to prove atwo-way link between politiciansand violent ultras. However, manyleading fans do seek politicalpatronage.

“Some of them want to be iden-tified with political parties inorder to achieve personal benefitor privilege,” he said. “It is one ofthe most dangerous things in oursociety.”

Ivan Anastasovski, an academ-ic and former board member ofthe Macedonian football federa-tion, says parties across the polit-ical divide believe it is in theirbest interests to maintain goodties with the fans.

“They see them as a potentialbase for voters and activists dur-ing the elections,” he says.

In return for mobilising sup-port, fan leaders end up with cov-eted jobs in the public sector,where careers can be boosted byclose links with the governingparties.

“Leaders of the Macedonianand ethnic Albanian [fan] groupsget good positions in state institu-tions, the customs administra-tion, the parties, the govern-ment,” says Mitre Trajkovski, aformer police major who was alsoa security commissioner in thefootball federation.

The ultras’ nationalism maynot be openly sanctioned by thepoliticians – but nor does itappear to harm their prospects.Many groups brazenly lionizemen who fought in the region’sconflicts more than a decade ago.

The stands where Komiti mem-bers watch their team, VardarSkopje, are often bedecked withbanners in support of JohanTarculovski, a onetime leader ofthe ultras who is currently serv-ing a prison term for war crimes.He was convicted by the Haguetribunal for the murder in 2001 ofseven ethnic Albanians.

Supporters of the Ballisti,meanwhile, hero-worship ethnic

YMCK

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Political Football: The Balkans’ Belligerent

Football hooligans frequently elude punishment in Serbia and Macedonia.

Football feuds can spill into the streets.

By Aleksandar Manasiev

Hooligans in Macedonia stoke the embers of ethnic strife, and – like their Serbian counterparts – often escape punishment.

Albanian rebels. This May, a dele-gation of the ultras travelled toneighbouring Kosovo to pay theirrespects at a shrine to AdemJashari, a guerrilla leader killedin 1998. He is regarded as a terror-ist by many Serbs.

Hardcore fans take to thestreets whenever political ten-sions rise. After a gruesome cycleof murders this spring that wereblamed on ethnic animosity,Komiti members protestedagainst Islamic radicalism. TheBallisti joined counter-protests inethnic Albanian neighbourhoods.

Last year’s clash at the fortresserupted after the mainMacedonian party in the coali-tion, VMRO-DPMNE, ordered theconstruction of a church-likestructure where the remains ofan earlier church had been found.

The construction site lay with-in Skopje’s fortress, in an areathat the ethnic Albanians regardas their historic home within thecapital. Leaders from the ethnicAlbanian party in the coalition,DUI, criticised the plan for anapparently Christian structure intheir part of town, and youngmen from the community tried tostop work at the site.

Macedonians marched to thefortress in protest, with a contin-gent of Komiti fans, mobilisedthrough internet forums andFacebook, leading the way. Therethey were met by a crowd of eth-nic Albanians – including theSverceri.

In the ensuing fight, Blerim andNikola saw themselves as heirs tothe men who had waged war morethan a decade ago.

“I will not allow what he foughtfor to go to waste,” says Blerim,referring to his father, who waswith the ethnic Albanian guerril-las in 2001.

Nikola’s brother was a soldierin the Macedonian military at thetime. “The [Albanians] said theywere fighting for human rights –but instead they fought for thecreation of a Greater Albania,” hesays.

Courting trouble

When the dust had settled afterthe fight at the fortress, the policerounded up the suspects. Fifty-four fans were taken into custody– 27 of them from the Komiti, andexactly the same number from theSverceri.

A dozen fans had been injured,along with four policemen.However, no one went to jail.

The arrested fans were notrequired to attend their trials. Thejudgments were swift and thepenalties identical – a three-month suspended sentence, condi-tional upon good behaviour. Ineffect, the fans would escapeincarceration as long as they keptout of trouble for the next twoyears.

In the eyes of the law, it seemedboth groups were equally guiltyand each member of the groupbore an equal share of the blame.The rulings may have reflected thedifficulty of establishing individ-ual guilt in an outbreak of mobviolence.

But the tidiness of the verdictsalso raised eyebrows, and ledsome to speculate that the courtshad been overly mindful of thepolitical sensitivity of the case.

A member of the Komiti, refus-ing to be quoted by name, repeatedthe allegation – heard from bothgroups of fans – that the courtswere biased in favour of rival sup-porters.

However, he says, the decisionto sentence both sides simultane-ously had worked to the Komiti’sadvantage, as they were able toshare in the leniency allegedlyshown towards Sverceri.

“We are happy we went on trialwith them because otherwise wewould have received tougherpenalties,” he says.

The criminal court in Skopjedenies handing down lesser penal-ties because of political sensitivi-ties. “We do not make politicaldecisions,” a spokesman toldBIRN. “We judge according to thelaws alone.”

Observers say football clubssupported by Macedonians andethnic Albanians have a long his-tory of involvement with themajor parties.

This is partly a reflection of thecountry’s intensely politicisedsociety, where political affiliationshapes many aspects of businessand cultural life.

Fans from the Komiti, forinstance, formed the backbone ofthe youth wing of VMRO-DPMNEduring the 1990s.

Today however, the ultras saythey do not receive any favours orfunding from politicians. TheKomiti’s written code of conduct,circulated in booklet form, says itwelcomes members from acrossthe political spectrum – fromanarchists to ultra-nationalistsand everyone in between. Thebooklet insists political affilia-tions must be left at the door.There must be no division withinthe ranks.

“Our group includes supportersof several political parties, but weare not an extension of them,”says a senior Komiti member.

Like most of his comrades, hedeclined to be named because ofthe Komiti’s strict prohibitionagainst talking to journalists.

The leaders of ethnic Albanianfan groups were also wary ofbeing quoted by name – but werecandid about the advantages oftheir status.

A leader of the Ballisti from thetown of Tetovo said he did notbelieve his many brushes with thelaw would hamper his prospects.However, he says, most fans whoend up in trouble have to treadcarefully.

“Supporting football clubs canhelp us get a job – but the prob-lems with the police are the otherside the coin. If you are convictedand have a criminal record, theremay be consequences in thefuture.”

Another leader of the Ballisti,speaking on condition ofanonymity, claims he only faced asmall fine after his trial forassault.

“If they had judged me in anoth-er country, I could easily have got

a serious prison sentence,” hesays.

He says his friends have also gotoff lightly for violent offences,often without even bothering toattend their trials. Most suchcases resulted in suspended sen-tences or fines, he added.

While the links between theultras and the political parties areat best informal, there is a clearerconnection between the partiesand the clubs.

Partly a product of history,these links may also be a productof financial necessity. Unlikeclubs in the West, barely anyMacedonian sides can be regardedas successful, profitable business-es. They do not recoup their run-ning costs through revenuesalone. Tickets are cheap and thereis little demand from broadcastersfor the TV rights to games.

Instead, the clubs depend heavi-ly on sponsors for their survival.As well as attracting the usualinterest from wealthy business-men, many of the clubs drawfunds from the local government.

BIRN has found no evidence tosuggest that money given from thepublic purse ends up with theultras.

However, Ivon Velichkovski, aleader of the opposition Liberalparty, says there may – in somecases – be an indirect link.

Clubs have been known to sub-sidise their supporters’ groups,offering them cheap tickets or dis-counts on trips to away games.According to Velichkovski, thiscreates an indirect link betweenthe fans and whichever politicalparty happens to control the localgovernment.

“Some fan groups are depend-ent upon the local governments,which in turn are run by the rul-ing parties,” he says.

Bravado replaces violence

North of Macedonia lies Serbia,where the links between footballhooligans and the parties in gov-ernment have weakened sincetheir heyday in the 1990s.

Unlike Skopje, Belgrade is notan ethnically divided city. Withfewer nationalist conflicts todivert their attention since thebreakup of Yugoslavia, Serbia’smost powerful ultras havefocused on organized crime,using hooliganism as a cover.

Sasa Todorovic, the chief offi-cer responsible for sports-relatedviolence with the Belgrade police,says the criminal gangs mimicthe hierarchy of his force. “Thereare different ranks from com-manders to watchmen, and every-one has a role to play,” he says.

The central districts ofBelgrade are covered in graffitiproclaiming, “Freedom for theFans” – a reference to the manyultras currently in prison oncharges of racketeering, arson,drug trafficking and murder.

“They claim they are motivatedby patriotism, by the state or reli-gion, but they only work forfinancial benefit,” says MilanStanic, chief of Serbia’s PublicOrder Department.

As in Macedonia, many believe

that the courts grant violent fansgreater leniency. Stanic describesthe case of a supporter of thePartizan club, who had struck anopposing fan in the groin with abaseball bat.

“He received a suspended sen-tence of one year in prison. Idoubt if such a penalty will be acorrective to him – or a deterrentto others,” he says.

Just as ultras across the worldclaim inspiration from the notori-ous British hooligans of the1980s, many law enforcement offi-cials look to modern Britain as amodel for tackling violent fans.

Glasgow is home to the Rangersand Celtic football clubs, support-ed respectively by the city’sProtestant and Catholic commu-nities. Hardcore fans of bothclubs have often cast their sport-ing rivalry in sectarian terms.

The local police can draw on avariety of laws customised totackle hooligans. Over time, theysay, the punishments have helpedprevent violence.

“There are heavy fines againstfans who break the laws,” aspokesman for Strathclyde Policesays. “We even demand bans ongoing to the stadium.”

Asked how they would respondto a mass brawl such as the one atthe Skopje fortress, thespokesman said the force wouldtry to reach a solution with part-ners from both communities, con-sulting everyone from priests topoliticians, the municipality andthe clubs themselves.

On the terraces however, someclaim that the British police havegone too far.

