EU grants Montenegro candidate-member status

17 December 2010, Brussels/Podgorica - European Union leaders have agreed to make Montenegro a formal candidate for future membership in the bloc, top officials at a summit in Brussels said Friday.

Leaders at the summit approved a pre-drafted statement in which they 'agreed to give Montenegro the status of candidate country,' without setting a date for the start of talks.

The statement 'went automatically,' without discussion, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite told the German Press Agency dpa.


The decision 'underlines the conviction within the council (of current EU states) that the countries of the Western Balkans have a European vocation,' said Council President Herman Van Rompuy.

The tiny Balkan state of 650,000 inhabitants only broke away from Serbia in 2006, but EU officials say that it has already made enough reforms to count as a possible future member, although they want more progress before membership talks actually start.

Montenegro thus joins Croatia, Iceland, Macedonia and Turkey on the road towards EU membership. Other states of the Western Balkans are also working towards joining the club, but are not considered to be sufficiently well-run to qualify for full candidate status.

The decision to award candidate status to yet one more state of the former Yugoslavia 'is a strong signal of our commitment to the future of the Balkans,' said the head of the EU's executive, European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso.

Officials in Montenegro were quick to welcome the decision, with Deputy Prime Minister Igor Luksic saying the country was ready for the challenge.

'The decision of EU leaders is a major encouragement for Montenegro and an affirmation of our efforts,' Luksic told dpa.


'It is also a challenge and we have to do a lot of work in the seven areas the commission named as crucial for the start of accession negotiations and continue on our path to join the EU,' he said.

In an annual report published in November, the commission stressed that Montenegro would have to improve its performance in seven areas, such as fighting corruption and organized crime, before talks begin.

In November the European Commission recommended that Montenegro be granted official candidate status, but outlined several areas where Podgorica must make improvements.


European Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele, speaking at the press conference announcing the annual progress report that contained the recommendation, said further work was needed in the field of the rule of law, noting that officials now have seven specific priorities that must be met in order for accession negotiations to begin.

Although the country is considered a parliamentary democracy, parliament's control of the government remains weak, the report says. And although there is broad consensus on the fundamentals of economic policy, the Commission does not believe that the country is a functioning market economy.

The report notes: "The main concerns are related to the politicization of the judiciary and shortcomings in the functioning of law enforcement institutions, in particular in fighting organized crime and corruption. There are also concerns over efficiency and accountability of the judiciary."


Once they do, Montenegro will have to bring its laws into line with EU standards in 35 policy areas, known as 'chapters,' ranging from fisheries to financial regulation.

The process can take many years: current applicant Turkey has been negotiating for membership for five years already, but has only managed to open 13 chapters and close one. Its progress is largely blocked by opposition from Cyprus and France.

Diplomats said that, in Montenegro's case, talks could perhaps start in 2012, meaning that the country could feasibly aim to join the bloc by 2020.

Croatia is expected to end its membership talks next year, while Macedonia's progress has been stalled by the row it has with Greece over its name.

Iceland began membership talks this year, but public opinion in the island nation remains largely against joining the EU.

Richard Holbrooke, architect of Kosova's independence, dies

Prominent US diplomat Richard Holbrooke, best known in the Balkans and the rest of the world, perhaps, as the architect of the Dayton Peace Accords, died Monday night (December 13th), on the eve of the 15th anniversary of the signing of the agreement.


Holbrooke was taken to hospital on Friday after falling ill during a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. He was diagnosed with a torn aorta and underwent a 21-hour surgery that ended on Saturday. He remained in critical condition after a second round of surgery on Sunday, and passed away the following evening at the age of 69.

According to The Washington Post, the last time Holbrooke spoke was before his last operation.

"You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan," the paper quoted him as telling his Pakistani surgeon on Sunday.

US President Barack Obama, who appointed Holbrooke as his administration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan in 2009, praised him as "a true giant of American foreign policy who has made America stronger, safer and more respected".

"He was a truly unique figure who will be remembered for his tireless diplomacy, love of country, and pursuit of peace," he said in a statement.

