YMCK

March 26 - April 8, 2010 Issue No. 36 www.prishtinainsight.com Now on sale for € 1

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News: Balkan Economies Brace for Fallout from Greece Crisis

CULTURE

NGO FOCUS

Kosovo’s ExportsStuck in Doldrums

The European Commission announcedin February that it planned to extend itstariff-free trade agreement with Kosovoand the rest of the Western Balkans to2015. But Muhamet Imeri, owner of theGalanteria factory...

GUIDE

BUSINESS

CITYIllegal Builidings tobe Mapped From Air

> page 6

The Kosovo Security Force,KSF, has been banned fromtaking part in future com-

memorations of the KosovoLiberation Army, KLA, following arow with NATO over bearingarms.

The NATO force in Kosovo,KFOR, froze its relationship withthe KSF after members of theforce, which does not have mili-tary status, appeared carryingweapons at a recent KLA com-

memoration. The so-called “epopee”, or epic

poem, commemorating the deathof the popular hero Adam Jashari,a key personality in the develop-ment of the KLA, took place onMarch 5.

NATO resumed cooperationwith the KSF a few days later. Apress release issued by thePresident’s Office clarified thatthe KSF’s ceremonial unit wouldbe allowed to use “demilitarisedweapons” for certain events.

But in an interview withPrishtina Insight yesterday,

KFOR’s commander, GeneralMarkus Bentler, said that the KSFwould not be able to take part insuch events as the Epopee.

“There will be appearances ofthe ceremonial unit, probably noton March 5 [next year] but proba-bly at other events,” he said.

The KSF took over from theKosovo Protection Corps, made upof former KLA fighters, inJanuary 2009. Its mandate is toconduct crisis response operationsin Kosovo and abroad, civil protec-tion operations within Kosovo andto assist in dealing with natural

disasters. Although intended as a multi-

ethnic force, it is comprised almostentirely of ethnic Albanians, someof whom fought in the KLA and, inspite of NATO attempts to playdown such views, is widely seen asKosovo’s future army.

General Bentler said the KSFguard would not be allowed to takepart in “events connected [only] toone part of the community”, as itsactivities needed to underline themultiethnic nature of the force.

continues on page 2

By Lawrence Marzouk

Don Bosko: AHistory ofEducation > page 14

TIMEOUT

Dam Festival 2010Programme > page 15

KSF Banned From KLAFestivals in Arms RowFollowing a spat with NATO over unit’s appearance with weapons, the KSF will not be allowed to take part in future commemorations of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Reviving Gloryof National

Theatre> page 9

Kosovo’s New PowerPlant – Does SizeMatter?> page 5

Prishtina Insight’sGuide to LiveMusic> page 8

business page 7

Serbia BoycottAngers Pro-Europeans

The refusal of Serbia’s President, BorisTadic, to attend a regional summit onMarch 20 in Slovenia, protesting over theinvitation given to Kosovo, has drawn crit-icism from pro-European experts in Serbiaitself. They fear the gesture is likely to leadto Serbia’s...news page 4

March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

news2

Balkan Economies Brace for

Greece has been the economicmotor of the region in recentyears. As a result, its severe

financial troubles hold consequences forseveral countries beyond its borders.

If the European Union fails toavert the collapse of the Greek econ-omy, it will have repercussionsacross the Balkans and especiallyamong Greece’s immediate neigh-bours – Albania, Bulgaria andMacedonia.

Greek businesses, especiallybanks, have been importantinvestors throughout the region andobservers predict that as Greece’sfinancial troubles worsen, suchinvestments are bound to dry up.

Inevitable big cuts in publicspending in Greece “will affect thewhole of the Balkans becauseGreece has been the gravitationalcentre of financial, economic andsocial stability in the region,”Pajtim Melani, head of marketresearch at the AlbanianCompetition Authority, a govern-ment watchdog, explains.

Apart from the danger of Greekinvestment falling, or even disap-pearing, from parts of the region,trade with Greece – an importantcomponent of several regionaleconomies – is declining as Greekconsumers tighten belts and cutconsumption.

The impact of the Greek crisis isalso likely to be felt by emigrantworkers in the country. As bordersin the region have opened up, and asGreece has become more prosper-ous since joining the EU, its econo-my has sucked in large numbers ofseasonal and permanent workers.Ethnic Albanians alone make upabout 10 per cent of the total Greekworkforce. Many of these peoplehave lost, or will lose, their jobs andthe negative impact of their loss ofearnings will be felt in hundreds oftowns and villages “back home”.

Not all is doom and gloom.Greece’s economic stake inMacedonia and Kosovo had alreadyshrunk before the crisis in its econ-omy unfolded, largely for politicalreasons.

And, as we report from Bulgaria,some economists there believe thatshort-term pain could be followedby long-term gain. Investment thatmight once have gone to Greece willnow shift to more stable localeconomies, they say. One thing isclear; the Greek crisis is creating a

new balance of economic power inthe Balkans and regional relation-ships are likely to be transformed asa result.

ALBANIA: The worstaffected neighbour

The roughly 664,000 Albanianscurrently living in Greece make upto 10 per cent of Greece’s total work-force. An important migrant popu-lation with strong ties to Albania,they send home hundreds of mil-lions of euros in remittances everyyear.

After a meeting of the directors ofAlbania’s central bank on February24, governor Ardian Fullani warnedthat the Greek debt crisis wouldhave a negative impact on Albania,and the bank was keeping a closewatch.

“The economic slowdown of theGreek economy will also affectAlbania’s economy,” Fullani said,adding that the impact would be feltin terms of remittances, foreigntrade and in Greek banks present inAlbania.

Greek-owned banks in Albaniacomprise 25 per cent of the coun-try’s banking assets and hold 38 percent of the loans. “Greece has beenan important source of investmentin Albania in the last decade as wellas a source of cheap credit emittedfrom Greek banks,” Melani said.“The rising risk of premiums [ondebt] in Greece will raise interestrates in Albania as well,” he added.

An EBRD senior economist, PeterSanfey, told the BBC on March 9 thatof all the countries in the region,the Greek crisis would be felt mostin Albania, because of the size ofGreek investments in Albania andthe size of the Albanian emigrantcommunity in Greece.

According to Sanfey, Albaniacan’t do much to avert shocks to itsown economy from the Greek crisis

beyond focusing on long-term fun-damental economic reform.Albania “should step-up structuralreforms, get closer to the EU andapply competitive policies to devel-op the potential of its own econo-my,” Sanfey said.

KOSOVO: Not much of arelationship

Safet Gerxhaliu, deputy chair ofKosovo’s Chamber of Commerce,says that the “one-sided” nature ofthe economic relationship betweenGreece and Kosovo means Kosovowill not be affected greatly byGreece’s economic turmoil.

“If you look at the trade balance,we are mostly importing fromGreece,” he said, “and we also usedit as a transit point [for imports]from Asia.”

Greece is one of the largestsources of imports for Kosovo andthe port of Thessalonica is a keytransit zone for products destinedfor Kosovo and coming from Asiaand Brazil. Lignite for one ofKosovo’s biggest exporters,Ferronikeli, passes through the portas well as almost all chickens, whichhail from Brazil.

According to Kosovo’s CentralBank, imports to Kosovo fromGreece were worth 71 million eurofor January to November 2009, asmall increase on the 2007 and 2008figures.

But exports to Greece, which hadbeen the third biggest market in theEU for Kosovo’s goods in 2007 and2008, are already negligible. Theyfell drastically from 10.8 million in2008 to 0.2 million euro for Januaryto November 2009.

Gerxhaliu says this collapsereflects poor diplomatic relation-ships. Athens is one of five EUmember states that have not recog-nized Kosovo’s independence. AfterKosovo declared independence in

February 2008, its trading relation-ships with all the non-recognizingcountries were badly affected.

Currently there is little Greekinvestment in Kosovo, although oneGreek company, Public PowerCorporation, is part of a consor-tium bidding to build Kosovo’s newpower plant.

The main problem facing Kosovoin terms of Greece’s economicdecline is to do with the large ethnicAlbanian diaspora in Greece, fromKosovo and Albania proper. As theylose jobs, this is bound to affect theeconomy of Albania, which willhave a knock-on effect on its eco-nomically-close neighbour, Kosovo.

BULGARIA: Short-termpain, long-term gain:

The immediate consequences ofthe downturn in Greece may bedamage to Bulgaria’s economy anddelay to its recovery. But in thelong term, some believe Sofia maybenefit from its neighbour’s eco-nomic instability.

Greece has been a key investorin Bulgaria since the 1990s. From1996 to 2008 it was the third biggestinvestor in the country, responsi-ble for 9 per cent of direct foreigninvestments, FDI, in Bulgaria, datafrom the government’s InvestBulgaria Agency shows.

Last year, however, Greek for-eign investment plummeted from2.7 billion euro in 2008 to a mere37.7 million euro, according to theNational Bank.

Lachezar Bogdanov, of IndustryWatch, an economic think tank inSofia, said the short-term conse-quences of the Greek downturnwould be felt immediately by localbusinesses dependent on Greekcustom. Fewer Greek touristswould visit Bulgarian ski resorts,and fewer people would come toshop in Bulgaria.

“Many Bulgarians who usuallywork in Greece for the summerwill have hard time finding a job orwill be paid less,” noted GeorgiGanev, an economist from theCentre for Liberal Strategies inSofia.

Meanwhile, Bulgarian exports toGreece are also expected to drop.Today, around 10 per cent of thecounty’s exports, worth of around1 billion euro per year, go toGreece.

Some experts warn thatBulgaria’s banking system may bevulnerable to shocks from theGreek economy, as Greek bankscontrol about one-third of the localbanking system.

United Bulgarian Bank belongsto the National Bank of Greece,Postbank is owned by EurobankEFG Group, while Piraeus BankGroup, Alpha Bank Group andEmporiki Bank also have theirlocal affiliates.

But Ganev thinks that Bulgarianbank assets will be hit only ifGreek bank system collapses com-pletely. “Local branches are stable[though] any severe problems intheir parent Greek banks mighthurt their work in Bulgaria,”Ganev said.

Two weeks ago, the FinanceMinister, Simeon Dyankov,expressed concerns about a possi-ble liquidity drain from local bankbranches to their headquarters inGreece. However, Ivan Iskrov, gov-ernor of the Bulgarian NationalBank, BNB, said the local partnersof Greek banks appeared stable.“There’s no reason to worry,” saidIskrov, adding that BNB was moni-toring all the banks.

Meanwhile, some expertsbelieve the long-term effects of theGreek crisis may be beneficial.Ganev says that while the Greekdownturn could lead to a morerestrictive EU policy towards newentrants in the euro-zone, delayingBulgaria’s ambitions to join, thecrisis might also have the contraryeffect of speeding up euro-zoneacceptance of countries likeBulgaria, which have done much tomeet the necessary requirements.

Bogdanov said that countrieslike Bulgaria, Romania and Serbia,which are economically stable, andhave lower taxes and a better busi-ness environment, could benefitfrom the downturn in Greece. “IfGreece starts to be seen as a riskycountry, other countries in theregion have a better chance toattract investments that otherwisewould go to Greece,” Bogdanovsaid.

He doesn’t expect the withdraw-al of Greek investors fromBulgaria, either. On the contrary,“In times of deep economic crisisand insecurity in Greece, I don’tsee why any Greek company wouldwish to shut down a successfulbusiness in Bulgaria”, he said.

Closures were possible, thoughonly of Greek branches already infinancial troubles. The Greek cri-sis could also bring a positivechange to the traditional EU divi-sion between “old” and “new”member states. “A division shouldnot be made between ‘new’ and‘old’ member states but betweenthose countries that have reason-able economic policies and thosethat don’t,” Bogdanov said.

from page 1

“The use of the ceremonial unit needs tobe coordinated,” he added. “It needs to becoordinated with Com-KFOR in such a waythat it presents itself in a way deemedappropriate.”

General Bentler said: “There was a differ-ence of opinion that needed to be addressedand solved.

“We have chosen, with the proper supportof the chain of command with the Alliance,

to go that way [freeze relations] to make thatkind of statement and that statement wasunderstood.”

The General said the decision was takento “underline discrepancies that have beenthere… What we always said was ‘Please dome a favour, stick to the rules.’”

KFOR has since resumed training andmentoring the KSF. “We are committed tobringing that force up to full strength in avery short time,” the General said.

But, asked whether the KSF might be

“training with tanks” after 2013, whenKFOR is to review the force’s use of offen-sive weapons, General Bentler responded:“Dream on.”

He said: “When you look now at this stage,11 years after 1999, you will see that the mil-itary mission is almost entirely fulfilled.

“There is no threat from the outside andwhen you look inside, where are the mili-tary tasks? Most of the tasks still burden-ing Kosovo are political in nature,” he con-cluded.

KSF Banned From KLA Festivals in Arms Row

By BIRN staff

March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

news 3

MACEDONIA: Worriesabout trade but not investment

Greece’s economic turmoil isunlikely to decrease the level ofdirect investment, FDI, inMacedonia, because its role in thisfield is already negligible.

In the late 1990s and early 2000sinvestments in the OKTA crude oilrefinery, the Usje cement factory,the Stopanska bank, the grocerystore chain VERO and hundreds ofsmaller concerns made Greece oneof the main investors inMacedonia.

