Sidste Nyt fra Albanien, Kosóva og Makedonien

Indholdsfortegnelse Contents

Ugeoversigt Summary

Internationale organisationer   International organizations
FN   UN
Verdensbanken, IMF m.fl.   World Bank, IMF etc.
OSCE, Europarådet   OSCE, Council of Europe (CoE)
EU   European Union (EU)
NATO   NATO
ICTY - Tribunalet i Haag   ICTY

Balkan, generelt   The Balkans
Kosóva   Kosóva [Kosovo]
Øst Kosóva / Presevo-dalen / Syd-Serbien   Eastern Kosóva
Albanien   Albania
Serbien og Montenegro. Serbien (alene)   Serbia-Montenegro. Serbia
Montenegro (alene)   Montenegro
Makedonien   Macedonia [FYRoM]

Grækenland   Greece
Tyrkiet   Turkey
Italien   Italia

USA   United States (US)
England   England
Tyskland   Germany
Frankrig   France
Danmark (Norge, Sverige)   Denmark (Norway, Sweden)

Rusland Russia
Kina China

»To skridt frem? Albanien i en brydningstid«

PDF-udgaven er udkommet.
Bogtrykt udgave (i 14 X 20) udkommer i slutningen af 2005

Baggrundsmateriale kan findes via:
http://bjoerna.net/to-skridt-frem/#Linksamling

»Albansk Almanak 2003« bd. 1-3

Almanak'en for 2003 er udkommet. Her finder du årets nyhedsbreve. [Årets litteraturkommentarer vil udkomme i 2006 i »Albanske Studier« ## 3-4].

Bogen findes i trykt form og på CD (som pdf-fil). Papirudgave på 800 sider i 3 bind. Bogen sælges som papirudgave m/ CD og som CD alene. Se pris på: Bestillingsliste.

Udgaven for 2004 ventes at udkomme i slutningen af 2005/begyndelsen af 2006.

»Albanske Studier« bd. 1-2

Kommentarer til Bjøl, Huntington, Machiavelli, Sørlander, DUPI (Humanitær Intervention), Clausewitz, Mao Zedong, Lars R. Møller, Malcolm og flere andre (kommentarerne er suppleret ift udgaver i Almanak'erne m.v.). Englændere på rejse i Albanien: Edward Lear, Edith Durham og Robert Carver. Bøger om slægtsfejder og blodhævn. Diskussion af Anne Knudsen's disputats om blodhævn på Korsika og af Ismail Kadare's roman »Ufuldendt april«. Baggrundsmateriale om den Sønderjyske general Christian von Holstein, der deltog i Habsburgernes felttog ind i Kosóva i 1689-90. Sidst i bogen et forsøg på en sammenfatning i form af nogle 'grundlæggende synspunkter'. Desuden en kommentar til Hans Hækkerup's »På skansen«. På CD'en supplerende materiale om traditionelle Albanske klædedragter og om Holstein.

Du kan downloade indholdsfortegnelsen og kommentaren til Hækkerup fra: http://bjoerna.dk/albansk-historie/studier-2002.htm

Bogen findes i trykt form og på CD (som pdf-fil). Papirudgave 368 A4-sider i 2 bind. Bogen sælges som papirudgave m/ CD og som CD alene. Se pris på: Bestillingsliste.

Til dig der kigger på et ældre nummer af »Sidste Nyt«.

Seneste udgave af denne »annonce« kan ses på:

»Sidste Nyt« (klik)

Seneste 4 udgaver af »Sidste Nyt fra Albanien, Kosóva og Makedonien«:

Sidste Nyt #283 - 02.12.2005 (klik tv.)
Sidste Nyt #282 - 25.11.2005 (klik tv.)
Sidste Nyt #281 - 18.11.2005 (klik tv.)
Sidste Nyt #280 - 16.11.2005 (klik tv.)

Alle årets udgaver: http://bjoerna.dk/nyt-oversigt.htm

UGEOVERSIGT (resumé)

ICTY: Den Kroatiske General Ante Gotovina er anholdt. Han har i flere år været eftersøgt af ICTY.

Der er faldet dom i sagen mod Fatmir Limaj, Haradin Bala og Isak Musliu

Limaj og Musliu blev frikendt og er nu løsladt. Bala blev idømt 13 års fængsel for drab, tortur m.v.

Jeg har samlet forskelligt materiale fra ICTY i én PDF og lagt den til download på: http://bjoerna.net/balkan-dokumenter/Limaj.zip

Resumé: Domstolen er ikke i tvivl om at der er begået handlinger, der er uacceptable, selv om der bestod en væbnet konflikt mellem Serbien/Jugoslavien og UÇK.

Det anses for bevist at der var en fangelejr - hvor UÇK havde fængslet både Serbere og Albanere, at et antal Mennesker er blevet dræbt, og at mange af de Tilbageholdte har været behandlet særdeles dårligt og helt kritisabelt.

Men det afgørende i den konkrete sag er om det er bevist at de Anklagede har begået de strafbare handlinger de sigtes for at have begået.

Efter Domstolens opfattelse har flere af Vidnerne været upålidelige.

Dette opfatter jeg som en alvorlig kritik af Anklagemyndigheden; den siges - indirekte - at have været for ukritisk og - i en vis udstrækning - for overfladisk i sit arbejde. Hvis det er rigtigt, er årsagen måske at den har følt at have været under et voldsomt pres for at vise sin objektivitet, ikke mindst ved at den - mht Kosóva - ikke kun rejste sager mod Serbere, men også mod fremtrædende Albanere?

Dommerne er nået til dén konklusion at sigtelserne mod Limaj og Musliu ikke er blevet bevist, og derfor er de blevet frikendt og straks efter løsladt.

Bala blev anset for at være skyldig i flere af anklagepunkterne, men det siges at han ikke har begået nogle af de strafbare handlinger for sin egen skyld, men fordi han var Soldat under kommando af Foresatte.

Kosóva: Urolighederne i Marts 2004. OSCE Mission report examines response of Kosovo’s justice system to the March 2004 riots.

UNMIK tager afstand fra angreb på bus.

Albanien: Prime Minister Sali Berisha meets the President of Al-Kharafi Group, Mr. Al Kharafi. Mr. Berisha expressed his gratitude to President Al-Kharafi for the assistance given in developing the Albanian economy, through investments in different fields. Both personalities shared the same will to consolidate the cooperation and to extend investments of Al-Kharafi Group in Albania, especially in the energy field, in the tourism and mine industry. Mr. Al-Kharafi encouraged the Prime Minister for the undertaken reforms and guaranteed that the Group he leads will extend investments in every field in Albania.

Oversvømmelser i det sydlige Albanien. Nogle er omkommet. De store vandmængder har lettet på den anspændte situation med for lidt elektricitet, for der er kommet mere vand i reservoirerne ved vandkraftværkerne.

Langt interview med Ambassadør Jones (UK). Tirana Times citerer: 'The European Union remains committed to enlargement'

Det Albanske Medieinstitut har udsendt nyhedsbrev. Heri nærmere om en række kurser og om et regionalt møde.

Politiet oplyser at have anholdt 6 personer involveret i menneskesmugling/trafficking og passvindlerier forskellige steder i Albanien

Serbien: Serbian Orthodox Church offers full support to team negotiating on Kosovo-Metohija.

Grækenland og Danmark: FoKAF [The Cheese Formerly Known As Feta / Osten Der Engang Hed Feta]. Kommentar: Som den velorienterede læser vil vide, var der engang en Dansk Ost der blev kaldt Feta. Uretmæssigt - er det nu afgjort af EF-Domstolen. Vores letsalte ko- og fåremælksost har forresten - for længe siden - fået et nyt navn: »Apertina« med (det nu midlertidige) bi-navn Feta. Så skaden er heldigvis til at overse. ... (se resten i Nyhedsbrevet).

USA: Dr Condoleezza Rice i Europa. De Europæiske NATO/EU-Udenrigsministre siges at være tilfredse fsv angår spørgsmålet om CIA og behandlingen af Mistænkte.

Danmark: Udenrigsminister Per Stig Møller's tale ved minikonference på Christiansborg den 2. December om Kommissionens arbejdsprogram for 2006 og EU's tænkepause.

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.

VERDENSBANKEN, IMF M.FL.

Se under de enkelte lande / områder.

OSCE, Europarådet

Se under de enkelte lande / områder.

NATO

ICTY - TRIBUNALET I HAAG

Den Kroatiske General Ante Gotovina er anholdt. Han har i flere år været eftersøgt af ICTY. Se evt. reportage på BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4510122.stm. Anklageskrift kan findes hos ICTY på: http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/got-ai040224e.htm.

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 Ramush Haradinaj (IT-04-84)

ICTY: Der er faldet dom i sagen mod Fatmir Limaj, Haradin Bala og Isak Musliu

Limaj og Musliu blev frikendt og er nu løsladt. Bala blev idømt 13 års fængsel for drab, tortur m.v.

Se evt. BBC's reportage: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4485658.stm

Jeg har samlet forskelligt materiale fra ICTY i én PDF og lagt den til download på: http://bjoerna.net/balkan-dokumenter/Limaj.zip

Som man kan se er der tale om en ZIP-fil, men den burde være nem at åbne (extrahere). Får du imidlertid problemer, så send gerne en mail.

ZIP'en er på ca. 13 MB; PDF'en er på noget mere end det dobbelte.

Samlet er der knap 8.000 sider at studere og søge i.

Det vil - på små og mellemstore maskiner - tage nogle minutter at åbne PDF'en!

Materialet består af flg.:

- Summary of the judgement
- Indictment (2nd indictment)
- Transcripts (udskrift af alle de retsmøder der var åbne)
- Judgement

Dommen alene kan findes på: http://www.un.org/icty/limaj/trialc/judgement/lim-tj051130-e.pdf (1,25 MB)

Domstolen's Summary kan findes på: http://www.un.org/icty/limaj/lim-sumj051130-e.htm - og aftrykkes lidt længere nede.

Resumé: Domstolen er ikke i tvivl om at der er begået handlinger, der er uacceptable, selv om der bestod en væbnet konflikt mellem Serbien/Jugoslavien og UÇK.

Det anses for bevist at der var en fangelejr - hvor UÇK havde fængslet både Serbere og Albanere, at et antal Mennesker er blevet dræbt, og at mange af de Tilbageholdte har været behandlet særdeles dårligt og helt kritisabelt.

Men det afgørende i den konkrete sag er om det er bevist at de Anklagede har begået de strafbare handlinger de sigtes for at have begået.

Efter Domstolens opfattelse har flere af Vidnerne været upålidelige.

Dette opfatter jeg som en alvorlig kritik af Anklagemyndigheden; den siges - indirekte - at have været for ukritisk og - i en vis udstrækning - for overfladisk i sit arbejde. Hvis det er rigtigt, er årsagen måske at den har følt at have været under et voldsomt pres for at vise sin objektivitet, ikke mindst ved at den - mht Kosóva - ikke kun rejste sager mod Serbere, men også mod fremtrædende Albanere?

Dommerne er nået til dén konklusion at sigtelserne mod Limaj og Musliu ikke er blevet bevist, og derfor er de blevet frikendt og straks efter løsladt.

Bala blev anset for at være skyldig i flere af anklagepunkterne, men det siges at han ikke har begået nogle af de strafbare handlinger for sin egen skyld, men fordi han var Soldat under kommando af Foresatte.

The Hague, 30 November 2005

Please find below the summary of the judgement today read out by Judge Parker:

This Trial Chamber is sitting today to deliver Judgement in the trial of three Accused persons, Fatmir Limaj, Haradin Bala and Isak Musliu.

For the purposes of this hearing, the Chamber will summarise briefly its findings, emphasising that this is a summary only, and that the only authoritative account of the Chamber’s findings, and of its reasons for those findings, is to be found in the written Judgement, copies of which will be made available to the parties at the conclusion of this sitting.

The three Accused, Fatmir Limaj, Haradin Bala, and Isak Musliu, are indicted for crimes allegedly committed by them, and other members of the Kosovo Liberation Army ("KLA"), from May to around the 26th of July 1998 against Serbian civilians, and Kosovo Albanian civilians who were perceived as Serbian collaborators, in central Kosovo. The Indictment alleges that at least thirty-five civilians were abducted by KLA forces, detained in a prison camp in the village of Llapushnik/Lapusnik for prolonged periods of time under inhumane conditions, and routinely subjected to assaults, beatings and torture. Fourteen named prisoners are alleged to have been murdered in the course of their detention. Another ten were allegedly executed in the nearby Berishe/Berisa Mountains on or about the 26th of July 1998 when KLA forces were forced to abandon the village of Llapushnik/Lapusnik, and the prison camp, under attack from advancing Serbian forces. All three Accused are charged with eight counts of imprisonment, cruel treatment, inhumane acts, and murder, for their alleged participation in the crimes at the prison camp. Fatmir Limaj and Haradin Bala are also charged with two further counts of murder for their alleged roles in the execution of detainees in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains.

Counts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 are charged as crimes against humanity under Article 5 of the Statute. For the Tribunal to have the power to deal with crimes against humanity, it must first be proved by the Prosecution that the alleged criminal conduct of the Accused was part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population. The Chamber heard evidence of individual abductions, detention and mistreatment by KLA soldiers, of both Serbian and Kosovo Albanian civilians between May and July 1998. It was not proved, however, that these acts were on a scale or of a nature necessary to constitute a widespread or systematic attack on a civilian population. It necessarily follows, therefore, that Counts 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 must be dismissed with respect to all three Accused. The written Judgement sets out more fully the Chamber’s reasons for this conclusion. In this summary the Chamber will not discuss Counts, 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 any further.