"America has lost one of its fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants," Clinton said in a statement. "Richard Holbrooke served the country he loved for nearly half a century, representing the United States in far-flung war-zones and high-level peace talks, always with distinctive brilliance and unmatched determination. He was one of a kind -- a true statesman -- and that makes his passing all the more painful."

Holbrooke joined the state department as a foreign service officer after graduating from Brown University in 1962. He worked for three years in Vietnam and joined President Lyndon Johnson's White House staff in 1966, becoming a junior member of the delegation at the Paris peace talks.

Holbrooke, who worked for every Democratic president since the late 1960s, was appointed assistant secretary of state for European and Canadian affairs in 1994, at the height of the conflicts that accompanied the breakup of the former Yugoslavia.

In 1995, the blunt-spoken diplomat headed the international negotiation team tasked with resolving the crisis in the Balkans. Holbrooke shuttled among Belgrade, Zagreb and Sarajevo until he persuaded the principal leaders there to agree to peace talks. His efforts to broker a deal to end the bloodshed succeeded on November 21st 1995.

After weeks of tough negotiations, then-Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic and the presidents of Croatia and Bosnia, Franjo Tudjman and Alija Izetbegovic, finally accepted the proposed agreement in Dayton, Ohio. The three then officially signed the Accord in Paris on December 14th 1995.

Holbrooke was later involved in international efforts towards a peaceful resolution of the 1998-1999 conflict in Kosovo.

During 1998 and 1999, in his capacity as special presidential envoy, Holbrooke worked to end the conflict between the armed forces of Serbia and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), who were fighting for an independent Kosovo in the Kosovo War. In March 1999 he traveled to Belgrade to deliver the final ultimatum to Yugoslav president Slobodan Milošević before the NATO bombing campaign began. Holbrooke has written numerous articles about his experiences in the Balkans, and in 1998, published the widely acclaimed book, To End a War, a memoir of his time as the chief negotiator of the Dayton Peace Accords, ending the Bosnian civil war. The New York Times ranked the book as one of the eleven best books of the year in 1998.


In 1998, he negotiated an agreement with Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic to withdraw Yugoslav forces from Kosovo, where they were accused of conducting an ethnic cleansing campaign.

"I make no apologies for negotiating with Milosevic and even worse people, provided one doesn't lose one's point of view," he said later.

When the deal fell apart, Holbrooke went to Belgrade to deliver the final ultimatum to Milosevic to leave Kosovo or face NATO airstrikes, which ultimately rained down on the capital.

Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci on Tuesday expressed condolences to the US on the death of diplomat Richard Holbrooke, who was 'a friend' of the people of Kosovo.


Thaci, whose Democratic Party won Sunday's snap elections, sent a telegram to President Barack Obama saying that 'For citizens of Kosovo, the death of Richard Holbrooke is a loss of a friend, of a voice that protected the interest of the Republic of Kosovo.'

Holbrooke was a staunch supporter of Kosovo Albanians in their fight against Belgrade's rule in the late 1990s.


The conflict in Kosovo spurred US into leading NATO in its intervention against Serbia in 1999, eventually paving the way to the secession of the province in 2008.

Thaci's remarks came amid a so far muted response in the Balkan region to the news of Holbrooke's death.

In Sarajevo, one reaction came from the international community's representative in Bosnia, Valentin Inzko, who credited Holbrooke for the Dayton peace accord.

In Belgrade, Serbian state television RTS only quoted Peter Robinson, a lawyer in The Hague for former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic, as saying that Karadzic felt 'sorrow and regret' over the news of Holbrooke's death.

On trial facing genocide charges at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), Karadzic has claimed that Holbrooke in 1996 had promised him immunity from prosecution for his actions during the Bosnian war.

Robinson said Karadzic was hoping to get Holbrooke to testify at the ICTY proceedings.

Holbrooke returned to public service in 1999, becoming U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

Bill Clinton, who was US president during the Balkan conflicts in the 1990s, praised Holbrooke for his "passionate, brilliant service," saying he "saved lives, secured peace, and restored hope for countless people around the world".

