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Latest Blog

Love Hurts

05 February 2010 |

Simon Cottrell It's a shame that the internet is a virtual medium, because there are a lot of people out there that I'd like to express my deep feelings of friendship to, and having spent the last two years here in Serbia, I'd like to do it in a truly Serbian way.


Feith: 'New Beginning' for Mitrovica
05 February 2010 | Lawrence Marzouk

The International Civilian Representative in Kosovo, Pieter Feith, has said the appointment of a team to create a new Serb-majority municipality in the divided city of Mitrovica could herald a 'new beginning'.

Georgieva, Ciolos Approved with New Commission
09 February 2010 |

The European Parliament has approved the new European Commission at its session in Strasbourg. Kristalina Georgieva and Dacian Ciolos are the new commissioners from Bulgaria and Romania, respectively.

Koricanske stijene: Awareness of Security
09 February 2010 |

A member of the Intelligence-Security Agency of Bosnia and Herzegovina says he spoke to Milorad Skrbic while investigating the murder at Koricanske stijene and "determined that he did not have any operational data about this event".



EBU: Kosovo's RTK is "Media Arm" of PM

Pristina | 26 October 2009 | Lawrence Marzouk
 

The European Broadcasting Union on Monday attacked Hashim Thaci, Kosovo’s prime minister, for turning public service broadcaster RTK, into a "media arm of the ruling party".

In a letter to Thaci sent today, Jean Reveillon, head of the EBU, said that RTK was facing "a relentless process of political and economic interference" in a government-led bid to turn the broadcaster into "state TV".

“Until five months ago, despite difficult circumstances and the occasional editorial hiccup, RTK was rightly considered a success story - not least owing to its multiethnic character,” he wrote.

“Soon after the declaration of independence, however, a relentless process of political and economic interference began which led to the director general’s resignation,” said Reveillon, referring to last month’s resignation of Agim Zatriqi in acrimonious circumstances.

He added that RTK’s Board of Directors has had its “powers completely curbed”.

The EBU represents 125 national broadcasters and promotes public service media in Europe and around the world.

Reveillon wrote: “What we are now seeing is pressure from the Kosovo government to turn RTK into an uncritical state broadcaster - a fact that will be beneficial neither to the citizens of Kosovo nor to your ambitions for more international recognition of your country."

“Pressure from your government transformed RTK from being a balanced supplier of news into a media arm of the ruling party and of yourself as prime minister. Critical or alternative voices have been suppressed,” Reveillon wrote.

He urged Thaci to take “urgent measures” to restore the broadcaster’s independence. Reveillon threatened to withdraw support for RTK if the pressure continued.

He wrote: “This would have a very damaging effect on the programming available to viewers in Kosovo.”

Government Spokesperson Memli Krasniqi said: “I cannot say anything before I read the letter. If the letter arrived after 4pm, then the protocol office is closed. Without the official letter, I cannot say anything.”

Reveillon’s letter was copied to, among others, the president of the European Commission, the director general of UNESCO, the secretary general of the Council of Europe, the Organisation of Security and Cooperation in Europe, and to members of the European Parliament.



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Comments:
Kosovo's RTk
2009-10-26 18:31:11
I just wanted to thank the European Broadcasting Union for this hopeful report. It seems that Thaçi had his people inside RTK a long time ago, because Astrit Salihu, the candidate for Major of Prishtina from PDK (PDK is Thaçis Party)was vice-direstor of RTK. Me as a Kosovar I'm very thankful to YOU and I truly hope that this would not be the last critic on Thaçis attempts to contol RTK.

Kosovo's RTK
2009-10-27 17:24:22
Thaci is a bit immature and thinks it is communist era but hey wake up EU is not sleeping or falling for your cheap tricks.

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