Counts 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 are charged as war crimes under Article 3 of the Statute. This requires that the alleged criminal acts of the Accused are committed in the course of an armed conflict. The Chamber has heard extensive evidence on this issue, including from expert witnesses, and is satisfied that before the end of May 1998 a state of armed conflict existed in Kosovo between Serbian forces and the KLA.

Count 2 alleges the offence of cruel treatment based on the unlawful seizure, unlawful detention and interrogation of Serbian and Kosovo Albanian civilians. The Chamber has come to the conclusion that, at least in the particular circumstances of this case, the mere acts of seizure, detention and interrogation, in and of themselves, have not been shown to constitute a serious attack on human dignity within the established meaning of cruel treatment under Article 3 of the Statute. Count 2, therefore, must also be dismissed with respect to all three Accused. There is, however, another charge of cruel treatment—Count 6—which relies on a much broader range of conduct than Count 2. This remains, and the Chamber will indicate its findings in respect of Count 6 shortly.

It is also alleged in the Indictment that in addition to direct personal involvement, the three Accused are criminally responsible for the offences with which they are charged, by virtue of their participation in a joint criminal enterprise. In the Chamber’s finding, it has not been proved by the Prosecution that there was a joint criminal enterprise involving any of the three Accused.

The central allegation in the Prosecution case is that the KLA established a prison camp in a farm compound in the village of Llapushnik/Lapusnik in central Kosovo, in which it held mainly civilian prisoners, of both Kosovo Albanian and Serbian ethnicity, between May and the end of July 1998. The existence of any such prison camp is denied by all three Accused.

The Chamber has heard a great deal of evidence about this issue, especially from persons who said they had been detained there, and from former members of the KLA.

Having carefully considered all this evidence, the Chamber is entirely satisfied that the KLA did have a prison camp in the farm compound in Llapushnik/Lapusnik, as alleged by the Prosecution, and that in June and July 1998, there were mainly civilian prisoners of both Albanian and Serbian ethnicity held in this prison camp. The evidence proves that the KLA were forced to abandon the prison camp on the 25th or 26th of July 1998, because Serbian armed forces were then advancing on Llapushnik/Lapusnik, which was captured by the Serbian forces on the 26th of July. This evidence is considered in detail in the written Judgement.

The most serious charge concerning conduct at the prison camp is Count 8, which alleges that 14 identified civilian prisoners were murdered at the camp. Most of these 14 prisoners have not been heard of again by their families. Given the nature of the charges it was necessary for the Prosecution to establish that each of these was murdered at the camp or by KLA soldiers connected with the camp. There was no direct evidence as to what happened to most of these prisoners. In the circumstances, for reasons that are set out in the written Judgement, the Prosecution has only been able to prove by the available evidence that 3 prisoners were murdered at the camp.

Count 6 of the Indictment alleges that all the prisoners held in the prison camp were subjected to cruel treatment. Over 30 prisoners are alleged to have been detained. The identities of some of these are not known. The identities of some 27 of them have been established. Almost all of these have been proved to have been detained in either a very small basement storage room, or in another very small room normally used as a cowshed. The evidence establishes that the conditions in each of these rooms were absolutely inhumane. There was, at most times, gross overcrowding. There was no provision for washing or toilet, although after an initial period, one bucket was provided for use as a toilet in the storage room. This bucket was not regularly emptied, so that it would overflow. The prisoners slept on the concrete floors or on some straw. Meals were provided at irregular intervals, at times days would pass without food. The food was eaten in the rooms. There was very little light or ventilation in the two rooms. The atmosphere was absolutely oppressive with heat and stench. On rare occasions prisoners in the storage room were allowed fresh air for a short time at night. Many of the prisoners were tied by the hands, or feet, or both. Some were tied to other prisoners. In the cowshed, most prisoners were chained to the wall and unable to move from their position in the room. They were forced to soil themselves in their clothes. Many of the prisoners had been badly injured, with broken limbs, bones or internal injuries. Others had been shot. No medical treatment of any kind was provided, even though there was a doctor and a medical clinic in the village which was used by KLA personnel.

In the Chamber’s finding the detention of a prisoner in these conditions constituted the offence of cruel treatment.

A few prisoners were held in other places in the farm compound. The evidence does not establish that the conditions in these other places were such as to constitute cruel treatment.

In addition, there is a significant body of evidence which details individual acts of severe physical violence committed by various KLA members on individual prisoners. The evidence indicates that it was a regular occurrence for a prisoner to be blindfolded, tied and taken from the room at night by KLA soldiers, who often wore hoods to hide their faces. The prisoners were then severely beaten or subjected to other extreme violence, and later were returned to the detention room, at times unconscious or in severe pain. The Chamber has dealt with this evidence in more detail in its Judgement. From this evidence, the Chamber has identified, in particular, 12 incidents of this nature in which identified prisoners were the victims. In respect each of these 12 incidents, the crime of cruel treatment has also been established by the Prosecution.

The Chamber is also satisfied that 5 prisoners were subjected to severe mental suffering caused when they witnessed other prisoners being beaten, or were threatened with death at gunpoint, or were forced to bury the injured and disfigured corpses of other prisoners. This conduct by KLA members has also been proved to constitute the offence of cruel treatment.

Count 4 of the Indictment charges the offence of torture. To prove the offence of torture, one element which the Prosecution must establish is that the perpetrator mistreated the victim for a particular purpose, in this case the purpose of obtaining a confession, or information, or to punish, the victim. The evidence establishes 4 incidents involving identified victims in which the crime of torture has been established.

Fatmir Limaj and Haradin Bala are also charged in Count 10 for their alleged participation in the execution of detainees from the prison camp in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains. On the 25th or 26th of July, the remaining detainees of the prison camp, over 20 of them, were marched into the Berishe/Berisa Mountains under armed KLA escort. In the mountains about half of them were set free and allowed to leave. The others remained under KLA guard. The remains of 9 bodies were later exhumed from graves located in this area of the Berishe/Berisa Mountains. DNA examination confirmed the identity of 8 of these bodies. The identity of the ninth victim was established by identification of the clothes by family members. It has been proved that all 9 victims had been held prisoners by the KLA in the prison camp and that they were in the group that remained under KLA guard in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains on the 25th or 26th of July, 1998, after about half of the prisoners were set free. Forensic examination discloses that 6 of the 9 victims died from bullet wounds fired from Kalashnikov rifles, which was the type of weapon used by the KLA guards. The precise cause of death of the other 3 bodies was not identified by the forensic examination. These three bodies, however, had fractures of bones caused at about the time of death. Some bodies had been shot more than once. The Chamber is satisfied, from this compelling body of evidence, that 9 of the prisoners from the Llapushnik/Lapusnik prison camp were executed that day in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains by KLA guards. The written Judgement details the evidence, and the identity of these victims. The Prosecution has, therefore, established that 9 identified detainees from the Llapushnik/Lapusnik prison camp were murdered in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains, as alleged in Count 10 of the Indictment.

From what has been said so far, it will be apparent that the Prosecution has proved that civilians were detained by the KLA in a prison camp in a farm compound in Llapushnik/Lapusnik in June and July 1998, and that 3 of these prisoners were murdered by KLA soldiers at the camp. Most of these prisoners were subjected to cruel treatment, and 4 were tortured, while they were imprisoned by the KLA. Further, it has been proved by the Prosecution that 9 identified prisoners from the camp were murdered in the nearby Berishe/Berisa Mountains by KLA guards on the day the KLA were forced to abandon the prison camp.

There remains the further critical issue whether the three Accused Fatmir Limaj, Haradin Bala and Isak Musliu, or any of them, have been proved to have been criminally responsible for any of the offences which have been established by the Prosecution.

In this respect, in addition to direct personal involvement, it is also alleged in the Indictment that two of the Accused, Fatmir Limaj and Isak Musliu, are guilty of the offences charged for their failure to prevent or punish the criminal conduct of their subordinates in the KLA. While it is clear that these two Accused were at times after those relevant to the Indictment in positions of command in the KLA, and that Fatmir Limaj later became a member of the General Staff, the present issue is whether in May to July 1998, they had positions of command in respect of the Llapushnik/Lapusnik prison camp. For the reasons set out in the written Judgement, the Chamber finds that the Prosecution has not proved that either of these two Accused was in a position of command, or had effective control, over the KLA soldiers involved in the Llapushnik/Lapusnik prison camp.

Therefore, in this case, the issue of criminal responsibility of the three Accused, essentially, though not solely, turns on the question of identification. This has been one to which the Chamber has given a great deal of very close attention.

A few witnesses purported to have seen Fatmir Limaj in the Llapushnik/Lapusnik prison camp at various times, and one witness purported to have seen him in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains speaking to one of the KLA guards some time before the execution of the 9 prisoners. There was also evidence that Fatmir Limaj had not been in the prison camp and was never in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains on the day of the executions. While the Chamber was not persuaded of the honesty of one of the witnesses who purported to identify Fatmir Limaj, and has had to consider with care the reliability of the others, the balance of the evidence on this issue did indicate the strong possibility that Fatmir Limaj was the KLA member who was known in the camp to some prisoners as Commander Çeliku. Nevertheless, for reasons fully set out in the written Judgement, on a final review of the evidence, the Chamber finds that it has not been proved beyond reasonable doubt by the Prosecution that the Accused Fatmir Limaj had any role in the prison camp, or in the executions in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains, or that he has any criminal responsibility for any of the offences with which he is charged.

With respect to the Accused Haradin Bala the evidence relevant to his identification is more extensive and more varied. A number of witnesses have purported to identify him as the KLA guard, known as Shala, who was active in the prison camp in June and July 1998. In that role, Shala had relatively frequent contacts with prisoners. Generally, he had the keys and often he brought food and water to the prisoners. A number of witnesses also purported to identify the Accused Haradin Bala as one of the two, or perhaps three, armed KLA guards, who escorted the remaining prisoners from the prison camp to the nearby Berishe/Berisa Mountains when the KLA had to abandon the prison camp on the 25th or 26th of July, 1998. The Chamber is not able to be satisfied about the honesty of all of these witnesses. With respect to the other witnesses the Chamber has had to closely consider the reliability of each of these identifications of the Accused Haradin Bala, as the guard they knew as Shala in the prison camp and in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains on the last day. There are many factors relevant to this which the Chamber has set out in its written Judgement. The Chamber has also had to consider other relevant evidence, especially evidence that suggested that Haradin Bala was not in Llapushnik/Lapusnik during the relevant period, and evidence which suggested that, because of poor health, he could not have done some of the things described by the witnesses and alleged in the Indictment.

Having weighed carefully the effect of all of this evidence, for reasons which the Chamber has set out in its written Judgement, the Chamber finds that the Prosecution has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the Accused Haradin Bala is the KLA guard, known as Shala, who was involved in the running of the prison camp in Llapushnik/Lapusnik and who escorted the remaining prisoners to the Berishe/Berisa Mountains on the 25th or 26th of July 1998.

The Chamber has gone on to consider, therefore, whether it has been proved that the Accused Haradin Bala is personally, or otherwise, criminally responsible for any of the charged offences which have been proved to have occurred. Having weighed the evidence dealing with these issues, the Chamber has found that the Prosecution

has not proved that Haradin Bala is criminally responsible for any of the 3 murders of prisoners at the camp. (i.e. Count 8);

but the Prosecution has proved that Haradin Bala is guilty of cruel treatment (i.e. Count 6) for having himself mistreated 3 individual prisoners and aided in another episode of mistreatment of one of those prisoners, and for his personal role in the maintenance and enforcement of the inhumane conditions of detention in the prison camp; and

has proved that Haradin Bala aided the torture of one prisoner (i.e. Count 4); and

has proved that Haradin Bala, jointly with one or perhaps two other KLA guards, murdered 9 prisoners from the prison camp in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains on the 25th or 26th of July 1998 (i.e. Count 10).

There was little evidence to identify the Accused Isak Musliu as having any kind of involvement in the prison camp. The evidence relied on by the Prosecution has been set out and considered by the Chamber in the written Judgment. In the Chamber’s finding, the evidence presented fails to establish that Isak Musliu had any involvement in the events charged, or in the running of the prison camp, or that on any other basis he is criminally responsible for any of the offences with which he is charged in the Indictment.

Fatmir Limaj: Will you please stand.

The Chamber finds you NOT GUILTY on all counts in the Indictment. The Chamber orders that you be immediately released from the United Nations Detention Unit, subject to the completion of the necessary modalities.

You may be seated.

Haradin Bala: Will you please stand.

The Chamber finds you GUILTY, pursuant to Article 7(1) of the Statute, of the following offences:

Count 4: Torture, a violation of the laws or customs of war, under Article 3 of the Statute, for having aided the torture of a prisoner named in the written Disposition;

Count 6: Cruel treatment, a violation of the laws or customs of war, under Article 3 of the Statute, for having personally mistreated 3 prisoners, and aided another episode of mistreatment of one of those prisoners, and for your personal role in the maintenance and enforcement of inhumane conditions of detention in the Llapushnik/Lapusnik prison camp;

Count 10: Murder, a violation of the laws or customs of war, under Article 3 of the Statute, for having personally participated in the murder of nine detainees, who are named in the written Disposition, in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains on the 25th or 26th of July 1998.

The Chamber finds you NOT GUILTY on all other counts in the Indictment.

With respect to sentence, the Chamber has set out in the written Judgement the many factors that have been taken into account in assessing the appropriate sentence. In particular, the Chamber has taken into account the sentencing structure in the former Yugoslavia, and sentences imposed in this Tribunal, for offences in some ways similar to those of which you have been convicted.

