From mentor at alb-net.com Thu Feb 5 10:20:36 2004 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Mentor Cana) Date: Thu, 5 Feb 2004 10:20:36 -0500 (EST) Subject: [NYC-L] [Kcc-News] Kosovo: Trade Booms Between Old Enemies Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kosova Crisis Center (KCC) News: http://www.alb-net.com/index.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/bcr3/bcr3_200402_479_3_eng.txt Kosovo: Trade Booms Between Old Enemies Albanians may have thrown off Belgrade rule but they are still part of the Serbian economy. By Tanja Matic and Altin Ahmeti in Pristina (BCR No 479, 04-Feb-04) Every week, ethnic Albanians from Pristina head into the city's supermarket and fill their shopping baskets with goods from Serbia - a republic that most of Kosovo's majority think of as enemy Number One. Four years after the armed uprising that resulted in Kosovo throwing off Serbian political control, the region remains reliant on its powerful northern neighbour for many of its most basic needs. Stores in the international protectorate are lined with Serbian goods, ranging from foodstuffs to shopping powder and even bricks and mortar - all evidence of the fact that while political dialogue between Serbs and Albanians remains stalled, trade between the two is booming. The goods pour in from every part of Serbia. Favourites from the sweet section include "Medeno Srce" (honey heart) and "Plazma" biscuits, from the northern town of Subotica and from Slobodan Milosevic's home town of Pozarevac respectively. Over in the dairy section is "Imlek" milk from Belgrade, while the hardware shelves stock "Tesla" light bulbs from Pancevo in Vojvodina and Merix soap powder from Krusevac. Pristina store owner Avni says no one makes a fuss, "I sell these products and people do not complain. Some even ask for 'Beogradsko Mleko' (Belgrade Milk) that they used to buy for years, though we don't have that one any more." Avni laughs at the idea of boycotting Serbian goods out of patriotism. Shoppers, he says, easily distinguish between much-loved products and the state that produced them. "We don't identify Serbian products with the Serbian state," he said with a smile, "and what's most important is that these products are mostly the cheapest ones." The Albanians certainly do not buy Serbian goods out of any nostalgia for the former regime. Geography and simple economics play the largest part. Under UN Resolution 1244, Kosovo has remained part of Yugoslavia pending a decision on its final status. That means no customs duties are paid on goods from Serbia and Montenegro, the successor state to Yugoslavia. The other factor is that Kosovo simply doesn't produce much these days. With very few home-grown products to offer, people here have to buy their goods from somewhere. One obvious area of cooperation is building. The armed conflict between Albanians and Yugoslav forces left thousands of homes destroyed. As a result, one of the main economic activities in the entity is the construction industry. If Kosovo Albanians see any irony in buying bricks and mortar from the republic whose forces destroyed their homes, they are not disturbed by it. Milos Boskovic, sales director of the Vojvodina-based Potisje brick factory, told IWPR that since the end of conflict cooperation has blossomed with Kosovo Albanians. "Kosovo is a very important market to us. Up to 70 per cent of our annual production goes there," he said. But not everyone is happy with the flourishing trade relations between these two former enemies. Kosovo economists point out that business is very one-sided. Thanks to the entity's undeveloped economy and Serbian reluctance to recognise Kosovo travel documents, the goods only travel one way - south. Mustafa Ibrahimi, of the Kosovo Chamber of Economy, complains that even if the region's economy was more developed, container trucks from there would not be in a position to enter Serbia. "Serbia has the advantage over exports to Kosovo, as Albanians are not able to travel to Serbia on Kosovo licence plates," he said. Statistics from the entity's ministry of trade illustrate the stark imbalance. Serbia exported goods to Kosovo in first nine months of 2003 worth 108 million euro, just over 15 per cent of the region's total imports. Over the same period, Kosovo sold Serbia goods worth some 3.5 million euro. Goods heading north were worth less than one-thirtieth of