Forum for Cities in Transition

Ethnic peace in Kosovo (Al Jazeera)

2010-07-27T15:48:00.001+01:00

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)

2010-07-26T09:55:00.001+01:00

Poor infrastructure keeps Kosovo off tourist map

http://www.prishtinainsight.com

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)

2010-07-26T09:45:00.001+01:00

Trepca's haunting beauty

http://www.prishtinainsight.com

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)

2010-07-26T09:39:00.001+01:00

Student's headscarf divides Kosovo society

http://www.prishtinainsight.com

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)

2010-07-26T09:32:00.001+01:00

Kosovo stability at risk with rising unemployment

http://www.prishtinainsight.com

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)

2010-07-26T09:22:00.001+01:00

Kosovo: Court bans Prizren emblem

http://www.prishtinainsight.com

(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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Integra: Young people tackling the needs of young people (Prishtina Insight)

2010-07-26T09:18:00.001+01:00

Integra: Young people tackling the needs of young people

http://www.prishtinainsight.com

Lawrence Marzouk (Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 35)

12 March 2010

While some young people prefer to wallow in adolescent angst, a group of school children from Pristina’s Sami Frasheri school has been working to improve the lives of their peers.

Integra NGO is an organisation formed by young people who are committed to contributing to the recovery and development of Kosovo.

Since the launch of the NGO in 2003, they have tackled an incredible range of issues, spanning AIDS awareness raising and calling for the resignation of the then prime minister Bajram Rexhepi.

Kushtrim Koliqi, director of NGO Integra, said one of the group’s biggest successes has been the project ‘Our Future’, which has looked at Kosovo’s European future.

In cooperation with Fractal in Serbia and IKV in The Netherlands, Integra has helped to increase knowledge and discussion on Kosovo’s European path, opening communication channels between Kosovo and Serbia and increasing youth involvement.

The project has included study visits to different corners of Europe and multiethnic summer camp.

“Our work is guided by the principle of good governance, and the full enjoyment of human rights – regardless of ethnicity, race, religion, gender, sexual orientation and political belonging – is essential to building a democratic and tolerant Kosovo, fully integrated in the European community,” Koliqi said.

“In the very beginning Integra existed as a branch of Youth Group of Sami Frasheri High School,” he added. “As a high school group we have developed many projects regarding the concerns of teens of our age. Implementing projects was part of our school activity, which we enjoyed very much.”

Recent projects have included a survey of relationships between students and teachers and the creation of a school magazine, called Feniks.

The NGO has also been support- ed by donors such as Save the Children Foundation UK, KFOS and UNICEF for the implementation of projects.

These projects have included finding shelter for orphans and raising awareness of the threat to young women of human trafficking for prostitution.

For more information visit www.ngo-integra.org

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Kosovo authorities planning to liquidate Trepca (Prishtina Insight)

2010-07-26T09:13:00.001+01:00

Kosovo authorities planning to liquidate Trepca

http://www.prishtinainsight.com

Lavdim Hamidi (Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 35)

12 March 2010

Prishtina Insight has learnt that preparations are being made to liquidate the publicly owned, failing, industrial complex before it is sold off.

As the privatisation of most socially owned enterprises in Kosovo draws to an end, the Privatisation Agency of Kosovo, PAK, has set aside 2011 to tackle the giant metallurgical firm Trepca, which has been mired in legal disputes.

Unofficially, the agency is preparing to liquidate the Mitrovica-based mining and processing complex, which has been producing well under capacity, mainly owing to lack of investment.

Once one of Yugoslavia’s most important industrial assets, Trepca is currently a drain on the government’s budget, rather than a contributor.

“The current status quo is not sustainable, so the PAK has decided that in 2011 we will be focusing on this conglomerate,” Ylli Kaloshi, PAK’s spokesman, said.

Kaloshi said the fate of Trepca was “of special importance to Kosovo’s economy”. He added that the PAK had not yet reached an official position on the preparations that need to be made for liquidation but described it as essential that all sides “agree and adopt a new approach soon”, so preparations for 2011 can begin.

“Any plan to revitalise Trepca must comply with all internationally recognised standards regarding the reorganisation and restructuring of strategic enterprises,” Kaloshi explained.

Trepca is a conglomerate of 41 assets focused on the divided region of Mitrovica but also comprising mines and processing facilities scattered in other parts of Kosovo and former Yugoslavia.

One of the most important assets is the smelter in Zvecan, north of the river Ibar, in the Serb-run part of Kosovo that is under the de facto control of Belgrade.

Back in the 1980s, Trepca was one of the largest companies in the region, employing more than 20,000 staff. Production plummeted in the 1990s as a result of lack of investment, the inter- national sanctions placed on Serbia and the growing friction between Albanians and Serbs in Kosovo.

The three main elements of the company are the mines, which contain lead, zinc, cadmium, silver and gold, the industrial park in Mitrovica and the smelter in Zvecan.

Lawsuits issued by creditors have made the process of finding a sustainable solution to Trepca more difficult. They claim the industrial behemoth owes them more than 50 million euro.

Other companies that signed contracts with the government in Belgrade before the 1999 conflict have also issued lawsuits.

Kosovo’s energy and mines ministry is preparing a task force to steer the privatisation of Trepca. Blerim Rexha, deputy minister for energy and mining, said the team would first analyse the overall situation at Trepca before coming up with recommendations for con- crete actions that the government should undertake.

Ethem Ceku, a former energy and mines minister and currently vice-president of the parliamentary commission for energy and mines, said the government had wasted time in preparing an action plan. Trepca was “a political problem and the parties are unwilling to deal with this issue”, Ceku claimed.

He said that during his term as minister of energy and mines he had been engaged in plans to rehabilitate the company’s equipment in order to increase production. But investment was needed immediately.

“If the government invested more than 100 million euros in Trepca, it would quickly become a much stronger company,” Ceku said.

A public-private partnership, PPP, for Trepca should be considered, he added, though he admitted that the global financial crisis would make finding private funds more difficult.

Ceku maintained that many of those seeking repayment of debts from Trepca did not have the appropriate documentation to prove their claims.

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Experts call for closure of Roma 'lead camps' (Prishtina Insight)

2010-07-26T09:04:00.001+01:00

Experts call for closure of Roma 'lead camps'

http://www.prishtinainsight.com

Lawrence Marzouk (Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 35)

12 March 2010

Specialists from Aberystwyth University, Wales, say that the site for the new Roma Mahalla has high levels of pollution but can be made safe

Research by experts at the UK’s Aberystwyth University has found that an area earmarked for the resettlement of Roma from the led-contaminated camps in Mitrovica is polluted but can be made safe.

The team of specialist also called for the Cesmin Lug and Osterode refugee camps, which have been home to Roma families since 1999, to be closed ‘as a matter of urgency’ because of the ‘very poor soil and air quality’.

The camps were set up by UNHCR in 1999 as a temporary measure when the Roma Mahalla, on the southern shore of the Ibar River, was burnt down by ethnic Albanians at the end of the conflict in Kosovo.

The results of British Embassy and Post Telecommunications Kosovo funded soil and water test- ing of the Roma Mahalla were presented in Mitrovica yesterday.

Testing of soil, dust and water in the Roma Mahalla and Fidanishte – the land previously agreed by the Municipality of Mitrovica for the resettlement of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians from the lead contaminated IDP camps, Osterode and Cesmin Lug – was carried out in December.