The Chamber would emphasize that, in its findings, your role in the prison camp was that of a guard. You were not in a position of command or authority. In particular, in connection with the murders in the Berishe/Berisa Mountains, in the Chamber’s finding, you were acting as a soldier under orders, in releasing some prisoners and executing 9 of them. You did not do this on your own initiative or decision. While that does not excuse your conduct, it affects the degree of the seriousness of your conduct.

You are sentenced to a single sentence of 13 years imprisonment. Full credit will be given for the time you have spent in custody. You will remain in the custody of the Tribunal pending the finalisation of arrangements for your transfer to the State where you will serve your sentence.

You may sit down.

Isak Musliu: Will you please stand.

The Chamber finds you NOT GUILTY on all counts in the Indictment. The Chamber orders that you be immediately released from the United Nations Detention Unit, subject to the completion of the necessary modalities.

You may sit down.

That concludes this Trial.

The Chamber will now adjourn.

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.

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/

Urolighederne i Marts 2004. UNMIK skriver:

OSCE Mission report examines response of Kosovo’s justice system to the March 2004 riots

PRISTINA, 2 December 2005 – A survey published today by the OSCE Mission focuses on how Kosovo’s justice system has dealt with the criminal cases arising from the March 2004 riots, and it offers recommendations to help the justice system improve.

The report describes and analyzes the first major test of the justice system as a whole since it was re-established in 1999 – from police, to the prosecution and the courts.

“An effective court system is crucial in any society where the rule of law prevails, and the judiciary’s response to this particular set of criminal cases was not strong enough,” said Ambassador Werner Wnendt, Head of the OSCE Mission. “However, necessary changes by the judicial system will help ensure that all residents of Kosovo can be protected under the law.”

The findings include a number issues, previously highlighted by the OSCE, demonstrating where improvements still need to be made. This is intended to decide the subjects of future training courses conducted by the Kosovo Judicial Institute.

The report focuses on problems not specific to the riot cases but appear to be systemic within the judicial system. They affect the chances for criminal acts to be punished and effectively dealt with by the courts. Among the main areas of concern are: · difficulties in gathering evidence; · difficulties in obtaining witness statements and intimidation of witnesses; and · problems associated with charging and sentencing of criminal acts.

A general conclusion of the report is the lack of good and consistent co-operation between the police and prosecution dealing with these cases, and insufficient support from the public as a whole.

“Public involvement is fundamental to democratic government, and public support to investigations and trials can only improve the work of the judiciary,” said Ambassador Wnendt.

The OSCE Mission monitors the justice system in Kosovo, focusing on its compliance with rule of law and applicable international human rights standards. As a result of its monitoring activities, the OSCE makes concrete recommendations to the responsible authorities on how the shortcomings identified during the proceedings should be addressed. These efforts aim at the development of a more functioning and effective justice system.

Copies of the report are available on OSCE website at: http://www.osce.org/item/17177.html [PDF].

Pressemeddelelser fra UNMIK:

Condemning attack against bus in Kosovo, UN envoy orders stepped up security measures
4 December 2005 – The senior United Nations official in Kosovo has ordered stepped-up security measures, including new checkpoints, throughout the province in response to yesterday's failed but potentially lethal attack against a bus.

Eleven passengers – seven Kosovo Albanians, three Kosovo Bosniaks and one Kosovo Serb – were traveling from Dragash/Draga? to Prizren on Saturday evening when a projectile fired from the roadside struck the middle of their bus and entered the passenger compartment. It did not explode and on one was injured. Explosives experts serving with the international security forces in Kosovo (KFOR) safely removed the device.

UN envoy Søren Jessen-Petersen directed that security measures across Kosovo be enhanced to ensure that a safe and secure environment is maintained. These include “vigorous police patrols and vehicle checkpoints” throughout Kosovo, he said. Police resources are being redeployed to ensure a visible police presence in potentially vulnerable areas such as schools and religious establishments, according to the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK).

“The security environment in Kosovo is generally stable, however incidents such as the one last night demonstrate that, during the status process which has just begun, isolated individuals or groups who do not have Kosovo's best interests in mind may attempt to disrupt Kosovo's way forward for their own ulterior motives,” said the envoy.

“They obviously will not care who they hurt by their misdeeds,” he added, declaring that “such provocations must not be tolerated.”

Mr. Jessen-Petersen said he has directed the UNMIK Police Commissioner to take “stringent measures” to enhance the security of all people in the province.

Currently, talks are being held on the future status of Kosovo, which the UN has administered since 1999 when NATO forces drove out Yugoslav troops amid grave rights abuses in ethnic fighting.

“Now that Kosovo is on the road toward resolving its status, fringe elements in this society will not be permitted to stand in the way of a better future for Kosovo and its people,” Mr. Jessen-Petersen said. “Such ill-intentioned individuals must be isolated, identified and brought to justice.

“Working together alongside the people of Kosovo, whom they are sworn to serve and protect, UNMIK Police, the Kosovo Police Service and KFOR will take every measure necessary to ensure security and progress,” he pledged.

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

Ansøgninger om kontrakter og rutineopgaver

Uge 48 i Kosovo. Det har været en rolig uge ved bataljonen med rutineopgaver, vedligeholdende uddannelse og ansøgninger om fortsat kontrakt med forsvaret. Og så er julestemningen kommet til Camp Olaf Rye.

05-12-2005 kl. 15:01

Af DANBN/KFOR 13

Kontrakter.

I forbindelse med vedtagelsen af det seneste forsvarsforlig blev det besluttet at øge antallet af kontraktansatte soldater i hæren. Derfor er hæren i gang med at ansætte flere soldater efterhånden som implementeringen af forliget frigør ressourcer til at udvide antallet af kontraktansatte.

Det er naturligt, at en stor del af de nye kontraktansatte soldater rekrutteres fra de udsendte styrker, hvor mange af soldaterne har en kontrakt, der kun gælder for den aktuelle udsendelse. Ved at rekruttere fra de udsendte styrker kan der ansættes nogen, som dels er færdiguddannede soldater og dels har opnået den erfaring som en udsendelse giver.

Derved har både den enkelte og forsvaret haft god mulighed for at tage stilling til en fast ansættelse i forsvaret. Fra bataljonen har 93 soldater tilkendegivet, at de ønsker at få en kontrakt med forsvaret efter hjemkomst fra Kosovo og dermed kommer bataljonen til at bidrage med mange dygtige soldater til opbygning af den nye hær.

I den kommende tid skal de enkelte ansøgninger behandles ved personeltjenesten i Danmark og forhåbentlig kan mange af ønskerne om tjenestested og stilling blive opfyldt. Så snart ansøgningerne er færdigbehandlet vil kontrakterne blive lavet.

Udover de 93 ansøgninger om kontrakt om fastansættelse i forsvaret har 23 soldater tilkendegivet, at de er interesseret i ”gengangertjeneste”, der betyder at de er klar til at tage endnu 6 måneders udsendelse på næste hold.

Patrulje med serbiske styrker.

I denne uge gennemførte bataljonens spejdersektion patruljering omkring den administrative grænse imellem Kosovo og Serbien-Montenegro. Patruljen blev gennemført i samarbejde med enheder fra den serbiske hær.

Patruljeringen har til formål at overvåge situationen langs grænsen, for at erkende eventuelle illegale aktiviteter som smugling af våben, narkotika etc. Fra bataljonen deltog, udover spejdersektionen, også en forbindelsesofficer fra operationssektionen og en militær tolk fra efterretningssektionen.

Spejderne forlod Camp Olaf Rye ved middagstid og efter 2 ½ times kørsel ad små bjergveje veje, blev det aftalte kontaktpunkt nået. Efter kontakt med de serbiske soldater startede patruljen, der foregik til fods i meget kuperet terræn og derfor var meget krævende.

Patruljen mødte en enkelt traktor i området, men derudover var trafikken meget begrænset og patruljen konstaterede ingen ulovligheder.

DANBN Spejdersektion, forbindelsesofficer og tolk sammen med de serbiske soldater efter gennemført patrulje. Temperaturen har igen bevæget sig opad nede ved lejren, men i bjergene bliver sneen nu liggende.

DANBN Spejdersektion, forbindelsesofficer og tolk sammen med de serbiske soldater efter gennemført patrulje. Temperaturen har igen bevæget sig opad nede ved lejren, men i bjergene bliver sneen nu liggende.

Vedligeholdende uddannelse

Nu er mere end halvdelen af tiden i missionsområdet gået, men opgaven er langt fra afsluttet. Derfor er det også vigtigt at holde uddannelsesniveauet oppe, så eller hele tiden er klar til at løse alle forudsigelige opgaver.

Stabskompagniet har i denne uge gennemført skarpskydning ved den svenske skydebane i Kisnica, hvor der kan skydes med det tunge maskingevær. Det var en god tur og godt at få genopfrisket skydefærdighederne.

Da vaskepladsen i Camp Olaf Ryes er lukket pga. vinteren, må der findes en alternativ måde at få vasket køretøjerne på. På vej hjem fra skarpskydning blev der derfor gjort holdt ved den lokale bilvask. De lokale bil vaskere kiggede noget, da en tung transportvogn lastet med en pansret mandskabsvogn rullede op i indkørslen.

Tung transportvogn og pansret mandskabsvogn på den lokale bilvask.

Bataljonen råder over brandfolk, røgdykkere, brandbil og hvad der ellers hører til en lille brandstation. Døgnet rundt er der særligt uddannet personel, som er på brandberedskab og er klar til at rykke ud og slukke brand i lejren.

Brandmandskabet har haft en lidt stille periode i den sidste måneds tid, men brandkaptajnen har selvfølgeligt også været på leave og de sidste dele af skumudstyret har været længe undervejs fra Danmark. I den forgangne uge var det så tid til at repetere skumudlægning og basale slukningsfærdigheder ved det store brandkar.

Brandøvelse i Camp Olaf Rye.

Som afslutning på ugen blev der gennemført en alarmeringsøvelse i Camp Olaf Rye. Klokken 10.00 lød alarmen over lejrens højttaleranlæg og pludselig fik alle travlt med at finde fragmentationsvest, hjelm, udrustning og våben frem og derefter sætte kursen mod en kampstilling eller en bunker.

Selvom risikoen for, at lejren bliver angrebet heldigvis er lille, så er netop vores evne til at forsvare os selv nok den bedste garanti for at ingen nogensinde vil kunne finde på at foretage et angreb.

Julestemning.

Juletræet på Chr. IV plads er nu blevet tændt og rundt omkring på kontorerne og i ”fabberne” begynder julepynten af dukke op. Antallet af pakker på postkontoret og planlægningen af små julearrangementer viser, at det nok skal blive jul i Camp Olaf Rye.

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.

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.

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

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

President Moisiu decorated three United States judges with the medals “For Special Civil Merits.”

December 6, 2005

The President of the Republic, Alfred Moisiu decorated today with the medals “For Special Civil Merits” three United States Judges, Mr. John M. Walker Jr., Mr. Paul A. Magnuson and Mr. Roger D. Sherrard.

During the ceremony held on this occasion in the Presidency, Mr. Moisiu bestowed upon the United States judges the above mentioned medals which appreciate the notable contribution of many years and the tireless and dedicated work in assisting the Albanian Judiciary to get it closer to the standards of the Rule of Law and to introduce to Albania the best expertise and practices of the Justice System functioning in the United States of America.

Mr. Walker expressed the gratitude for the honour that the Head of State bestowed on their work towards the reforms and independence of the Judiciary and pointed out that this appreciation contains its symbolic in the friendship between the two countries and peoples.

In the decorating ceremony were present the Minister of Justice, Aldo Bumçi, the Head of the Constitutional Court, Gjergj Sauli, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Thimio Kondi, the Head of the Laws Commission in the Assembly, Spartak Ngjela, etc.

After the ceremony there were held friendly talks during which were discussed issues of the reform in our justice system. Mr. Walker conveyed to President Moisiu the best greetings and wishes from the United States President, George W. Bush.

President Moisiu received the leaders of the non parliamentarian political parties.

December 6, 2005

The President of the Republic, Alfred Moisiu received in a meeting tonight the leaders of the non parliamentarian political parties – Mrs. Brixhit Kokedhima of the Albanian Green Party, Mr. Ekrem Spahia of the PLL, Mr. Artur Roshi of the PBKD, Mr. Ligoraq Karamelo of the LDLNJ, Mr. Adriatik Alimadhi of PBK and Mr. Tahir Muhedini of PDI.

The talks treated the range of problems tied to the electoral process in our country considering the shortcomings noticed during the last elections and the comments in continuity expressed by the specialized international structures.

President Moisiu pointed out that it time to begin the work and advised that the Albanian politics must occupy itself with the debate in this direction in order for the vote to realistically represent the voter.

The representatives of the political parties invited in this meeting thanked the Head of State for the engagement and expressed their concerns about the actual electoral system by pointing out the requests for the improvement of the respective legislation.

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

Prime Minister Berisha received in a meeting the Minister of Public Services of Kosovo, Mrs. Melihate Tërmkolli

Prime Minister Berisha received in a meeting, on Monday afternoon, the Minister of Public Services of Kosovo, Mrs. Melihate Tërmkolli. She is in Tirana in an official visit following an invitation made by the Minister of Interior, Mr. Sokol Olldashi.

During the conversation, they concentrated on the extension of the cooperation possibilities between Albania and Kosovo, in particular, taking in consideration the important project of the highway Durrës-Pristine and the necessity to fight the organized crime.

Related to the process of defining the final status of Kosovo, Prime Minister Berisha emphasized that it should be defined in accordance with the will of Kosovo citizens, who have continuously required independence and in cooperation with the international community, respecting Serb and other minority rights as essential features of every modern democracy.

He pointed out also the importance of the decentralization and said that it encourages the dialogue Pristine-Beograd.

