Latest Views from Kosovo
Kurti: I am Preparing for Government
Support for Vetevendosje is growing by the day, the leader of Vetevendosje Albin Kurti said in an interview with BIRN.
Flying Lobbyist Plans Final Flights After Release
Kosovo’s flying lobbyist James Berisha, who was released from an Eritrean prison last month, has told Balkan Insight that he plans two final lobbying visits once he has retrieved his plane in Sudan.
Natasa Kandic: Serbia’s Bloodstained Army Boss Must Go
The denunciations of the Humanitarian Law Centre’s report on the head of the Serbian army reveal the strength of Milosevic’s ideology in Serbia today and the politicisation of the war crimes office.
Mirel: New Vision Needed for Northern Kosovo
In an exclusive interview with the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, BIRN, Pierre Mirel, the director for Western Balkans at the European Commission, says it is time for the government to improve socio-economic conditions in northern Kosovo.
From Newborn to the Pimpsons: How Fisnik Ismaili Went from Hope to Anger
In 2008, Fisnik Ismaili devised the monument to Kosovo’s independence, an assemblage of large yellow letters in Pristina that spells out NEWBORN and which became an icon of hope for the young country. Today he pens the Pimpsons, the country's most acerbic political commentary.
Limaj: “I am Paying the Price for Maintaining My Dignity”
Former KLA Commander and Transport Minister Fatmir Limaj speaks about EULEX investigations against him for war crimes, the rule-of-law mission’s probes into corruption at his former ministry and his frosty relationship with Prime Minister Hashim Thaci.
Deputy PM Kuci: My Biggest Regret is Getting Involved in Politics
Recently re-elected Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuci tells Balkan Insight how his biggest regret has been getting involved with politics, how he is forced to defend policies he doesn’t believe in and what he does on a perfect Sunday.
Krasniqi: Presidential Vote Broke Parliament Rules
In an interview with BIRN’s Life in Kosovo show, Jakup Krasniqi, Kosovo’s Speaker of the Parliament, reveals that parliamentary rules were broken during the vote on Kosovo’s new president and that he voted against Behgjet Pacolli for president.
‘Some Balkan ‘Citizens’ Count for Less Than Zero’
Workers on strike, poverty, refugee rights, the ‘erased’ and access to healthcare, jobs and education are just some of the under-reported justice issues in the Balkans, says writer and academic Igor Stiks.
Mayor: Only ‘Dirty’ Politicians Flourish in Kosovo
Gjilan mayor Qemajl Mustafa, of the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo, PDK, is frustrated with Kosovo’s politics in general, and dismissive about the EU law mission’s probe into his town hall.
Flight for Kosovo's Independence Cruises Through Africa
Kosovo-born American James Berisha, who is flying across Africa to lobby for the recognition of Kosovo’s independence, says that nostalgia for Tito is strong in many countries on the continent.
Marty: Document is “Not a Report Against Kosovo”
Council of Europe Rapporteur, Dick Marty, tells Michael Montgomery that the emphasis placed on organ trafficking is obscuring the fact that “hundreds of people disappeared and were killed”. His report is not anti- Kosovo but merely a search for the truth, Marty says.
Talat Xhaferi: Marty Report Vilifies All Albanians
Key member of Macedonia’s governing ethnic Albanian Democratic Union for Integration says Marty report besmirches all Albanians but this should not stop a competent investigation.
Xhavit Haliti: Council Will Approve Marty Report
Leading Kosovo politician named in Council of Europe report as senior figure in organised crime says investigations into report’s claims will uncover nothing new.
Del Ponte Calls for Kosovo Organs Trade Inquiry
The former ICTY prosecutor says the International Criminal Court or a special tribunal should investigate allegations of murder and organ trafficking by Kosovo politicians.
