Jessen-Petersen sagde bl.a: As you know [...], during his first visit here to the region, in Kosovo Mr. Ahtisaari’s team will meet with the team led by President Rugova – the Team of Unity – and I trust that by now Dr. Rugova’s team is well prepared. They will be prepared already in the first meeting to answer Mr. Ahtisaari’s questions on how they propose, how they intend to realize the aspirations as they were expressed in the platform that the Assembly gave the Team the other day.

Mr. Ahtisaari would be very keen to hear how the Team proposes to achieve its declared goals. It is also good that the Team last Friday decided to establish a consultative council for the minorities. I have constantly urged the Team to reach out to and to involve the minorities in this process and I expect also that the Team, as it moves forward, to reach out to civil society, including the women leaders. I do not know how long this process will last and evidently, I do not know what the outcome will be. However, I know that the better, the stronger the PISG moves forward on Standards implementation, on decentralization and in general on minority issues, the shorter the process will be and the more sure the outcome will be.

[...] You all know by now that Mr. Ahtisaari will start his mission in Kosovo. Later in the week, he will move on to Belgrade and then, after Belgrade, he will make quick stops in Montenegro, Albania and [The former Yugoslavia Republic of] Macedonia. By that, he is already clearly showing that he expects to decide on the status of Kosovo in its proper regional context.

- - -

SRSG Jessen-Petersen [på spm om security]: The change I expect in the overall situation would be as a result of the PISG’s continued, I would even say stronger focus on Standards implementation and on decentralization, in particular. In other words, I expect the situation in areas where we know that there is still scope for a lot of progress; I expect the situation to improve over the next several months. I have already said it is extremely important that it does improve because it will impact on the timing of the status process and also on the outcome. As to the security situation right now it is, as you all know, relatively stable. There have been incidents, but it is relatively stable. We do know that there are crazy people out there on all sides. There are crazy people who believe that they can accelerate the status decision through violence. In fact it would have the opposite effect. And there are those who believe that they can block or delay the way forward by provoking violence. They are wrong and they will not be rewarded. But, we know that there will be provocations. We know that there are crazy people out there. I can only say that KFOR, UNMIK and the Kosovo Police Service are involved in an almost daily analysis of the security threats and we are well equipped to respond to any provocation as we have demonstrated over the last 18 months. There has not been any major violence. Whenever there has been an incident, we have addressed it immediately because we cannot allow it to escalate and we will not allow that to escalate. I don’t expect it to escalate. When I say provocation from all sides, I certainly also realize that and we’re aware of the fact that there might be those who would wish to provoke violence in the north on all sides in pursuing their various goals. It is obvious as we analyze the security threats we are of course looking particularly also at the situation in the north.

- - -

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: If you would read all the principles that have now been established, then there are more indications of the direction in which this is moving. However, what is clear is that Kosovo cannot be partitioned and Kosovo cannot link up in any kind of union with neighbouring States. That in itself are two principles that I trust, I am convinced, will stay there as the status envoy moves forward. I don’t think I will offer any answer to your next question. You read all the guiding principles, add them together and then you may get an idea.

- - -

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: I personally think that we need clarity on status to clear the minds of people. It is a fact that Kosovo Albanians are very worried about a return to the past and it is a fact that the Kosovo Serbs are very worried about the future. Clarifying status will clear minds and I believe will open up for the kind of progress that we need to see. We are getting very little movement from the Kosovo Albanians on decentralization because the concern is that decentralization is a cover for the division of Kosovo. And, we are getting very little cooperation from the Kosovo Serbs because they have been told by Belgrade not to engage and also, they are worried to engage at this stage where they do not know what the future will be. It is only by clarifying the future that you can really address that fear on both sides. The moment that is clear, we will see a much stronger engagement, both on the part of the Kosovo Albanians in creating the real decentralization; the kind of decentralization that the minorities would need to feel assured. I also have to say that many of the Kosovo Serbs with clarity on status would take a decision that their future lies here. I certainly hope, believe that it does. It is very important and with such to start engaging in working together. I believe that only status can overcome those fears that are right now holding both those communities back.

An IMF mission visited Tirana during November 7-21, 2005, to conduct discussions on a new 3-year arrangement. The mission reached understanding with the authorities on economic policies for 2006–08 necessary to maintain macroeconomic stability, enhance growth potential, reduce vulnerabilities, and strengthen government solvency. Monetary policy targets are set to promote continued price stability, while the medium-term fiscal program strikes a balance between reducing public debt and increasing growth-enhancing and poverty-reducing expenditure. The mission also reached understanding on key reform measures in tax and customs administrations, public debt management, public expenditure management, and financial market development. Despite a temporary decline in 2005-06 because of electricity shortages, economic growth is projected to return to about 6 percent in the medium term if these policies are implemented. The proposed arrangement is to be discussed by the IMF Executive Board in early 2006.

- - -

Energy sector. Measures, including the introduction of new procurement rules, have been taken in recent weeks to increase electricity imports. An audit of KESH is under way and, in collaboration with the World Bank and other donors, an updated Power Sector Action Plan for 2006-08 is being prepared. However, further efforts are needed to reverse the deterioration in the performance of KESH. In this context, the authorities will also take measures to strengthen the payment discipline of budgetary institutions, including a prompt reconciliation and settlement of outstanding 2005 electricity bills and the installation of electricity meters in all budgetary institutions by mid-2006.

In the coming months, we can take an important step toward realizing this vision of Europe by reaching agreement on the final status of Kosovo. The United States fully supports the UN-led talks that began this week and we are using our influence to make a positive difference. Now it is time to chart Kosovo's future. With vision and courage and compromise, we must reach and agreement that enables all Kosovars to live freely and in peace. Ten years ago, many doubted whether democracy would be possible among Serbs and Croats and Muslims in the war-torn lands of the Balkans. Today, we are seeing those doubts dismissed. Bosnia and Herzegovina is emerging as yet another example of how democracy can help diverse peoples live together without fear or repression. Now, if all Bosnian citizens tear down the walls of separation that still stand between them, if they advance reconciliation in their hearts as well as in their politics, then the lands of Southeastern Europe will join in the democratic peace of their continent and the vision of Europe whole, free and at peace will finally be complete.

INTERNATIONALE ORGANISATIONER m.v.

Opmærksomheden henledes på Economic Reconstruction and Development in South East Europe. Adressen er www.seerecon.org. Her kan man finde materiale om aktuelle møder og konferencer.

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FN

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VERDENSBANKEN, IMF M.FL.

Se under de enkelte lande / områder.

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OSCE, Europarådet

Se under de enkelte lande / områder.

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EU

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NATO

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ICTY - TRIBUNALET I HAAG

Nyt Formandskab: [17.11.2005] The judges elected Judge Fausto Pocar (Italy) as President of the Tribunal, and Judge Kevin Parker (Australia) as Vice-President, effective immediately.

Verserende sager vedr. Kosovo: Anklageskrifter og udskrifter af retsmøderne kan findes på: http://www.un.org/icty/cases-e/index-e.htm

ICTY vs Slobodan Milosevic, (IT-02-54)

ICTY vs Fatmir Limaj et al. (IT-03-66)

ICTY vs Ramush Haradinaj (IT-04-84)

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BALKAN LANDE, LANDE VED ØSTLIGE MIDDELHAV

BALKAN GENERELT



Udsnit af EU's Europakort 2004. [Udsnittet kan forstørres ved at klikke på det]. Kortet indgår i en præsentationsborchure, der kan downloades som pdf fra: http://europa.eu.int/comm/publications/booklets/eu_glance/20/da.pdf.


The Economist skriver om Bosnien i anledning af 10-året for Dayton-aftalerne: http://www.economist.com/agenda/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5213089. Der er sket fremskridt, økonomien er svag, der er en ret stor grå økonomi; en del er vendt tilbage (nogle er dog rejst igen efter at have solgt deres ejendom); kun halvdelen af kroaterne er tilbage, de etniske grupper er kun delvis integreret - der er sket visse fremskridt i Mostar; den kommunale administration er forenet, men befolkningen lever opdelt, og skolerne er fortsat »etniske«. Kroatien har prioriteret EU højere end Bosnien. Economist skriver bl.a.:

According to the UN refugee agency, just over a million displaced people have returned home, of whom nearly 450,000 are so-called “minority returns”—eg, Bosniaks in the Republika Srpska, or Croats and Serbs in Bosniak-dominated Sarajevo. But there may have been fewer minority returns than the figures suggest. Many people “returned” only to regain possession of their property, which they then sold. Minority returnees may have stayed on in parts of the countryside but the towns and cities are overwhelmingly dominated by one or other ethnic group.


Se også under: USA.

Dayton-aftalerne kan downloades fra: http://bjoerna.net/balkan-dokumenter/Dayton-1995.pdf [PDF, English, 0.4 MB]

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KOSÓVA

Bynavne: Angives der to navne på samme lokalitet, er den Albanske nævnt først. Se oversigten på: http://bjoerna.dk/kosova/byer.htm ... Bynavne: Angives der to navne på samme lokalitet, er den Albanske nævnt først. Se oversigten på: http://bjoerna.dk/kosova/byer.htm ... Rapporter fra FNs Generalsekretær ... 040616 SG Kofi Annan udtaler at han agter at udpege Søren Jessen-Petersen som 5' SRSG. Søren Jessen-Petersen blev senere udpeget og tiltrådte i Kosóva 040816. ... 0308 Harri Holkeri tiltrådte som 4' SRSG. Fratrådt 0406 af helbredsmæssige grunde. ... 020214 Michael Steiner tiltrådte i Kosova som 3' SRSG og fratrådte i begyndelsen af 0307. ... En biografi over 2' SRSG Hans Hækkerup kan læses på Danske Politikere. En anmeldelse af hans bog »Kosovos mange ansigter« kan downloades fra: http://neva.hjem.wanadoo.dk/Haekkerup2.pdf (0,4 MB) ... Constitutional Framework for Provisional Self-Government. ... Kosova's Regering. ... Webside vedr. 2004-valgene ... UNMIK Politiets oversigt over 2001 (artikler, billeder og statistik i pdf-format (fil'en er forholdsvis stor: 2,6 MB)) ... Kriminaliteten i 2002 - Oversigt kan downloades [klik på titlen]


Parlamentsvalget 2004 [Præsidenten - Ibrahim Rugóva - er valgt af Parlamentet, the Assembly], se: http://kosovoelections.org/eng/


The Economist skriver om Bosnien i anledning af 10-året for Dayton-aftalerne: http://www.economist.com/agenda/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5213089. Se under: Balkan. Se også under: USA.

Dayton-aftalerne kan downloades fra: http://bjoerna.net/balkan-dokumenter/Dayton-1995.pdf [PDF, English, 0.4 MB]


Kosovo's/Kosóva's fremtid. Forhandlingerne: Kosovo Serberne og Martti Ahtisaari har mødtes.



Martti Ahtisaari, arkivfoto. Se nærmere om Ahtisaari og Crisis Management Initiative på: http://www.ahtisaari.fi/

PRESSEMØDE MED MARTTI AHTISAARI [Lifting out/Udhævninger, BA]

Press Briefing Notes - UNMIK press service

UNMIK Mission HQ - Pristina, November 23, 2005

Martti Ahtisaari: We decided to come as soon as it was possible to start our work. It is less than one week since we got the message from the Secretary General that he wanted us to carry out the future status talks. You have seen I hope my Terms of Reference. It is very…which the Secretary General normally gives to his Special Envoys or Special Representatives. I have been asked to consult as widely as possible in this process, not only with the Security Council members and the Contact Group members, but also the relevant regional organisations, relevant regional actors and other key players.

And one of my tasks is also to support the SRSG Mr. Søren Jessen-Petersen to ensure greater commitment and result from the Standards implementation. And the pace and duration of the future status process will be determined by the Special Envoy on the basis of consultations with the Secretary General, taking into account the cooperation of the parties and situation on the ground. The Guiding Principles of the Contact Group have also been published as a Security Council document, so I hope that those are available, if you haven’t seen them I’m sure the UNMIK office here can make them available to those who haven’t seen them. I think it is important to take note that the Contact Group members include four permanent members of the Security Council. So therefore, the guiding principles are an important framework for the work of myself and Albert Rohan, who is my Deputy.

Here we have had meetings with the SRSG and senior UNMIK officials after our arrival. We met the Kosovo Negotiations Team led by President Rugova, including the Assembly President Daci, Prime Minister Kosumi, PDK President Thaci, ORA President Surroi and coordinator Blerim Shala. I also had a lunch where we continued our discussions when we met. I have also held meetings with the Commander of KFOR and I had a briefing from KFOR this afternoon. And I also met the representatives of the Contact Group just before coming to see you. I have had today meetings with the Kosovo Serb representatives as well as representatives from other minorities. And yesterday afternoon, I paid a visit to Decani Monastery where I held talks with Bishop Teodosije and Father Sava.

I would like to make few general points before I answer questions from you. I have emphasised to all my interlocutors that we are talking about status with standards. In other words, progress is needed on the standards and I think it is also important that stability will be maintained during this process. There has been lot of statements made on the timing of this exercise, how long will it take. Before I came here, I said that there seem to have been four schools of thought: those who said that it will take 3-4 months, and I am prepared to offer my job to anybody who said that; those who said it will take 6 months; those who said, third group was who said 12 months; and those said that there should be no time limit put into this exercise. I think first of all, as I read from my Terms of Reference, it is very important to realise that timing will depend on the parties, how they move forward, how they cooperate. There are no fixed time limits in this exercise, but I have assured that we will move as fast forward as we can.

It is also important that, for that reason that we came here, we have asked all our interlocutors to come with position papers, not only strategy papers, policy declarations, but also concrete proposals, how things should be organised, how things have been improved from the earlier reporting, and how we might move forward.

In the final analysis it is not me, I have also made it perfectly clear, it is not me, neither us, who will decide the timing, the Secretary General has an important role, and finally it is up to the Security Council to decide how the future status will look like. This is in the spirit of our consultations here, I have been given papers by those that I have met and I have asked for more from them.

We are going to establish, or we have actually established our headquarters in Vienna, thanks to the generosity of the Austrian government, we will have an office in the heart of Vienna, we are using the UN offices temporarily, for the time being. We will have meetings already on Monday when we return on Sunday to Vienna, and I have asked those Liaison Officers that have been given to us from some of the Contact Group members to be available there on Monday for further consultation. I hope to be able to travel next week myself to visit some of the capitals that I haven’t been among the Contact Group members, and that process will continue.

We are so close that you will be seeing us here fairly often, and we have also indicated that we will invite people to come to Vienna for talks with us, whether it is the UNMIK representatives, SRSG was kind enough to make himself available in New York on two occasions, and in Brussels already we had a lengthier meeting when we were all there, both Albert Rohan and our assistants. So that consultative process will continue. We will continue tomorrow to Belgrade and then we will cover Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia, and on Sunday we will return to Vienna. Thank you very much.

Albert Rohan: Just if I may add two sentences. You know, when we talk about the Standards so much, this is not something particular to Kosovo. Principles like the rule of law, democratic institutions, or the respect for human rights and for minority rights, are the basic principles of any democratic society. And therefore they are so important. And in that context, the protection of ethnic groups will be one of the major concerns of any settlement, and of all ethnic groups, the Serbian ethnic group as much as of the smaller minorities in Kosovo. And of course another priority concern will be that the return process has to move forward, every refugee must be able to come back to their homes. And finally, it is very important that all the parties engage constructively in the status process and engage also through their presence in the emerging institutions in Kosovo. I think this is necessary so that they can take care and safeguard their interests. Thank you.

Questions and Answers

Q (Associated Press): How do you plan to conduct your mission of finding a solution to Kosovo status? How do you plan to conduct your mission?

