i. as regards the determination of Kosovo’s future status, asks the Government of Serbia and Montenegro, the political forces of Kosovo Serbs and other minorities, the PISG and Kosovo Albanian political parties to engage in a genuine dialogue with a view to reaching a peaceful and mutually acceptable solution which requires concessions from both sides;

ii. as regards the creation of an inclusive political environment in Kosovo, calls on:

a.

all legal political parties in Kosovo, including those from the opposition, and non-Albanian parties, to participate in the newly-established Political Forum with a constructive attitude;

b.

Kosovo Serbs’ political representatives to fully participate in the PISG and in the political process in general;

iii. as regards the return of failed asylum seekers and other persons from Kosovo, calls on Council of Europe member states which are host countries to:

a.

comply with the positions of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on the continued international protection needs of individuals from Kosovo;

b.

give attentive consideration to humanitarian concerns of potential returnees on a case-by-case basis, including their level of integration in the host country and their access to dignified and humane housing and social conditions upon return, particularly with regard to access to education and to health services;

c.

endeavour to increase the capacity of Kosovo to absorb returns by financing housing, reception structures and other basic services needed by returnees and byensuring support to long-term integration in terms of accommodation and infrastructure, including adequate facilities for medical care;

d.

implement programmes for voluntary assisted return to Kosovo, if appropriate in co-operation with the International Organization for Migration (IOM);

iv.

as regards the full implementation of Council of Europe instruments in the territory of Kosovo, calls on UNMIK and KFOR to remove all remaining obstacles to the full implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights, the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Convention for the Prevention of Torture, including the effective functioning of their monitoring mechanisms;

v.

as regards mechanisms to ensure respect for human rights by the international authorities, calls on UNMIK to maintain the Ombudsperson Institution’s jurisdiction over international authorities for as long as they remain in Kosovo and to ensure that any supplementary bodies offer real improvements in terms of independence and effectiveness, including by giving them a role in scrutinising normative acts as well as by undertaking to abide by their decisions or to justify properly any exceptional refusal to do so;

vi. as regards the role of the Council of Europe in contributing to the solution of the status issue and ensuring that Kosovo attains Council of Europe standards, asks the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to:

a.

offer the UN Secretary-General the expertise of the Council of Europe in assisting the Special Envoy who has been appointed for conducting the Comprehensive Assessment of the implementation of the Standards for Kosovo, in the fields relating to the mandate and expertise of the Council of Europe;

b.

establish contacts with UNMIK, the PISG and the Government of Serbia and Montenegro to explore the possibility of the Council of Europe acting as a facilitator of dialogue between the parties concerned in preparation of status talks, at formal or informal level;

c.

propose to the UN Secretary-General to rely on the technical advice of the European Commission for Democracy through Law (Venice Commission) during the stage of status talks, with a view to identifying viable legal/constitutional arrangements for the future status of Kosovo;

d.

continue to provide the international civil administration in Kosovo and the PISG with Council of Europe expertise in the field of decentralisation and reform of local self-government and offer to extend it to the following fields:

A. protection of national minorities;

B. use of minority languages;

C. inter-cultural dialogue;

D. fight against corruption, organised crime, money-laundering and trafficking in human beings;

E. democratisation and financing of political parties;

F. independence and efficiency of the judiciary;

vii. similarly, in consideration of the readiness of the European Union to assume increased responsibility in Kosovo, asks:

a.

the European Union to associate more closely the Council of Europe to its activities on Kosovo, as suggested during the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council of 13 June 2005;

b.

the Secretary General of the Council of Europe to promptly initiate discussions with the appropriate EU instances on how to increase mutual cooperation on Kosovo;

viii. finally, in consideration of the developments which can be expected to take place during the next months, asks its Political Affairs Committee to continue to be concerned with the situation in Kosovo and report to the Assembly when necessary.

Et Kosóva Albansk synspunkt. Xhemil Zeqiri skriver til udenrigsminister Per Stig Møller




Xhemil Zeqiri. Foto: Bjørn Andersen, 2005 [klik på billedet for at forstørre det]


København 01.07.05

Åbent brev til udenrigsminister Per Stig Møller

Jeg tillader mig at henvende mig til dig som menneskerettighedsaktivist fra Kosova, der har søgt et fristed i Danmark fra den serbiske terror, sammen med tusinder af mine landsmænd.