“The expression of nationalidentity is being criminalised,”says Jeanette Findlay, chair-woman of the Celtic Trust, citinghow many traditional songs havebeen banned from the stadium. “Aboy in Edinburgh was arrestedfor aggressively blessing him-self.”

Dougie Brimson, a writer onhooliganism, acknowledges thatthe British authorities have tack-

led much of the worst violence.But he warns that their dracon-ian approach ultimately poses athreat to everyone’s civil liber-ties.

“It is now legal for the police inthe UK to take away a passportfrom someone they suspect mightcause trouble at football aboard,”he says. “They do not even needevidence! That is wrong. Verywrong.”

As a result of the crackdown,Brimson says the violence of thehooligan scene has been replacedby noisy bravado. Nevertheless,he believes men will continue tobe tempted by hooliganism’spromise of a “second family”.

Aleksandar Manasijev is aSkopje-based journalist. This arti-cle was edited by Neil Arun. It was

produced as part of the BalkanFellowship for Journalistic

Excellence, an initiative of theRobert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE

Foundation, in cooperation withthe Balkan Investigative Reporting

Network.

investigation 11Dec 7 - 20, 2012

Ultras Avoid Penalties

In Scotland, police say effective punishment has curbed hooliganism.

THE COST OFULTRA-VIOLENCE

In 2011, the Macedonianinterior ministry record-ed 112 disturbances of the

peace in and around sportingevents.

At least 12 referees, 11police officers, 10 fans, fiveplayers, two motorists and abodyguard were injured inattacks that were blamed onhooligans. Ultras were alsoblamed for damaging ninecars.

A total of 15 fans facedcriminal charges as a result.The police also filed 98 misde-meanour charges againstfans.

The figures above do notinclude arrests related to theclash at the fortress.

environment12 Dec 7 - 20, 2012

Where rebels once foughtfor cities from the forests,activists today say they

are fighting in cities for control ofthe forests.

On the afternoon of June 13,2012, about a thousand peoplegathered at the Eagles’ Bridge, abusy intersection in downtownSofia, the capital of Bulgaria,bringing the traffic to a standstill.

“Sorry for the inconvenience,but we’re trying to save what’s leftof Bulgaria,” read one of the pro-tester’s signs. A group of youngmen and women sat in the street,while others sang, danced or rodebicycles between honking cars andbuses. “We want nature, not con-crete,” was the recurring chant.

The flash-mob had been organ-ised that same day on Facebook inprotest against the NationalAssembly’s decision to change thecountry’s forestry law. The amend-ed law would have effectivelyremoved curbs against certaintypes of logging, and permitted theexpansion of ski resorts into state-owned forests, without changingthe status of the land.

The police arrested a few people,but efforts to contain the ralliesproved futile. The next day, thenumber of protesters had doubled.

Bulgaria’s Prime Minister,Boyko Borisov, at first stood firm,insisting that nothing could stopinvestment in winter tourism.Much of the government-friendlymedia simply dismissed the pro-testers as “ecologists”.

On the third day, there were asover 4,000 people at the Eagles’Bridge. “We are not ecologists, butcitizens,” the new signs read.

Facing political contagion fromthe spiralling protests, the newly-elected president, Rosen Plevneliev,vetoed the Forestry Law andreturned it to the NationalAssembly for another round ofnegotiations.

The law was revised and official-ly ratified in early August, in accor-dance with the protesters’demands. It was a significant victo-ry for Bulgaria’s eco-conscious citi-zens – but it was not the first one.

Protests against frackingbrought together Bulgarians froma range of backgrounds.

Over the last few years, civicmovements have mushroomed inthe country, dedicated to resistingwhat they regard as threats to theenvironment.

Some have opposed unbridledconstruction on the Black Seacoast. Others have fought againstthe cultivation of genetically-modi-fied crops, or campaigned againstgold mines and the extraction ofnatural gas through hydraulic frac-turing, also known as fracking.

Together, they have provided aneffective antidote to widespreadpolitical apathy, and have madeinstitutions more responsive topublic pressure.

“There is a break in the system,”says Vasil Garnizov, an associateprofessor of anthropology at theNew Bulgarian University who hasstudied the environmental move-ments.

“Whether it is permanent, orwhether it will truly reconfigurethe situation, remains to be seen,”he says. Garnizov, who is also a for-mer deputy minister of regionaldevelopment and public works,believes the new activism hasencouraged Bulgarians to ask whoruns their country.

“The most important questionhas been put on the table – whomakes the decisions: citizens or oli-garchs?”

For many observers and partici-pants, environmentalism has res-urrected long lost hopes of a robustcivil society in Bulgaria, one of thepoorest states in the EuropeanUnion.

The contrast with the yearsimmediately after communism isstark. During the so-called “transi-tion” period, public resources wereplundered by political and businesselites. As a result, many citizenswithdrew from civic life, deeplydisillusioned with the democraticprocess.

“The environmental movementis the first one that has managed tobring people out in the street andeffect change to some degree,” saysBorislav Sandov, a co-chair of TheGreens, a young party that hasbeen involved in the recent cam-paigns in Bulgaria.

“The environmental movementhas become one of the main pillarsin the fight for democracy.”

‘Green shield’

Environmental politics haveunique roots in this small Balkancountry. It was the IndependentSociety of Eco-Glasnost, an ecolog-ical organisation founded in thespring of 1989, which developedinto the first dissident movementto openly oppose the CommunistParty.

That same year, it organised thefirst public rally in Sofia againstthe regime and submitted a peti-tion calling for greater openness onenvironmental issues. Aside fromecological concerns, there werealso demands for social reforms,democracy, and human rights.

“Eco-Glasnost was first and fore-most a dissident organisation. Weachieved a lot on environmentalissues, but environmentalism wasalso the shield, in the positive senseof the word, behind which weprotested against totalitarianism,”remembers AlexanderKarakachanov, one of the leadersof the movement.

“Of all the dissident organisa-tions, Eco-Glasnost was the firstone to liberate the public mind andshow people that change was on theway.”

The movement enjoyed immensepopularity in Bulgaria during thepolitical changes in 1989. Later, itwas closely associated with demo-cratic reforms and became one ofthe constituent members of the

Union of Democratic Forces, anumbrella organisation which was amajor political player for morethan a decade.

Despite its initial success, how-ever, Eco-Glasnost soon disinte-grated into bickering factions andgradually lost its political clout andgrassroots support. With the eco-nomic situation worsening andpublic debate hijacked by raucousideological battles between “com-munists” and “democrats”,Bulgaria’s first crop of environ-mental movements went to seed.

‘Children of the transition’

The period after 1989 – the “tran-sition” from communism to capi-talism – has not been kind toBulgarian nature.

Ironically, the economic collapseof the country initially allowedsome natural habitats to regener-ate. Wildlife flourished as heavyindustry, until then reliant on theSoviet Union’s cheap raw materi-als and export markets, began toshut down. Market liberalisation,however, soon reversed the gains.

The real-estate and constructionboom that preceded Bulgaria’saccession into the EU devastatedmany of the protected areas alongthe sandy beaches of the Black Seacoast and the country’s moun-tains.

Centuries-old pine forests in thePirin Mountains, a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, weredestroyed to convert Bansko, a pic-turesque village, into a mega-sizeski-resort. An inquiry by theMinistry of the Environment andWater later concluded that theresort had illegally expanded bymore than 50 per cent of its origi-nally assigned area.

Bulgaria is riddled with corrup-tion. It is estimated to have thelargest “grey” sector in the EU,accounting for about a third of theeconomy. Bulgaria is also the mostinvestigated country for abuse ofEU funds, according to theEuropean anti-fraud office, OLAF.Through unchecked and often-ille-gal development, corruption hastaken its toll on nature.

Studies by the BulgarianBiodiversity Foundation indicatethat in the period between 2002and 2007, the country lost morebiodiversity and natural land-scapes than in all the preceding 20years.

The environmental movementsemerged in response to the ram-pant destruction of nature, whichis often viewed as Bulgaria’s lastpublic resource. A powerful coali-tion, For the Nature, uniting 21non-governmental and civicorganisations, was established in2007, giving rise to a series of cam-paigns, many of which have so farproved successful.

“It was very difficult for a singleorganisation to tackle the most dif-ficult cases. At a certain point werealized we had to work togetherto achieve success,” saysKonstantin Ivanov, head of com-munications and marketing at theBulgarian branch of WWF, one of

the coalition members.“Environmentalism is in the

best position to unite people,regardless of their political orother differences.”

In 2009, for instance, a motleyalliance of environmentalists, bee-keepers, chefs, and parental organ-isations fought against attemptsby the government and corporatelobbyists to introduce genetically-modified crops. Their effortsresulted in a highly restrictive lawthat virtually banned genetically-modified crops from the country.

The authorities in Bulgariahave executed a series of U-turnsin the face of mounting protests.

The green movement alsopushed for the expansion ofNatura 2000, the European Union’snetwork of protected areas, toinclude 34 per cent of Bulgaria’sterritory. The initial governmentproposal had included only five

per cent.But perhaps the biggest success

came in January this year, whenFacebook campaigns helped bringthousands onto the streets of Sofiaand another 15 towns to protestagainst the controversial practiseof fracking, for the explorationand extraction of shale gas.

The National Assemblyresponded by imposing a morato-rium on fracking, the only suchmeasure in eastern Europe.

“These have not just beenprotests, but complex campaignsinvolving various instruments[including media publicity andlegal action],” says SvilenOvcharov, a lawyer who has playeda central role in environmentallegal battles that have proved to bean important, if less visible, coun-terpart to street action.

“Beyond the green movement, Ihaven’t seen anyone in Bulgaria

Green Revolution: How Eco-Activism Environmental campaigners have shown they can fight the system – but how far can they fix it?

By Dimiter Kenarov

ACTIVISM FOR EXPORT

Bulgaria’s green activism has also spilled across the Danubeinto neighbouring Romania, a country that has many of thesame economic, social and environmental problems.

