Ethnic peace in Kosovo (Al Jazeera)

Ethnic peace in Kosovo
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/europe/2010/07/2010726193557395606.html
(Al Jazeera)
26 July 2010

The UN's International Court of Justice ruled last week that Kosovo's declaration of independence from Serbia is legal.

Since then, the EU has been urging Serbia, which refuses to recognise its former province as independent, to negotiate with Kosovo's majority ethnic Albanians over territorial disputes.

Al Jazeera's Barnaby Phillips travelled to Mitrovica, a city in northern Kosovo divided between Serbians and Albanians to see if the two communities have potential to live together in peace.

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Poor infrastructure keeps Kosovo off tourist map (Prishtina Insight)

Poor infrastructure keeps Kosovo off tourist map

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Besiana Xharra (Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 38)

23 April 2010

Prishtina was listed a ‘highlight’ of the Western Balkans in the Lonely Planet guide – and officials claim tourist numbers are rising – but the lack of basic amenities continues to deter many visitors.

Tourism is seen as a key pillar in Kosovo’s economic plan but despite a smattering of visitors, poor infrastructure continues to prevent the country from realising its potential, experts say.

The Investment Promotion Agency of Kosova, a government agency, trumpets the two-year-old state’s ability to “compete in the international tourism market”.

It says: “With its different sport, recreational and wellness facilities located throughout the country, Kosovo offers a wide range of tourism attractions.”

But tourism operators believe Kosovo is still a long way from providing the necessary infrastructure to become a mainstream destination. Attempts to promote thecountry internationally have yet to make much impact.

To promote Kosovo’s natural and cultural wealth to domestic tourists, the Kosovo Tourism Association, KOTAS, and USAID, launched a campaign last year encouraging people to “Stay the Weekend, Experience Kosovo”.

A follow-up fair, held on Thursday, April22, attracted 70 businesses, and Zeke Ceku, head of KOTAS, believes progress has been made.

The association has since established the first company in Kosovo that caters for an international market, Tourism Planning and Development Consulting. This firm has begun a partnership with a Regent Holidays, based in Bristol, England, which has been bringing visitors from Britain and elsewhere since last May.

Regent Holidays brought its first group of 22 British tourists to Kosovo for a long weekend last May. Their tour took in Gjakove, Peje, Istog,Prekaz and Prishtina.

The firm, which specializes in trips to unusual destinations, markets Kosovo as “ideal for pioneering travellers keen to discover Europe’s newest country”. Prices range from £550 for a three-day break to £880 for a weeklong escorted tour.

Andrea Godfrey, general manager for Regent Holidays, told Prishtina Insight that Kosovo had potential but lacked good tour guides and information for tourists.

She added that hotel prices were expensive compared to similar countries. “Kosovo needs to have trained guides, and develop itself even more culturally, architecturally and in rural tourism,” she said.

“I’ve been very surprised by the warm welcome we had in all the places we visited but Kosovo needs more professional tourism developments, such as publishing more brochures and maps of smaller, rural places.”

Ceku said the partnership had been “extremely successful and is showing significant growth com- pared to last year.” But he complains that the Ministry of Trade and Industry is not doing enough to promote tourism in Kosovo. For its part, the ministry insists it has promoted Kosovo at several international fairs but has failed to reap great rewards yet.

“For 2010 we planned to present Kosovo at three international tourism fairs, one in Turkey, one in Berlin, while the last one was in Prishtina at the beginning of April,” said Bujar Kuqi, director of

tourism at the ministry.

“At these fairs we have enabled businesses, especially tourist agencies and hotels, to present their offers,” he explained. When Prishtina Insight visited the ministry’s tourism fair in the capital, however, it was noticeable that most offers were for travel abroad. Only a handful of Kosovo-based operators were present.

Kuqi said figures released by the Statistical Office of Kosovo showed the number of tourists was “increasing from year to year” but the data was not precise enough to draw firm conclusions.

According to the Statistical Office around 20,000 visitors came to Kosovo in the first six months of 2009. By contrast, more than 90,000 tourists visited neighbouring Macedonia in the first quarter of 2009 alone.

With better infrastructure, Kosovo would become much more attractive, Kuqi said. The ministry in the meantime plans to sign agreements with neighbouring countries promoting visits to Kosovo as part of a regional package.

Visar Kastrati, owner of the tour is magencyIleaTravel, says his attempts to promote Kosovo internationally have not succeeded so far. The high cost of plane tickets was a major factor in deterring potential visitors.