The results show that although there are elevated levels of lead in the resettlement area, remedial measures can make the area safe for the resettlement, which is to be funded by USAID and the European Commission Liaison Office.

British Ambassador Andy Sparkes said: “The British Embassy closely follows the issue of displaced persons with- in Kosovo, including Roma, Ashkalis and Egyptians, and we will continue to support the Government of Kosovo and international community in the work that is necessary to resolve this issue.”

The research also recommends that gardens in the Roma Mahalla should be landscaped with paving slabs, as the land will not be safe to grow vegetables or fruit.

It also calls for the Zvecan smelter not to be reopened, to avoid further contamination for the whole of Mitrovica.

The European Commission and Kosovo’s government launched a 5 million euro project in February to close the lead- contaminated Cesmin Lug and Osterode refugee camps ‘as soon as possible’.

Despite repeated calls to close the camps and numerous investigations into the toxic, lead- contaminated environment, around 600 Roma still live there.

At the launch of the project, Kjartan Björnsson, Chargé d’Affaires at the European Commission Liaison Office in Kosovo, said: “This project was designed to address the alarming and somewhat appalling conditions under which you have lived for the past decade.

“The European Commission worked very closely with the Government of Kosovo, USAID, and other stakeholders during several months to establish a viable framework for solving this long lasting problem.”

The 30-month project will be implemented by Mercy Corps and Kosovo Agency for Assistance and Development (KAAD).

The Council of Europe’s commissioner for human rights, Thomas Hammarberg, earlier this year called for the camps to be closed and forced returns to Kosovo to be stopped.

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Kosovo: Independence day (Prishtina Insight)

2010-07-26T08:57:00.001+01:00

Kosovo: Independence day

http://www.prishtinainsight.com

OPINION: Gerard Gallucci (Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 34)

26 February 2010

Europe has never known what to do with the Balkans; it “produces too much history” for the rest of the continent to consume. In 1991, the inability of Europe to get ahead of the curve in Yugoslavia allowed the wars there to become the ethnic cleansing orgy that made all the subsequent problems worse.

Germany’s premature recognition of Slovenia and Croatia in December 1991 helped make everything that happened after largely inevitable. The failure to intervene forcefully and urgently to stop the slaughter of civilians in Bosnia and Herzegovina still haunts Europe. The US, for its part, seemed content to leave the Balkans to the Europeans, intervening – as with Dayton – only when it became clear they were not capable of solving this European problem themselves.

But the root causes of the problems in the Balkans go deeper. Ever since the French Revolution and Napoleon unleashed upon Europe and the world the reality of the “nation,” it has become almost impossible to stop its spread.

Since the passing of “divine right”, political power has been legitimised on the basis of the “people”. Though this may take the form of demos or class, the most powerful claim is that of blood. Once this claim receives widespread acceptance within the group to which it is said to apply, it becomes very difficult to overcome or brush aside. In this sense, Kosovo independence was inevitable after 1999. And it was justified, justified in the only way declarations of independence have ever been justified, by seizing it and making the seizure stick. And justified too by the fact that natural law and universal morality since the 19th Century are on the side of the self-determination of nations.

By any score, Kosovo is independent and will remain so until Europe makes nations irrelevant. What is this independence? It is that declared and taken by the majority Kosovo Albanian population. There is no such a thing as a Kosovar, not yet and perhaps never. But this does not reduce the legitimacy of this independence. The problem comes here as else- where in the Balkans where, under the Ottomans, the mixing of peoples made simple separation impossible.

On February 17, 2008, the Kosovo Albanians declared independence. I believed at the time and still do that it was not only inevitable but timely as the situation could not much longer remain stable in the face of pent up Albanian desire to take charge of their own affairs and get out from under an international tutelage that had run its course.

The great powers failed to play their part effectively in bringing this international phase to an appropriate end. The Quint mistakenly believed they did not have to really bargain with Belgrade and ultimately they left the Albanians holding the bag of a half-baked and imposed “settlement package” that settled little.

The “problem” of the north must also be seen in this context. Any effort to impose the rule of one people over another remains morally unjustified and unlikely to succeed.

On that February 17 of two years ago, we in the UN in the north monitored and waited for reactions. Many people in Pristina feared the Serb reaction.

We had talked with everyone we could reach in the days prior to remind the Serbs of our “redlines” We talked constantly and then on the 17th, travelled throughout the region checking on potential trouble spots and verifying the safety of the Albanian enclaves in the north. I drove along the road on the north side of the Ibar connecting Mitrovica to the Albanian village of Cabra in Zubin Potok. I stopped to talk with a group of men and boys who had put out the flag of their new country and they assured me all was peaceful. With dialogue and good will on all sides we got through those days with- out difficulty. Later the Serbs did react, including burning down Customs. The story of what provoked their action remains to be told.

Who a people are, how they define themselves and what country they belong to is not something that can emerge from either the barrel of a gun or the stroke of a pen. In practice, compromises must be made and no ethnically homogeneous state can exist in the Balkans.

Kosovo has the responsibility to empower non-Albanian communities south of the Ibar to govern their own local affairs just as Serbia has for its minorities. But where lines can be drawn to allow people to live in “their” state, it is foolish, dangerous and unjust to do other- wise. Kosovo is independent but only the lazy will seek to grab the north in order to provide the new nation with a “multi-ethnic” facade. This logic applies as well to any effort to prevent any subsequent agreements the Kosovo Albanians may make with that other majority Albanian state next door.

Kosovo must be freed of the handcuffs the unfinished status process has left it in. Thus the need before the next independence day for further negotiations to arrive at a final status that can be approved with- in the UNSC.

Gerard Gallucci was UN Regional Representative in Mitrovica between 2005 and 2008. Read his blog at www.outside- walls.blogspot.com

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Kosovo independence anniversary brings mixed emotions (Prishtina Insight)

2010-07-26T08:51:00.001+01:00

Kosovo independence anniversary brings mixed emotions

http://www.prishtinainsight.com

Lawrence Marzouk and Petrit Collaku (Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 34)

26 February 2010

There were fireworks and revelers on the streets on Wednesday – but two years on, the actual gains of statehood have left many people in Kosovo feeling shortchanged.

Kosovo marked the second anniversary of its independence on Wednesday. But while many people took to the streets to celebrate, the festivities could not mask the fact that the newborn country has failed to meet expectations.

Corruption, a stunted economy, and a growing sense that Kosovo is becoming isolated in a region that is marching towards European Union membership, are among the main concerns.

Some hope that during the third year of independence, Kosovo will begin to resolve key structural issues – lack of control over 15 per cent of the national territory, divisions inside the EU over its independence, no seat at the United Nations and an antagonistic relationship with Serbia.

Kosovo’s parliament unanimously endorsed a declaration of independence on February 17, 2008. The news was greeted with wild celebrations in Kosovo, but also in Albania and in ethnic Albanian parts of Macedonia.

The unilateral move was, however, bitterly contested by Serbia, its close ally Russia and by other countries.

Thanks to their lobbying, only 65 of the 192 countries represented at the United Nations have recognised Kosovo, though the 65 include the United States, 22 of the 27 EU countries, Canada, Australia and Japan.