After pressuring their government to impose a moratorium onfracking, Bulgarian activists launched the first Facebook campaignagainst shale gas exploration in Romania. Both countries shareaquifers that risk being polluted by fracking. The Bulgarianactivists helped the Romanians with documents and know-how.

Their efforts bore fruit in March this year, when Romanians tookto the streets in numbers unseen since the fall of communism in1989. The protests were largest in the north-eastern town of Bârlad,where fracking operations had been planned.

The demonstrators – including many who had been mobilisedthrough local authorities, churches and trade unions – demanded amoratorium on fracking similar to the one passed in Bulgaria.

As protesters took to the streets in Bucharest, shale-gas explo-ration became the subject of a national debate.

Green activists are speaking out in Bulgaria.

Environmental politics have unique roots in Bulgaria.

YMCK

environment 13Dec 7 - 20, 2012

use so effortlessly the instrumentsof civic activism, generally speak-ing,” he says.

Some analysts have called thephenomenon the “green civil soci-ety” and the “new Bulgarianuprising”, drawing parallels withthe Arab Spring and the Occupymovements in western Europe andthe United States.

As the Bulgarian green move-ment has grown in scope toinclude a wider demographic ofyoung, tech-savvy, mostly middle-class professionals, its impact ongovernment decisions hasincreased.

“Today’s battle is not takingplace in forests for control of thecity squares, but in city squaresfor control of the forests,” wroteGeorgi Deyanov, a university stu-dent, in a widely publicised essaythat became the unofficial mani-festo of the forestry law protests atSofia’s Eagles’ Bridge this sum-mer.

“We are against oligarchies,which remain beyond the law andmonopolise all spheres of econom-ic, political and public life,” hecontinued. “We are the children ofthe transition.”

Environmental law ‘toostrict’

Not everybody is pleased, ofcourse. Critics argue that toomuch focus on the environmentslows down Bulgaria’s economy,especially in the poorer regions.They say excessively strict regula-tions hurt business and invest-ment, resulting in higher unem-ployment.

“The demographic and econom-ic catastrophe in the mountainregions is terrible,” says PhilipTzanov, a businessman and presi-dent of Nature for People andRegions, an association thatactively promotes ski developmentand says it represent the interestsof regional communities.

“Environmental regulations inBulgaria are way too strict andpresent a serious burden for busi-nesses and investors.”

After the Eagles’ Bridge events,Tzanov’s association helped toorganise a counter-protest indefence of regional development,bussing hundreds of residentsfrom small mountain towns toSofia. Many of them were elderlyand impoverished and carriedtheir own signs: “Jobs, businessand investment are not dirtywords”; “Give a green light totourism”; “Don’t give in to ecologi-cal racketeering”.

The counter-protest in Sofiamay have lacked the spontaneity ofthe environmental events, but itbrought home an important point:the vast majority of people inBulgaria are still mired in povertyand see environmentalism – right-ly or wrongly – as an additionalobstacle to their own economicrecovery.

“There is a huge gap betweenthese two cultures,” says Garnizov,the associate professor in anthro-pology.

“The Bulgarian administrationhas a long way to go before it hasthe capacity to control the conflictbetween the absolute imperative ofenvironmental protection and theabsolute imperative of economicdevelopment.”

But there are signs already thatthe green movement has started toerase the old social and geographi-cal borders. In the small town ofKrumovgrad, in the RhodopeMountains, the vast majority ofresidents have spoken out againsta Canadian company’s proposal tobuild an open-pit gold mine in thevicinity.

In Varna, a provincial resorttown on the Black Sea coast with ahistory of corruption scandals,mass rallies were held in earlyJuly in protest at plans to permitprivate construction in the largestpublic park. The protesters had

been inspired by the success ofsimilar demonstrations in Sofia.As public pressure mounted, thetown council reversed its decision.

According to RadosvetaKrastanova, an expert on the coun-try’s green movements, the focuson the environment points to arenewed desire among Bulgariansfor community and communalspaces in general, both wild andurban – something that has nearlyvanished in the past 20 years.

“I certainly think the recentevents created something like acommunity,” she says. “I’m notsure what to call it exactly: maybeenvironmental communities, inthe broadest sense of the word.People who share a commonvision and common values.”

‘Party’ Is a Dirty Word

Despite the popularity and suc-cess of the green movements inBulgaria, the enthusiasm has sofar failed to translate into actualvotes during national and regionalelections.

The utter disillusionment withelectoral politics, whichBulgarians see as inherently bro-ken and corrupt, has alienatedmany voters, especially the young.

“The rejection of political par-ties and politics in general is over-whelming,” says Toma Belev, a for-est engineer and perhaps the mostrecognizable face of the Bulgarianenvironmental movement.

Of course, the crisis in politicallegitimacy is a familiar trend allover Europe, but it is especiallyacute in Bulgaria. A survey byEurobarometer found that just 17per cent of Bulgarians trust theirparliamentary institutions, com-pared to 28 per cent on average inthe EU.

It is one of the reasons whypolitical parties have been virtual-ly unrepresented at environmen-tal rallies – and why any hint ofpolitical campaigning has beenmet with outright hostility fromparticipants.

“The immunity to politics isvery serious and people do not liketo be identified with political par-ties,” says Petar Kardjilov, a doc-toral student in crisis communica-tions and an active participant inenvironmental rallies.

This deep distrust of politicshas, in turn, presented a challengefor new reformist parties whichhope to lure younger voters. TheGreens, an environmentalist partyfounded in 2007, has been active inthe public sphere, generating freshideas and policies on a range ofissues from environmental protec-tion and sustainable agriculture toalternative energy, eco-tourismand LGBT rights.

However, in the 2009 parliamen-tary elections they garnered only0.52 per cent of the vote.

“The problem in Bulgaria is that‘party’ is a dirty word. We under-stand that and often we’ve had tohide our role in campaigns, so thatwe don’t drive away participantswho dislike political parties,” saysBorislav Sandov, co-chair of theGreens.

Nonetheless, Sandov stronglybelieves in the need for politicalrepresentation. In his view, inde-pendent civil society groups andpolitical parties could cooperate inpushing through reforms by work-ing from both outside and insidethe system.

Others, however, fear that anydirect association with main-stream politics would taint thegrassroots ideal, as political deal-making and compromises wouldbecome inevitable.

That there are several environ-mentalist parties fighting eachother over the right to repre-sent the tiny green vote doesnot exactly help any of themwin wider public trust. Andwhile the greenmovement hasbeen thriving,political envi-ronmentalismhas fallen intoa slump.

“One of thefundamentals ofgreen parties is that theirwork requires time, it relies on acumulative effect, which may befelt in ten or 20 or 50 years,”Radosveta Krastanova, theenvironmental scholar,says.

“But political logic isreversed: you have to pro-vide an immediate result,right now.Environmentalism func-

tions against the logic of the polit-ical system.”

Whether green parties canattract a bigger following inBulgaria remains uncertain.However, environmentalism hasalready had a tangible effect on thecountry’s political discourse.Having gauged the strength of pub-lic opinion, some mainstream par-ties have started to adopt greeneragendas to appeal to voters.

Most importantly, a new genera-tion of Bulgarians seems to havefinally found its voice after yearsof social collapse and a loss ofcommon values that had allowedthe powerful to operate withoutchecks and balances.

“The fight for the air, water, andforests has proven to be the onlyviable form of solidarity,” saysVasil Garnizov. “All other forms ofsolidarity – social and national –seem to have failed.”

Dimiter Kenarov is a Sofia-based journalist. This article was

produced as part of the BalkanFellowship for Journalistic

Excellence, an initiative of theRobert Bosch Stiftung and ERSTE

Foundation, in cooperation withthe Balkan Investigative Reporting

Network. It was edited by NeilArun.

Made Bulgaria Care Again

The popularity of green movements has yet to translate into votes.

GREENS FADE IN GREECE

Greece has had a strong environmental movement since theend of military rule in the mid-1970s. Opposition to nuclearpower galvanized citizens and forced environmental issues

onto the policy agenda. In Thessaloniki, green parties scored sub-stantial victories.

In 2002, Greece’s various green factions united as The EcologistsGreens, a party which achieved success at national and Europeanlevels. In 2009, the head of the party, Michalis Tremopoulos, waselected to the European Parliament, the first ever green MEP fromthe Balkans.

The recent economic crisis has, however, diverted attention fromenvironmental to social and financial issues.

“We lost many of our green supporters,” says MichalisTremopoulos. “People struggle financially and don’t care so muchabout environmental problems anymore. We lost the connection toour voters.”

The crisis has also changed the government’s approach to theenvironment. Desperate to fill empty state coffers, a number ofhighly controversial projects have been given the go-ahead – includ-ing plans for a large gold mine on the Khalkidhiki Peninsula.Protests from locals have had little effect.

“Foreign multinational companies want to devour Greece now,”says Maria Kadoglou, one of the leaders of the anti-mining cam-paign.

Just as environmentalism in post-communist Bulgaria andRomania experiences a renaissance, the movement appears to bedeclining in Greece – a country with a far longer tradition ofdemocracy and civic engagement.

YMCK

culture14 Dec 7 - 20, 2012

Montenegrin musician RamboAmadeus (Left) with the director ofCeKa Charlama Jusuf

Hadzifejzovic (Right) at CeKa CharlamaArtists only learned of the decision on

December 4, when they reached the galleryto find out that Hajriz Becirovic, director ofthe Culture-Sports Center of Skenderija,where the gallery is located, had closed it.

The closure happened after several artistsand citizens protested a day earlier, urgingBecirovic not to carry out the threat to pad-lock it.

The potential eviction of the exhibits andthe closure of the gallery were announced aweek ago.

But the management of the gallery hadhoped that the city would help them reachan agreement with the Skenderija Centerand stop the process.

