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UNMIK and PISG to take action regarding the illegal building on the Church land in Djakovica
KIM Info-service
UNMIK and PISG to take action regarding the illegal building on the Church land in Djakovica
KIM Info-service
February 02, 2006
Visoki Decani Monastery is situated in the western part of the UN administered Serbian province of Kosovo and Metohia. It was built between 1327 and 1335 by the Serbian medieval king St. Stephen of Decani and was dedicated to the Ascension of the Lord. The monastery is settled in the picturesque valley of the Bistrica river surrounded by the mountains and forests of the Prokletije mountain range It is the largest and best preserved medieval monastery in Serbia. During its turbulent history the Monastery was an important spiritual centre with developed artistic and intellectual activities. Although the monastery buildings suffered damage from the Turkish occupation, the church has been completely preserved with beautiful 14th century fresco paintings. Today a young brotherhood of 30 brethren lives in the monastery continuing the centuries old tradition of the past. The brotherhood has developed various activities: wood carving, icon painting, book publishing and is also active in the missionary work. The beautiful monastic services are served according to the typicon of Mount Athos.
UNMIK authorities in Pristina have informed Serbian Orthodox Church that they would take immetiate meassures together with Kosovo institutions (PISG) to protect the property of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Djakovica on which KLA Veterans erected a war memorial.
The initial information, published by KIM Info-service, that the UNMIK Municipal Representative in 2002 somehow colluded with local authorities in Djakovica to take away the church land and revise cadastral records eventually proved not only inaccurate, but the opposite of what happened, since it was in fact the UNMIK Municipal Representative who instigated the Executive Decisions by the SRSG invalidating those municipal actions.
At the moment UNMIK is discussing the issue with PISG and will soon come out with a proper solution that would protect the church property form being usurped and probably suggest an alternative location for the war memorial
As the Church authorities clearly explained to UNMIK, the problem is not in building of a war memorial itself but the fact that it was constructed on the land which belongs to the Serbian Orthodox Church and in immediate vicinity of the Holy Trinity Cathedral that was destroyed by Albanian extremists.
Annan 'seriously concerned' at slow progress, violence in Kosovo
31 January 2006 - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on Kosovo Serb leaders to work to promote government reform and other key goals in the UN-run province, saying he was "seriously concerned" by the slow progress and setbacks in recent months.
In his latest report to the Security Council, Mr. Annan also highlighted increased violence in a province that has been run by the UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) since 1999, when the North Atlantic Treaty Organization drove out Yugoslav troops amid human rights abuses in fighting between Serbs and Albanians.
"I strongly urge Kosovo's leaders to renew their efforts to ensure substantive, accelerated and sustainable progress in the implementation of the standards," the Secretary-General said, referring to eight targets that also include creating a functioning economy and setting up an impartial legal system.
"The increase in serious security incidents, including of incidents that may have targeted Kosovo Serbs for ethnic reasons, is a further cause for concern," he cautioned, calling on the province's leaders and institutions "to work closely with UNMIK to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice."
The Secretary-General also urged Serbian authorities to encourage Kosovo Serb leaders to take part in the province's institutions, such as local government, and called for support to Kosovo Serbs who wished to return to the province, noting that the number of refugees and internally displaced people going back home remained "very low."
In this latest report, which covers the situation in the region from May to December last year, Mr. Annan also welcomed the Security Council's decision to launch a process designed to determine the future status of Kosovo, but said there was much work to be done in this area.
"The challenging period ahead will require the full political engagement of the international community," the Secretary-General emphasized. Earlier this month, Kosovo President Ibrahim Rugova died of lung cancer, and in tribute, the senior UN envoy to the province urged its people to carry through with the late leader's vision of unity and stability.
Søren Jessen-Petersen stressed that the path laid out by Mr. Rugova "led - and still leads - towards a Kosovo that is democratic, multiethnic and free.
A Kosovo that is firmly integrated into Europe, and which retains the strong links to the United States that he did so much to build."
STATEMENT BY THE CONTACT GROUP ON THE FUTURE OF KOSOVO
Contact Group Ministers together with the EU High Representative, the EU Presidency, the European Commisioner for Enlargement, the NATO Secretary-General and UN representatives including the UN Special Status Envoy and SRSG met on 31 January in London. Ministers expres their profound regret over the los of President Ibrahim Rugova, who had won the world's respect for his principled advocacy of human rights and democracy.
