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"Life in Kosovo" Discusses War Veterans

04 03 2010  Life in Kosovo discussed war veterans from the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).

The questions covered included the following: Does the KLA enjoy respect for their actions during the war? Does Kosovo have a clear strategy on how to treat veterans? How does Kosovo’s handling of war veterans compare to other countries?

Is the government using the KLA’s war to cover their mistakes and deficiencies? How do fighters feel today?

How much attention is paid to the aesthetic and cultural message from sites representing Kosovo’s recent history? How does the proposed memorial for the Jashari family in Prekaz look?  
 

To discuss these and other questions, he following guests joined host Jeta Xharra in the studio:

Ylber Selmani, left disabled by the war
Shqipe Mehmeti-Selimi, former KLA fighter  
Faik Fazliu, advisor to the prime minister  
Përparim Rama, architect

 
The show began with an investigative report by journalist Jeta Abazi, who talked about the treatment of war veterans in Kosovo’s society, focusing on the lack of legislation dealing with pensions for war veterans.

Jeta Abazi then interviewed Rifat Kuka, a former fighter in KLA, who said that he fought in the war “to protect [his] country, not to seek personal benefits afterwards”.

On the other hand, Muhamet Svirca, who was left heavily disabled after the war, spoke about how he felt that his country had not helped him at all when he needed it the most.

Comparing the treatment of war veterans in other countries in the region, Tome Kacinari, head of the Croatian War Veterans Association, said that it is shameful for Kosovo not to treat its veterans in the best possible manner, as the “Croatian state has placed its veterans in its constitution.

Unlike Kosovo, which pays them only 200 euro per month, Croatia offers them better living conditions,” he said.

After Jeta Abazi’s report, Jeta Xharra started the studio debate by asking Faik Fazliu, the prime minister’s advisor on war veterans, what the government agrees about with veterans, and what they disagree about.

Mr Fazliu replied that “it’s not an issue of whether we agree or not”, and that “we have to solve this once and for all, because they don’t yet enjoy all their rights”.

He went on to claim that a law on war veterans will be ratified this year and, as a result, veterans will soon have greater support from the state.

Ylber Selmani, a disabled war veteran, was asked how he feels about these claims of progress. He replied that he was “not hearing such promises for the first time. For ten years we have been listening to the same words and, since 2002, war veterans and invalids have received a pension from the Ministry of Social Welfare.”

Shqipe Mehmeti-Selimi, a former KLA fighter, when asked what she expects from the country, said that she does not expect the same treatment from Kosovo’s state as veterans in Croatia.

She explained that, most of all, there is no legislative support in Kosovo for veterans, but that she would like to be able to help her fellow veterans who are left on the streets.

She continued by saying that she “would also like to have a Veteran’s day, like in the UK and the United States, so [veterans’] contribution to the war can be noted and respected.”

Perparim Rama, an architect who lives in UK, was asked how Veteran’s day (Remembrance day) is celebrated in the UK.

He replied that it has been celebrated on the 11th November every year since 1918, to show respect to veterans from all wars. At 11 o’clock, everything stops for 2 minutes, to show respect to soldiers’ contributions and sacrifices.

Continuing the debate, the two veterans, Mr Selmani and Ms Mehmeti-Selimi, asked for greater support from both society and the state, in moral as well as financial terms.

Mr Fazliu stated that the large increase in the number of veterans since the war has necessitated a number of steps through which applicants for support must follow, in order to insure that the list of war veterans does not include those who were not part of the war.

As part of the show, journalist Fatos Halili interviewed the Italian Ambassador in Kosovo, Michael Giffoni, about the international community’s strategy for north Mitrovica.

When asked to compare the remit of the International Civilian Office and his own, said it was like comparing “an elephant and a mouse”. He did, however, refuse to say which was which.

Evaluating his five months in Kosovo, he noted that “I want to initially explain that my duty is not official. It is an informal duty that was given to me in October for the north of Kosovo. It is an informal duty which doesn’t have the character of representing the European Union.

I have three objectives. First, to strengthen the credibility of the EU in the north; second, to promote the values and the views of the European Union and support economic and social development. And, at the end, the duty is to intervene in issues where help is needed to de-politicise certain situations.”

In the ‘Justice in Kosovo’ section, researcher Besiana Gashi explained that despite heavy investment, the information system for managing cases, SIML, does not function in Kosovo’s courts.
 
Journalist Fatos Halili looked at the ‘Prishtina Open 2010’ national debating tour for students, which was held on February 27 and 28, organised by non-governmental organisations in Kosovo.  
 
The show ended with a satirical sketch from Lamjet.

Life in Kosovo is a co-production between Kosovo Public Television, RTK and the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN. It is broadcast every Thursday, starting at 20:20.