Martti Ahtisaari : The way how we are proceeding at the moment. First of all, I think it was very important even if we had a fairly good idea of what the thinking here was, and in Belgrade, in the neighbouring countries as well, in the region. We know also what the Contact Group is thinking about and the framework they have provided in the guiding principles. But it is important for me particularly, to establish a personal contact with the leaders in Kosovo. And therefore, these contacts will be continued. As I said, we will be meeting both here and I can see we will have meetings in Vienna. Sometimes it is easier to concentrate on the issues if you travel a little bit. We will see how we do that. But we are very flexible and one of the main reasons why I wanted to establish the Headquaters in Vienna is it is a closest place, traffic wise. It is easy to travel to the region. So the dialogue has started and it will be continuing.

Q (VOA): Who is going to negotiate for the Kosovo Serbs? is it Kosovo Serbs themselves or Belgrade the. And where is the American representative? Where is the American representative? Is he going to be together with you or not?

Martti Ahtisaari: I must say that I was very pleased that we had a good representation today from the Kosovo Serbs. And we had a good discussion with them. They made their points clear. As a matter of fact, we used more time that we had originally allocated for that meeting. What will happen in the future the future will tell. I can’t tell you more than that has happened so far. Now when you say “Where is the American representative?” it sounds a little bit as “where is the beef”? But, and you may perhaps refer to that, there has been discussion about the participation of some of the Contact Group members in the team that I have been establishing in Vienna. And we have, we know already that there going to be a EU representative. We have met him in Brussels already and he will be coming to a meeting on Monday in Vienna. We will have the American Liaison Officer, and they are called Liaison Officers. They represent either their government or the Council, Commission and Secretariat in the case of EU. I will treat them as full members of my team and they will be located in our Office facilities in Vienna. I expect NATO to send a Liaison Officer there and I expect also that we will have a representative of the Russian Federation also coming. I am actually planning a trip - I haven’t been to Moscow yet so I am planning a trip and we are working on the dates and I think that will happen soon. It perhaps understandable that they wanted to discuss with me before they actually say who is joining us.

Albert Rohan: It might be found a symbolism that the two countries which are holding the presidency of the EU next year, namely Austria and Finland, are conducting this process but it is a pure coincidence and we are here representing the United Nations, of which the United States is a member, an important member, and of course we have also very close contact with the Contact Group. We have been in Washington and we have just met the representatives here. So there is a very intensive interplay between us and the various countries.

Q (Express, Kosovo): Mr Ahtisaari, in several speeches you had since 1999, Kosovo’s independence wasn’t seen as a good solution to your view. Does your regional approach to the Balkans opposes yet creation of new states?

Martti Ahtisaari: I have been reminded for what I have been saying in my life on the regional issues. If you refer to the statements that were made immediately after I participated in the efforts to create this in Kosovo in 1999 and soon thereafter, I think to put it into the context of time. At that time I still believe that in 2000 it was appropriate to say that it was not a time to move forward. We will see how this process will go forward. As I said timing of this, I am not going to start speculating what sort of status will be there when we end this process. The Kosovo delegation has made very clear what their preference is. Others have had different views. I think you are very familiar with the general thinking of these issues. After this first round I think we have to sit down and see how we will process from there onwards. But in general, the Security Council would net have authorized the Secretary general to move forward on the basis of Kai Eide’s report and the Security Council deliberations, had it not be realized that the present situation cannot continue and we have to look at the future status. Whatever the final outcome will be, I think it is widely recognized that there has to be an involvement of the international community for quite some time.

Q: [In Serbian, on the possibility of a partition of Kosovo]

Martti Ahtisaari No I do not. I think you can look at the guidance of the guiding principles of the Contact Group. I really urge you to look at that document because among others this is an important group of countries representing the views of the international community. I think the opinions are very clear there that there should be no partition [inaudible] and I think one has to take very seriously what the four members of the Security Council are saying, together with others who are part in that problem.

Q [in Serbian on the Contact Group]

Martti Ahtisaari First of all, I haven’t been to Belgrade for now a long, long time. I used to visit Belgrade on numbers of occasions but there has been a long interval. I am not going to start making any prediction on what our discussions will bring. I have taken of course note of what the different parties have been saying. I think it is important also to realize that if the views are not changing this is going to be a difficult task. No one was so far said that, or congratulated us, that we have actually received an easy task. I think we have to start a dialogue. We have to talk to both, Kosovo delegation here and Belgrade from tomorrow onwards, and see where we are then. One has to also look at economic aspects that are involved in this. I know that the World Bank and the European Commission are looking at these issues. But one can [inaudible] diversely economic aspects and the economic prospects for Kosovo entirely from this exercise. It is not my main concern but I have to be aware what could be done for the benefit of Kosovo in utilizing the natural resources that are available here, provided that the funding would be made available and the situation would be such that it would provide the possibility to exploit professionally and effectively those resources. It would also have an important element for the energy sector in the whole region. The resources here are impressive and they are not at the moment utilized in a fashion that would benefit the people in Kosovo and not in the region either.

Q (RTK, Kosovo): You said the dialogue would be based on cooperation dialogue is going to be based, to take into account the cooperation on the ground. Can you elaborate; what if there is no cooperation?

Martti Ahtisaari I do not think that should assume, neither you or I, that there not going to be any cooperation. I have been well received here, and I have had a good dialogue with all groups. And I have listened patiently all opinions that have been expressed by different actors. But finally, when I say that the status means ‘status with standards’, we recognize there is a need, as my Deputy Albert Rohan explained already, that we are talking about general European standards. Whether we would [inaudible] status or not, those are important elements in developing in a democratic society where everyone can live freely and without fear, a society that provide the necessity protective mechanisms to everyone, whatever group they might belong to. So we are starting the process. I am not so surprised that statements are being made, that positions are being taken. I would be surprised if that were not the case. If I didn’t believe, or the Secretary General did not believe, that it was not worthwhile to make this round, I do not think he would have appointed us.

Q (Tanjug, Belgrade): (on possibility of violence like in March 2004)

Martti Ahtisaari I do not think that you can say that there are some automatic reaction that if something wrong happens in a society that automatically certain things will happen. I have appealed to everybody that I have seen that stability would be maintained during these status discussions. I do not think that any disturbance in this process would help anybody. I have been involved in other processes recently as you are well aware and it has been possible to appeal to people who have been at odds for tens of years to make them cooperate and I hope that this spirit can be established. It is good that everyone start realizing that the present situation will not continue as it is. There has to be a change and that is what we are probing with this process.

Albert Rohan: May I add that, in the guiding principles of the Contact Groups it is referred to this aspect. The Contact group calls on to all parties from unilateral steps and to reject any form of violence. And then it adds: “Those advocating violence will have no role”. So the whole international community really rejects violence. As the President said: whoever would take this kind of measures, it will be totally counterproductive.

Martti Ahtisaari Of course I have to say, when one reads a little bit further, the CG is actually rather generous in providing the Special Envoy. They say that the Special Envoy can take appropriate action with his United Nations mandate to suspend or exclude any individual or group if he judges that their actions conducive to progress. I think that has to be seen not as part of my terms of reference but as a clear indication that important members of the Security Council that they are supporting this sort of [measures?] if actually it would become necessary. I hope that will not be the case.

Q (in Serbian, about possibility to have sort of Rambouillet talks, where nobody leaves before an agreement is found]

Martti Ahtisaari There are of course direct negotiations already taking place on technical issues, and I will definitely encourage that. Those technical discussions will continue. If you are referring to the more political discussions, the time will show. I do not think you can force people to talk directly if they do not so want. But we will see. I think it is far to early for me to start speculating when it would start. As I said, I just finished in August another process where we succeeded in getting the parties to start talking bilaterally and it took some time before we did succeed in that. But I have been in process when it has taken years to get the parties to talk directly to each other and we have had to be involved in sort of trilateral works, running from a room into another and bringing messages. Then time at certain moment came when parties were prepared to talk. I do not think we can force these processes. We have to see how it goes.

Q (Koha Ditore, Kosovo) Mr Ahtisaari, are we talking about a future status or the final status? And one technical question: are you going to have liaison officers or the United States , and the Russian Federation are going to send sort of Special Envoys?

Martti Ahtisaari My terms of reference are in that sense rather clear. They talk about ‘future status”. Whether the future status is the final one, we will see. But the terminology is that sense is very clear. I hope it will be the final one. But the terms of reference are clear in that sense that they talk about “future status”, “determining the future status of Kosovo”. That is what the Secretary General has asked us to do. Liaison officers: I welcome the fact that I can have the support… First of all, it is extremely important that we know, both of us, that the CG is firmly behind us, and wants to support us. And for that purpose, we have established the mechanism that there are going to be liaison officers in our offices in Vienna. We are working out the details. If you ask me: “Are they going to be Special Envoys?” there may very well be a situation where I may even request that these men, and some others, to support our efforts because it is good to know that the international community is behind us. That is very important. That is very reassuring as well. Not only those who sit in the Security Council but wider circle of the international community as well. So I can’t exclude that I might even ask, that over and apart from these Liaison arrangement, I may ask the Liaison person that, could his government help me solve that matter. And then that might lead to them sending somebody. Whether this somebody is already part of the established… whether he is a liaison officer, but it may very well in some cases be somebody else. So I do not think one should exclude, but of course, the important thing is that we can have an intimate working relationship with these entities that are providing the liaison officers to us.

Q (Reuters) : Are there any specific past international precedents you could drawn on deciding between Serbian State sovereignty and the Kosovo Albanian people sovereignty?

Martti Ahtisaari There may very well be. I will, as I mentioned earlier, we are still in an approach of putting our team together. And [we will also use ?] their expertise on a very short term assignment looking at, for instance, different legal or political aspects of this process. So in that process we will definitely visit your question as well. I can’t name any at the moment, but I am sure there may very well be. It may be on the other hand that this is a sui generis, or special case, and that we be looked at as such as well. But we will definitely visit this question as well.

Q (Russian News Agency Moscow): Mr. Ahtisaari what do you think, is possible to solve Kosovo problem in so to say the Bosnian way. I mean to establish some Republika Srbska of Kosovo and some enclave like this?

Martti Ahtisaari: I have been travelling lately, so I haven’t actually been able to follow the latest development in case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, because Bosnia-Herzegovina plan seems to be [not clear] as well. I saw only the headlines, I haven’t been able to look at that. I don’t think that we should look necessarily at Bosnia-Herzegovina as an example. I still believe, but I am slightly biased because, as you may recall, I was the Chairman of the Bosnia-Herzegovina working group in the Yugoslav conference from 92 onwards to latter part of 93, before I ran for Presidency in my country. And I still feel that we had a marvellous plan [for] which we didn’t get enough support, which looked totally different than the present day Bosnia-Herzegovina today. So I think we have to look [at] Kosovo on its own.

Q (Danas, Belgrade): I am wondering, would you increase the participation of the women leaders in the talks, regarding both sides, Serbian and Albanian, as regarding your side, on the basis of UN resolution 1325?

Martti Ahtisaari: Are you talking about my own team or the…

Danas: I am talking about [not audible]

Martti Ahtisaari: Yes, can I start from my own office in Finland, because there the men are in minority. There are a few odd fellows there. I am afraid that as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Crisis Management Initiative, which is a Non-Governmental Organisation that I established, we will be accused of discriminating against men. But I have to confess that the women are much more competent than the men. So that is the policy why, they haven’t been chosen because they were women. I am fully aware because some of my former colleagues in the UN have been working with the gender issues, are still working at the moment, and I have been recently interviewed: why are there so few ladies in the peace processes? It is very difficult. I am hoping that my young colleagues will in the future be in a position to assist in the peace processes, I think it would be an extremely welcome thing. There are not too many available either. Either they are on a so senior level that it is very difficult to put them into this sort of framework. May I say that my young team has done an extremely good work, so I know that they can contribute. If I look around in the meetings, there are not too many ladies unfortunately in the audience. I hope that we can slightly increase from the present numbers in my own team. It very often depends also what is the availability. Can somebody move, in some cases it is a question that person can’t move for family reasons, or other reasons, there are many constraints. But at least it is not a question of my attitude in this, my own office is a good example that I would welcome, definitely welcome, more women participating in the process.

Q (Austrian magazine Profile): Mr. Ahtisaari, given the very far apart positions of the concerned sides, the very different and contradicting ambitions, is it conceivable that your efforts may just fail or that you or the Security Council has to impose a solution on one or both sides?

Martti Ahtisaari: I am not saying that how long this will take. Because you remember perfectly well that I was involved in one process where I started in 1977 and it was ready in 1990. I don’t intend to spend that much time with this particular issue, and I don’t think my Deputy either. So bear with me. It is useless to start speculating. We have to get in touch, give a chance also to our interlocutors in different capitals to have a chance to start a dialogue with us and then we will see how far we are. Actually there have been processes where people have been much further apart than this one. Let us not make it the world’s most difficult issue. But of course there is a possibility that we may fail, or the international community may fail, that is why perhaps they chose two retired persons to carry this out. We at least don’t have any career problems, we don’t have any ambitions except to perhaps return [to] our respective homes, my colleague is actually living [at] home so he doesn’t have even that problem.

Albert Rohan: I am glad to hear from President Ahtisaari that he is not contemplating 13 years or so, I don’t know how we would look 13 years down the road. But you know, we are totally, we are realists of course. And we know that this is a challenge and the problem is very difficult, and it is like squaring the circle and all that. But on the other hand we also know from experience that for every problem there is a solution and sooner or later every problem finds a solution. And if we can help along, then we are just satisfied. Thank you.


Kosovo Serberne og Martti Ahtisaari har mødtes. Kosovo Serberne ønsker at Kosovo ikke bliver delt. UM i Serbien-Montenegro skriver:

PRISTINA, November 23 (Tanjug) - Political representatives of Kosovo Serbs on Wednesday made it clear to United Nations (UN) special envoy for the talks on the status of Kosovo and Metohija, Martti Ahtisaari, that they do not want to live in "an independent state of Kosovo." Kosovo Serb representative Randjel Nojkic said, in a statement for Tanjug, that the 13-member delegation had told Ahtisaari an independent Kosovo was unacceptable for Serbs, and that the solution for this southern Serbian province should be sought within the frameworks of UN Security Council Resolution 1244. Ahtisaari was sincere in his approach, he concluded that the necessary unity, that could help toward the easiest possible articulation of the demands of the Serb community, was lacking among Serbs, Nojkic said. Following the meeting with Ahtisaari, Oliver Ivanovic told Tanjug that the independence of Kosovo was not an option for Serbs, and that it could not be discussed. The work so far of the international mission in Kosovo-Metohija has resulted in the expulsion of over 200,000 Serbs, Ivanovic pointed out.


BURNS: USA SEES TWO OPTIONS FOR KOSOVO

BANJA LUKA, November 23 (Tanjug) - U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicolas Burns has said that the United States of America believes that there are two options for Kosovo - independence or autonomy within Serbia and Montenegro, but that a decision on the issue has to be made by the Albanians and Serbs from Kosovo and the authorities in Belgrade. In an interview published by the Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz on Wednesday, Burns said that the United States was very careful and did not want to present the stand on Kosovo's status, because the Kosovo Albanians and Serbs and Belgrade authorities need discuss it and decide on the issue. We support the efforts to have them sit down at a negotiation table, said Burns, adding that the U.S. believes there are two options for Kosovo - independence or autonomy within Serbia and Montenegro and that it is up to them and not us which option they would accept. He refused to comment on the Avaz's question about a possibility to compensate Serbia for a loss of Kosovo with the territories of the Republic of Srpska, saying that there should be no response to individual statements.