Becirevic decided to end cooperation withthe gallery, sending a warning letter thatgave them until December 3 to leave site,without explaining reasons.

Becirovic later said Charlama owedmoney to the Skenderija Center. Artistsfrom the gallery have denied that claim, say-ing they have no such debts.

Charlama director Jusuf Hadzifejzovic onMonday urged Bosnian artists and thosewho had exhibited in this gallery to protestagainst the “further destruction of Bosniaand Herzegovina's culture”.

"We hope that together we can send a mes-sage about the inhumane conditions inwhich artists work and in which culturalinstitutions operate,” Hadzifejzovic'sprotest note read.

“This is a vote against the locked doors ofcultural institutions, which have becomethe dominant image of our reality."

Hadzifejzovic accused Becirevic of want-ing to fill the Skenderija centre with turbo-folk concerts and other cheap attractions.

“Charlama wants to be... a place wheregallery owners, curators and artists from allover the world can gather and discover thetalents of Bosnian artists,” Hadzifejzovicsaid.

“Instead,” he continued, “they wantSarajevo's iconic Skenderija Center tobecome a place for meetings and exchangesof ideas in the field of turbo-folk and suchstuff.”

He referred to a recently planned concertof Serbian turbo-folk singers, which hasbeen scheduled in one part of the center.

Ceka Charlama has been one of the mostactive independent art organizations inBosnia.

Through projects such as Subdokumentaand Emporio Dangularium, it has presentedsome of the most important artists from thecountry, the region and the internationalscene.

The permanent exhibition includes piecesby artists such as Vlado Martek, DimitriPrigov, Neso Paripovic, Milija Pavicevic,Raso Todosijevic, Sasa Bukvic, Maja Bajevic,Alma Suljevic, Damir Niksic, Danica Dakicand many others.

Charlama has also hosted a number of stu-dents from European art academies such asVienna, Stockholm and Berlin BauhausAcademy.

The only politician to voice support for thegallery has been Sarajevo Canton's Cultureand Sport Minister, Ivica Saric, who prom-ised to help solve the gallery's problemswhile warning that it is not completelyunder his jurisdiction.

In May, Becirevic did the same to the artcollection known as Ars Aevi, when heasked them to move out, citing unpaid bills.

That time, under media pressure, theSarajevo Canton and the City of Sarajevoagreed a budget for the permanent mainte-nance of the collection, which is the Bosnia'slargest contemporary art collection.

By Amina Hamzic

The Ceka Charlama gallery was padlocked shut on Tuesday, following a decision of the Skenderija Center management, where it is located, to terminate their contract.

Gallery Closure Shakes SarajevoArt World

German film director Wym Wenders in a visit to CeKa Charlama

Montenegrin musician Rambo Amadeus (Left) with the director of CeKa Charlama Jusuf Hadzifejzovic (Right) at CeKa Charlama

YMCK

international 15Dec 7 - 20, 2012

Iraq has shut its airspace to four Syrianflights scheduled to pick up attack heli-copters that had been repaired in Russia,

the spokesman to Iraqi Prime Minister NuriKamal al-Maliki said Tuesday. Syria hasfailed several times since June to retrievethe refurbished helicopters from Russia,and the regime of Bashar al-Assad appearsto be growing more desperate as fightingintensifies.

Iraq's denial of the flights appears to be adiplomatic breakthrough for the U.S.Although Baghdad has said it won't allowarms shipments to Syria and has recentlybegun to inspect some planes flying fromIran, White House and State Departmentofficials have been pressuring Iraq to actmuch more aggressively to choke off mili-tary aid.

Two U.S. diplomatic officials who areclosely monitoring Iraq-Syria relationsexpressed relief when told that Baghdadsaid it had denied Syria's overflight requestfor the helicopters.

But one of the officials emphasized cau-tion, noting that flights continue over Iraqiairspace from Iran to Syria. Iraq has main-tained that the flights carry humanitariangoods but the United States suspects theycontain matériel. "The abuse of Iraq's air-space continues to be a concern," the offi-cial said. "We urge Iraq either to requireflights enroute to Syria over its territory toland for inspection or deny overflightrequests for these aircraft."

ProPublica reported on the Syrian fly-over requests last week, noting that thecargo plane expected to pick up the helicop-

ters did not land or take off at the sched-uled times at a military airfield nearMoscow. The reason was unknown at thetime.

Ali al-Mousawi, the prime minister'smedia adviser, told ProPublica on Tuesdaythat Syria's requests had been denied bythe Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority.

"We will not authorize any overflightuntil we make sure that it does not containany military equipment in line with theIraqi government's policy which firmlyrejects allowing transporting any militaryshipments via our airspace from or toSyria," he wrote in an email.

Syria has tried various ways to retrieveits attack helicopters from Russia.

In June, a cargo ship carrying helicop-ters from the Russian port of Kaliningradto Syria was turned back after the ship'sinsurer withdrew coverage in response tosanctions. A second attempt by sea a monthlater also failed.

The new plan, according to flight recordsobtained by ProPublica, was to fly anIlyushin IL-76 cargo plane in lateNovember and early December fromDamascus to Ramenskoye Airport outsideMoscow, also known as Zhukovsky Airport.The records described the cargo as an "oldhelicopter after overhaullling" (sic) andidentified the model as an Mi-25 — a heavycombat helicopter that has been filmed inonline videos appearing to fire at rebels.

The documents included four proposedflights, the last of which was scheduled forNov. 6. Each of the planned flights was toland at Ramenskoye Airport at 2:00 p.m.local time and departing three hours later.None of the four flights arrived, accordingto a photographer ProPublica hired toobserve air traffic at Ramenskoye.

Some of the flight records were posted by

hackers associated with the online collec-tive Anonymous. Many of those docu-ments, as well as others, were obtained sep-arately by ProPublica, which reported lastweek that Syria appears to have flown 240tons of bank notes from Moscow this sum-mer.

One of the U.S. diplomatic officials saidIraq's decision to block the flights — and toacknowledge doing so publicly — risksangering Moscow. Failure to deliver thehelicopters, this official said, could mean adelay in payment for the Russians. Russiahas long been Syria's main supplier ofarms.

Officials at the Russian Foreign Ministryand its lead arms exporterRosoboronexport did not return phonecalls from ProPublica. The 150 AircraftRepair Plant, which is listed as the charter-er of the flights, declined to answer ques-tions.

Russia's Prime Minister DmitriMedvedev told reporters last week thatRussia was obliged to fulfill its existingcontracts even in the teeth of internationalpressure.

Until last year, Iraqi airspace had been

largely controlled by the U.S. Air Force. ButAmerican officials have gradually turnedover control to the Iraqis and now have lit-tle involvement in day-to-day operations,according to U.S. aviation advisers workingwith the Iraqis.

The New York Times reported Sunday onthe struggle of American officials to stoparms shipments from Iran. According tothe Times, Iraq's foreign minister promisedSecretary of State Hillary Clinton inSeptember that Iraq would inspect theflights from Iran. But since then, the news-paper said, it has only inspected twoplanes, including one that was returningfrom Syria.

President Obama, speaking yesterday atthe National War College, said, "We willcontinue to support the legitimate aspira-tions of the Syrian people — engaging withthe opposition, providing them withhumanitarian aid and working for a transi-tion to a Syria that's free of the Assadregime."

This article is published courtesy athttp://www.propublica.org – Under Creative

Commons license

A giant cigarette butt isset up inside the Garede Lyon railway stationin Paris as part of apublicity campaignagainst rudeness.Besides throwing ciga-rettes and chewinggums in rail platform byrude travellers, thestate-owned rail com-pany, SNCF, hasreceived complaintsabout those speakingloudly on mobilephones, playing musicand swearing.Hundreds of “polite-ness police” arerecruited to beat badmanners on the Frenchrail network. (APPhoto/Remy de laMauviniere)

Photo News: Stubbing Out Rudeness

Iraq Blocks Syria’s Requestto Fetch Combat Helicoptersfrom Russia

Iraq isn't allowing Syria to use its airspace to shuttle helicopters from Russia.

by Michael Grabell, DafnaLinzer and Jeff Larson

YMCK

16 Dec 7 - 20, 2012 Guide

Restaurants:

Liburnia 1 and 2Rr Meto Bajraktar, tel. +381 (0)38 222 719.There are actually two Liburnias oppositeeach other, both very similar in style andfood. Housed in a fine Ottoman abode andsurrounded by pleasant walled gardens,Liburnia oozes atmosphere, whether in win-ter or summer. The food is a roll call ofdecent traditional Albanian food, includingthe usual stews (tave) and grilled meat. It’snot the best place in town to sample localdelicacies, but a good choice given the set-ting. Open 8 am - 11 pm

Country House Off road to Podujevo from Pristina, rightafter the Muciqi Mercedes-Benz garage, tel.+377 (0)44 656 054. This rustic restaurant isa 15-minute drive outside Pristina (on agood day) and provides glorious viewsacross rolling, verdant hills and is especial-ly pleasant place in the summer to watchthe sunset. The overall food quality isdecent, with special marks for the freshbread, straight from the wood stove, andspeca me maze (peppers in cream). 10 am -11 pm.

Princesha Gresa 23 Rr. Fehmi Agani, tel. +381 (0) 38 24 58 41. Ifyou have a horse-size hole in your stomachto fill, this is the place to come. The mealstarts with some free bread and dips and isfollowed by gargantuan portions of salad,meat, fish, or anything else on this variedmenu. The food is sometimes great, some-times average but always served in massiveportions. Open 10 am - 11 pm.

Hemingway Rr Ilaz Kodra, tel. +386 (0)49 145 637. Yes, youcan get fresh sea fish in landlocked Kosovo.Hemingway is tucked away in an unappeal-ing end of the city but worth a trip if youare craving food of the piscine variety. It's apretty basic sort of set-up and relativelyexpensive for the setting, but undoubtedlyone of the best places in town for fish. Open9 am - 11 pm

Le Siam Thai Rr Fehmi Agani, tel. +377 (0)45 243 588.