But during the past few yearsGreek investments shrank drasti-cally, reflecting poor relations gen-erated by the bilateral “name” dis-pute. Latest official data from 2008show that 79 per cent of FDI inMacedonia came from EU coun-tries but Greece’s part in the FDI isonly 1.1 per cent, worth around 3million euro.

In terms of trade, however,Greece is Macedonia’s third biggestpartner after Serbia and Germany.As Macedonia’s Finance Minister,Fatmir Besimi, said on Monday,“Greece is one of our most impor-tant trade partners and it is normalto expect that this will have animpact on our exchange. But thisconcerns only the trade.”

Official data show that tradebetween the two countries droppedsharply this year. In the first ninemonths of 2008, Macedonianexports to Greece totaled 340 mil-lion euro. In the same period in2009 it was less than half that fig-ure, at 160 million euro.

The Economy Minister, ZoranStavreski, recently met the repre-sentatives of Greek companies inthe country and said he was con-vinced they would stay. “With itsbusiness environment and lowtaxes, Macedonia provides goodconditions for the Greeks and otherinvestors,” Stavreski said.

But data show that in the firstnine months of last year over 70million euro of Greek capital leftthe country. This mostly happenedin the second quarter of 2009, whenthe Greek owners of the mobileoperator Cosmofon and the marblequarry Prilep sold up and left thecountry.

SERBIA: Banks are themain concern

Greece’s most important invest-ments in Serbia are in the banks.

Greeks own 17 per cent of thecapital and assets in Serbia’s

banks. The totalcapital ofGreek banksis around 800million euros,and the valueof its assets inSerbia is worth 376million euros.

The five Greekbanks in the Serbianmarket are Alfa bank,Pireus, Marfin, EurobankEFG and Vojvodjanska bank, a for-mer state bank privatised by recap-italisation with Greek capital andnow a member of the NationalBank of Greece group.

Greece’s remaining investmentsin Serbia are mostly in the tradeand retail sector.

Economic analyst Goran Nikolicsays that under the terms of theFebruary 26 New Vienna Initiative(a meeting between the SerbianNational Bank, foreign banks andthe IMF), banks can withdraw up to20 per cent of their assets fromSerbia.

However, he does not predict asignificant withdrawal of Greekcapital, because that capital wouldhave difficulty finding any buyersat this moment. “Now is not thesame to sell because the prices areexceptionally low… It is simply nota smart strategy,” Nikolic said.

In terms of Greece’s overall debtof 50 billion euro, he went on, “Idon’t see those 376 million of euros’worth of assets, which Greekbanks have placed here, being sig-nificant as a proportion of that.”

However, economic analystMiroslav Prokopijevic says that itis premature to say what the risksto Serbia’s economy are, becausethe Greek crisis has not yet peaked.He sees two main areas of concernfor Serbia.

“In a panic situation, the ViennaAgreement would not mean athing, as no one would pay atten-tion to it, therefore the withdrawalof capital by [Greek] banks is thefirst risk,” he said. “The secondrisk is that if Greece starts to faceeven greater problems, it couldinfluence trade.”

Prokopijevic believes that couldmean a reduction in the value oftrade to the tune of several hun-dred million euros a year.

ROMANIA: Business asusual – for now

Greece is a significant presencein Romania’s economy but not adominant one. According to officialdata, two of the top ten banks areGreek and all seven banks with

Greek shareholders accountfor around 25 per cent of

Romania’s bankingassets. Surprisingly,

despite the cri-sis, betweenS e p t e m b e r2008 and

September 2009Greek bank own-

ers invested 204 millioneuro in the banks they hold in

Romania.Greece ranked sixth in terms of

Foreign Direct Investment, FDI, inRomania at the end of last year,with a share of around 6 per cent.But, overall, FDI almost halved lastyear in Romania, from 9.5 billioneuro in 2008 to 4.9 billion.

Figures for the first nine monthsof 2009 show exports fromRomania to Greece fell by 14 percent compared to the same periodin 2008. Imports from Greece toRomania also fell, by 28.6 per cent,during the same period. Greece’slatest troubles are too recent toshow up in recent data, analystssay.

“We don’t have the 2009 resultsfor all Greek banks present inRomania but we expect they willstill report profits, though mostlikely a bit down compared to pre-vious years”, says Ciprian Bota, aneconomic journalist.

“But Romania has to ask whatwill happen if the Greek bankerscut their credit lines to theirRomanian branches, which arealready burdened by non-perform-ing loans,” Bota said. “Will thelocal banking system be thrown offbalance?”

Greek investors in Romaniaremain optimistic. “The difficulteconomic period Greece is goingthrough will not hurt business inRomania,” says Yorgos Ioannidis,general manager of OTE, theGreek telecom operator, whichowns a local Romanian company,Romtelecom. “We will make fur-ther investments just as in previ-ous years. As regards profits, weexpect a better performance thanlast year,” Ioannidis added.

Romania’s main troubles relat-ing to the Greek crisis, accordingto analysts, is that FDI is ondecrease and investors’ confidencein Romania is falling because ofthe overall regional picture. “TheGreek troubles send worrying sig-nals, affecting investors moods,”says Dan Suciu, an economic ana-lyst.

“The Greek crisis has no directimpact on Romania but Bucharesthas its own problems as it wasforced to take out an IMF-led res-cue loan worth 20 billion euro to

avoid a crisis last year,” herecalled. Romania’s economy isexpected to grow by around 1.3 per-cent in 2010.

BOSNIA and CROATIA: Toodistant to share the pain

The small presence of Greekbusinesses in Bosnia and Croatiameans these countries do notexpect any direct spillover fromthe crisis in Athens.

Total Greek investment inBosnia and Herzegovina at the endlast year amounted to some 2.3 mil-lion euro, less than one tenth of 1per cent of total postwar FDI of 3.8billion euro. The amountremained unchanged since 2008 asBosnia did not attract fresh Greekinvestment last year, Edin Varupa,of Bosnia’s trade ministry, toldBalkan Insight. As a result,Varupa said, Bosnia “did notexpect to feel any impact from theGreek crisis”.

The largest Greek investment inBosnia is the Sarajevo-based Coca-Cola bottling company, part of theCoca-Cola Hellenic Group, whichhas operations in 28 countries, aswell as in Bosnia. The companydoes not expect to suffer any con-sequences due to the crisis inGreece.

In Croatia, meanwhile, whilemany fear that the “Greek sce-nario” could be repeated here, asthe two countries share manyproblems, notably roaring foreigndebt and corruption, there is alsono risk of a direct “spill-over”.

Trade levels are low and the twocountries do not even have directflights from one to another.

“There are no significant Greekinvestments in Croatia and ourtwo countries don’t share strongtrade ties, so I don’t expect anydirect impact from the economiccrisis in Greece,” economic ana-lyst Hrvoje Stojic says.

According to Croatia’s Chamberof Economy, HOK, the tradeexchange between the two coun-tries in 2009 amounted to only 102million euros, with Croatia export-ing goods worth 35 million eurosand importing goods from Greeceworth 67 million euros.

According to Stojic, Croatia’seconomy might suffer indirectconsequences through its econom-ic ties with Serbia and Macedonia,which are likely to be hit harder bythe Greek crisis. “But those indi-rect consequences would not besignificant so I don’t believe thecrisis in Greece is an importanttopic for Croatia,” concludedStojic.

Editor’s word

Pranverë

Spring is definitely in theair – an appropriatetime, you might say, for

a spot of spring cleaning.The government, in the com-

ing days, is expected to unveilits new line-up. Out with theold and in with the new –although many of the ‘old’ willremain in place, and many ofthe ‘new’ aren’t in fact thatnew.

I have heard every possiblepermutation of cabinet reshuf-fles on the Prishtina rumourmill in the past month.

Some well-informed sourcessuggest a minister will besacked on corruption chargesand arrested, while some sug-gest the minister will be sackedand handed a cushy job outsideof government and chargeswill be dropped.

Some intimate that theunnamed person, who every-body is naming in private with-out a great deal of evidence,isn’t going anywhere. ‘Thearrest would be too politicallysensitive’ they say, knowingly.

At the same time we havefirm, unwavering statementsissued by the internationalcommunity and by Kosovo’sgovernment about tackling cor-ruption, also suggesting thatspringtime could mean thebirth of cleaner, more trans-parent institutions. EULEXeven promised arrests whenthe leaves come out, referringnot so obliquely to spring.

The longer nights andwarmer weather have broughtout the optimist in me. So I amgoing to stick to line that thistime of year represents a realchance to reshape Kosovo forthe better. And it would be acatastrophic error of judgmentif firm evidence of corruptionis swept aside for the sake ofpolitical expediency.

What people want is a realspring clean, not sweepingunder the carpet. With all themuck already under there, thisis not a long-term solution.

But just in case my wishfulthinking is proved wrong, Ihave my broom at the readyand I hope you do to. You mightneed it.

The EU rule-of-law mission,EULEX, together withKosovo Police have intro-

duced stricter controls at thenorthern border crossings 1and 31.

From March 19, the authoritieshave decided to thoroughly checkall vehicles, cars, buses, trucksand trains passing through theseborder crossings.

EULEX said that the aim of the

plan is to ensure the highest secu-rity measures are in place.

To date, EULEX has been regis-tering details of vehicles and driv-ers passing through the northernborders, but has rarely been mak-ing thorough checks.

Kosovo police said that all vehi-cles passing through Gates 1 and31 will now be registered electron-ically. “So far everything is goingaccording to the plan,” Brahim

Sadriu told Prishtina Insight.“Those checks will contribute tothe security in the north.”

Smuggling remains a number-one law enforcement issue innorthern Kosovo.

Following the declaration ofindependence, Serb militantsburned down the border check-points in February 2008 and fullcontrol has not been restored.

The two crossings, Zubin Potok

and Leposavic, are in an areawhich remains out of the reach ofPrishtina’s institutions and isbroadly controlled by Belgrade.

An EULEX vehicle and KosovoPolice building were sprayed withgun fire at Gate 31 on March 13.

EULEX spokesperson KarinLimdal said: “There is an urgentneed to improve the rule of lawsituation in the north of Kosovoand the best way forward is to

find pragmatic solutions in coor-dination with Pristina andBelgrade.”

She added that the mission wasin discussions with Serbia aboutbringing back ‘Kosovo-Serb andKosovo-Albanian judges and pros-ecutors’ back to the municipalcourt in north Mitrovica.

She added this will ensure ‘thatjustice can be delivered by a sin-gle and multi-ethnical judiciary’.

Control Tightened on Northern Borders

By Lawrence Marzouk

Fallout from Greece Crisis

news4 March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

Outside InChloroform:Dissolve theGovernment!

It would probably be fair to say that mostpeople dream to go to Oxford University.But, only weirdos dream of Kosovo

politicians queuing up to apply to Oxford’sSomerville College.

It was a strange dream! That’s whatchronic exposure to chloroform does toyour brain I guess. I say dream, but itwas more like a nightmare if you takeinto account the presence of my homecountry’s‘leaders’.

Initially, I thought I spotted MelihateTermkolli putting herself forward for aPlastic Surgery degree to save LDK’sface from the wrinkles caused by FatmirSejdiu. But, Meli should know that noth-ing can sort LDK’s fossil face!

Somerville is where MargaretThatcher, the former British PM, did herchemistry degree. And I thought I sawNexhat Daci attempting to follow inMaggie’s footsteps. But, it’ll be a cold dayin hell before that happens, and Daci’schemistry background should remindhim that the netherworld freezing overis thermodynamically impossible.

Oxford University requires dedicationand ambition. That translated intoAlbanian means nothing else but PDKand AAK militants queuing up for eti-quette and elocution lessons. But, whowould pay the high tuition fees?

Was that Skender Hyseni I spottedwith a gormless look on his face and astack of papers tucked under his arm?The young Hyseni must have studied atone of the great universities to pull offhis translator-to-foreign-minister-in-eight-yearstrick. It’s just a shame hebunked the courses on diplomacy, publicspeaking and western politics, as thosewould have equipped him with the skillshe desperately needs.

But then my ear was drawn to theunmistakable twang of the Gjakovaraccent. It was an 18-year-old girl from thewestern city, applying to do politics andeconomics. Who knows, maybe she canfollow Maggie’s route and become thefirst female PM of Kosovo. Maggie priva-tised everything in the UK. So why can’tour Gjakovar do it in Kosovo? She mighteven manage a transparent privatisationof PTK and KEK.

Odd isn’t it? A tiny bit of chloroformgave rise to a complex dream like thisone. Regular inhalation would do won-ders to politics, at least in my parallelworld. EU membership brought to us bythe new Western-educated female PMwith a fresh government.

So, provided that last year’s budgetsurplus has not been “put to good use”yet, I suggest our government pays thisgirl’s tuition fees and invests in somechloroform! Only by dissolving the cur-rent cabinet in chloroform, will the polit-ical limbo in Kosovo stop and createopportunities for the likes of this girl toreturn to Kosovo and take the lead tomake positive changes.

And when it comes to dissolving thegovernment, a toxic organic solvent likechloroform is a cheaper option than aheavy drinking night at Zanzi Bar! Ifnothing, it ensures Hajredin Kuci does-n’t suffer indigestion from eating thehumble pie the next day.

