From mentor at alb-net.com Sun Feb 4 12:13:59 2007 From: mentor at alb-net.com (Kosova Crisis Center News and Information) Date: Sun, 4 Feb 2007 12:13:59 -0500 (EST) Subject: [Prishtina-l] [Kcc-News] 1) UN plan calls for Kosovo constitution; 2) Press-Release by the Albanian-American Coalition for the Independence of Kosova, 3)Congressman Trent Franks Completely Wrong On Kosova (fwd) Message-ID: --------------------------------------------------------------------- Kosova Crisis Center (KCC) News: http://www.alb-net.com/index.htm --------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------- next part -------------- 1. UN plan calls for Kosovo constitution 2. Press-Release by the Albanian-American Coalition for the Independence of Kosova 3. CONGRESSMAN TRENT FRANKS COMPLETELY WRONG ON KOSOVA!!! ### 1 ### UN plan calls for Kosovo constitution http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,2004522,00.html Agencies Friday February 2, 2007 Guardian Unlimited A new UN plan for Kosovo would see it effectively achieve statehood in all but name, it was reported today. The plan, drawn up by the UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari, does not explicitly mention the word independence. However, it calls for a multi-ethnic Kosovo "governing itself democratically and with full respect for the rule of law", the Associated Press reported. It recommends that the province adopts its own constitution and is empowered "to negotiate and conclude international agreements, including the right to seek membership in international organisations". The UN proposal - which is being presented to Serbia's president and Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leadership today - lays out terms for "a future Kosovo that is viable, sustainable and stable". Ultimately, it intends to "ensure the promotion and protection of the rights of communities and their members, the effective decentralisation of government, and the preservation and protection of cultural and religious heritage". Mr Ahtisaari said protecting the rights of Kosovo's 100,000 Serbs and other minorities was at the heart of the scheme. It outlines "a high degree of control" for Serbs over their own affairs, and would grant them six new Serb-administered municipalities and a greater voice in the higher education and health systems. Serbs also would be given "extensive municipal autonomy in financial matters, including the ability to accept transparent funding from Serbia". "An important element of the settlement is the mandate provided for a future international civilian and military presence in Kosovo, to supervise implementation of the settlement and assist the competent Kosovo authorities in ensuring peace and stability throughout Kosovo," the draft document said. It recommended that a "new, professional and multi-ethnic Kosovo security force" with 2,500 active members and 800 reservists should be set up within a year. The plan provides for an "international civilian representative" with a dual role as the EU's top official in Kosovo, who would "have ultimate supervisory authority over the implementation of the settlement". The proposals would also protect Kosovo's Serbian Orthodox churches, which have been targeted by ethnic Albanians. "More than 40 key religious and cultural sites will be surrounded by protective zones to prevent any disruptive commercial and industrial development or construction, and to preserve the cultural dignity of such sites," the draft said. It added that physical security would be in place at some sites. Around 200,000 Serbs fled Kosovo after the war in the wake of revenge attacks by ethnic Albanians. "All refugees and internally displaced persons from Kosovo will have the right to return and reclaim their property and personal possessions," the document said. "The settlement also calls upon Kosovo and Serbia to cooperate fully with the International Committee of the Red Cross to resolve the fate of missing persons." Guardian Unlimited C Guardian News and Media Limited 2007 ### 2 ### Press-Release Albanian-American Coalition for the Independence of Kosova C/O 2021 L Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036 (202) 466-6900 New York, NY, January 31, 2007: On January 20, 2007, at the invitation of National Albanian American Council, many representatives of various Albanian civic, cultural and humanitarian organizations from the United States and Canada met in New York to reaffirm our unwavering support for the immediate RECOGNITION of the FULL AND UNCONDITIONAL INDEPENDENCE of KOSOVA. This is the only just, historically justified and politically viable alternative that can guarantee long-lasting peace, development and stability in Southeastern Europe. The people of Kosova have the right to live free of Serbia and, in light of their history, independence is an outcome long