While the streets were filled today with revelers waving Albanian and Kosovo flags, in the run-up to the anniversary, Kosovo suffered a debilitating series of strikes by public workers demanding higher wages.

Frustration is widespread over an unemployment rate that hovers around 40 per cent. While the economy grew by 4 per cent in 2009, Kosovo’s Central Bank said this was mainly down to higher public spending rather than growth in the private sector. Foreign investment in Kosovo actually fell last year, for the second year in a row.

The Deputy Prime Minister, Hajredin Kuci, told Prishtina Insight that improving the economy and provision of welfare were challenges that the government accepted as priorities in 2010.

Crucially, Kosovo gained membership of the IMF and World Bank in 2009, enabling the country to access important international funds.But the longed-for seat at the UN has remained out of reach. To secure a place, Kosovo needs the support of half the UN’s 192 members. But after an initial wave of recognitions following the declaration of independence, the rate of recognitions has slowed to a trickle.

Many governments are wait- ing for the International Court of Justice, ICJ, to give an advisory opinion on Serbia’s request for a ruling on whether the declaration of independence was internationally legal.

Deputy Prime Minister Kuci maintained that Kosovo had made progress in the past two years, but admitted that much remains to be done, including tackling corruption.

“Kosovo has managed to form the institutions foreseen by its constitution, and which a democratic and modern country needs,” he said.

“Over these two years, Kosovo’s institutions have preserved and developed relationships with international actors [and] international support for Kosovo is greater now than it was on the day of the independence declaration,” he added.

Kuci said Kosovo had faced significant challenges in terms of the rule of law, in integrating the whole of Kosovo’s territory and in changing the country’s image internationally.

“Now I believe that Kosovo has passed this transition phase and is in the consolidation phase of its development as a free and democratic country,”he continued.

The question of integration refers principally to the northern sliver of Kosovo, including the northern half of the town of Mitrovica, which has remained under Serbian control.

Referring to the International Civilian Office’s plans to bring the north under the authority of the government, Kuci said they had faced major opposition.

“The [ICO] strategy will be challenged by those people that are against the rule of law, by those carrying out smuggling and organised crime, and by cer- tain elements in Belgrade.”

The Deputy Prime Minister said the process of recognition had been held up by the ICJ case and by Serbia’s lobbying, but promised a further push for recognition in 2010.

Meanwhile, Kosovo has been criticized by the EU this year for its failure to tackle high-level corruption. More recently, the US ambassador complained that “corruption, violence and abuse go without redress”.

The European Commission’s 2009 Progress Report for Kosovo noted failures to control how politicians and officials made and spent money. The report added: “Due to a lack of clear political will to fight corruption, and to insufficient legislative and implementing measures, corruption is still widespread.”

Kuci said that fighting corruption and improving the rule- of-law were also priorities for the government.

However, Engjellushe Morina, head of the local think-tank, IKS, sounded a skeptical note. “The positive reasons for celebration are that we are independent, for which we waited a long time, and we have our institutions that function in the way they function," she told Prishtina Insight.

"But there are many reasons, more important than the ones I mentioned, not to celebrate," she added.

"Kosovo is still recognised by only 65 countries, including five EU members who do not recognise Kosovo, which makes Kosovo's path to European integration difficult.

"The last [EU] progress report for Kosovo was very weak. It showed that corruption in Kosovo has been very much on the increase in the past last year," she continued.

One major setback for Kosovo over the past year was the failure to gain inclusion in the EU’s visa liberalization scheme for the Balkan region.

Three of Kosovo’s neighbours, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia, joined the White Schengen list in December, opening the doors of the EU to citizens of those countries.

Bosnia and Herzegovina and Albania are penciled in to follow this summer, which would leave Kosovo isolated.

The European Commission has promised it will not leave Kosovo by the wayside on visa but has yet to open formal negotiations with Pristina.

Morina said failure to make progress on visa liberalisation was another reason not to celebrate because the Kosovo government had “failed to work with what it had”, referring to the measures it could have taken to meet EU technical standards.

In an interview with BIRN’s Life in Kosovo TV show, the US ambassador, Christopher Dell, said there were reasons to celebrate this week, and subjects to regret, particularly problems with the rule of law.

“We can look at a solid record of accomplishments. Relationships with most of the neighbours have improved and continue to improve every day. Institutions function, the parliament has passed laws and the government has acted,” he said.

“Unfortunately, and this is not Kosovo’s fault, relationships with your biggest neighbour [Serbia] are not what they should.”

Dell added that the higher turnout of minority Serbs to vote in the local elections in November was also an achievement, holding out hope that the Serb-controlled north may opt to cooperate with Pristina.

The ambassador said he hoped that in a year’s time he would be talking about Kosovo’s inclusion in the UN and renewed discussions between Kosovo and Serbia on finding a way to live side-by-side.

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Criminals walk free in Kosovo's lawless North (Prishtina Insight)

2010-07-26T08:40:00.001+01:00

Criminals walk free in Kosovo's lawless North
http://www.prishtinainsight.com
Petrit Collaku (Prishtina Insight, Issue No. 34)
26 February 2010

The huge backlog of court cases in the divided town of Mitrovica means that even when police arrest crime suspects, they rarely face justice.

“We arrest criminals in the morning and then they’re waving at us by the after- noon,” an officer at south Mitrovica’s police station told Prishtina Insight. “It’s very frustrating.”

Local courts in the divided city face a backlog of 3,000 cases and only the most serious are being brought to trial. Those arrested for minor offences are often being released on the same day.

Mitrovica has been a crucible of ethnic strife since the conflict in Kosovo ended in 1999. The river Ibar, which runs through the town of 120,000 people, has become a de-facto border between the two communities – Albanians to the north and Serbs to the south.

Serbia retains strong influence over the area north of the Ibar, home to about 100,000 Serbs, but neither Belgrade nor Prishtina maintains effective rule of law there.

The courthouse in the north of Mitrovica has struggled to function since independence in 2008, when it became the scene of pitched battles between the UN mission in Kosovo, UNMIK, and protesting Serbs. Dozens were injured and one UNMIK officer was killed in the violence.

Officials of the EU rule-of-law mission, EULEX, held their first sessions in the courthouse in January 2009 but have only dealt with a handful of cases.

Cases in the southern, government-held part of Mitrovica are handled in the nearby town of Vushtrri.

But the small courthouse there is struggling to cope with the workload and judicial officials admit they only deal with the most serious crimes, such as corruption and smuggling.

Kapllan Baruti, president of the district court in Mitrovica, based in Vushtrri, said they had an unwritten agreement with police that only the most serious cases would be sent for trial.

“All other cases remain with the police because we do not have the capacity to deal with all of them,” he told Prishtina Insight.

“Those worst affected in this situation are the innocent parties in a case,” Baruti added, “and those in the worst position of all are those living in the northern part of Mitrovica.”

The law-and-order situation in the north of Kosovo deteriorated sharply after Kosovo declared independence in February 2008, with majority Serb areas refusing to accept the authority of the government in Prishtina.

In protest against independence, 325 ethnic Serb policemen across Kosovo began a boycott of the Kosovo Police Service, KPS. In June 2009, however, 318 of them returned to work, some to areas north of the Ibar.

In 2009, the northern police stations registered an increase in reported incidents compared to the previous year, which may reflect the fact that more police were now back on duty.