Jeg har forstået at Kosovas fremtidige status vil blive diskuteret i FNs Sikkerhedsråd om kort tid. Da Danmark i øjeblikket er medlem af Sikkerhedsrådet benytter jeg denne lejlighed til at henlede din og regeringens opmærksomhed på den voksende utilfredshed og frustration blandt den albanske befolkning over den manglende afklaring af Kosovas fremtid.

FN har med resolution 1244 fremlagt ideen om standarder for status. Dvs. krav til den albanske befolkning i Kosova om at opfylde en lang række betingelser vedrørende især det serbiske mindretals rettigheder.

Det er i bund og grund en absurd plan, som vil udskyde en varig og retfærdig løsning i det uendelige. Det er UNMIK, og ikke den albanske befolkning, som har magten i Kosova og den afgørende indflydelse på både den økonomiske og politiske udvikling af hele området.

Hvordan kan man stille sådanne krav til den albanske befolkning, som selv er frataget de mest elementære retigheder i Kosova i dag?. Lad mig minde dig om at en kommunalbestyrelse ikke engang har ret til at åbne en busterminal uden UNMIKs godkendelse.

Det er naturligvis ikke bare FNs Sikkerhedsråd, som har ret til at opstille krav om at udviklingen skal ske med afsæt i at visse standarder godkendes. Den albanske befolkning i Kosova kræver også at FN baserer sine beslutninger på grundlag af anerkendelse af den albanske befolknings ret til selvbestemmelse. Dette spørgsmål er problemets kerne.

Albanerne var den 3. største befolkningsgruppe i det tidligere Jugoslavien, men blev alligevel frataget retten til selvbestemmelse, som de burde have haft i henhold til Jugoslaviens forfatning. Da Jugoslavien brød sammen blev albanerne i Kosova overladt til sin egen skæbne og en brutal serbisk undetrykkelse, På trods af utallige advarsler om et forestående folkemord blev Kosova i første omgang kastet for fødderne af Milosevic, som gennemførte endnu en runde af brutal etnisk udrensning.

Alt det er historie, som ikke kan gøres om, men opgaven er at lære af historien og undgå at begå den sammen fejl igen og igen, sådan som det er sket med de historiske uretfærdigheder mod den albanske befolkning, som har været forhindret i at afgøre sin egen skæbne, fordi stormagterne har splittet en stor del af de landområder hvor albanerne har boet i årtusinder. mellem dets nabolande. Husk på at da den nye albanske stat blev grundlagt i 1912/13 omfattede den et mindretal af albanerne og hovedparten af de albanskbeboede områder var uden for Albaniens grænser.

Den serbiske ledelse taler nu om at give Kosova mere autonomi og mindre selvstændighed, men det er i bund og grund at taktisk spil for at undgå at albanerne får mulighed for at bestemme deres egen fremtid. Kroatien, Slovenien, Makadonien og Bosnien løsrev sig fra Jugoslavien efter folkeafstemninger. I Sønderjylland blev grænserne trukket efter en folkeafstemning. Albanernes folkeafstemning blev ignoreret. Hvorfor nægter man os fortsat samme ret som Balkans øvrige folk?

Albanerne ønsker at leve fredeligt sammen med alle Kosovas indbyggere. Vi har intet ønske om at fordrive eller undertrykke serberne men ønsker at opbygge et frit og demokratisk Kosova uden nogen form for etnisk undertrykkelse, hvad der aldrig tidligere har været muligt.

Albanerne kræver

- selvbestemmelsesret

- at alle albanere der blev kidnappet af den serbiske ledelse - før den trak sine styrker ud af Kosova - øjeblikkeligt løslades.

- At ligene fra alle de dræbte albanere sendes tilbage til Kosova så de kan blive ordentligt begravet af deres familier.

- At regeringen i Beograd tvinges til at tilbagelevere alle de penge de har stjålet fra Kosova herunder pensionsfonde og andre værdier, på baggrund af undersøgelser fra en uafhængig kommission eller lignende.