By Kreshnik Hoxha

www.prishtinainsight.com

Publisher:

BIRN

Balkan Investigative Reporting Network

Mensa e Studenteve, first floor

10000, Prishtina

Kosovo

Phone: +381 (0) 38 24 33 58

Fax: +381 (0) 38 22 44 98

lawrence@birn.eu.com

Editor-in-Chief:

Lawrence Marzouk

lawrence@birn.eu.com

Editorial Team:

Ana Petruseva, Gordana Igric,

Jeta Xharra, Marcus Tanner,

Petrit Collaku, Shengjyl Osmani and

Belinda Vrapi

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Printing: Lindi Printing Center

Copyright © BIRN

the region, though it was nomore than a recycling of “bothEurope and Kosovo” – the slo-gan on which Tadic’s pro-European coalition campaignedin Serbia’s 2008 parliamentaryelections.

Some experts maintain thatBelgrade is doing no more thanshort-term muscle flexing,while it awaits the ruling of theInternational Court of Justice,ICJ, on Kosovo’s independence.

Whatever the outcome of theICJ, this camp believes thatBelgrade may adopt a more real-istic policy once the ruling hasbeen given. The harshest criti-cism of Serbia’s refusal toattend the summit in Sloveniacame from Cedomir Jovanovic’sLiberal Democratic Party, LDP.

Insisting that Serbs did notvote in the 2008 elections for apolicy that fostered anti-European sentiment, theLiberals said the boycott hadhighlighted Serbia’s ambiguityabout EU membership.

Irritated by what they calledTadic “isolationist gesture”,Serbia’s pro-Europeans werealso embarrassed to hearVojislav Kostunica, head of thenationalist Democratic Party ofSerbia, DSS, praise Tadic.

“The extent to which theKosovo issue has become thefocal theme of Serbia’s foreignpolicy is surprising, when onerecalls that every election since2000 has been won on the EUtheme, and that Serbian citizensare more interested in Europeanintegration than in Kosovo”,Aleksandra Joksimovic, of theForum of International

Relations, told Prishtina Insight.Ivan Vejvoda, head of the

Balkan Trust for Democracy, aNGO, noted in a recent interviewwith Radio Free Europe thatTadic had mentioned the needfor a flexible Kosovo policy.

He said Tadic’s expectationthat this year would see thebeginning of a solution to theproblem encouraged him tobelieve that Serbia may soonabandon its hard-line rhetoric.

“Unimaginable as it seems atthe moment, I think that soon –perhaps within the next sixmonths – we will see the highestofficials of Serbia and Kosovositting in the same room,”Vejvoda said.

But Aleksandra Joksimovicsounds a more skeptical note.She is not convinced Serbia hasprepared any “exit strategy”after the ICJ delivers its rulingon Kosovo. Like many observers,she suspects the court’s ruling islikely to be neutral, allowingboth sides to make their owninterpretations. With that inmind, she fears Serbia will try toadvertise the court ruling as ahuge victory, leading to renewedconfrontation. If the scenariocomes true, Serbia may try topropose a new motion at the UNGeneral Assembly condemningKosovo’s declaration of inde-pendence. This will, shebelieves, slow Belgrade’s EUprogress.

Other pro-EU observers inSerbia expressed indignationover Belgrade’s insistence thatthe Slovenia summit was a fail-ure. If Serbia was committed toregional cooperation its officials

would at least have commendedthe agenda instead of jubilatingover an alleged “fiasco”, JelenaMilic, director of the NGOCentre for Euro-AtlanticStudies, told Belgrade dailyDanas.

Pro-Europeans are disappoint-ed about Serbia’s lack of eager-ness to compromise, even afterBrussels lifted visa require-ments on Serbia last December.

While some in Serbia main-tain that the Kosovo and EUissues can be separated, pointingto the example of Cyprus, whichjoined the EU before resolvingits internal disputes with thebreakaway Turkish-ruled north,Joksimovic dismisses such talk.“The EU is not going to repeat itsCyprus mistake in the Balkans,”Joksimovic said.

Meanwhile, senior EU offi-cials have also touched onSerbia’s need to improve itsregional cooperation, amongthem the presidents of theEuropean Commission andCouncil of Europe, Jose Barrosoand Herman van Rompuy, andthe EU’s foreign policy chief,Catherine Ashton.

The British ambassador toSerbia, Stephen Wordsworth,was more unequivocal in aninterview with a local daily thismonth. Whether or not it recog-nises Kosovo, Serbia will haveto start pragmatic dialogue withKosovo before it joins the EU, hewarned. Wordsworth referred tothe way the Federal Republic ofGermany opened up dialoguewith the communist GermanDemocratic Republic, GDR,despite never recognising thatcountry, the so-called ostpolitik(eastern policy).

Predrag Simic believes the EUis going to become increasinglyinvolved in seeking a pragmaticcompromise between Belgradeand Pristina.

“If Serbia adopts a construc-tive approach instead of onebased on ‘either Kosovo orEurope’, it may be assisted evenby those EU countries that haverecognised Kosovo in finding amiddle ground with Kosovo,” hesaid.

The refusal of Serbia’sPresident, Boris Tadic, toattend a regional summit on

March 20 in Slovenia, protestingover the invitation given toKosovo, has drawn criticism frompro-European experts in Serbiaitself. They fear the gesture is like-ly to lead to Serbia’s isolation fromthe region and will slow its pathtowards the European Union.

The summit, organised bySlovenia and Croatia, was intend-ed to gather all Western Balkanleaders for the first time since thewars of the 1990s, to discuss coop-eration in reaching their sharedgoal of European Union member-ship. The conference was seen as apreparation for the EU-Balkansmeeting planned for June inBosnia’s capital, Sarajevo.

However, Serbia had hardenedits diplomatic rhetoric on Kosovoeven before Slovenia kicked offhectic diplomatic efforts to getboth Prishtina and Belgrade totake part at the summit at Brdo.

Without even a word fromBrussels, suggesting that Serbiawould have to recognise Kosovobefore joining the EU, Serbia’sForeign Minister, Vuk Jeremic,jumped the gun this month, stat-ing that if pressed to choosebetween the EU and its claim toKosovo, he would chose Kosovo.

Jeremic’s statement raised eye-brows among some politicians in

Balkan leaders meet in Brdo

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Serbia Boycott of SloveneSummit Angers Pro-EuropeansBelgrade’s pro-EU activists and NGOs fear the boycott is likely to increase Serbia’s regional isolation and slow itsprogress towards EU membership.

Kosovo: Court Bans Prizren EmblemThe emblem of the

Municipality of Prizren,Kosovo, has been ruled as

anti-constitutional as it doesnot reflect the commune’s‘multi-ethnicity’.

The Constitutional Courtruled on Friday that theemblem, which includes animage of the League of Prizrenbuilding, the spiritual home ofAlbanian nationalism, and thedate of its formation, must bechanged.

The decision was welcomedby the International CivilianRepresentative (ICR), Pieter

Feith, who said it was ‘bothwell-reasoned and thorough’.

He said: “It is a boost to therule of law in Kosovo that theapplicant could have his claimdecided on by theConstitutional Court, when hewas of the view that theMunicipal Assembly’s Decisionviolated the rights of Prizren’snon-majority communities toprotect and promote their iden-tities.

“It is right that in the case ofPrizren, the municipal emblemshould reflect the multi-ethnicnature of the municipality and

be a common meeting point forall of its citizens.

“This decision strongly rein-forces the principle that protect-ing and promoting the culturaland linguistic rights of all com-munities strengthens Kosovoand its development as a demo-cratic society.”

The lawsuit was brought bythe former deputy mayor of themunicipality, Xhemajl Kurtishi,a Bosniak.

The Constitutional Court hasgiven the municipality a three-month deadline to bring in anew emblem.

By Branka Trivic inBelgrade

business 5March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

The downsizing of plans to build anew power plant in Kosovomeans that the country’s poten-

tial to exploit its massive lignitereserves and become an energyexporter are being lost, critics warn.

Kosovo’s current and past gov-ernments have envisaged the con-struction of a 2000 megawatt powerplant close to the current, agingKosova A and B facility in Obilic.

This would have positioned thecountry as a major energy exporterin the region and made use of theworld’s fifth largest reserve of lig-nite.

But the tender process for thenew power station flounderedbecause interested parties strug-gled to raise funds due to the CreditCrunch.

In a bid to resuscitate the plan,the ministry of energy announcedlast year that the scheme was beingdownsized to just 500MW, with theoption of a further 500MW plantbeing built later.

Earlier this month, four consor-tiums announced that they wereinterested in bidding for the tender,which includes improvements tothe current Kosova B plant and theKosova e Re, New Kosovo, facility.

But opposition politicians andsome experts claim that this projectwill fail to exploit Kosovo’s richmineral wealth in lignite.

Ethem Ceku, former minister ofenergy and a member of the opposi-tion Alliance for the Future ofKosovo, AAK, told Prishtina Insightthat reducing the capacity from2000MW to 500MW is not conduciveto economic development.

“Reducing the capacity [of the

new power plant] will not bringgrowth in revenues to Kosovo’sbudget and will not create newjobs,” said Ceku. “Kosovo, in thisway, is losing its economic power.”

He cites long delays to the proj-ect, changes to the remit, removal ofexperts from the ministry of ener-gy, growing environmental con-

cerns and the withdrawal of presti-gious global companies as reasonsfor the larger scheme’s failure.

Ceku believes that, worst of all,the plan will fail to use Kosovo’s lig-nite reserves.

“Kosovo has large quantities oflignite and these were earmarked tobe used for a Kosova e Re with

2000MW and for exporting overmany years,” said Ceku.

Officials at the Ministry ofEnergy and Mines agree that muchof the lignite will no longer be usedfor the power plants, but say it willbe exported.

“Sibovc [mine] lignite reservesare about 1 billion tonnes and the

first unit of Kosova e Re, togetherwith Kosova B and Kosova A, fortheir entire lifespan will use only 25per cent of those reserves,” saidFaik Nahi, political advisor to theministry of energy.

“The rest will be exported and,depending on the energy needs inthe years to come, the lignite will beused to generate new capacity,”

He said that Kosova e Re willcover Kosovo’s energy needs, and asmall amount of electricity maystill be exported.

Nuhi explained that the downsiz-ing was to allow firms to securefunding and becaus of questionmarks over the need for large-scaleexports in the region.

The government, according toNuhi, will be a shareholder in theproject but it has not yet been decid-ed what its stake will be.

Minister of energy JustinaShiroka Pula told the Assembly ofKosovo last week that Kosova e Rewill first be built with a capacity of500MW and that by 2018 a further500MW will be added to the facility.She said that by 2025, the plant willbe generating 2000MW.

Government coalition partnersDemocratic League of Kosovo,LDK, has submitted objections tothe proposal, calling for 1000MWfollowed by a further 1000MW.

“The strategy should be a func-tion of market competition,” saidFatmir Rexhepi, an LDK deputy.

Some economic experts believethat delays to the project are thesource of all the problems. “At thebeginning, there were very goodbidders, which have left the racebecause of the changes and delays,”said economist Naim Hoxha.

Another expert, Artan Nimani,believes that delays led bidders toquestion the value of the project.

The European Commissionannounced in February that itplanned to extend its tariff-free

trade agreement with Kosovo and the restof the Western Balkans to 2015. ButMuhamet Imeri, owner of the Galanteriafactory, which produces wooden furni-ture in Podujevo, says the extensionoffers little hope to his firm.

He last exported to the EU in 2007and has since been forced to scaleback operations because of finan-cial constraints. “In 2007, I exportedwooden furniture to Greece andHolland,” he recalls. “But since thenI haven’t been able to continueexporting because I don’t have thefunds to complete a new productionline in the factory.”

In 2000, the EU granted trade pref-erences to all the Western Balkancountries, allowing them to export

nearly all their products to the EUwithout paying duties or placinglimits on the quantities. Quotasremain only on wine, sugar, calfand certain fish products.

The European Commission lastmonth announced that it intendedto extend its tariff-free unlimitedaccess agreement to 2015 with theWestern Balkans. Kosovo also has aseparate preferential agreementwith the US for the export of 4,500different products. But its exports toAmerica remain minimal too.

Firms in Kosovo complain thatthey are unable to take advantage ofthese agreements because theydon’t have the money to invest innew technology. They also say thegovernment doesn’t support themenough. “Bank loans aren’tfavourable,” says Imeri, who alsochairs Kosovo’s Exporters’Association. “The government hasnot helped with funds to invest inproduction technology.”

The total value of Kosovo’sexports was worth around 160 mil-

lion euro in 2009. But exports des-tined for the EU in first six monthsof the year were worth only 26.9 mil-lion euros and of this, 18.5 millioneuro of goods was exported to Italyalone. Compared to 2008, last year’sexport to the EU were down by 20per cent.

Berat Rukiqi, general secretary ofthe Kosova Chamber of Commerce,says Brussels’ pledge to extend thepreferential trade agreement ispolitically very important, as itshows Kosovo is not being excludedfrom this deal despite the divisionsin the EU over its independence.

In economic terms, the agree-ment gives Kosovo the potential toexport more goods to EU countries,even if, until now, it has not been ina position to exploit it, he adds. “Sofar, Kosovo hasn’t profited from thepact as much as it could, mainlybecause of its limited potential toexport,” Rukiqi admits.

