[news] Kosovo media

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Rugova would like Havel to be mediator of talks on Kosovo   PRISTINA, Nov 14 (CTK) - Kosovar President Ibrahim Rugova would welcome if former Czech president Vaclav Havel became the mediator of the talks on the future of Kosovo, he told journalists today after meeting Czech Prime Minister Jiri Paroubek who is on an official visit to the country. Rugova said that Havel could help Kosovo as a personality, after Paroubek offered him that Czech diplomats or politicians could help solve the problems of Kosovo. Havel told CTK he is not sure whether he would be able to accept such a task. "I am of course pleased when somebody has such a suggestion. However, I am not sure whether I would be able to cope with such a task," Havel said. Paroubek presented a similar offer in Belgrade on Sunday. He said that Serbian representatives welcomed it. Paroubek did not release who exactly the Czech negotiators could be. According to some information, diplomat Sasa Vondra is among the candidates. Paroubek is on a four-day visit to the West Balkans. He inquired about the opinions of Serbian, Montenegrin and Kosovar politicians about the future political organisation of Serbia and Montenegro. During his visit in Sarajevo, Belgrade and Pristina he repeatedly said that the Czech Republic will play a more important role in the region. The Serbian government wants the autonomous Kosovo to remain a part of Serbia in the future, while the Kosovar inhabitants, most of them being ethnic Albanians, call for autonomy. Rugova said today he wants his country to be a part of the EU and NATO. Apart from political initiative, Paroubek offered local politicians Czech investment, mainly in the area of insurance, power industry and chemical industry. Seminars on the transformation of Czech economy will be opened for representatives from the former Yugoslavia in Prague. Paroubek said that Serbian students will have easier access to Czech universities thanks to a new cultural agreement.     UN Urges Kosovo: Don't Go Against Talks Monday, November 14, 2005 SEE The United Nations (UN) Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo, or UNMIK, called on the Kosovo Parliament not to act against the talks about its final status. The Kosovo Parliament tried to pass a decision on “commitment to independence” on Thursday. Martti Ahtisaar, representative of UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and of the Contact Group, will also object to such a decision, and that the UNMIK administration would be forced to invalidate it immediately, according to Mission’s statement reported in the Kosovo media. The NATO Parliamentary Assembly has to consider resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council with due respect prior to the negotiations over the final status of Kosovo, news from Brussels said. The statement included such demands as follows: NATO countries would soon start acting on the criteria set for Kosovo, the process of decentralization should be maintained, the rights of Serbians and of other minorities should be protected, and particular attention should be given to the demands of Serbians to return.   Political Group adopts three documents on Kosovo stance (Dailies) All dailies cover the second meeting of the Political/Strategic Group of Kosovo and report that it managed to draft three documents they will send to the Negotiations Team to approve.   “Political Group adopts main points of Kosovo’s position for talks”, says Zëri’s headline on the front page.   A press release issued by coordinator, Blerim Shala reads that these documents set up the main points of the Kosovo delegation’s position on the process of the solution of the final status, then they determine organizational structures of the working groups of experts and the logical segment of the organizational work of the Political/Strategic Group and working groups, dailies report.     “DANKE, JANEZ” (Some dailies) Koha Ditore reads that despite many voices, Slovenian President Janez Dernovsek has reiterated his statement that Kosovo is in fact independent. He told Slovenian TV, POP TV, “The reality on the ground is that Kosovo is independent. The international community had to protect the Albanians before, now, it should protect the minorities.”   Drnovsek also criticized the statements of the Slovenian PM Rupel, who referring to Drnovsek’s plan, had stated, “Sole actions are not welcome, a united action is needed for solution of the problem.” Drnovsek’s reply to this was, “Such a unity and uniformity do not sound democratically.”   On the other hand, Slovenia newspaper ‘Delo’ and ‘Dnevnik’ wrote that with his statements, Dernovsek made Serbs angry.   