Main Stories 26February 2011

Main Stories 26February 2011

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• Definition of the agenda and date of the dialogue, expected (Koha Ditore)
• PDK deputies, a danger for Thaçi’s Government (Koha Ditore)
• Dell holds Haradinaj responsible for Pacolli’s election (dailies)
• Blerim Shala: Haradinaj is not responsible for Behxhet Pacolli’s election (dailies)
• Jeremic: Division of Kosovo, a possible option (dailies)
• Angeli: CEFTA cannot be chaired by Kosovo institutions (Epoka e Re)
• Bühler: Organized crime in the north finances radical structures (Koha Ditore)
• Pacolli lobbied to give PTK to his business partner (Koha Ditore)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Definition of the agenda and date of the dialogue, expected (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore reports that the process which is being proclaimed as a technical dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, to the President of Kosovo, Behgjet Pacolli, is a process of negotiations. Three sentences said to the media, were sufficient to make two guffs for the recently elected President, says this daily. He referred to the process as negotiations and assessed that Serbia is Kosovo’s partner. Pacolli made these comments at the meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs Enver Hoxhaj, who preferred to remain silent in front of the media, after Pacolli’s guffs. The meeting took place on Friday, when the facilitator of discussions between Kosovo and Serbia, Robert Cooper, concluded his visit to Kosovo. Away from the media, Cooper on Friday visited the Government of Kosovo, and met with Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi and Deputy Prime Minister to lead Kosovo team during the discussions, Edita Tahiri. Senior European officials reportedly told this daily that the agenda and date of the discussions are expected to be determined within the next week.

PDK deputies, a danger for Thaçi’s Government (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore reports that election of Behgjet Pacolli for the President of Kosovo has created fractions within the Democratic Party of Kosovo. Kosovo Assembly Chairperson Jakup Krasniqi and former minister of Transport and Telecommunications Fatmir Limaj, have the support of 8-14 deputies at the Assembly, who could create a situation of dismissal of the current Government. This was not denied by Jakup Krasniqi, during an interview for KTV, reports this daily. “If our version had prevailed, we would be held responsible. Now, the other side has won. Being heldresponsible means that you have to open way to those that were right. Being held responsible means also giving resignation from a position for leading the country towards crisis,” said Krasniqi adding that responsibility is focused at PDK’s leader.

Dell holds Haradinaj responsible for Pacolli’s election (dailies)

Dailies report that the U.S. Ambassador in Kosovo, Christopher Dell, blamed in an interview for Radio Free Europe, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and its leader Ramush Haradinaj, for election of Behxhet Pacolli for the President of Kosovo. He said that their refusal to join the governing coalition with PDK, “made it almost unavoidable” for Pacolli to become President. “I did not have any role on the election of the President of Kosovo,” said Dell to Radio Free Europe. “I think that the most responsible person for Behxhet Pacolli being a President today is sitting in a cell of the Hague prison,” the U.S. Ambassador is quoted as saying.

Blerim Shala: Haradinaj is not responsible for Behxhet Pacolli’s election (dailies)

Dailies report that AAK deputy leader Blerim Shala, said that if election of the President of Kosovo was commenced in a regular manner, the U.S. Ambassador Dell would not have to seek who is responsible or guilty for this decision. He added that Dell’s announcement which holds AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj responsible for Pacolli’s election, is unjust, and added that those guilty should be sought among PDK and AKR. Shala added that partners of the coalition did not bother to study the possibility for people out of the political parties, that are suitable for the profile of the president, and it is political appetites that brought such a decision.

Jeremic: Division of Kosovo, a possible option (dailies)

Dailies report that Serbia’s Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic, said to Serbian media that division of Kosovo could be one of the options and added that many representatives of the international community share this opinion. According to him, many people of international circles, consider that the project of imposing Kosovo’s independence is facing difficulties and that it is necessary to find a compromised solution. “Many of them consider that division could be one of the options,” said Jeremic.

Angeli: CEFTA cannot be chaired by Kosovo institutions (Epoka e Re)

Epoka e Re reports that UNMIK Spokesperson Andrea Angeli, said that the Central European Free Trade Agreement CEFTA cannot be chaired by Kosovo institutions without the presence of UNMIK, adding that this has been requested by the states that are signers of the Agreement. “UNMIK is working closely with Kosovo institutions to make sure that chairing during 2011 that will be inaugurated in Brussels on 11 March, will be successful. It will be a joint exercise,” said Angeli.

Director of the Department of Trade, Flamur Keqa said that CEFTA will be presided without UNMIK. “I consider that CEFTA will be chaired by Kosovo representatives, and this is all,” said Keqa.

The Minister of Trade and Industry, Mimoza Kusari Lila, has admitted that UNMIK factor cannot be excluded at CEFTA presiding. “It has to be discussed also with UNMIK, to start slow change of the status, in fact changes in the form of signing, where we have been represented by UNMIK,” she said. She added that boycotts in the past were waste of time, because they affected Kosovo’s position both on the presiding and resolving of many problems. She announced that they will use argument to convince other member states, to accept the new reality created after the independence of Kosovo.

Bühler: Organized crime in the north finances radical structures (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore carries an interview with KFOR Commander Erhard Bühler, after the meeting of NATO member states and other countries that contribute for the KFOR mission, who said that he believes that their new structures will enable focusing of their efforts in the north. “It is required from us to have our focus mainly concentrated in the north, together with EULEX and Police, since the security situation in the north is different from the other parts of Kosovo. We really have a situation there, since structures of the organized crime have settled there for many years. These structures are a real threat for a safe and stable environment. I am not speaking here about the population in general or for the majority of citizens. The citizens are honorable and quiet. I am not saying that only criminals live there,” said Bühler.

He said that in a long term, we should reach a situation when no armed or uniformed soldiers will be in the streets of Kosovo. “You cannot convince people out of Kosovo, including potential investors, that the security situation is stabile, if there are soldiers in the streets of the city,” said Bühler

Pacolli lobbied to give PTK to his business partner (Koha Ditore)

Koha Ditore reports that Kosovo’s President Behgjet Pacolli, in August of the last year had objected the manner of the privatization of Kosovo’s Post Telecom (PTK). He had offered management of the company by his business partner, Esad Puscar, Pacolli’s current advisor. Except for being the owner of the Italian company “Mabco,” Puscar is also international market representative of “London Capital Market,” a financial institution based in London, which was presented last year by the current President as a business that should take over management of PTK. His idea was objected by former Government, since the offer was not more favorable than collection of 300 to 600 million euros from selling 75 percent of the shares from VALA, Telecom and PTK. Pacolli was mediator between the Government and businessman Puscar, while the latter recently mediated through SMS-es with the U.S. Ambassador Dell, says this daily.

Disclaimer

This media summary consists of selected local media articles for the information of UN personnel. The public distribution of this media summary is a courtesy service extended by UNMIK on the understanding that the choice of articles translated is exclusive, and the contents do not represent anything other than a selection of articles likely to be of interest to a United Nations readership. The inclusion of articles in this summary does not imply endorsement by UNMIK.