But in the long term, this pactcould have a positive impact on for-eign investments, he continues, by

attracting foreign firms to Kosovo,from where they can export goodsto EU countries without paying tar-iffs.

He maintains that the govern-ment should support local produc-ers by creating a more favourableenvironment for investments andpushing forward the process ofstandardising products to meet EUstandards.

Economic expert MuhametSadiku says that regardless of thepreferential trade agreements withthe EU and US, Kosovo is not yetcapable of producing high enoughquality goods for export.

“About 80 of the 160 million euroof Kosovo’s exports comes from

metals and scrap metal – and the EUis not that interested in scrapmetal,” Sadiku says.

Sadiku blames the governmentfor the many of the problems thatlocal producers and exporters arefacing, saying they don’t supportthe development of the private sec-tor enough.

In neighbouring countries, heexplains, banks provide more creditfor exporters. “Turkey has estab-lished a whole range of banks tosupport exports and we should bedoing the same,” Sadiku says. Fortheir part, government officialsblame the fall in Kosovo’s exports onthe global financial crisis, which,they say, has hit all countries.

Kosovo’s New Power Plant – Does Size Matter?By Besiana Xharra

Kosovo’s Exports Stuck in DoldrumsDespite the waiving of import tariffs to EU and US markets, Kosovo products are failing tomake inroads.

The four consortiums bid-ding to build the powerplant are Adani Power/Pt

Adani Global from India andIndonesia, AES ElectricLtd/Demir Export A.S from USA

and Turkey, Park Holding fromTurkey and consortiumPPC/Contour Global LLP fromGreece and Great Britain.

According to the ministry ofenergy, the draft tender will be

issued in the coming days. In July,negotiations will be completedwith the firms, and the winnerwill be selected in September.

Construction of the project willbegin in early 2011.

New plans to build a 500MW power station near the current site in Obilic are facing opposition

Kosovo is failing to make inroads in the export market to the EU or USA

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By Lavdim Hamidi

What happens next with Kosova e Re?

city6 March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

Scientists from the UK’sAberystwyth Universityhave called for further

studies of pollution in northernKosovo, after discovering highlevels of lead contamination inthe area.

The team of specialists alsorecommend that the CesminLug and Osterode refugeecamps, which have been hometo Roma families since 1999, beclosed ‘as a matter of urgency’because of the ‘very poor soiland air quality’.

The experts – Professor MarkMacklin, Dr Graham Bird andDr Paul Brewer – made theremarks in an interview withPrishtin Insight following therelease of a report looking atwhether an area earmarked forthe resettlement of Roma fromthe lead-contaminated camps inMitrovica could be made safe.

The scientists concluded thatdespite lead-pollution in theresettlement area, which is alsoin Mitrovica, the land will behabitable once remedial actionhas been taken.

The camps were set up byUNHCR in 1999 as a temporarymeasure when the RomaMahalla, on the southern shoreof the Ibar River, was burntdown by ethnic Albanians at theend of the conflict in Kosovo.Despite repeated calls to closethe camps and numerous inves-tigations into the toxic, lead-contaminated environment,around 600 Roma still live there.

The results of the soil andwater testing of the RomaMahalla, funded by the British

Embassy and PostTelecommunications Kosovo,were presented in Mitrovica onThursday.

Testing of soil, dust andwater in the Roma Mahalla andFidanishte – the land previouslyagreed by the Municipality ofMitrovica for the resettlementof Roma, Ashkali andEgyptians from the lead con-taminated IDP camps Osterodeand Cesmin Lug – was carriedout in December.

The results show thatalthough there are elevated lev-els of lead in the resettlementarea, remedial measures canmake the area safe for the reset-tlement, which is to be fundedby USAID and the EuropeanCommission Liaison Office.

The team added that althoughpollution levels were high, theywere not uncommon in post-industrial areas in Europe,including around AberystwythUniversity, which has higherlead concentration levels in thesoil.

The report was the first to

look at the origin of the pollu-tion, rather than just its impact,concluding that the ZvecanSmelter, which has not beenoperational since the 1999 con-flict, and the nearby wastedumps, were the most likelysource of lead pollution.

The experts said that furtherresearch was needed to estab-lish the levels of pollution inand alongside the river Ibar andits potential impact down-stream in Serbia.

The higher ground near theZvecan smelter was also high-lighted as an area of particularconcern. The report called forthe facility not to be reopened.

As a result of the high levelsof pollution, the report recom-mends that gardens in the RomaMahalla be landscaped withpaving slabs, as the land will notbe safe to grow vegetables orfruit.

Professor Mark Macklin toldBalkan Insight that the issue offood safety should be looked atin detail in the whole area sur-rounding the smelter. He said:

“We don’t want to blight thearea by saying ‘do not eat any-thing grown here’, but it wouldbe prudent to see what is gettinginto the food chain.”

British Ambassador AndySparkes said: “The BritishEmbassy closely follows theissue of displaced persons with-in Kosovo, including Roma,Ashkalis and Egyptians, and wewill continue to support theGovernment of Kosovo andinternational community in thework that is necessary toresolve this issue.”

The European Commissionand Kosovo’s governmentlaunched a 5 million project inFebruary to close the lead-con-taminated Cesmin Lug andOsterode refugee camps ‘as soonas possible’.

At the launch of the project,Kjartan Björnsson, Chargéd’Affaires at the EuropeanCommission Liaison Office inKosovo, said: “This project wasdesigned to address the alarm-ing and somewhat appallingconditions under which youhave lived for the past decade.

“The European Commissionworked very closely with theGovernment of Kosovo, USAID,and other stakeholders duringseveral months to establish aviable framework for solvingthis long lasting problem.”

The 30-month project will beimplemented by Mercy Corpsand the Kosovo Agency forAssistance and Development(KAAD).

The Council of Europe’s com-missioner for human rights,Thomas Hammarberg, earlierthis year called for the camps tobe closed and forced returns toKosovo to be stopped.

The Municipality of Prishtina is tobegin mapping illegal buildingswith aerial photos.

The municipality will also des-ignate a ‘Day Zero’, after whichall buildings constructed withouta permit will not be included inthe ‘legalisation process’, throughwhich previously unregulatedbuildings will be made legal.

Thousands of illegal buildingshave appeared in Prishtina sincethe end of the conflict in 1999 and,to date, little action has beentaken against their owners.

According to the manual for‘legalising illegal buildings’,which has been approved by theurbanisation department of theMunicipality of Prishtina, aerial

photos will be used to spot newlyconstructed buildings with noplanning permission.

“It is expected that the wholeterritory of Prishtina will berecorded and we will aim to iden-tify the number and locations ofbuildings in Prishtina,”Muhamet Gashi, the spokesper-son of the Municipality ofPrishtina, told the daily KohaDitore. “After these recordings, nobuilding will be allowed withoutpermission.”

He said that the photos will bemade using satellite imagery.This is expected to be the shortestphase of the process of legalisingbuildings without planning per-mission. “The first phase isexpected to end within a shortperiod of time and after thisphase, the map of the buildingsand objects in Prishtina will besent to competent bodies in themunicipality, and to a special

commission, which will be estab-lished for legalising the buildings,and the supervisory commissionof this process,” added Gashi.

Besnik Vllasaliu, from theNGO Advocacy Centre, said thatthe municipality should not startthe legalisation of buildings with-out first running an awarenesscampaign.

“The public has no clue what infact is this process and what itincludes, and it would be cata-strophic if the municipalitystarts with such a huge processwithout having a big campaign ofinforming the public regardingthe call for legalising buildingsbuilt illegally,” Vllasaliu toldKoha Ditore.

By Shengjyl Osmani

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f: ChristianGeosits Austrian DevelopmentAgency

Experts Call for PollutionProbe in North Kosovo

Illegal Builidings to be Mapped From AirPrishtina Municipality will soon name a ‘Day Zero’, afterwhich it will monitor all new illegal buildings from the air

What surprised you mostabout Prishtina?

Most people speak better Germanthan I do.

What’s your favourite hang-out?

Hard to say, I’d surely forget one.Those places playing alternativemusic at a volume permitting con-versations, I guess. In a fewweeks, if I have time to work onit, hopefully my garden (bbq!).

Do you do anything cultural?

The Jazz Fest was a pleasure, Ialso hope to make it to some ofthe currently ongoingFrancophonie and classical musicevents. I missed out on last year’smotorcycle meeting and should goto the football pitch more often (ifyou accept my interpretation ofculture, too).

What is the most annoyingthing about Prishtina?

Air quality.

If you were mayor of Prishtinafor the day what would youchange?

Like everywhere, traffic andurban planning issues.

How many macchiatos do youdrink a day?

In liters?

What’s the tastiest Kosovarfood?

Home made Ajvar at a friend’splace, and I am continuously map-ping goodqebap/qofte/kernace/cevapeplaces countrywide.

What landmark do you use totell taxi drivers where youlive?

ADA office, of course.

New buildings have sprung up across Prishtina since 1999

View over Mitrovica, which suffers from high pollution levels

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tBy Lawrence Marzouk

feature 7March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

Plan Unveiled to Drag Farming into 21st CenturyWhile the government hopes that investing 4.7 million euro in agriculture this year willrevitalize this war-damaged sector, some farmers fear only big commercial concernsstand to benefit.

Kosovo’s Ministry ofAgriculture, Forestry andRural Development,

MAFRD, has launched a freshround of grants in an attempt tomove farming into the 21st centu-ry and end the country’s expensivedependence on imported food-stuffs.

Some 1.4 million euro are beingmade available for farmers culti-vating grapes and apples with afurther 3.3 million for other agri-cultural produce.

The ministry is asking farmersto diversify grape and apple prod-ucts to appeal more to the EU mar-ket. Grape varieties to be cultivat-ed in future will include world-wide favourites such asChardonnay, Pinot Noir, Merlotand Muscat Hamburg. Currentlythe main varieties are Vranac andCabernet Sauvignon.

“Kosovo has a tradition in wine-making but has to enrich itsknowledge and technology. Thisway Kosovo can conquer a cornerof the world wine market,” NijaziIdrizi, political advisor to theMinistry of Agriculture, said.

Fruit farmers are being asked togrow such popular apple varietiesas Granny Smith, Fuji and GoldenDelicious. The Ministry ofAgriculture said it expects that by2013 some 560 extra hectares willbe planted with apple trees on topof the current 600 hectares. “Ifsuch a trend continues, in 2018Kosovo will have enough applesfor local consumption and be ableto export to many countries,”Idrizi said.

In the next five years, the min-istry plans to spend 37 millioneuro on agriculture with 50 percent allocated for this year.

Kosovo has long been an agrari-an economy, and even today 60 percent of the population live off theland. But the agriculture sector isstill dominated by subsistencefarming, characterized by lowyields and small plots and the con-flict saddled this already under-performing area with 1.5 billioneuros’ worth of damage.

Since the 1999 war many inter-national organisations have pro-vided financial and technicalassistance to local farmers butKosovo remains a net importer offruit and vegetables. According tofigures for 2007, Kosovo is a mas-sive importer of agricultural prod-ucts, buying in 384.6 million euros’

worth of fruit or vegetables, or24.4 per cent of total imports.

Nijazi Idrizi said Kosovo’s ter-rain and climate favoured the cul-tivation of good quality fruit andvegetables. Some agricultural pro-duce was already being exportedto Western European markets.“Last year, hundreds of tons wereexported, and according toexporters European consumerswere surprised by the taste,” Idrizisaid. The strategy of the ministrywas to encourage farmers toimprove productivity and diversi-fy. “This way they can be morecompetitive,” Nijazi added.

However, the AgriculturalFederation of Trade Unions ofKosova has voiced misgivings. Theunion’s head, Tahir Tahiri, saidthe strategy would appeal to onlybetter-off farmers and make manymore unhappy. “The criteria aretough for the grants and there willbe more disappointment then sat-isfaction,” Tahiri predicted.

He added that one of the prob-lematic criteria is that an appli-cant for a grant must have docu-ments proving title to the land. “Ican tell you that some 60 to 70 percent of the farmers do not possessthose documents,” he said.

Tahiri said he had sent a letterto the Prime Minister, Hashim

Thaci, calling for dialogue on thefuture of agriculture in Kosovo. Ifthe request is not met, the unionplans to stage a peaceful protest onApril 10.

The union wants the govern-ment to allocate 10 per cent ofKosovo’s budget to agriculture,offer a annual subsidy of 200 euroto each farmer who plants ahectare with certain types of pro-duce and set up an “agro-bank”that would offer farmers loans onfavourable terms of interest.

Tahiri said it was high time thegovernment started thinkingabout farmers, becausemany now faced a diffi-cult economic situa-tion. “We are notusing the

recent social unrest [to further ourdemands],” he said, referring tothe wave of strikes staged earlierthis year. “It’s time to change theconditions… of poor farmers.”

Idrizi, from the ministry, hasdefended the set criteria for thereceipt of grants, saying they willhelp ensure that farmers whotruly sought to expand their busi-ness are selected. Subsistencefarmers may also apply for aid butthe aim of the programme is toencourage viable commercialfarmers to improve efficiency.