the amount travelling south. Kosovo trade minister Ali Jakupi says the duty-free regime between Serbia and the protectorate hinders the growth of local industries and makes Serbian products more competitive than local ones. "We should trade with Serbia under different conditions, because without proper customs duty, Serbia has advantage in selling us products such as flour, oil, sugar, which are consumed in huge amount here," he said. "There are no psychological reasons for this trade - Serbian products are just cheaper." While Milos Boskovic's brick factory in Vojvodina is flourishing, Shemsedin Rashiti's in Podujevo, north-east Kosovo, is close to bankruptcy, owing to competition with Serbia. "Bricks bought in Serbia costs 13 to 19 cents each but in Kosovo they cost about 30 cents per brick," he said. "People have no interest in buying from us here in Kosovo." Until Kosovo starts producing goods that are cheaper and as good as Serbian products, the Albanian money will continue to flow north to Serbia. "People want the lowest prices and we have to meet customers' needs," said Agron, a store keeper from the Besa supermarket in Pristina's Bregu i Diellit district, pointing to shelves covered with products from everywhere but Kosovo. "I have to buy this container of Serbian salt, as that is the only one in this shop," a customer explained defensively. "If there was any other one, I wouldn't buy this Serbian one." Tanja Matic is IWPR Kosovo project coordinator. Altin Ahmeti is an economics journalist with Koha Ditore. ______________________________________________________________ If you wish to unsubscribe, send a blank message to: kcc-news-unsubscribe at alb-net.com , or visit KCC-NEWS's page at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/kcc-news From mentor at alb-net.com Sun Feb 8 16:30:38 2004 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Albanians in Macedonia Crisis Center News & Information) Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 16:30:38 -0500 (EST) Subject: [NYC-L] [AMCC-News] Macedonia: Albanian Party Dominates by Default Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- AMCC http://www.alb-net.com/amcc/ --------------------------------------------------------------------- http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?archive/bcr3/bcr3_200401_476_2_eng.txt Macedonia: Albanian Party Dominates by Default Moderate party has weak local support among Albanians, but survives because it's still perceived as better than the alternative. By Fami Bajrami in Skopje (BCR No 476, 15-Jan-04) Moves to legalise a controversial Albanian-language university in Macedonia are likely to boost the standing of the moderate Albanian party, the Democratic Party for Integration, DUI, on which the government heavily relies as a coalition partner. The DUI needs all the help it can get, since its political base is weak at grassroots level. The only saving grace is that its rival in Albanian constituency areas, the more radical Democratic of Albanians, DPA, is even less popular. In a debate starting on January 16, the Macedonian parliament is set to pass a law that gives legal status to an Albanian university in Tetovo, in an area which saw several months of violent ethnic conflict in 2001. The university was established illegally 10 years ago and became a symbol of the Albanians' struggle for higher education in their own language. Attempts to close it down have only bolstered support for it. Under the proposed law, the university will not only become legal but will receive state funding. The move will defuse a long-running source of tension between the country's two main ethnic groups. If passed, the law will be viewed as a triumph for the DUI, the party formed by former Albanian rebels who gave up their guns after the conflict. No other Albanian party can claim success in driving such a reform through. Since it was founded two years ago, the DUI has been seen as the main guarantor of the Ohrid peace deal that ended the conflict. The credentials it has won for its moderate views have positioned it well to tackle thorny issues like the university in Tetovo. The DUI is the minor partner in a coalition led by the Socialist Democratic Alliance of Macedonia, SDSM, which came to power in September 2002. The Albanian party won 17 seats in parliament, and has four government ministers and a deputy prime minister. The coalition ousted