Ministers emphasise the importance they attac to a lasting Kosovo status settlement that promotes a multi-ethnic society. This would immeasurably enhance regional stability, as well as the European and Euro-Atlantic perspectives of Serbia, Kosovo and of the region as a whole. Ministers recall that the caracter of the Kosovo problem, shaped by the disintegration of Yugoslavia and consequent conflicts, ethnic cleansing and the events of 1999, and the extended period of international administration under UNSCR 1244, must be fully taken into acount in settling Kosovo's status. UNSCR 1244 remains the framework for the ongoing status proces, with the Security Council and Contact Group continuing to play key roles.
Ministers believe that all posible efforts should be made to acieve a negotiated settlement in the course of 2006. To this end, Ministers strongly support the work of UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari. They call on Belgrade and Pristina to work constructively with him to find realistic solutions to the many difficult isues that need to be addresed. These should include, inter alia, freedom of movement, transparent and constructive links between local communities in Serbia and Kosovo, mecanisms for resolving the fate of mising persons and a specific package of measures for the protection of religious communities and sites. Arrangements for good relations between Belgrade and Pristina and within the region must also be part of a settlement.
Ministers stres that effective provisions for the decentralisation of government will be crucial to the status settlement. Decentralisation can ensure that minority communities remain a vital part of Kosovo's future and give impetus to the return of displaced persons who should be able to coose where they live in Kosovo. Ministers call on the parties to engage seriously on this isue.
The Provisional Institutions of Self-Government, alongside all communities in Kosovo, must do muc more to ensure that the UN Security Council-endorsed Standards are implemented. Their commitment is crucial to the prospects for a sustainable status settlement that enables all communities to live and thrive in safety. Ministers also call on Kosovo's Serbs and other minority communities to seize the opportunity of the status proces to ensure their concerns are fully addresed.
The Contact Group Guiding Principles of November 2005 make clear that there should be: no return of Kosovo to the pre-1999 situation, no partition of Kosovo, and no union of Kosovo with any or part of another country. Ministers re-state the international community's willingnes to establish, for an interim period after a settlement, appropriate international civilian and military structures to help ensure compliance with the settlement's provisions. Day-to-day governance, whic must be conducted on a multi-ethnic basis, should rest with Kosovo's duly-elected representatives. Ministers recall NATO's continuing commitment to maintain a safe and secure environment through KFOR.
Ministers look to Belgrade to bear in mind that the settlement needs, inter alia, to be aceptable to the people of Kosovo. The disastrous policies of the past lie at the heart of the current problems. Today, Belgrade's leaders bear important responsibilities in shaping what happens now and in the future. The Contact Group, the EU and NATO stand ready to support Serbian democratic forces in taking this opportunity to move Serbia forward. Ministers welcome the arrest of Jovo Djogo but reiterate that the leadership must fulfil their repeated pledges to co-operate fully with ICTY, notably in respect of Mladic and Karadzic. Ministers equally urge Pristina to recognise that a multi-ethnic settlement is the only workable option and that the more the vital interests of minorities are addresed the quicker a broadly aceptable agreement can be reaced. Ministers warn those seeking to use violence that they will undermine their own cause.
Lastly, Ministers emphasise that a negotiated settlement is the best way forward. It will help to create the circumstances in whic a settlement can be made to work for the benefit of all. Constructive engagement by the parties will also pave the way for a European and Euro-Atlantic future. Ministers urge leaders in Serbia and Kosovo to show the political courage and vision necesary to come forward with realistic and far-sighted proposals for the future of both Kosovo and Serbia. They have asked the Status Envoy and the SRSG to keep them updated on progres and undertake to return to the isue at their request or if the situation warrants.
1,200 Houses For Returnees
Belgrade, 01 Feb (Politika)
Better situated municipalities in Serbia should soon connect with the already existing and newly formed Serbian municipalities and enclaves in Kosovo and Metohija. Municipalities from central Serbia and Vojvodina should help the return of dispersed to Kosmet, and also stimulate economical activities in the Serbian municipalities and enclaves. It is predicted that in the course of this year municipalities from Serbia will build 1,200 houses for the returnees. This initiative was adopted during recently held meeting in Serbian government building. The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry for state governing and local self-governing, Fund for Development of Serbia, and the Coordination Center for Kosovo and Metohija, said Dr. Sanda Raskovic-Ivic, president of the center.
