11.10.2007 by Lupo.

Bandic holds Responsibility for Collapse of Ground in Zagreb
ZaMirZine
08 October 2007
The Right to a City initiative and Zelena akcija environmental organization claim that recent collapse of the ground in Zagreb and the scandal involving swap of development lots in Maksimir do result from the unscrupulous policies of exploitation of the city, implemented intentionally by Mayor Milan Bandic.

The said cases demonstrate that the Mayor would not give up on his policies, favourable solely to developers and investors, even if they lead to a catastrophe. The two organizations add that similar incidents are likely to occur during the construction of underground garages under the Cvjetni Trg (Flower Market square).

- These a consequences of systemic actions of the city authorities, in favour of outright abuse of city’s resources, therefore, we should not be surprised that there is no political will to accept responsibility for the disastrous situation in the city – says Teodor Celakoski from Right to a City Initiative.

Celakoski adds that Mayor Bandic expressed extreme political cowardice in the several recent cases, and exchanged his former “it’s only me” with “it wasn’t me” approach.

The associations demand from the City Council to review the political responsibility of the Mayor and city administration and to dismiss the proposed changes in the General Urban Plan that would allow for construction of underground garages in Donji Grad (Lower City).

Also, they demand for the Zagreb Bureau for Conservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage to be taken out of the jurisdiction of local government and included in the national system for protection of cultural heritage.

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11.10.2007 by Lupo.

New Drive to Tackle Corruption in Albania

09 10 2007 Efforts to clean up the judiciary have fallen foul of political in-fighting, but citizens hope latest initiative will bring a measure of justice.

By Ergys Gjencaj in Tirana

Suzana belongs to a section of Albanian society often referred to as “owners without property”. As she talks about her long legal battles her expression becomes sombre and she gazes into the distance.

“I am the granddaughter of Muharrem Bajram Demneri, a family name as old as the city of Tirana. When we learned that we had inherited property [in Tirana], we also discovered that everyone wanted a piece of it, as it is centrally located,” she explains

She has been fighting for her inheritance for the last 10 years. The land that was returned to her family, more than half a century after having been expropriated by the communist regime in 1944, has since been occupied illegally by somebody else.

For Suzana, as for thousands of others, trying to enforce her legal right through recourse to the courts has been a fraught, and hitherto fruitless, exercise.

Judicial reform has been high on the political agenda for several years and is a major prerequisite for Albania’s integration in the EU. However, the constant battle between ruling and opposition parties for control of independent institutions has had a negative impact on judicial reform – each side suspects the other’s motives.

Albania entered the 1990s still suffering from the effects of 50 years under one of the most repressive regimes in the old eastern bloc. After the fall of the iron curtain the country found itself with few functioning independent institutions.

Under the rule of former dictator Enver Hoxha, the judicial system operated as a tool of state repression. Though the collapse of the communist regime in 1991 set this branch of government on the road to reform, political interference and corruption remain endemic.

Newly-elected President Bamir Topi has launched a fresh effort to gather support for judicial reform, but this will be an uphill battle in light of Albania’s divisive political atmosphere.

Suzana’s story is not unusual – thousands of Albanians face a prolonged struggle in the courts to gain possession of property that legally belongs to them. They may continue to struggle in vain unless the judicial system is overhauled.

Just in the Tirana district court there were 671 property cases pending in 2005; more than a quarter of these remain unresolved – and in 153 instances where the district court issued a decision, its ruling was taken through appeal to a higher court.

President Topi convened a roundtable of political parties on September 17 with a view to forging a cross-party consensus on judicial reform, an issue that has seriously undermined the country’s aspirations to build a free market and integrate in the EU and NATO.

“We have problems with professionalism in the justice system,” Topi told the roundtable participants. “There are problems with the [political] alignment of various judges, and there are problems of political interference. This causes public disquiet; there is a lack of transparency, especially with regard to property rights, and this is an area that touches directly on citizens’ interests.”

The President’s analysis has been echoed in the various reports issued by international institutions monitoring the Albanian justice system.

The latest Transparency International report, TI, made public at the end of September, shows that the country ranks last in the region when it comes to the level of perceived corruption.

Although Albania registered an improvement of 0.3 points on the TI index, it still ranks 105th out of 180 countries listed. The report puts Albania on the same levels as Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Egypt, countries notorious for their high levels of corruption.

The TI report recommends sweeping changes in the justice system and backs Topi’s effort to introduce a zero tolerance policy on corruption.

However, TI warns that reforms will only have an impact if they involve real change in the behaviour of judicial officials. The report calls for the dismissal of corrupt judges and prosecutors and for the proper application of penalties against corrupt officials.