overdue. Beginning in 1912 with Serbia's illegal occupation of Kosova, through 1999, Belgrade has repeatedly violated Kosova's right to self-determination and has engaged in a systematic campaign of violence, economic disenfranchisement, coercion and ethnic cleansing against Albanians. "[A]t a time when Germany can expel tens of thousands of Jews.the expulsion of a few hundred thousand Albanians [out of Kosova] will not lead to the outbreak of a world war" wrote a prominent Serb academic in 1936 in his platform on how to "cleanse" Kosova from Albanians. Many Serb leaders worked to make this policy a reality - Milo?evi? was simply the latest among them. The savagery of the 1999 Serbian aggression resulted in the killing of over 10,000 Albanians, the rape of countless women, the expulsion of nearly 1,000,000 Albanians or over half of the local population, the disappearance of thousands, many of whom are also feared dead, and the destruction of nearly 150,000 homes and businesses. Only the armed struggle of the Kosova Liberation Army and the NATO intervention put an end to Serbia's violent occupation. It is unrealistic to believe that the Albanian people could be forced to live again under any form of union with a state that carried out such aggression and that has yet to express remorse, make reparations, or even accept responsibility for its actions. In Serbia's recent elections, Milo?evi?'s prodigies led by an indicted war criminal took the largest number of the votes of any Serbian party. Even the self-styled democratic leadership of Tadi? and Kostunica, has never admitted the atrocities perpetrated by the Serbian army and paramilitaries against the Albanians of Kosova and to this day, nearly a decade later, it has failed to send the most important war criminals to the Hague Tribunal. Instead, Belgrade has tried to create a false moral equivalence between the perpetrators of the Serbian state-sponsored aggression and the individual Kosovars who have been responsible for isolated acts of violence and reprisal. Kosova is currently fully engaged in modernizing and democratizing its nascent institutions. It is a de facto state in full cooperation with the international community and its representatives are committed to developing a western-style democracy in which all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, are guaranteed full human and civil rights. In fact, Kosova's parliament currently practices affirmative action and provides far more than proportional representation to the ethnic Serb minority as a gesture of the Albanians' commitment to a lasting and peaceful coexistence. What Kosova now needs, in order to stimulate its economy, provide educational opportunities, further embrace the rule of law, attract foreign capital and otherwise generally advance the wishes of its citizenry, is the formal recognition of its statehood by the international community. This would ensure a long-lasting peace in Southeastern Europe, a region where Albanians live in large percentages in six neighboring countries (Albania, Kosova, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece) and are an important stability factor. The people of Kosova have already unequivocally expressed that independence is their resolute choice - through their elected bodies as well as through a landslide referendum. During the last eight years as a United Nations protectorate, they have been extraordinarily patient with the legal and political process established to define the status of Kosova. While the people of Kosova remain deeply thankful for the assistance provided by the United States and the rest of the international community, perpetual international supervision and the Bosnianization of Kosova will only invite instability. It is time to accept the will of the people of Kosova to live free and sovereign. Lets ensure that this last round of status discussions in the international community yields an Independent State of Kosova. ### 3 ### CONGRESSMAN TRENT FRANKS COMPLETELY WRONG ON KOSOVA!!! (Note: Analysys by the Albanian Coalition for the Independence of Kosova, c/o 2021 L Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC, 20036) If he is this wrong on one of the top 5 US Foreign Policy Issues of 2007, How can Americans trust his intelligence and judgment on anything else?! Washington, D.C., February 1, 2007: Representative Franks shared some flagrant points of view on the situation in Kosova this month with The American Legion Magazine which were neither truthful nor constructive, given that we are in the final stages of accomplishing Kosova's final status which must be Independence. Please note the Congressman's insulting remarks below with informed reaction. Rep. Franks: "The Serbian situation is an example of the struggle between an ideology that affirms the sanctity of life and the tolerance of