Stylishly designed and smoke-free, Le Siamhas become a real hit for the internationalcommunity of Kosovo. If you are acquaint-ed with Thai food, you're not in for any sur-prises here, with the typical assortment ofcurries, salads and deep fried treats, deliv-ered to decent standards. At 7 or 8 euro for amain course, it's relatively pricey comparedto its neighbours. Open Monday-Thursday11:00-14:00 and 17:45-22:30; Friday-Sunday11:00-23:00.

Renaissance II Rr. George Bush (behind the Pro Credit BankHQ), tel. +377 (0)44 118 796. Renaissanceoffers arguably the best overall dining expe-rience in Prishtina. It's quite an experiencejust to find the place. Tucked away along atiny alleyway, you enter the homely, stonebuilding through heavy wooden doors. It's15 euro per head, and for that you will bekept fed, watered and supplied with boozefor at least a three course meal, including awonderful meze starter and a deliciousmain course cooked on embers. Open 11 am- 11 pm.

Bars:

Crème de la CrèmeRr Robert Doll, tel. +377(0)44259912. Crèmeis probably the best all-round bar in the city.It's run for the amusement of the young,arty owners and not for profit, whichexplains the more-than-generous pricingarrangements, especially for the perfectlyexecuted cocktails. Its five tiny floors heaveon Fridays and Sundays with Pristina's coolto the variety of beats. Every Wednesday,Friday and Saturday from 8pm to 3am.

Filikaqa Rr Mujo Ulqinaku BL 4/1, Pejton, websitewww.filikaqa.com; 038 244 288. Whistle, as ittranslates from Albanian, offers a dizzyingarray of televisions on which to watch yoursport of choice and eat the best burgers intown. Select a booth, ask the amiable staff totune into your match and grab a 'doubledecker' or 'triple burger', which look likeAmerican fast-food classics but taste better.Friday night Karaoke is a must-see, must-sing event.

Here is Prishtina Insight’s guide to the best places in town to eat, drink, shop andbe merry. We’ll keep this section updated with the newest and coolest placesopening in Kosovo.

Hot Food:NOMNOM, Rr Rexhep Luci, Prishtina. A superb edition to Prishtina’s dining scene.Its London chef serves up food fit for a high-end eatery in the Big Smoke. The excel-lent variety of ingredients on offer is particularly pleasing, as is the extensive winelist. The outdoor area is also great for people watching while you sup a cocktail ortwo.

PAPIRUN(LEFT). Tel. 045 26 23 23. Papirun has seating at two perpendicular coun-ters in what’s basically a hole-in-the-wall just off Mother Teresa Boulevard, near theGrand Hotel. The menu has 13 options: 6 pizzas and seven sandwiches. The sandwich-es are the stars, though. Every component is handled with care. The bread alone isgood enough to make just about any sandwich into a glorious feast. It’s freshly bakedand seasoned with rosemary.

Hot Shop:SACRO(ABOVE), Rruga Garibaldi, Behind Metro Caffe, Prishtina, tel. +377 44 234499, www.sacrobio.com Where in Pristina can you buy dried Kamenica mushrooms?Lentils to help with a vegetarian/ vegan diet? Marshmallow root? Sacro, the newly-opened shop in central Prishtina, is an education and a delight.

Hard Rockers ClubRoad Ilaz Kodra, contact: vraja_fatos@ hot-mail.com. It's one of the few places inPrishtina where you can catch regular liveacts and the only place which caters forthose who like their rock served up heavy, orhard. On a quiet night, it's quite a comfort-able venue to grab a beer, even if you are notbeing entertained by hirsute musicians .

The CubanRoad Luan Haradinaj Tel: +377(0) 45 620 620.This is a decent addition to the city's drink-ing scene, even if the place can be full ofspivs and tarts who aren't going to a fancy-dress party. The Cuban-themed décor isdecadent Havana, the food is average, andnot very Caribbean, but the cocktails aregood. 8 am - 1 am.

Xhoni’s BarRexhep Mala, Pristina, tel. +377 (0)44 750 720.Xhoni’s is, without doubt, a Prishtina insti-tution. It’s small, friendly and smoky, playsexcellent soul, disco and classic rock musicfrom vinyl and is open until the last man orwoman staggers out. Arrive by 11pm at theweekend to secure a corner, or even better aseat, if you intend to make a night of it. Nextto A&A restaurant and has round windows.Opens: 8pm-to late. Shut on Sundays.

Fastfood:

Bel AmiRr Luan Haradinaj, Tel: +377 (0)44 133 848,+386 49 133 848. The ideal town-centre stopfor a quick lunch or takeaway snack, BelAmi unceremoniously serves some of thebest chicken doner in Prishtina in a surpris-ingly un-greasy, smoke-free environment.Ask for a “komplet” to get the classic donerpacked with salad and sauces and wrappedin tin foil. Monday-Friday 9 am - 7.30 pm;Saturday 9 am - 8 pm.

Clubs:

P1Fehmi Agani, +377 (0)44 608 669. If you’relooking for cool, then P1 is probably notthe spot for you. The decor is pretty unin-spiring, the music is bog standard and theatmosphere reminiscent of a cattle mar-ket. But if your thing is scantily cladyoung women or packs of amorous boys,than it’s an excellent choice. And, in thevenue’s defence, it does have a pleasantoutdoor area for summer dancing.Working hours Wednesday, Friday,Saturday from 9 pm to 3 am.

YMCK

Te Komiteti

Te Komiteti’s large trees and a beauti-fully garden, which surround the smalloutdoor terrace, give you an impressionof an exclusive place for ordinary peo-ple. And this is exactly what it is. Frombrunch to lunch-time snacks and specialevening meals, this restaurant offersdishes comprising quality, varied ingredi-ents, combined to perfection. Alongsideone of Prishtina’s best ‘modernEuropean’ style menus, you’ll also find agood selection of wine, and great san-gria and cocktails .

Te KomitetiQamil Hoxha Street

Prishtina+381 38 24 96 63

Where to pick up Prishtina Insight?Prishtina Insight hasteamed up with theseexcellent venues tooffer a limited num-ber of complimentarycopies of Kosovo’sonly English-lan-guage newspaper.Grab a copy of thepublication and settledown with a drink ora meal to read it.

Hotel PrishtinaHotel Prishtina’s

43 charming guestrooms and suites arereminiscent of asmall hotel in theEuropean tradition.You'll immediatelyfeel at home in ourliving room, sipping aglass of wine in ourfine restaurant sur-rounded by a galleryof paintings by localartists.

The hotel offers free,fast wifi internet, com-plimentary breakfast,conference room,swimming pool, saunaand laundry service.

Hotel Prishtina,St. Vaso Pasha nr. 20

+381 38 / 22 32 84

A taste of Napoli in Prishtina.

After ten years ofmaking pizza inNapoli, and withonly love to blame,Fatmir, the headchef, returned toPrishtina. His piz-zas, made in awoodburn stove,are definitely gen-uine napolitanas.Fatmir also has sev-eral delicious pas-tas on offer, a truejoy for the tastebuds. Napoli has an excellent selection of red and white wines or, forthe more ambitious, one of the region's best quince raki. Napolimakes for delicious lunch, dinner or even after-theatre time out in thecentre of Prishtina.

Pizzeria Napolioff Luan Haradinaj, opposite Newborn

044/409-402402

Hotel AFA

Located in a quiet neighbourhood justoutside the city centre, Hotel Afa canguarantee guests a peaceful night whilebeing within walking distance of all theaction. The venue has won a host ofawards for its excellent service to cus-tomers and offers a good range of facili-ties, from an exclusive restaurant andVIP bar to pretty, tranquil gardens.Rooms start at 45 euro for a single, andluxury rooms and apartments are avail-able. The hotel’s rooms are well appoint-ed and comfortable.

15, Rr Ali Kelmendi,Sunny Hill, Prishtina

+381 38/225 226www. hotelafa. com

Paddy O’Brien’s

The staff atPaddy O’Brien’shave a saying: “It’seasy to walk in, butvery hard to leave.”

And with itswarm atmosphere,fantastic range ofdrinks and excel-lent food, it is easyto see why.

There have beenmany attempts toestablish a properIrish pub inPrishtina, but thisis the only one tohit the spot.

From classic coffees to cocktails, via, of course, Guinness,you really wont find it difficult to select the perfect drink.

A mouth-watering menu of Irish specialties is also on offer,spanning from all-day breakfasts to Irish stews at night.

Options include shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash, fish ‘nchips, and whopping great burgers.

Thursday is pub quiz night, but there is always somethinggoing on at the pub, whether it is sport screenings or just a goodshindig.

Paddy O’Brien’sTringe Smajli Street, by the Illyria Hotel

Prishtina: 045-420900

Papillon Bistro Bar

This newly reopened bar in Prishtina,Papillon, offers more than 60 types of winesfrom France, Italy, Spain, and Kosovo withgreat prices and delicious dishes.

They serve pasta, sandwiches, salads anddifferent appetizers.

You can also try different types of local orinternational beers.

The bar, with it’s stunning new design, islocated in the centre of Prishtina, nearProCredit Bank headquarter, RTK radiocentre, and the Mother Teresa cathedral.

PapillonMother Teresa Str. Nr. 51 A

info@caffepapillon.com044 103 310

1717Dec 7 - 20, 2012

Guide Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like your event to feature orto advertise your venue. Email marketing@prishtinainsight.com

If you live in Kosovo and would like toreceive the hardcopy of the newspaperdelivered to your door, you can also sub-scribe for 13 editions, the equivalent of six months, for 13 euro, including deliv-ery, or for 26 euro for the whole year. Please note, deliveries outside ofPrishtina may be refused due to trans-port costs. You can pay through an internationalbank transfer or in cash at a Kosovobranch of Raiffeisen bank.If you are interested in subscribing pleaseemail us at info@prishtinainsight.comwith the subject "subscription", listingwhat type of subscription you require. Wewill then provide you with an invoice andbank details.