Though virtually everyone in Albania’s political class recognizes that the justice system needs to be reformed, there is almost no area of agreement on how this reform should be brought about.

The centre-right government of Prime Minister Sali Berisha has tied its reform efforts to a struggle to remove Prosecutor-General Theodhori Sollaku, whom Berisha accuses of having ties with organised crime and of failing to pursue corruption cases. Sollaku denies the charges.

The opposition Socialists see the government’s attempt to fire the Prosecutor-General as an attempt by Berisha to gain control of all branches of government, as part of a bid to strangle democracy in Albania.

The centre right coalition established a parliamentary investigative commission last year to remove Sollaku, but former President Alfred Moisiu refused to join forces with the government, insisting that the commission had not gathered evidence to justify the Prosecutor-General’s dismissal.

After Topi, the former deputy head of the governing Democratic Party, DP, was elected President in July, Berisha and other DP leaders stepped up calls for the removal of Sollaku.

However, the opposition Socialists have stood firm, arguing that if the President removes the Prosecutor-General, he will, in effect, be taking sides in a political battle. This, the Socialists argue, would destroy whatever chance there is of building consensus on reforms that are vital for the country’s future.

Kreshnik Spahiu, TI’s representative of Albania, points out that the justice system clearly needs a complete overhaul. The President should provide the necessary leadership to carry the reform process forward, he says. This exercise should be part of a broader effort to make public institutions in Albania more transparent.

“There is an immediate need to push for the effort led by the President. There should be a change in the political approach to the penal system and the quality of judges has to be improved”, Spahiu said, adding that some corrupt officials in the judiciary should be fired immediately.

By contrast, constitutional expert Rustem Gjata believes that the key to successful reform is to improve the quality of new legislation aimed at upgrading the system.

“The very pace of change has created problems”, he told Balkan Insight.

Stressing the inherent difficulties of reforming the judiciary, Gjata argues that properly drafted legislation represents an indispensable base, and he points out that all three branches of government must engage in the process.

Among key problems is inadequate oversight of the judicial process, Gjata says. “The fact that there is such a poor level of control aggravates the problem. It is better to have no control at all than to have purely nominal control.”

Suzana, trying to recover her family’s property in Tirana, is worried that the new push for reform might be no more than a political gimmick. But she is moderately optimistic that this time round there may be some relief for herself and for thousands like her caught in the web of the Albanian justice system.

“I really hope something changes, and that it’s not just a political game. Ordinary people need justice”, she said.

Ergys Gjencaj is a journalist of the daily newspaper Korrieri. Balkan insight is the online publication of the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network. This article was made possible trough the support of the National Endowment for Democracy.

http://www.birn.eu.com/en/107/10/5232/

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11.10.2007 by Lupo.

Among the more or less successful intelligence collaborations with
industry that were examined by Maj. Voelz, there is nothing quite like
the Bush Administration’s use of telephone companies to support the
warrantless interception of domestic communications, a probable
violation of the law for which the Administration is now urgently
seeking retroactive immunity.

CONGRESS URGED TO ADDRESS STATE SECRETS PRIVILEGE

If foreign terrorists set out to undermine confidence in the American
legal system as an arbiter of justice, they could hardly do more damage
than the Bush Administration has done by its use of the “state secrets”
privilege.

Khaled el-Masri, who alleged that he was abducted and tortured by the
Central Intelligence Agency, will not be permitted to argue his case in
a U.S. court because the Bush Administration asserted that “state
secrets” would be compromised, and the U.S. Supreme Court this week
concurred, rejecting el-Masri’s appeal.

This means that even if all of el-Masri’s allegations are true, there
is no legal remedy available to him. The courthouse doors are closed
in the United States. That is bad law and bad policy.

It also seems to be unnecessary, since courts have long demonstrated an
ability to securely handle highly classified information, and have
frequently done so in espionage trials and certain other criminal
cases.

Recently, a group of law professors, scholars and activists urged
Congress to confront the executive branch’s use of the state secrets
privilege, and to establish new constraints on the privilege.

“Congress has a duty to examine how the state secrets privilege is
being invoked by the executive branch and interpreted by federal
courts. There is a need for new rules designed to protect the system
of checks and balances, individual rights, national security, fairness
in the courtroom, and the adversary process,” they wrote.

“Congress possesses the constitutional authority to act, and it should
do so.”