Pressemeddelelser fra UNMIK: SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen har holdt pressekonference i Prishtina. Jessen-Petersen forklarer rollefordelingen mellem Ahtisaari og ham selv, desuden kridter han banen op: Hvad er dét der skal nås og hvilke ting er udelukket:

Press Briefing Notes 21 November 2005

Transcript of Press Conference by SRSG Søren Jessen-Petersen at UNMIK Headquarters

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: Good morning and welcome to all of you – known faces and new faces, you’re very welcome.

As you know, today is the tenth anniversary of the Dayton Peace Agreement. But today is also, with the arrival of Martti Ahtisaari, the beginning of a process to solve the last piece of the puzzle in Western Balkans – the status of Kosovo and I certainly find the coincidence of the two dates very interesting because by moving forward on resolving what I have called the last piece of the puzzle, we are taking, I hope and believe, the final step in getting the Western Balkans back to normalization, stabilization and allowing the entire region to move forward on its European agenda. Today is also an important day for UNMIK and for me as Special Representative of the Secretary-General since Resolution 1244 identifies one of our main responsibilities as – and I quote – “facilitating a political process designed to determine the future status of Kosovo”. We are now at that point.

As you know and Hua will say a few more words about it, during his first visit here to the region, in Kosovo Mr. Ahtisaari’s team will meet with the team led by President Rugova – the Team of Unity – and I trust that by now Dr. Rugova’s team is well prepared. They will be prepared already in the first meeting to answer Mr. Ahtisaari’s questions on how they propose, how they intend to realize the aspirations as they were expressed in the platform that the Assembly gave the Team the other day. Mr. Ahtisaari would be very keen to hear how the Team proposes to achieve its declared goals. It is also good that the Team last Friday decided to establish a consultative council for the minorities. I have constantly urged the Team to reach out to and to involve the minorities in this process and I expect also that the Team, as it moves forward, to reach out to civil society, including the women leaders. I do not know how long this process will last and evidently, I do not know what the outcome will be. However, I know that the better, the stronger the PISG moves forward on Standards implementation, on decentralization and in general on minority issues, the shorter the process will be and the more sure the outcome will be.

Before I answer your questions, I will just ask Hua to say a few words about the press arrangements during this trip. You all know by now that Mr. Ahtisaari will start his mission in Kosovo. Later in the week, he will move on to Belgrade and then, after Belgrade, he will make quick stops in Montenegro, Albania and [The former Yugoslavia Republic of] Macedonia. By that, he is already clearly showing that he expects to decide on the status of Kosovo in its proper regional context.

Hua: In fact, I have already talked about the press arrangements. I have just one more thing to add. Some of you have put forward individual interview requests. For tight security and scheduling reasons, Mr. Ahtisaari will not be able to take any individual requests. I apologize on his behalf. As I said, on his last day he will give a press conference and we will make sure that he has plenty of time to answer your questions. Now the floor is open. Please state your name and media organization that you represent. Thank you.

Question: Do you expect any changes in the overall situation in Kosovo during the status talks, especially the area of security, particularly in the northern part of Kosovo?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: The change I expect in the overall situation would be as a result of the PISG’s continued, I would even say stronger focus on Standards implementation and on decentralization, in particular. In other words, I expect the situation in areas where we know that there is still scope for a lot of progress; I expect the situation to improve over the next several months. I have already said it is extremely important that it does improve because it will impact on the timing of the status process and also on the outcome. As to the security situation right now it is, as you all know, relatively stable. There have been incidents, but it is relatively stable. We do know that there are crazy people out there on all sides. There are crazy people who believe that they can accelerate the status decision through violence. In fact it would have the opposite effect. And there are those who believe that they can block or delay the way forward by provoking violence. They are wrong and they will not be rewarded. But, we know that there will be provocations. We know that there are crazy people out there. I can only say that KFOR, UNMIK and the Kosovo Police Service are involved in an almost daily analysis of the security threats and we are well equipped to respond to any provocation as we have demonstrated over the last 18 months. There has not been any major violence. Whenever there has been an incident, we have addressed it immediately because we cannot allow it to escalate and we will not allow that to escalate. I don’t expect it to escalate. When I say provocation from all sides, I certainly also realize that and we’re aware of the fact that there might be those who would wish to provoke violence in the north on all sides in pursuing their various goals. It is obvious as we analyze the security threats we are of course looking particularly also at the situation in the north.

Question: Why did it take nearly 7 years to start this process?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: I will have to answer there both with a personal observation and on behalf of the international community. I think for at least 5 or 6 years, the attention of the international community was on other parts of the world – Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. Secondly, after the 1244 and after the Ohrid Agreement in Macedonia in 2001, I think there was a fatigue to deal with this region. There was a focus on other priorities and a sense that the international community was not yet ready to deal with this very complex issue, which is Kosovo. Therefore, the international community was – seemed satisfied by simply letting UNMIK run a holding operation. I think it became very clear in March 2004 that the holding operation was no longer tenable and it is certainly a fact that from summer 2004 we have pushed very hard from UNMIK to move from a holding operation to what after all the endgame of the holding operation is – status. I think by then also, the international community recognized that the status quo here in Kosovo had become unsustainable and also there were political forces. There was a renewed interest in Washington coming up; the Contact Group started working harder on it. So, I think there was a combination of forces, of political interest, but an almost global recognition that the status quo here is unsustainable. There was also a sense that this region cannot be held out of Europe, but as long as we still had unresolved political conflicts the region would not be able to move forward into Europe. So I gave you a number of reasons why we have come to this stage.

Question: Would it be unfair to call Mr. Ahtisaari’s mission an arbitration mission? Are you sure that his mission is not an arbitration one?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: It is up to Mr. Ahtisaari really to answer that question. You should ask him that question at the press conference on Wednesday afternoon. I think that Mr. Ahtisaari’s mission is based on 1244. He has to come up with his proposal for how to determine the status of Kosovo, a proposal that will have to be endorsed by the Security Council. I’ve said it before, I know from several talks I’ve had with him already that he would initially sit down and listen to the parties as he will do over the next couple of days here, as he will do in Belgrade later in the week. He will then try to understand clearly not just what the position is, he knows that, but how do they justify, how do they argue in favour of their positions and then he will define what kind of space is there for him to reach an agreement. He will then over the next couple of months, decide how he will move forward. I said it before, initially he will be travelling from Pristina to Belgrade and other places and, as the process moves forward, he will decide whether it will make sense and be useful and productive to bring the sides together. Of course, he wants to do so. He will aim at doing so, but that will depend a little bit on progress over the next several months. So, I’ve not answered your question and I certainly don’t want to answer that. That’s for him to decide.

Question: Would you say that the nationalist position in Kosovo – independent Kosovo – provides possibility for dialogue and reaching a solution that would be satisfactory for both sides? And, do you still have a position that the declaration of the Assembly of Kosovo is only defining the position of the Negotiations Team?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: On the second question, what they have done here in Kosovo is, in my opinion, very similar to what I understand they may do today in the Assembly in Belgrade. That is that the Assembly has debated on this key issue of status and the Assembly then provides a platform to the negotiating team. That is, as I understand, underway in Belgrade and is exactly what happened here last Thursday. I think the text is very clear – the text that was adopted – the words are very clear -- this is a platform from the Assembly to the Negotiating Team. As such, it is not violating 1244. If it had been a unilateral declaration of independence, it would have been in violation of 1244. It is not. On the position, I don’t think the position as such, the platform that they’re providing to the Team, comes as a surprise to anybody, frankly. But, I think what Mr. Ahtisaari now would be very keen to hear -- there is no doubt what the large majority of the people of Kosovo would wish to see -- but, it will be very important now for Mr. Ahtisaari to see how will the large majority, while expecting that their position be recognized, how do they want to make sure that the minority voices are also being recognized, also being heard and that all the issues of minority rights are being addressed in the way it should in full accordance with European standards. I think this is what is important now. This is where one of the keys for a status determination will lie.

Question: Do you expect any particular improvement in the situation of northern Mitrovica parallel institutions? Is it conceivable that there would be no agreement between the main sides here in Kosovo and Mr. Ahtisaari and the UN Security Council would have to enforce a solution?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: On the second point, I will simply not answer that question right now. The mission is starting today and I said with a view to try to define what the respective positions are, then define where there might be space for narrowing the gap because we know that there is a huge gap. Then Mr. Ahtisaari will take it from there. I think it is a fact that during the more than 6 years of UNMIK’s existence here that we in UNMIK and the international community in our support have failed to address the problems of Mitrovica.

That is a fact. We have now reached a stage where a status decision is reasonably imminent. I now expect that the issue of Mitrovica will be solved in the context of the status decision. Let me just remind all of you that the Security Council, the Contact Group, the EU Foreign Ministers have all clearly confirmed on numerous occasions that there will be no partition of Kosovo. That’s important as we also discuss this issue.

I do expect that there might be provocations; I said that already, trying to force the issue, trying to place the status negotiator and status process with a fait accompli. But, as I said, the fact that the international community has so clearly stated that there would be no partition should also show those who might also think that they can force the issue that that will not impress the international community. What is important is that we continue working closely as we’re doing with the northern municipalities, with the authorities in north Mitrovica; that there’s cooperation with them and UNMIK and with the PISG that we try to resolve some of the practical issues that are very important there. I don’t think that there will be a lot of possibilities for doing so through the status process, but we will certainly do whatever we can to have a normal practical cooperation throughout this process.

Question: Is there any good model in the region to use during the status talks? Is Bosnia or Ohrid a good model?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: There are two different things. Ohrid addressed the root causes of the conflict. The Dayton Peace Agreement with all due respect did not. Therefore, I don’t think that you can compare the two. Ohrid is evidently interesting for many reasons, but including on decentralization, political leaders here, such as Hashim Thaci, already one year ago thought that the Ohrid model could be interesting in certain areas, not a matter of just taking Ohrid and saying that’s a way we should solve Kosovo. But, certain aspects of Ohrid he said at the time just a few months before I arrived, when I was the EU Special Representative in Macedonia that he thought that Ohrid could be useful and he thought particularly in terms of decentralization. The Dayton Peace Agreement was very important in stopping the war, but I cannot see a lot in the Agreement that would be directly applicable to the situation here.

Question: With the Security Council opening the way for status discussions to begin, isn’t it time to change Resolution 1244?

SRSG: 1244 will remain in existence until the decision for status is taken because one of the purposes of 1244, as I said earlier, is to facilitate the process leading to a status decision. So, 1244, and with that UNMIK, will remain until a new resolution will be adopted which defines the future status of Kosovo.

Question: Both you and the international community have said there could be no partitioning of Kosovo. Would Kosovo ever be an independent State and would such a decision be in line with Resolution 1244?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: If you would read all the principles that have now been established, then there are more indications of the direction in which this is moving. However, what is clear is that Kosovo cannot be partitioned and Kosovo cannot link up in any kind of union with neighbouring States. That in itself are two principles that I trust, I am convinced, will stay there as the status envoy moves forward. I don’t think I will offer any answer to your next question. You read all the guiding principles, add them together and then you may get an idea.

Question: Is there a possibility that the international community will allow the Kosovans to hold a referendum about the future?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: At this stage, it is certainly not an issue that can be entertained because that would go directly against 1244. I can’t answer what they would do in the future. But, as long as Kosovo is guided by 1244, a referendum here cannot decide on the future of Kosovo. This has to be decided by the Security Council.

Question: The Montenegrin Government said on Friday that it would consider delaying the result of the implementation of its referendum until the end of June directly because of Kosovo. It mentioned the end of June as a deadline for deciding Kosovo’s status. Do you see these two issues being solved together? Is the end of June a realistic deadline?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: First of all, since there was just a question of a referendum, let’s be clear the referendum that you refer to was the referendum in Montenegro. I have also seen the statements. I was in Montenegro 4 to 5 weeks ago and there I understood that on the date of the referendum they did suggest that there was some flexibility. The statement they now make would confirm that flexibility when they talk about June. I don’t think that one should look at Kosovo and Montenegro, in your words, together. These are two very different issues. But, of course, what they have in common is that what we’re all seeking is stability and stabilization of the Western Balkan as a region.

It is obvious that those dealing with the issues in the case of Montenegro, Serbia, that is the European Union; Kosovo, that’s Mr. Ahtisaari, that one as always in politics has to be extremely mindful of timing and how the timing of that will impact on stability in the region. These are very general words because I don’t want to comment in any way on the referendum in Montenegro. This is something that they decide on and there are clear criteria. But what I can say that the proposal to hold the referendum in June in Montenegro as I’ve seen in the media, I see it as an indication of flexibility and timing in Montenegro. I don’t see it as any statement on the timing of the status decision in Kosovo because at this stage, we would not know when the status is decided.

Question: Do you think that the referendum on the status in Kosovo and Serbia will eventually be helpful? And, do you think that it is helpful not to have a deadline here for the negotiations on the status?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: When it comes to a referendum in Serbia on Kosovo, I would say the same as I said on the referendum here. This matter is in the hands of the UN Security Council and a referendum would simply suggest or would tell what are the views of the people of Serbia on Kosovo. That is about the only relevance such a referendum would have. That of course would be good to know. But it would not have any binding effect on the decision here. That is fully in the hands of the Security Council. You had one more?

Question: You have a lot of experience in international negotiations and we all see that there is a huge gap in the positions. Wouldn’t it be good to have a clear deadline on the end of the negotiations?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: I don’t think it would help with a clear deadline, but on the other hand, the very fact that the two sides are so far apart and in my opinion will remain quite far apart for a long time would also suggest that prolonging this process would certainly not serve to bring the parties closer. It would only maintain the status quo and we have already agreed that the status quo is unsustainable. So, the deadline would be more set by the recognition of the fact that the status quo is unsustainable, the two sides are far apart – will remain far apart – let us now see how that gap can be narrowed and then take a decision.

Question: The EU is now starting talks with Serbia about stabilization agreement; Macedonia could now be a candidate for the EU. How do those things fit in with the start of status talks and what’s the role of the EU in this context?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: These developments are extremely important for the region because after the referendums in France and the Netherlands there was a very big concern here in the region. I remember being at a meeting in Zagreb where a lot of the regional leaders were present – right after the second referendum in the Netherlands – and there was a serious concern that that referendum would mean that Europe, EU would now turn its back to the Western Balkans. There was a concern that the clear commitments that the region was given at the Thessaloniki summit in 2003 on a European future for this region, that commitment was no longer on the table. With developments on Croatia first, then the beginning of the negotiation on Belgrade and now the imminent decision to invite Macedonia as a candidate, maybe without the date, we do not know, all these clearly show that the European commitment to this region is very firm.

That’s important because any settlement of Kosovo must be in the European context. It must be a settlement that shows that both Serbia is moving forward, that Kosovo can also move forward on its European agenda. We need a very strong EU involvement here in Kosovo after status and we are discussing that already with the EU in the area of police, justice, the economy and I certainly believe that a strong commitment by the EU to Serbia will be very important for the democratic forces and the democratic reform agenda in Serbia. This is certainly a moment where the EU should step up to the plate and I believe that recent developments clearly show that this region, in general, Kosovo, in particular is back on the EU agenda after having been a little absent for too many years.

Question: You talk about the two parties. I understand why. The minority community here, the Kosovo Serbs particularly, despite all the past statements and loyalties during the past six years, shouldn’t that be a negotiating party on its own?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: When I talk about the two sides, I mean Belgrade and Pristina. But, you’re absolutely right. To a very large extent, this status settlement is about the minorities. And there are many minorities here. Minorities in general, and the Kosovo Serbs in particular. I already mentioned that. Therefore, it is extremely important that their voices are being heard and taken into account. On the part of the leaders here in Kosovo, there has been far too little done in terms of reaching out to the minorities and really showing that Kosovo is strongly committed to being a multi-ethnic society. They need to do much more. But, equally, on the side of Belgrade, one very often gets the impression that it is not the fate, the conditions, the future of the Kosovo Serbs that seem to be most important. These are the issues. Somehow, that group that in my view are very important have somehow been put to the sidelines for the wrong political reasons.