YMCK

timeout18 Dec 7 - 20, 2012

IBRAHIM KODRA EXHIBITION - FANTASTIC ALBANIA

Curated by Rubens ShimaOpen till 15 DecemberThe Kosova National Gallery and the Ministry of Culture,

Youth and Sport of the Republic of Kosovo cordially inviteyou to the opening of the exhibition Ibrahim Kodra ShqipëriaFantastike on Tuesday 20th November. The opening ceremo-ny will take place at the Kosova Art Gallery at 19:00h.

The exhibition will mark the 100th Anniversary of theIndependence of Albania and is being organized in collabora-tion between the National Gallery of Arts in Albania,“Ibrahim Kodra” Foundation (Italy), the private collector Mr.Kozma Dashi, along with the kind support of private collec-tors.

“Hotel Transylvania” In Kino ABC will

be screened thepremiere of the“HotelTransylvania 3D”

Every day at2pm.

The film tells astory of Dracula, theowner of HotelTransylvania, wherethe world's monsterscan take a rest fromhuman civilization.Dracula invites someof the most famousmonsters, includingFrankenstein's monster, Mummy, a Werewolf fami-ly, and the Invisible Man, to celebrate the 118thbirthday of his daughter Mavis. When the hotel isunexpectedly visited by an ordinary 21-year-oldtraveler named Jonathan, Dracula must protectMavis from falling in love with him before it is toolate.

Released on September 28, 2012, the film was metwith mixed critical reception, while the generalpopulation received it very favorably. Despite mixedreviews, Hotel Transylvania set a new record forthe highest-grossing September opening weekend,earning a total of $283 million on a budget of $85million.

“Asterix and Obelix, GodSave Britania” in 3D

Every day at4pm.

Asterix crosses thechannel to help sec-ond-cousinAnticlimax to facedown Julius Caesarand invadingRomans.

Genres:Adventure/Comedy

Running time: 1 hr40 min

Starring: GerardDepardieu, CatherineDeneuve, EdouardBaer, Dani Boon

Directed by:Laurent Tirard

““Skenderbeu in HD”Every day at 6pm

Directed by: SergeiYutkevich

Screenplay:Mikhail Papava

Starring: AkakiKhorava, BesaImami, AdivieAlibali, SemyonSokolovsky, VerikoAndjaparidze, GeorgiChernovolenko,Naim Frashëri,OlegZhakov, AleksandrVertinsky, SergoZaqariadze, VladimirBelokurov, VahramPapazyan, MarieLogoreci

For any further questions or reservations call at 038 243238 or visit them at www.kinoabc.com

Prishtina DiaryAmCham Gala Dinner with Aurela Gace

Friday,7 December at 8:00 pm Hotel Emerald

Filikaqa karaoke nightevery Friday at 9:00pm until 1:00am

De Po club Friday – Hip Hop night

Hippopotamus with DJ Jungle Saturday – Tech House Toforoff from Skopje

Paddy O’Brien’s Irish Pub –Live Sport - GAA, Rugby, American Football and

more. All Football - Champions League, Premiership,La Liga, Serie A.

Every Thursday at 7.30pm there is organized QuizNight.

For more information: 038 221 070 & 038 221 077 orwrite at paddy@PaddyOBriens.com

ODA THEATRE“Burrneshat”

8pm Saturday, 12,13 and 14 Decemberwritten by Matt Opatrny and Lirak Çelaj; produced by Jessica Burr

and Florent Mehmeti. Cast: Sora Baek, Ilire Çelaj, Jessi Blue, Eshref Durmishi, Damen

Scranton, Armend Ismajli, Matt Opatrny and Liridona Shehu. “Burrneshat” talks about the ancient Albanian tradition sworn

virgins, then when Albanian women had the right to declare them-selves as men and swear that they will never “have to do” with menand that she will behave and act like a man.

The event takes place in a mountainous village in a shoemaker’sfamily who because of his age has it difficult to work and who likesweapons. His son who had gone in the USA to work and is the only sonof the family, is back for a visit with his American wife. They tell

them they are in finan-cial crisis and can’t sup-port them anymore. Thisenforces his sister totake a shocking decision.

Meanwhile MadeleineAlbright comes to the vil-lage to take part in theinauguration of a statuethat their uncle hasmade to honor her. AnAmerican soldier and areporter for The NewYork Times come tocover that event that cre-ated many misconcep-tions and reveal manysecrets.

(Albanian Language)Dialogues: in Englishand Albanian

Entrance: 3 Euro

8pm Friday, 21 DecemberEda Zari Live Concert “Toka” Entrance: 10 Euro

Exhibition ofAlban Muja Myname, their city– 7 and 8December 2012

Artist talk 7December at7:00pm

Stacion - Centrefor Contemporary Art

Prishtina

culture 19Dec 7 - 20, 2012

Thirty movies made by andfor Roma will be part of thenew edition of the Rolling

Film Festival starting fromDecember 12 to 16.

Movies will be screened in fivelocations such as Kino ABC-1,National Theatre, Te Dudi, Dit’ eNat’ and Multimedia Centre.

Organisers said that if anyonemisses first day, they can watch

the movie in another location.“Those not having the opportu-

nity to watch a movie in the firstday, they can go to another loca-tion and watch it because we re-broadcast the movies from theday before,” said Milica Milovic,project coordinator.

Organisers said that the mainaim of the festival is raising theawareness of the society towardsthe Roma culture and tradition,through the movies.

Movies are selected to demon-strate the diversity, richness andhuman elements that tell thestory of Roma in the world.

In the last two years, the

Rolling Film Festival became themost important event in Kosovothat presents the Roma communi-ty.

Rolling is realised byRomawood and BalkanSunflowers Kosovo.

Different directors will partici-pate in this festival such as ValonYmeri, Denis Mustafa and SamiMustafa.

“We are trying to contributethrough ‘Rolling Film Festival' toKosovo’s artistic scene andexpress our problems,” saidBajram Kinolli, Kafu, a Romaartist.

The century and half oldbuilding in the centre ofBelgrade caught fire at mid-

night between Sunday andMonday.

According to the fire depart-ment, a significant part of themain stage, as well as one curtain,went up in flames.

The police blocked the traffic inseveral streets around the theatre,and fire fighters arrived only fewminutes after the call.

“Right after the call 16 vehicleswith 57 firemen were sent to thescene. We needed this many peoplebecause the fire broke out in thecity centre,“ said Mile Jovicic, thecommander of the fire brigade.

Two security guards who werein the theatre as the fire brokehave been treated for smokeinhalation.

The acting manager of theNational Theatre of Serbia, DejanSavic, said that the damage is notextensive, but that all of perform-ances on the main stage will becancelled.

However, the smaller stage“Rasa Plaovic“ escaped fireunscathed, so it will continueworking normally.

Savic said for the Serbian newsagency Tanjug that the most prob-able cause of the fire was faultyelectric installations.

“Now we have to find money forthe reconstruction and sort outwith the insurance to repair thedamage as soon as possible.

The President of the BelgradeCity Assembly, Aleksandar Antic,who immediately rushed to thetheatre, said that damage esti-mates are not complete, and thatthey would also have to includedamages inflicted by the waterused to extinguish the blaze.

“It could have been much worse.The city will help with the damagerepair,“ said Antic.

By Mihane Mustafa

Festival’s third edition brings Roma into focus through cinema.

Rolling Film FestivalKicks Off

marketing

Serbia'sNational TheatreCaught FireA fire that broke out in the National Theatre of Serbia wasquickly extinguished by fire-fighters, however the extent ofdamage is still unknown.

Nemanja Cabric

The Rolling Film Festival starts December 12.

YMCK

opinion 20 Dec 7 - 20, 2012

With the spectacular paradeof the army in Tirana,breathtaking events to

mark the 100th anniversary ofAlbania, the graceful courtesy ofGoogle, the glucose overdose fromthe independence cake and itsshameful treatment by citizens,Albanians all over the region andthe world marked a historical datefor the nation, precisely how weknow best – euphoria and joy.

That there was a strong reasonto celebrate, that we needed toexpress our patriotism – it isindisputable, despite the factthat many in the region got shiv-ers from the alleged Albanianirredentist ideologies. Withouteven having the opportunity totake a breath of fresh air fromthe celebrations and recoveringfrom the hangover, immediatelythe morning after Prishtina gotexcited for the second time, withthe same tempo, when it cele-brated the return of RamushHaradinaj after the ICTY ver-dict, declaring Haradinaj notguilty of the charges raised inthe partial retrial in the Hague.

The festive delirium was soonreplaced with a shocking dramarelated to the phone tappingscandal of senior political offi-cials – a gift from the EULEX tocalm the hysteria. I call it a giftas we are one of those nationsthat when caught on the rhythmof celebrations – the euphorialast for months. However, in thecurrent state of affairs, we haveneither the time nor the luxury

to get carried away with celebra-tions. This is especially the casewhen we realise that knives areout and ready for chopping theConstitution in the upcomingmonths.

Of course, the gift which I amusing as a euphemism for thephone tapping of our politicalleaders is not unintentional; onthe very contrary, it is a cun-ningly planned show, similar tomany other political develop-ments and policy-making inKosovo. Let us remind ourselvesthat the leak of phone tappingcomes just as we are setting thewheels in motion for the politi-cal dialogue with Serbia. Assuch this leak is like an eye-brow-raising ad for a new TVseries.

The difference is that in thiscase we are not dealing with aTV series. Contrary to the emptystatements of the then EULEXChief Prosecutor Johannes VanVreeswijk, who stated that cer-tain Kosovo leaders should startsweating ahead of corruptioninvestigations, this time itseems that EULEX is deter-mined to prepare the publicopinion for the new troublesthat will surface shortly. TheEuropean mission once againshowed its teeth and flexed itsmuscles in order to remind theGovernment that, by being aclub of individuals accused oforganised crime, EULEX canbully the Government as andwhen directed by Brussels.