- At Serbien må betale krigsskadeerstatning til Kosova for de ufattelige ødelæggelser, som man har påført den albanske befolkning

Med venlig hilsen


Xhemil Zeqiri

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Serbiske synspunkter. PM Kostunica (Serbien), UM Draskovic (Serbien-Montenegro) og Dusan Batakovic, tidligere rådgiver for den Serbiske Kirke, frem til sommeren 2005 ambassadør i Grækenland, nuværende rådgiver for den Serbiske præsident Tadic har udtalt sig


Belgrade, June 17, 2005 – Serbian Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica met today with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for the assessment of standards in Kosovo-Metohija, Kai Eide.

Eide said that his report on the implementation of standards in Kosovo-Metohija will contain not only an assessment of standards but also a broader assessment of the political situation in the province.

Kostunica said that it is necessary to start looking at things in Kosovo-Metohija in a realistic manner and he pointed out that the Serbian side is ready to cooperate and to help Eide in doing this important job.

Kostunica stressed that when it comes to demands for the independence of Kosovo-Metohija by ethnic-Albanian politicians in Pristina, it is necessary for the international community to react and to apply equal mechanisms as in other areas in the region.

The Prime Minister also pointed to numerous problems facing the Serb population in Kosovo-Metohija and he stressed the need for a different solution to their institutional status.


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UM for Serbien-Montenegro skriver

DRASKOVIC: WHOLE OF SERBIAN PEOPLE WILL DECIDE ABOUT KOSOVO'S STATUSGRACANICA, Jun 28 (Tanjug) - Serbia and Montenegro Foreign Minister Vuk Draskovic told Tanjug in Gracanica on Tuesday that it is the Serbian government's duty to protect the rights of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, to bring back to their homes all those who had been driven out of Kosovo and Metohija, and to preserve the state's borders.

"A big battle for Kosovo to remain within the borders of Serbia is in progress, and no one must remain outside," said Draskovic, adding that Serbia has an opportunity to defend the rights of Serbs in Kosovo, which had been violated in many ways. Draskovic said that during his tour of Obilic, Priluzje, Plemetina, Gracanica and Pristina, he saw "a picture that the whole world should see," and that is why he does not understand why representatives of Serbs in Kosovo are not joining the Kosovo parliament. "These people here may defend their rights and show to the world that those rights had been treaded upon, but the whole of the Serbian people will decide about the status of Kosovo," said Draskovic.

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VUK DRASKOVIC PAYS PRIVATE VISIT TO KOSOVOGRACANICA, June 27 (Beta) - The foreign minister of Serbia-Montenegro, Vuk Draskovic, stated in Gracanica on June 27 that the return of the displaced to Kosovo, and the reconstruction and return of usurped property were the most important goals of the state.

Draskovic visited Gracanica to celebrate Vidovdan, the feast of the patron saint of the Serbian Renewal Movement party, of which he is the leader.

The foreign minister told the people who gathered in the Gracanica Culture Club that "we must build our future with Albanian neighbors and all others on the principle that a neighbor is the person closest to us, that we must never build our rights on someone else's and that nobody has the right to build their rights on the rights of the Serb people."

Draskovic is paying a private visit to Kosovo, but he used his visit to Pristina to meet with the deputy UNMIK chief, Larry Rosin. According to a statement UNMIK issued after this meeting, they discussed the political situation in Kosovo and the forthcoming assessment of the work of the Kosovo institutions on the implementation of democratic society standards, set for Kosovo by the U.N.

Rosin told Draskovic once again about the need for the Kosovo Serbs to join in the work of the Kosovo institutions, and the initiatives taken for the improvement of the position of minorities, speeding up the return of the displaced, and confidence building among the ethnic communities.






Dusan Batakovic. Arkivfoto


'Solution for Kosovo status similar to that stipulated by Z4 Plan is acceptable if amended with provision similar to that from Ohrid Agreement. Such provision would give the Serbs right to veto any decision that would affect the interests of Serb community in Kosovo', Dusan Batakovic, Serbia and Montenegro Ambassador in Athens says for 'Blic'. Batakovic's mandate in Athens expires within a week time.

After return to Belgrade, Batakovic shall become advisor to Serbia President Boris Tadic and Chief of his team dealing with Kosovo and Metohija.

'The right to veto would introduce positive discrimination that is standard in contemporary multi-ethnic societies', Batakovic said.

At the end of his mandate, President of Greece decorated Batakovic with Phoenix Decoration, the highest decoration presented to foreigners.