Mr. Ahtisaari is certainly sending very clear signals because during his stay here he will meet with the Kosovo Serbs. He will of course meet with the other minorities because what we are looking at here is a multi-ethnic Kosovo. There can be no other way forward. That is absolutely clear. But we need and Mr. Ahtisaari needs to hear directly from the Kosovo Serbs how they see their future. What are their concerns. What do they need to feel that they have a future. So, they are indeed a very important voice. I will not go into sides and parties, but much stronger focus by Belgrade not the least on the fate and future of the Kosovo Serbs is absolutely crucial. I must say here, let us not forget that there are other minorities also who certainly have a very important say and who also will meet with Mr. Ahtisaari.

Question: In case an agreement is not reached, would the international community impose a settlement?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: That question was already asked and as I said, it would be absolutely wrong of me a couple of hours before the process starts to speculate on how it will end. I said it already. Mr. Ahtisaari will now listen to all voices – Belgrade, Pristina, the minorities, etc. – to try to define what space that he has to come up with an agreement. After that, he will decide on how to move forward to see where the gap can be narrowed and then we will see how far he gets with that before we get into speculating on what the outcome will be?

Question: How can the UN, EU try to convince the Kosovans to be a multi-ethnic society bearing in mind the events in France in the last months, in the UK, The Netherlands, in Belgium, in Germany and other places proving that multi-ethnic society is not the future, and even in the United States?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: We are getting very philosophical now. What we have to convince people about and that’s where we have to start, on the human rights of people. I don’t think that – and by the way people as I understand it here have been living together before – but at this stage, I don’t think anybody expects that you will see a full integration again. But, you have to create the conditions so that people can at least live side by side. If I can make only one comment on the message from there to here -- it is that as long as a minority does not have access to rights and as long as the economic opportunities do not exist, as they don’t today in Kosovo, and therefore, exist neither for the majority nor for the minority, you evidently have a very serious source of instability. I know that one of the very first issues that Mr. Ahtisaari has focused on and will focus on is the economic viability and future of Kosovo because we all know that you bring ethnic groups, you bring communities together around the economy. Joint opportunities or separate opportunities, if you don’t have these economic opportunities, if you don’t have the access to rights, then you run into these kinds of problems. These are key issues that we are working on and it is not really up to Mr. Ahtisaari alone. What I do know is that the economic opportunities in Kosovo will not exist unless and until there is a clear status here. We have a lot of very interested investors waiting almost just around the corner. We have had a few big investors even in at stage. We will see more because there is considerable potential here. But, it requires guarantees for investment and guarantees means status.

Question: Do you think Mr. Ahtisaari is coming with a magic stick because the international community over the last six years has not managed to solve the issue of protection of the minorities nor the problem of decentralization, nor of Mitrovica? Do you expect that all these problems will be resolved in the next 7 months? Mr. Solana said during his last visit that he would like to see many more decentralization projects implemented, which would provide the avenue for the establishment of institutions for the Serb minority.

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: I personally think that we need clarity on status to clear the minds of people. It is a fact that Kosovo Albanians are very worried about a return to the past and it is a fact that the Kosovo Serbs are very worried about the future. Clarifying status will clear minds and I believe will open up for the kind of progress that we need to see. We are getting very little movement from the Kosovo Albanians on decentralization because the concern is that decentralization is a cover for the division of Kosovo. And, we are getting very little cooperation from the Kosovo Serbs because they have been told by Belgrade not to engage and also, they are worried to engage at this stage where they do not know what the future will be. It is only by clarifying the future that you can really address that fear on both sides. The moment that is clear, we will see a much stronger engagement, both on the part of the Kosovo Albanians in creating the real decentralization; the kind of decentralization that the minorities would need to feel assured. I also have to say that many of the Kosovo Serbs with clarity on status would take a decision that their future lies here. I certainly hope, believe that it does. It is very important and with such to start engaging in working together. I believe that only status can overcome those fears that are right now holding both those communities back.

Question: How involved would you be in Mr. Ahtisaari’s team? Secondly, when you referred to “crazy people” you said that some want to accelerate, the others want to block it. Logically speaking, one of them would succeed if they started using violence, wouldn’t they?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: Yes, but not through applying the means of violence because we talked about the risk of violence. Anybody who engages in violence in such a situation is a crazy person and if you say they would succeed, but I would say they would not through the use of violence. That is what I meant.

Let me make it clear that I will not be a part of Mr. Ahtisaari’s team. It is not the role of UNMIK to be on a team deciding on the status of Kosovo. Our role, and I referred to in my opening remarks, my responsibility is to facilitate the process leading to talks on the status and we are at that point now. But, while this is going on there are a lot of things that still need to be done. The PISG needs to work much harder on progress in Standards implementation so I will be supporting the PISG, but also pushing for further progress. Decentralization needs to move forward. So we have to get that moving and that requires action both on the PISG side and the engagement of Kosovo Serbs and of Belgrade. In that connection, we will continue pushing for a dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. Mr. Ahtisaari has already told me that he finds it very important that at the same time as he conducts the status process that we try to move on various agendas, including direct dialogue in the working groups on energy, missing persons, returns, transport; we continue on collaboration around church reconstruction, but also that there is a political dialogue, for example, a follow-up to the Vienna meeting on decentralization. So these are all agenda points where UNMIK will continue playing a very important role and I will continue playing that role.

We are also now embarking on discussions on future arrangements. What follows after 1244. It is very likely that the new authorities in Kosovo, whoever they may be, the first thing they will do is ask for a continued international presence of international institutions such as the European Union, OSCE, KFOR, NATO, and we are now involved in discussions with those institutions on future arrangements without prejudging the outcome to make sure they are ready. So, we have a lot of things to do while Mr. Ahtisaari conducts the status process.

Question: What if minorities are represented only in the working groups and not in the high-level talks? Do you have the authority to impose that the Negotiations Team includes non-Serb minorities?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: The decision that the Negotiations Team took last Friday to establish a consultative council with the minorities is a step forward. They need to take more steps and I will continue urging them to do so, but I would certainly like to think that the decision taken last Friday is because we in the international community have constantly urged the Negotiations Team to be inclusive. They have now taken the first step. I know that Mr. Ahtisaari will also be making that point. He needs to know that he is listening to all the voices. I will continue urging that. We will see how this proceeds. I hope that urging the inclusiveness and involvement of the minorities would be enough so that we don’t get in the situation where I have the authority to impose. I have been trying to achieve these results through other means. And, I think they have taken a decision now which is a step in the right direction. It is not enough, but there is still time.

Question: You have been working quite long in the Balkans and are aware that there have been problems between Serbs and other ethnic groups. Do you think there is a formula to find way to solve the problem between Serbs and others living in the region? How can you make Belgrade understand that they cannot achieve anything by fighting other people living in the region?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: In my view, there are two words, European integration. The integrated Europe brought together parties that had been fighting almost as much as to what you’re now referring and who are now sitting around the table in a very constructive way. The only way to overcome the divisions of the past is through unity in the future in and around the European Union; getting a clear message here that that’s where the future lies. That is why I thought it was so encouraging with recent positive developments on Croatia, on Macedonia and now on Serbia and Montenegro because it clearly sends a message also to other parts of this region and I believe that’s the only way to move forward and leave the past behind.

Question: What international precedents does Mr. Ahtisaari have to draw on when he looks at the status of Kosovo or is Kosovo a unique question?

SRSG Jessen-Petersen: It is fair to say that there is no similar situation that is completely comparable to the one here. In that way it is unique. But evidently, you do draw lessons and experiences from other settlements and you take bits from here and there. I believe that when a man with the experience of Mr. Martti Ahtisaari who has been involved in many conflict resolutions over the last many years, I’m sure he takes bits of the experience from here and there. As I say, I’ve know Mr. Ahtisaari for over 20 years. I’ve worked very closely with him on a number of these issues. So, I know how he operates and I certainly know that the experience he has will also be used here. Even if this situation is in many ways unique.


OSCE om Parlamentet og den sikkerhedsmæssige situation. OSCE har udsendt Ambassadør Werner Wnendt's tale:

PARLIAMENTARY OVERSIGHT OF THE SECURITY SECTOR

18 November 2005

Dear Professor Daci and Members of the Assembly of Kosovo,

I would like to begin by thanking you for your participation in this roundtable – welcome. Let me also express my gratitude to the Centre for Democratic Control of the Armed Forces (DCAF) for making this event possible.

It is a great pleasure and honour for me to address you at such an important time. Indeed, Kosovo is at s crossroads. As the status talks are about to start, their outcome will also decisively influence the future structure of Kosovo’s security sector.

Irrespective of the outcome of the talks, Kosovo’s security structure must be transparent, democratic, accountable and under civilian control. To ensure this, UNMIK recently launched the Internal Security Sector Review (ISSR) in close cooperation with DCAF.

Human security does not only depend on the strength of security forces, but it is also directly related to the protection of human rights, the effective promotion of the rule of law, economic development and good governance. Therefore the Internal Security Sector Review process aims to design the future security architecture of Kosovo through broad consultation and involvement of all actors within society.

Above all, it is Kosovo’s people that have a stake in Kosovo’s political stability, prosperity and security. Consequently, the people’s concerns and interests must be the basis for the development of the security sector.

The ISSR had the first of a series of Consultative Group meetings on November 10. This allows for the direct participation of different key actors, including civil society groups, the PISG, UNMIK, community leaders and political parties.

To extend the local ownership of the process, consultations will also be held on the municipal level. Yet it is also essential that you, the peoples’ representatives, not only participate in the ISSR process, but moreover ensure a continuous, long-term oversight of the security sector in Kosovo.

Parliamentary oversight of the security sector is a new challenge for the Assembly of Kosovo. It will be an undertaking that will strengthen Kosovo’s governance and ensure accountability. It illustrates that security is provided for the people and controlled by the people, to the benefit of the society as a whole.

The security system cannot be the sole prerogative of the executive power but can and should be regulated by the legislature. Therefore, Members of the Assembly of Kosovo have to include security oversight in their core activities, whether during their constituency work, the legislative process, or in the framework of the budgetary cycle. This alone will permit the establishment and maintenance of a legitimate, transparent and accountable security sector.

To achieve this, the Assembly of Kosovo will require a high degree of institutional commitment and capacity. The quality of legislative oversight greatly depends on the competence and knowledge of the Assembly members. The OSCE Mission in Kosovo has sought to support and strengthen the Assembly of Kosovo since its establishment in numerous different areas.

Most recently we have helped to build the capacity of the Assembly’s Secretariat, reinforced the rules of procedures and supported the work of the committees. The improved procedures can help strengthen the ability of the Assembly members to hold ministers accountable for security policy.

In addition, the OSCE has, since its establishment, taken a special interest in reforming and building up the security sector. For example we provided extensive support in setting up, developing and training the Police Service and in strengthening the rule of law.

Today’s roundtable marks the first of a series of OSCE-sponsored activities aimed at enhancing the oversight capacity of the Assembly. I am confident that together with DCAF’s extensive regional understanding and knowledge of best practices, we can provide the necessary assistance to support the Assembly’s efforts.

Finally, let me conclude by underlining once more that the Assembly plays a key role in promoting the human security of the people of Kosovo. It is only by establishing an effective civilian control over the security sector that the long term stability and prosperity of Kosovo and the region can be guaranteed.

Thank you very much – I look forward to our continued co-operation.


Forholdet mellem medier og politi. OSCE har udsendt flg.:

PRISTINA, 23 November 2005 - In order to promote a better understanding of the rights and responsibilities of police and journalists and to enhance the professional relationship between them, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo has developed guidelines for each side to deal with the other.

The pocket-size, combined Police and Journalists' Guidelines will serve as a quick reference tool, informing the police about the rights and proper treatment of journalists and outlining for journalists their responsibilities in dealing with the police.

"Partnership between media and police is extremely important in many areas, including preventing, reporting, and solving crimes, and providing documentary data on actions by criminals and corrupt officials over time," said Horst Denecke, Acting Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo's Department of Democratization.

"All open democracies have functioning relationships between police and media, protected by law and supported by mutual co-operation and respect."

The principles contained in the guidelines are based in the Provisional Criminal Code of Kosovo, the Juvenile Justice Code, media code of conducts and the European Convention for Human Rights.

The OSCE Mission is currently organizing debates in regions with journalists and officers of the Kosovo Police Service (KPS) to present the guidelines. Sessions have also been held during regular courses at the OSCE-run Police School and with regional KPS operational support units.

These guidelines are part of a larger effort of the OSCE Mission to improve police-media relations. The Mission will provide each police station and media outlet, as well as individual police officers and journalists, with the Police and Journalists' Guidelines.

In December, the Association of Independent Broadcast Media of Kosovo [AMPEK], will form a working group to take local ownership for the guidelines in 2006.

The guidelines are available in English, Albanian, Serbian and Turkish, and can be found on the OSCE Mission website at http://www.osce.org/kosovo [vist ikke pt.: 051124].




Foto: Armend Aqifi [billedet kan forstørres ved at klikke på det]


KFOR har holdt øvelse for at vise at man er der .... KFOR skriver:

“BALKAN HAWK” Exercise

By MAJ Jo Schöpf, PhD, AUT A

On October 5, KFOR Exercise “Balkan Hawk” was conducted at Camp Vrelo .

This exercise was to demonstrate KFOR readiness in dealing with potential conflict in Kosovo and to test the interoperability, sustainability and capabilities of its units. One of the exercise scenarios was in actively displayed the KFOR ability of crowd riot control. Impressively as troops to rapidly deploy and settle conflicts in order to maintain a safe and secure environment for Kosovo in accordance with UNSCR 1244. The exercise was in close cooperation between Kosovo Police Service (KPS), Multinational Specialized Unit (MSU), UNMIK-Police, KFOR Tactical Maneuver Battalion (KTM) and the German and Italian Operational Reserve Force (ORF) Battalion .

Approximately 400 peacekeepers took part in the operation designed to respond to riots or other violence that threatens to flare up in the province, run by the UN and NATO since Kosovo's 1998-1999 war. The exercise was in several steps. The scenario was based on a simulated demonstration against an International organization. The Danish and American soldiers who were acting as demonstrators were instructed to be violent and that the violence should escalate more and more. The demonstrators played their role very convincingly. Soon enough the headquarter was threatened. At this stage support was requested. Helicopters transported reinforcements from the Portuguese army as the KPS and KFOR soldiers attempted to keep a riot in check.

It is not easy to control actions with different units when a volatile situation exacerbates. During this exercise KFOR showed its capacity of command, control and interoperability with UNMIK-P and KPS. The operation was a clear example of NATO’s capacity to rapidly reinforce KFOR with highly competent, mobile, combat forces and effectiveness of KFOR multinational units.

"This is a warning for those who oppose to peace and stability in Kosovo that NATO is ready, willing and able to fulfill its mandate," said LTG Giuseppe Valotto, COMKFOR.


Ugerapport fra Dansk KFOR. Hærens Operative Kommando skriver (på http://www.hok.dk/):

Klargøring til vinter og skærpelse af kørselsreglerne

Uge 46 ved DANBN/KFOR 13. I denne uge faldt den første sne i Camp Olaf Rye. Ligeså fint dalede den ned hele fredagen og gav os en rigtig forsmag på vinterens kommen. Med vinteren bliver vejene endnu mere vanskelige at køre på og bataljonen har naturligvis fokus på færdselssikkerheden.