Police in northern Mitrovica reported 23 per cent more incidents compared to 2008. The neighbouring Serb-run municipality of Zvecan saw a rise of 28 per cent. In Zubin Potok, there was a 7.74 per cent fall. But in each station, only about half the reported crimes were solved.

Colonel Jahe Avdiu, director of Mitrovica regional police, said officers had achieved a number of successes in recent months, including the arrest of four local officials from Mitrovica charged with misusing public money and three transport ministry officials charged with taking bribes. “We’ve made many arrests in the past two months alone,” he said.

Smuggling remains a key law enforcement issue in northern Kosovo because there is little control of the borders between the Serb-controlled zone and Serbia.

Following the declaration of independence, Serb militants burned down the border check- points. Control over customs collapsed, and it has yet to be restored fully.

This has created ideal conditions for smugglers, by both ethnic Albanians and Serbs, who use the lack of controls to bring goods into Kosovo without paying taxes, thereby depriving the Kosovo government of a major source of revenue.

Last year, custom officials working for EULEX returned to the border points and since then all trucks and private vehicles entering Kosovo have been registered.

But payment of duties on imported goods has not been imposed, though EULEX maintains that registering the vehicles entering and leaving Kosovo has helped decrease smuggling.

In the first two months of 2010, police uncovered two major smuggling crimes, one involving the illegal import of 10,600 litres of motor oil and another of 2,292 litres of cooking oil.

Colonel Avdiu said that establishing trust between police in the north and south remained a challenge, although the situation was improving.

“There was non-compliance from the Serb police in the north,” he said, referring to the period after independence, “but now there have been changes for the better”.

Avdiu said that since the return to duty of ethnic Serb police last July, officers in the north had reported to the regional station in the south and now “take orders and execute actions jointly with other stations”.

Meanwhile, EULEX is trying to clear up the backlog of court cases in Mitrovica that has piled up since independence. The mis- sion now has four judges, two prosecutors, three legal officers and three local legal advisors at the courthouse north of the Ibar.

“EULEX is working on an agreement with Prishtina and Belgrade to deal with all pend- ing cases at the Mitrovica District Court,” said Kristiina Herodes, the mission’s justice spokesperson.

Herodes said that one suspect had been in police detention since 2007, as a result of the accumulation of cases. Dealing with the backlog was “a matter of urgency and justice,” she added.

She said EULEX hoped to find a solution whereby both ethnic Serb and Albanian prosecutors, judges and other legal staff would be able to work side by side in the Mitrovica Court as well as in the jailhouse.

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Life under the toxic mountain (The Guardian)

2010-07-24T16:42:00.001+01:00

Download now or watch on posterous

20100715_Guardian_Kosovo.m4v (50400 KB)

Life under the toxic mountain
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2010/jul/15/lead-refugees-mitrovica-kosovo
(The Guardian)
15 July 2010

After the destruction of their homes and forced expulsion from South Mitrovica in Kosovo in 1999, the Roma people were displaced to temporary UN camps at the foot of mountains of toxic lead waste. Ten years later, families are still there suffering from chronic lead poisoning.

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Arabs, Israel's second class minority (The Daily Star)

2010-07-24T14:17:00.001+01:00

Arabs, Israel's second class minority

http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=117050#axzz0ubRObNcD

Raja Kamal (The Daily Star)

15 July 2010

In a recent column in The New York Times, Thomas Friedman reflected on the strong Israeli economy, quoting a recent survey that put the number of Israeli millionaires at 8,419.

Such a figure is testimony to the successes of entrepreneurs who transformed Israel’s economy into one worthy of membership in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. However, what Friedman didn’t mention is that Arab Israelis, who represent over one-fifth of the Israeli population, are virtually absent from this enviable list. Indeed, the growth of the economy has widened the gap economically and socially between Jewish and non-Jewish Israelis.

This is alarming. If unchecked, it has the potential to create social unrest reminiscent of the 1960s American civil rights era. As Israelis get richer, the average Arab Israeli is feeling left behind. This gap is the byproduct of Israeli policies that under-allocate resources to Arab towns and municipalities. Per capita expenditure on Israeli Arabs and their neighborhoods – schools, roads, water, vocational training – is far less than those allocated to Jewish citizens, for example.

Marwan Muasher, the Jordanian politician and Jordan’s first ambassador to Israel, spent good quality time reaching out to Arab Israelis. In his book, “The Arab Center, Muasher empathized with their ordeal.” “Unfortunately, both the Arab world and Israel treated them with suspicion, with Arabs looking at them as traitors and Israel viewing them as a fifth column inside the Jewish state,” Muasher wrote. Though ethnically Arabs, with what we can call a “Hebrew” identity, Arab Israelis feel in limbo – rejected by the Arab world and marginalized by the Israeli majority, knowing that, according to a poll conducted by Haifa University’s Sami Smooha, 45 percent of Israeli Arabs feel closer to Israelis than to the Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Arabs have been an integral part of Israel since its creation in 1948. Though a majority of them speak Hebrew well, they sense resentment from the Jewish majority. In Haifa University’s recent annual “Index of Arab-Jewish Relations,” the data reflects a continuation of some hostility among the Jewish majority: For example, only 66.9 percent of Jewish Israelis support preserving the right of Arab citizens to vote.

Growing up as an Arab Israeli is becoming increasingly challenging and Israeli government policies have slowed the integration of Arabs into Israeli society. The Israeli armed forces act as a social equalizer where all Israelis from different socio-economic groups blend together for a period of two years. Many networks and friendships are forged then. Yet, Arab Israelis, once completely exempt and now discouraged from military service, are absent from key civil service jobs, despite the fact that 75 percent of them between the ages of 16 and 22 support voluntary national service; and 68 percent would be willing to live in a Jewish neighborhood. Could this be the source of a third intifada from within?

Bernard Avishai, the Israeli author and blogger, has argued that there are similarities between the current situation in Israel and the situation that existed in Bosnia in the 1980s. Avishai states that when foreigners visited Sarajevo in 1984, it was so serene that very few sensed the conflicts brewing beneath the surface and could foresee the potential for outbreak of the civil war and the subsequent tragedies that engulfed Bosnia. Avishai suggested that as in Sarajevo, there is tension brewing from within the Arab Israeli community. He contended that the next intifada would not likely come from the West Bank and Gaza, but rather from within the Arab Israeli community, where citizens are frustrated with their second-class status. There is a time bomb waiting to explode. The Israeli government must work to diffuse before it too late.

The controversial separation wall in the West Bank erected by the Israeli government is viewed as a means of separating Palestinians from Israel. The ultimate goal is to inject tranquility into the country. But how will Israel quell Arab Israeli dissatisfaction from brewing over into unrest at a time when the community’s numbers are swelling and conditions are festering? There is no wall that can separate Jewish and Arab Israelis.

For decades, Israel has fought external wars and persevered. However, internal social unrest is something that the country may not be ready to manage in a way that respects its own image and definition as a democratic nation. The long-term stability of Israel will rest on its future integration, both socially and economically. There is an urgent need to address the conditions of the Arab Israelis. Time is running out.

Raja Kamal is senior associate dean at the Harris School for Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago. He wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR.