Raskovic-Ivic emphasized that what is new and important is the agreement which was reached with UNMIK and international organization. This agreement allows Serbs and other non-Albanians that on the top of returning to places where they previously resided they can now return to other places in Kosmet in which they would feel safer.
Raskovic-Ivic said that since this is the seventh year of exodus for Serbs from Kosmet, there is a need for a more significant progress in rising number of returnees.
BUILDING HOUSES ALREADY BEGAN
This year Coordination center for Kosmet needs to compile a new protocol for returning to Kosovo and Metohija. The protocol which was compiled by UN high commissioner for refugees, and dispersed, predicted displaced people could only return to their own properties and houses, if they were not destroyed. This was not possible due to the bad safety situation. Consequence of the situation and the "UNHCR protocol" is the fact that in the past six and a half years only three percent of 250,000 refugees returned. Raskovic-Ivic says it is necessary that this situation changes.
In second half of February, in Krusevac, there is suppose to be a large meeting of representatives from all the municipalities in Serbia. During this meeting a precise agreement will be made on which municipalities from central Serbia and Vojvodina will put in connection with certain municipalities and enclaves in Kosmet. Some proposals were already made during preliminary consultations. For example, the municipality Novi Beograd, will cooperate with Istok municipality, and will build 25 houses on its territory. Belgrade municipality of Palilula, will build 15 houses in village of Dragoljevac, near Istok. Valjevo will build 15 houses in Sredska, while Kragujevac will be building in Klina. Arandzelovac, will be building 10 houses in the village of Dolac, near Klina. Municipalities of Subotica and Zrenjanin will each build 15 houses in village of Dobri Do. Apatin municipality will build 10 houses in Musutiste. Bogatic municipality will build 15 houses in Orahovac…
According to Raskovic-Ivic, most of the houses will be two part kit houses (for two families) with household goods already in them.
This type of building already started in the village of Badovac. In accordance with a decision and blessing of Bishop Artemije, Serbian Orthodox Church has given church lots for the building of the houses. Couple of houses have already been made. It is interesting that even the Republika Srpska will finance the building of couple of houses.
If this plan is fully implemented around 1,200 two part kit houses will be built this year. This would mean that around 2,400 families could return to Kosovo. Having in mind that an average family has around four members around 9,600 dispersed could return. This is somewhat more then 4 percent of the total number of dispersed and 2,300 more then entire number of people which returned in the past six and a half years.
FOUNDATION –SMALL AND MIDDLE SIZE FIRMS
According to Raskovic-Ivic, leader of the working group for return, which is part of the Serbian negotiation team for future status of Kosovo and Metohija is already working on large scale. This group is connected with a working group for decentralization since decentralization is one of main conditions for return of the dispersed. Coordination Center for Kosovo and Metohija is in contact working groups for return and decentralization, ministry for state governing and local self-governing, ministry for capital investments, as well as ministries of health and education. All of the above mentioned are connected with Fund for development of Serbia, and Fund for Kosovo and Metohija. Sanda Raskovic-Ivic claims it is necessary that the return is a joint and well synchronized action because only then it can be successful.
A large role in all of this will be played by recently founded Economical Team for Kosovo and Metohija and South Serbia. This team believes that forming of small and middle size firms is very important for stimulating economical activities in the Serbian enclaves and municipalities.
Successful economical development largely depends on infrastructure regardless whether road, telecommunication or energy supply. This year through UNMIK, Serbia will insist in "convincing" Albanians to give them back the occupied schools. In parallel with this new smaller schools will be built while old ones will be renovated.
Special problems lie in the health protection. Sanda Raskovic-Ivic claims that this year there is a plan for building of three more significant health institutions in Kosovo and Metohija. A hospital for 15,000 people is planned to be built in Strpce. There will also be a new hospital for Serbs in Kosovo Pomoravlje. This plan is called "White Angel". Existing hospital in Central Kosovo will be made bigger and turned in to clinical centers.
Kosovo's Independence Is Not A Functional Solution, Says Tadic
Athens, 1 Feb (BETA) - Serbian President Boris Tadic said in the evening of Jan. 31 that "independence is the easiest solution for Kosovo," but that it would not be functional. "It could destabilize the Balkans and is in discord with international law and elementary justice."
Tadic said the solution for Kosovo "is possible if nobody wins everything and everybody lose something," through a compromise that would be reached through direct negotiations between Belgrade and Pristina.