a cabinet run by nationalists from either side of the divide - the Macedonian VMRO and, on the Albanian side, the DPA. While those parties were united in wanting to see the small republic split in two along ethnic lines, the SDSM-DUI partnership pledged to maintain a multi-ethnic society. The DUI still dominates the Albanian political scene in the face of ineffectual opposition from the DPA, which remains mired in allegations of corruption and perceptions that it is intransigent on disarmament issues. But on the ground, things sometimes look rather different - the DUI faces opposition in some Albanian-majority areas controlled by mayors loyal to its rival. It suffered a reverse in November when the government-sponsored campaign it was backing to encourage Macedonians to hand in their weapons ran into trouble, because of a boycott in 23 municipalities controlled by the DPA. This weakness on the ground underlines criticisms that the DUI remains top-heavy, poorly organised and politically immature. Analysts in Macedonia say the party has only a handful of experienced officials, no proper party structure and no visible presence on the ground. And, they say, it is too reliant on its leader Ali Ahmeti, a charismatic figure whom one diplomat pointedly described as "the man who keeps Macedonia together". "They need to get organised properly and then decentralise power to their regions," a senior western diplomat told IWPR. "They might become a proper party in the end as they don't have any competition. The DPA is discredited and its radical ideas are not massively supported by the population." This view of the DPA is shared by many diplomatic sources in Macedonia, who told IWPR they believe the party is a spent force with a policy platform that offers little more than a return to the past. The DUI's advantage seems to be growing. The latest polls released in December by the United States' International Republican Institute showed Ahmeti's popularity rating up four percentage points from October to 11 per cent. By contrast, the popularity of DPA leader Arben Xhaferi slumped to four per cent. For some observers, the DUI's weak points are outweighed by its steadfast refusal to allow talk of ethnic partition, a positive factor which has played well with Macedonians. "This is probably the first time in a decade that Macedonian and Albanian parties have functioned properly in government," a source in the government told IWPR. "The Albanian party usually just demands control of the western part of the country and is not interested in anything else. That's not the case now." But others point out that the DUI's apparent strength may simply represent the lack of any reasonable alternative. Ahead of local elections in October 2004, many of the Albanians who voted for the DUI two years ago are unhappy about the slow progress the governing coalition has made in implementing reforms set out in the Ohrid accord, and its failure to check former rebel commanders who are often accused of involvement in organised crime. The views of one 22-year-old man from Tetovo are fairly typical, "It turns out they [DUI] have no control over former commanders who go around stirring up trouble." Like many others, this man said he would nevertheless vote DUI again, because he cannot see a better option. DUI leaders say they are well aware of the local concerns facing their voters, and are not taking their support for granted. "We have not forgotten our constituency," the party's deputy leader Teuta Arifi told IWPR. "It is true there are people who have been disappointed, but you have to bear in mind that there are problems and issues that we cannot resolve immediately. There are around 400,000 people unemployed. We are really focused on the key issues." Party members also told IWPR that the DUI is still a young organisation, and is trying to address concerns about its outreach by building up a party network in all the areas where Albanians live. With the DPA in disarray, and no other major Albanian players emerging, the DUI's most immediate challenge may be to avoid a run-in with its allies in government. SDSM leader Branko Crvenkovski has a reputation for marginalising previous Albanian coalition partners and riding roughshod over their concerns. "The only danger for Ahmeti is if his voters see him as being manipulated by Crvenkovski," one diplomat told IWPR. Fami Bajrami is a journalist with