The total surface of Kosovo is 10,877km square of which 53 per cent,585,000 hectares, is agricultural

land, 41 per cent (455,000 ha) is forestand 6 per cent other.

Around 51 per cent of farmland isused for grains and cereals (corn,wheat, barley), 45 per cent for pastureand meadows, 3 per cent for vines, whileolive groves and other produce repre-sent the last 1 per cent.

Kosovo’s arable land is consideredgood quality and the temperate climate

makes agriculture potentially a strongeconomic sector that should be able toadequately feed the population andenable the export of some foodstuffs.

Most farmland is privately owned (88per cent) while the rest is the propertyof socially owned companies. The aver-age agricultural area per household is3.2 ha.

Farms with an area of 0.5 to 2.0 hadominate the agricultural sector,while only 8 per cent of arable landis divided in units amounting to

more than 10 ha.Agriculture con-tributes 30 percent to the GDP ofKosovo and sup-ports 60 percent of thep o p u l a -tion.

Farming Facts:

By Petrit Collaku

8March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

GuideBy Belinda Vrapi

in Prishtina

AVENUE BAR

Avenue is a bar with a trendyand pleasant ambiance, offeringfinger food, pasta and cocktails,among other things. It also offers avariety of music to clients - Jazzon Tuesdays, Albanian traditionalsongs on Thursdays and instru-mental piano and violin sounds onSundays.

Behind Café e Vogel.Tel: +377 44 45 50 10

Open 08:00-24:00

UNDERGRAND

A new bar located at the formerUN headquarters, Undergrand isnot a typo but an accurate descrip-tion of its location. With a stylish-ly decorated interior, in stark con-trast to the muddy exterior, it isone of the best new editions toPrishtina’s nightlife in recentmonths. Rock music on Mondayswith Edona Reshitaj and Band is,without doubt, one of the bestchances to enjoy live music inPrishtina. The band plays a bril-liant repertoire of songs, rangingfrom rock versions of theSpiderman theme tune toAlbanian classics. OnWednesdays, Fridays andSaturdays there are DJs and liveperformances.

Off Luan Haradinaj Street,under the Grand Hotel and oppo-

site the New Born statue049 124 012 or 049 860 920

MAROON PUB

A reddish two-storey building indowntown, Maroon Pub has estab-lished itself as one of the bestplaces to catch a band since openinglast summer. Live bands performseveral nights of the week, startingwith Latin rhythms on Mondaysand Tuesdays, rock and alternativefrom Wednesdays to Saturdays andtraditional Albanian songs onSunday. However, as often withPrishtina, schedules are not set instone.

Fehmi Agani Street (in front of Amelie).

Find them on Facebook - Maroon Pub

SOKOLI e MIRUSHA

With decent food and a widevariety of music, Sokoli makes anattractive and vibrant hangout forartists, politicians, and the youthof Prishtina. Named after a 70sballet, you would expect Sokoli eMirusha to take its music serious-ly, and you won’t be disappointed.Nightly live music varies fromBalkan sounds on Mondays to jazzmusic most of the week. At theweekends, the downstairs baroffers great dancing and a mix oflive bands and DJs.

Café e Vogel, right side.Open: 09am to Midnight; Fri &

Sat 9am to 1amTel: +377 44 78 88 88

ODYSSEA BISTRO BAR

Already a prime cocktail barand top-notch restaurant,Odyssea added live music to itslist of qualities last year. Jazz orlatino music or served up along-side fine food on Friday andSaturday nights. This comingweek there will be Two Face bandon Saturday from 9.30 p.m andLuan Tashi Band on Sunday 9.30p.m. If you’re looking for a wildnight of music, look elsewhere.Odyssea, however, is a greatplace to enjoy a drink or foodwhile listening to some chilledout music.

Sejdi Kryeziu Street, Pejton

+377 44 55 64 44Open 9am to Midnight.

http://www.odyssea-group.com/

JAZZ CLUB 212

Jazz Club 212 doesn’t alwaysstage Jazz, but the venue, one ofPrishtina’s largest clubs, usuallyoffers a raucous evening. DenikPrizreni performs on Wednesdays,Latina band on Fridays and ZanziBand on Saturdays. This comingweek, Thursday will be a Karaokenight.

Rr.Mbreti Leka Zogu I, Pejton

+377 44 16 72 86www.212pr.com

CANTO CAFÉ

This bar in Ferizaj offers ahomely atmosphere and greatmusic. Canto Café is run by theNikolla family, who also happen toinclude among their numberssome very talented musicians. Ifyou can catch them live, you willnot be disappointed. This Saturdaynight, Canto will have alternativerock with 7 me 7 Band and DayShift.

Wesley Clark Street, off Ferizaj’smain road

HARD ROCKERS

Hard Rockers Club is abar/nightclub, located near themain KEK building.

Music genres include Blues,Alternative, Rock’n’Roll, HardRock, Punk Rock, Metal, DeathMetal, Melodic Metal, ProgressiveRock, Acoustic and a lot more. Hard Rockers is dedicated to pro-moting new artists and bands inthe rock scene.

Live music is usually held at theweekends, although you might belucky and catch something duringthe week.

For more information, look upHard Rockers Club group onFacebook.

On Bill Klinton Street, next tothe KEK building

049274337GEGE

Gege is the latest live musicvenue to have appeared on thePrishtina scene in the building for-merly occupied by Posh Nosh.

It hosts evening events varyingfrom live rock bands to classicalAlbanian music and states it musi-cal intentions with a piano next tothe bar.

There’s no particular pro-gramme as the owner toldPrishtina Insight that they usuallyspontaneously organise live musicevenings. Expect events on mostnights of the week.

044169378 Gege Off Mother Teresa Boulevard

nest to the NLB bank near the Grand Hotel

(The former Posh Nosh)

ZANZI BAR

Zanzi Bar may have hit the head-line for all the wrong reasonswhen the Democratic Party ofKosovo’s made an abortive attemptto break the government coalitionfrom the venue, but it is also a stal-wart of the Prishtina music scene.

It has been serving up jazz andother musical styles since the endof the conflict and regularly holdsmusic nights in its basement loca-tion.

Hajdar Dushi St, Off MotherTeresa Boulevard

From cool jazz to heavy metal, Prishtina offers a polyphony of sounds, but it’s not always easy to find out who’s playing where and to keepup with the ever changing line-up of venues. Here, Prishtina Insight provides you with its top ten places to catch some live music.

Prishtina Insight’s Guide to Live Music

9March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

Culture

The position of director ofKosovo’s National Theatrehas proved a difficult one to

fill. After the last director resigned,complaining of political pressure,Buqe Berisha could be excused forfeeling a weight on her shoulders.But Berisha told Prishtina Insightthat she was brushing aside pastcontroversies and outlined boldplans to revive Kosovo’s theatricallife.

“I’ve heard from the news [aboutthe controversy], and that there hasbeen political pressure, but Ihaven’t seen anything like that todate,” she said.

When Arian Krasniqi wasappointed director in September2008, it was hoped his arrival wouldend instability in this 65-year-oldinstitution. The theatre had failedto appoint a new head after twoselection processes, leaving itdirectionless. But Krasniqi lastedless than a year.

In August 2009 he resigned, com-plaining of “growing bureaucratic

pressure” from the Ministry ofCulture, Youth and Sport. “It is thestart of political interference in themanagerial work of the KosovoNational Theatre,” he claimed.

Berisha takes a very differentview of the culture ministry offi-cials. “In fact, they are very kindand have a great desire to help mein my work… I’m very thankful fortheir support,” she said.

Money remains a big headache,however. In 2005, parliament rati-

fied a law on the National Theatre,confirming its right to receive gov-ernment funds. But cash remainsextremely tight, as the theatrereceives less than 1 per cent of thenational 1 billion euro budget.

Berisha said the theatre barelygets by on the current level of statefunding. The small sum showed“how much the upper levels of oursociety pay attention to our cul-ture,” she maintained. “It’s painfulthat we have such a small supportfrom our government,” she added.

But she continued: “We cannotblame the Ministry of Culture fornot supporting us, as… they haveno say in setting the portion of thebudget set aside for culture.”

The National Theatre of Kosovowas founded in 1945 in Prizren, thecity in Kosovo most associated withcultural life. After six months itrelocated to Prishtina. Over the fol-lowing years actors performed inboth Albanian and Serbian untilpolitics got in the way underSlobodan Milosevic.

After Milosevic scrappedKosovo’s autonomy in the late 1980sand tensions mounted in the thenprovince, plays in Albanian weretransferred to the privately runDodona Theatre. It was not untilthe end of the conflict in 1999 thatthe Albanian language was againheard on the stage of the NationalTheatre.

Berisha said there was work todo to revive the old days when thetheatre played a more importantpart in people’s lives: “Our societydoesn’t lack a culture of attendingplays but after being excluded forten years from cultural events,society needs more public informa-tion regarding activities.”

One way of reviving interest inthe theatre, now in the planningstage, is to hold outdoor plays insummer in Prishtina’s GermiaPark. In cooperation with the cityof Prishtina and the departmentfor culture, the theatre is planninga summer theatre festival thatBerisha hopes will be particularlypopular among members of thelarge diaspora who return indroves to the country each sum-mer.

Negotiations about the festivalwith the municipality are under-way and Berisha expects to makedetails of the festival public soon.

The new head is also interestedin re-establishing theatre produc-tions outside Prishtina. She isplanning to take the NationalTheatre on the road aroundKosovo.

Despite its financial limitations,the theatre tries to support theatreproductions out of town, recentlyloaning costumes for a play inFerizaj, for example.

But Berisha maintains that the-atre can only thrive outsidePrishtina if young actors return totheir hometowns to perform.“Young people who have a propereducation in acting and a talent fordrama should return to their homecities to revive the local theatres,which lack the challenging spiritof young people,” she said.

Young people should also feelfree “to knock on the NationalTheatre’s door” if they want to tryout internships in acting, direct-ing, stage designing or costumedesigning.

“I strongly encourage studentsfrom the Faculty of Arts to applyfor voluntary internships at theNational Theatre where they cangain new professional skills, and infuture might get a job within theTheatre,” said Berisha who is alsoa lecturer at the arts faculty.

“Unfortunately, till now, no onehas applied for these positions,”she added, “so I call on all the stu-dents to try out such great opportu-nities, which can help them andalso help us a lot.”

The internship programme atthe National Theatre lasts sixmonths after which all participantsare awarded with certificates bythe theatre and the Ministry ofCulture.

Berisha believes that better pro-motion of plays has increased audi-ences markedly since she assumedthe reins last autumn. “I’m very sat-isfied with our audiences,” shesaid. “And I believe the number ofyoung people visiting our doors willonly grow in the months ahead withour rich monthly programmes.”

Upcoming Plays

The next regional project withSkopje and Tirana will beIbsen’s Peer Gynt, a high-

spirited poetic fantasy, based onNorwegian folklore. “It is a story ofan irresponsible, lovable hero,which will be shown to audiencesfrom Prishtina, Skopje and Tiranaand performed by actors from allthree national theatres,”Berishasaid. Another upcoming project is aproduction of a Swiss drama,The Physicists.

The Ministry ofCulture has alsopromised to supportthe NationalTheatre in organ-ising a play usingyoung actorsand dramatistsfrom theFaculty of Arts.

Reviving Glory ofNational Theatre The National Theatre has

its origins in Prizren,Kosovo’s “city of cul-

ture”, where a theatre wasestablished in 1945. But afteronly six months it moved toPrishtina. Performances werestaged in Albanian andSerbian. According to BuqeBerisha the theatre, throughthe ages, was a place where thedisappointment and rebelliousfeelings of the people wererepresented.

The 1970s was the heyday ofAlbanian-language theatre,represented by Esat Mekuli,Azem Shkreli and Ramiz

Kelmendi. But by the end ofthe 1980s politics was having amajor impact. The scrappingof Kosovo’s autonomy alsomeant the withdrawal of thetheatre’s autonomy and theAlbanian theatre troop wasleft without a place to perform.They transferred their plays tothe privately owned DodonaTheatre.

Professor Faruk Begolli ledthe activities there, which con-tinued despite the growingpolitical turmoil. After theconflict of 1999, the NationalTheatre was re-established inits former home.

Turbulent history

With plans to tour Kosovo, hold a summer festival in Prishtina and encourage young actorsonto the stage, director Buqe Berisha hopes to put the National Theatre’s controversiesbehind it.

By Shengjyl Osmani

“Our society doesn’t lack aculture of attending plays butafter being excluded for tenyears from cultural events,society needs more publicinformation regarding activi-ties.”

March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

10Food & Drink

Thai Rex To Thai For A Tie Tongue Tied Thai-m Out Low Tide

Le Siam is a superb edi-tion to Prishtina’sinter national dining

sceneI had the pleasure of dining

at the restaurant, Prishtina’snewest Thai spot, with a first-timer to South East Asianfare. While I spent the greaterpart of my day counting downthe minutes to dinner time, Iknew my dining partner wasinstead leaning towards astate of apprehensivenessspurred by a fairly inexperi-enced palate for internationalfood. Nonetheless, I was rightto expect their full-out infatu-ation with everything Thai bythe end of our meal.

Le Siam is located on thesecond level of the QafaCenter on UCK Street, wellknown for its very grungyand dark interior. It’s a shameLe Siam isn’t located some-

where else in the city, as itsinterior is completely in con-trast to the rest of the busi-nesses located in the samebuilding.