He said that, in Kosovo, like elsewhere during the wars in Yugoslavia in the 1990s, all sides committed crimes. "Nobody is innocent. We must apologize to each other and we expect the international community's support in this," Tadic said.
The Serbian president said this during a lecture, organized by the private Kokalis Foundation, with the topic "Future of the Western Balkans: A View from Serbia." He also estimated that Serbia had a chance to "prove itself to be European" this year. The lecture was attended by around 200 people from the world of politics, economy, diplomacy and journalism.
Serbs Welcomed Putin Statement
Kosovska Mitrovica, 01 Feb (RTS) – Representatives of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija welcomed statement of Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, who said it is absolutely necessary that there is adopting of universal principals for resolving of conflict situations in the world.
Dragisa Krstovic, representative of the Serbian List, believes that statement of Russian president shows Russian interest in resolving Kosovo problem in proper manner. "For Serbs this is a favorable message and I hope that entire international community will respect Putin’s opinion," said Draskovic.
Goran Bogdanovic, member of the Belgrade team in the talk for Kosovo status, evaluates that Putin "struck the core" because everyone must oblige to predetermined principals regardless no matter what is at stake is Kosovo or any other part of the world.
Milan Ivanovic, president of the SNV Northern Kosovo regional committee, stated that Contact Group repeats previously well known stances that there is no division of Kosovo, no return to the old positions, nor annexing of Kosovo to another country.
"This confirms that resolution 1244 will be the framework in resolving future status. This is in accordance with international standards and this can be a positive thing," said Ivanovic. He added that in searching for solution Contact Group speaks of finding a solution by the end of 2006. "This can be a burden in finding good, and compromise solution for Kosovo status".
Dissent Over Kosovo In Contact Group
London, 1 Feb (B92) - Ministers of Foreign Affairs and members of the Contact Group, agreed that a solution for Kosovo should be reached through negotiations, after their meeting in London yesterday.
he Contact Group members advised Belgrade and Pristina to co-operate with UN special envoy Martti Ahtisaari in the search for a solution. Among the problems that plague Kosovo today, the Contact Group listed freedom of movement, links between local communities in Serbia and in Kosovo, the issue of missing persons and protection for religious communities and sites.
The Minister’s agreed that decentralization was of key importance for the future of the province. Officials from Belgrade were told that any solution must be acceptable to the people of Kosovo, while Pristina is expected to realize that a multi-ethnic solution is the only one possible. Those willing to employ violence were told that it would only be to their detriment, and the agreement concluded that UN SC Resolution 1244 would remain the framework for negotiations.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said after the meeting in London that he opposed attempts to force deadlines for the end of the Kosovo future status negotiations, adding that Russia had vetoed an effort by Western diplomats to include a paragraph in the final document that said the final solution for Kosovo would not pose a precedent for volatile situations in neighboring countries.
Russian President Vladimir Putin stated earlier in Moscow that principles for resolving conflicts should be universal and implemented in the same manner in Kosovo and in separatist regions of Georgia. Replying to the comments, Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Gela Bezhuashvili said that most countries did not agree with Russia’s opinion that the solution of Kosovo could be universally applied. During the traditional annual press conference at the Kremlin, Putin said, "If we believe that Kosovo should be given full sovereignty and independence, why should we deprive the people of South Ossetia and Abkhazia of this status".
Contact Group Expects Solution For Kosovo In 2006
London, 1 Feb (BETA) - The ministers of member countries of the Contact Group for Kosovo, the U.N. special envoy for negotiations on the status of Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari, and high representatives of the U.N., the European Union and NATO, reiterated the importance of finding a solution for Kosovo in London on Jan. 31, that would promote a multi-ethnic society and thus strengthen stability in the region.
The meeting in London was attended by Ahtisaari, EU high representative Javier Solana, EU enlargement commissioner Olli Rehn, NATO general secretary Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, and by the foreign ministers of six Contact Group member countries - the U.S., Russia, Germany, Italy, France and Great Britain.
At the meeting, the ministers "pointed out the importance of the agreement on the lasting status of Kosovo that would promote a multi-ethnic society and immeasurably strengthen regional stability and the European and Euro-Atlantic prospects of Serbia, Kosovo and the region as a whole."
According to the statement issued after the meeting, they said that "every effort must be made for a solution to be agreed upon during 2006," and that the U.N. Resolution 1244 remained the framework for the technical process of the status, with the key role of the U.N. Security Council and the Contact Group.