On her side, the Minister Tërmkolli pointed out that the government of Kosovo has undertaken courageous steps to realize democratic standards, which first of all are important for Kosovo itself.

Prime Minister Sali Berisha meets the President of Al-Kharafi Group, Mr. Al Kharafi.

5/12/2005

Prime Minister Sali Berisha met on Monday the President of Al-Kharafi Group, Mr. Nasser Al-Kharafi. Mr. Berisha expressed his gratitude to President Al-Kharafi for the assistance given in developing the Albanian economy, through investments in different fields.

Both personalities shared the same will to consolidate the cooperation and to extend investments of Al-Kharafi Group in Albania, especially in the energy field, in the tourism and mine industry. Mr. Al-Kharafi encouraged the Prime Minister for the undertaken reforms and guaranteed that the Group he leads will extend investments in every field in Albania.

Prime Minister Berisha visits the flooded areas in the southern part of the country

4/12/2005

Prime Minister Sali Berisha visited on Sunday flooded areas in the southern part of the country. He stopped in Novosele and Bisham in Vlora. Mr. Berisha met representatives of the local government, military and public order bodies, who have been working to improve the situation. He asked about the situation and the urgent needs of the inhabitants.

The Prime Minister thanked the institutional structures for having acted on time, avoiding human live loss. Mr. Berisha said that should be identified families in danger and measures should be taken to help them. He pointed out that in the whole country is being worked to adjust river barriers and that it will not be allowed to build over collectors, which risk the life of people whenever it rains heavily.

Prime Minister Berisha met with the citizens of Novosele and Bisham, where he was known with the difficulties and damages caused to them. He guaranteed them that the government is entirely committed to help them with food, clothes and medications. The government will help and will try to compensate damaged families, said the Prime Minister.

Oversvømmelser både i Burrel-området og i Fier- og Vlora-områderne. Kraftig regn har skabt oversvømmelser forskellige steder. Tre menes omkommet. Bro brudt sammen ved Librazd.

Bedring af el-situationen i Tirana. Tirana Times skriver: TIRANA, Dec. 1 – The Albanian Power Corporation (KESH) said this week that it would be able to supply Tirana with almost uninterrupted power, which marks a sharp improvement for a city that had been facing daily eight-hour power cuts. KESH officials said the improvement comes after heavy rains have allowed the corporation to produce more electricity domestically.

Edi Rama. Officielt foto fra Socialistpartiet

Edi Rama. Officielt foto fra Socialistpartiet

Socialistpartiet: Socialisterne er begyndt at revidere sin internetside efter Formandsskiftet. Adressen er: http://www.ps-al.org/. Den Engelske version er ikke så langt som den Albanske.

Interview med Ambassadør Jones (UK). Tirana Times citerer:

'The European Union remains committed to enlargement'

‘After the fall of the communism in this country there was a reaching out by the whole of society to try and work out what its values were, and very quickly it came to the conclusion that they are European values – values of democracy, of human rights, of a desire to live within a free society and a free economy’.

UK’s Ambassador to Albania, Richard Jones, speaks in an exclusive interview with Andi Balla of Tirana Times

Tirana Times: On July 1 of this year, the UK took over the Presidency of the European Union at a crucial time. What are some of the main goals that the UK Government hopes to achieve during this period, what has happened so far, and what remains to be done in the short time that remains?

Answer: We had three principal objectives at the beginning of our Presidency. To take forward the discussion that started under the Luxembourg Presidency about future financing, to carry forward a quite lengthy debate that has been going on ever since the Lisbon European Council about economic reform and to carry forward the project on enlargement. All of these within a context of a debate about the future of Europe, sparked by the two referenda in France and the Netherlands in the first part of the year. Most presidencies are part of a long-term team effort so it’s quite difficult to be too specific about how we have fared against each of those objectives.

On the on first one, future financing, some very important work has been going on behind the scenes in Brussels and also in the capitals to make progress in reaching a deal, in what is an incredibly complicated and sensitive area. I think we have to look forward to the European Council in December to see the progress that the British Presidency has been able to make on that front. We always knew, given the difficulties that our predecessors from Luxembourg faced, that this was going to be a very difficult nut to crack, and it may well be that the file will have to go forward to the Austrian Presidency. Having said that, I am sure my colleagues back in London would be delighted if we can reach an agreement on this incredibly important issue in December.

As I said, economic reform is a long debate and we are looking forward to objectives to be achieve by 2010, so what we did during our Presidency was to consolidate progress; and in particular to have a discussion at the Hampton Court informal European council, about globalization and the opportunities and challenges that it poses to the European Union. That was quite a positive discussion that went down well with all the heads of states and governments who attended.

I think the most concrete thing that we can point to in terms of achievements during the Presidency is on enlargement, and the decision on 3 October at the General Affairs and External Relations Council to open accession negotiations with Turkey and Croatia. We have seen this followed by a less headline-grabbing but perhaps rather more important package of documents for Albania, and that is the package that the Commission submitted on 9 November on its suggested strategy for enlargement in the future, which obviously covered Albania – together with a detailed country report on Albania. We hope that this package of papers will form the focus of a discussion by foreign ministers in December.

The overall message one takes from those two developments – the opening of negotiations with Turkey and Croatia and the launching of the debate for the next step of enlargement in the Western Balkans regions -- is that the European Union remains committed to enlargement. There might have been some doubt about that after the referenda in France and the Netherlands, but the message is entirely clear that we stand by the commitments that we made at the Thessaloniki European Council in 2003.

In a nutshell, that is what our objectives were, and what we have broadly done to achieve them.

Tirana Times: Albania has embraced the European road with particular enthusiasm. There is a consensus within the country that goes beyond integration as a means to a better life. Instead, Albanians seem to have adopted a view of integration as a good in itself -- perhaps the ultimate good. Do you find it surprising or naïve that fifteen years after the road to integration has begun for Albania, there is such enthusiasm for Europe here?

Answer: I don’t find it surprising or naïve. I think one needs to look at where Albania has come from. Albania has probably one of the most difficult heritages of any post-communist country in Europe. It suffered greater isolation than any other country. It had probably one of the most difficult regimes and probably one of the lowest levels of economic development from which to rise.

I think what happened after the fall of the communism in this country was a reaching out by the whole of society to try and work out what its values were, and very quickly it came to the conclusion that they are European values – values of democracy, of human rights, of a desire to live within a free society and a free economy. All of these are central to the EU, so I don’t think it’s surprising, given the difficulty that Albania experienced for many years after 1991, and given the congruence of the new values in Albania with those of the European Union, that 15 years on from the fall of communism, Albania remains committed to integration, as you put it, integration almost as a goal in itself.

The one thing I would add however is that there is still a need in this country to think very hard about what integration actually means. It’s not simply entry into a rather nice club, which offers in particular visa-free travel to ordinary Albanians to the rest of Europe. Nor it is access to free money from Brussels and the Community budget. It’s a process of taking on hundreds of thousands of pages of Community law which confers obligations and responsibilities on Albania, and, indirectly, obligations and responsibilities on Albanian citizens. To put it very bluntly, there will be winners and losers from the process of integration, and Albanian public opinion needs to understand that a little bit more clearly. A process of discussion is going on, to which in a modest way this Embassy has contributed, but I think this process needs to be developed and thickened so that Albania one day joins the European Union with its eyes wide open as to what EU membership will really mean.

Tirana Times: In your view, what are some of the main challenges facing this country’s EU integration process? Does UK’s EU Presidency signal anything new in this direction?

Answer: It’s difficult to give an order of challenges, but I would probably place on top of the list the need to fight organized crime and corruption, which is a theme through the various statements and reports that the various EU institutions have made about Albania over many years.

It is absolutely vital if Albania’s desire to join the EU is to succeed that it makes real progress in establishing the rule of law and in making sure that the rule of law is enforced without fear or favour. This is absolutely central to meeting all of the criteria for membership outlined in the famous Copenhagen Conclusions in 1993. Without that you can’t hope to be a proper democracy, you can’t hope to be a market economy, you can’t hope to have the administrative structures required to make use of the laws.

Again, not in any particular order, but high on the list , is the ability to prove that Albania is a functioning democracy. General elections were held here on 3 July, and on 8 November ODIHR issued a report which outlined the respects in which Albania has improved in this regard in comparison with other general elections, but also highlights a number of aspects in which further progress could be made. I think this is highly relevant for Albania’s EU aspirations and the EU will want to see those recommendations addressed, both with regard to the 2006 municipal elections and to the next general elections scheduled for 2009. We will need to see further progress in order be satisfied, in order to see if Albania is generally on the path of the sort of democratic standards that we have in existing EU member states.

There are also aspects in which the state structures will need to make further progress, if Albania is hoped to be a fully-fledged member state, in terms of paying for state structures. The revenue which the state presently has access to is really insufficient to do things that an EU member state wants to do. That’s why in recent statements from the European Union and the EU Commission in particular, we have identified the need to improve and enhance the administration of taxes and customs so that the state has the sort of income that it required to function properly. That should happen hand in hand with consolidating the progress that has already been made and improving administrative capacity -- making sure the civil service functions properly, making sure the bodies of the state are able to implement legislation to affect change on the ground.

Another area where we will need to see progress is in the functioning of the judiciary and in law enforcement agencies, the police and prosecution, which obviously flows from progress in fighting organized crime. It is a specific area where there remain deficiencies which have been identified again in the Commission’s report last week. It’s the underpinning for the reforms that are required and the successful implementation of Community law which is required for membership.

I think that the final basket of issues I would identify is the steps that should be taken to make Albania a fully fledged market economy which is capable of withstanding the competitive pressures of membership in the European Union.

Again that would require carrying forward the reform process and particularly central bits of legislation having to do with property rights and restitution. But also to find a way to enhance the country’s infrastructure so it can market its own goods in an effective way. So that is a pretty big collection of areas where work needs to be done.

Again, I don’t think that the UK Presidency has signalled anything new in this respect, but it has been the period within which the Commission has issued its most recent set of papers on Albania, and in that respect, I think we are fortunate in that we are presiding over an important period in the relationship between the EU and Albania.

If I may say so, the EU Commission report is a very solid professional piece of work and should serve as an excellent road map for Albania to work out the route that it needs to take in order to make further progress toward ultimate integration in the European Union. It comes hand in hand with a proposal for an updated European Partnership which outlines the areas where the EU would like to see particular progress, and against which it will provide its own financial support through the CARDS programme.

Tirana Times: You spoke about the recent EU Commission report. It doesn’t set an exact date on the signing of the Stabilization and Association Agreement (SAA) between the EU and Albania, but it says that it will be in the near future. What impediments are there to the signing of the SAA? Can you give us a timeframe of your expectations as to when this agreement will be signed and what will happen from then on in regards to Albania’s relationship to the EU?

Answer: The first thing I should say is that the text of the agreement itself is more or less ready; but that there are one or two problems that are still outstanding, basically in areas of great technicality where the European Union side has not formed its own position, i.e. the Commission and the member states are not yet united on what they actually want out of the agreement. As I said these are very technical areas to do with aspects like wine and spirits, fishery products, and fraud, that sort of area.

That would mean that we would need a little bit of time to get our act together and it means the Commission are thinking of at least one more technical round of negotiations before the text is ready. That in itself shows that no one, including the Commission, is thinking in terms of signature of the agreement in the very immediate future.

Thereafter I can’t give you a straight answer to your question. The Commission, and the Commissioner, when he visited Albania last week, have made it clear that they think that sufficient progress has been made for Albania to implement the SAA, which paves the way for a recommendation for signature. They haven’t told us when they want to make that recommendation, and it is only a recommendation. The Commission are very alive to that. What then has to happen is that the Council needs to consider the recommendation and to work out whether it agrees with what the Commission said.

That means that there is some work to do on the EU side, and as I said the Commission have not told us what they think in terms of a timetable. They have perfectly respectable reasons for that position, to do with the sort of technical tuning up of the text that I have just mentioned. There will have to be some sort of discussion of the timetable between the Commission and the incoming Austrian Presidency to work out the way in which this debate is going to be scheduled.

That’s a long winded way of saying I can’t give you a straight answer to your question, but clearly from the Commission’s point of view, they would like to wrap this exercise up as soon as it is possible, but while making sure that the agreement arrived at is as good and as acceptable as possible to all parties.

Tirana Times: Moving on to another aspect of integration for Albania, NATO membership appears closer than EU membership. How do you evaluate Albania’s progress in this regard? Are there any major unresolved issues impeding Albania’s progress toward membership in NATO?

Answer: NATO membership is more straightforward then EU membership because the duties and obligations that one has to take on in NATO are less detailed and less voluminous than those one has to take on the EU, but they are no less significant in terms of the fate of the country. The obligation to stand by the defence of fellow allies is an incredibly great responsibility; but the corpus of responsibilities is of a smaller volume.

Having said that, to join NATO again there are not only military obligations, but also political and economic obligations and standards to be reached. Some of the things that I mentioned when it comes to EU integration also apply to NATO integration. Things like the effective application of the rule of law, a sustained and successful fight against organized crime and corruption, building up of proper governmental structures underpinned by a satisfactory tax and customs base and the staging of successful free and fair elections. In many respects, the two agendas overlap and the successes and problems Albania has undergone apply to NATO integration as well as to EU integration.

NATO is obviously a military as well as a political alliance and obviously there are things to do on the military strand as well. The alliance feels that Albania has made good progress on the military side, but that there are still things that need to be done to transform particularly the armed forces from the sort of inheritance that Albania had from the communist period, from a very large conscript force not really at all marrying up with the defence and security needs of the country, into a more professional, smaller, more effective and efficient force which genuinely contributes to NATO’s defence. That still needs work. Albania needs to take some strategic decisions about the sort of armed forces that it wants. The sort of ranking structure that it wants to have, the sort of air force it wants to have, the sort of naval forces it needs.