21-11-2005 kl. 13:21

Findes der "stille" uger?

"Det bliver en stille uge" sagde vi til hinanden mandag morgen, ovenpå en vel afsluttet Drenica Wide operation. Denne uge skulle anvendes til at repetere nogle af vores militære færdigheder, herunder skydning, fysisk træning og førstehjælp.

Panserinfanterikompagniet havde planlagt træning med vores franske kollegaer i imødegåelse af civile uroligheder og senere på ugen en fælles dag på skydebanen.

Men omstændighederne ville det anderledes. Brigaden skærpede fredag vores kørselsregler ud af lejren, så vi nu skal være to biler, når vi forlader Camp Olaf Rye. Bataljonen fortsætter derfor den intensive monitering af ansvarsområde, men indtil nu har alt været stille og roligt.

Oven i det blev vi så pålagt en opgave, som det måske kun er vores feltpræst der kan have indflydelse på. Det begyndte nemlig at sne, og bataljonen skal nu være klar til at hjælpe lokalbefolkningen med snerydning, i det tilfælde deres egne midler ikke rækker.

"COR BUSTERS"

Vores eget band i lejren har efter optræden som opvarmningsband for "Die Herren" i sidste uge haft stor efterspørgsel på arrangementer. Kun få dage efter bandets første optræden, blev de bestilt til et arrangement i f.m. den Belgisk Nationaldag. Så alle i bandet fik meget travlt, da de kun beherskede fem numre til fulde, men efter en ihærdig indsats kom op på 12 numre, inden koncerten tirsdag aften.

Der blev bestilt lydgrej, arrangeret transport, en lydmand og en elektronikmekaniker til at hjælpe med koncerten og om eftermiddagen blev scenen opsat og lydprøven gennemført.

Bandet kom tilbage til scenen ved 20 tiden, der var fejringen godt i gang, så COR BUSTERS fik en stjerne modtagelse, særligt vores sangerinde var de begejstrede for. De måtte spille flere numre igen, særligt "Born to be wild" og "Sweet home Alabama" var belgierne vilde med.

Bandet har fået stor respons fra forskellige nationer, som udtrykker deres glæde ved, at vi kan støtte deres velfærdsarrangementer ved at komme og spille for dem. Så det har uden tvivl god repræsentationsværdi for den danske bataljon, at vi bruger ressourcer på at spille for de andre nationer i missionsområdet.

Venskabskamp mod lokalt Kosovo Serbisk fodboldhold.

Lige før frostgraderne sætter ind, lykkedes det bataljonen at arrangere en fodboldkamp mod det lokale hold fra Zubin Potok.

Det var første gang, at bataljonen havde samlet et fælles hold for at udfordre et af de lokale hold. Det lokale hold er halvtids professionelle, da de er på lønningslisten hos kommunen.

De træner fem gange om ugen og spiller med i den bedste serbiske liga. Heldigvis stillede modstanderne ikke op i stærkeste opstilling. Det kunne godt ses hos de danske soldater, at det var første gang de spillede sammen på en stor bane.

Kampivreren fejlede ikke noget, men fodboldtimingen efter tre måneder i Kosovo lod en del tilbage. Kampen blev afviklet i en god atmosfære og med et beskedent nederlag på 4-2 til bataljonen. Efter kampen blev der drukket en sodavand i modstandernes omklædningsrum. Fodboldkampen er endnu et tegn på, at bataljonen har et godt forhold til civilbefolkningen her i Kosovo.

KFOR øjne og ører.

Liaison Monitoring Team (LMT) er med i forreste række, når det gælder kontakten til lokalbefolkningen og de lokale myndigheder. LMT opgaver er mangeartede og spændende.

F.eks. har LMT i den forgangne uge været guide for et marokkansk lægehold, deltaget i sikkerhedsmøde i Zubin Potok kommune og spillet hockey med lokale skolebørn, bare for at nævne nogle få af dem.

Vores geografiske arbejdsområde er udpræget bjergområde varierende fra ca. 650 m op til ca. 1750 meter over havet på det højeste sted, og vejnettet består i stor udstrækning af smalle svært fremkommelige jordveje.

Det samlede befolkningstal i Zubin Potok kommune er ca. 16.000 og de er fordelt på 335 kvadratkilometer (arealet svarer nogenlunde til øen Mors).

Én af LMT opgaver er at identificere mulige problemområder og heriblandt også sundhedsmæssige problemer. LMT blev derfor en naturlig guide, da et marokkansk lægehold besøgte området for at yde støtte til nogle fjerntliggende landsbyer og områder, hvor kommunens normale sundhedsberedskab har svært ved at nå ud, da de kun råder over ganske få terrængående køretøjer.

Ni personer blev behandlet for diverse lidelser. En gammel mand fik konstateret behov for neurologisk behandling og LMT forsøger i skrivende stund at skabe de nødvendige kontakter med henblik på hans videre behandling.

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ØST KOSÓVA / PRESEVO-DALEN / SYD-SERBIEN


For nemheds skyld bruges betegnelsen Øst Kosóva / Presevo-dalen om det omstridte område med byerne: Presheva, Medvegja og Bujanoci (Albansk stavemåde). Ca. 75 % af befolkningen skønnes at være etniske Albanere - måske omkring 70.000. En modstandsgruppe har været i funktion, men synes nu at være »lukket ned«. Gruppen kaldtes i forkortet form UCPMB (som står for noget i retning af: Ushtria Clirimtare e Presheva, Medvegja dhe Bujanoci; på Engelsk: Liberation Army of Presheva, Medvegja and Bujanoci). Gruppen sagde at den intet havde at gøre med Kosova's UCK, og at den var en lokal gruppe.

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ALBANIEN




Klik på kortet, hvis du vil have det forstørret / click http://bjoerna.dk/kort/Albanien.gif to enlarge it


Info fra Albaniens Statistik: Befolkningstal: 3,1 Mio (1.1.2004). GDP (Gross Domestic Product): 630 Mia Lek (2002, current prices); GDP-structure: Agriculture: 26 %, Industry 10-11 %, Construction: 7-8 %, Services: 55-56 %. Export: 54 mia lek (2003) [heraf til Danmark: 23 mio lek; størrelsesorden 1,2 mio kr], Import: 226 mia lek (2003) [Heraf fra Danmark: 855 mio lek; størrelsesorden: 45-50 mio kr], Tradedeficit: 171 mia lek (2003). Største import fra Italien (75 mia lek) og Grækenland (45 mia lek), største eksport til Italien (40 mia lek). Unemployment: 14-15 % (2004-III)





Det Engelske Udenrigsministeriums 'Country Advice' til rejsende kan findes på adressen: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618385522. Det Danske UM har pt ingen rejsevejledning, men henviser til det Engelske UM. Den Norske Ambassade kan findes på: http://www.norvegji.org/. Det Amerikanske UM har Juni 2004 offentliggjort en 'Background Note' om Albanien: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3235.htm


Mother Teresa: http://bjoerna.dk/albanien/Teresa.htm.


Præsident Moisiu's aktiviteter [Billederne i denne sektion kan som regel forstørres ved at klikke på dem (mens man er på nettet)]:

Præsidenten har haft besøg af en ODIHR-delegation i forbindelse med udsendelsen af den afsluttende rapport om valget i Juli 2005 - se »Sidste Nyt fra Albanien, Kosóva og Makedonien« # 281

     

2' billede fra venstre: OSCE-Ambassadør i Tirana Pavel Vacek, Leder af ODIHR-Missionen i Albanien 2005: Jørgen Grunnet og Direktør Christian Strohal.


Præsidentkontoret har udsendt flg.:

November 18, 2005 10.30

The President of the Republic, Alfred Moisiu received today in the morning the ODHIR Director, Ambassador Strohal and the delegation that he heads.

The talks on this occasion focused on issues that have to do with the electoral process in the future, on the ways and means so the evidenced problems during the previous elections would not be repeated anymore.

President Moisiu, pointing out that the July 3 elections, which marked a step ahead and were free and democratic, but not entirely fair, stated that the work already must be focused on the preparation for the future electoral processes, for whom the time is relatively short. Referring to the problems evidenced lately in the ODHIR report, the Head of State emphasized that the requirement for amendments in the Electoral Code must keep in mind to have a maximal consensus of the political forces and in this framework underlined the gathering soon of a round table of the parliamentarian parties and the suggestion of founding a group of specialists in the Parliament with a wider representation and not only of the two main parties.

Also, Mr. Moisiu continued with the issue of the Voters’ Register, with the urgent need for identity cards. The Head of State pointed out that the Socialist Movement for Integration and the Movement for National Development have been damaged by the previous electoral process and stated firmly that the Mega Dushk phenomenon will not be repeated anymore. Mr. Moisiu stated that the political forces must be heard about their complains and propositions.

Ambassador Strohal, congratulating the Head of State for the conclusion of the electoral process and the peaceful rotation of power, expressed the praise for the special role of the President in this and called the Code of Conduct an achievement. Mr. Strohal supported the view of President Moisiu that time is limited until the next local elections and the personal initiative of the Head of State as very important for the beginning of the work.

Mr. Strohal was willing to support the improvement of the electoral process, which according to him must be inclusive for the Albanian political forces to be considered as an Albanian process, but never with the Mega Dushk or even the Dushk phenomenon. There are the Albanian themselves who will chose their electoral system.

Regarding the voters’ register, Mr. Strohal made known their proposition for a group of experts that will arrive in our country next week and stated that the work done for the registration must continue. The ODHIR Director stressed that the upcoming electoral process will be observed and attended by the international community, which expects the further improvement of the electoral system.


OSCE/ODIHR har udsendt flg.:

OSCE/ODIHR Director calls for an inclusive discussion on changes to Albanian election process

TIRANA, 18 November 2005 - Ambassador Christian Strohal, Director of the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, today stressed the need for Albania to take full charge of any discussion and decisions aimed at improving the country's electoral system.

Together with Jorgen Grunnet, the Head of the recently concluded OSCE/ODIHR Election Observation Mission, he was in Albania for two days following the release of the Final Election Observation Report on the election held in July.

During meetings with President Alfred Moisiu, Prime Minister Sali Berisha, Assembly Speaker Jozefina Topalli, Central Election Commission Chairman Ilirjan Celibashi, and the Chairman of the Socialist Party, Edi Rama, the OSCE/ODIHR delegation heard comment on the conclusions and recommendations of the report, and discussed ways of further improving the electoral process.

"Albania is faced with a number of fundamental choices, which no one else can make on its behalf," said Ambassador Strohal. "These concern in particular the need to remove the possibility for distortion of the principle of proportionality. We strongly believe in Albanian ownership of such a process, which should be both politically inclusive and efficient."

The ODIHR Director welcomed the readiness of the political actors he met to undertake constructive discussions, as well as the initiative of the President to launch a roundtable discussion on this matter.

"ODIHR and the OSCE Presence in Albania are prepared to assist with technical expertise, once these fundamental choices are made," said Strohal.

He welcomed the intention of the Government to proceed with an ambitious project on improving the civil registration system, adding that such endeavour would require both a long-term commitment and sizeable resources, in order to have a fully functional system ahead of the 2009 parliamentary elections, while continuing efforts to improve the voter lists for the local government elections.

The OSCE Presence in Albania, together with the OSCE/ODIHR, is ready to support this undertaking, first in assessing the needs and drafting a realistic plan.


PM Sali Berisha's aktiviteter: [Billederne i denne sektion kan som regel forstørres ved at klikke på dem (mens man er på nettet)]


Også PM Berisha har haft besøg af Christian Strohal, ODIHR. Her ses de på et pressemøde:

   


PM Berisha har haft besøg af George Soros. Den Albanske PMs Informationskontor skriver:

18/11/2005

Prime Minister Sali Berisha had on Friday a meeting with the founder of SOROS Foundation, Mr. George Soros. Mr. Berisha appraised the role and assistance given by SOROS foundation during these years in Albania. Whilst Mr. Soros appraised the program of the new government, saying, “This is a prosperous beginning of the work of the government”.

During the meeting, Mr Berisha and Mr. Soros talked also about the commitment of the government about “brain gaining” project. Mr. Berisha said that the aim of his government is to return to Albania the people who are educated abroad. Mr. Soros showed interest for this project and assured Mr. Berisha that he will give his assistance to support the project.

Mr. Berisha and Mr. Soros talked also about the initiatives of the government for the fight against corruption. The Prime Minister pointed out that the government will make every endeavor to establish a functional and non-corrupted government.


Tirana har kåret George Soros som æresborger. Se: http://see.oneworld.net/article/view/122622/1/


PM Berisha har fået et lykønskningstelegram fra den Græske PM Karamanlis i anledning af den forestående Albanske nationaldag Den Albanske PMs Informationskontor skriver:

Prime Minister Sali Berisha received congratulations form the Greek Prime Minister, Kostas Karamanlis for the national day of Albania:

“On the occasion of the national day of your country, I would like to send my best and warm congratulations for prosperity, success and happiness to the people of the Republic of Albania”.




Sali Berisha har haft besøg af den Svenske Ambassadør Staffan Wrigstad (der residerer i Rom).


Sali Berisha har holdt tale om emigration/immigration og minoritetsproblemer. Overskriften var omtrent: Immigranterne er Europa's minoriteter i dag [teksten haves pt kun på Albansk]:



Emigracionet janë minoritetet e sotme të Europës

E konsideroj një privilegj të madh, por ndjej dhe një emocion shumë pozitiv që më jepet t'ju përshëndes Ju, përfaqësuesve të parlamenteve të vendeve anëtare të Organizatës të Bashkimit Ekonomik të Detit të Zi.

Si një pjesëmarrës në themelimin e kësaj organizate vite më parë në Stamboll, shpreh kënaqësinë time më të madhe për progresin, kontributin që Asambleja Parlamentare për Bashkëpunimin Ekonomik në Rajonin e Detit të Zi, që bashkon kombe, të cilat me gjithë diversitetin e tyre janë të lidhur në mënyrë aktive me të shkuarën e tyre historike, kombe që pavarësisht nga dallimet, me histori janë kombe rrënjëgjatë, kanë jetuar në mënyrë të përsëritur me njëri-tjetrin nën një çati dhe sërish kanë si ëndërr që të bashkohen në një iniciativë të përbashkët. Pra, kombe që janë pjesë e finalitetit territorial të Bashkimit Europian.

Asambleja Parlamentare e Nismës së Detit të Zi gjatë këtyre viteve ka dhënë një kontribut shumë të çmuar në zhvillimin, konsolidimin, mbrojtjen e parimeve dhe idealeve për të cilat kjo nismë u themelua: rritjen e bashkëpunimit midis kombeve tona, paqen dhe stabilitetin, prosperitetin e rajonit.

Ju duhet të ndjeheni krenarë për kontributin e madh që keni dhënë në zgjerimin e mirëkuptimit, në zgjerimin e bazës legale të bashkëpunimit ekonomik, në përpjekjet tuaja për zhvillimin ekonomik, zhvillimin e turizmit, luftën kundër krimit ekonomik dhe terrorizmit. Unë mendoj se përpjekjet e Asamblesë kanë patur një ndikim real në këtë rajon.

Sot jemi këtu për të trajtuar një nga problemet më të mprehta dhe të dhimbshme të kohës: emigracionin. Për shumë shkaqe, ky rajon është dhe prodhues kryesor i emigracionit në pjesë të tjera të kontinentit dhe të botës.