Zëri cites ‘Dnevnik’ as writing that Drnovsek has caused dissatisfactions at Slovenian diplomacy, better saying at Minister Dimitrij Rupel who did not recommend the visit to Kosovo to President Drnovsek. Paper further wrote that Rupel’s anger is understandable, because of his role as the OSCE Chairman-in –Office.   Status Envoy Martti Ahtisaari holds press conference in Brussels (Dailies)  Under the headline “Ahtisaari says he prefers direct negotiations between Pristina and Belgrade”, Zëri reports that the UN Special Envoy for Kosovo’s status talks will soon start a tour in the Balkans beginning with Kosovo to listen to the stances of all sides involved.   “I will visit Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Albania. Initially I will go there to see what the sides in the region have to say and to set the process in motion. This will be the first contact with the sides,” Zëri quotes Ahtisaari as saying.   “To the status, as soon as possible, but without timeframes”, is a quote by Ahtisaari used as headline for its lead story by Koha Ditore. The paper reports that the UN envoy has asked the EU to prepare financially and with staff for the EU’s future role in Kosovo.   Koha Ditore reports that the chief negotiator will be based in Vienna and that his office will open in January 2006.   Government welcomes EU Commission’s Report on Kosovo The Kosovo Government has welcomed the report of the EU Commission drafted on Kosovo. A special report is drafted for the first time on Kosovo, and it marks deepening of relations of Kosovo with the EU in the context of the stabilization/association process. The Government considers the report an instrument which orients its engagements in fulfilment of the EU agenda. According to PM Kosumi, these achievements to a great extent are a result of the plan for Standards for Kosovo, which continues to be implemented through the process of the EU integration.   The report, which the Head of the EU Commission Office George Mamberto delivered to PM Kosumi, mentions the areas in which Kosovo has marked progress, as well as those in which more work is needed. Mamberto stated that the working methodology in this report has been the same as in the reports on other countries candidates for the EU membership.   On the other hand, the report is quite critical concerning functioning of the justice system in Kosovo, shortcomings in the administrative system, and lack of paying of electric power bills.   The report is also accompanied by the new Document on EU Partnership, which defines short-term and middle term priorities, whereas the Kosovo Government must draft an operational plan that will describe measures and deadlines for implementation of the EU recommendation on Kosovo. (All K-wide broadcasters, KTV)     Main political forces say they will vote pro independence resolution (Zëri) Zëri reports on the front page that the representatives of the four main political parties in Kosovo Assembly, LDK, PDK, AAK and ORA implied yesterday that unless there is a change in the next two days, they are going to vote for the Resolution on Independence that confirms declaring Kosovo an independent and sovereign state and calls for international recognition of Kosovo’s independence.   Despite suggestions by the international factors on various occasions that the Resolution harmonized by the parliamentary groups could contradict the competencies of the Kosovo Assembly, according to the Constitutional Framework, and the announcements of the SRSG that he would like to see a resolution that would ‘support the Negotiations Team’, the representatives of the four political parties have not changed anything so far in what the chiefs of the parliamentary groups agreed, and have said they will vote for the Resolution on Thursday.   Ahtisaari Will Seek Direct Negotiations Between Belgrade and Pristina UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari confirmed yesterday in Brussels that he would soon leave on a tour of the Balkans, primarily to Kosovo, in order to hear the views of all the negotiating parties. He said that, while he would apply shuttle diplomacy his aim was to finally encourage Kosovo Albanians and Serbs, Belgrade and Pristina to engage in direct negotiations and commented that “technical negotiations of the Albanian and Serb sides are already underway.” Ahtisaari further explained that he would consult and respect all the opinions, but that the guidelines determined by the Contact Group would have the priority. Adding that he would try to wind up the negotiations on Kosovo's status as quickly as possible, he rejected as ungrounded the estimates that the whole process could be concluded in three or four months, RTS reported.