all religions, and an ideology that uses violence to force a majority on unwilling individuals. This is not unlike Israel's struggle against those who seek religious fulfillment by massacring Jews." The Facts: Not so. On freedom of religion, which seems to be of great concern to Rep. Franks, compare Serbia with Kosova. "Immediately prior to Easter 2006 - writes the International Crisis Group in its Policy Briefing no 44, 8 November 2006, p. 15 - Kostunica [Serbia PM] rushed through the Parliament the "Law on Churches," which essentially enshrines the Serbian Orthodox Church as a state Church, and could cause the closure of a number of denominations that were legally registered under communist rule in Yugoslavia and are viewed as mainstream in the West. Its restrictive nature provoked a joint protest from the OSCE and the Council of Europe, as well as from the US Helsinki Commission. Donation slips for the Church are now sometimes included in home utility bills." On the contrary, the new "Law on Religion" that was signed into law in Kosova last September recognizes all religious faiths, including the relative newcomers of the Protestant communities. Different faiths have always coexisted in Kosova, where the majority identifies as Muslim, but Catholics and Orthodox have been traditionally present as well. Serb nationalist rhetoric has always tried to identify Serbian suffering to the suffering of the Jews during the Holocaust and depict Albanians as Nazis. This is a manipulation of history that has no ground in reality. This month in New York, the Anti-Defamation League and the Braun Holocaust Institute awarded the Courage to Care Award to Mefail and Njazi Bi?aku, who, during WWII, saved a total of six Jewish families, or 26 people. These father and son had already been recognized by the State of Israel and Yad Vashem. But they were not the only ones. Albanians have helped and rescued not only Albanian Jews, but also foreign Jews. They were bound to do so by their cultural tradition of hospitality but also their religious tolerance. As a result, 100 per cent of Jews in the Albanian state were saved. It is estimated that 60 per cent of the Jews from Kosova were also saved by predominantly Albanians. Compare that figure to the rate of survival for Jews in Yugoslavia, excluding Kosova: a mere 18-28 per cent. (See Indiana University historian Bernd Fischer, in Di Lellio A. (ed.) The Case for Kosova, London: Anthem press, 2006, p. 75). The "new" Serbia of "pro-western" Kostunica has introduced new history books for third and fourth year students in which "the Holocaust was missing from the section on the Second World War." (ICG, Briefing No. 44, p. 15) Rep. Franks: "Much like Hezbollah, those who lay claim to Kosovo and neighboring lands have made clear their intent to create a religiously and ethnically pure Muslim Albanian state." The Facts: Kosovars are intent in obtaining independence for Kosova, and have not claimed any neighboring land. They have never had any intention of creating a Muslim state; religion for them is a matter of cultural and moral values and not politics. There is absolutely no Islamic party or organization like Hezbollah, and no religious influence on politics whatsoever. Rep. Franks: "For Christian Serbs in Kosovo, an independent Kosovo would crush their hope of achieving equality under the law. Since the birth of the Serbian democracy, hundreds of thousands of Christian Serbs and members of other ethnic minorities have been 'cleansed' from Kosovo." The Facts: As a premise, we suggest that Rep. Franks, who constantly uses religious labels to identify people in Kosova, stop doing it. He would never refer to Christian, Jewish or Muslim Americans and he should do the same when talking about Kosovars. Regarding his first statement, Serbs in Kosova are undoubtedly equal under the law, but in addition they also enjoy the rights that minorities enjoy in very liberal democracies. There is an affirmative action program for minorities that is in place across the entire public service sector. Serbs, like other minorities, are well represented in the Assembly, where they have seats set aside: 10 seats for Serbs, 10 for other minorities, out of a total of 120 seats. Two ministries in the government of Kosova are reserved to Serbs. On the second issue raised by Rep. Franks: when does he date the birth of democracy in Serbia? Serbia was a kingdom, later became a socialist republic in Tito's Yugoslavia, and an autocracy under Milo?evi?. Only in 2001 Serbia stumbled into a weak democracy where human rights and the rule of law are constantly challenged. Since 1912, Serbia has ruled over Kosova. There were never hundreds of thousands of Serbs and other minorities that were ethnically cleansed from Kosova. The reverse has been true, as hundreds of thousands of Albanians have been the target