(The Daily Star :: Lebanon News :: http://www.dailystar.com.lb)

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Iraq's artists reflect pain, trauma of the war (Associated Press)

2010-07-24T13:54:00.001+01:00

Iraq's artists reflect pain, trauma of the war

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j5O9GbrGXG_OR8A2XOg8uPKkkwFQD9GUO93G0

Hamza Hendawi (AP)

14 July 2010

Iraq's artists are using their work to try to process the turmoil since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, and what they are producing shows a profound anger over their country's traumas and uncertainty over its future.

They have a lot to deal with: A change of regime, foreign occupation, an insurgency, sectarian massacres and, now, the prospect of a divided nation left by the Americans in the hands of unpopular politicians, unprepared security forces and a fragile democracy.

The ambivalence is clear.

Many of the artists lament Saddam Hussein's ouster but don't wish to see one day of his rule come back. They are grateful to America for having rid them of his tyranny but they vilify it as a foreign occupier. The majority Shiites see justice in their post-Saddam empowerment after decades of oppression, but say their own politicians are ruining the country.

"The Iraqi people are victimized by everything and everyone," declares Fadel Saddam, who directs short films. "They are victimized by both the ruler and the foreign occupier."

>___

Muayad Muhsin is venting while he paints.

"What we need in Iraq is a ruler who shares Saddam's tyranny but who fights oppression and corruption and champions the poor," he barked in one of several outbursts to an Associated Press reporter as he worked on his latest canvas.

It was another of the all too frequent 110-degree days when electricity is out and fans and air conditioners sit useless. Muhsin's stuffy, sparse apartment was covered in dust from the previous day's sandstorm, and the heavyset Muhsin, in shorts and a T-shirt, repeatedly wiped the sweat off his face.

The merciless heat is even enshrined in his work. On the back of one canvas is written: "Painted in 48 Celsius in the shade (118 Fahrenheit) while the power is continuously out in the summer of Iraq."

Like many Iraqis, the 47-year-old Muhsin is filled with anger and feelings of betrayal. He blames everyone and everything for Iraq's present predicament.

The work in progress depicts a man standing desolately by the side of a road that bends until it disappears into a burning, apocalyptic orange sunset. The man is headless, holding in his left hand an oud, the Middle Eastern lute-like instrument that holds a cherished place in Iraqi culture.

In place of the man's head is a street light pole.

"He is screaming, How long will we stand still like light poles on deserted roads?" explained Muhsin. "The sunset gives the impression of the end of the world, the end of a conflict, a horizon that promises new but not necessarily good things."

Muhsin hauls other paintings from a store room. One also shows a headless man — "The head represents rationality, but we Iraqis are headless because of our sectarianism," Muhsin said — standing by a railway that abruptly ends behind him. His body is cracking, as if about to crumble. In the background are the famed ruins of Babylon.

"Before the Americans invaded, we had Saddam and his Baath Party. Now, we have several Saddams and several Baath parties," Muhsin said.

His next work, he says, will be about President Barack Obama.

It will depict him shooting hoops. The hoop will be hanging from a wall depicting the mythological winged bull of Assyria. The Statue of Liberty will be in the background, its back turned on the U.S. leader.

> ___

At 30, Omar al-Saray already is a prize-winning poet, published literary critic, popular college lecturer and chairman of Baghdad's prestigious Society of Iraqi Poets.

But none of those lofty distinctions could help him when Shiites and Sunnis turned against each other in Baghdad with murderous force in 2006 and 2007. Like the hundreds of thousands who feared for their lives, al-Saray fled the country, traveling in Syria and Lebanon for four months in 2006 after suspected Shiite militants left a threatening note on his doorstep.

The note was weighed down by a bullet, a common militant signal: leave quickly or die.

Ironically, al-Saray is a Shiite, though a secular one. The militants assumed he was Sunni because his first name, Omar, is rarely given by Shiite families to their children. It's the name of one of the Prophet Muhammad's 7th century successors who, while revered by Sunnis, is reviled by many Shiites.

"The sectarian violence has divided the city into cantons and a man's name has become a problem," said al-Saray, mourning a bygone Baghdad where religious tolerance prevailed over sectarian boundaries.

The blood-soaked days of the sectarian violence' height in 2006-2007 are gone, and al-Saray is taking advantage of Baghdad's current relative security. His office is littered with empty soda cans, water bottles and overflowing ashtrays from a late night poetry recital two nights earlier, an event that would have been impossible two or three years ago when many feared leaving their homes.

Still, the young poet is less than happy with his country's state.

"After the fall of Saddam's regime, the margin of freedom was widened, but we were shocked and disappointed when we found out that they were false freedoms," he lamented.

"The future is scary. The Americans are leaving after they have destroyed so much. They never solved anything. They occupied us, but never took us to the safety of the shore."

Al-Saray's 2005 poem, "Locks of Hair from the Staircase of Sorrows," speaks of his grief over his nation:

So, God, in the name of war,

We pray and recite your neglected names,

We know that no paradise of peace will open its gates, even late,

And that our dreams are locked,

We have death, we have death, we have what explodes and what kills.

> ___

Abdul-Kareem Khalil won international fame back in May 2004 when he exhibited an alabaster statue of a crouching, naked man, his hands tied behind his back and his head covered with a hood.

It came only a week after photographs had emerged showing remarkably similar abuse of Iraqi prisoners by American guards at the Abu Ghraib prison on Baghdad's western outskirts. Khalil said he based his sculpture on stories he had heard from former Abu Ghraib inmates freed before the scandal broke.

Six years on, Khalil continues to be inspired by Abu Ghraib and his deep resentment of America's military presence in Iraq.

One recent statue depicts a woman flanked by two men. All three have paper bags over their heads, recalling the hoods used on detainees by U.S. jailors. One of the men has a protective hand placed on her shoulder. The other man is groping her thighs.

"The second man may be a symbol of evil," explained Khalil.

Like many Iraqi artists, Khalil laments Saddam's overthrow, not out of love for the dictator, but because of the anarchy that ensued.

His most disturbing sculpture depicts a man raping a woman. Both on their knees, the woman struggles to break free while the man restrains her, his hands pawing her bare breasts.

"The woman is Iraq and the rapist is the American occupier," said Khalil.

"Saddam was not an angel, but he was the head of a regime that had functioning institutions," he said. "We thought that those who will come after him will be better, but that never happened."

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City shortlisted for European Youth Capital 2013 (Londonderry Sentinel)

2010-07-24T13:42:00.001+01:00

City shortlisted for European Youth Capital 2013

http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/City-shortlisted-for-European-Youth.6419245.jp

(Londonderry Sentinel)

14 July 2010

Londonderry has been shortlisted for the European Youth Capital title for 2013.

Four European cities: Derry/ Londonderry; Maribor (Slovenia), Goes (Netherlands) and Karlstad (Sweden) will now go head to head for the European Youth Capital 2013 (EYC 2013).

The Mayor Councillor Colum Eastwood, said that this is another great achievement for the city.

"These are exciting times for our city. This latest announcement reflects the vibrancy of our youth who continue to play an integral role in shaping our city and region.

"May I take this opportunity to congratulate the team behind the application and wish them every success in their bid."

Londonderry, Maribor, Goes and Karlstad's applications all present ambitious programs that go beyond outlining the preparations, implementation and follow up mechanisms for the EYC project.

