14, January 2010

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  • 14. January 2010.
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I TRUST SERBIAN GOVERNMENT
INTERVIEW WITH SKENDER DESTANI, PRESIDENT OF PRESEVO MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY 
Skender Destani, a pediatrician by profession, the President of the local parliament in Presevo and the Leader of the Democratic Union of the Valley (DUV), along with Mayors and Presidents of the Assemblies of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, is a member of the Coordination Body’s Presidency. The Serbian government established this institution in order to mitigate the consequences of armed conflicts between insurgent Albanians and Serbian security forces in 2000 and 2001.







I TRUST SERBIAN GOVERNMENT

INTERVIEW WITH SKENDER DESTANI, PRESIDENT OF PRESEVO MUNICIPAL ASSEMBLY 

Skender Destani, a pediatrician by profession, the President of the local parliament in Presevo and the Leader of the Democratic Union of the Valley (DUV), along with Mayors and Presidents of the Assemblies of Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja, is a member of the Coordination Body’s Presidency. The Serbian government established this institution in order to mitigate the consequences of armed conflicts between insurgent Albanians and Serbian security forces in 2000 and 2001. 

VRANJSKE NEWSPAPER: You and your political party joined the Coordination Body, which had been reconstructed in March 2009, much later, more precisely two months after the reconstruction! What was the reason for this?

DESTANI: We weren’t in power in Presevo when the Coordination Body was reconstructed, so that we didn’t join it then. However, when we came to power in Presevo in May, 2009, we automatically started participating it the Coordination Body’s work. 

AWARE OF THE CRISIS

How much are you satisfied with the thus-far work of the Coordination Body?

I can say that that progress has evidently been made, even though some jobs are running late. Although a year has passed since reconstruction of the Coordination Body, the Coordination Body’s working groups were set up only recently and they are now making plans for their future operation. 

What are the consequences of such delays if we know that the working groups, with the assistance of the appropriate ministries, should produce improvement in six key fields of the region, which are as follows: education, judiciary, security, information, economy and healthcare? 

We failed to do a lot of things, since we are actually a whole year behind the schedule. Only the Working Group for Education produced some results, while the remaining five Working Groups didn’t do anything whatsoever so far. 

What was such delay caused by and who is responsible for it?

As far as Presevo is concerned, members of the local self-government finished their part of work regarding the establishment of the groups by July 2009. The problem was created when representatives of Serbs couldn’t reach an agreement on selecting their candidates for group members. We expect that representatives of the ministries will soon come here for a meeting of the Coordination Body’s Presidency, during which they would come up with a working plan for 2010. 

You said that one could feel progress was being made in Presevo upon reconstruction of the Coordination Body. How was that progress enabled?

Out of 98 million dinars, which is the amount planned to be invested in Presevo in 2009, around 80 per cent of the money reached Presevo through the Coordination Body. The money comes regularly and without any problems and despite the delay in establishing the working groups, the Coordination Body meets its commitments. 

What is the money invested in?

Mostly in the infrastructure and roads. In addition, a square will soon be built in the centre of Presevo, the construction of which costs 24 million dinars. We received most of the money from the Coordination Body, while the rest of the funds were obtained from foreign donors and our own financial resources.

Are you satisfied with those 98 million dinars, since it’s known that the Coordination Body was providing more money over the past years? 

– I personally believe that Presevo needs more money, but I am aware of the crisis. We know that the amount we have received is the maximum one. The amount is all right, bearing in mind a difficult economic situation and the crisis.

You mentioned that you were expecting a meeting of the Coordination Body’s Presidency to take place, during which the priorities would be discussed. What are the major issues that Presevo is faced with and on whose solution you will insist? 

We have two major problems, which include a lack of an institution of higher learning in Albanian and a maternity hospital. Our children are born in Vranje, which is around 50 km away from here. The Coordination Body, as well as some international institutions, first and foremost the OSCE, promised that both problems would be solved. As far as the faculty is concerned, under a study that we did, economics departments, where the young would be trained for developing small-scale industry and private entrepreneurship, are needed. I believe that economic development is our priority, since there is no political stability and security without economic development.  The so-called „Covic’s Plan“ from 2001 envisaged political stability, economic development and integration of Albanians in governmental institutions as three major conditions for overcoming the region’s crisis. 