It also needs to work out the percentage of state budget that it is prepared to devote to defence and at the moment as far as NATO standards are concerned, that percentage is a little bit too small. The government wants to increase it year by year, but obviously there are great demands on the Albanian budget, so it needs to be imaginative in the way it can do the two things simultaneously.

Those are some of the very general respects in which further work needs to be done before accession. There is time, and it’s clear from the NATO side, that we will be making a rendezvous with Albania and with Macedonia and Croatia in 2008, so there is a still a bit of time within which to address these problems. But that period is still not that long; and work needs to be carried out straight away in order to try to reach that target.

Tirana Times: Moving on to another regional issue, there are new developments in regards to Kosova’s future final status. What do you think will likely happen in order to provide a stable Kosova for the future and as a result a more stable region? Will there be or were there any initiatives undertaken by the UK government during the period it holds the EU Presidency?

Answer: The word “presidency” implies “preside” and we have presided over quite an important period for Kosovo with the conclusion of the Kai Eide’s report, and with the decision of the UN Secretary General to appoint Mr. Ahtisaari as a representative to carry forward negotiations on status. As far our Presidency is concerned, we thought it was appropriate to recognize those developments at the last meeting of the foreign ministers at the General Affairs and External Relations Council on the 7 November. This issued quite an important set of conclusions, expressing a warm welcome for Kai Eide’s work, fully supporting the work of the UN Secretary General and the appointment of Mr. Ahtisaari and the appointment of Mr. Rohan as his deputy. Then basically setting out some principles which we would want to see observed during the status negations, in order for those negotiations to succeed. Obviously the negotiations would require Pristina and Belgrade to really engage in a dialogue with each other in good faith.

We would also want to see continued work within Kosovo on standards that cover not only the rule of law and economic development but also the way in which minority groups in Kosovo are treated, which implies in turn an effective dialogue between Kosovar Albanians and Kosovar Serbs. And the conclusions finish by reiterating the sort of principles which the Secretary General has laid out: that we are looking at Kosovo as a single territory, so we are not thinking in terms of territorial adjustments or Kosovo joining any other state in the region.

Tirana Times: The Albanian press has taken an active role in covering the community life, the challenges and the problems of the growing Albanian community in the UK. There is a general idea that the image of Albania in the UK is not as good as could be. What kind of a role can the Albanian community there play in this regard?

Answer: This is a very difficult issue and it is going to take quite a long time to make progress.

I think the Albanian community in general should continue to doing what it is doing already, which is working hard and contributing to the life and prosperity of the United Kingdom. The tricky thing is to make that the centrepiece of people’s attention rather than the work of a minority which is into various forms of often quite unpleasant crime.

That is the reputation that the community has in the United Kingdom.

I think it is a very unfair and unrepresentative reputation, but that nevertheless is the focus of the attention of the media in my country. Maybe the onus is more on governments than on the community itself - although obviously I would not in the slightest condone criminal activity by minority representatives in the community - but what we as governments, both the UK government and the Albanian government, should do is continue our joint effort to fight crime. It is a very difficult thing to do when you are looking at crime which crosses frontiers.

We are learning little by little to take action across a wide range of areas in order to try to snuff out Albanian crime in the UK, and the more successful we are in doing that, the better the reputation of the community will be, and the more accurate the reputation of the community will be. So we on our part are committed to do that, and it takes quite a bit of my time and the time of my colleagues in the Embassy and colleagues in London as well.

Tirana Times: Last but not least, our readers are interested in your personal experiences in Albania. We understand it might hard for an Ambassador to speak openly about his personal views, but can you tell us how you have found your stay in Albania so far? Has there been something particularly positive, negative or just downright astonishing about your experience here that you would not mind sharing with us?

Albania is a fantastic country to live and work in. I get depressed sometimes because I can’t think of a better job to have in my profession and I am going to have to move on one day and find another job after being Ambassador in Tirana. As a professional challenge, it is extremely interesting and very rewarding. As a country in which to live, it is delightful. I tell people that after about a week of living here I told myself “Tirana is my home”. This where I live. Albanian people could not have been more hospitable and friendlier and more welcoming to me, and this is the experience that other colleagues in this Embassy, and other Embassies have had.

It is a very fascinating country with a very interesting history. Overall it has a very nice climate, although it has been pouring with rain over the past 24 hours. I have travelled and found the countryside to be beautiful. Albania is a fantastic place to tour and to explore.

Det Albanske Medieinstitut har udsendt nyhedsbrev. Heri nærmere om en række kurser og om et regionalt møde

LONG-TERM PROJECT FOR TRAINING OF YOUNG REPORTERS CONTINUES

Albanian Media Institute continued to implement the three-month training course for young print media reporters, designed to introduce them to the basic professional skills in order to advance in their careers. The fifth module was conducted by Lutfi Dervishi, freelancer, on November 1-2. He focused on ethics in journalism, the explanation of the present Code of Ethics, its implementation, the need for a self-regulatory mechanism, the right to reply, etc. Mitrulla Thodhori, IT engineer, was the lecturer during the sixth module, on November 10-11. She introduced the participants to the general principles of Computer Assisted Reporting and online journalism, as well as the main tools and search engines the web offers to assist journalists, the ways of writing for the web, etc.

The seventh module was conducted by Gent Ibrahimi and Ilir Aliaj, media legislation experts, on November 14-15 and focused on an introduction to the main legislation in the country that regulates media. In this module the participants were introduced to the main media laws, such as law on broadcasting, law on access to information, defamation law, etc. The lecturers also made a comparative analysis of Albanian laws and European media legislation, in the framework of EU accession standards.

The lecturer for the last October module was Kristina Jorgaqi, researcher at the Institute of Linguistics. In her lecture she addressed the linguistic problems that reporting poses in many cases, ways of writing in an easy and attractive manner for the reader, the use of foreign words in reporting, enriching Albanian language in media coverage, etc. The course is implemented by the Albanian Media Institute, with the support of Press Now.

NEW REPORT ON BROADCASTING IN EUROPE AND ALBANIA

“Television across Europe: regulation, policy, and independence,” is the title of a monitoring report carried out in 20 European countries that was released in Tirana on November 21. The report covers numerous aspects of the broadcasting industry, such as context and landscape of television industry, media regulation regarding television, the regulatory authorities, and the policies applied in these respects. In addition, the report focuses on the situation of the public broadcasting, which, with some exceptions, seems to be experiencing a crisis in many European countries. The commercial television sector is also present in the report, focusing on its regulation, ownership traits, funding, and programme structure. The report also attempts to address the emergence of new technoologies and its impact on the broadcasting industry and media pluralism. The publication, available in Albanian, includes the general overview of the European report and the national chapter. The report was carried out by Albanian Media Institute, in the framework of the project implemented by EU Monitoring and Advocacy Program and Network Media Program of Open Society Institute.

ROUNDTABLE MEETING ON MEDIA SELF-REGULATION

A stakeholders’ roundtable meeting to examine the possibility of establishing a press council in Albania took place in Tirana on November 4. Participants included media owners, directors, editors, journalists, representatives of journalists’ associations, media experts and lawyers, civil society representatives, etc. Speakers that addressed the participants on the issue of self-regulation in journalism and particularly in Albania included US Ambassador Marcie Ries and OSCE Ambassador Pavel Vacek. In addition, Gent Ibrahimi, Director of Institute for Policy and Legal Studies, discussed the advantages and disadvantages of self-regulatory mechanisms, along with the existing needs in the country for these bodies. The participants discussed then the need to establish such a body and its potential for succeeding in the country’s context, suggesting various approaches on how to address the issue. At the end of the meeting two task forces were established to deal with the amendments to the present Code of Ethics and with the next steps in attempting to establish a press council. This meeting was organized by the Albanian Media Institute, with the support of USAID and OSCE.

TRAINING COURSE ON ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING

A training course on environmental issues and the way they are covered in the media took place in Elbasan on November 4-5, with the participation of local journalists from both print and electronic media. The course involved both conveying information on present environmental issues and introducing journalists to practical ways of improving coverage of these issues in their work. The first lecturer was Xhemal Mato, expert of environmental issues and Head of Massmedia and Environment Association. After providing a brief history on ecology in the world, the lecturer focused on a general description of the environmental situation in Albania, emphasizing the most problematic areas regarding pollution of the environment, passing then on to the concept of sustainable development.

The second lecturer was Ziso Thomollari, Dean of the Department of Natural Sciences, University of Elbasan, who addressed the emergence of the concept of sustainable development. Another important element was the concept of pollution, the scientific definition and the practical addressing of elements of pollution, bringing as examples international efforts to limit the damage in this respect. Beqir Kila, responsible for the Laboratory of Toxicology, Elbasan, addressed then the specific problems and sources of pollution in the city of Elbasan and in the suburbs. The lecturer provided some statistics and addressed the specific range of problems the city faces, which distinguishes it from other cities in the country.

On the second day the lecturers and journalists addressed the pracitical aspects of reporting on environment, especially in cases of investigative journalism. Lutfi Dervishi, freelancer, addressed the organization of labour when it comes to investigating a story, as well as using access to information law when writing a story. He also described the techniques, manners, range of problems of investigative journalism, treatment of sources, importance and dangers of investigation, and specific cases of investigation on the salient environmental issues.

Ilir Yzeri, Head of Faculty of Journalism, Elbasan, spoke about raising awareness among Albanian society and educating it on environmental problems, which is journalists’ duty (specific examples were provided). He also addressed the manners of reporting of environmental topics and the continuity of addressing environmental topics in the media, in order for these to become important issues. Finally, Professor at the Faculty of Journalism, Elbasan, Isidor Koti, focused on the role and impact of media in environmental issues, explaining the main ways of environmental information for the public, usage of resources, institutions, and investigation. This training course was organized by Albanian Media Institute with the support of UNDP.

REGIONAL MEETING OF EDITORS AND JOURNALISTS

A regional meeting of media directors, editors, journalists, and media associations from Albania, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and Macedonia, took place in Tirana on November 11. The main aim of the meeting was to discuss the main problems that the media in the region faces at the moment, common solutions, exchange of experience, and improving the standards in view of the efforts for EU accession. The participants in the conference discussed such topics as EU and the future of the region, public broadcasting today, general media situation in the region, corruption and media, professional standards, hate speech, and media ethics. The conference was hosted by the Albanian Media Institute and organized by South East Europe Media Organization, with the support of Austrian Cooperation.

TRAINING COURSE ON INTERVIEWING TECHNIQUES

A training course on improving interviewing techniques as part of everyday job of journalists was organized with the participation of 12 journalists on November 8-9 at the Albanian Media Institute. The lecturer, Monte Plott, Knight International Press Fellow, addressed the main facets of interviewing for young journalists. The participants were introduced to the basic ways of researching the topic or person before the interview, the importance of collecting background information, the formulation of questions, the kinds of questions asked, observing body language, etc. The lecturer and participants also discussed the ethical issues related to interviewing, the dividing line between respect for the privacy and the public’s right to know, double checking the information, writing retractions, etc. The course was organized by the Albanian Media Institute and supported by the US Embassy.

TRAINING COURSE ON CORRUPTION AND MEDIA

The training regarding the range of problems in the struggle against corruption and its media coverage took place in the city of Fier on November 18-19, 2005, with the participation of local journalists from print and electronic media. Institutional transparency as an important element in preventing corruption was the topic addressed from the first lecturer, Arben Ristani, lawyer at the Citizen Advocacy Office. Ristani first explained the notion of state seizure and the problems of corruption in the administration. Three basic elements that cause situations of corruption were picked and examined, namely monopoly situation, lack of information, and responsibility. Ristani also focused on the activity of Citizen Advocacy Office, offering specific cases from the judicial point of view, in addition to journalists’ problems with the judicial system.

In his lecture journalist Lutfi Dervishi addressed the issue of writing a detailed investigation story, focusing on its planning. Specific steps included: picking the topic, planning the sources, searching, reporting, writing the story, checking the facts before publication, the actual publication, follow-up, etc. On the second day Dervishi brought a historical and international overview of the development of investigative journalism all over the world, bringing specific cases, such as investigation of the Al Cappone case, addressing the case and the manner he bought the newspaper that was accusing him, relations with journalists, etc. Focusing on the present situation regarding corruption in Albania, as cited by international reports, the lecturer offered ways of improving investigative journalism, such as teamwork, confrontational interviews, etc.

Vladimir Muçaj, Head of Association of Journalists of Fier, was the next lecturer. He brought the local experience in investigating corruption and its media coverage. He conveyed an overview of print and electronic media in the district of Fier and focused on the financial opportunities and the willingness of media owners to investigate hot issues in the district of Fier. Examining the specific cases of investigation from local journalists the lecturer and participants discussed the techniques used in investigations, along with the manners of making use of both official and unofficial sources, the achieved results and the cases of discovering these corruption affairs. This training course was organized by Albanian Media Institute with the support of UNDP.

TRAINING COURSE ON PUBLIC RELATIONS AND JOURNALISM

The relation between PR officers, institutions, offices and journalists was the main topic addressed in a training course that took place at the Albanian Media Institute on November 15-16. The main aim of the course was to introduce 12 young reporters to a tool they face often in their job: press releases and information that comes from PR offices and spokespersons. What to look for in a press release, asking for additional information, checking the distributed information, establishing contacts with PR persons were the main issues addressed in the course by Monte Plott, Knight International Press Fellow. In a more theoretical aspect, the lecturer and participants also addressed the ways of separating advertisement from information, hidden advertising, ways of serving the public, rather than the sender of the press release, etc. The course was organized by the Albanian Media Institute and supported by the US Embassy.