They distinct themselves through including a wide spectrum of stakeholders, imaginative but well balanced vision of cultural, sports events but also emphasizing cooperation with youth civil society and the aim of fostering participatory policies at all levels.

Therefore the EYC jury decided to shortlist four instead of the originally planned three cities.

The four shortlisted cities will have until October 13 the possibility to provide additional information to convince the jury to select them and the European Youth Forum to award them the title.

More details about the programme, planned activities, events and policy development will complement the applications and lead to the final selection of the European Youth Capital 2013.

The complete list of applicants to European Youth Capital 2013 are: Antalya, Turkey; Bucharest, Romania; Byron, Greece; Hertogenbosch, Netherlands; Istanbul, Turkey; Karlstad, Sweden; Maribor, Slovenia; Stantu Gheorge, Romania; Goes, Netherlands; Derry, Northern Ireland; Zaragoza, Spain;

The jury, composed of representatives from the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities in Europe, the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament, the Committee of the Regions, the Council of European Municipalities and regions, the Advisory Council of Youth, EurActiv, NOW (Think Tank), the University of Montpellier, the Portuguese Youth Council (upcoming EYC 2012), the Local Youth Council of Braga (upcoming EYC 2012) and the European Youth Forum will convene again on November 15 in Brussels and discuss the top shortlisted applications in order to select the European Youth Capital 2013.

The award ceremony will take place during the YFJ General Assembly, on November 18-20.

The European Youth Capital is an idea of the European Youth Forum and is arrived at its 5th edition. Since the first European Youth Capital 2009, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, it has been growing in attention ever since. In the past years, the European Youth Forum has awarded the title EYC 2010 to Torino (Italy), EYC 2011 to Antwerp (Belgium) and EYC 2012 to Braga (Portugal).

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EULEX court statement welcomed (B92)

2010-07-24T13:38:00.001+01:00

EULEX court statement welcomed

http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2010&mm=07&dd=14&nav_id=68430

(B92)

14 July 2010

Kosovo Ministry State Secretary Oliver Ivanović welcomed EULEX chief Yves de Kermabon's statement on the return of judges to a court in northern K. Mitrovica.

The EU mission in the province, EULEX, chief said on Tuesday in a statement issued in Priština that local judges and prosecutors will not return to work in the Kosovska Mitrovica District Court on July 15, and that the talks on this subject will continue.

In a statement for Tanjug, Ivanović said that, "under these circumstances", insisting on a date for the court to open in the volatile ethnically divided towen "would be counterproductive".

"Many issues have not been defined yet and it is important that the law which will be implemented, the territory which will be under the jurisdiction of the Kosovska Mitrovica District Court and other elements of the agreement be defined before the opening of the court," he stressed.

Ivanović pointed out that the opening of the court before a final agreement has been reached would be "quite an adventure" which may end "very unpleasantly".

Minister for Kosovo Goran Bogdanović said previously that Belgrade wanted to know the court's jurisdiction, the identity of its judges, and laws they would apply before any agreement could be reached, noting that none of those could be "imposed by either EULEX or the Kosovo (Albanian) authorities".

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From Srebrenica to Baghdad (Newsweek)

2010-07-24T13:33:00.001+01:00

From Srebrenica to Baghdad

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/07/12/from-srebrenica-to-baghdad.html

Jordan Michael Smith (Newsweek)

12 July 2010

How the Balkan genocide 15 years ago got us into Iraq

The genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia, 15 years ago this week continues to haunt European consciences. The massacre is frequently in the news, most recently because relatives of the victims are now asking prosecutors in the Netherlands to charge Dutch peacekeepers with war crimes. For Americans, the anniversary of the massacre will mostly go unnoticed. But it shouldn’t—the horrible events of July 1995 in Srebrenica have a lot to do with why Americans are now in Iraq.

Of course, Iraq was on few minds at the time in Srebrenica, a small town in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina. There Dutch troops stood by at the U.N.-declared “safe zone” while Serbs overran it, killing 8,000 Muslim men and boys with firing squads. It was the worst crime in Europe since World War II, and it happened while the world watched.

Besides the genocide itself, the spectacle of peacekeepers acting as bystanders seemed an atrocity in its own right. Prohibited from using force, the 600 U.N. soldiers depended on NATO planes to give them cover. But NATO policy required the U.N.’s blessing before it could launch attacks—a circular logic that made intervention difficult. Betting correctly that the international community wouldn’t use force, the Serbs simply marched past the peacekeepers, separated the males of Srebrenica from the females, and slaughtered them. Soon after seizing the town, the Serbian general responsible for the genocide insisted that the commander of U.N. peacekeepers there raise a glass with him “to long life.” He did. The image of the two drinking together seemed to encapsulate all that was dangerous and hypocritical with the United Nations and multilateralism.

It was not just the U.N. that was at fault—the United States stood by, refusing to lead NATO in striking the Serbs, despite begging from Srebrenica residents and their peacekeepers. President Bill Clinton was hesitant about using force, opposed to using American troops in a distant land. “We’ve chosen not to put troops on the ground because we don’t believe it is in the vital interests of the United States to do so,” declared an administration spokesman.

The awful photos and stories that emerged from Srebrenica destroyed the myth of decisive multilateralism. Democrats began to lose faith. As Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier put it in their book America Between the Wars, “Although neither the president nor his advisers embraced the more paranoid, reflexive anti-U.N. attitudes held by the [congressional] Republicans, they did become more willing to sidestep the organization and find new ways to work with others or establish legitimacy—and, if necessary, to act alone.” The New Republic devoted an entire issue to Srebrenica, driving home the message of the failure to act.

Compounding the frustration was the seeming ease with which Clinton (this time along with a NATO-led coalition) put Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic off his next campaign—against the Kosovars—by targeted bombing. Liberals saw a lesson: the real danger was not in acting impulsively, but in acting too late.

If liberals were disillusioned with the U.N., conservatives were unsurprised. For Republicans, Srebrenica confirmed what they already know: multilateralism was worse than useless, it was counterproductive. So when Iraq came onto the U.S. radar screen in 2002 and 2003, the U.N. had already been discredited in American eyes. “Having proved itself impotent in the Balkan crisis and now again in the Iraq crisis, the United Nations will sink once again into irrelevance,” wrote Charles Krauthammer. And since Saddam Hussein was even worse than Milosevic, making an invasion against Iraq also seemed like a humanitarian imperative.

Many Democrats supported President George W. Bush in Iraq after their Srebrenica failure. As the British columnist David Aaronovitch wrote, there was a “road from Srebrenica to Iraq ... If Bosnia was the betrayal through inaction and appeasement, Srebrenica the consequence and Kosovo the determination not to let it happen again, then the line runs clear.” Americans across the political spectrum supported Iraq after seeing success in the Balkans and concluding that U.S. power was indispensable, says Tony Smith, whose book A Pact With the Devil chronicles the Iraq War. “The animus against Milosevic was such that it was easy for many to put Saddam in the same crosshairs once Milosevic had been successfully defeated,” he says. “In this sense, I see a path from the Balkans straight into Iraq.”

Of course, Iraq was not Srebrenica, and Iraqis were not Bosnians. What seemed relatively painless there—stopping a dictator and forging a peace—was an order of a different magnitude in Iraq. Seven years after the Iraq invasion, 4,000 American troops are dead and the U.S. is still struggling to forge a coherent state. “Mistaking the relative ease with which Serbia could be handled for what might be repeated in Iraq was obviously an error of enormous consequence,” says Smith. It may have occurred in Europe, but the ghosts of Srebrenica haunt America, too.