'This is another recognition to our country and diplomacy. In recent five years Greece has risen to the fifth position when foreign investments in Serbia and Montenegro are concerned. Diplomacies of our two countries have close cooperation', Dusan Batakovic said.

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Note vedr. den makedonske økonomi: Der er konstateret problemer som 'Low profitability, low investment, and lack of technological enhancements [which] have prevented Macedonian firms from producing high-value-added and high-quality goods'.

Er der tale om en Balassa-Samuelson-relation? Boileau Loko and Anita Tuladhar har for IMF undersøgt forholdet mellem produktivitet og 'real exchange rate'.

Rapporten er for fagfolk, men store dele kan læses af alm. interesserede. Den kan nedtages fra: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/wp/2005/wp05113.pdf. IMF skriver bl.a.:




Figur fra rapporten.


Despite the depreciation, trade indicators remain grim. Export performance has weakened as is evident from the declining market shares of Macedonian exports to the European Union and the United States. This decline is in contrast to the increasing market penetration by regional neighbors. Furthermore, the export sector has been unable to diversify into new product lines.

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In the same vein, we argue that PPP [purchasing power parity] fails in FYR Macedonia because the domestically produced tradables goods are imperfect substitutes of foreign produced tradables and the economy is unable to catch up by move up along the value-added chain of goods. We make this case based on the declining trends in productivity growth and prices in FYR Macedonia compared to major trading partners. This trend is consistent with a gradual specialization in lower quality goods with lower prices.

-

Several indicators point to a structural labor market rigidity in FYR Macedonia. The unemployment rate has been persistently high at around 30 percent or above. Yet real net wages have not declined and have grown by around 4 percent annually. Centralized wage bargaining, indexation of wages to industry average, high social contribution rates and costly dismissal procedures contribute to high labor market rigidities.

We conclude that the depreciating real exchange rate in FYR Macedonia reflects a prolonged transition process associated with relatively low technological growth and a declining quality of its tradable goods basket vis-à-vis its trading partners. The B-S effect does not play an important role in explaining the depreciation of the exchange rate. Macedonian producers are caught in a vicious cycle of low growth, low productivity, low profitability, and low investment. Firms lack the technology to produce higher-quality exportable goods owing to lack of investment and technology improvements. Investment incentives are low owing to relatively low productivity and low profitability. Policies should therefore focus on enhancing productivity growth in the tradable sector by lowering barriers to private investment and implementing labor market reforms.

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Forfatterne opsummerer:

This paper seeks to investigate the transmission mechanisms linking productivity to the real exchange rate in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. At first glance, the stylized facts-low labor productivity growth and a trend real depreciation-suggest that a Balassa-Samuelson effect is in play. We find that the relationship between the two is not a result of the traditional Balassa-Samuelson effect. Instead, the depreciation of the real exchange rate reflects mainly the behavior of prices in the tradable sector. We argue that the depreciating real exchange rate may reflect a prolonged transition associated with slow technological growth and the low quality of the country's tradable-goods basket.

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Nyheder juni-august 2005

Politisk forum: SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen har inviteret de fire vigtigste Kosóva Albanske Partier til at indtræde i et særligt politisk forum. Hensigten er at udveksle synspunkter vedrørende den endelige status og at rådgive de besluttende organer, herunder ikke mindst SRSG og UNMIK, men også Lokalstyret. Forummet skal mødes et par gange om måneden. Blandt medlemmerne er præsident Rugóva og Kole Berisha (begge fra Demokratisk Liga), PM Bajram Kosumi (Kosóva's Fremtidsalliance), Hashim Thaçi (Demokratisk Parti) og Veton Surroi (ORA).


Dansk KFOR skriver uge 24:



Danske soldater øver med specialuddannet politienhed

Kontaktoperationerne er en succes.

Kosovo er i en positiv udvikling, og derfor har de opgaver, som vi løser hernede også naturligt ændret karakter under udsendelsen. Det har betydet, at soldaterne nu spænder over at kunne løse opgaver i den hårde ende af skalaen, som dem der var aktuelle i marts sidste år i bataljonens område, men også i den bløde ende af skalaen, hvor den enkelte soldats evne til at tale ligeværdigt med almindelige indbyggere i Kosovo er afgørende. Det sidste kommer især til udtryk i en ny type operationer, som bataljonen har udviklet og iværksat.