The space isn’t large at allbut gives off an air of warmthand Asian sophistication.Two rows of a dozen or sodark wooden tables are smart-ly dressed in colourful cutleryand accompanied by whiteupholstered chairs, eachadorned with a bright silk pil-low. One of the walls hostsbuilt-in seating, with choco-late-coloured cushions andtraditional triangular shapedThai pillows.

The walls are embellishedwith metallic artwork withThai-style symbols.Meanwhile, the ceiling is cov-ered in sheets of mirror,which, unexpectedly, are notcheesy and instead help to‘enlarge’ the dining area.

Although the interior isfairly modern and refined, theoverall look feels refreshinglytraditional. The staff also add

to the Thai experience, aswaitresses are Thai natives,and fitted out in traditionaldress.

The waitresses also providea lot of assistance when order-ing, especially for those thatare new to the cuisine. Thaifood is well-known for its par-ticular etiquette, such as itsdisregard of the knife, whichis conveniently printed in themenu.

However, Thai food is alsoknown for its intricate use offlavour to create a balancedmeal. Every dish incorporatessweet, sour, salty, spicy andbitter elements, creating afusion of flavour able to capti-vate all of the senses at once.

The menu includes a rangeof appetizers, soups, salads,curries, noodles and speciali-ties listed under their Thainame, with a vivid descriptionfor each. The main dishes canbe ordered with either chick-en, beef or seafood, the latterbeing a bit pricier.

A list of side dishes is alsoavailable and recommendedin order to provide balance forevery dish. This list includessteamed, garlic or egg-friedrice, and regular or egg-friednoodles.

We went for the platter forour appetizer, which is a selec-tion of starters from themenu. Four out of the fiveappetizers were beautifullyshaped pastries with distinctfillings – vegetable spring roll,nut medley, and curry paste –which are explosive, but deli-cious in flavour, and servedwith chilli sauce and cucum-

ber-vinegar condiments. Thelast appetizer, fish cake, was-n’t very appetizing, as it wasdreadfully unseasoned.

My inexperienced diningpartner decided on Pad SeeEw with chicken for theirmain, which included soft ricenoodles coated in salty soysauce, the crunch of sweetspinach, carrot and cabbage,and shreds of well-seasonedchicken. The ingredientsblended together beautifullyto create a distinct, yet notoverwhelming Thai dish.

I craved something with alittle more impact, and decid-ed to order Pra Ram LongSong, a mixture of vegetablesand sweet peanut sauce withbeef. Slices of green and redpepper, cabbage, carrot andzucchini arrived with verythinly sliced beef and lus-cious sauce. I ordered a side ofsticky steamed rice to balancethe flavour, which arrived in abeautiful silver bowl.

My dining partner and Iwere fully immersed into ourThai evening, full of flavourand beautiful combinations ofingredients differing incolour, texture and taste.

And the menu’s breadthallows for a new experienceeach time, although prices areslightly elevated, in line withother high-end restaurants.

Four starsFirst floor of Qafa Building,UCK Street, 045 243 588, open

Monday to Thursday from11:00-14:00 and 17:45 to 22:30,

and Friday to Sunday from11:00 to 23:00

By Maneater

To Thai For

Himalaya Gorkha

The restaurant is run by a Nepalesefamily, who serve up tasty mealsnative to South Asia. Located in

what is known as the ‘Qafa Gallery’,Himalaya Gorkha’s only competition isa handful of machiatto bars stuffedwith middle-aged men and cigarettesmoke, until Le Siam arrived.

The surroundings are a tad uninvit-ing, especially at night when the place isdeserted, but luckily not the restaurant,which serves up some of Prishtina’sbest curries.

Himalaya Gorkha044 402 265

Qafa Gallery – 17 UCK Boulevard

Chinese Restaurant

This restaurant along PoliceAvenue will not win any culinaryprizes but the food isn’t bad, and if

you are looking for Chinese inPrishtina, this is the place to come.

Luan Haradinaj Boulevard [across from the police station]

Cavallero

At Cavallero Mexican Cantina,mouth-watering appetizers andsavoruy main dishes are nicely

washed down with countless cocktailoptions and even imported Mexicanbeer. Gather you’re friends and bring onthe fiesta.

Next to the ex-UNMIK building, onthe alley which connects LuanHaradinaj and Mother Teresa streets.

Tel: 044 508 980

We

reco

mm

end If you are tired of Burek,

Tave and Pleskavice, hereare three recommendationsfor some good internationalfare in Prishtina

March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

11By Shega A’Mula in Prishtina Inside Prishtina

Out of the many attention-grabbing restaurants andbusinesses located on the

highly frequented Qamil HoxhaStreet, one residential home with afront lawn full of finished andunfinished sculptures has beenreceiving unintentional interestfor more than a decade. Many peo-ple new to Prishtina wonder whatthe story behind these sculpturesis, despite its very logical explana-tion.

The house is owned byrenowned sculptor Fatmir Hoxha,who is also a professor at theUniversity of Prishtina ArtsFaculty. The 55-years old artist hasbeen crafting statues for decades,and simply ran out of room for hiswork. His large front yard hasproved accommodating, and hasaccumulated many works over theyears.

His 23-year-old son, DaorsHoxha, who is also a sculptor andart student at the University ofPrishtina, invited PrishtinaInsight into the family home foran interview. Noticeably, the firstlevel alone is covered in differentsizes of portrait-style and full-length sculptures, and numerouspaintings also completed byFatmir.

A large part of Fatmir’s work isfocused on national Albanianheroes and figures. These includewriter Faik Konica, Doctor AliSokoli, and fallen fighters of vari-ous wars and conflicts.

The two-and-a-half metre tallsculptures located in the frontgarden, and hard to miss forpassers-by, are identical sculp-tures of Anton Cetta, a very influ-ential academic, who was born inGjakova in 1920 and died inPrishtina in 1995.

He is best known for his manypublications on Kosovar Folklore,and his efforts to reconcile fami-lies who were part of blood-feudsin the country. He was responsiblefor ultimately eliminating allexisting feuds in the 1990s.

The first Anton CettaSculpture, which is finished andbronzed, was placed a few metresaway from the entrance of theyard a couple of years before the1998-99 conflict, said Doars. Afteryears of on and off interest, thesculpture was finally purchasedrecently by a buyer in Gjakovaand will be moved soon.

The second sculpture, however,remains unfinished and still in itscast. It will remain in the gardenuntil it is completed and bronzed,

because any attempts to move itwill damage it.

Several other sculptures arealso located near the entrance ofthe home. Although significantlysmaller, the sculptures are eithernude, or portrait-style. Also, asculpture made with ammunitionsits on the other side of the gar-den and depicts a cracked globedamaged by war.

According to Doars, the munici-pality has never objected to thedisplay of the sculptures. But headmits that their presence has ledto a lot of interest in his father’sart, usually after people realisethat it is a private home.

He added that many visitorsjust stride into the garden andtake pictures with the sculptureswithout asking permission.

But again, the Hoxha familyseem to be happy with that.Fatmir is regularly commissionedfor private work by people, busi-nesses and institutions. Doars isalso planning to hold his first per-sonal exposition this year.

Fatmir Hoxha can be contactedat 044 153 710.

The staff at Paddy O’Brien’shave a saying: “It’s easy to walkin, but very hard to leave.”

As I looked down at my fourthround of Jameson, and the clockhands pointed to a time well aftermidnight, I realised that they wereright. But I was not alone – the barwas full of casually-clad people,singing along to requested songs,and keeping the bartender busy.

There have been many attemptsto establish a proper Irish pub inPrishtina, all of which have eitherreally been a let down or been forcedto convert to a Kosovar setting.

Paddy O’Brien’s, on the otherhand, shows good prospects forlongevity, with an incrediblyauthentic flair hard to outstrip.

‘Paddy’ and ‘O’Brien’ aren’t justrandom names chosen to imply anIrish setting, but are instead thenames of the two owners that havegone out of their way to create abar akin to countless scattered

across their homeland. They’ve gone as far as to import

Irish staff, as I realised when 22-year-old Thomas greeted me frombehind the bar. Longing to travel,Thomas accepted a job offer fromone of the owners, and madeKosovo his first destination outsideof Ireland.

Although he admits his transi-tion has been bumpy, PaddyO’Brien’s patrons do a good job ofmaking him feel just at home.

The vast majority of visitors areIrish personnel stationed inKosovo, who Thomas says have fall-en head over heels for the place.Next in line are the English,Americans, and Germans, who alsooften frequent the venue.

The bar is located in a downtownhome which has been totally trans-formed, and decked out in custommade furniture corresponding toIrish pub standards around theworld – the height of the bar, bar

stools, tables and chairs. A uniform shade of cherry-like

wood is used everywhere from thefloor to the ceiling beams, and accu-rately matched with two patterns ofemerald green wallpaper, anddozens of framed pictures of thehomeland.

As far as liquor is concerned,every possible poison is available,along with local and internationaldraft beer, and freshly shaken cock-tails.

Classic coffees along with Irishblends such as O’Brien’s tradition-al Irish coffee and Bailey’s Irishcoffee are also offered, and servedwith a touch of alcohol, andwhipped cream.

Food is also offered up at PaddyO’Brien’s, with a mouth-wateringmenu of Irish specialties. Many ofthe food products are imported inorder to create an authentic meal.

Options include shepherd’s pie,bangers and mash, fish ‘n chips,and an all-day breakfast compris-ing of eggs, sausages, Irish bacon,black and white pudding, tomatoes,beans, and toast. Leave you’re carb-counting at home.

The only thing missing now isthe Guinness on tap, which will bearriving soon.

The bar opens bright and early at7 am, served food until 11 pm, andusually closes fairly late.

Location: Tringe Smajli Street,just off Mother Teresa by the IllyriaHotel.

Keeping up with changes intechnology can be difficult,especially without a go-to

place for suggestions. Star Tech shop in Prishtina can

help with a wide-variety of tech-nology accessories and products tomake your gadget-filled life a biteasier.

The store may be small, but thenumber of products seems end-less.

Computer accessories are themost common and include speak-ers, keyboards, headsets, micro-phones, cameras, printer toner,laptop bags and loads of memoryoptions form hard disks to dozensof USBs. Different CD and DVDvariations are also available.

Telephone products are alsoexciting, from cell phones to per-sonalised accessories – especiallyfor the iPhone.

In fact, there’s a large selectionof Apple accessories, includingthe iPod, which have been harderto come by since the closing of theApple store in town.

Philips electronics are alsoavailable, such as hair straighten-ers, curlers and blow dryers, hairremoval devices, and energy effi-cient light bulbs.

Star Tech’s other internationalbrands include Kodak and Fuji,with a range of economically

priced digital cameras, startingfrom 180 euro.

Finally, a selection of genericoffice supplies are available, frompaper, pens, notebooks, and more –also reasonably priced.

Star Tech’s location is probablythe best feature of all. It is locatedright across Grand Hotel, makingit a very accessible spot for manyelectronic solutions.

Mother Teresa #43, 044 112 676

Bar Review:

Paddy O’Brien’s Irish BarShop Review:

Star Tech ElectronicSolutions

Building Review:

Prishtina’s Private Sculpture Park

Fatmir Hoxha’s garden of statues has proved a real draw to tourists

Drinkers enjoying a pint at Prishtina’s first authentic Irish pub Star Tech is a treasure trove of goods

neighbourhood12 March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

Following a strong publicoutcry, Albania’s centre-right government has put

planned amendments to the lawon the secret service on ice,pulling the bill from the parlia-mentary schedule.

Sali Berisha’s DemocraticParty-led administration wasforced to back down afterTirana’s NATO partners blastedproposed amendments to thelaw on the State SecurityService, SHISH, passed recentlyby the national security com-mission in parliament.

The amendments would effec-tively allow the Prime Ministerto dismiss of the current statesecurity director, Bahri Shaqiri,and give the service new powersto spy on public officials.

The bill would give SHISHnew powers to force private citi-zens and government institu-tions to cooperate with it, whilerequiring the Prime Minister’spermission to allow joint opera-tions with partner agencies.

Although the governmentsaid the amendments met NATOstandards, those who sponsoredAlbania’s accession into thealliance clearly thought other-wise, arguing that the countrywould be edging in the wrongdirection if it passed the legisla-tion.

On March 12, while the billwas still being discussed in thecommission, the US ambassa-dor in Tirana, John L Wither,more or less savaged the pro-posed changes.

“It is vitally important forAlbania to keep the secret serv-ice professional, independentand free of all political influ-ence and we are worried thatthis bill undermines such prin-ciples,” Withers said. “In addi-tion, this draft assigns troublingnew domestic responsibilities tothe intelligence service,” headded.

Two former Albanian presi-dents, Rexhep Mejdani andAlfred Moisiu, also spoke outagainst the bill, organizing aroundtable with Westernambassadors in Tirana to dis-cuss the proposed changes.

“Not every change is a reformthat brings positive results,”Moisiu said at the roundtable,while calling on the politicalclass to reflect and take amature decision on the issue.

His predecessor, RexhepMejdani, was more direct in hisobjection to the draft law, accus-ing the Prime Minister of “try-ing to bring SHISH under hiscontrol”.