The leak of the tapped phoneconversations of senior politi-cians and the potential of futureleaks demonstrate that someoneis seriously being blackmailed.It does not take a genius to iden-

tify the blackmailable stakehold-ers and their potential of mak-ing dangerous concessions,including territorial conces-sions, if this guarantees theirstay in power and keeps themoutside the Dubrava prison.

We celebrated; we enjoyed ourtime and marked the 100thanniversary of the guaranteethat Albanians deserve theirplace in Europe. It is now thetime to think and evaluatewhether we would want our suc-cessors to celebrate Kosovo’s100th anniversary 96 years laterwith its current borders orwhether our legacy to them isgoing to be a dysfunctionalKosovo. This depends entirelyon our actions now: continuingwith our apathy ahead of thesharpening of knives takingplace in Belgrade for northernKosovo.

Kosovo’s constitution andinternal affairs have long beenbreached by those who should bethe prime guarantors of itsimplementation – our leaders.

We shall not be alive forKosovo’s 100th anniversary ofindependence, but the pride orthe disappointment that willassociate our ancestors in 2108will be merely dependant on ourcivic engagement or apathywhich we show in the months tocome.

At the end of the day, everysingle Albanian celebrating inTirana a fortnight ago wouldhave remembered the centuryold quote of Hasan Prishtina:“We will fight, but might not beable to reap the benefits (of free-dom), but those that come afterus, will find our signs (ofeffort)”.

Kosovar Delirium

By Kreshnik Hoxha

Ecosovo

A time of gifts

If you’re Dutch, then you have already celebrated the coming ofSinterklaas, this week, bearing gifts. If you’re preparing to cel-ebrate Christmas later this month then you’re thinking about

your present list too. Or perhaps you’re saving up for New Yearand the coming of Baba Dimrit (‘Father Winter’) in Kosovo’s sec-ular gift-bringing festival. Whatever the reason, it seems that mostpeople in Kosovo are feeling at least the first thrills of anticipation– every adult coolly (oh, so coolly) walking the streets with theirshopping bags is actually a child in disguise, holding their breathin anticipation of holidays and treats.

So here are some suggestions for making the season not justgreen with envy of another man’s presents, but green with carefor Kosovo’s environment.

— Think about the recipient not just of your gift, but the moneyyou spent on it. Kosovo has some wonderful locally produced giftssupporting people whose need for money is possibly greater thanthat of the owners of the Duty Free counter at the airport, or thebrand name chain store that’s just opened in the out-of-town mall.Consider buying products by local craftsmen and –women (howabout filigree from Filigran ShPK in Prizren – their shop is at oneend of the Stone Bridge, or from Krenare Rakovica in Prishtina,her shop just down from the Grand Hotel, towards the GEOX store.Or knitted or embroidered work from the Emina women’s groupin Mitrovica, or pots from Luan Qukani in Gjakova).

— An excellent upcoming opportunity to buy and support localcauses at the same time, is the fair organised by the UNKT and UNVolunteers which will take place on Monday at Elzar (opposite theBritish Council in Peyton) to support local NGOs with income-generating activities. Our NGO, The Ideas Partnership will bethere with a stall run by women from our various projects sup-porting women from Fushë Kosovë who make gorgeous essential-oil fragranced soaps, each in a cute hand-sewn bag, and recycledglass painted tealight holders. Greetings cards and other hand-crafts will also be available from other wonderful charitable NGOssharing the space, including the Open Door women’s NGO, SOSKinderdorf and Down Syndrome Kosova. The fair will take placeon Monday, December 10, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

— Consider buying second-hand (or ‘pre-loved) – books (e.g.from the 7Arte bookstore in Mitrovica), clothes, antiques (theDelvina treasure house is on the first floor of the block oppositeSwiss Casino, on Bill Clinton Boulevard. You’ll find stunningrugs, embroidery, and carved wood) rather than requiring anoth-er scoop of the earth’s resources to create a new product.

—Think about what you take your presents home in – if you’regoing on a shopping spree, take with you a reusable cloth bag (likethose produced in The Ideas Partnership’s women’s income-gener-ating project in Istog), or some previously-used plastic bags ratherthan requiring new ones to carry everything you’ve bought.

— Think about what you give your presents in: wrapping-papercan be expensive and wasteful. Save what you’ve been given, forreuse, or encourage reuse by presenting gifts in a bright Kraftpaper bag (Talens, next to the Ben Af behind the National Theatrehave a great selection) or wrapping in something reused andfunky – an illustration from a magazine you’ve finished with – ortied up in a scarf.

— Give experiences, not objects. A voucher for lunch out togeth-er, the promise of an afternoon planting bulbs together in spring,a dance lesson, a weekend away (somewhere beautiful in Kosovo!),a walk in Germia, your friend’s favourite meal cooked for them(from delicious local ingredients of course)… are all ways of giv-ing a thoughtful present that doesn’t generate landfill.

And whomever you’re giving to, whenever you offer it, andwhatever the gift, here’s wishing you wonderful celebrations.

Contact details for the producers mentioned in the article canbe found in the recently-published Green Pages, available free ofcharge or to download at www.Kosovogreenpages.wordpress.com)

Elizabeth Gowing is a founder of The Ideas Partnership, aKosovan NGO working on educational, cultural and environmen-

tal projects. She is also the author of Travels in Blood and Honey;becoming a beekeeper in Kosovo. She can be reached on theideas-

partnership@gmail.com

By Elizabeth Gowing

EU MAGNIFIER

Outside In

opinion 21Dec 7 - 20, 2012

If you would like your NGO to appear in our Making a Difference feature, please email info@prishtinainsight.com

When Albanians celebrateany birthday, the tradi-tional blessing is "may

you reach 100," but their nation issurely the unlikeliest to havereached this milestone.

The declaration of independ-ence on November 28, 1912 was notreally against the OttomanEmpire; instead, the ethnicAlbanian patriots realized that thecollapsing Empire left them vulner-able to their voracious neighbours,and they wanted to carve out aspace for themselves. The GermanPrinceling who was chosen as Kinglasted all of six months beforedomestic chaos and the outbreak ofthe first world war among his spon-sors sent him back into theGerman Army.

The one attempt at a home-grown monarch was the self-pro-claimed King Zog, now betterknown for shooting back at would-be assassins while wearing correctevening dress, and for using goldbullion to pay his bills when inexile. Occupation during the sec-ond world war was followed by thebizarre and brutal 40-year regimeof Enver Hoxha. His paranoid pas-tiche of Stalinism was a joke tothose who didn't have to live in it, anightmare to those who did -although Albanians still speakproudly of what he did for educa-tion.

It was the toxic shock of free-dom, ironically, that brought aboutthe state collapse that had threat-ened more than once. Flushed withthe mythological possibilities ofcapitalism, after Hoxha's death thepopulation poured their savingsinto Ponzi schemes; when theseexploded in 1996, the Governmentlost control of much of the country.The double-headed eagle flyingproud and massive across Albaniathis week has become a symbol ofremarkable endurance.

Albania today has made itself adependable player in the interna-tional community's engagement inthe Balkans, with the outlines ofdemocracy and the first signs oftourism along its beautiful coast.But the population are frustrated,and the celebrations are more astatement of what could or shouldbe. "After the circumstances of thelast two decades," suggests onecommentator, "Albanians inAlbania don't have much to beproud about." Their economic situ-ation seems bad to them, there'swidespread criticism of PrimeMinister Sali Berisha (previouslyEnver Hoxha's personal physician),and some feel that they were betterprotected and respected underCommunism.

Over the border here in Kosovo,the celebrations were perhaps evenmore feverish. Here the eagleseemed to adorn every buildingand every car. In a strange re-imag-ining of liberty, one Municipalitymade it an offence not to fly the flagof the Albanians.

The same international politics

that created Albania left theAlbanians of Kosovo out of it, acompromise that has troubled theregion ever since. Since Kosovo'sindependence was arranged in2008, the world's experts havehelped to create a state with all thestructures of free-market democra-cy, and special protections for theethnic minorities. But with theEuropean Union insisting on yetmore negotiations with Serbia,Kosovo's Albanians are feelinginsecure about their identity.

They're content to recognize therights of their minorities, but onlyif it means clear acceptance of anindependent and Albanian-domi-nated Kosovo state. When they'rereally happy or really worried, it'snot the new flag of Kosovo thatappears on balconies and taxis.

From a stall on the main round-about on the edge of Prishtina, youcould buy the Albanian eagle andthe Stars and Stripes - for mostKosovars the emblems respectivelyof identity and security. "We're bet-ter than we were; not as good as wecould be," says the taxi driver.

Liberation from Serbian oppres-sion was the realization of a dreamof decades, but independence hasnot brought practical improve-ments to life. The economy isbecalmed, unemployment hard tomeasure but reckoned to be at least50 percent. Kosovars are served bydemoralized, under-resourced andunreformed schools, grim hospi-tals, and a judiciary that no-onetrusts. The European Union is busyin Kosovo but, when it comes to thethings that Kosovars care about,

seems either obstructive (about theunrestricted travel they enjoyedunder Tito) or indifferent (aboutcleaning up politics). The acquittalfrom war crimes charges ofRamush Haradinaj, just a day afterthe centenary, put extra wind in theflags flying over Kosovo; Kosovarsfeel that the verdict vindicatestheir liberation war. But the pro-tracted trial (this was the secondacquittal) has only confirmed theirsense of international political vic-timhood.