"Tomorrow marks the 15-year anniversary of the signing of the Dayton Accords -- the agreement Dick negotiated which stopped the killings in Bosnia and paved a path to peace in the Balkans that endures today,"Clinton said on Monday.

In 1999, he nominated Holbrooke as the United States' ambassador to the UN. NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen issued a special statement Tuesday, saying he was "deeply saddened" by Holbrooke's death.

"I pay tribute to his diplomatic skills, strategic vision and legendary determination," he said. "As the architect of the 1995 Dayton Agreement, Ambassador Holbrooke played a key role in ending the war in Bosnia, the most terrible tragedy on European soil since World War II."

A number of world leaders and senior international officials also praised Holbrooke for his compassion, his diplomatic skills and superior strategic judgment.

His "vigorous diplomacy helped to end the war [in BiH], he helped to save lives and bring peace to a part of our continent racked by civil war and bitter conflict," David Lidington, Britain's minister for Europe, said. "All Europeans are in his debt."

Speaking to the CNN on Tuesday, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari described Holbrooke as an "extremely hard-working man" who could "get things done, which would otherwise take weeks to get through".

Speaking about Holbrooke, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger was quoted as having once said: "If Richard calls you and asks you for something, just say yes. If you say no, you'll eventually get to yes, but the journey will be very painful."

Flag Issue Resonate Fears of a “Greater Albania”?

"Try telling a minority community to take down their flag and you will soon learn what a recipe for trouble is," says Krzysztof Drzewicki, a senior lawyer at the office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities (HCNM). "Signs and symbols are a powerful expression of identity for many individuals and communities.”

Although national minorities are free to choose their own flag without interference from the authorities and are free to display their symbols on their buildings, it has become a sensitive subject in recent years in both Montenegro and Serbia.

Ultimately it is up to the state to permit or to limit the use of flags in the public domain. But while national minorities don't have the right to display their symbols on the premises of public authorities, it is necessary to find a way to accommodate their interests.

Accommodation sometimes proves next to impossible when a national minority flag is identical to the flag of the country next door, such is that of an Albanian flag being flown in Montenegro’s municipal offices. Governments may fear that displaying a foreign flag on their turf may convey a message of separation or separatism.

Such reactions are understandable given the sensitivities involved. A flag is the ultimate symbol of sovereignty which no country wants to share with another. But limitations often go too far. Some states have completely banned the use of foreign flags on their territory, even in private life. These limitations breach the right to freedom of expression, as has been the case in Serbia, and until last week in Montenegro.

Just days prior to Albania’s November 28th independence ceremonies, Podgorica assigned Nikolle Gegaj and Ferhat Dinosha the responsibility of allowing the Urban Municipality of Tuz to fly the Albanian national flag. Dinosha claimed the event was a result of Podgorica’s change in policy, allowing national symbols to now be displayed in public institutions.

But the right to express one’s national/ethnic symbols continues to permeate dissent among governments throughout Serbia and Montenegro, primarily fearing separatist movements. In the following article by BIRN, Albanians in South Serbia struggle with this question:  "Is flying a national flag belonging to a different state a right of expression or a recipe for trouble?"

Balkan Insight – Ethnic Albanians in southern Serbia are on collision with Belgrade over use of a flag by their new National Council. The Council wants to fly the flag of neighboring Albania.

But Serbia's Law on the Protection of Rights and Freedoms of National Minorities says that symbols of national minorities cannot be identical to the flags, symbols or emblems of another state.

Baki Rehxepi, head of media in the National Council of Albanians, said they wanted to use the existing Albanian flag rather than invent a new one. "I don't see one reason why we shouldn't use the Albanian flag," he told Balkan Insight.

The question of the use of the Albanian flag comes up every year on November 28, when Albanians in southern Serbia mark Flag Day, their national holiday.

From 1968-1989, and from 2000 to date, ethnic Albanians have celebrated the day with a special ceremony, flying Albanian flags from town halls in their strongholds of Bujanovac, Presevo and Medvedja.

Like other ethnic minorities in Serbia, ethnic Albanians obtained the right to establish a National Council under legislation adopted last year.