Out of all tasks you have mentioned, what has been done so far?

Some of them have been completed. We have had several elections and local self-governments are operational now. As far as economy-related tasks are concerned, I am unsatisfied, since this region is still extremely poor. I don’t think we can accomplish economic recovery without the government’s assistance, which reaches us through the Coordination Body. With reference to integration, a great deal has been done. I can’t possibly say that nothing has been done.

You say that you are pleased with the thus-far degree of integration of the Albanians?

– We must be realistic. Anyone that says otherwise is wrong. We mustn’t forget that there were only few Albanians in the Presevo police in 2001, and now they make up 60 per cent of police officers. There used to be two or three Albanians in the courts of law, and now there are 30 per cent of them. There are far more Albanians than Serbs in the municipal institutions. 

Do you think that the government in Belgrade is willing to solve problems of the Albanians?

Yes, I do and I believe that there is political willingness and desire of the central government. That is why I expect that problems will begin to be solved. 

Some Albanian leaders disagree with your statements. For instance, Jonuz Musliju, President of the local Assembly in Bujanovac, said in an interview granted to our newspaper, that Belgrade treats Albanians as second-class citizens and that it is unwilling to resolve the problems.

Mr. Musliju is wrong. That is how only utterly undemocratic countries behave, while Jews in Hitler’s Germany were second-class citizens. Serbia is a democratic country that treats all its citizens equally. 

WE CAN’T OPERATE ON OUR OWN

How much is the Coordination Body necessary for accomplishing the economic recovery of the region?

The existence of the Coordination Body is necessary, since local self-governments communicate with Belgrade through it and since it builds capacities of local self-governments in the three municipalities. The municipalities can’t work on large projects by themselves, because investors and donors request them to comply with the European standards, while the municipalities don’t have the staff with sufficient qualities to ensure it. 

Are you, perhaps, of the view that the Coordination Body’s work ought to be reformed?

– The Coordination Body’s staff includes top quality experts. What we need to do is only to put our agreements into practice. For the time being, I’m pleased with the way in which things are done. 

Should the government be more present in the region?

Yes, it should. Government officials should always be present here, since they have a lot of political power and hence can act. I think that the government is faced with a lot of issues in the country that should be solved, and one of them is the Presevo Valley. Government officials are unaware of how people live here; they see it only when they come here. 

You said that you aren’t pleased with the economic situation here. How much is the Coordination Body responsible for it?

– The Coordination Body isn’t directly accountable for it. However, the Serbian government is. For instance, privatization was done badly in Presevo and no investments whatsoever were made in economy. Around 60 per cent of the working population is out of work. In the sphere of economy, all accomplishments were achieved until 2005, during the office of Nebojsa Covic, the first President of the Coordination Body. The Coordination Body was a political body from the time of his replacement until the reconstruction of the Coordination Body in March 2009. 

Is the local government partly responsible for such state of affairs? 

The Coordination Body’s work is mostly hindered by disagreements between the Albanian and Serbian local politicians. A huge problem was created by the non-existence of Serbs in the local governments of Bujanovac and Presevo. This poses a great problem in Bujanovac, because the Coordination Body can’t operate if the government isn’t multiethnic. 

Who is responsible for such a situation?

– The responsibility lays both with the Albanian and Serbian side. However, Albanians should clearly say that they want Serbs in the government, while the Coordination Body should play the main role in the matter. I think that a multiethnic government, provided it is possible, is a great fortune in any environment. 

What is the situation in Presevo like?

– Our greatest problem is a lack of Serbs. Out of 38 seats in the Presevo Assembly, only two of them belong to Serbs. One of the Serbs is a representative of the Serbian Radical Party and the other one is a representative of the Socialist Party of Serbia. We cooperate extremely well, while my political party relinquished a few seats in municipal boards and commissions to them. 

 

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