TRAINING COURSE ON REPORTING POVERTY

Reporting on poverty was the topic of a training course organized with local journalists from district of Shkodra on November 25-26. Poverty in a long transition was the topic addressed by the first lecturer, Ylli Cabiri, for the Center of Promoting Human Development. He focused on the level of poverty and income, the profile of poverty, unemployment, issues of poverty in rural and urban areas, etc. In his lecture he offered some instructions on how journalists should report on these phenomena, having in mind the official figures. The lecturer also addressed considering the situation of education and health care as indicators of poverty, emphasizing the role of the state in improving the situation.

Lindita Xhillari, from the same center, lectured on the economic growth in the transition period, offering statistics on the inflation rate and GDP, the stabilizing reforms in the main areas, such as liberalization of the markets, small and medium enterprises, division of land, etc. She also focused on the fragile Albanian economic equilibrium, mentioning the main crisis and progress. Finally, the lecturer conveyed a comparative analysis of Albania and other countries in the region from the economic point of view, focusing on the impact of structural reforms on alleviating poverty in the country.

On the second day, Lutfi Dervishi, journalist, addressed the media coverage of the poverty issue. He presented a general overview of the poverty problem, on a comparative level. He also addressed the human relations aspect of covering poverty from journalists, the target group the media address, etc. Dervishi delved into more practical aspects of covering the issue, such as definition of elements that make up poverty and ways to cover each one of them, media’s undue coverage of politics and its neglecting the poverty problems.

Blerti Deliu, journalist and head of the Union of Journalists, Shkoder, brought the local experience in this regard. He addressed the poverty issue in the city of Shkodra, the media coverage of these problems, finding the roots of poverty, using the sources of information, disputing official statistics, etc. In addition, the participants expressed their concern with the owners’ neglect of such important issues as poverty. This training course was organized by Albanian Media Institute with the support of UNDP.

RADIO PROGRAMS PRODUCED IN ROMA LANGUAGE

A group of aspiring reporters from the Roma minority gathered to produce two radio programs of approximately 20 minutes in Roma language. The main aim of these programs is to promote media coverage of minorities in the country and provide a different voice for the minorities within the media landscape. The journalists were guided in these productions by Zamira Koleci, director of information at Top Albania Radio. These radio programs will be aired by Radio Tirana, the public service radio, and by a local radio. The production of the programs was implemented by Albanian Media Institute, with the support of Swedish Helsinki Committee.

NEW ISSUE OF NCRT ETHICS BULLETIN

The tenth issue of “Antena,” the bulletin published by the Council of Complaints at the National Council of Radio and Television, came out in November. The main aim of this issue was to bring foreign experience with regard to ethical standards of broadcasting industry and the existing-self regulatory mechanisms, comparing them to the present situation in Albania. The articles presented in the bulletin addressed such issues as media corruption, dissatisfaction of the public with media ethics, experience of regulatory and self-regulatory agencies in several countries in this regard, the respect for human dignity in Albanian media, etc.

Politiet oplyser at have anholdt 6 personer involveret i menneskesmugling/trafficking og passvindlerier forskellige steder i Albanien

Police officers arrested 6 citizens implicated in the criminal activity of trafficking of human beings and forfeiting documents

05.12.2005

Today, on 05.12.2005, structures of Anti-Organised Crime and Protection of Witnesses Directorate in General Directorate of State Police and structures of Districts of Tirana, Korce and Vlore carried out an operation to attack persons incriminated in the criminal activity of trafficking of human beings and forfeiting of documents.

The operation was carried out in co-operation with Prosecutor’s Office of High Crimes based on the progress of investigations related to the criminal group which had been lead by the citizen Nikolin Cako ( ownership of the Go West travel agency), as well as evidences gathered during this investigation.

Police officers carried out operations in Tiranë, Korçë and Vlorë, and based on orders issues from the Prosecutor’s Office of High Crimes they arrested the citizens below:

In Tirana

1. Mihal Vaso Gjoka, 46,

2. Arjan Muharrem Muça, 36,

3. Abedin Isuf Duka, 46,

In Korce:

1. Artur Nexhmi Rakipi, 39,

In Vlore:

1. Eduard Isa Hajdini, 34,

Police Officers found and confiscated in the residence of Mihal Gjoka different equipments such as computers, microscopes, and other necessary equipments which were used to forfeit different kinds of documents such as passports, visas, etc.

At the meantime, police officers found in the residence of Artur Rakipi in Korce several passports, laminates, forms, which were used to forfeit different kinds of documents, mainly passports and visas with the aim of backing illegal border crossings.

Police officers confiscated also some cars and mobile phones.

State Police structures are carrying out investigations in close co-operation with Prosecutor’s Office of High Crimes to fully document criminal activity of all incriminated persons who are linked to this criminal organisation, 9 members were arrested on 07.10.2005.

Police officers carried out controls in the residence of Artur Rakipi, and in an apartment he had hired as laboratory and found and confiscated as material evidences equipments used for forfeiting of 10-year passports:

- computers

- printers

- laminator

- 10 year- passports, 57

- 5-year passports, 200

- Lamina

- seals of some of the official institutions

- Greek schengen visas

- Plumb characters used to prepare seals.

- Police officers sequestered also 509.500 new leks, Euro 13.790, $ 250, a car of the type “Benz 250 with the plate Korçë 0691B,” as well as the apartment that had been hired in the Quarter Nr.2 in Korçë.

Directorate General of State Police

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: Serbian Orthodox Church offers full support to team negotiating on Kosovo-Metohija. Den Serbiske Regering skriver:

Belgrade, Dec 6, 2005 - The first meeting of the Team for political negotiations on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija and the Committee for Kosovo-Metohija of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) was held today in the Serbian government.

Committee representatives reiterated at the meeting the full support of the SPC to the Team for negotiations and conveyed its concern for the population, property and facilities in the province. They recalled that on November 2 and 3 the Committee adopted clear conclusions that Kosovo-Metohija must remain an integral part of Serbia.

Committee members said that as soon as possible it is necessary to pass a law that would regulate the return of the usurped church property in the province. They expressed a wish to help the efforts of the state negotiating team through their future meetings with representatives of other churches and international contacts.

It was unanimously agreed upon at the meeting that in future negotiations international law and principles of safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia must be respected and it was said that a solution must be reached through dialogue and compromise.

Participants of the meeting said that the solution for Kosovo-Metohija must be a lasting and stable one and warned that any imposed solution could have serious and immeasurable consequences not just for the region, but also for Europe and the world.

An agreement was reached that in the future there will be regular communication between the team for political talks on the future status of Kosovo-Metohija and the Committee for Kosovo-Metohija of the Holy Assembly of Bishops of the Serbian Orthodox Church.

IMF har udsendt flg. om samarbejdet med Serbien:

The Office of the Resident Representative in Serbia and Montenegro issued the following statement today in Belgrade:

"Constructive discussions between the Government and the IMF mission were held this week in Belgrade to solve pending issues related to the sixth and final review of the Extended Arrangement.

"The IMF mission reached understandings ad referendum with the authorities. The sixth review can be conducted by the Executive Board of the IMF in late January 2006, provided that a number of prior actions are successfully completed until then.

"The mission commends the adoption of the 2006 budget and the related reforms in health care that should strengthen medium-term fiscal sustainability and improve the composition of expenditures. The cost efficiency of health care will strengthen, while hopefully improving quality and continuing to provide fair access to the entire population.

"The government proposed a solution for the clearance of pension arrears to ensure that the combined programmed fiscal surplus of 3.6 percent of GDP for the two year period 2005-2006 is achieved. The wage bill of public enterprises will increase by about 10.3 percent in 2006."

Små virksomheder. Infrastruktur. Lån fra Den Europæiske Investeringsbank:

EUR 30 million loan for SMEs and urban infrastructure in Serbia and Montenegro

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is lending EUR 30 million to HVB Bank Serbia and Montenegro. The funds will be used to provide long-term financing for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and infrastructure investments in Serbia and Montenegro.

The EIB global loan (line of credit) aims at tackling the scarcity of funds for investment needed to sustain development and economic growth in the country. With the funds stemming from the EIB, up to 50% of the eligible project cost may be financed. The term for infrastructure projects is 15 years; loans for SMEs may go up to 12 years.

HVB Bank will be able to respond to the long-term needs of SMEs that represent an important source of job creation, and of local authorities, particularly of municipalities, which contribute to raising the living standards of the populations concerned through investments in urban infrastructure.

HVB Bank is focused on customer needs to build long-term relationships and it offers the safety and the network of an international banking group. HVB Bank provides product and services through its wide network of 41 branches all around Serbia.

MONTENEGRO (alene)

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

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.

EU og Makedonien, se: http://europa-kommissionen.dk/eu-politik/aktuelt/udvidelse/udvidelsespakke2005/fyrom

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).

Pågribelse af Albanske hash-dealere. Kathimerini skriver:

Police arrested four Albanian nationals in Thessaloniki yesterday for drug dealing after undercover police offered to buy the 60 kilos of cannabis the men had in their possession for 40,000 euros. Police are seeking others believed to be involved.

FoKAF [The Cheese Formerly Known As Feta / Osten Der Engang Hed Feta]

Kommentar:

Som den velorienterede læser vil vide, var der engang en Dansk Ost der blev kaldt Feta.

Uretmæssigt - er det nu afgjort af EF-Domstolen.

Vores letsalte ko- og fåremælksost har forresten - for længe siden - fået et nyt navn: »Apertina« med (det nu midlertidige) bi-navn Feta. Så skaden er heldigvis til at overse.

Jeg sagde pænt farvel i dag med »Græsk« salat, et glas kølig Retsina og nogle skiver Italiensk brød fra henne om hjørnet. Det var vist bagt af Durum-mel fra Vén.

Bagefter fik jeg et par Sydeuropæiske mandariner.

Godt Kineserne ikke er med i EU. De måtte have en oplagt sag om både de omtalte små gule - og om de små hurtige der bruges til Nytår.

Men er der mening i galskaben? Er det en retfærdig dom?

Danske Producenter har da altid ret, har de ikke?

Måske. Men kunne Grækerne ikke - rent teoretisk og for en enkelt gangs skyld - have noget at have »det« i, selv om de så ofte er prikne i netop navne- og flagsager og andre formalismer?

Nææhh, kunne man forsøge: Feta er jo ikke et produktnavn - som Carlsberg - det er kun et produkt med en lokal betydning? En tvivlsom lokal betydning, for lokal og lokal er nemlig som man tager det.

Navnet er givetvis Græsk, osten ikke; oste af dén slags produceres over alt i området, nogle gange under navnet Feta, nok så ofte under lokale navne, fx i Albanien og Makedonien - FYROM {1}, må vi hellere huske at sige - og ikke mindst i Tyrkiet? I Tyrkiet kan sådan en ost hedde: Sut Urunleri: Tahsildaroglu Beyaz Peynir-Koyu eller: Sut Urunleri: Teksut Tam Yagli Beyaz Peynir-Koyun.

Men skulle man absolut være retfærdig, så kunne man vel nok acceptere den Græske påstand?

Dvs: Lige så godt som vi kan tale om Dansk det ene og Dansk det andet og kun nødigt vil acceptere at andre lande bruger »os« til egen fordel som når de - ikke kun taler om, men undertiden også - producerer vores gode Danske Wienerbrød under betegnelser som Kopenhagener Gebäck og Danish Pastry - lige så godt kunne vi have fundet på noget andet fra begyndelsen. Fx: Karl Smart - Dansk Fåreost - Extra lagret.

Hvad er det nemlig vi har gjort? Brugt navnet Feta til at lukke døre op med.

Når vi nu - efter så mange år - er kommet ind på de svære ostemarkeder i Mellemøsten og andre steder, så gør det ikke så meget at vi har fået en dom; nu kan det nærmest være lige meget. Se flg. udtalelse:

»Det er en ærgerlig afgørelse,« siger Kaj Ole Pedersen, formand for Mejeriforeningen, til Landbrugsavisen dagen efter dommen.

»Vi kan trøste os med, at det er lykkedes at trække sagen ud i 18 år. Var dommen faldet for 10-15 år siden, havde det været en katastrofe for dansk mejeribrug. I dag har danske mejerier haft tid til udvikling og omstilling. Produktionen af feta er reduceret, og man har etableret egne varemærker som alternativ til den almindelige artsbetegnelse feta, der nu ikke må benyttes fra nytår 2007«.

Ovenstående er klippet fra »EU-Kommissionens Nyhedsbrev« December 2005. Det næste derimod fra »Ordbog Over Det Danske Sprog«. Her gemmer sig ikke noget der kunne bruges som indicium i den aktuelle sag, men det er munter læsning.

Man kan læse mere om hele affæren på: http://www.europa-kommissionen.dk/eu-politik/noegleomraader/landbrug_fiskeri/feta-dom og http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/foodqual/quali1_da.htm.

Se også: http://www.dairyindustries.com/story.asp?id=2023598

1) FYROM = The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. Turkey recognises the Republic of Macedonia with its constitutional name.

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.

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

USA

Dr Condoleezza Rice i Europa. De Europæiske NATO/EU-Udenrigsministre siges at være tilfredse fsv angår spørgsmålet om CIA og behandlingen af Mistænkte. Se evt. reportage på BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4509250.stm.

State Dept. skriver 051206:

Rice og Merkel. Officielt foto

Berlin, Germany December 6, 2005

Secretay Rice and German Chancellor Angela Merkel brief the media in the Chancellery in Berlin, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005 following their bilateral meeting.CHANCELLOR MERKEL: (Via interpreter) Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure to be able to welcome here to the Federal Chancellor's Office the U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. This is a continuation of the dialogue between both our countries that we started in Washington and that we've continued over the course of this year -- earlier this year -- during the visit of the American President to Mainz. It gives me great pleasure today, Secretary, to be able to welcome you in my new capacity as Federal Chancellor, because when we met during the visit of the President on earlier occasions, we meet with me still being the leader of the opposition.