The Albanian council, formed in June, has no legislative authority but enjoys broad competences over the use of symbols and over cultural, educational and language matters. National Councils also have the right to access funds and set up their own media.

According to Rehxepi, the department for symbols within the council has just been formed to discuss the flag issue.

Serbian officials say they have no objection to a flag that resembles Albania's, so long as it is not identical. "Such a solution does not prevent the selection and use of traditional symbols that are similar to the symbols of other states," ministry of human rights officials told Balkan Insight.

Riza Halimi, the only ethnic Albanian MP in Serbia's parliament, said he doubted that Albanians in the south would agree to fly anything other than the Albanian flag, a double-headed eagle on a scarlet background.

"This [issue] will be a tough task for the Council, taking into consideration that ethnic Albanians got used to using the Albanian flag in Serbia for years," Halimi told Balkan Insight. Albanians in the neighbouring Macedonia and Montenegro routinely use the Albanian flag as their symbol, he noted.

Dr. Camaj: "Albanians in Montenegro denied natural rights..."

ROCHESTER HILLS, MICHIGAN, USA, November 28, 2010 -- On the eve of Albania's 98th birthday, the Albanian-American Community of Greater Detroit celebrated "28 Nentori" at St. Paul's Albanian Catholic Church and Community Center.  The sold out event hosted between 650-700 guests along with distinguished invitees, including keynote speaker, Dr. Palok "Paul" Camaj.

This years' ceremony took a turn from previous programs as the keynote speech primarily focused on contemporary issues plaguing Albanians in Montenegro.  Dr. Camaj, a international legal expert specializing in minority rights and democratization, gave a brief introduction on the events surrounding Albania's declaration of independence in 1912, which included the tragic episode of forced occupation and transfer of Albanian lands to the North, East and South of her territories.

Dr. Camaj went on to outline political developments that endangered Albanians throughout the 20th Century, and as a direct consequence, the eventual declaration of independence of the second Albanian state - KOSOVA.

The focus then turned to contemporary Montenegro, and the dire circumstances plaguing Albanians in Malesia, Ulqini, and Plave & Gusij.  According to Camaj, the sociopolitical status of Albanians is deteriorating at a pace unprecedented by European standards.  The false assumption that Albanians enjoy equal rights has been exacerbated by none other than Albanian "puppet" politicians sympathetic to Milo Gjukanovic and the leading Montenegrin political party, DPS.  The fact that Albanians are left out of the political game is evidenced by their unproportional representation in Parliament, local municipal governments, including academic and state employment sectors.               

Dr. Camaj cited Montenegro's refusal to grant Malesia a municipality as a tool used to disenfranchise Albanians from the political process.  In a Feasibility Study compiled in 2009, Camaj referenced data analysis illustrating the political and economic viability of the "Urban" Municipality of Malesia as it has sustained far greater development than seven (7) other municipalities existing in Montenegro today.  This, according to Camaj, is undisputed evidence that Malesia has achieved the economic ability to compete with any municipal government in Montenegro.

Dr. Camaj concluded with numerous incidents of how Montenegro's government denies Albanians opportunities in the employment, academic, and social development sectors.  The speech earned a standing ovation from a dominant "Malesor" crowd, many of them who emigrated from Montenegro for the very same reasons Dr. Camaj  spoke about this evening.

The evening included special performances by local Albanian youth and traditional music provided by the areas leading entertainers.

Happy Independance Day Albania!

Slice of generosity for the needy

Jennifer Chambers / The Detroit News

November 23. 2010
 
Oak Park -- This Thanksgiving promises to be a better one, not only for the needy and hungry who come to Rrok Dedvukaj's restaurant for a free Thanksgiving-style meal on Wednesday, but also for Dedvukaj himself. Known to family, friends and customers as "Rocky," Dedvukaj took a break from operating his three Metro Detroit restaurants in 2006 and went to visit his homeland of Montenegro. On the eve of a parliamentary election that August, the social activist was among 12 ethnic Albanians arrested and accused of plotting a rebellion to establish an Albanian autonomous region within the Adriatic country.