It was said in the statement that the ministers believed that "in the solving of the status of Kosovo, one must fully take into consideration the character of problems in Kosovo, shaped by the disintegration of Yugoslavia and subsequent conflicts, ethnic cleansing and events in 1999, and by the extended period of international rule, based on Resolution 1244."
The ministers reiterated the guidelines from November 2005, according to which there can be no return to the situation of before 1999, no division of Kosovo, or its merger with any other country or its part.
"The ministers expect Belgrade to bear in mind that the solution, among other things, must be acceptable for the people of Kosovo. The disastrous policy of the past represents the core of the present problems. Nowadays, leaders in Belgrade bear great responsibility - to shape the present and future events," it was said in the statement from the meeting.
Serbian Enclaves Lose Phone Service
Gracanica, 1 Feb (B92) - Telekom Serbia has reported that Serbian enclaves in Central Kosovo have lost their stationary and mobile phone services as well.
Many of these Serbian communities have already been without electricity for several days. According to Telekom, equipment has been damaged in Gracanica, stating that cables have been severed in the region and expert teams are doing everything they can in order to rectify the telecommunications situation as soon as possible.
Kosovo Serb leader Randjel Nojkic said that workers of the Kosovo Transport and Telecommunications Ministry cut down all the cables connecting the village Susica, near Gracanica.
"Other than the electricity which we do not have, we only have partial water availability, and now we have no way of communicating either." Nojkic said.
He added that while he was visiting the Sveti Sava primary school, he found more ministry workers cutting cables.
"When I asked for information on who ordered them to do this, they handed me a document in Albanian, even though all official documents should be in both Serbian and Albanian. I am calling on the Serbian Government to take action immediately and demand an urgent meeting with UNMIK officials so that the transport and telecommunications work groups and UNMIK Can solve this problem promptly." Nojkic said. (FoNet, Beta)
Kosovo Serbs Lose Phone Service Too
Gracanica, 01 Feb (B92) – Workers of the Kosovo Transport and Telecommunications Ministry, secured by Kosovo Police Service, have cut down all the cables connecting the village Susica, near Gracanica. By doing that they disestablished the 063, 064 and 038 networks signals.
The president of the Regulatory telecommunication body of Kosovo, Anton Berisha, said that that is only a follow up of cutting out illegal operators in Kosovo. In his statement to Radio Kontakt-plus in Kosovska Mitrovica he said that it is a matter of days when the networks will be cut in north of Kosovo as well. "The law is for all Kosovo, the Committee is working, so we’ll see, that is a matter that concerns UNMIK and us. The Committee continues their work on cutting out illegal antennas", he said.
One of the Kosovo Serbs representatives, Oliver Ivanovic, in his statement for B92 says that it is a vary unusual moment when the Kosovo Transport and Telecommunications Ministry decided to make such a step. "This is likely a Telecommunication regulatory board action, which is authorized for licensing, but it is very suspicious that at the moment when there is no electricity, when we have other problems, even security problems, when negotiations about the status are starting that the board wants to become a lord, if I may put it so", he said.
According to Regulatory Telecommunication Body of Kosovo’s calculations, approximately 100 million Euro is lost yearly because of the illegal operators. Beside Mobtel, there are five more illegal operators in Kosovo, like Telekom Serbia, Pro Monte, Mobimak, AMC and Vodafon, which all use the frequency of the only legitimate Kosovo provider, Vala 900.
"Telekom Serbia" company has stated that the destruction of their equipment in Gracanica has led to the stoppage of their land lines and mobile phone signals in central Kosovo. Telecom states that "sabotage" is the case.
Chief of Telekom Serbia network planning and development, Bojan Milenkovic, said for the B92 that it happened on the location which distributes land lines and mobile phone signals to the central Kosovo: "They simply cut the cords. Information are general at the moment, our teams are now in the field, we have no ways of contacting them. We are expecting any moment that somebody there is going to call us and that the lines will be functional today in the late afternoon, tonight or the latest, tomorrow morning.
Landlines In Central Kosovo Operational
Belgrade, 01 Feb (Tanjug) – Landlines, which have been out this morning in central Kosovo region, are functioning again as of 5 p.m. stated Kosovo coordination center.
"Telekom teams repaired the damaged landlines in Susica village, so Serbs in central Kosovo can start using their phones again," said Telekom Serbia manager for North Kosovo, Ilija Ivanovic. He added that "Telekom" teams are on their way to try to fix and restore 063 and 064 mobile phone networks during the night.