The international communitycould itself afford to reflect on thelast hundred years of Balkan inter-vention. The same shortcomingsthat characterised the Great Powerintervention before the first worldwar have recurred, during the sec-ond world war and the cold war andarguably today. Perceiving theirlocal clients as passive tools andwilling recruits to the internation-al game of the day - be it defeatingfascism, defeating communism, orstrengthening the European Union- the international community failsto understand the local dynamics atwork. Hoxha and Tito had little orno interest in defeating Germany,but flirted with the allies when itsuited their efforts to consolidatetheir domestic power. Today'sBalkan politicians have privateinterests of their own.

In both Albania and Kosovo, dis-content is focusing interest on alost ideal of the nation. Two newmovements have recently emergedin Albania calling for solidarityamong their compatriots across theBalkans. In Kosovo, the interna-

tional mantra of multi-ethnicityseems to mean eternal compromiseand a distraction from the realproblems of the state, andVetevendosje mix their protestsagainst international shortcom-ings and Government corruptionwith fierce advocacy of the right ofAlbanians to be united in one state.It's extremely unlikely to happen,and wouldn't solve the problems ifit did, but the noise reinforces areputation for immaturity andvolatility. This means more inter-national caution, and a misguidedfocus on 'stability' to the exclusionof the real challenges with the judi-ciary, economy and society - and somore frustration.

Among the Roma and Ashkaliminority living just a few milesfrom the centre of the capital, noflags were flying on the 28th. As thefireworks exploded across thenight, Kosovo's Serbs stayedindoors. The Albanians of Albaniaand Kosovo have endured much toget where they are now, and theirunlikely survival and the growingpeace of their region are worthmarking. Nevertheless, the festivi-ties were also a defiant and faintlydesperate attempt to forget someuncomfortable realities, at least foran evening. A nation is celebratingits birthday, but two states are stillfeeling growing pains.

Robert Wilton is a prize-winningnovelist, a translator of Albanian

poetry, and a student of the region'shistory and culture. He was advisor

to the Prime Minister of Kosovo inthe run-up to the country's inde-

pendence.

The Unlikely BirthdayBy Robert Wilton

The Hague’s acquittal ofKosovo’s Ramush Haradinajwas widely expected even

before the surprise acquittal ofthe Croat generals Ante Gotovinaand Mladen Markac two weeksago.

The celebratory scenes are simi-lar in Prishtina as in Zagreb, andPrime Minister Hashim Thaci’sdeclaration that the acquittal wasevidence of the “just war” that theKLA fought echoes similar state-ments made in Zagreb after theearlier ruling.

In Belgrade, President TomislavNikolic interprets the ruling asanother proof that the ICTY isbiased against Serbs.

So what do these acquittalsmean for region? First, they do notappear to translate into immediatepolitical consequences: Yes, theGotovina verdict had a chillingeffect on Serb-Croat relations.

But these have already become alot more reserved since Nikolicbecame President of Serbia and

made a number of provocativestatements, including on the sup-posed Serbian character of theeastern Croatian town of Vukovar.

Thus, the verdict merely con-firmed that Serb-Croat relationsare worse than they were a yearago.

For relations between Serbiaand Kosovo the Haradinaj rulinghas even fewer repercussions.There was no rapprochement overthe past between the two countriesas was the case with Serbia-Croatia relations.

Most Serbs are convinced thatKosovo leader Hashim Thaçi ispersonally responsible for warcrimes and many Albanians inKosovo associate Serbian PrimeMinister Ivica Dacic with the for-mer regime of SlobodanMilosevic, which has not stoppedboth Prime Ministers from meet-ing one another.

It is thus no surprise that Dacicin a first statement after theacquittal signaled that dialoguebetween Serbia and Kosovo wouldcontinue next week in Brussels.For now, Serbia seems to be toomuch committed to dialogue withKosovo (whether the commitmentalso extends to reaching a deal

remains to be seen) to use theHaradinaj case a pretext to stoptalking.

The consequences of the rulingsare more likely to have negativerepercussions on domestic politicsin Croatia, Kosovo and Serbia.

In Serbia the credibility of theHague court was already low and,while the acquittals of Gotovina,Markac and Haradinaj hardlyhelp, they did not change a dynam-ic.

The acquittals compound theperception of an unjust court thatis unable or unwilling to penalizenon-Serbs. Thus, the narrative ofvictimhood receives convenientconfirmation in the ruling andmakes life more difficult forhuman rights activists who soughtto change public perceptions overmore than a decade.

In Croatia and possibly inKosovo even more so, the acquit-tals are wrongly seen as a vindica-tion for supposedly just wars.

Sentencing Gotovina orHaradinaj would have not meantthat the wars fought by theCroatian army or by the KLAwould have been per definitionunjust, nor does the acquittal sug-gest the opposite.

The rulings simply free certainindividuals from criminal respon-sibility, largely based on narrowtechnical grounds.

Just as the International Courtof Justice did not rule on the sub-stance of Kosovo’s declaration ofindependence, the ICTY did notrule on the substance of the wars.

The risk is now it will be diffi-cult to challenge the narrative inCroatia and Kosovo about a justwar and a just conduct of the war.Thus, critical self-reflection on thewars has become more difficult.

Finally, the acquittals forcehuman rights activities and schol-ars to take a hard look at the over-reliance on the ICTY as the ulti-mate arbiter over guilt in relationto the Yugoslav wars.

Recently, Christian Nielsen, whoused to work for the ProsecutorsOffice of the ICTY, wonderedwhether the judgments of thecourt can serve as a “first draft ofhistory”.

The verdicts suggest otherwise.The hope among many

observers was that the verdictswould provide for an undisputableinterpretation of events that canserve as a foundation for both fur-ther research and also reconcilia-

tion.Such hopes might have been pre-

mature and overly ambitious.Legally speaking, the verdictsmight be the last word on theresponsibility of individuals forwar crimes.

But they are not, and should notbe, the final word on discussingand interpreting the wars andidentifying the responsibility ofdifferent actors.

The verdicts in The Hague are acautionary tale that establishingand reconstructing the causalityof war and its crimes is apainstaking process that will leavescholars, human rights activistsand local courts with much workto do.

The court just made this job awhole lot harder.

Florian Bieber is a Professorand Director of the Centre forSoutheast European Studies at theUniversity of Graz . He blogs athttp://fbieber.wordpress.com andtweets at @fbieber.

Hague Verdicts Don’t ‘Justify’Croatia’s, Kosovo’s, WarsCroatia and Kosovo should not see the rulings on Gotovina and Haradinaj as a vindication of their supposedly ‘just’ wars.

By Florian Bieber

Life in Focus22 Dec 7 - 20, 2012

Y

CK

Firefighters Demand BetterWorking Conditions

Firefighters of the PrishtinaBrigade are not satisfied withthe latest decision of the

Prishtina’s municipal assembly onovertime pay. Firefighters want a 30percent premium on each extra hourworked. Also, they want extra pay forworking at night and on weekends,and are asking for better working con-ditions as well as meals at the work-place. The firefighters say they’re bas-ing their demand on the Law on CivilServants. On Thursday they quit thestrike giving one week time toPrishtina mayor to review alldemands. Head of fire-fighter’sunion, Muharrem Beka said that he isafraid that they will take radical stepsnext Thursday.

YMCK

23Dec 7 - 20, 2012

Classified Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like to advertise Email marketing@prishtinainsight.com

Personal Trainer

Mentor Azemi - 044 811 921

Personal attention andtraining scheduleTime and place of yourchoice3 per week = 150 month5 per week = 200 month(Other schedules possible)

Embassiesand LiaisonOffices inPrishtina

AmericanAddress: "Nazim Hikmet" no. 30Arbëria/Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 549 516AustrianAddress: "Ahmet Krasniqi" no. 22Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 249 284BelgianAddress: "Taslixhe" I, 23 A 10000 Prishtina Phone: +381 (0) 38 734 734BritishAddress: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 6Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 254 700Bulgarian

Address: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 12Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 038 245 540Dutch

Address:" Xhemal Berisha" no. 12Velania, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 224 61FinnishStr. Perandori Justinian No. 19Pejton10 000 Prishtina Phone: +386 43 737 000 FrenchAddress: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 67Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 22 45 88 00GreekAddress: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 68Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 243 013GermanAdress: "Azem Jashanica" no. 17Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 254 500ItalianAddress: "Azem Jashanica" no.5 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 244 925JapaneseAddress: "Rexhep Malaj" no. 4310000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 249 995LuxemburgAddress: "Metush Krasniqi" no. 14Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 226 787MalaysianAddress: "Bedri Shala" no. 48 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 243 467NorwegianAddress: "Sejdi Kryeziu" no. 6 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 232 111 00Saudia ArabianAddress: Dardania SU 7, building 2, #110000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 549 203SlovenianAddress: "Anton Ceta" no. 610000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 244 886 SwedishStr. Perandori Justinian No. 19Pejton10 000 Prishtina Phone: +381 38 24 57 95SwissAddress: "Adrian Krasniqi" no. 1110000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 248 088 TurkishAddress: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 59Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 226 044

Easy

9

7 9 5 1 2 3

8 2 7 5

6 7

1 6 9

7 4

7 2 4 5

9 7 3 2 6 8

5y | y

Medium

4 7

3 8 6

5 1

8 6 5 9

7 4 3 8

2 7 9 1

8 6

4 9 3

3 1|

Hard

2 6

2 8 4

6 9 3 7

9 5 1

8 4 9 7

1 8 4

3 6 8 7

5 9 3

7 3| y

Classified AdsDo you have a flat to rent? Position to fill? Students to find for a language

course? Why not speak directly to Kosovo’s international communitythrough Prishtina Insight classified ads.

Almost every international organisation, embassy, NGO and many oth-ers subscribe to Kosovo’s only English language newspaper, which is alsoon sale at newsstands in seven cities and received in electronic format byscores of paying clients across the world.

Alcoholics Anonymous (English speaking)

For further information...

Contact : Erik - tel nr.: 044937397

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Dec 7 - 20, 2012 advert24