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13 07 2007 This Friday's Life in Kosovo show tackled one of the most talked about issues in Kosovo - holding elections before final status is resolved.
Panellists in the live studio discussion were:
Lutfi Haziri - Democratic League of Kosova, LDK;
Fatimir Limaj - Democratic Party of Kosova, PDK;
Bajram Kosumi - Alliance for the Future of Kosova, AAK;
Ylber Hysa - Reformist party, ORA; and
Behgjet Pacolli - Alliance for New Kosovo, AKR;
The following questions were addressed during the debate: Does Kosovo need municipal and parliamentary elections now when its political status is about to be defined? Who is in favour and who is against elections? Will elections distract Kosovo's population from the final status issue? Do municipal assemblies have legitimacy? Is the Unity Team going to break up after pre-status elections?
Kosovo, a former province of Serbia, should be granted internationally-monitored independence, according to a UN plan for Kosovo drafted by special envoy Martti Ahtisaari. The proposal is supported by the US and EU member countries of the UN Security Council, but it has been blocked by Russia, a permanent member of the council.
During the first part of the show, panellists were eager to express their views on the status delay.
Lutfi Haziri, deputy prime minister of Kosovo, said during the debate that the best way to solve Kosovo's political status is to stick to plan A, which is a UN Security Council resolution.
"We all are certain that the way to solve Kosovo's status through the Security Council is the best one," said Haziri.
According to Haziri, plan B, to find a solution outside the UN Security Council, would be a more difficult and troublesome.
The Unity Team, comprising the country's top politicians will meet US secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, in Washington on July 23.
Fatmir Limaj, deputy head of the PDK, said that it is important for the Kosovo delegation, which will travel to Washington to present to Rice certain and very concrete demands as well as plans for the coming six months.
"They should have a strategy and make clear that 'we are ready with our new constitution, with the state symbols'," Limaj said and emphasised "the delegation should set a deadline for resolving status, saying that 'we can only wait until this certain point and no longer!'"
Limaj said that if there are no opportunities left to solve the status issues through the UN Security Council, Kosovo should declare its independence.
The senior officials on the panel agreed with Limaj on this point - if no solution can be reached through the UN Security Council, Kosovo should declare independence.
During the second half of the debate, panellists discussed the core issue of the show, the upcoming elections.
Hysa said that his party is prepared to have elections.
"We are ready. We are not afraid of elections, but ORA cannot decide, if Kosovo should or shouldn't have elections," said Hysa.
According to Hysa, elections could be dangerous for status, only if Kosovars are not prepared for them.
"If we are not prepared, if we don't have legislation, if we don't agree upon a date to declare independence or if we have elections in order to forget the status issue, then we shouldn't have them," he said.
Haziri explained during the debate that Kosovo parties have come surprisingly fast to a consensus on the elections.
Kosumi said that the party he represents would like to have elections only if Kosovo politicians agree upon a date to declare independence once it is clear that there will be no resolution for Kosovo in the UN Security Council.
"Kosovo's assembly should declare that they are ready for independence and should set the date for independence and after that we should declare when to have elections," said Kosumi.
Behgjet Pacolli, head of AKR, agreed with him. "If there's no set date for independence, there shouldn't be elections!"
During the show, BIRN also broadcast an exclusive interview with David Phillips, Balkan expert and former senior adviser to the US State Department's Bureau of European and Canadian Affairs.
Phillips said that the parliament of Kosova should adopt a resolution that affirms its commitment to the principles of the Ahtisaari plan, recognises the positive contribution of French president Nicolas Sarkozy's timetable and makes clear that the 120-day period begins on the day that statement is adopted.
He said during the interview that Kosovars need to spell out that they will go for statehood after a 120-day grace period for fresh talks has expired.
"They should announce the date at the end of this 120-day period, when they will declare independence, and then they should use the interim period between the announcement of that date and when the date finally arrives to set up missions in key capitals in western countries, so that the declaration of independence is warmly received…," said Phillips.
[If you wish to read the whole interview, click here: http://www.birn.eu.com/en/94/10/3643/ ]
Life in Kosovo, a BIRN-organised TV debate, is moderated by BIRN Kosovo Director Jeta Xharra and broadcast on Kosovo's National Television, RTK, every Friday beginning at 20.15.
At the beginning of 2010 BIRN network published Digging Deeper - A Guide for Investigative Journalists in the Balkans, written in cooperation with Sheila Coronel, Director of the Stabile Center for Investigative Journalism and professor of professional practice at Columbia University, New York.
Komentari:
Life in Kosovo
Poslao: 2007-07-26 10:59:17,
BIRN should rename its Debates section to Kosovo debates. It is almost the only topic debated here. Kosovo has 90% of its population composed of albanians and 10% of serbs (I don't know how accurate this numbers are now). The serbs have failed in managing the Kosovo crisis. That's it. I do not think that there is other way but independence from Serbia. It's only a matter of time. But the real problem comes afterwards. What will be the relation between Kosovo and Albania?