Jordan Michael Smith is a writer in Washington, D.C. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, and The New Republic.

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US companies bid to invest in Kirkuk (Alsumaria TV)

2010-07-24T13:24:00.001+01:00

US companies bid to invest in Kirkuk

http://www.alsumaria.tv/en/Economics-News-Iraq/3-51705-US-companies-bid-to-invest-in-Kirkuk.html

(Alsumaria TV)

13 July 2010

Kirkuk National Investment Commission said on Monday that some US companies are discussing investment opportunities in oil and electricity sectors in the Province and a waste-to-energy plant project was suggested. Head of Kirkuk Investment Commission Falah Al Bazaz said that a group of US companies visited Kirkuk and discussed with the Province administration means to establish investment projects in Oil and Electricity sectors. The Province is getting prepared to build a refinery and an airport and such opportunities are available for all the investors, he added.

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Iraq parliament session delayed over govt impasse (Associated Press)

2010-07-19T11:42:00.003+01:00

Iraq parliament session delayed over govt impasse
http://ping.fm/frQWq
Barbara Surk (Associated Press)
13 July 2010

BAGHDAD — Iraq on Monday delayed a parliament session scheduled for this week as the political impasse over who will lead the country drags into its fifth month.

The deadlock comes as U.S. forces are pulling out of the country even as politicians seem unable to compromise over the formation of their future government following inconclusive national elections.

"There are still differences in points of views, so it is impossible to enter the parliament hall," said acting parliament speaker Fouad Massoum, warning that the next session could be delayed for days, if not weeks.

Elections on March 7 did not give any party enough seats to form a majority in the 325-member parliament. For the past several months, the major coalitions have been engaged in intense negotiations to win enough allies to form a government.

The alliance in early May of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition and another Shiite bloc backed by Iran seemed to indicate the process was picking up speed with their super-coalition only four seats shy of a governing majority.

But even that alliance is showing cracks as many of the al-Maliki's putative allies are virulently opposed to the prime minister keeping his job.

Massoum said the fact that the parliament was not meeting this week is a violation of the constitution, but he said that nothing can be done. Massoum did not clarify what he meant by the violation but one article of the constitution indicates that the new president should elected within 30 days of the new parliament first meeting.

Meanwhile, Iraq has issued arrest warrants for 39 members of an Iranian opposition group who have lived in a camp northeast of Baghdad since Saddam Hussein's reign.

The development comes just days after American soldiers shut down their base near Camp Ashraf as part of the U.S. troop drawdown.

The presence of the Iranian group, which fought alongside Saddam during his 1980s war with Iran, has long irritated Iraq's Shiite-led government.

A senior Iraqi judiciary official said on Monday that the wanted members of the group — known as The People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran — are suspected of committing crimes while helping Saddam crush the 1991 Shiite revolt.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

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Iraq parliament session delayed over govt impasse (Associated Press)

2010-07-19T11:42:00.001+01:00

Iraq parliament session delayed over govt impasse
http://ping.fm/frQWq
Barbara Surk (Associated Press)
13 July 2010

BAGHDAD â€” Iraq on Monday delayed a parliament session scheduled for this week as the political impasse over who will lead the country drags into its fifth month.

The deadlock comes as U.S. forces are pulling out of the country even as politicians seem unable to compromise over the formation of their future government following inconclusive national elections.

"There are still differences in points of views, so it is impossible to enter the parliament hall," said acting parliament speaker Fouad Massoum, warning that the next session could be delayed for days, if not weeks.

Elections on March 7 did not give any party enough seats to form a majority in the 325-member parliament. For the past several months, the major coalitions have been engaged in intense negotiations to win enough allies to form a government.

The alliance in early May of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's coalition and another Shiite bloc backed by Iran seemed to indicate the process was picking up speed with their super-coalition only four seats shy of a governing majority.

But even that alliance is showing cracks as many of the al-Maliki's putative allies are virulently opposed to the prime minister keeping his job.

Massoum said the fact that the parliament was not meeting this week is a violation of the constitution, but he said that nothing can be done. Massoum did not clarify what he meant by the violation but one article of the constitution indicates that the new president should elected within 30 days of the new parliament first meeting.

Meanwhile, Iraq has issued arrest warrants for 39 members of an Iranian opposition group who have lived in a camp northeast of Baghdad since Saddam Hussein's reign.

The development comes just days after American soldiers shut down their base near Camp Ashraf as part of the U.S. troop drawdown.

The presence of the Iranian group, which fought alongside Saddam during his 1980s war with Iran, has long irritated Iraq's Shiite-led government.

A senior Iraqi judiciary official said on Monday that the wanted members of the group â€” known as The People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran â€” are suspected of committing crimes while helping Saddam crush the 1991 Shiite revolt.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

K. Ministry official on situation in north (B92)

2010-07-19T11:23:00.003+01:00

K. Ministry official on situation in north
http://ping.fm/0wbDx
(B92)
12 July 2010

BELGRADE -- Ministry for Kosovo State Secretary Oliver Ivanović says the situation in northern Kosovska Mitrovica is now stable.

However he added that the people were "distraught" after Kosovo Albanian government Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi made his "threats", which Ivanović believes should neither be dismissed nor overemphasized.

"People here are wondering whether Rexhepi is serious when he talks about sending special police units to northern Kosovo," Ivanović told the Monday edition of Belgrade daily Politika.

"I believe certain precautions should be taken," he added.

According to him, Serbia should keep an eye on the Bošnjačka Mahala district in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, "since all problems stem from that place".

Bošnjačka Mahala is a mixed neighborhood in the northern part of the town, which is divided into northern, mostly Serb, and southern, ethnic Albanian parts.

Asked whether the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija was satisfied with the international community's reaction regarding the recent terrorist attack that happened in that area, when one person was killed in a grenade blast during a protest, Ivanović said that the ministry was not satisfied and that the EU mission in the province, EULEX, was "working slowly".

"The mission has serious problems surviving such as it is. This was the first major test and they failed it. When we add to this that the problems regarding ethnically motivated crimes are not yet being dealt with, and that they have just scratched the surface of corruption and organized crime, then we can conclude that the international presence, which is necessary in the province, needs to be seriously reorganized," Ivanović concluded.

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K. Ministry official on situation in north (B92)

2010-07-19T11:23:00.001+01:00

K. Ministry official on situation in north
http://ping.fm/0wbDx
(B92)
12 July 2010

BELGRADE -- Ministry for Kosovo State Secretary Oliver IvanoviÄ‡ says the situation in northern Kosovska Mitrovica is now stable.

However he added that the people were "distraught" after Kosovo Albanian government Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi made his "threats", which IvanoviÄ‡ believes should neither be dismissed nor overemphasized.

"People here are wondering whether Rexhepi is serious when he talks about sending special police units to northern Kosovo," IvanoviÄ‡ told the Monday edition of Belgrade daily Politika.

"I believe certain precautions should be taken," he added.

According to him, Serbia should keep an eye on the BoÅ¡njaÄka Mahala district in the northern part of Kosovska Mitrovica, "since all problems stem from that place".