“No one will come to Kosovo with the ticket prices as high as we have,” he said. “Then there are other basic problems like the water and electricity supplies, which are not yet reliable.”

Air fares from London to Prishtina appeared more expensive than those to neighbouring capitals, apart from Skopje, when Prishtina Insight checked on a price comparator website.

No budget airlines cover Kosovo, though they serve a number of other countries in the region, including Croatia, Greece and Bulgaria.

That situation is set to change this summer, however, when Easyjet plans to start flights between Prishtina and Geneva and Mulhouse, in France, for as little as 30 euro a flight.

The Brothers Thaci, another agency handling domestic tourism, says the facilities are not yet good enough for mainstream international tourists. “We’re interested ... but we don’t believe tourists will be interested in coming here in these conditions,” the agency owner, Elmi Thaci, said.

Last October, the government launched a 6 million euro campaign to rebrand Kosovo’s image through its adverts, styled “The Young Europeans”. The adverts, shown on international news channels and devised by the well-known PR firm Saatchi and Saatchi, highlighted Kosovo’s youthfulness, showing various attractive young people in picturesque parts of the country.

While the campaign aimed to shift Kosovo’s overall image in a positive direction, Saatchi and Saatchi said it hoped the adverts would also attract tourists and direct foreign investment.

But not everyone believes the ads have enticed any new visitors. Ceku, from KOTAS, suggested that the impact had been limited and the money could have been better spent elsewhere. “There are many alternatives [to a PR campaign] which would have been more focused and used much less money,” he said.

But government officials stick by the campaign, saying the adverts had “shown the world who we are”. According to Hajredin Kuci, the Deputy Prime Minister, “We must give it time because we are still in early stages of promoting our state.”

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Trepca's haunting beauty (Prishtina Insight)

Trepca's haunting beauty

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Lawrence Marzouk (Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 37)

8 April 2010

While a visit to a now defunct mining region may not initially appeal, the area around Trepca is full of natural and manmade surprises.

Stan Terg and Trepca, in Kosovo’s north west, were a powerhouse of Yugoslavia’s mineral economy up to the 1980s.

But poor management, the collapse of Yugoslavia and the persecution of ethnic Albanian miners brought this proud mining area to its knees.

The mines are part of the giant Trepca conglomerate, which includes dozens of sites dotted across Kosovo, and which is today a shadow of its former self.

The decay and poverty of the Mitrovica valley is all too obvious and unsurprising, but Stan Terg, Bajgora, and the surrounding mountains offer an interesting, if haunting, day trip from Prishtina.

One of Stan Terg’s main attractions, the Crystal Museum, is currently closed, but it is hoped that it will be reopened and renovated by the end of May.

Located a little further up the hill from the museum is the fascinating remains of St Peter’s Basilica, a 13th Century Saxon church, although the locals insisted it was an ‘English Church’ on my visit.

It is believed that the place of worship was built by Saxon settlers in Kosovo who, in the medieval period, were specialised in mining and metal extraction.

The basilica was used until the 16th century and is particularly interesting because its architectural style and construction techniques are Gothic, while the frescoes decorating the interior are Byzantine.

If you are having trouble finding it, one of the very helpful locals will kindly point you in the right direction and possibly even show you the new spots that the miners are using for some ‘freelance’ work while waiting for the privatisation of Trepca.

Mining really picked up in the area after the British company, Selection Trust Ltd, began exploit- ing the rich reserves.

And their legacy is all too obvious to those familiar with British mining towns – terraced houses.

These quaint, if a little dilapidated, homes are a treat to those interested in architecture, and are a bizarre sight when set against the communist era constructs.

Further along the road, you’ll find the village of Bajgora, which is home to the ruins of the 500 year old Mazhiq Mosque.

The road becomes a dirt track here, but it also provides ideal hiking ground across the rolling hills

of this area.

Practicalities: To get there take the road to Mitrovica and carry on past the turn-off for the city until you reach a sign for Stan Terg/Bajgora. Stop off at one of the restaurants near Bajgora or at one of the fish restaurants along the River Ibar to the west of Mitrovica for food or refreshments.

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Student's headscarf divides Kosovo society (Prishtina Insight)

Student's headscarf divides Kosovo society

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Belinda Vrapi (Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 37)

8 April 2010

While international attention focuses on the headscarf issue in France and Belgium, Kosovo is also wrestling with the question of whether overt signs of faith have a place in schools and colleges.