In our meeting today we agreed on the close partnership and the cooperation between the United States of America and the Federal Republic of Germany as close partners and friends. And in a very comprehensive sense indeed we intend to cooperate and to continue our cooperation; that is to say, to cover all areas, the political issues, of the field of economical -- economic cooperation.

I also used the opportunity to explain that my government has a very clear objective -- is guided by clear principles in the field of foreign policy. The German foreign policy is a policy that serves the interests of the German people and, in so doing, it basically serves on two pillars, one of which is a European unity and the other is a close transatlantic partnership. Those are interdependent; those go together. Those are very important pillars for us. I tried to highlight that in the meeting today.

Our partnership is based on common values, on our belief in democracy and democratic principles and values, that is. Indeed we believe that to be a very high good, a good that has to be defended against all the threats that may come up. And we're also fully aware of the fact that these threats are changing and that in the 21st century, too, these threats come up against which we have to defend ourselves.

We have to fight the challenges of the 21st century. We have to face up to them and we have to face up to quite demanding challenges indeed in many areas and we have to do so convincingly. And we have been so doing always to try to strike a certain balance. While trying to defend ourselves against the threats that endanger our values and the freedom on which our societies are based, we at the same time have to see to it that we seek the right means, means proportionate that allow us to stay in line with the legal system and the laws in which we believe.

Secretary Rice and German Chancellor Angela Merkel at their press conference in Berlin, Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2005.In this particular context we also touched upon an issue that is very much in the public eye these days, a subject of public debate, and that is the issue of the alleged CIA --- the issue of the CIA's overflights, which brings me to the following point. I've talked about the direction and the principles which guide our foreign policy. When we talk about this, we always have to bear in mind how we can then actually implement our foreign policy so as to achieve the desired results. We have to, on the one hand, adhere to the rules of democracy, the democratic principles and rules to which we've expressed our commitment; but at the same time, we have to see that our intelligence services can actually do the job that they've been created to do, which is to say we need intelligence services in order to be able to face up to the threats to our society in this century of ours.

It's very important that whilst we adhere to the rules and the international obligations, to laws that govern us and the international obligations to which we've committed ourselves, it can also mean that in specific cases, like in the case of this gentleman -- we've talked about Mr. Masri -- and I've made that very clear because I went public and said I think it's desirable for the Foreign Minister, Mr. Steinmeier, to go and to report to the parliament and to do so in a respected parliamentary body, which is the parliamentary control body. We believe that to be -- I believe that to be the right place for such a discussion. We want to make it clear, on the one hand, that we can't go public about all the details, but at the same time we need to introduce a certain degree of transparency. If such a case like the case of Mr. Masri were to be repeated, then again we would take the matter to this particular body in the parliament, the parliamentary control body. I think that is the responsible body in Germany for such a debate.

We had an opportunity to talk about a number of other issues, too. We touched upon the situation and the role that NATO has to play. We talked about relations with Russia. We talked about the conflict in Iran and the state of discussions there. We talked about the situation in Iraq. And we also talked about our common commitment in Afghanistan. In a nutshell, we covered the complete spectrum of foreign policy. We did a complete tour d' horizon. And it will indeed give a great pleasure and I'm looking forward to the upcoming visit that I will take to the United States of America and the opportunity I will then have to speak to the American President. Indeed our meeting today, Secretary of State, I believe was a very good start for an intensified relationship between both our countries.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you, Chancellor Merkel. First of all, it's a delight to be back in Berlin. This great city that is in and of itself something of a miracle given that just a couple of decades ago, or not even that long ago, this city was divided and was a symbol of East-West conflict. It's great to be here to see its beauty and to enjoy the holiday preparations that are being made here in Berlin.

It is a pleasure to meet with Chancellor Merkel and I congratulate you on your election victory. We had a very extensive discussion -- following our discussions that I've had with Foreign Minister Steinmeier and I also look forward, as I know the President does, to your visit to Washington in January to continue to strengthen the foundations of the U.S.-German relationship, of the relationship that -- a transatlantic relationship which has much work to do in the efforts to support and bring democracy to areas that have not yet experienced the blessings of liberty.

As the Chancellor's mentioned we did talk about a wide range of issues: Afghanistan, Iraq, the potential for progress in the Middle East between Israel and the Palestinians. We talked about the challenges in the European neighborhood, continuing the progress of democracy in Russia and hoping for progress in places like Belarus where Europe's last dictator still resides.

I mentioned also to the Chancellor that I will soon go to Ukraine and of course this is a country that is also making a very important transition and we look forward to intensifying our cooperation there. The European Union has been very involved in the development of a plan for action with Ukraine as has the United States and this is an area that really does bear our attention. The people who launched the Orange Revolution now need to deliver on that revolution and we look forward to cooperation with Germany on this very important task.

Let me say also that I could not agree more with the Chancellor that the challenges that we face in the new war, the war on terrorism, are indeed challenges that challenge us to make certain that we are doing all that we can to protect our populations from the threats of those who would wantonly kill innocents. But we must do this within the context of laws and our international obligation.

As such, we had a discussion of the issues that have been in the press concerning detainees. I reiterated for the Chancellor what I said yesterday is that first of all, the United States does not condone torture. It is against U.S. law to be involved in torture or conspiracy to commit torture. And it is also against U.S. international obligations and the President has made it very clear that U.S. personnel will operate within U.S. law and within our international obligations.

I also reiterated that our cooperation with our partners around the world, our intelligence cooperation, is extremely important to protecting the citizens of the United States but also the citizens of our partners. And we do have to have intelligence organizations that can cooperate, that can be effective, that can bring to bear intelligence on the terrorism problem because without good intelligence, you can simply not protect innocent civilians from the kinds of attacks that we have experienced across the globe.

I reiterated, finally, that we respect the sovereignty of our partners. We are going to be best at fighting the war on terrorism and protecting our citizens if we cooperate. And we have been cooperating. I just want to note that it is completely -- completely important and indeed proper in democracies that when issues come up that they are debated. It is also proper that friends be able to talk about issues of concern. It is also important, though, that any debate have a healthy respect for the challenge that we face when we face an enemy that operates from within our societies and that is intent -- intent, not by collateral damage, but intent on killing innocent civilians as they have done in New York and in Washington and in London and in Madrid and in Casablanca and in Amman and all over the world. We have an obligation to defend our people and we will use every lawful means to do so.

Thank you, Chancellor, for your warm reception.

QUESTION: Madame Chancellor. (Inaudible). Have you been satisfied with the information and the explanations given to you by the American Secretary of State on the CIA flights and the kidnapping of a German national?

CHANCELLOR MERKEL: (Via Interpreter) First, I was very grateful and I am very grateful for the American Secretary of State, that she has reiterated that America stands by its international commitments, that it stands by its rejection of torture and that it adheres to the laws of the United States of America.

In the meeting we had, I myself made it quite clear that I, as the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, work under and adhere to German laws and to the international commitments my country has entered into. And I believe that that is a good basis on which we build. I can build it on which we can attend to those commitments that we have made as members of the same alliance. And if doubts, if questions come up, we know full well that our partners, too, work on the basis of the laws applying in their countries and in line with their international commitments.

Now as far as to the German hostage, that is an issue we, too, talked about. And I asked the Secretary of State for the help of the American services to the extent that that help can be provided and ultimately made it clear that we will be very grateful, indeed, if any kind of assistance could be made available here.

SECRETARY RICE: Thank you. And on the hostage, I said to Chancellor Merkel that we will do everything that we can through our people in Iraq and through our intelligence services to try and help resolve that issue, hopefully, in a favorable way.

As to the case of Mr. Al-Masri, I am not going to comment on any specific case. There are reports to -- newspaper reports and, of course, I believe this is going to be a matter for litigation, so it's properly handled in that channel. I did say to the Chancellor that when and if mistakes are made, we work very hard and as quickly as possible to rectify them. Any policy will sometimes have mistakes and it is our promise to our partners that should that be the case, that we will do everything that we can to rectify those mistakes. I believe that this will be handled in the proper courts here in Germany and if necessary in American courts as well.

QUESTION: Yes, Madame Secretary, I know you just said you don't want to comment on any specific case, but in the Al-Masri matter, is it ever appropriate for the U.S. to ask another sovereign government not to release information regarding one of its own citizens? And of course, he ended up going public himself, but like sort of an explanation of how that decision was made? And to Chancellor Merkel, do you think that the German people will be satisfied with Secretary Rice's explanation yesterday of U.S. policies and how do you think that maybe a year from now the German people will view this whole matter?

SECRETARY RICE: Concerning your first question, the Chancellor has said how she intends to deal with this matter here in Germany in a proper committee of the Bundestag and we respect that decision. We very often, when intelligence matters are involved, we, of course, respect the fact that intelligence matters need to be -- that intelligence needs to be treated sensitively, because in order for intelligence agencies to operate we cannot publicize everything that they do. It should be no surprise to anyone that intelligence agencies gather intelligence and that that is a process and an activity that is largely out of public view. But we're completely supportive of how the Chancellor intends to handle this case.

CHANCELLOR MERKEL: I think that the statement, the information that the American Secretary of State provided yesterday, the statement that she made to the press before she left for Germany yesterday and the information she provided me with here today, is good information, valuable information for the German people. Now, you can imagine it's a teeny bit difficult for me at this point in time to gage what the position would be like in a year from now, what point of view the German public will then take.

On the one hand, we are under certain obligations as members of the same alliance. We have obligations and commitments that we have to fulfill. And on the other hand, we are obliged and have certain obligations to our own laws and international commitments. I do believe that we can do both; we can attend to the one and the other at the same time. And if questions or if problems occur, then of course we have to talk about them, but I intend to do so in an open and a friendly and in a way that is based on partnership.

QUESTION: Thank you. Nicholas Kralev of The Washington Times. Madame Chancellor, you now have heard what the Secretary had to say about the issue today. I assume you read her statement yesterday. Do you -- first of all, do you agree with the American definition of torture? Second, do you think that the renditions are an effective tool in the war on terrorism, as the Secretary said yesterday? And under your government, are these German intelligence services going to cooperate fully with the United States in the next two or four years of your -- four years of your administration? Sorry to make both -- (laughter). Please erase from the record. (Laughter.)

And Madame Secretary, you talked yesterday about the responsibility of every government to protect its citizens and you implied that perhaps other countries and other governments know enough about what you are doing in those countries and on their territories. Do you think that there has been a lot of pointing to Washington in Europe or do you think that the governments here should actually offer some of the answers to those questions that have arisen in the past few weeks?

CHANCELLOR MERKEL: Yes, indeed, I believe it's not only a question of the American laws, it's also a question of -- we're talking about a country that has signed the International Convention Against Torture. So that is indeed a very important point and therefore the statement by the American Secretary of State has been a very important one.

As far as that goes, I think this is a basis (inaudible) based on the legal system in the respective country, the laws and the international commitment of the respective country. I do believe that there is room and it is good to have full cooperation of the intelligence services and that they should indeed cooperate.

We are talking about two countries that are committed to the same values, that share the same international commitment. And I think these countries should make use of the scarce resources available, the best use possible, in the difficult fight that they (inaudible) against a common threat (inaudible) of the 21st century. And therefore, I think cooperation of the intelligence services is indeed feasible. It's something that ought to be done, all based though on the basis of the respective countries -- the countries involved adhering to the laws and the commitments it has entered into.

SECRETARY RICE: And I would simply underscore that we are countries of laws. That's why we -- one of the reasons that our alliance has worked so well is that we do share values and we do share a belief in the rule of law. We will live up, in the United States, to our commitments under our laws and to our international obligations. We will, in that framework, do everything that we can do lawfully to protect our people. We will do everything that we can to cooperate with likeminded intelligence services because we need to remember that this is essentially a war in which intelligence is absolutely key to success. If you are going to uncover plots, if you are going to get to people before they commit their crimes, that is largely an intelligence function.

And if you don't get to them before they commit their crimes, unlike in the traditional law enforcement area, they will have committed mass murder against innocent people whom, by the way, they target. They target innocent people. That was a wedding party in Amman. Those were schoolchildren in Beslan. This was a subway in Madrid and a subway in -- a transportation system with people going to work in London. They weren't targeting "enemy soldiers." They were targeting innocent civilians.

When you face that kind of threat, you have an obligation to do everything that you can to protect people, and that means getting to the perpetrators of such crimes before they can commit them. That's why I am so grateful to our partners for that all that we have done. I think we have saved American lives and we have saved European lives and we have saved lives in other parts of the world, too.

And I look forward to our continued cooperation with German intelligence and German law enforcement, and of course at the political level. Because ultimately, as the Chancellor and I discussed today, while we want to stop every terrorist attack that we can, we also have to deal with the fundamental circumstances that are producing terrorism. And that's why the work that is being done in the Broader Middle East Initiative or in the Barcelona process, why the work that we are doing to find a just and peaceful solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and why the work that we are doing together to strengthen the new democracies in places like Afghanistan and Iraq is so central to the war on terrorism.

CHANCELLOR MERKEL: One last question, possibly -- if possible, please don't make it three questions to each and every one of us. (Laughter.)

QUESTION: Madame Chancellor -- what -- sorry, I apologize State Department Secretary to understand.

What does the federal government -- I'm not referring to any particular case now, any case in discussion these days. But what in general is the position or the views of federal government on the practice of rendition, the transfer -- rather, the capture of German nationals then to be transferred to a third country for interrogation? And is that something that you talked about with the Secretary of State today?