SNV Protests Termination Of Mobile And Land Line Telephone Network
Kosovska Mitrovica, 01 Feb (RTS) – On Wednesday, the Serbian National Council (SNV) for Kosovo and Metohija, condemned the move of the Kosovo Ministry of Telecommunication which decided to terminate the signal of mobile and land line telephone signal coming from the base station in Susica. "In parallel with couple of weeks long power cuts to Serbian villages and settlements, now there is total blockade of mobile and land line telephone signal," states the announcement issues by SNV.
The Council evaluated that backed by international community, Kosovo interim institutions are attempting to fulfill plans for the province independence by "violating international guidelines and human rights". "Unprecedented terror of interim institutions which destroy state owned property, violate fundamental living and human rights condition for Serbs from Kosovo is fully unacceptable for the Serbian community. This is why SNV is asking Belgrade authorities and international community to immediately react to this," states the announcement.
Kosovo is entering into a deep energy crises, warns KEK
PRISTINA, Feb. 1, 2006 (KosovaLive) - The management of the Electro-Energetic Corporation of Kosovo (KEK) said Tuesday that they are doing all they can to reactivate the two units of Kosova A Power Plant this week. Meanwhile they announced that the coal reserves suffice only for two days.
KEK Management made those comments during a visit the Minister of Energy and Mines Ethem Çeku made to KEK in Obilic on Tuesday.
KEK Managing Director, John Ashley said that they are facing huge problems with power supply these days. "We had also problems with some Kosova A units, which caused difficulties in power supply. Another big problem is enormous increase of power consumption these days," Ashley said.
Belgrade offering 50 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per month to Kosovo
BELGRADE, Feb. 1, 2006 (BETA) - Serbian Energy Minister Radomir Naumov stated that Belgrade was prepared to secure around 50 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per month, for the regular supply of electricity to the Serb areas in Kosovo.
"And not only to them, but to the institutions and offices of UNMIK, but this was rejected," Naumov told the BBC on Jan. 31, adding that the Serbian government has been offering this solution since last year.
"We were prepared last year, as we are now, to deliver the necessary high-voltage electricity to this electric energy system, which ispractically a part of the unified system, and which is currently managed by the UNMIK in Kosovo. I see no reason why an agreement cannot be reached," minister Naumov said.
In his words, insisting on the Serbs' signing contracts with the Kosovo Energy Corporation and on their old debts for electricity bills, which the government wishes to cover by supplying electricity to Kosovo, mustnot be obstacles to an agreement.
In Gracanica on Jan. 31, several hundred Serbs protested over the days-long irregular electricity supply and demanded from the Kosovo authorities to switch the power back on for Serb households, and to solve the electricity supply problem by introducing a second transmission operator.
OPINIONS:
Combating Hate Speech and Supporting Tolerance
By Bojan Toncic, Belgrade newspaper Danas
Serbia's print media and broadcasters, aside from a few exceptions often perceived as disturbing by the public, are continuously spreading hate speech targeting Albanians. This language is based on stereotypes, half-truths, and often on lies almost pathological in extent. Professional and ethical standards are ignored, as is basic courteousness; it all boils down to "us" and "them" and giving coverage to nationalistic analysts whose opinions are based on myths and prejudice. According to public opinions polls, articles and broadcasts of this sort have contributed to creating a negative disposition towards Albanians among Serbian citizens and encouraging extremist views in regard to resolving the problem of Kosovo.
Disparaging terms such as "Sqhipetar" and "Arnaut" are just the tip of the iceberg and relatively mild manifestations of this phenomenon. "Man-eating sharks" and "the white Al Qaeda" have appeared in Belgrade's high-circulation papers in recent years in connection with Albanians, as well as in publications that have a nationalistic slant.
"Also, as of late there has been a growing presence of radical Islamic religious movements [in addition to the "usual" and "confirmed" arms and drug trafficking], especially the Wahhabi variant, and in some cases Al Qaeda. It is common knowledge that a number of religious buildings were erected in Kosovo with money from supporters of Osama bin Laden," wrote Democratic Party of Serbia senior official Dusan Prorokovic in the Politika paper. The high-circulation Kurir, Nedeljni Telegraf, Srpski Nacional, and Glas Javnosti are at the forefront of anti-Albanian "analyses" and "first-hand reports" claiming that Kosovo Serbs will not make it out of the province alive and that Albanians are a threat to civilization. Similar discourse is fostered by the editors of most popular newspapers Vecernje Novosti and Politika. The latter often boasts of being the oldest paper in the Balkans. Both have a legacy of war-mongering: after the idea of a Greater Serbia was discredited, their pro-war machinery created in the late 1980s by Slobodan Milosevic, most of their staff turned their sights on the Kosovo Albanians, catering to the tastes of their faithful readership.
