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New Kosova Report

Friday
Nov 21st
Views and Analysis
Kosovo former mufti talks to Al Jazeera PDF Print E-mail
Views and Analysis
Friday, 21 November 2008

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Dr. Rexhep Boja
Below is the transcript of an interview between a leader of the Kosovo Islamic Community, Dr. Rexhep Boja, given to Al Jazeera in Arabic. 

Interviewer: Selam Alikum WR BA, I greet you on the air live and I welcome you to a new program Without Boundaries. Kosovo, considered the newest independent country in Europe is a culmination of a long chain of events in recreating the map of the Balkan region, which began in the 90's of the previous century. What concerns us in that little republic which declared its Independence on 17 February 2008 is that 90 % of its people are of Albanian Muslim extraction. Kosovo used to be part of an ethnic Albanian province of the Ottoman Empire, when the Ottomans conquered the Albania populated land in the year 1389. It remained part of the Ottoman Empire following the defeat of turkey in the Great War, when the Serbs occupied it so that an Albanian-Muslim state would not rise in the Balkans. Following WWII in 1946, Kosovo was added to the federation of
Yugoslavia and was given significant autonomy. However, during the genocidal rein of Slobodan Milosevic, Kosovo’s autonomy was illegally stripped away in the year 1989 and he continued to rule the province with iron and fire. This forced the Muslim Albanians underground and led to the creation of a secret army, which would later actively engage the Serbian army in open warfare during the 1998-1999 Kosovo War. In the year 1990 Kosovo’s parliament expressed its wish to secede from Serbia and choose Ibrahim Rugova as their president. The Kosovars voted in a referendum in 1990 and voted unanimously to secede from the Yugoslavian federation. However, all of this proved to be in vain, as they did not receive recognition from anyone in the world. The UÇK or KLA (Kosovan Liberation Army) as it came to be known in the media engaged the Serbs in open warfare aimed at ending the savage massacres against the Albanian civilians. The world became aware of the crisis and misery in Kosovo as the Serbs unleashed an indiscriminate backlash against the Albanian freedom fighters. The world powers sought a resolution to the situation and thereafter, NATO launched an aerial assault against Serbia, which forced them to pull out from Kosovo in the year 1999. NATO stationed 17, 000 Solders in Kosovo. Relentless negations concerning the province’s final status were ongoing for more than two years and concluded in setting up a plan for independence, the infamous 'Ahtisaari plan'. This plan was supported by the US and most of EU states, vehemently rejected however, by Serbia and her traditional ally Russia, thus blocking its approval at the U.N.S.C. However, Kosovars were not dismayed and on 17 February 2008, Kosovo proclaimed her independence, thus announcing the arrival of the world’s newest state. Recognition by many countries followed, none of which were from the Arab peninsula (the UAE has now recognized, as of September with Malaysia following suite later that month.) This however, still leaves Kosovo with only a handful of Muslim countries that recognize her right to be independent. In Today’s episode, we will try to understand the consequences and the ramifications of the newest Muslim country in the heart of Europe.

 
Recession impact on Kosovo and Albania and what the two can do to soften it PDF Print E-mail
Views and Analysis
Thursday, 20 November 2008
ImageNew York. Governments worldwide are taking extreme measures to prevent their countries from sliding into depression. Albania and Kosovo, with significant remittances from their respective émigré communities in the West combined with the highest unemployment rates in Europe, stand in the middle of a perfect economic storm.  In the coming months Kosovo and Albania can expect a decrease in remittances, decrease in foreign aid and investment, and increase in unemployment domestically and among its diaspora communities.  The question is what are Prishtina and Tirana doing to soften the economic impact?
 
Surroi: Kosovo Government plan is a good start PDF Print E-mail
Views and Analysis
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
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Veton Surroi
Foreign Policy Club of Kosovo, led by its chairman, the internationally acknowledged Kosovar politician and publicist Veton Surroi, issued a statement praising the Kosovo Government's four-point plan, stating that the "four-point plan presents a serious positive change of Prishtina's position."
 
Serwer: New EULEX plan "stealth partition proposal" PDF Print E-mail
Views and Analysis
Wednesday, 19 November 2008
ImageDaniel Serwer is the Director of the US Institute of Peace (USIP), which closely studied Kosovo throughout the years. In an interview, Serwer says that the new EULEX proposal is “a stealth proposal for partition” of Kosovo.
 
Demonstration: Kosovo, undivided and sovereign PDF Print E-mail
Views and Analysis
Tuesday, 18 November 2008
ImagePeaceful Demonstration in Prishtina on 19th November at 12:00. Organized by: Lëvizja VETËVENDOSJE!, Çohu, Thirrjet e Nënave, Rrjeti i Grupit të Grave të Kosovës, Rrjeti Rinor i Kosovës, Aksioni Qytetar FOL'08, CBM-Mitrovicë, Iniciativa për Progres and many other organizations.

Kosovo, undivided and sovereign

Kosovo, declared and internationally accepted as an independent and sovereign country is being threatened in its territory and sovereignty. The Six Points proposed by the UN, modified by Serbia, and accepted by the EU, intend to partition Kosovo into two: about 1/3 of the territory will be given to the parallel structures of Serbia, which means under the control of Serbia. These Points reduce the area in which the institutions of Kosovo operate and expands that of the parallel institutions of Serbia in Kosovo in the most important elements of the exercise of state sovereignty, especially in the police, courts and customs. This is unacceptable.
 
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