Objections to the bill havealso come from the EU delega-tion in Tirana and the OSCE

mission.Dardan Malaj, politics editor

for the daily Shqip, saysBerisha’s move was not unex-pected; he did not expect it toprovoke such a backlash.

“All Albanian PrimeMinisters have tried to bring thesecret service under their con-trol in order to use them whenthey needed them the most,”said Malaj, adding that:“Because of the ongoing politi-cal crisis, the government mayhave hoped there would be littleresistance.”

Were parliament to pass thebill, Berisha could nominate anew head of the service withinthe next two months, at a timewhen the government is lockedin political stalemate with theopposition over the results ofJune 28 parliamentary elec-tions.

The Socialist opposition hasboycotted parliament for thepast six months and has led aseries of protests questioningthe legitimacy of PrimeMinister Berisha’s government.

“This is a time when stabilityin the Albanian intelligenceservice is particularly impor-tant and this draft law raisesquestions exactly in that area,”Withers underlined.

According to the terms of theproposed bill, Shaqiri couldapply for a second, final term asSHISH director. But the direc-tor’s relations with the right-wing government have alwaysbeen strained and it seemsunlikely that Berisha wouldnominate him again.

Since the end of the Stalinistregime of Enver Hoxha in 1991,the security services in Albaniahave undergone major transfor-mations. SHISH is now consid-ered generally to be under civil-ian control and professional. Itleads important counterterror-ism operations in partnershipwith ally agencies like the CIA.

Opponents of Berisha, whoafter the fall of the Communistregime served as Albania’s pres-ident from 1992-1997, haverepeatedly accused him of usingthe secret service, headed previ-ously by the late BashkimGazidede, to spy on, coerce andeven physically attack opposi-tion members and the media.

Under Gazidede the servicewas also accused of beinginvolved in kidnapping and tor-ture, and in trading arms, drugsand contraband oil in neigh-bouring Yugoslavia when it wasunder UN embargo owing to thewar in Bosnia. Both Berisha andGazidede denied the allegations.

Following the US diplomat’scriticism of the law, oppositionSocialist leader Edi Ramajumped on the bandwagon tocriticize the bill as an attempt toturn back the security agencyback to its darkest hours.

“I call on Berisha to recall theproposed changes which aim toturn the state security service

into the agency that once spiedon and persecuted his politicalrivals, civil society activists andthe media,” said a Rama, addingthat Albania could not afford todisregard the opinions of NATOallies.

According to Artan Hoxha,author of the investigative TVshow “Xhungel”, the fact thatthe international communityraised the issue of the bill, inthe absence of a local debate,shows how sensitive the agencyhas become in the context ofAlbania’s NATO accession.

“The issue was not raised bythose you would normallyexpect; the opposition, civil soci-ety or the media, but by the USembassy and the EU,” he noted.

Although Albania has madestrides over the last decade,becoming a full member ofNATO last year while alsoapplying for EU candidate sta-tus, ambassador Witherswarned that the draft bill wouldput into question such achieve-ments.

“Albania is a new NATO mem-ber and has aspirations for fullEuro-Atlantic integration andwe feel that this law is takingAlbania in the wrong direction,”he said.

“The matter that needs to bekept in mind is that this is notsimply an internal politicaldebate. Under NATO, and underbilateral arrangements, this is amatter with international impli-cations,” Withers clarified.

With the bill now kicked intothe long grass, its future isuncertain. Foreign Minister IlirMeta, after a trip in Washingtonlast weekend, indicated that theproposal might be redraftedwith EU and NATO assistance.

If so, that will be seen as con-firmation that governments inTirana no longer have the lee-way to toy with the securityservice as was often done in thepast.

Berisha Backs Down OverSecret Service ChangesAlbanian government forced to reconsider bill that would increase Prime Minister’s control over the secret serviceafter coming under fire from NATO partners and the opposition.

News

in B

rief

Sali Berisha, Prime Minister of Albania

By Besar Likmeta

Albania Police SeizeOne Tonne of Marijuana

Police seized nearly one tonneof marijuana on Sunday inSouthern Albania as it was

about to be smuggled into Italy on aspeedboat.

The bust represents one of thelargest quantities of the narcoticever seized in the country. Thedrugs were confiscated in a vannear the bay of Kakome, which wasabandoned by the trafficker at firstsight of police.

According to police, the drugswere set to be smuggled into Italyon a speedboat coming from theItalian coast.

According to the US StateDepartment International Strategyfor Narcotics Control report,Albania is an important cannabisproducer for markets in Europe.

Bosnia: Silajdzic SlamsTalk of “PeacefulDivorce”

The Bosniak member ofBosnia’s tripartite presiden-cy, Haris Silajdzic, has reject-

ed the talk of a “peaceful divorce”,raised by Bosnian Serb leaderMilorad Dodik.

Dodik’s statement was stronglyrebuffed by the Bosniak member ofthe country’s tripartite presidency,Haris Silajdzic, who spoke after ameeting with a NATO delegationheaded by the alliance’s SecretaryGeneral Anders Fogh Rasmussenon Tuesday.

“It is just rhetoric, if (partition)could not have been achieved withtanks it certainly cannot beachieved with microphones,”Silajdzic said. “If someone does notlike Bosnia-Herzegovina they arefree to leave, but they cannot takeany part (of the country) withthem,” he added.

Silajdzic was responding toDodik’s remarks that Bosnia wassurviving only because of interna-tional intervention. “There aremany examples proving thatBosnia-Herzegovina is unsustain-able and that the time has come toadopt a different approach,” Dodiktold journalists in Banja Luka onMonday.

Group PushesRecognition of YugoslavNationality

AYugoslav alliance has beenformed in Zagreb with theaim of having the Yugoslav

nationality recognised once againas a nationality in all of theYugoslav successor states.

The Association Nasa Jugoslavija[Our Yugoslavia Alliance] estab-lished the Savez Jugoslovena onMarch 21, 2010.

In a press statement it said thatpeople of Yugoslav nationality havethe right to protect their identityand cultural, artistic, linguistic andliterary inheritance.

The group wants to open publicdiscussion on the rights ofYugoslav nationals and their“active role in democratisation”.

The statement added that“Yugoslavs still exist and they areproud of their position as the onlyalternative to nationalism.”

opinion 13March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

Where is Isa Mustafa?Prishtinalia, Bregu i Diellit

Oh Prishtinali! If only I knew!You seek him here, you seekhim there, but Prishtina’s

mayor is nowhere to be found.Mr Mustafa was the main winner

of the 15 November mayoral race inKosovo. He swept to victory on awave of anti-Astriti sentimentamong the “qytetarë” of the capitalwith a whopping 57.2% in the firstround – a blazing mandate forreforming Prishtina’s infrastruc-ture and public spaces.

With 16,547,354 euro for localinfrastructure in the municipality’s2010 budget (drawn up, incidentally,in September 2009), there are cer-tainly a few cents available.

So while the infant mayor ofGjilan has had only days to ponderkey appointments to municipaldirectorates, Isa has had fourmonths.

But as the LDK hangover wore offfrom their only significant victoryin these interminable elections, andwe woke, rubbing our bleary eyes,where was our new mayor?

I thought perhaps Isa was eschew-ing the local limelight in favour ofthe subterranean world ofPrishtina’s water pipes. Those of uslucky enough to escape the fumes ofObiliq by living on Sunny Hill willcontest that no, there is no way Isais diverting his extensive energiesto fixing the chronic water prob-lems in the neighbourhood. Farfrom it – for two weeks recently, wewere treated to a meagre hour ofwater for our daily ablutions.

So we should seek him in tortu-ous negotiations with our belovedKEK, explaining how collectivepower cuts to punish the few whodon’t pay must be against someinternational human rights charteror other. And ,that two years afterthe sparks of independence fire-works have faded, any power out-ages in the capital of a new statestruggling to attract foreign invest-ment must be unacceptable – andnot unavoidable.

Alas – the power this spring hasbeen worse than ever – but hey, whoneeds a warm shower when thereisn’t any water?

Maybe the reason we can’t see ourKryetar on TV is because he’s pitch-ing in himself with a little bit ofroad maintenance. After all, thelargest pothole in town is his name-sake, so it’s possible that he’sattempting to fill it in...

No. And the crack in my wind-screen gets longer with every bumpin the road.

So where on earth could Prof. DrIsa Mustafa be?

You know the answer, Prishtinali.He’s rubbing his hands gleefully ashe thinks he’s just figured out acheap, clean method for heating thecity’s apartment blocks next winter,as Springfield Nuclear Power Plantopens a subsidiary in the Balkans.

Excellent.

Teta Mia solves your problems

Dear Teta Mia...

Kosovo celebrated its second independ-ence anniversary on February 17.However, many felt that there was not

much to celebrate. Despite its progress,Kosovo is facing very difficult challenges.It’s isolated, poor and it is facing a very hos-tile Serbia.

After many pledges of support and adonors’ conference, it is hard for Kosovars notto feel a sense of abandonment from theirallies.

First, there were the unnecessary conces-sions given to Serbia in order to get it to agreeto deploy the EU Rule of Law Mission(EULEX) in Serb-majority northern Kosovo.

Then, there was the lack of progress inincluding Kosovo in the visa liberalisationprocess. This was coupled with the inclusionof Serbia in the white Schengen list and a gen-eral lack of will on the part of EU to deal withSerbia’s aggressive foreign policy regardingKosovo.

And now, to top it all off, it is becomingmore obvious that the EU is not sufficientlycommitted to its own mission on the groundto see it succeed.

Kosovo’s government has hired an interna-tional PR company to rebrand the country.The motto of the campaign is “Kosovo: YoungEuropeans.”

It tries to utilise the fact that Kosovo has theyoungest population in Europe and to presenta youthful and progressive image of Kosovo.Unfortunately, the youngest Europeans arealso the most isolated. The EU has not yeteven started the process of visa liberalisationwith Kosovo. The average costs for aSchengen visa application in Kosovo is 124Euros. While, the average monthly salary inKosovo is 240 Euros.

Kosovo, has the highest rejection rate forvisa applications in the region. About half ofthe Schengen visa applications from Kosovoare refused.

Kosovo’s businesses are also feeling thepinch of isolation. Kosovo became a memberof the Central European Free TradeAgreement (CEFTA) through UNMIK (the UNMission responsible for foreign policy amongother things until 2008), but since its declara-tion of independence Kosovo companies havebeen unable to sell goods to Serbia or use it asa transit route.

Bosnia also decided not to respect CEFTAprovisions when it came to Kosovo’s products.

This policy of Serbia and Bosnia is disrupt-ing regional trade and is very damaging toKosovo’s already weak economy.

Although Kosovo is one of the two coun-

tries (the other one being Albania), which hasnot seen negative growth during the econom-ic crisis, its economy suffers from a widetrade imbalance. If Kosovo cannot sell itsproducts in the region it cannot hope to createmuch needed new jobs.

The European foreign policy chief,Baroness Ashton, and the French ForeignMinister, Mr Kouchner, just completed theirtours of the Western Balkans. The EUEconomic and Monetary AffairsCommissioner, Mr Rehn, is in the region inthe third week of March.

The message they need to take home is thatthe current situation is untenable.

Kosovo needs its European and Americanallies now more than ever to help it break thisisolation.

The continuing tolerance of the lack ofrecognitions by five EU members and theaggressive Serbian policy towards Kosovo hasto stop.

Kosovo’s citizens must enjoy visa free trav-el like their neighbours do, so they can see thebenefits of a united Europe. Its companiesshould be able to benefit from free tradeagreements and create jobs.

Otherwise, the reformers in Kosovo andcivil society will struggle to find meaning tothe reforms we are pushing for.

Seb Bytyçi is Executive Director of BalkanPolicy Institute (IPOL)

To send a letter to Prishtina Insight, email info@prishtinainsight.com.

Creative Politics: Buy a Hole inthe Road!

Unofficially, Prishtinamight be Europe’s capitalof potholes. Nearly every

second street has damages rang-ing from the size of a football tothe dimension of a volcanocrater. As every year at the startof spring, potholes open up likecrocuses on the fields after thesnow, ice and rain of winter.Moving through the city becomes

no longer driving, but maneuver-ing.

A creative policy idea couldcome from Germany: Buy a holein the road!

Niederzimmern, a Germantown in the eastern state ofThuringia, started to sell its pot-holes to finance their repair. Thebudget of the municipality istight, so the mayor started aninternet campaign putting holesin the road on sale for 50 euroseach (www.niederzimmern.de).About 138 potholes have alreadybeen snapped up by companiesand private individuals. The

hole, once mended, will have abadge of the buyer with a sloganor name of choice.

The sponsorship scheme is notcompletely new: In Berlin onecan adopt exhibit pieces in theMuseum of Natural History, andall around the world peoplebecome patrons of park benches.The idea promotes communityunity: citizens can feel like theyown a part of the city and sobecome more attached to publicproperty.

Whether the idea could workin Kosovo is doubtful, as mostpeople struggle with their own

financial incomes. As criticsargue, roads are in a poor state ofrepair not because of a lack ofinvestment in infrastructure, butdue to the misuse of funds whichresults in thinner asphalt roadsor poorer quality than was paidfor.

Aside from the practical chal-lenges such an auction wouldcreate, it exemplifies a rare out-side-the-box approach in politicswhich could be useful in dealingwith some of Kosovo’s problems.