Është një detyrim madhor i qeverisë shqiptare dhe i të gjitha qeverive që të bëjnë çdo përpjekje që pasuritë përrallore të vendeve tona, resurset e jashtëzakonshme që këto vende disponojnë, të shndërrohen në pasuri të qytetarëve të tyre, jo të prodhojnë emigrantë, por në të kundërt, të punësojnë të tjerë, përveç qytetarëve të tyre. Dhe këtu, parlamentet kanë një rol të madh me kontrollin që u bëjnë qeverive dhe veprimtarive të tyre. Unë ju siguroj se do të bëjmë çdo përpjekje për të ulur maksimalisht fluksin e emigracionit dhe për të kthyer valën në të kundërt, për të tërhequr emigrantët shqiptarë nga vende të tjera, në mënyrë që ata të vijnë të investojnë, të pasurohen dhe të punësojnë familjet e tyre në Shqipëri. E konsideroj të domosdoshme që bashkërisht të qëndrojmë për të drejtat e emigrantëve aty ku ndodhen.

Emigracionet janë minoritetet e sotme të Europës. Ne duhet të qëndrojmë fuqishëm bashkërisht në këtë koncept. Historia e minoriteteve nuk është vetëm historia e ndarjes territoriale, por është histori zhvendosjesh masash njerëzore. Dhe ky është fakt i pamohueshëm.

Askush nuk mund të thotë se 2 milionë turq në Gjermani apo disa milionë të tjerë në Francë, apo miliona të tjerë në vende të tjera nuk meritojnë të konsiderohen minoritet.

Unë kam patur fatin të jem anëtar i delegacionit shqiptar në Asamblenë Parlamentare të Këshillit të Europës. Me kolegët e mi në Komisionin e Ligjeve kemi punuar shumë në këtë kontekst. Ne duhet të punojmë dhe duhet të qëndrojmë, sepse problemi i emigracionit merr zgjidhjen vetëm atëherë kur ata të fitojnë të gjitha të drejtat e minoriteteve që u takojnë, në vendet ku punojnë dhe jetojnë.

Nuk është koha, nuk mund të jetë mosha një kriter për të gëzuar të drejta. Jo, të drejtat janë universale, ndaj dhe unë ftoj këtë Asamble që në një dialog konstruktiv me Asamblenë Parlamentare të Këshillit të Europës, Asamblenë Parlamentare të OSBE, Parlamentin Europian, Kongresin e SHBA të bëjë përpjekjet më të mëdha, në mënyrë që qytetarët e shkëputur nga vendet tona të gëzojnë dhe ata, në përputhje me konventat ndërkombëtare, të gjitha liritë dhe të drejtat që u takojnë.

Unë kam besim se PABSEC-u do të kryesojë këtë nismë, e cila çfarëdo hezitimi që mund të krijojë, në fund të fundit në ligjin ndërkombëtar është plotësisht e bazuar.

Duke ju uruar suksese, shpreh bindjen time se kauzën, idealet dhe parimet për të cilat u themelua Nisma e Detit të Zi, Ju do ta çoni gjithnjë e më përpara.


Albansk-undervisning for emigrantbørn i bl.a. Grækenland. ADN skriver:

Education and Science Minister, Genc Pollo guaranteed that Albanian government will give priority to teaching Albanian language and culture to Albanian children in Greece, Italy, etc in cooperation with the authorities of these countries. Minister Pollo received in his office the representatives of "Mother Tereza", the Albanian emigrant association in Thessalonika, which has opened courses for learning Albanian language in Thessalonika, on its own initiative.


Forholdene for de Albanske Immigranter i Grækenland, se: http://bjoerna.net/sidste-nyt/280.htm


Møde i Udenrigsudvalget i det Albanske Parlament om det Albansk-Græske forhold. ADN skriver:

The Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs discussed on Tuesday the issue concerning the properties of Cham population. The visit of the Director for Southeastern Europe Countries in the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Michael Christitidis, who was present in the meeting of the committee, accompanied by the Greek ambassador in Tirana, Carcabassis constituted the main reason for deliberating this issue.


Parlamentsvalget i 2005 [Præsidenten vælges af Parlamentet for 5 år, næste gang i 2007]: Se nærmere i: http://bjoerna.net/sidste-nyt/265.htm


Forestående demonstrationer mod den Demokratiske Regering. Makfax skriver:

The Albanian opposition Socialist Party unveiled plans for setting up massive anti-government protests across the country, Makfax reported from Tirana.

People are discontent with the activities of the PM Sali Berisha's Cabinet, who produced major problems for Albania in a matter of few months, pushing the country into chaos, the opposition said.

The fierce reactions ensued after prolongation of the energy crises, amid 10-hour power cuts in the cities, and 18-hour restrictions in the villages, despite the announced electricity imports.

"If the energy crises goes on, the protests are inevitable", said the leader of the Albanian socialists and incumbent Mayor of Tirana Edi Rama.

He accused Berisha's government of blocking the major construction projects aimed at improving the infrastructure in the capital out of sheer envy.

The Socialists' initiative for staging anti-government protests was accepted by the rest of the smaller opposition parties in Albania.


Finansloven forsinket? ADN skriver:

The draft-budget of 2006 should be approved by early December so that it enters into force by January next year. The deadline to introduce the next year’s draft-budget to the Parliament has expired. The deadline for the government to submit the document fell due since two days, being simultaneously the last deadline prescribed by the law on introduction of 2006 draft-budget to the Parliament.


Nye prioriteter på vej-området? ADN skriver:

The Prime Minister, Sali Berisha during a hearing session in the parliament required by the Socialist deputy, Gramoz Ruçi with regard to the project approved by the Socialist government on Fier-Tepelena road segment, stated that this project should be reviewed. Berisha said that the priorities of the government remain Lushnja-Vlora and Durres-Kosovo road segments, implying that Fier-Tepelena road segment is not among the government's priorities.


   

Istvàn P. Szèkely (Mission Chief) og K. Ann-Margret Westin (Resident Representative) [skjult på billede 2] hos PM Berisha


Den Albanske økonomi. Samarbejdet mellem Albanien og IMF. BoA (Bank of Albania) og IMF har udsendt flg.:

BANK OF ALBANIA

OFFICE OF THE IMF RESIDENT REPRESENTATIVE IN ALBANIA

PRESS RELEASE

Statement by IMF staff at the conclusion of PRGF - EFF negotiation mission to Albania, on November 21, 2005

An IMF mission visited Tirana during November 7-21, 2005, to conduct discussions on a new 3-year arrangement. The mission reached understanding with the authorities on economic policies for 2006–08 necessary to maintain macroeconomic stability, enhance growth potential, reduce vulnerabilities, and strengthen government solvency. Monetary policy targets are set to promote continued price stability, while the medium-term fiscal program strikes a balance between reducing public debt and increasing growth-enhancing and poverty-reducing expenditure. The mission also reached understanding on key reform measures in tax and customs administrations, public debt management, public expenditure management, and financial market development. Despite a temporary decline in 2005-06 because of electricity shortages, economic growth is projected to return to about 6 percent in the medium term if these policies are implemented. The proposed arrangement is to be discussed by the IMF Executive Board in early 2006.

Macroeconomic framework. Real GDP growth is projected to decline to 5 percent in 2006, from an estimated 5½ percent this year, reflecting the impact of electricity shortage. However, as the shortage is gradually eliminated, real GDP growth is expected to return to 6 percent in subsequent years, reinforced by increasing investment spurred by expected improvements in the business climate. With savings expected to grow more rapidly than public and private investment, the external current account balance is projected to gradually improve.

Fiscal program and the 2006 budget. The medium-term fiscal program strikes a balance between reducing public debt and increasing growth-enhancing and poverty-reducing public expenditures. Domestic government borrowing will be reduced to 2.4 percent of GDP by 2008 from an estimated 2.8 percent this year, resulting in a moderate decline in public debt relative to GDP by the end of the program. The 2006 draft budget is based on conservative revenue projections that include no immediate gain from tax administration measures. Furthermore, it contains significant contingent expenditure, about ¾ percent of GDP, which can be released in the second half of the year if revenue trends are in line with projections. In case of sustainable revenue over performance due to, for example, gains from improved tax administration and/or higher-than-planned privatization receipts, the government, in consultation with the IMF, plans to submit a supplementary budget to parliament in the second half of the year.

Monetary program. The current monetary policy framework, with quantitative targets for reserve money and with the repurchase rate as the main policy instrument, will be retained. Targets within this framework are set to maintain inflation within the Bank of Albania (BoA)’s target range of 2-4 percent. The current monetary policy stance is appropriate. The BoA, however, should closely follow inflation and wage developments, and take the necessary steps if the cost push in the economy stemming from electricity shortages starts translating into second round effects on consumer prices. Private sector credit is expected to continue to increase rapidly as financial intermediation deepens and the business climate improves. While this is a welcome development, prudential regulation, bank supervision, and the framework for the execution of collateral will need to be further strengthened to minimize associated risks to financial system stability.

Revenue administration. A major objective of the planned new program is to reshape revenue collection agencies into modern organizations relying on self-assessment and voluntary compliance through simple and transparent procedures and vigorous enforcement. The authorities and IMF staff have agreed that measures in this area will be guided by the recommendations of a recent IMF technical assistance mission, and will address key governance concerns and operational and administrative deficiencies. Tax collection efforts will be refocused on the large taxpayer office (LTO). Other reforms will promote efficiency and enhance governance at the General Department of Taxation, and ensure further implementation of the ASYCUDA system and better utilization of its risk-assessment module.

Public expenditure and debt management. With assistance from development partners, the government will pursue measures to raise the quality, efficiency, and productivity of public expenditure, and create room for additional public investment and priority spending, including in health care and education. The institutional framework for evaluating and prioritizing public investment projects will also be strengthened and independent feasibility studies will be conducted for any large project financed by nonconcessional borrowing. A main goal of the new program will be to improve public debt management. Weak institutional capacity in this area and the short average maturity of domestic public debt make public finances vulnerable to financial market shocks. To address these problems, the government will develop a comprehensive reform program based on the findings of an IMF technical assistance mission tentatively scheduled for early 2006.

Financial market reform. Reforms in the financial sector will be guided by the recent IMF-World Bank FSAP report. In particular, measures will aim to improve financial intermediation and supervisory capacities, most importantly in the insurance and private pension sectors, further reduce the share of cash payments in the economy, and promote greater efficiency in the financial sector. While still maintaining the treasury-bill window at the Bank of Albania, the authorities will take measures to eliminate cash payments for treasury bills. To complete the process of privatization in banking, preparations to divest the remaining state minority interests in two commercial banks will be accelerated.

Energy sector. Measures, including the introduction of new procurement rules, have been taken in recent weeks to increase electricity imports. An audit of KESH is under way and, in collaboration with the World Bank and other donors, an updated Power Sector Action Plan for 2006-08 is being prepared. However, further efforts are needed to reverse the deterioration in the performance of KESH. In this context, the authorities will also take measures to strengthen the payment discipline of budgetary institutions, including a prompt reconciliation and settlement of outstanding 2005 electricity bills and the installation of electricity meters in all budgetary institutions by mid-2006.

Structural conditionality. The authorities agreed to take three measures prior to the IMF Executive Board meeting on the proposed program: passing a 2006 budget that is in line with the agreed fiscal targets, strengthening the large taxpayer office, and approving an action plan for tax administration reform. Moreover, structural performance criteria and benchmarks, focusing on key structural measures, are set to promote steady implementation of reforms.

The mission would like to thank the authorities for their close cooperation and warm hospitality.

Istvàn P. Szèkely (Mission Chief) / K. Ann-Margret Westin (Resident Representative)


Anholdelser. Statspolitiet skriver:



The first 15 days of November, police officers captured 53 persons declared as wanted

18.11.2005 During November, State Police services have intensified their efforts to detect the whereabouts and capture the persons declared as wanted. During the first 15 days of November police officers captured and brought in front of justice 53 persons charged for different crimes. Police officers have been placing attention on the persons declared as wanted charged for severe penal acts.

Gathering the right information from police structures in close co-operation with the community in this direction about the whereabouts of these persons has influenced positively to achieve these data.

Due to the measures taken, police officers arrested 19 persons declared wanted charged for crimes against the individuals. 7 of these had been searched, charged for murder, 7 others had been searched, charged for tentative to murder, 3 others searched for wounding and 2 others declared wanted charged for such crimes as threatening to murder or other severe injuries on the persons.

In the field of organised crime, police officers captured 13 persons declared as wanted; 8 of them for penal acts for the economical-financial crime; 3 of these for crimes in the field of drugs and 2 others for crimes in the field of trafficking in human beings.

At the meantime, police officers captured 8 persons declared wanted charged for crimes against assets; 1 of them had been declared wanted charged for robbery; 6 of them charged for burglary and 1 of them charged for fraudulence.

Besides the persons above, police officers arrested 8 persons charged for infringing the public order and safety, and 5 persons charged for mild penal acts.

Central National Office, Interpol Tirana, in co-operation with the other countries’ police structures extradited 2 persons searched for on international level charged for murder. Police officers managed to capture in Germany the so wanted persons Damiano Toshi.

State Police structures will place their attention to bring in front of justice the persons declared as wanted charged for different penal acts. This priority is a very important factor in preventing criminality.

State Police thanks the community for the contribution offered and call on it to further co-operate with police structures in this direction by guarantying anonymity.


List of the persons captured during the 15 first days of November who had been declared as wanted:


Organised crime

1. Arjan Haqif Krrashi, 24, declared as wanted, charged for trafficking of women for sexual exploitation;

2. Ideal Bajram Dervishi, 53, declared as wanted, charged for giving help to the others in order to pass the border illegally;

3. David Ibrahim Davide, 32, declared as wanted, charged for trafficking of narcotic plants;

4. Halil Xhemal Hoti, 40, declared as wanted, charged for trafficking of narcotic plants;

5. Petrit Muharrem Muçaj, 51, declared as wanted, charged for cultivation of narcotic plants;

6. Ardian Rexhep Dapi, 31, declared as wanted, charged for forfeiting documents;

7. Valmir Muhamet Kaloti, 35, charged for forfeiting documents;

8. Ervin Ferid Sula, 29, charged for forfeiting the civil state’s acts;

9. Naim Ramiz Kasemaj, 45, declared as wanted, charged for forfeiting documents.

10. Klevis Zef Hasaj, 20, declared as wanted, charged for forfeiting documents;

11. Sotir Qemal Balliu, 52, declared as wanted, charged for forfeiting documents;

12. Luce Nikolle Koliqi, 54, declared as wanted, charged for forfeiting documents.

13. Ylli Elez Aliaj, 36, declared as wanted, charged for forfeiting documents.


Crimes against the person

14. Besnik Mark Doda, 23, declared as wanted, charged for first degree murder.

15. Ludovik Pashuk Gjoleka, 25, declared as wanted, charged for first degree murder.

16. Riza Nuri Hoxha, 42, declared as wanted, charged for first degree murder.

17. Dashamir Zef Zefi, 36, declared as wanted, charged for first degree.

18. Domart Besnik Konjari, 32, declared as wanted, charged for first degree.

19. Endrit Mensur Dokle, 22, declared as wanted, charged for first degree.

20. Resul Myzafer Xhaferri, 48, declared as wanted, charged for murder.

21. Albert Selman Visha, 28, declared as wanted, charged for murder remained in tentative.

22. Arben Gjin Shquti, 34, declared as wanted, charged for murder remained in tentative.

23. Ilirian Balil Liçe, 27, declared as wanted, charged for murder remained in tentative.

24. Edlir Jakup Balliu, 34, declared as wanted, charged for murder remained in tentative.

25. Gjelosh Gjokë Mernaçaj , 70, declared as wanted, charged for murder remained in tentative.

26. Ilirian Balil Liçe, 27, declared as wanted, charged for murder remained in tentative.

27. Petrit Gjokë Lekndreaj, 30, declared as wanted, charged for murder in collaboration and remained in tentative..

28. Maringlen Romeo Agolli, 22, declared as wanted, charged for wounding intentionally.

29. Maksim Kozma Gjermeni, 46, declared as wanted, charged for wounding intentionally.

30. Xhevahir Shaban Karaj, 49, declared as wanted, charged for wounding intentionally.

31. Ludovik Gaspër Kaçi, 44, declared as wanted, charged for wounding intentionally.

32. Qemal Ahmet Ramaj, 26, declared as wanted, charged for other wounding.


Crimes against assets

33. Saimir Ramazan Hasa, 30, charged for robbing with the gun.

34. Hena Tare Goga, 45, declared as wanted, charged for robbery.

35. Roland Isuf Kavaja, 41, declared as wanted, charged for robbery.

36. Shkëlqim Baftjar Runa, 28, declared as wanted, charged for robbery.

37. Sokol Safet Ziu, 24, declared as wanted, charged for robbery.

38. Flamur Haxhi Fejzo, 26, charged for robbery.

39. Altin Agim Korani, 28, declared as wanted, charged for robbery.

40. Hajdar Maliq Mustaku, 72, declared as wanted, charged for hooking electricity or telephonic impulses.


Penal act that damage the public order and safety

41. Hasan Bajram Hoxha, 22, declared as wanted, charged for “illegal arms bearing” and “damaging the public order and safety”.

