Belgrade Media Update, afternoon April 13

Holkeri Offers Partnership for Kosovo

In an address to the Kosovo Assembly last Friday UNMIK chief Harri Holkeri advocated a partnership with the local officials and institutions for the future of Kosovo, and declared “I am your partner. With the international community at my side, I extend my hand to you so that we can build together the Kosovo you want and need. Let us work together.” Referring to the mid-March violence he stressed that “it was the work of a small group of people with their own scheme for Kosovo,” underlying that such scheme “does not accept democracy” as “it rejects the rule of law” and “repudiates Kosovo’s rich cultural heritage and ethnic diversity.” Holkeri added that it offers “no economic growth” and promises “that Kosovo will be a pariah in Europe,” Koha Ditore reported. Mentioning that certain Kosovo politicians have supported the recent violence in the province, Holkeri insisted they should be isolated and brought to justice, because such politicians jeopardize Kosovo citizens’ perspective and the international community’s contribution invested in the stabilization of Kosovo in the past 5 years, Balkan reported. Reacting to the announcement of the dismissal of the Managing Director of the Kosovo Trust Agency (KTA) Marie Fucci the following day, Kosovo Premier Bajram Rexhepi thanked Holkeri “for the kept promise,” Danas reported, and further commented that “there is not only one person in the KTA that has blocked privatization, but Fucci was a key official. The resumption of privatization was supported by the entire international factor and consequently all individuals inside the KTA who are trying to block privatization will be removed,” reported Koha Ditore. In a separate development the talks for the opening of liaison offices in the Kosovo Government and Presidency are said to be close to conclusion. The governmental offices are to be an Advisory Office for Public Security, an Office of Energy, an Office of Coordination and Foreign Relations, an Office for European Integration, an Office for Planning and Political Strategy and an Office for Legal Issues, while the Presidency would be granted with an Office for Foreign Relations, Zeri reported.

Kostunica Advocates ‘Autonomy Within Autonomy’

The Serbian Government adopted on Thursday the draft decision on determining a plan for the political resolution of the situation in Kosovo, and contested the authenticity of an alleged government plan for dealing with the crisis in Kosovo published by several Belgrade newspapers, Beta reported. In a subsequent interview granted to Vecernje Novosti, Serbian Premier Vojislav Kostunica confirmed that “the government adopted a document on a plan of territorial autonomy of Kosovo which proposes new institutional guarantees for the autonomy of the Serbs and other non-Albanian population within Kosovo’s autonomy.” He explained that“it is a double system of autonomy” for which “territorial autonomy is envisaged where the Serbs live compactly and make up a majority and that is a small part of Kosovo. Personal and cultural autonomy is envisaged for all who live dispersed in Kosovo in small broken up enclaves,” and stressed that “this is a comprehensive system very carefully fitted into resolution 1244, the constitutional framework.” Kostunica further commented that “principles have been set. They are very developed. The idea is autonomy within autonomy. Rights for the Serbs and non-Albanian population which have – and this is very important – that territorial component. Because without that there is no personal, nor cultural autonomy for the Serbs who live outside those compact Serb municipalities.” Calling on the international community to give up the “meaningless claims that a multi-ethnic paradise is possible in Kosovo tomorrow,” he commented that “the Serbs, other non-Albanians and the ethnic Albanians need to live beside each other, enjoy the right to self-rule, security, education, culture, health care. That is the only solution. When we propose institutional guarantees for the Serbs in Kosovo, we do not dothat primarily because of the human rights which are sacred. Nor even because of property which is an even more sacrosanct word than human rights in the West, but because of the survival of those people. Because of their right to life.” Kostunica concluded that it was the reason why the government “will not give up. In simple terms, the Serbian Government has no alternative to this solution.” Russian Ambassador to Serbia & Montenegro (SCG) Vladimir Ivanovski commented that Moscow was waiting for Belgrade’s plan for the decentralization of the province and that Russia would pledge for the principle proposed by Serbia within the Contact Group, Politika reported.

Kostunica Claims Kosovo Becomes Hotbed of Global Terrorism

In an interview granted yesterday to the Russian TV station TVC, Serbian Premier Kostunica assessed that Kosovo was becoming a hotbed of global terrorism, and considered the NATO mission in the province to be “on the edge of collapse.” Stressing that "international terrorism has shifted from large towns to small towns and villages in Kosovo,” he noted that “Albanian terrorism has the clear goal of ethnic cleansing.” Kostunica further commented that “today, it is not possible to say with certainty that Al Qaeda had been involved in recent events in Kosovo, it was certain that Bin Laden’s gang had been obviously active in Kosovo. Bin Laden had supported the so-called Liberation Army of Kosovo.” Kostunica considers that “Al Qaeda is probably present in the province, but behind a mask of humanitarian and religious organizations,” Politika reported. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Ivanov assessed the situation in Kosovo as a complete failure of the UN mission and international peace forces in the province, and said that the disarmament of Albanian extremists and terrorists represented the key condition for the beginning of the alleviation of tension in the province, reported VecernjeNovosti. UNMIK Police spokesperson confirmed that the Chairman of the War Veterans’ Association in Decani and former high officer in the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) Abdyl Mushkolaj was arrested over the weekend “for his role in inciting and organizing the demonstrations of March 17 and 18,” reported Koha Ditore, while former KLA brigade commander and current official in the Hashim Thaci led Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Dzabir Zarku, has been arrested by KFOR, Vecernje Novosti reported. A KFOR escorted convoy of buses carrying Kosovo Serbs from Gorazdevac to Mitrovica got stoned by Albanians twice yesterday while crossing the villages of Rudnik and Sipolje on its way. The attackers broke its windows and lightly injured one passenger, reported VIP.