Kontaktoperationer - forkortet CONOPS - er et nyt koncept, som skal løse nogle helt specifikke og missionsrelaterede opgaver, der er et resultat af udviklingen i området.

I en mission under forandring er der et udtalt behov for at holde befolkningen orienteret om nye tiltag f.eks. overdragelse af sikkerhedsopgaver fra danske militære enheder til det lokale politi - KPS. Operationerne gennemføres dagligt i resten af bataljonens udsendelse.

De er målrettet imod en ny landsby hver dag og omfatter typisk en deling, en sanitetsgruppe og tolke samt andre specialister fra bataljonen. I små hold går soldaterne så fra hus til hus og taler med beboerne imens andre spiller bold eller lignende med landsbyens unge.

I det følgende beretter delingsfører, premierløjtnant Jesper Darre om besøg i to forskellige landsbyer:

”I den forløbende uge har vi også gennemført to kontakt operationer. En i den nordlige del af bataljonens ansvarsområde lige på grænsen til Serbien i en lille by ved navn Dragaljice, samt en i albansk område omkring byen Skenderaj i den sydlige del af BTN ansvarsområde.

Kontakt operationerne tjener flere formål. Dels øge vores kendskab til dagligdagen i de enkelte byer, dels tjene det formål at informere de lokale om, hvad der foregår netop nu i den danske bataljon, og ikke mindst hvad det så betyder for den enkelte landsby. På sigt skulle vi gerne få opbygget et solidt kendskab til de enkelte byer, som vi kan overdrage til vores afløsere.



Kontaktoperation - Samtale fremmer forståelsen

Den største forskel på kontaktoperationer og patruljer er, at her tager vi ud med hele delinger med det ene formål at tale med folk. Som hovedregel taler vi med alle husstande i byen, hvilket gør at folk som normalt ikke taler med de lokale under patruljer nu også prøver dette.

For at tilsikre at kvaliteten af samtalerne bliver så god som mulig har alle gennemført tolkekursus forud for første operation. En stor fordel, idet hele enheden nu har de værktøjer, som skal til for at gebærde sig med en tolk.

Som udførende enhed føler man virkelig, at disse operationer giver noget. Vi oplever den positive respons fra de lokale og udveksler samtidigt vigtige oplysninger til gavn for både os og de lokale.”

Selvskabte plager.

Imens nogen udfoldede sig uden for hegnet viste andre deres ”evner” indenfor. En dieseltank i lejren sprang læk, da den skulle flyttes. Ved en hurtig fælles indsats af ingeniørerne og CAMP-sektionen blev skaden udbedret, dieselolien blev suget op med ”bimsevognen” og den forurenede jord gravet bort.

Under arbejdet gik det hverken værre eller bedre, at en vandledning også blev gravet over, men også den lod sig reparere, og ny jord blev fyldt i hullet. Vores miljøansvarlige sikrer nu korrekt håndtering af den forurenede jord.

Således gik endnu en uge i Kosovo med glæder, udfordringer og store oplevelser.


Økonomisk planlægning og styring. UNMIK skriver (uge 24):

24th Meeting of the Economic and Fiscal Council

Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi and PDSRSG Larry Rossin yesterday co-chaired the 24th meeting of the Economic and Fiscal Council. Kosovo Government and Assembly officials as well as UNMIK Pillar Heads and representatives were present at the meeting. The Council discussed the Medium-Term Budget Framework for 2006-2008, seasonal tariffs for agriculture and a proposal to abolish the VAT rebate for NGOs.

PDSRSG Rossin announced that the EFC Secretariat would be provided by the Government. He further announced that the amendments to the EFC Regulation to formalize the transfer of competencies related to the EFC would be promulgated as soon as UNMIK finalized coordination with UN Headquarters. The PDSRSG said that the finalization was expected soon, and praised the excellent cooperation between the Government and UNMIK in preparing the draft EFC Regulation.

The Minister of Finance and Economy, Haki Shatri, presented the Medium-Term Budget Framework for 2006-2008. The Council agreed that the 2005 budget would be as necessary revised in the mid-year budget review, taking into account reporting on revenue collection, which will be available after the end of June. The Council recommended an aggregate expenditure ceiling of 700 million Euros for the 2006 Kosovo Consolidated Budget, as proposed by the MFE. Regarding the two following fiscal years (2007 and 2008), the Council agreed that the overall expenditure ceilings should rise from the agreed 2006 level, but only modestly in order to ensure that Kosovo remains on the path of fiscal sustainability.