The October 4 letter, coordinated by the nonprofit Constitution
Project, may be found here:

http://www.constitutionproject.org/libertyandsecurity/article.cfm?messageID=428&categoryId=3

Geschrieben in Welt News Spezial, Balkan (Englisch) | Drucken | Keine Kommentare »

11.10.2007 by Lupo.

Leaders says no role for paramilitaries in Kosovo

11/10/2007

Armed men appearing in masks on public television are doing little to help Kosovo’s image at a sensitive time, Kosovo’s leaders said.

By Blerta Foniqi-Kabashi for Southeast European Times in Pristina – 11/10/07

The Albanian National Army says Kosovo faces threats from Serbia. [Getty Images]

The apparent re-emergence of an armed group in Kosovo has been criticized by UNMIK and the province’s leadership. Such developments do not help Kosovo’s image at a time it is on the verge of gaining independence, said Prime Minister Agim Ceku.

“I call all the citizens to play a role in the security of Kosovo and to support and co-operate with security institutions,” he said.

President Fatmir Sejdiu acknowledged, however, that delays in the status process may be opening up room for illegal organisations to operate in Kosovo. Kosovo Public Television last week broadcast statements from men claiming to be part of a group called the Albanian National Army (ANA).

“Due to the fact that we are endangered by Serbian paramilitary groups and the fact that Serbia may invade Kosovo again, we are obliged to organise ourselves and be vigilant,” said a speaker dressed in an army uniform and mask.

“We are not against the Unity Team nor the NATO troops and the local security forces, but if the [status] process fails, we are ready to act,” he added.

Gafurr Adili, a spokesman for a political group associated with the ANA, said the members seen in the group are not thieves but regular units that defend Kosovo against possible Serb attacks.

He said that northern Kosovo is neither being administered by UNMIK nor protected consistently by KFOR and the Kosovo Police Service, but is instead controlled by Serb groups.

UNMIK chief Joachim Ruecker has branded the ANA a terrorist organistion. KFOR representatives, meanwhile, say they will react against any paramilitary force that appears in Kosovo. …………….

Setimes

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11.10.2007 by CrniLabudovi.

Es sind sehr späte Einsichten eines Uni Professors an der Bundeswehr Akademie in München.. Peinlicherweise, sollte doch jedem klar sein, das man nicht Kriminellen, Mördern, Terroristen und Drogen Baronen einen Staat aufbauen kann.

Bundeswehr: Mission impossible
Die bisherigen Bundeswehr-Einsätze sind strategische Desaster. Haben also die 2007 postgouvernemental rückgewendeten Grünen und PDS/Linke als heftigste Kritiker recht? Mitnichten. Aber Rot-Grün und Schwarz-Rot haben die deutsche Sicherheitspolitik in eine Sackgasse geführt

Ein Kommentar von Michael Wolffsohn

In Afghanistan gewinnen die Taliban gefährlich an Boden. Die Opiumernte, die wichtigste Einkommensquelle des Taliban-Terrors, erreicht neue Rekorde und beliefert 93 Prozent des globalen Marktes, was weltweit Tausenden von Menschen das Leben kostet.

Im Kongo wird (trotz – oder vielleicht wegen? – der dort stationierten 17 000 UN-Soldaten) nicht zuletzt von Regierungssoldaten mehr geraubt, getötet und vergewaltigt als vor dem Bundeswehr-Einsatz, der diese Regierung mit anderen „Friedenstruppen“ „demokratisch“ installierte.

In Bosnien-Herzegowina können sich die Konfliktparteien nicht einmal auf eine einheitliche, sprich: ethnisch gemischte Polizei einigen, und die wohl bevorstehende Gründung des albanischen Kosovostaates ist das Drehbuch des nächsten Balkankrieges um „Großalbanien“. Serbien, Kosovo, Albanien und Mazedonien werden ihn führen. Das ist die bisherige Bilanz der „Friedenseinsätze“ der Bundeswehr.

Nicht der Einsatz an sich ist ein strategischer Fehler, die Strategie ist falsch. Gibt es eine? Diese ketzerische Frage drängt sich angesichts der Ergebnisse auf.

Demokratie für den Kongo? Ein ehrenwertes Ziel. Aber mit Kabila als Partner? Ein Hohn, zudem undurchdacht, denn der Kongokrieg ist nicht rein innen-, sondern zugleich regional- und wirtschaftspolitisch bedingt. Zudem ist dieser Konflikt nicht zu lösen, ohne die ethnolinguistischen Strukturen dieses und anderer afrikanischer Staaten völlig neu – und endlich friedensstiftend – zu konzipieren.