42. Rustem Hysen Buza, 41, declared as wanted, charged for illegal arms and military munitions bearing.

43. Tomorr Orhan Lulaj, 56, declared as wanted, charged for illegal arms and military munitions bearing.

44. Marash Pjetër Delia, 33, declared as wanted, charged for illegal arms bearing.

45. Bajram Ali Hoxha, 57, declared as wanted, charged for illegal arms bearing

46. Panajot Xhevat Doku, 28, declared as wanted, charged for self-judgement.

47. Asllan Xhemal Jangozi, 41, declared as wanted, charged for violating the road traffic rules.

48. Artur Gramoz Kuka, 21, declared as wanted, charged for violating the road traffic rules.


Other penal acts

49. Erjon Gani Troka, 23, declared as wanted, charged for desertion.

50. Veli Hajri Shele, 21, declared as wanted, charged for desertion.

51. Selman Gëzim Lika, 21, declared as wanted, charged for desertion.

52. Daut Avdi Zenunaj, 26, declared as wanted, charged for desertion.

53. Lulzim Murat Koçi, 38, declared as wanted, charged for cutting forests illegally.

General Directorate of State Police


Forsvarsministermøde i Skopje, Makedonien. Det Albansk Forsvarsministerium skriver:

November 16, 2005. From 14-15 November 2005, the Adriatic Charter Ministerial has been held in Skopje, Macedonia. The Albanian Minister of Defence Fatmir Mediu, Macedonian Minister of Defence Jovan Manasijevski, Secretary of State of Croatian Ministry of Defence Mate Raboteg and Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Flory have attended this event.

The Minister of Defence of Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia-Montenegro and an important representative from NATO have participated as observers. The Prime Minister of Macedonia Vllado Buckovski has greeted the participants and he also invited them for an intensification of collaboration and integration toward the integration in Euroatlantic structures of the A-3 members . During his speech, Albanian Minister of Defence Fatmir Mediu has said the integration process of Albania in NATO is general and the reforms done have the support of all the Albanian institutions, political subjects and Albanian citizens.

Thereafter, he said, Albania is determined to fulfill the required standards and to join NATO. We are working to realize a small active and well-trained army. The view of Albanian Government is always the same: to participate in different missions as in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and also to attend SEEBRIG, which will be dislocated in Kabul the next year.

The Minister Mediu has thanked the American Government for the constant support given to our AF in the way of the reformation process and he expressed his wish for a further collaboration with other members of Adriatic Charter. It will be the task for the realization of NATO integration in 2008.

The Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Flory and the Chief of the Office for the Defence Collaboration of NATO George Katsirdakis have also greeted the participants and thereafter, have appreciated the positive process in Balkan, the achievements of A-3 members and they also has expressed their support on the way of the integration.

During this Ministerial, the Minister Mediu have had bilateral meeting with the Macedonian homolog Manasijevski, Secretary of State of Croatian Ministry of Defence Raboteg, the Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Flory, Bulgarian, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia – Montenegro Ministers and also with the Chief of the Office for the Defence Collaboration of NATO.

In the end of this Ministerial, the participants have drawn and signed a Common Declaration, in which they engages in the intensification of the relations and also in the consolidation of the region security and stability.

The next meeting of the A-3 process will be the next year in Albania.


Havnesikkerhed. Amerikansk seminar. Den Amerikanske Ambassade skriver:

18 November 2005

U.S. Coast Guard Conducts Seminar on Port Security

A U.S. Coast Guard International Training Team, from Yorktown Virginia, completed today a Port Physical Security/Port Vulnerability Assessment Course with Albanian Port, Navy, Customs, and Police officers from Durrës. The week long course is part of U.S. Department of Homeland Security efforts to develop and enhance international partnerships to create a more secure global community.

The training was coordinated through the U.S. Embassy’s Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC), and International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP). The course will help to better protect the shipping industry by facilitating security improvements in Durrës and throughout Albania.

The Durrës hosts worked jointly with the U.S. Coast Guard personnel to evaluate overall compliance with the International Ship and Port Facility Security code, an international agreement. The U.S. Coast Guard International Port Security Program focuses on improving the security of vessels and port facilities that transport, stow, and handle cargo.


Om at betale sin el-regning. Den Amerikanske Ambassade skriver:

As a result of media reports on Tuesday, November 22, the U.S. Embassy learned that it was allegedly among the debtors to the Albanian Energy Corporation (KESH). It is the policy and practice of the U.S. Embassy to pay all its debts in a timely manner.

Part of the figure published in the press represents the most recent invoice, which is not yet due. The U.S. Embassy will pay this invoice as due. The remaining amount is the subject of ongoing discussions between the U.S. Embassy and KESH. We look forward to resolving this issue shortly.


Konference i Tirana om religiøs tolerance: fen@ skriver:

INTER-RELIGIOUS CONFERENCE FOR SOUTHEAST EUROPE

TIRANA, Nov 21 (FENA/KTA) – Inter-religious Conference for Southeast Europe on the topic “Improvement of Peace and Stability Through Regional Cooperation” was held in Tirana from 16 to 19 November.

Organizers of the conference were World Conference for Peace (WCRP) and NGO World Learning, while those who took part in the conference are representatives of Islamic community, Orthodox Church, and Catholic Church from Albania, Serbia and Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, and BiH as well as representatives of Bektasi community from Albania, Jewish Community from BiH, and representatives of networks of women from the mentioned countries.

Religious representatives from BiH spoke on the situation in the country as well as on the role of their dignitaries on creating of reconciliation and trust climate. Mr Asim Zupc(evic' presented as to how Constitution of BiH and Dayton Agreement define human rights and rights of Churches and religious communities. He also referred to the law on freedom of religion, as well as to legal position of Churches and religious communities.

Secretary general of the BiH Bishops’ Conference , Msgr Ivo Tomaševic', spoke on the roles of religious dignitaries before, during, and after war, pointing out that politics has the most important and central role, i.e. representatives of political bodies, who on regular basis are eager to use representatives of a Church or religious community for implementation of their plans.

Msgr Tomaševic' pointed out importance of a just state-legal organization of BiH, for which bishops from BiH gave a concrete proposal. Religious teaching in schools and opening of private schools were also discussed on the occasion.

At the end of the conference a joint statement was harmonized in which the religious representatives support and encourage one another in promoting of inter-religious dialog and establishing of inter- religious councils which would support overcoming of conflicts, building up of peace, and development. Among others, local and international political factors are called upon to create both in BiH and in other countries, such a legal system under which every ethnic group would be equal, an which would ensure equal rights and possibilities for every citizen to live in his/her full national, religious and cultural identity.

---

SERBIEN og MONTENEGRO. SERBIEN (alene)


Det Amerikanske UM har Juli 2004 offentliggjort en 'Background Note' om Serbien - Montenegro: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5388.htm ... Det Engelske Udenrigsministeriums 'Country Advice' til rejsende kan findes på adressen: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618386622 ... En biografi over tidligere Forbundspræsident Kostunica kan læses på Serbiske Politikere ... Mht ICTYs sag mod tidligere Præsident Milosevic, se (evt.) under ICTY ovenfor.


Præsidentvalg i Serbien. Boris Tadic blev i Juni 2004 valgt som Præsident. Seneste Parlamentsvalg: 031228.


Kosovo / Kosóva: Kosovo Serberne og Martti Ahtisaari har mødtes. UM i Serbien-Montenegro skriver:

PRISTINA, November 23 (Tanjug) - Political representatives of Kosovo Serbs on Wednesday made it clear to United Nations (UN) special envoy for the talks on the status of Kosovo and Metohija, Martti Ahtisaari, that they do not want to live in "an independent state of Kosovo." Kosovo Serb representative Randjel Nojkic said, in a statement for Tanjug, that the 13-member delegation had told Ahtisaari an independent Kosovo was unacceptable for Serbs, and that the solution for this southern Serbian province should be sought within the frameworks of UN Security Council Resolution 1244. Ahtisaari was sincere in his approach, he concluded that the necessary unity, that could help toward the easiest possible articulation of the demands of the Serb community, was lacking among Serbs, Nojkic said. Following the meeting with Ahtisaari, Oliver Ivanovic told Tanjug that the independence of Kosovo was not an option for Serbs, and that it could not be discussed. The work so far of the international mission in Kosovo-Metohija has resulted in the expulsion of over 200,000 Serbs, Ivanovic pointed out.


Præsident Tadic foreslår øjensynlig en deling af Kosovo; Regeringen lægger afstand. B92 skriver:

November 23 Belgrade’s leaders continue to speak a different language on issues connected with the future of the country. Despite the parliament’s adoption of the Resolution on Kosovo, which provides a basis for negotiations on the province’s status, the real situation has become more complex. Political divisions have appeared in the wake of President Boris Tadic’s expectation that state bodies respond to his proposal for the partitioning of Kosovo.

Slobodan Samardzic, advisor to Prime Minister Vojislav Kostunica, says that the Cabinet is not acquainted with Tadic’s plan and that the only two official documents which Serbia has for discussion are the parliament’s resolution and the government’s plan for decentralisation.

“We’re urging Tadic to explain his position. First, does some plan exist and why is he referring to it in public when it hasn’t been submitted to the government and it is not clear what the government should respond to. It needs a minimum of explanation for us to go any further, and this proposal must be seen as some kind of new initiative, with which the government is not directly acquainted,” said Samardzic.

Tadic said that he expects the appropriate bodies to take a position I the next few days on his proposal for the resolution of the status of Kosovo. The president told media that, unlike the parliament’s resolution, his proposal for establishing two entities in Kosovo is the one concrete plan in Serbia at the moment.

“It’s essentially important that everyone who speaks to Ahtisaari on the Serbia side during the negotiations is giving a political message, saying the same thing. In order to talk about the same thing we have to agree all the way on a platform for the negotiations. I have proposed this platform and at the moment we have no other platform for negotiations, we only have a framework of good will. I respect good will, but we have to conduct a realistic, feasible and supportable policy on Kosovo,” said Tadic.

The situation will become even more delicate with the arrival of the UN’s special envoy for negotiations, Martti Ahtisaari in Belgrade this afternoon. Yesterday Ahtisaari spoke to Serbian Orthodox Church leaders in the Visoki Decani Monastery in Kosovo, with an advisor to Kosovo Prime Minister Bajram Kosumi present.

One of the church leaders, Sava Janjic, says that top of the agenda was the protection of church buildings in Kosovo. “Ahtisaari showed a high degree of understanding for our position. Of course he did not make any concrete statement, but we had the impression that this is a man who wants to understand all sides and address the issue constructively. Bishop Teodosije said in the end that he is especially pleased because Ahtisaari spent a full two hours here and came from Pristina, which is a significant indication of how much the protection of the Serbian nation and our spiritual and cultural legacy in Kosovo is a very important issue in the approaching negotiations and not something secondary which doesn’t require attention,” said Janjic.

Ahtisaari’s visit to Kosovo continues today with meetings with Kosovo Serb leaders. One of them, Oliver Ivanovic, says that this is the first meeting and that no one should expect too much from it. “I think that the will first explain his concept for the negotiations, and we will point out some things. The first thing is that our position is identical as far as the political and legal status goes, except that we can’t accept any kind of independence. Our most significant role is to insist on decentralisation, freedom of movement, on changes to the Constitutional Framework which will guarantee that we can’t be outvoted on every important issues, especially those which are especially important, and that we insist on the right of refugees to return,” said Ivanovic.


Kosovo “should be divided”November 23 Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, Jiri Paroubek, said that he does not think it will be possible for Serbs and Albanians to live together in Kosovo. Paroubek said that dividing Kosovo would be the best compromise.

“A solution could be dividing the territory on ethnic lines. The northern part of the region would belong to Serbia, and the majority of the southern part could be given the status of an independent nation.” Paroubek told Czech daily Pravo. “I met with Kosovo Serb officials and I must say that it was a very emotional meeting. It resulted in my current opinion that these ethnic groups will have a hard time living next to each other, much less together. A longer period of time would be needed, and a soldier or police officer would have to be standing around every corner. Building a multi-ethnic Kosovo would be difficult because the southern part of the region, besides several enclaves, is for the most part ethnically pure.” Paroubek said.


Verdensbanken har udskrevet en konkurrence der tager sigte på jobskabelse. Vinderne får 35.000 $ hver. Verdensbanken skriver:

Competition for $35,000 Grants to Create Jobs in West Balkans

BELGRADE, Serbia and Montenegro, November 23, 2005 - The World Bank Country Office in Serbia and Montenegro marked the launch of a regional competition for innovative ideas called the "West Balkan Development Marketplace 2006" in Belgrade on November 19, 2005.

The West Balkan Development Marketplace is a competitive grant program that provides direct support for innovative, grassroots development ideas from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro. The competition aims to boost creative thinking in addressing one of the most important development issues in the region – job creation in the formal sector.

Proposals are welcome from a range of development actors – civil society groups, social entrepreneurs, the private sector, private foundations, academia, and government agencies that partner with any of the institutions mentioned above.

Winning projects will be selected according to the following criteria:

* Innovation – The project must present a new approach to creating jobs in the formal sector and should benefit the jobless.

* Results – The project must show clearly how it will create new jobs.

* Sustainability – The project must have real chances of surviving beyond the implementation period.

* Replicability – The project must demonstrate that it can be successfully copied and implemented elsewhere.

“Within the overall theme of creating jobs and opportunities, we are particularly interested in ideas that foster regional cooperation and that address the problem of youth unemployment, ” said Carolyn Jungr, the World Bank Country Manager for Serbia and Montenegro who presented the competition to the media, think-tanks and NGOs at a press conference Saturday.

The application process closes on January 30, 2006.

The best projects will be selected in May and will receive roughly USD 35,000 each.

DM 2006 launchAnnouncing upcoming promotional activities under the Western Balkan Development Marketplace 2006 competition, Carolyn Jungr said: “Over the coming weeks and months, we will be looking for support from development and private sector partners and hope to raise more than $1 million to support the top 30 ideas from across the region.”

Info: http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/ECAEXT/0,,contentMDK:20714693~menuPK:258604~pagePK:146736~piPK:146830~theSitePK:258599,00.html

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MONTENEGRO (alene)


Præsidentvalg 030511: Filip Vujanovic blev valgt. Seneste Parlamentsvalg 021020.