The Council discussed a proposal developed by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Rural Development to introduce seasonal tariffs for selected agricultural goods. Prime Minister Kosumi advised the Council that, in light of the positive developments in the negotiation of a Free Trade Agreement with FYR Macedonia, it would be sensible to defer a decision on the proposal. The Council concurred.

The Council approved a proposal to abolish the Value Added Tax rebate for NGO’s as of 1 January 2006, in order to eliminate this distortion in the VAT system. The Council directed that the relevant regulation be prepared for presentation to the SRSG for promulgation. Entry into force on 1 January 2006 will coincide with the next budget cycle and provide sufficient time to inform affected parties and the public.

The Prime Minister thanked the members of the Council for the fruitful and constructive discussions and closed the meeting.


Makedoniens interesser: Grænsen. Makfax skriver:

Macedonian Foreign Minister Ilinka Mitreva reiterated the position of Macedonian Government over duly demarcation of Macedonia's northern border.

Mitreva made it clear that border demarcation should be wrapped up as soon as possible i.e. before the launch of Kosovo status talks.

"We have learned a lesson from the recent past - unsolved issues can be used by groups with radical or violent agenda," Mitreva said while making an address to Washington-based Woodrow Wilson Institute.

Mitreva said the main problem is that border demarcation agreement was signed in 2001 between Macedonia and Serbia-Montenegro (SCG), but Kosovo's politicians do not recognize the document.

"Border demarcation issue is of technical nature and it is in our interest to set the process to motion," Radio Voice of America quotes Mitreva as saying.

She added that Macedonia remains fully committed to wrapping up the demarcation process prior to the launch of the Kosovo status talks.

As regards the possibility for Greek and Cyprus' veto on Macedonia's accession to EU, Mitreva said the name dispute is not a part of Macedonia's European agenda.

"Aspirant-countries should comply with Copenhagen criteria. Name dispute is not among required criteria," Mitreva said while replying to a question raised by a representative of the American Hellenic Institute.

Mitreva stressed that there are no exclusivity rights over the term Macedonia, and the very notion Republic of Macedonia refers to a part of a region that exists as an independent, sovereign state, Mitreva said.


Fælles indsats. Dansk KFOR-operation

Med udgangspunkt i en midlertidig opført lejr i den sydlige del af bataljonens ansvarsområde gennemførte Den Danske Bataljon i uge 26 flere operationer med det formål at medvirke til at skabe og fastholde sikkerhed i området for befolkningen.

07-07-2005 kl. 13:40

Af Den Danske Bataljon

Hovedparten af Den Danske Bataljons enheder deltog i uge 26 i en større operation i den sydlige del af bataljonens ansvarsområde.

Operationen blev gennemført med udgangspunkt fra en midlertidig lejr - beredskabsområde ANNE - etableret af Stabskompagniet.

Stabskompagniet etablerede, foruden bataljonens kommandostation, forbindeplads og fremskudt forsyningsområde, teltindkvartering til Panserinfanterikompagniet, den litauiske spejdereskadron, den franske opklaringseskadron samt et tilgået græsk kompagni. Herudover blev der i den midlertidige lejr etableret toiletter, generatorer til strøm og velfærdsområde. Hele beredskabsområdet blev sikret af en perimeter af pigtråd (i alt ca. 2000 m).

Stabskompagniet etablerede lejren tirsdag den 28. juni forud for ankomst af resten af bataljonens enheder onsdag, således at disse kunne køre direkte på plads og anvende områderne fra onsdag morgen.

Under opholdet varetog Stabskompagniet al logistik herunder blandt andet talrige kørselsopgaver samt transport af forplejning og drivmidler. Bataljonens aktiviteter i området omfattede tre forskellige typer operationer:

Jagt på illegal skovhugst.

Jagt på smuglere og andre transporter af illegale varer.

Tæt kontakt med lokalbefolkningen.

Illegal skovhugst og storstilet tyveri af træ fra de store skove i bataljonens ansvarsområde er en storindustri, der dels indebærer, at værdifulde naturressourcer forsvinder og dels medfører etniske spændinger, fordi serberne og albanerne gensidigt beskylder hinanden for denne illegale aktivitet.