Arjeta Halimi, a 16-year-old Muslim girl from Viti, in Kosovo, arrived for another day at school on January 15, 2009, to be told by security guards that she could not enter with her headscarf. She refused to take it off and has not been able to return to her studies.

Her case has been going back and forth between the courts, the Ministry of Education, the municipality of Viti and her school, Kuvendi I Lezhes, but no solution has been found. Arjeta is not alone. Another ten young women have been barred from school since 2004 for refusing to remove their headscarves. One was in Prishtina, and three in Skenderaj.

Arjeta told Prishtina Insight that she had been attending religious classes at the local mosque for five years before she decided to don the headscarf. “My mother wears it but not my sisters. They are different,” she said.

Under instructions from the school principal, the security guard had told her to remove the headscarf. The issue then went to the education department at the municipality of Viti, which supported the decision that religious symbols were not allowed in schools.

The family has sought help from CLARD, an NGO based in Prishtina, which provided legal assistance and which brought the issue to court. The court in Gjilan found in favour of Arjeta’s right to wear the headscarf in November 2009 and ordered the municipality to allow her to resume classes. But despite this decision, the municipality and the school have refused to modify their position, and Arjeta remains at home.

Hope that Kosovo’s Supreme Court might clarify the issue was dashed when it declared that it did not consider a ruling on this issue came within its remit.

The ban on headscarves in schools is applied unequally across Kosovo, as several neighbouring municipalities, such as Gjilan, Ferizaj,and Kacanik, impose no such order. Arjeta has been told that she will be allowed to take her final exams wearing the veil, however, and is dedicating her time to studying for them, as she hopes to attend university.

Asked about how she is spend- ing time out of school, she said that she begins her day helping her mother with housework, attends a religious class from 1pm to 4pm and then spends the afternoon studying or meeting her friends, who are being very supportive. “They call me every so often and check on how I am doing and tell me that I am not alone and they will fight for me,” Arjeta said.

Both classmates and other pupils at the school have called on the school principal to allow Arjeta to return to class. “Why do they let them [other pupils] wear crosses and not allow me to wear the headscarf ?” Arjeta asked.

Article 8 of the country’s constitution, describes Kosovo as “a secular state ... neutral in matters of religious beliefs”, but also protects citizens’ rights based on international agreements such as the European Convention for the Protection of Human and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The constitution says: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”

The Law on Primary and Secondary Education in Kosovo meanwhile states that “no child shall be denied the right to education” but makes no reference to religion.

Perceived contradictions between the constitution and the law, and lack of guidance, have created space for different schools in different municipalities to interpret the rules as they wish.

CLARD, the organisation that has been providing legal assistance to Arjeta’s family, told Prishtina Insight that the education ministry had left the issue in the hands of the municipality of Viti, which is not sympathetic to her case. According to Fehri Qerimi, education director at Viti, “It’s a secular state, with secular schools.

“We follow the Constitution and the school regulations and she should abide by that. We haven’t refused her right to education, as she is allowed to take exams”. The director of the school declined to comment on the issue.

According to research by Nora Huseinovic, a student of law at the Islamic University of Malaysia, the headscarf is a religious obligation, not a symbol. She believes that not allowing young students to observe their religion violates freedom of religion.

“The situation in Kosovo and the approach taken by the government and Ministry of Education is more or less a reflection of what is happening in the surrounding countries,” she said. “The objection to Muslims students wearing the Islamic headscarf is purely for political reasons.”

Kosovo was trying to portray itself as a secular society to appeal to the international com-munity, which is wary of Muslim states, she added.

“Female Muslim students in Kosovo have the right to demonstrate their religion by wearing the Islamic headscarf, as this is their religious obligation, and as such it’s a basic human right guaranteed by all international human rights instruments and similarly protected under the con- stitution,” she continued.

“As Kosovo is a Muslim-majority country, the government and the Ministry of Education should not overlook this issue but give it due attention and clarify the legal position regarding the Islamic headscarf in public schools.

“The current provision of the Law on Primary and Secondary Education is vague, giving space to so–called ‘secularist’ directors and teachers to interfere with and violate the right of students to wear it, depriving them of another even more important right to education.”

CLARD said it believed that schools were breaching students’ rights concerning “freedom of religious beliefs and right to education” and were guilty of “discrimination on religious grounds”.