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MAKEDONIEN

Det Engelske Udenrigsministeriums 'Country Advice' til rejsende kan findes på adressen: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618386163 ... Det Amerikanske UM har Maj 2004 offentliggjort en 'Background Note' om Makedonien: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/26759.htm

Der er omkring 25 % etniske Albanere i Makedonien. Folketælling afholdtes 021101-021105.


Præsidentvalg i Maj 2004: Branko Crvenkovski - hidtidig PM - blev valgt (efter Boris Trajkovski som omkom ved en flyulykke). Seneste Parlamentsvalg fandt sted 020915. Der kan henvises til flg. OSCE/ODIHR-oversigtsside: http://www.osce.org/odihr/elections/field_activities/skopje2002/.

Folkeafstemningen 041107 om decentralisering (= imødekommelse af Makedonien-Albanske interesser): Folkeafstemningen "faldt". Stemmedeltagelsen var kun omkring 26 %. Hvis afstemningen skulle have kunnet udvirke en ændring af decentraliseringslovgivningen, skulle deltagelsen have været mindst 50%, og desuden skulle der have været flertal mod lovgivningen. Det var ventet at stemmedeltagelsen ville have været noget større, selv om både Regeringspartierne og den Albanske minoritet anbefalede at man blev hjemme. Man kan nu gå videre i overensstemmelse med Ohrid-aftalerne.


[051123/051124] Justering af Forfatningen. Makfax skriver:

Macedonian Parliament toady will open a debate on judiciary-related alterations to the Constitution. The parliament is set to debate a total of 12 draft-amendments to the Macedonian Constitution. Draft-amendments, tabled by the Government, aim to boost efficacy of judicial system in the country. The legislative approval of constitutional amendments requires two-third majority i.e. the motion must be backed by opposition MEPs.

The opposition parties raised serious objections to draft-amendments, and made clear to the government that it should uphold their proposals to win endorsement from opposition MEPs.


Vandstanden i Ohrid Søen. Makfax skriver:

The declined water level of the Ohrid Lake reached the point of just six centimeters above the critical point, set to 692,12, Makfax reports.

"If this process continues with the same pace, it will reflect on the living organisms in the lake. However, if the limits fixed by the Macedonian-Albanian agreement are respected, the conditions will stay within the limits of environmental sustainability", said today Zoran Spirkoski from the Hydro Biological Institute in Ohrid.

He added that other institutions, such is ESM, are competent for controlling the release of Ohrid Lake waters on a daily basis.

Spirkoski warned that if the release of large quantities of water continues, the Hydro Biological Institute would take the same stand as few years ago, when it urged for halting the irrational drainage amid fears of environmental disaster.

"The water level of Ohrid Lake is still within the critical limits", said Spirkoski.

The level of the lake has been declining for some time back, as a result of a droughty fall, and the water release for the purposes of the Albanian Electric Power Company.

Experts say Ohrid Lake normally declines in this period of the year, warning nonetheless, that allowed limits of water release have to be respected.


Forsvarsministermøde i Skopje, Makedonien. Det Albansk Forsvarsministerium skriver:

November 16, 2005. From 14-15 November 2005, the Adriatic Charter Ministerial has been held in Skopje, Macedonia. The Albanian Minister of Defence Fatmir Mediu, Macedonian Minister of Defence Jovan Manasijevski, Secretary of State of Croatian Ministry of Defence Mate Raboteg and Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Flory have attended this event.

The Minister of Defence of Bulgaria, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia-Montenegro and an important representative from NATO have participated as observers. The Prime Minister of Macedonia Vllado Buckovski has greeted the participants and he also invited them for an intensification of collaboration and integration toward the integration in Euroatlantic structures of the A-3 members . During his speech, Albanian Minister of Defence Fatmir Mediu has said the integration process of Albania in NATO is general and the reforms done have the support of all the Albanian institutions, political subjects and Albanian citizens.

Thereafter, he said, Albania is determined to fulfill the required standards and to join NATO. We are working to realize a small active and well-trained army. The view of Albanian Government is always the same: to participate in different missions as in Afghanistan, Iraq, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and also to attend SEEBRIG, which will be dislocated in Kabul the next year.

The Minister Mediu has thanked the American Government for the constant support given to our AF in the way of the reformation process and he expressed his wish for a further collaboration with other members of Adriatic Charter. It will be the task for the realization of NATO integration in 2008.

The Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Flory and the Chief of the Office for the Defence Collaboration of NATO George Katsirdakis have also greeted the participants and thereafter, have appreciated the positive process in Balkan, the achievements of A-3 members and they also has expressed their support on the way of the integration.

During this Ministerial, the Minister Mediu have had bilateral meeting with the Macedonian homolog Manasijevski, Secretary of State of Croatian Ministry of Defence Raboteg, the Assistant Secretary of Defense Peter Flory, Bulgarian, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Serbia – Montenegro Ministers and also with the Chief of the Office for the Defence Collaboration of NATO.

In the end of this Ministerial, the participants have drawn and signed a Common Declaration, in which they engages in the intensification of the relations and also in the consolidation of the region security and stability.

The next meeting of the A-3 process will be the next year in Albania.

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GRÆKENLAND

Seneste Parlamentsvalg 040307. Olympiade 13.-29. August (se Græsk side: http://www.athens2004.com/athens2004/ og Dansk side: http://www.dif.dk/index/ol-3/ol-ol2004.htm).

PM Berisha har fået et lykønskningstelegram fra den Græske PM Karamanlis i anledning af den forestående Albanske nationaldag Den Albanske PMs Informationskontor skriver:

Prime Minister Sali Berisha received congratulations form the Greek Prime Minister, Kostas Karamanlis for the national day of Albania:

“On the occasion of the national day of your country, I would like to send my best and warm congratulations for prosperity, success and happiness to the people of the Republic of Albania”.


Møde i Udenrigsudvalget i det Albanske Parlament om det Albansk-Græske forhold. ADN skriver:

The Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs discussed on Tuesday the issue concerning the properties of Cham population. The visit of the Director for Southeastern Europe Countries in the Greek Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Michael Christitidis, who was present in the meeting of the committee, accompanied by the Greek ambassador in Tirana, Carcabassis constituted the main reason for deliberating this issue.

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TYRKIET


UMs rejsevejledning: http://www.um.dk/da/menu/Borgerservice/FoerRejsen/Rejsevejledninger/RejsevejledningTyrkiet.htm.


Seneste Parlamentsvalg blev holdt 021103. Det blev i December 2004 aftalt (med EUs Regeringschefer)at der i Oktober 2005 skal indledes forhandlinger om optagelse af Tyrkiet i EU.

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LANDE UDEN FOR BALKAN OG ØSTLIGE MIDDELHAV. NATO-LANDE


ITALIEN


Mother Teresa. I anledning af saligkåringen ('beatificeringen') 031019 har Vatikantet etableret en internetside: http://www.vatican.va/news_services/liturgy/saints/ns_lit_doc_20031019_index_madre-teresa_en.html

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USA



[051122] Bosnien. 10-året for Dayton-aftalerne. Dayton-aftalerne kan downloades fra: http://bjoerna.net/balkan-dokumenter/Dayton-1995.pdf [PDF, English, 0.4 MB]

Dr Condoleezza Rice (Albansk: Kondoleca Rajs) har holdt tale. Hun kommer til sidst ind på forhandlingerne om Kosóva/Kosovo:

In the coming months, we can take an important step toward realizing this vision of Europe by reaching agreement on the final status of Kosovo. The United States fully supports the UN-led talks that began this week and we are using our influence to make a positive difference. Now it is time to chart Kosovo's future. With vision and courage and compromise, we must reach and agreement that enables all Kosovars to live freely and in peace.

Ten years ago, many doubted whether democracy would be possible among Serbs and Croats and Muslims in the war-torn lands of the Balkans. Today, we are seeing those doubts dismissed. Bosnia and Herzegovina is emerging as yet another example of how democracy can help diverse peoples live together without fear or repression. Now, if all Bosnian citizens tear down the walls of separation that still stand between them, if they advance reconciliation in their hearts as well as in their politics, then the lands of Southeastern Europe will join in the democratic peace of their continent and the vision of Europe whole, free and at peace will finally be complete.


Nedenfor hele talen:

SECRETARY RICE: Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Please be seated.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, for being here today as we commemorate the signing of the Dayton Peace Accords which ended the war in Bosnia ten years ago. I would like to welcome the many leaders of the Bosnian Government who are joining us here, especially Presidents Jovic, Tihic, Paravac and Prime Minister Terzic.

I would like to welcome the members of the Diplomatic Corps for joining us here and, of course, I'm pleased to see Sandy Berger and Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, who is, of course, the architect of Dayton. Thank you for the lasting contribution to peace that you have made and continue to make.

Welcome to the many distinguished members of our government who are here today and of other places around the world. There are many friends here in this room, friends of the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I want to welcome religious leaders who have joined here to give their voice to the importance of religious tolerance and freedom.

And finally let me offer a special heartfelt greeting to the families of Robert Frasure, Joe Kruzel and Nelson Drew, we honored earlier today in the lobby of the State Department. These three men gave their lives so that millions of people in Bosnia and Herzegovina, men and women they never met, could enjoy normal days rich with peace and opportunity.

The goal of peace in the Balkans, so admirably advanced at Dayton, has been a bipartisan American effort for the past 15 years. And today, under President Bush's leadership, the United States is working energetically and ambitiously to help Bosnia-Herzegovina become a unified country to arrest all war criminals and to reach a final peace in Kosovo.

Ladies and gentlemen, on this important anniversary of peace, we look forward to the future with unfailing hope. For we now have a tremendous opportunity to achieve real security and lasting democracy and true reconciliation in the Balkans. But today we also look back on the past with solemn thoughts, never forgetting the suffering endured by millions and the hardships overcome with time and the challenges that we met together. The war in Bosnia and Herzegovina added a tragic unwanted chapter to the long history of violence in Europe. A quarter of a million people perished in the fighting and millions more were driven from their homes. And the slaughter at Srebrenica marked the most vicious murder of innocence in Europe since Hitler's armies stalked the continent.

In the fall of 1995, however, the United States and our NATO allies helped the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina fight back. We supported our just demands with real force and paved the way for diplomacy to prevail and it prevailed in a small Ohio city. By finally ending the Bosnian conflict, the Dayton Accords enabled many refugees to return home without fear and helped to revitalize the international community's confidence in its ability to defend its weakest members from aggression.

For nine years after Dayton, NATO kept the peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina without one shot being fired between the parties and without any soldiers from the alliance dying in hostile action. This achievement enabled the European Union to advance the mission over the past year and it helped steadfast civilian leaders like High Representative Paddy Ashdown and many of our other partners in the United Nations and the OSCE to implement the requirements of peace.

Today I would like to thank all of the men and women from NATO and from the EU and from the international community for joining us here.

The greatest contributions to peace, however, were not made by foreign leaders in distant capitals. Those contributions have been made by Serbs and Croats and Muslims living and working every day for reconciliation in places like Sarajevo and Mostar and Brcko and Banja Luka. They are slowing beginning to create a new more hopeful national story. And today Bosnia and Herzegovina is not merely a passive recipient of international support. It is joining the international community to defend liberty and to fight for the freedoms of others in Iraq and to fight terrorism across the globe.

To advance the promise of peace and progress, we must now move beyond the framework constructed a decade ago. A weak, divided state was appropriate in 1995, but today in 2005, the country needs a stronger energetic state capable of advancing the public good and securing the national interest.

My friends, to seize the opportunities of the 21st century, we must now transform Dayton. And in this new challenge, as with every other challenge in the past decade, all Bosnians know that they can count on America to be a dedicated partner.

The Bosnian Government and the people are already working to transform Dayton. They are beginning to build new national institutions to police their borders, to foster economic growth and to fight organized crime and terrorism. The elected leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina have also approved the creation of a modern, unified military firmly under civilian control and fully compatible with NATO.

These are important reforms and the major political party leaders of Bosnia and Herzegovina who are joining us today all recognize that more change is needed. In our meeting this morning, they reaffirmed their pledge to embark on a process of constitutional reform and to complete it by March 2006, to create stronger, more efficient democratic institutions that can empower their citizens to meet the challenges of modern Europe.

This is an historic step forward in modernizing the Dayton Accords and implementing this commitment is essential if Bosnia and Herzegovina are to reach the full goal of integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions.

On this point, however, we must be very clear. To enjoy the full blessings of integration, Bosnia and Herzegovina must fully confront the demons of its past; in particular, the urgent and long overdue need to bring to justice war criminals like Ratko Mladic and Radovan Karadzic. We will never forget the massacre at Srebrenica. And America's position is clear and uncompromising. Every Balkan country must arrest its indicted war criminals or it will have no future in NATO.

I am pleased that earlier today the leaders of Bosnia's Serb community stated publicly their unequivocal commitment to the capture, arrest and transfer to The Hague of Mladic and Karadzic. These are encouraging words and now they must lead to serious action. There can be no more excuses and no more delays. Ten years is long enough.

Ladies and gentlemen, America's hope for Bosnia and Herzegovina is inspired by a much broader vision, a vision of a Europe whole and free and at peace, which has summoned the efforts of every American administration since the Cold War. This vision has incorporated Eastern Europe and the Baltic countries and one day it will fully incorporate the Balkans, too.

In the coming months, we can take an important step toward realizing this vision of Europe by reaching agreement on the final status of Kosovo. The United States fully supports the UN-led talks that began this week and we are using our influence to make a positive difference. Now it is time to chart Kosovo's future. With vision and courage and compromise, we must reach and agreement that enables all Kosovars to live freely and in peace.

Ten years ago, many doubted whether democracy would be possible among Serbs and Croats and Muslims in the war-torn lands of the Balkans. Today, we are seeing those doubts dismissed. Bosnia and Herzegovina is emerging as yet another example of how democracy can help diverse peoples live together without fear or repression. Now, if all Bosnian citizens tear down the walls of separation that still stand between them, if they advance reconciliation in their hearts as well as in their politics, then the lands of Southeastern Europe will join in the democratic peace of their continent and the vision of Europe whole, free and at peace will finally be complete.


Se også under: Balkan.

BURNS: USA SEES TWO OPTIONS FOR KOSOVO

BANJA LUKA, November 23 (Tanjug) - U.S. Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Nicolas Burns has said that the United States of America believes that there are two options for Kosovo - independence or autonomy within Serbia and Montenegro, but that a decision on the issue has to be made by the Albanians and Serbs from Kosovo and the authorities in Belgrade. In an interview published by the Sarajevo daily Dnevni Avaz on Wednesday, Burns said that the United States was very careful and did not want to present the stand on Kosovo's status, because the Kosovo Albanians and Serbs and Belgrade authorities need discuss it and decide on the issue. We support the efforts to have them sit down at a negotiation table, said Burns, adding that the U.S. believes there are two options for Kosovo - independence or autonomy within Serbia and Montenegro and that it is up to them and not us which option they would accept. He refused to comment on the Avaz's question about a possibility to compensate Serbia for a loss of Kosovo with the territories of the Republic of Srpska, saying that there should be no response to individual statements.

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ENGLAND

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TYSKLAND

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FRANKRIG

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DANMARK (NORGE, SVERIGE)





Ugerapport fra Dansk KFOR. Hærens Operative Kommando - se under: Kosova.

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LANDE UDEN FOR BALKAN OG ØSTLIGE MIDDELHAV. IKKE NATO-LANDE


RUSLAND

UMs Rejsevejledning: http://www.um.dk/da/menu/Borgerservice/FoerRejsen/Rejsevejledninger/RejsevejledningRusland.htm

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KINA

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Du må citere hvis du angiver hovedsidens adresse: bjoerna.dk ... Siderne om Albanerne: bjoerna.dk/albanerne.htm ... Søgning på internettet: bjoerna.dk/soegning.htm