Dedvukaj, who had lived in America since the age of 9, spent three years in prison, where he was beaten and tortured. The case drew international criticism, and human rights groups demanded that Montenegro deal with the issue.

In September 2009, Dedvukaj returned to the United States after his release. He lost everything during those years, including his three restaurants.

In February, with the help of some friends, he opened the Royal Grill restaurant in Oak Park at 22110 Coolidge Highway, at Nine Mile.

He works there six days a week, taking care of customers alongside two sons and his wife and a small staff of waitresses.

Instead of feeling bitter and angry about his experience, Dedvukaj is slowly returning to his old life before he left — the life that included helping the less fortunate.

As a gift to the community, he is serving free meals starting at 9 a.m. Wednesday and until 4 p.m. or whenever the food runs out.

The meal — turkey or ham and all sides and a drink — is available to those in need who cannot afford to pay. Those who can pay are asked to make donations that will go to Oak Park Youth Assistance.

"My customers come in and keep me in business, right? It's a way of saying thank you to them and giving the needy a chance to eat in a restaurant. I know how it feels to have an empty stomach," he said.

Before his three years of imprisonment in Montenegro, Dedvukaj fed the needy at his three restaurants in Pontiac, Detroit and Warren, offering free holiday meals to the poor and collecting donations for a Sept. 11 firefighters fund.

He raised $15,000 over three years.

He knows he returned a changed man. Dedvukaj said it took him several months to adjust to life again at home in Troy.

"I had a hard time in prison. I needed a few months to see where I am and where I belong. Those three years took a lot out of me," he said.

Waitress Sally Sylvester, who alerted the media to Dedvukaj's generosity, said the 52-year-old had inspired her with his dedication to the community and the ideal of helping others in need. Police officers and court officials, who are frequent diners at Royal Grill, are volunteering Wednesday to act as servers for the day.

"It is costing him so much to do this, but that is who Rocky is," said Sylvester, a waitress there since July. "He works to make a difference for people — not just political but personal, too."

Overwhelming Support for "Greater Albania" Grows Among Albanians

(AKI) – An an overwhelming majority of Kosovo Albanians - 81 percent - favour unification with neighbouring Albania, according to an international survey published on Thursday.

A total of 48.8 per cent of Albanians in Kosovo and 41.8 in Macedonia believe unification could take place soon.

In Albania, support for unification has fallen to 62.8 pe cent from 68 percent last year.

The survey findings came less than three years after Kosovo's ethnic Albanian majority declared independence from Serbia.

The survey, conducted by Gallup Balkan Monitor, also showed that 51.9 percent of ethnic Albanians in Macedonia favoured unification within a so-called “Greater Albania” that would also contain Kosovo and Albania.

Ethnic Albanians make 25 percent of Macedonia’s two million population and enjoy considerable autonomy in the western part of the country, bordering Albania.

Kosovo's approximately two million Albanians make up 90 percent of the population, which comprises just 100,000 remaining Serbs.

Majority Albanians declared independence in February 2008, with the support of western powers, on the condition that Kosovo can’t form a union with any other country.

Serbia opposes Kosovo independence and 71.2 percent of Serbs would rather forsake European Union membership than renounce Kosovo, according to the survey.

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The majorities of the ethnic Albanians living in Kosovo, Albania, and Macedonia in favor of forming a "Greater Albania," a poll shows.


80% of the Albanians in Kosovo, 62% of those in Albania, and 51% of the Albanian minority in Macedonia back the idea for forming a Greater Albania, according to a poll of Gallup carried out in cooperation with the European Fund for the Balkans, cited by Macedonian TV Kanal 5.

An alliance between Albania and Kosovo has smaller support – 33.7% in Albania and 29.2% in Kosovo, according to the report of the Serbian media B92.

According to Albanian nationalists, a hypothetical "Greater Albania" would feature the entire territories of Albania and Kosovo, about half of Macedonia, and parts of Southern Serbia, Montenegro and Greece.

Fears that a scenario for creating a Greater Albania were on the way emerged after the Kosovo War in 1999 and the subsequent insurgency in Macedonia, which was settled through a constitutional compromise, the Ohrid Accord, in 2001.