And a question to the Secretary of State. Are you in a position to say that that practice has never been used against a German national and will never be used against a German national?

CHANCELLOR MERKEL: Actually, the two parts of your question seem to be mutually exclusive and I've very relieved and pleased that I'm able to say that we actually talked about that one particular case and that the American Government, the American Administration, has admitted that this man had been erroneously taken and that as such the American Administration is not denying that it has taken place.

I am also very pleased to note that the American Secretary of State has said that such a mistake, if it occurred, has to be rectified. And as for the rest of its activities, the American Government has made it very clear that they act on the basis of American laws and American international commitments.

As for the rest, we have not talked about any other cases.

SECRETARY RICE: And we act within our obligations internationally, within our own U.S. laws, and that is what I have reiterated to the Chancellor. Obviously, I'm not going to get into specifics of what we have or have not done in particular intelligence operations because intelligence operations can be easily compromised. What I did say is that while I could not talk about the specifics of the Al-Masri case, that we recognize that the Chancellor will be reviewing this in a committee of the Bundestag. We also recognize that any policy will sometimes result in errors, and when it happens we will do everything we can to rectify it.

ENGLAND

TYSKLAND

FRANKRIG

DANMARK (NORGE, SVERIGE)

UDENRIGSMINISTER PER STIG MØLLERS TALE VED MINIKONFERENCE PÅ CHRISTIANSBORG DEN 2. DECEMBER OM KOMMISSIONENS ARBEJDSPROGRAM FOR 2006 OG EU'S TÆNKEPAUSE

Mange tak til Folketingets formand, Christian Mejdahl, for invitationen til konferencen i dag om Kommissionens arbejdsprogram for næste år. Det er et godt initiativ, der understreger, at de nationale parlamenter har en vigtig rolle at spille i EU-samarbejdet. En rolle, som jeg er overbevist om vil blive endnu vigtigere i fremtiden. Dagens konference giver også mulighed for, at Kommissionen selv kan deltage i drøftelsen af sit arbejdsprogram hertillands.

Tak til Neelie Kroes for at have taget turen fra Bruxelles til København. Det virker egentlig ganske naturligt, at Kommissionen er med til at præsentere sine egne bud på, hvad der skal ske i Den Europæiske Union næste år. Det må gerne blive en tradition.

Lad det være sagt med det samme, at Kommissionen fortjener ros for dette arbejdsprogram. Man har valgt den rigtige tilgang til de udfordringer, Europa står over for. På trods af tænkepausen og problemerne med at få EU’s budget på plads slår Kommissionen nemlig fast, at det for EU-samarbejdet mere end nogensinde handler om at trække i arbejdstøjet. Som der står i programmet, er det kun ved at skabe konkrete resultater, der kan mærkes i hverdagen, at EU-samarbejdet virkelig får betydning i folks øjne. Dette er jo også min tilgang til den europæiske situation i dag! Visionernes Europa fænger ikke længere. Nu drejer det sig om realiteternes Europa.

Kommissionen har i programmet udpeget de fire vigtigste prioritetsområder for EU’s arbejde næste år. Det handler om økonomisk vækst, om social samhørighed, om sikkerhed og om EU’s globale rolle. Det er efter min opfattelse den rigtige prioritering. Lad mig kort sige hvorfor.

Den økonomiske vækst i de gamle EU-lande var beskedne 2,3% sidste år. Den forventes at falde til blot 1,4% i år. Det er alt for lidt også i forhold til vore konkurrenter på verdensmarkedet. For eksempel lå USA’s vækst sidste år på 4,2% og Kina på hele 9%. Samtidig er der i dag ca. 20 millioner arbejdsløse i Europa. Disse tal kræver handling! 2006 bliver et vigtigt år for EU’s strategi til fremme af vækst og beskæftigelse – Lissabon-strategien.

Alle EU-lande har vedtaget nationale reformprogrammer inden for Lissabon-strategien. Og den danske regering har opfordret Kommissionen til at gå ambitiøst og modigt til værks, når den inden forårstopmødet næste år skal bedømme, hvordan medlemslandene gennemfører disse programmer. Kommissionen bør udarbejde specifikke anbefalinger for hvert EU-land, og de som halter bagefter, eller som mangler politisk vilje til at modernisere deres økonomier, bør få det at vide. Ellers er jeg bange for, at den relancerede Lissabon-proces ikke kommer til at fungere i praksis.

Globaliseringen er ikke noget, som vi europæere kan vælge fra eller til. Det er et grundvilkår, som vi skal forstå at vende til vores egen fordel. Større parathed til omstilling i kombination med en markant satsning i Europa på forskning og udvikling er afgørende. Men undervejs skal vi også sørge for, at de, der bliver berørt negativt af forandringerne, får de nødvendige muligheder for at genvinde fodfæstet på arbejdsmarkedet. Uden social samhørighed, uden respekt for vore fælles europæiske værdier, bliver Europa ikke en vinderregion i globaliseringen.

Kommissionen fremhæver sikkerhed som det tredje hovedområde i arbejdsprogrammet. Og med rette. Der er store fordele ved et tættere europæisk samarbejde i kampen mod international terrorisme og grænseoverskridende kriminalitet. Borgerne har berettigede forventninger om en effektiv og koordineret europæisk indsats. EU er kommet et stykke ad vejen under det britiske formandskab, men mere skal gøres. Ikke mindst imod de forhold både i og uden for Europa, der skaber grobund for radikalisering og rekruttering til terroraktiviteter.

Som det fjerde nævner Kommissionen behovet for, at Europa kommer til at spille en mere robust og aktiv rolle på den globale scene. Den danske regering er helt enig i den vurdering. Der er brug for et stærkere europæisk fingeraftryk i internationale spørgsmål, hvad enten det drejer sig om konfliktløsning i Mellemøsten eller om opbygning af politi og retsvæsen i Kosovo, hvor der i dag ikke er noget reelt alternativ til EU.

Men hvis Europas politiske indflydelse skal matche vores tyngde i verdensøkonomien, kræver det mere sammenhæng og mere handlekraft i EU’s optræden udadtil. Med Europas værdier og velstand kan vi gøre en global forskel, og det forpligter.

Alt i alt er det et godt arbejdsprogram, som Kommissionen har sat sig for at gennemføre. Men, og det er et vigtigt ”men”. Det franske og hollandske nej til forfatningstraktaten rummer en vigtig lektie, som Kommissionen sammen med medlemsstaterne bør give højere prioritet de kommende år.

Og lektien består i, at det i forhold til befolkningerne ikke længere er nok for EU at forfølge de rigtige målsætninger, at træffe de rigtige beslutninger og iværksætte de rigtige tiltag. I dag er det lige så afgørende at få klare og forståelige budskaber ud til borgerne om, at EU forfølger de rigtige målsætninger, at EU træffer vigtige beslutninger, og at EU iværksætter fornuftige tiltag. Kort sagt - EU skal både gøre det rigtige og blive meget bedre til at fortælle, at det rigtige bliver gjort.

Hvis man for eksempel spørger folk, hvorfor det i dag er væsentligt billigere at tale i telefon end for 10 år siden, eller hvorfor det i dag er væsentligt billigere at flyve til Spanien end førhen, er det nok de færreste, der vil pege på EU. Det er nok også de færreste, som vil svare EU, hvis de bliver spurgt, hvorfor der står ”bedst før” og ”mindst holdbar til” på alle madvarer i deres lokale supermarked. At EU skaber forbedringer i hverdagen overses, mens det står med flammeskrift, når EU opleves som en, der forværrer hverdagen med overflødige direktiver.

Forsigtighed og kommunikation må derfor blive nøgleord i arbejdet fremover. Kommissionens ”Plan D” for demokrati, dialog og debat er et glimrende initiativ, som giver et godt afsæt for debatten på europæisk plan i tænkepausen. Jeg håber dog, at ”Plan D” bliver yderligere konkretiseret i Kommissionens kommende hvidbog om EU’s kommunikationsstrategi. Og jeg håber, at borgerkommunikation kan blive integreret som en naturlig del i alt, hvad Kommissionen og de andre EU-institutioner foretager sig.

Samtidig er jeg helt enig med Kommissionen i, at medlemslandene bliver nødt til at modstå fristelsen til at skyde skylden på Bruxelles hver gang, at noget går galt. Og til selv at tage hele æren hver gang, at noget går godt, selv om det næsten er for meget forlangt. Vi må i hovedstæderne bryde med dette mønster, hvis vi skal gøres os håb om en større folkelig opbakning til det europæiske projekt. Når man forbander EU 6 dage om ugen, er det svært at forvente, at vælgerne stemmer ja til EU på syvende dagen!

En kendt managementkonsulent har en gang sagt, at planer blot er ædle intentioner, med mindre de bliver omsat til hårdt arbejde. Det gælder også Kommissionens planer for næste år. Ikke mindst på landbrugs- og konkurrenceområdet bliver der brug for hårdt arbejde.

Rigtig meget står på spil lige nu i forbindelse med de igangværende WTO-forhandlinger op til ministermødet i Hongkong om små 14 dage. Et positivt resultat fra Hongkong-mødet er afgørende i Doha-runden, der vil få globale effekter for både rige og fattige lande. Verdensbanken er kommet med beregninger, som viser, at især ulandene vil have glæde af mere frihandel. Og større markedsadgang for deres landbrugsvarer er naturligvis et helt centralt spørgsmål i forhandlingerne.

Den danske regering er meget tilfreds med det udspil om markedsadgang på landbrugsområdet, som det lykkedes Mariann Fischer Boel og Peter Mandelson at samle opbakning til i EU. Med udspillet har EU bidraget konstruktivt til forhandlingerne på et tidspunkt, hvor de så ud til at være låst fast. Vi har tilbudt en gennemsnitlig toldsænkning for landbrugsprodukter på 46%, hvilket udgør en markant reduktion på 21% i forhold til det tidligere udspil.

WTO's generaldirektør Pascal Lamy er kommet med et udkast til slutdokumentet for Hongkong-mødet. Udkastet har mange udestående spørgsmål, som vil blive forhandlet intensivt helt frem til mødet. Alle må være indstillet på at give indrømmelser. Og alt må gøres for, at Hongkong-mødet kan åbne mulighed for at nå et endeligt resultat i løbet af 2006. En succesfuld Doha-runde vil give verdensøkonomien et skub fremad og vil give udviklingslandene mulighed for at få del i globaliseringens positive sider. Den vil også kunne imødegå de tendenser til neoprotektionisme bl.a. på landbrugsområdet, som vi desværre har set flere eksempler på inden for den seneste tid.

På konkurrenceområdet lægger vi fra dansk side vægt på, at der i 2006 bliver fulgt aktivt op på Kommissionens arbejde med bedre regulering. Forenkling af eksisterende EU-lovgivning og grundige analyser af behovet for nye EU-forslag er vigtigt. Færre administrative byrder for erhvervslivet er godt for vækst og beskæftigelse. Og mindre bureaukrati harmonerer fint med ambitionen i tænkepausen om at bringe EU tættere på borgeren.

I den sammenhæng skal vi ikke skele til Sir Humphrey fra den berømte TV-serie Yes, Minister. Det er i dag 25 år siden, at serien første gang løb hen over skærmen. På et tidspunkt i allerførste afsnit ønsker ministeren Jim Hacker at lancere en hvidbog om mindre bureaukrati og mere åbenhed i forvaltningen. En uimponeret Sir Humphrey henviser til loven om omvendt relevans. Loven, der siger, at jo mindre man agter at gøre ved noget, jo mere skal man tale om det.

Men Sir Humphrey skal ikke styre EU. Med hensyn til bedre regulering skal medlemslandene i samarbejde med Kommissionen sørge for, at der i 2006 bliver gjort lige så meget, som der bliver talt om det. Hvis ikke mere.

2006 bliver også året, hvor vi i medlemslandene skal have spurgt os selv godt og grundigt, hvordan vi ønsker, at det fremtidige EU-samarbejde skal se ud. I Danmark vil vi udnytte tænkepausen aktivt. Folketingets Europaudvalg kommer i samarbejde med de landsdækkende europabevægelser til at spille en central rolle i processen. Debatten skal hjælpe os til at få sat et solidt dansk fingeraftryk på den drøftelse om EU’s fremtid, som vil finde sted på topmødet i juni.

Den situation EU står i lige nu, har skærpet vores opmærksomhed om, at det i virkeligheden er et unikt og skrøbeligt samarbejde, som vi gør klogt i at værne om. Den erkendelse bør vi alle have i baghovedet, også når medlemslandene om få dage igen vil forsøge at få EU’s budget på plads for den næste periode frem til 2013. Det værste, vi i den nuværende situation kan gøre, er at læne os tilbage i troen på, at alt nok ordner sig selv alligevel. Det gør det ikke. I så fald risikerer vi, at den drivende motor bag Europas velstand og sikkerhed de sidste 50 år går i stå.

For selv om vi står i en tænkepause, må og skal Europa fortsat kunne handle. Vi kan ikke tillade os i en lang periode kun at vende blikket indad, mens nye udfordringer udefra, banker på vores dør med stadig større kraft. Ifølge græsk mytologi sygnede den smukke Narcissos hen, fordi han ikke kunne løsrive sig fra at stirre på sit eget spejlbillede. Narcissos har lagt navn til begrebet ”narcissisme”. Og for megen euro-narcissisme eller navlebeskuelse kan være dødsensfarligt for Europa specielt i en verden, der hverken venter på nogen eller giver ved døren.

Tak for opmærksomheden.

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

Feta-sagen, se under: Grækenland.

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

RUSLAND

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

KINA

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