And finally, one questionremains: What is your favoritehole in the road?

Kosovo’s Internal ReformsNeed Outside Support

By Seb Bytyçi

By Martin Waehlisch

+381 38 602042, +377 44 243376

info@avc-group.ccavcprishtina@hotmail.com

Rental of simultaneous translation equipment.

Services for conferences, presentations and trainings.

For prices and booking call:

March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

14NGO Focus

If you would like your NGO to appear inour Making a Difference feature, please

email info@prishtinainsight.com

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The education system inKosovo suffers from poorinfrastructure, ranging from

the buildings themselves to class-room equipment, and pupils oftenface short school days due to the

shift system in place to deal withoversubscription.

The picture is altogether differ-ent at the well equipped socialeducative centre Don Bosko inPrishtina, which offers studentsstate-of-art laboratories and excel-lent vocational tuition.

The Don Bosko Centre inPrishtina, named after Saint DonBosco, a 19th Century ItalianPriest who set up schools for thepoor, is part of an internationalnetwork of 2,000 not-for-profitschools under the umbrella of theSalesians of Don Bosco.

Education at the Kosovo facilitystarted in 2003 and the scope of theproject was expanded in 2008.

The centre, in Rr. Tahir Zajmi,includes vocational training; aLycee, or Middle School ofElectrotechnics; a youth centre;library; and space for social andcultural activities.

The Lycee, the first of its kind inKosovo, has 280 students andexpects to register another 130 stu-dents this year.

The student fee is 960 euro peracademic year but scholarshipsare offered to 20 per cent of stu-dents who come from poorer back-grounds.

The ‘Good Morning’ programmegathers all students and professorsbefore lessons start at 8am. Theaim is allow students to discusstheir concerns.

“The aim is not to solve the edu-cational problems in Kosovo butto establish high standards ineducation and professional voca-tions,” Anton Gojani, the coordi-nator at Don Bosko, told PrishtinaInsight.

Gojani said that Don Boskooffers qualified staff, a moderncurriculum and a positive climatefor education.

During their four years of stud-ies, from 14 to 18 years old, stu-dents are always the centre ofattention, following modernmethods of educations.

Veton Shabani, an 11th gradestudent, told Prishtina Insight: “Ileft public school and joined DonBosko. Why? Because I heard thatthere are better conditions and itproved to be so.”

Don Bosko also offers trainingfor adults to improve their skillsand prepare them for the job mar-ket.

Courses include subjects suchas electronics, IT, finances,administration and foreign lan-guages. Recently, new course onwelding, hydraulics, processing offruits and vegetables and tourismhave been added to the curricu-lum.

During a visit to the centre, agroup of women was practicingpasteurisation of processed fruitsand vegetables.

The training is provided in twodifficulty levels, with each levellasting three months. One monthcosts 80 euro.

“I am really satisfied with thetraining here,” course memberGanimete Pllana told PrishtinaInsight. “I considered myself adecent housewife but now I seethat I had missed out on the latesttechniques.”

She added that, following thetraining, she hoped to create asmall firm producing local jams,

ajvar, pickles and other products. Under a picture of Don Bosco in

the main hall of the centre is thesaying: “It is enough to know thatyou are young and abandoned forme to love you very much.”

Don Bosco’s schools are presentin 130 countries worldwide, andall are run under the Salesian phi-losophy of providing charitableeducation for the poor.

“That’s why we also have theyouth centre, the Oratorium,”Gojani explained.

“We want to guarantee a spacefor the youth where they can liveand learn together and createfriendships.”

The Oratorium is open to every-one and tries to direct young peo-ple off the streets and towardseducation.

Don Bosko is planning to openanother centre in Gjilan soon.

Visit http://www.donbosko-koso-va.com/ for more information.

Embassiesand LiaisonOffices inPrishtina

AmericanAddress: "Nazim Hikmet" no. 30Arbëria/Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 549 516AustrianAddress: "Ahmet Krasniqi" no. 22Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 249 284BelgianAddress: "Taslixhe" I, 23 A 10000 Pristina Phone: +381 (0) 38 734 734BritishAddress: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 6Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 254 700BulgarianAddress: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 12Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 038 245 540DanishAddress: "Nene Teresa" no. 210000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 249 995DutchAddress:" Xhemal Berisha" no. 12Velania, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 224 61FinnishStr. Perandori Justinian No. 19Pejton10 000 Pristina Phone: +386 43 737 000 FrenchAddress: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 67Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 22 45 88 00GreekAddress: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 68Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 243 013GermanAdress: "Azem Jashanica" no. 17Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 254 500ItalianAddress: "Azem Jashanica" no.5 Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 244 925JapaneseAddress: "Rexhep Malaj" no. 4310000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 249 995LuxemburgAddress: "Metush Krasniqi" no. 14Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 226 787MalaysianAddress: "Bedri Shala" no. 48 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 243 467NorwegianAddress: "Sejdi Kryeziu" no. 6 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 232 111 00Saudia ArabianAddress: Dardania SU 7, building 2, #110000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 549 203SlovenianAddress: "Anton Ceta" no. 610000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 244 886 SwedishStr. Perandori Justinian No. 19Pejton10 000 Pristina Phone: +381 38 24 57 95SwissAddress: "Adrian Krasniqi" no. 1110000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 248 088 TurkishAddress: "Ismail Qemajli" no. 59Arbëria /Dragodan, 10000 PrishtinaPhone: +381 (0) 38 226 044

Don Bosko: A History of Education

Don Bosco, aVisionary Priest

Saint John Bosco was bornon August 16, 1815, asGiovanni Melchiorre

Bosco, also known as DonBosco.

He was an Italian Catholicpriest and educator who dedi-cated his life to the education ofpoor youngsters and employedteaching methods based on‘love rather than punishment’.

He placed his works underthe ‘protection’ of Francis deSales, a 16th Century saint.

The organisation he foundedwas thus known as the Societyof St. Francis de Sales, or, morepopularly, as the SalesianSociety or the Salesians of DonBosco.

He also founded, togetherwith Maria DomenicaMazzarello, the Institute of theDaughters of Mary Help ofChristians, a religious congre-gation of nuns dedicated to thecare and education of poorgirls, and popularly known asSalesian Sisters.

Don Bosco succeeded inestablishing a network oforganisations and centres tocarry on his work.

In recognition, he was canon-ised by Pope Pius XI in 1934.

American Universityin Kosovo: Robert Elsie Presents: KOSOVO IN RARECOLOUR PHOTOGRAPHS, Midday

Well known writer, translator, interpreter,and specialist in Albanian studies RobertElsie will be at AUK on Tuesday, March

30, to present a collection of beautiful colour pho-tographs of Prishtina and Prizren taken in 1913.His presentation includes some of the oldest pho-tos ever taken of Kosovo. Many have never beforebeen published.If you are interested in the histo-ry of Prishtina or Prizren, this is a must-see.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010 at Midday at American University in Kosovo – AuditoriumGermia Campus, Nazim Gafurri 21.

March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

15

Timeout Contact Prishtina Insight if you would like your event to feature orto advertise your venue. Email marketing@prishtinainsight.com

By Shengjyl Osmani in Prishtina

MARCH 258 pm National Theatre Grand OpeningPrishtina New OrchestraVisar Kuci, violin and artisticdirectorNew Born ChoirYlber Asllanaj, artistic directorDonika Rudi, composerEthem Qerimi, violin

Donika Rudi: Albanian com-poser of electro acoustic andinstrumental music. She stud-ied at Conservatory of Musicin Geneva-composi-tion/instrumental music. Sheis currently following a mas-ters degree at the RoyalConservatory of Music inMons, Belgium.

MARCH 268pm Youth Palace – Red HallGala ConcertKosovo Philharmonic - OperaPatris Berisha, xylophone(Kosovo)Jonian – Ilia Kadesha, violin(Albania /Greece)Luka Sulic, violoncello(Slovenia)Claudio Buchler, conductor(Austria)

Jonian-Ilia Kadesha: Born inAthens in August 1992, hebegan studying the violin atfour.He performed for the first timein public at the age of five. In May 2000, he received twospecial prizes at the interna-tional competition “Musicalia2000” in Athens.

MARCH 298pm, National Theatre Authorial ConcertDafina Zerqiri composer(Kosovo)

8.45pmString ConcertFegus Quartet (Slovenia)

MARCH 30 7pm, National Theatre Recital ConcertMennan Berveniku (Kosovo)

8pm, Marathon ConcertKosovo Young Soloists, ensem-bles and composersFaculty of arts, music artbranch – Prishtina

MARCH 318pm Oda Theatre

Ulfah Arts and Dam Festivalpresents:The historic, heroic andhumourous works by ArmendXhaferi, guitar, Dafina Zeqiriand Visar Kuci. Violin, Alia AlZougbi, actress/storyteller(Lebanon/UK), Lule Ballata,flute, Riad Ymeri, tenor,Rosalind Parker, piano (UK),

APRIL 1

7pm National TheatreBaroque Concert Marigona Qerkezi flute(Kosovo)Annika Quartet (Kosovo)

Marigona Qerkezi: A 15-year-old student at the renownedMusic High School PrenkJakova in Prishtina, Kosovo. In 2007, Marigona received thebest artistic performanceaward at the Young MusiciansCompetition ‘Ars Kosova’ inPrishtina.

8pm National Theatre New American MusicIndiana University New MusicEnsembleDavid Dzubay, composer & con-ductor, Liana Gourdjia, violin,Robert Spady, clarinet, EricAllen, violoncello, TeddyNeidermaier, piano, DanielStein, flute.

APRIL 28pm National Theatre Concert by Swiss PaganiniAlexandre Dubach, violin(Switzerland), Luan Durmishi,tenor, New Born Choir,Ansambli Rexho Mulliqi.

APRIL 98pm Youth Palace – Red HallRecital ConcertAgron Shujaku piano

APRIL 198pm Youth Palace – Red HallFatosat N’Dam (children’s pro-gramme)Air Music OrchestraKushtrim Gashi conductorToshio Yanagisawa, conductor(Japan)

Toshio Yanagisawa: Born inJapan 1971, he studied conduct-ing at L’Ecole Normale deMusique de Paris.

Prishtina Diary

Cinema

The animated movie Cloudy Meat balls is the lat-est film to be screened at ABC. The movie fol-lows a scientist trying to solve the world food

crisis, but things get complicated and the food rainingfrom the sky doesn’t stop. The film is based on a chil-dren’s book. The film will be screened at 2pm, 4pm,and 6pm every day. The movie lasts for 1 hour and 21min. For more information, check ABC’s websitekinoabc.info or call 038 243 117.

Closer, Wednesday March 31, 8pm

Closer, a drama byPatrick Marber, is abruising dissection ofmodern relationships,in which sex is the sub-ject even when it’s not,honesty is frequentlynot the best policy, andpeople with choicesalmost always make thewrong one.

The National Theatre play is directed byKushtrim Koliqi. The play is not open to under16s because of its sensitive material. Closer isorganised by the National Theatre and ‘be ART’,and is supported by the Ministry of Culture,Youth and Sports.

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, Saturday, March 27, 8pm

Cat on a Hot Tin Roofis a play by TennesseeWilliams about a socie-ty which tries to dic-tate how people shouldlive, at a time when alack of human commu-nication has led to theisolation.

In the overcharged circumstances of a family cri-sis, many truths are revealed about our desperatefear of death, our love of life, our hidden guilt,our insecurities, our inability to face the truth,our materialism, our greatness and our pettiness.

The monthly programmes of the NationalTheatre can be found at www.teatrikombetar.euand all the tickets cost only 3 euro.

DAM FESTIVAL 2010PROGRAMME:

National Theatreof Kosovo

FRIDAY 26.03.2010

SQUARE 21:

‘Hip Hop Don’t Stop’ ;Warmp up - Luro;Special guest DJ fromGermany DJ Sket , amember of BlazinBrothers

Duplex:

DJ FICI will be playingHouse and Hip Hopmixes for you andprofessional dancers.

SATURDAY27.03.2010

SQUARE 21:

Hip Hop Arena

DJ Goce MK

The most UndergroundHip Hop DJs and manymore surprises.

Duplex:

Swiss DJ Tap Tap willbe playing Hip Hopafter the resident warmup DJ (10pm to 5am).

DJ Tap Tap firstappeared in ClubIndochine; starting offin the VIP lounge she

quickly a resident DJin many top Swissclubs. She hasperformed in France,Belgium, Moscow,Morocco, America andAsia.

SATURDAY, 03 April@ SPRAY

SPRAY CLUB:

DJ OXIA: OlivierRaymond, born in 1971in Grenoble (France),was already into “blackmusic” (disco & funk)in his early teens.During college years,Olivier’s friendshipwith StéphaneDeschezeaux kick start-ed a musical journey,with a debut on a localradio station broadcast-ing a show dedicated toFunk. Olivier’s mixesare influenced by alarge spectrum ofmusic styles: electro-funk, italo-disco, new-wave (Depeche Mode,New Order) and theearly Chicago and New-York house scene.

Warm Up: SABB (SKSupreme / Noir Music)

After: VEGIM (TMMRecords)

Afterhours: GENTI &YACINE (Spray)

March 27 - April 8, 2010

YMCK

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