of systematic discrimination, killing and expulsion since the illegal and violent annexation of Kosova to Serbia in 1912. As Yale historian Ivo Banac writes in his The National Question in Yugoslavia (Cornell University Press, 1984, p. 292 ), "the Serbs were so dazzled with the bright glow of recovered lands [the Ottoman Empire had replaced their medieval rule over Kosovo more than 500 years earlier] that they almost failed to notice that there were hardly any Serb left in 'Old Serbia'." They spent the following 80 years trying to push the Albanians out and replacing them with Serb settlers. In 1999, the savagery of the Serbian military and paramilitary aggression resulted in the killing of over 10,000 Albanians, the rape of countless women, the expulsion of nearly 1,000,000 Albanians or over half of the local population, the disappearance of thousands, many of whom are also feared dead, and the destruction of nearly 150,000 homes and businesses. After the NATO war of 1999, thousands of Serbs and Roma fled Kosova. Although the wide majority of the Serbs left together with the retreating Serbian army and many left subsequently because they felt threatened by a general climate of intimidation and violence, the Serbs were never the target of mass expulsion by any organized state campaign. To call their deplorable experience - that the government of Kosova is trying to redress by investing in the reconstruction of Serb religious sites, infrastructures and homes - "ethnic cleansing," is flatly wrong. Rep. Franks: "More than 150 churches and monasteries have been destroyed in the name of Islam." The Facts: Churches and monasteries have been destroyed after the war, but never in the name of Islam. Their destruction has nothing to do with Muslim-Christian antagonism, but with the erosion of civil order brought about by a war that between 1998 and 1999, as part of the Serbian state's campaign of ethnic cleansing and mass killing, bombed and burned 200 mosques along with Sufi lodges and Islamic schools, precious archives and libraries. (See Andrew Herscher and Andras Riedlemayer, The Destruction of Cultural Heritage in Kosovo, 1998-1999: A Post-War Survey, Cambridge: Kosovo Cultural Heritage Survey, 2001.) The reality is that at different times of the history of Kosova, when people did not feel their security threatened, different faiths and sites have peacefully coexisted. Contrary to a tendentious propaganda, there are signs that this is happening today as well, as the Kosovo Protestants communities have testified in a letter of protest against Evangelist Pat Robertson were they state: "Today in predominantly Muslim Kosovo, evangelicals have more legal rights than in predominantly Orthodox Christian Serbia....The Kosovo law provides one of the strongest guarantees of religious liberty in all Europe, recognizing the Protestant community by name." (see www.pcpf.org/index2.php?option=com_content&do_pdf=1&id=379 ). Last May, all the faiths of Kosova met at the Orthodox Patriarchate in Peja, and the proceeding of such ecumenical event are recorded in the Church's website (see http://www.kosovo.net/news/archive/2006/May_06/1.html ). Rep. Franks: "If the international community condones the secession of Kosovo, the message to the world will resound: rebellion and violence beget positive solutions." The Facts: Let's turn this statement around. If Serbia's claims over Kosova are given any credence, Serbia's murderous policies in Kosova will be forgiven and Serbia's lack of remorse will be rewarded. In fact, Serbia's human rights violation and systematic ethnic cleansing will be rewarded and the right to rebel against an oppressive state will be denied. This would be certainly contrary to the American belief in freedom and democracy. Rep. Franks: "The solution is to cultivate and support freedom, tolerance and self-governance in Serbia. If this happens in a united Serbia that includes Kosovo, it will be a profound victory for the side of freedom and tolerance in this war of ideas." The Facts: For all the above mentioned reasons, a Serbia that includes Kosova cannot be considered a solution and will not be the solution ever again. Representative Franks should focus his efforts on supporting American interests in the Balkans rather than backing the family of the "Butcher of the Balkans" and their political supporters in Serbia. An Independent Kosova is good for America! The Case for Kosova's Independence As Americans, we believe firmly in the right to self-determination. Premised on this view, the people of Kosova have the right to live free of Serbia and, in light of their history, Independence is an outcome long overdue. Beginning in 1912 with Serbia's illegal occupation of Kosova, through 1999, Belgrade has repeatedly violated Kosova's right to self-determination and has engaged in a systematic campaign