Umiddelbart er kontrol med skovdistrikter en opgave for skovfogeder og indgriben overfor tyveri en politiopgave, men da skovfogederne i området er bange for selv at gribe ind overfor ulovligheder, og da politiet endnu ikke har de nødvendige ressourcer til at håndtere opgaven alene, så er den danske bataljon blevet pålagt at medvirke til at nedbringe den ulovlige skovhugst.

Som en del af bataljonens indgriben overfor ulovlig skovhugst blev bataljonens tre egne kompagnier samt det græske kompagni indsat i en samlet operation, hvor et stort skovområde blev afspærret og afsøgt med patruljer og helikoptere. Resultatet var pågribelse af flere grupper af personer, der var i færd med illegalt at fælde og stjæle store mængder træ.

I operationen deltog også skovfogeder samt politipatruljer fra Kosovo Police Service, så det på stedet kunne afgøres, hvorvidt der var tale om illegale aktiviteter, og om de implicerede dermed straks kunne overdrages til retsforfølgelse.

For at demonstrere at bataljonen kan kontrollere al trafik og transport i et stor område, gennemførtes desuden en bataljonsledet trafikkontrol operation, hvor de fire kompagnier samtidigt og koordineret afspærrede hele Skenderaj-området (den sydlige del af bataljonens ansvarsområde) og gennemsøgte alle køretøjer, der kørte ind eller ud af området. Denne operation blev gennemført i samarbejde med politiet samt lokale toldmyndigheder.

Sidst men ikke mindst gennemførtes et stort antal kontaktoperationer, hvor enhederne i samarbejde med de Liason Monitoring Teams, der holder kontakt til lokale myndigheder i området, besøgte udvalgte landsbyer og bydele for at udvide detailkendskabet til disse, med henblik på at undersøge stemningen i området og for at oplyse befolkningen om de forhold, der ligger KFOR på sinde så som f.eks. at vi samarbejder tæt med lokale myndigheder og lokalt politi for at sikre og skabe en fredelig udvikling i området.

Alt i alt nogle spændende dage hvor især samarbejdet var i fokus såvel mellem bataljonens dispositionsenheder som med tilgåede enheder og lokale myndigheder.


050712 10-13 års børn dræbt og såret ved mineeksplosion. To børn blev dræbt og et barn såret da en gammel landmine eksloderede i Grebnik, noget vest for Prishtina.


050714 Adem Demaçi forudsiger ny voldsbølge i Kosóva. Serbiske Blic har talt med ham og flere andre. Der er kun ét at gøre, siger Demaçi: Man må gøre Kosóva selvstændig:

PRISTINA, BELGRADE -- Thursday – Political analyst Adem Demaci said that there will be more violence to come for Serbs in Kosovo and that this time, it will be even worse than the riots of March 2004.

”The violence will be of such great proportions that March 17, 2004 will be completely forgotten about. The Albanian majority feels that no one is responding to their wishes and demands. There is a great deal of unemployment and crime in Kosovo and everyone is talking about decentralization and the interests of the six or seven percent Serbian population. The masses are blind and think that the Serbs are responsible for this, not Belgrade and UNMIK.” Demaci said.

“Violence can also be aimed towards corrupted Albanian leaders who do not have the strength to stand up to Serbian demands. I call upon the Serbian government to place its finger on its forehead and think about where their plan is leading. The only way to make sure that there will be no more bloodshed in Kosovo is to grant it its independence.” Demaci said.

Kosovo Serb representative Oliver Ivanovic said that everything is possible and that among eventual incidents he sees Albanian extremists putting pressure on officials with the goal of participating in the future status discussions in Kosovo. However, Ivanovic does not believe that another March 17 will be occurring.

“After March 17, Albanians received nothing but negative criticism and it did not do them any good.” Ivanovic said, adding that there will surely be more pressuring, possibly large demonstrations, especially if the discussions end up moving in a direction that is unfavorable for the Albanian majority.

President of the Forum for Security and Democracy and former commander of security forces in South Serbia, Ninoslav Krstic, said that there is a possibility of violence once the status discussion begin to near.