the Albanian language weekly Lobi. ______________________________________________________________ If you wish to unsubscribe, send a blank message to: amcc-news-unsubscribe at alb-net.com , or visit AMCC-NEWS's page at: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/amcc-news From Vhaliti at qc1.qc.edu Sun Feb 8 23:34:17 2004 From: Vhaliti at qc1.qc.edu (Valon Haliti) Date: Sun, 8 Feb 2004 23:34:17 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] SEXTET - Albanian Comedy Message-ID: <4021E343@webmail.qc.edu> Title: SEXTET - Albanian Comedy Start Time: 12:00 PM Duration: 02 hour(s) 00 minutes(s) Location: 358 West 44th Street, New York Category: Generic This is a generic event. Other Information: Komedia SEXTET do te shfaqet ne Manhattan ne keto data: February 19, 20, 21, dhe 22 - 2004 ne ora 7pm. Premiera do te jete me 19 Shkurt, 2004 (February 19, 2004) vizitoni http://www.lucidvagabond.com/posters.html per me shum informata. For info call: 646.250.4300 dhe 973.980.7717 Valon Haliti CA OIT Queens College From oconnorr at washpost.com Mon Feb 9 12:26:55 2004 From: oconnorr at washpost.com (Rita O'Connor) Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2004 12:26:55 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] SEXTET - Albanian Comedy Message-ID: It would be fun to go to NYC to see this. Maybe Selvete would be interested or Ilirjana and her sister. Valon Haliti cc: Sent by: Subject: [NYC-L] SEXTET - Albanian Comedy nyc-l-bounces at alb -net.com 02/08/2004 11:34 PM Please respond to "Albanians in New York City Discussion Forum (New York City, USA)" === NYC-L: New York City Discussion Forum === Title: SEXTET - Albanian Comedy Start Time: 12:00 PM Duration: 02 hour(s) 00 minutes(s) Location: 358 West 44th Street, New York Category: Generic This is a generic event. Other Information: Komedia SEXTET do te shfaqet ne Manhattan ne keto data: February 19, 20, 21, dhe 22 - 2004 ne ora 7pm. Premiera do te jete me 19 Shkurt, 2004 (February 19, 2004) vizitoni http://www.lucidvagabond.com/posters.html per me shum informata. For info call: 646.250.4300 dhe 973.980.7717 Valon Haliti CA OIT Queens College ____________________________________________________ NYC-L: A discussion and information list of the Albanian community in the New York City Metro Area. To post to the list: NYC-L at alb-net.com For more information: http://www.alb-net.com/mailman/listinfo/nyc-l From ditaaa at yahoo.com Tue Feb 10 23:44:14 2004 From: ditaaa at yahoo.com (Aferdita Hakaj) Date: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 20:44:14 -0800 (PST) Subject: [NYC-L] ***ASA EVENT on Wednesday, March 3rd*** Message-ID: <20040211044414.77959.qmail@web9905.mail.yahoo.com> Albanian Students Association (ASA) John Jay College of Criminal Justice Presenting: Democratizing Serbia and Resolving the Albanian National Question:The Keys to Ending the Balkan Conflict in the 21st Century With the victory of ultranationalist, pro-Milosevic forces in Serbia?s December parliamentary elections, the international community can no longer afford to back Serbia as an emerging democratic state. Unless it confronts the collusion of war criminals, organized crime, and the ruling elite in Belgrade and gets on with the critical task of de-Nazifying and democratizing postwar Serbia, the destabilization of the Balkans will continue and the risk of renewed armed conflict will grow. Central to this task will be preparing Serbia to recognize that it must forfeit any claims to Kosova, following a decade of illegal occupation culminating in genocidal warfare. Equally important and also central to this task will be preparing Western Europe and the United States, in particular, to recognize that their failure to grapple with more than a century of anti-Albanian racism lies at the heart of the Balkan conflict. If the human, civil, and political rights of Albanians?the indigenous people and the third largest ethnic group in the Balkans?are not fully and finally granted and protected, the region will fall apart. And if the Balkans fall apart, the international community will pay dearly. DioGuardi and Cloyes will discuss the work of the Albanian American Civic League, the only officially registered lobby representing Albanian issues in Washington, DC, to bring independence to Albanians in Kosova, equality to Albanians in Macedonia, Montenegro, the Presheve Valley, and Chameria, genuine democracy to Albania, and lasting peace and stability to Southeast Europe. Date: March 3rd, 2004 Time: 3.15 - 6:00pm Location: 1311, Lecture Hall, North Building Honorable Guest Speakers: Ms. Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi Balkan Affairs Adviser of the Albanian American Civic League & Ms. Joseph J. DioGuardi Former Congressman and President of the Albanian American Civic League This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first serve basis. For further information: email asajjc at yahoo.com or visit our Weblink: www.asacuny.com --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance: Get your refund fast by filing online -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From ditaaa at yahoo.com Wed Feb 11 14:24:00 2004 From: ditaaa at yahoo.com (Aferdita Hakaj) Date: Wed, 11 Feb 2004 11:24:00 -0800 (PST) Subject: [NYC-L] ***ASA EVENT on March 3rd*** Message-ID: <20040211192400.55377.qmail@web9907.mail.yahoo.com> Albanian Students Association (ASA) John Jay College of Criminal Justice Presenting: Democratizing Serbia and Resolving the Albanian National Question:The Keys to Ending the Balkan Conflict in the 21st Century With the victory of ultranationalist, pro-Milosevic forces in Serbia?s December parliamentary elections, the international community can no longer afford to back Serbia as an emerging democratic state. Unless it confronts the collusion of war criminals, organized crime, and the ruling elite in Belgrade and gets on with the critical task of de-Nazifying and democratizing postwar Serbia, the destabilization of the Balkans will continue and the risk of renewed armed conflict will grow. Central to this task will be preparing Serbia to recognize that it must forfeit any claims to Kosova, following a decade of illegal occupation culminating in genocidal warfare. Equally important and also central to this task will be preparing Western Europe and the United States, in particular, to recognize that their failure to grapple with more than a century of anti-Albanian racism lies at the heart of the Balkan conflict. If the human, civil, and political rights of Albanians?the indigenous people and the third largest ethnic group in the Balkans?are not fully and finally granted and protected, the region will fall apart. And if the Balkans fall apart, the international community will pay dearly. DioGuardi and Cloyes will discuss the work of the Albanian American Civic League, the only officially registered lobby representing Albanian issues in Washington, DC, to bring independence to Albanians in Kosov a, equality to Albanians in Macedonia, Montenegro, the Presheve Valley, and Chameria, genuine democracy to Albania, and lasting peace and stability to Southeast Europe. Date: March 3rd, 2004 Time: 3.15 - 6:00pm Location: 1311, Lecture Hall, North Building Honorable Guest Speakers: Ms. Shirley Cloyes DioGuardi Balkan Affairs Adviser of the Albanian American Civic League & Ms. Joseph J. DioGuardi Former Congressman and President of the Albanian American Civic League This event is free and open to all with no ticket required. Entry is on a first come, first serve basis. For further information: email asajjc at yahoo.com or visit our Weblink: www.asacuny.com --------------------------------- Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Finance: Get your refund fast by filing online -------------- next part -------------- HTML attachment scrubbed and removed From jeton at hotmail.com Tue Feb 17 20:36:48 2004 From: jeton at hotmail.com (Jeton Ademaj) Date: Tue, 17 Feb 2004 20:36:48 -0500 Subject: [NYC-L] evil Illyria? Message-ID: hello i just had to share my annoyance with this latest example of linguistic exploitation, from Yahoo! TV guide: ANGEL WB 11 Feb 25 09:00pm Series/Drama, 60 Mins. "A Hole in the World", Episode #515. Angel and Spike try to save Fred after she opens a package and becomes infected with an ancient parasitic demon called Illyria. Cast: David Boreanaz, Alexis Denisof, J. August Richards, Amy Acker, Andy Hallett, James Marsters, Sarah Thompson. Director(s): Joss Whedon. Producer(s): Joss Whedon, Gail Berman, Fran Rubel Kuzui, Kaz Kuzui, Sandy Gallin, David Greenwalt. Writer(s): John Whedon. Original Airdate: February 25, 2004. _________________________________________________________________ Dream of owning a home? Find out how in the First-time Home Buying Guide. http://special.msn.com/home/firsthome.armx