In a report, CLARD added that: “ The court’s decision in favour of Arjeta should be considered an important step in the battle against discriminating practices in the Republic of Kosovo.

“This is an urgent case in the consolidation of the rule of law in the Republic of Kosovo and in removing discriminating practices.”

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Kosovo stability at risk with rising unemployment (Prishtina Insight)

Kosovo stability at risk with rising unemployment

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Lavdim Hamidi (Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 37)

8 April 2010

As the number of job seekers in the country continues to grow, economic experts and international organisations fear that high unemployment could lead to instability

Every day for more than one week, Musa Gashi has been waiting near Bill Clinton Boulevard, Prishtina, for someone to offer him a job.

Near him are ten other manual labourers, hoping to find a job at this street-side job centre.

“We have been waiting for one week for someone who needs manual workers, but until now no one has offered anything,” he told Prishtina Insight, adding that in the recent months he has rarely been offered more than 15 euro a day for physical labour.

Official statistics reveal that unemployment levels in Kosovo are on the increase from an already sky high rate of 48 per cent, raising concerns that anger could spill over onto the streets.

The first quarter of this year has already been marked by a series of public sector strikes.

According to the Statistical Office of Kosovo (ESK) the number of job seekers registered in the last quarter of 2009 increased by 0.1% compared to the third quarter of the year.

The report also reveals that more then 93 per cent of registered jobseekers have been jobless for more than a year.

The rate of unemployment in Kosovo according to official statistics is around 48 per cent, while in Eurozone countries the figure is around 10 per cent.

Kosovo also compares badly to the region with Macedonia registering an unemployment rate of 30 per cent, and Serbia and Bosnia Hercegovina at 20 per cent.

Last month, UNDP warned that unemployment and poverty are the main factors that risk stability in Kosovo.

According to their early warning report, 62 per cent of people surveyed said that unemployment and poverty were the main factors threatening stability.

One economy expert said that the number of young people entering the employment market coupled with the low number of jobs being created were the major cause for concern.

“Over 30,000 young people enter the labour market in Kosovo each year, while there are no more than 4,000 to 5,000 new job openings, so each year around 25,000 young Kosovars are added to the unemployment list,” said Agim Shahini, head of the Kosovo Business Alliance.

He said that the high level of unemployment represents a permanent risk for social unrest in the country.

Shahini added that the government should draft economic policies which are more favourable to businesses in order to attract foreign investors to the country to generate new job.

Alban Zogaj, senior researcher at the Riinvest Institute, which specialises in economic policy, said that three important pillars of the economy have been on the wane in the past year: exports, foreign and domestic investments and remittances.

He said that these three problems have undoubtedly led to a decrease in the number of new

positions and increased unemployment.

According to the Central Bank of Kosovo, exports decreased by 20 per cent, direct foreign investments by 18 per cent and remittances by 6 per cent in 2009, compared to the previous year.

The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare had promised that a considerable number of Kosovars would be assured temporary jobs in different EU countries during 2009. But the ministry has admitted that this programme also failed as the financial crisis had affected the whole Eurozone.

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Kosovo: Court bans Prizren emblem (Prishtina Insight)

Kosovo: Court bans Prizren emblem

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(Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 36)

27 March 2010

The emblem of the Municipality of Prizren, Kosovo, has been ruled as anti-constitutional as it does not reflect the commune’s ‘multi-ethnicity’.

The Constitutional Court ruled on Friday that the emblem, which includes an image of the League of Prizren building, the spiritual home of Albanian nationalism, and the date of its formation, must be changed.

The decision was welcomed by the International Civilian Representative (ICR), Pieter Feith, who said it was ‘both well-reasoned and thorough’.

He said: “It is a boost to the rule of law in Kosovo that the applicant could have his claim decided on by the Constitutional Court, when he was of the view that the Municipal Assembly’s Decision violated the rights of Prizren’s non-majority communities to protect and promote their identities.

“It is right that in the case of Prizren, the municipal emblem should reflect the multi-ethnic nature of the municipality and be a common meeting point for all of its citizens.

“This decision strongly reinforces the principle that protecting and promoting the cultural and linguistic rights of all communities strengthens Kosovo and its development as a democratic society.”

The lawsuit was brought by the former deputy mayor of the municipality, Xhemajl Kurtishi, a Bosniak.

The Constitutional Court has given the municipality a three-month deadline to bring in a new emblem.

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