BoÅ¡njaÄka Mahala is a mixed neighborhood in the northern part of the town, which is divided into northern, mostly Serb, and southern, ethnic Albanian parts.

Asked whether the Ministry for Kosovo and Metohija was satisfied with the international community's reaction regarding the recent terrorist attack that happened in that area, when one person was killed in a grenade blast during a protest, IvanoviÄ‡ said that the ministry was not satisfied and that the EU mission in the province, EULEX, was "working slowly".

"The mission has serious problems surviving such as it is. This was the first major test and they failed it. When we add to this that the problems regarding ethnically motivated crimes are not yet being dealt with, and that they have just scratched the surface of corruption and organized crime, then we can conclude that the international presence, which is necessary in the province, needs to be seriously reorganized," IvanoviÄ‡ concluded.

Voices film in support of City of Culture bid premiers (Londonderry Sentinel)

2010-07-14T17:46:00.001+01:00

Voices film in support of City of Culture bid premiers

http://www.londonderrysentinel.co.uk/news/Voices-film-in-support-of.6411917.jp

(Londonderry Sentinel)

9 July 2010

Over images of a city at dawn in timelapse we hear the voice of Seamus Heaney reading from "Cure at Troy."

History says, Don't hope

On this side of the grave

But then, once in a lifetime

The longed-for tidal wave

Of justice can rise up

And hope and history rhyme

This is how Voices, the official film produced to support the Derry~Londonderry UK City of Culture 2013 bid begins.

The film produced by the award winning arts organisation the Nerve Centre embodies the hope of the city in its' desire to become the first UK City of Culture.

As the film gets it's online premiere today it's fair to say it captures the vibrancy of the city's cultural scene and gives voice and vision to the enthusiasm, passion and commitment with which the city has embraced the City of Culture bidding process.

Snow Patrol gave the bid partners permission to use Just Say Yes as the anthem for the campaign for UK City of Culture and the song is the perfect match for this film.

Snow Patrol's front man Gary Lightbody was born in Bangor, but his family originate from Derry~Londonderry.

Gary believes that the city would be a fantastic venue for the UK City of Culture 2013.

"Derry~Londonderry is a vibrant, warm and creative city and its cultural life has always thrived.

"Being shortlisted for UK City of Culture in 2013 confirms what many of us have known all along; that culture is at Derry~Londonderry's heart. The city has an exciting future ahead and I can't think of anywhere that deserves to win this accolade more."

And Gary is well-versed with the city's rich cultural history: "Derry~Londonderry has, a number of times, set the standard for the arts in Northern Ireland.

"The Undertones wrote apolitical anthems for the youth of Ireland at a time when we needed an escape from politics and religion the most.

"The Nerve Centre was in Derry~Londonderry and highly functional and creative long before we set up the Oh Yeah Centre in Belfast.

"It was the inspiration for us when we were setting the centre up," he said.

The film has 42 separate scenes and features 28 individuals delivering lines to the camera with contributions from internationally renowed visual artist Willie Doherty and Seamus Heaney.

Willie Doherty can be seen on the Craigavon Bridge is quoting a line from his own work in the late 1980 in a visual set-up inspired by his Turner nominated work around the bridge.

John Peto, writer/director of the Voice's film said: "I was delighted to have the opportunity to make this film as a way to capture the passion, energy and creativity of the city and its people and in particular the groundswell of public support that has been generated around the campaign for UK City of Culture within the last few months.

"I hope that this film visually communicates the people, place, past and future with a positive articulation that a successful city of culture bid will be transformative for the city."

The main cultural content was filmed over one weekend in May at the One World Festival and the Carnivale of Colours organized by Seeds and In Your Space performing arts company respectively.

The film not only captures the beauty of the city but also the gifted young performers such as The Wonder Villains who played at Radio 1 One Big Weekend and Meadbh McGinley, a 14 year old pianist, singer, composer from the City educated in Vienna.

A highlight of the film is Bane Parkour, a professional free runner, jumping from a piece of public art in Lincoln Courts before delivering his line.

The public art that he jumps from was installed under the re-imaging communities programme, replacing a loyalist mural and this short scene illustrates the depth of thought that went into each scene of this film.

Derry City Council's Temporary Director of Development, Oonagh McGillion, who was part of the city's 10-strong pitch-team in Merseyside and saw the reaction of the judges to 'Voices', says the video is extremely powerful because it allowed the people of the city to speak directly about why the City of Culture designation should come to their home town.

"The great strength of the Derry-Londonderry bid has been the people of the city, and it's the fact that it is the people of the city who deliver the message in the 'Voices' film that makes it so moving.

"Given the fact that it was the people of the city who, through this film, have been the most eloquent ambassadors for the City of Culture bid it is only proper that they have this opportunity to see how they themselves represented the city to the judging panel in Liverpool," she said.

Nerve Centre Chief Executive, Pearse Moore, said that they had been happy to play their part in the pitch process through the production of Voices.

"The Nerve Centre was delighted to have had the opportunity to play a role in creating something for our city's pitch to become UK City of Culture 2013.

"Hopefully when the people of the city have the opportunity view the film the will agree that we have done justice not only to their town but to the citizens of Derry themselves," he said.

So hope for a great sea change

On the far side of revenge.

Believe that a father shore

Is reachable from here.

Believe in miracles

And cures and healing wells.

And that is how the film is bookended with Seamus Heaney reading from "Cure at Troy" which is an absolute visual treat.

The film closes with Rebecca Ramsey in her screen debut delivering the lines that capture the voice of a city

I have a new story to tell.

I need to tell a new story.

Just Say Yes!

Rebecca looks directly at the camera smiling and it's difficult not to agree. JUST SAY YES!

The film can be viewed on the Nerve Centre's you tube channel at www.youtube.com/user/thenervecentre

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K. Albanians "to send police to north" (B92)

2010-07-09T18:45:00.001+01:00

K. Albanians "to send police to north"
http://www.b92.net/eng/news/politics-article.php?yyyy=2010&mm=07&dd=0...
(B92)
9 July 2010

PRIŠTINA -- A Kosovo Albanian government minister said in Priština that "special forces" of the Kosovo police would be sent to the Serb north.

Bajram Rexhepi, who is the Priština government's interior minister, said such a move would come in order to secure "peace and order".

He told Albanian language daily Koha Ditore that Kosovo police, KPS, has a "signed contract" with the EU mission, EULEX, that enables it to make such moves.

Rexhepi described the personnel he had in mind as "special police forces for operative protection".

"There are Serb policemen within the special unit. They will be sent there to react in order to dispel doubts that these units are against the Serb community," said he.

"They will be tasked with helping restore order and law and if there is need for their help, they will have the right to go to Leposavić, to the border," Rexhepi stated, in reference to the town on the administrative line between central Serbia and Kosovo.

The newspaper also reports that the minister "promised that order would be established in (Kosovska) Mitrovica as well".

The areas of the province north of the Ibar River are predominantly inhabited by Serbs who do not recognize the authority of the government in Priština, or its unilateral independence declaration made in early 2008.

Last week, one man was killed and 11 others were injured when in an attack as a crowd of Serbs protested against an office the Kosovo Albanian government opened in the northern part of the ethnically divided town of Kosovska Mitrovica. The incident was discussed during the emergency session of the UN Security Council, called by Serbia.

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