Some media outlets have accused the Albanians of "importing terrorism experts." "Terror aimed at Serbs requires terrorism experts. However, the Albanian leaders are trying to avoid compromising themselves through contact with Islamic extremists and are therefore resorting to EU nationals. It is this very type of terrorist that is trained in the assassination of VIPs," reported the Tabloid ("Stockpiling Arms for the Final Solution, Jan. 25, 2005).
"Hygiene is not one of the Albanians' strong points. Today, Prizren looks like a flea market," wrote Politika's reporter after visiting the city (March 7, 2005).
In the Serbian press extreme chauvinism is fused with fabrications and conspiracy theories. Vecernje Novosti ran a series of articles based on "Kosovo: the Black Hole of Europe," by Italians Umberto Tomac and Mariana Cataldo.
"An independent state of Kosovo is supported by Germany and the U.S., great powers that are bent on taking control of the natural resources of this country," according to the articles' authors.
It is their belief that Kosovo's reserves of coal are inexhaustible ("tens of billions of tons of lignite") and that "the industrialized nations are searching for new sources of energy" ("Chasing Out Serbs to Get to Coal, Jan. 25, 2005).
The result of this systematic approach is that the public is dominated by feelings of hostility towards Kosovo Albanians. According to a study done by Strategic Marketing, a respected pollster, last year for the European Movement in Serbia, most respondents said they considered Albanians "enemies." Most also described them as a "closed community" and "bad neighbors." This is no doubt influenced by views expressed by senior government officials and politicians belonging to leading parties. Their statements on the issue are dominated by hate speech, rejection of dialog, observations such as that living together with the Albanians is a burden for democracy in Serbia." Most media outlets feature editorial policies that emphasize such views and statements made by extremists on the Albanian side in prime time shows or on front pages.
The actions of the media, expression of extremist opinions, hate speech, and incitement to violence such as that registered in March 2004, when demonstrators in Belgrade and Nis torched mosques and wrecked business operated by Albanians in response to anti-Serb violence in Kosovo, has yet to be addressed by prosecutors. This too is part of the social atmosphere that fosters the belief that hating Albanians should not be punished and is also a desirable type of behavior. Serbia's police were accomplices to this savagery because they did nothing to stop it. This and the fact that only a small number of hooligans received mere slaps on the wrist goes a long way in finishing this monstrous picture.
Key issues that did not receive adequate treatment by the Serbian media are missing persons, who were instead used to bolster intolerance, and the matter of war crimes, their perpetrators, their punishment, and their consequences. This is closely related to the Hague tribunal and the conviction of former police officer Sasa Cvjetan, who served in a paramilitary group called the Scorpions. Stories about exiles, the position of the Kosovo Serbs, and their return often contain the seed of revenge. Reporting from the field on incidents is often very direct and fraught with commentary, practically a judgement in itself.
One thing that our media outlets need to do right now is work with the young reporters who grew up and received their education during the rise of Serb nationalism. Often they are encouraged by editors who built careers on hate speech to make thoughtless and unprofessional allegations, provide incomplete coverage, distort the truth, choose poor sources, and cite those that are "unnamed." With the expansion of the tabloids, cub reporters are competing for part-time jobs that are easy to lose. The cure for our sick society is not solely in the hands of the media. Yet if the media were devoted to encouraging tolerance, there would be at least a little hope that the younger generations would not feed on hate of their neighbors. As an important element in forging opinions, the media have to maintain a higher level of responsibility for the written and spoken word, which must be subject to public criticism and sanctions if it exceeds the bounds of freedom of information and fosters hate and violence. Not every idea, platform, and quasi-analysis deserves to be carried by the media under the pretext of democracy. Journalist associations, which today are rarely heard when one of their members breaks the rules, must play a much bigger role.
Right now the media situation is very discouraging, but that does not mean it is permissible to flaunt professional standards and ethics.
(Mr Toncic writes for the Belgrade newspaper Danas.)
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