of violence, economic disenfranchisement, coercion and ethnic cleansing against Albanians. "[A]t a time when Germany can expel tens of thousands of Jews.the expulsion of a few hundred thousand Albanians [out of Kosova] will not lead to the outbreak of a world war" wrote a prominent Serb academic in 1936 in his platform on how to "cleanse" Kosova from Albanians. Many Serb leaders worked to make this policy a reality - Milo?evi? was simply the latest among them. The savagery of the 1999 Serbian aggression resulted in the killing of over 10,000 Albanians, the rape of countless women, the expulsion of nearly 1,000,000 Albanians or over half of the local population, the disappearance of thousands, many of whom are also feared dead, and the destruction of nearly 150,000 homes and businesses. Only the armed struggle of the Kosova Liberation Army and the NATO intervention put an end to Serbia's violent occupation. It is unrealistic to believe that the Albanian people could be forced to live again under any form of union with a state that carried out such aggression and that has yet to express remorse, make reparations, or even accept responsibility for its actions. In Serbia's recent elections, Milo?evi?'s prodigies led by an indicted war criminal took the largest number of the votes of any Serbian party. Even the self-styled democratic leadership of Tadi? and Kostunica, has never admitted the atrocities perpetrated by the Serbian army and paramilitaries against the Albanians of Kosova and to this day, nearly a decade later, it has failed to send the most important war criminals to the Hague Tribunal. Instead, Belgrade has tried to create a false moral equivalence between the perpetrators of the Serbian state-sponsored aggression and the individual Kosovars who have been responsible for isolated acts of violence and reprisal. Kosova is currently fully engaged in modernizing and democratizing its nascent institutions. It is a de facto state in full cooperation with the international community and its representatives are committed to developing a western-style democracy in which all citizens, regardless of ethnicity, are guaranteed full human and civil rights. In fact, Kosova's parliament currently practices affirmative action and provides far more than proportional representation to the ethnic Serb minority as a gesture of the Albanians' commitment to a lasting and peaceful coexistence. What Kosova now needs, in order to stimulate its economy, provide educational opportunities, further embrace the rule of law, attract foreign capital and otherwise generally advance the wishes of its citizenry, is the formal recognition of its statehood by the international community. This would ensure a long-lasting peace in Southeastern Europe, a region where Albanians live in large percentages in six neighboring countries (Albania, Kosova, Macedonia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Greece) and are an important stability factor. The people of Kosova have already unequivocally expressed that independence is their resolute choice - through their elected bodies as well as through a landslide referendum. During the last eight years as a United Nations protectorate, they have been extraordinarily patient with the legal and political process established to define the status of Kosova. While the people of Kosova remain deeply thankful for the assistance provided by the United States and the rest of the international community, perpetual international supervision and the Bosnianization of Kosova will only invite instability. It is time to accept the will of the people of Kosova to live free and sovereign. Let's ensure that this last round of status discussions in the international community yields an Independent State of Kosova. Albanian Coalition for the Independence of Kosova c/o 2021 L Street, N.W., Suite 402, Washington, DC 20036 -------------- next part -------------- ______________________________________________________________ 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 ramadancepele at yahoo.com Sun Feb 25 17:38:40 2007 From: ramadancepele at yahoo.com (ramadan cepele) Date: Sun, 25 Feb 2007 14:38:40 -0800 (PST) Subject: [Prishtina-l] Nje faqe teper interesante per gjinekologjine Message-ID: <742792.93181.qm@web62013.mail.re1.yahoo.com> Pershendetje, Deshiroj tju njoftoj mbi nje faqe interneti teper interesante mbi obstetriken dhe gjinekologjine ne shqip. Me informacion te bollshem per pacientet Te dhena mbi shtatzanine, lindjen, semundjet dhe problemet gjinekologjike si dhe lajme dhe lajme dhe artikuj shkencor per profesionistet e kesaj fushe: http://www.gynendoscopy.com Gjithe te mirat, Ram ____________________________________________________________________________________ Want to start your own business? Learn how on Yahoo! Small Business. http://smallbusiness.yahoo.com/r-index