“Tension grows as we near the beginning of discussions. The international community and KFOR are making preparations for stopping massive violence against Serbs. According to information I have received, there will be more forces transferred here from other parts of Europe, which means that KFOR believes that occurrences of violence are possible.” Krstic said.


050714 Den Russiske ViceUM siger at Kosóva overhovedet ikke lever op til standarderne. Makfax skriver:

Kosovo did not meet up to this day a single standard of all that were lay down by the international community, said the Deputy Foreign Minister of Russia, Vladimir Chizhov.

"The greatest concern raise the situation of the non-Albanian population in the province, and the refugees' return. Of course, the picture is not black and white, there are spots where the normalization emerges, but only the larger portion of Albanians are affected by it. Therefore, Russia considers necessary the attention to be focused on the implementation of the standards in Kosovo. There is still much work to be done there", said Chizhov.

The Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the UN special envoy for implementation of Kosovo standards Kai Eide are due to review the situation in the province tomorrow.


050716 Kosóva's PM Bajram Kosumi er indstillet på at tale med Serberne (i Beograd), blot ikke om den endelige status. ADN skriver:

PRISHTINA - Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi said that the Kosovo government should be discussing the guarantees for Kosovo Serbs and preserving the cultural and historical ancestry of Kosovo with Belgrade, however, he added that "there will be no discussion with Serbia regarding the status of Kosovo.


[050716] Den Tyske UM Fischer siger til Bajram Kosumi at Kosóva's myndigheder i højere grad må engagere sig i at Kosóva lever op til standarderne. Makfax skriver:

Germany urges the authorities in Kosovo to demonstrate a visible progress in the implementation of standards set out by the international community as a main prerequisite for timely launch of final status talks, Belgrade-based Beta news agency quotes the German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer as saying after the late Tuesday's talks with Kosovo's Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi.

The same source says Fischer told Kosumi it is in Germany' interest that the report of the UN ambassador Kai Eide be a positive signal, and the negotiations over the status to begin as soon as possible.

Fischer stressed that timely launch of final status talks would require a visible progress in various areas, including the return of the Serbian refugees, decentralization, multiethnic society and security.


4 Serbere - i en Mercedes med "gamle" Prishtina-nummerplader - er blevet beskudt ved Shtërpca / Strpce i det sydlige Kosóva lørdag aften (050827). 2 er dræbt, 2 er såret. Serberne blev beskudt fra en anden bil der (muligvis) havde forfulgt dem et stykke tid. Der foreligger pt ikke nærmere. Se evt. BBCs reportage på: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4193208.stm





UM i Serbien-Montenegro har offentliggjort flg.:

TWO KOSOVO SERBS KILLED NEAR STRPCE, ANOTHER TWO WOUNDED - STRPCE, Aug 28 (Beta)-Two Serbs were killed and two others wounded when unknown gunmen opened fire on their car in Kosovo, police said on Aug. 28.

Police said the car came under fire from a passing vehicle late on Aug. 27 near the southern town of Strpce.

Ivan Dejanovic and Aleksandar Stankovic from Novo Naselje near Lipljan were killed while Aleksandar Janicijevic and Nikola Dukic were wounded. The attack took place near Banjica, on the UrosevacStrpce road.

One of the wounded men, Janicijevic, told BETA that their car was followed by a Mercedes with Pristina license plates. He said they came under fire from the Mercedes when they pulled over to replace a tire that had been shot out.

Strpce police arrested three suspects in connection with the shooting. The suspects were released, however, after police were unable to prove they had anything to do with the attack.

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ATTACKS SHOW SERBS UNWELCOME IN KOSOVO, SAYS TADICBELGRADE, Aug 28 (Beta)-Serbian President Boris Tadic on Aug. 28 condemned the murder of two and wounding of two more Serb youths near Strpce, saying that the attacks were meant as an unambiguous message to the province's Serbs that they were not welcome in Kosovo.

"This terrorist act is further proof that the key question in Kosovo and Metohija is honoring people's right to live and other human rights. Today, it is clear to everyone that this society is far from democracy and multiethnicity," Tadic stressed in a statement.

Tadic stressed that, combined with the administration's inability to solve the murder of Serb children in Gorazdevac and other murders over the past six years, a failure on the part of the authorities to solve the latest ethnic murders would prove that "Kosovo's institutions have no will to establish the rule of law and prevent new crimes from happening."

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