Ultimatum for privatization postponed

Prishtina, 7 June 2004 -Koha Ditore reports on the front-page that the Kosovo Government has again postponed the ultimatum for the continuation of privatization. ‘The Prime Minister has met with Charles Brayshaw and promised that very soon – next week, there will be a meeting of the Kosovo Trust Agency Board to discuss this matter,’ said Mimoza Kusari, spokeswoman for the Prime Ministry. Kusari said that in case there are no results next week, the Kosovo Government would review the involvement of its members in the KTA, ‘or review the relations with the KTA.’

The paper notes that the KTA Board hasn’t been functional ever since the three local members boycotted a meeting and called for the dismissal of then-KTA executive manager Marie Fucci. Kris Litiere, spokesperson for UNMIK Pillar IV said that KTA Board chairman Nikolaus Lambsdorff has announced that there would be an informal meeting of board members before the visit of UNMIK delegation to United Nations Headquarters in New York. The visit according to Pillar IV spokespeople will take place very soon, maybe next week. However, neither the exact date nor the members of the delegation are known yet. Litiere said that the topics of discussion will be privatization and other issues related to KTA.

Bahri Shabani, chairman of the Independent Trade Union and member of the KTA Board, told Koha Ditore that he was putting in effort for the continuation of privatization and also said that he was talking with other board members and Pillar IV officials. ‘But in the form of ultimatum. I have also talked with Pillar IV head and I believe that privatization will resume within the next three weeks, or during June,’ said Shabani.

Commenting on the position of the government, Shabani said that issues couldn’t be solved with ultimatum. ‘The government should be more serious in its positions, because issues are not solved with ultimatum.’

ECIKS