Wenn die Menschen in Bosnien-Herzegowina nur darauf warten, sich wieder die Kehlen durchzuschneiden, wird es der Bundeswehr und ihren Partnern leider nicht gelingen, diesen Wahnsinn dauerhaft zu verhindern. Irgendwann geraten wir zwischen die Fronten. Und dann sind wir „Besatzer“. Gutmeinend, aber nichts (mehr) bewirkend.

Wer heute den neuen Staat „Kosovo“ militärisch und damit politisch „sichert“, schürt morgen in friedlicher Absicht einen neuen Krieg. Die dann gefährdete serbische Minderheit wird mithilfe Serbiens ihre „Sicherheit“ anstreben und sich lösen. Das wird weder Kosovo hinnehmen noch Albanien, das bei dieser Gelegenheit Kosovo sozusagen „heim ins Reich“ führen würde. Will Kosovo aber Teil eines albanischen Großalbaniens sein oder lieber ein kosovarisches Großalbanien? Die Albaner Mazedoniens wollen dann auch zu Großalbanien. Doch zu welchem, dem albanischen oder kosovarischen? Wurde dieses Szenario mitgedacht?

In Afghanistan sind Kampf und Krieg gegen die Taliban richtig, denn ihre Herrschaft gewährte dem internationalen Terror eine territoriale Basis. Wer dem Terror die Basis entziehen möchte, darf aber nicht vorgeben, es gäbe sie nicht in Teilen Pakistans, dem Nachbarn Afghanistans.

Wer A sagt, muss auch B sagen und den „treuen Verbündeten“ Pakistan zum entschlossenen Kampf gegen diesen Staat im Staat drängen – oder sich selbst diesem Kampf stellen: Schlimmes (Gewaltanwendung) tun, um Schlimmstes (die Stärkung des Terrors) zu vermeiden.

Weil nicht dafür ausgebildet, kann keine Armee der Welt zivil- administrative oder gar politische Strukturen aufbauen, auch nicht unsere „Bürger in Uniform“-Bundeswehr. Genau das aber, also die Quadratur des Kreises, soll sie in Afghanistan leisten: „Mission impossible“. Man mache sich nichts vor, die zivilen Aufbauleistungen, die amtlich gepriesen werden, hören sich aus erster Hand deutlich anders an, die Bilanz des Misserfolges an der Terror- und Opiumfront ist eindeutig und die Tüchtigkeit oder Redlichkeit der Karsai- Regierung nicht überwältigend.

…………………….

Als Ersatz des Technischen Hilfswerks ist der Bundeswehr- Einsatz weder zivil-politisch noch militärisch sinnvoll. Das sollten die Mitglieder des Bundestages wissen, wenn sie über Bundeswehr-Einsätze abstimmen.

Der Autor lehrt Neuere Geschichte an der Bundeswehr-Universität München. Der Text gibt seine persönliche Meinung wieder.

(Erschienen im gedruckten Tagesspiegel vom 11.10.2007)

Tages Spiegel

Zitate aus dem Spiegel, wie die Politiker sich wieder anlügen

Seite 36

Die Deutsche Arbeit sei deströs, urteilte im Sommer eine Delegation von Bundestags Abgeordneten. die sich vor Ort umgeschaut haben. Augerechnet beim Zivilen Aufbau ist Deutschland destraös gescheitert. Hier geht es vor allem auch um den viel zitierten Aufbau der Polizei und Justiz.

DER SPIEGEL (41/2007) - 08.10.2007 (587 Zeichen)
Inhaltsverzeichnis: Scheitert die Mission in Afghanistan? Seite 32
Bundestag entscheidet über das schwierige Afghanistan-Mandat
Link auf diesen Artikel im Archiv: http://service.spiegel.de/digas/find?DID=53203397

3,50 Euro
Aktuelles Heft ist nur komplett als E-Paper zu kaufen.

DER SPIEGEL (41/2007) - 08.10.2007 (24227 Zeichen)
Außenpolitik: Der Discount-Krieg
In dieser Woche entscheidet der Bundestag über die Verlängerung des Bundeswehr-Einsatzes in Afghanistan - Sorgenkind der deutschen Außenpolitik. Das Land steht am Abgrund, doch die deutsche Politik hat sich entschlossen, die wahren Probleme zu ignorieren.
Link auf diesen Artikel im Archiv: http://service.spiegel.de/digas/find?DID=53203430

Kurz gesagt, liegt Amts Versagen im BMZ Ministerium vor und deren Neben Stellen wie GTZ, DEG, KfW und andere Tarn NAGO#s die nur der Geld Unterschlagung, der Bestechung ausl. Regierungen und der Selbstbedienung dienen.

Die Amtsversager, welche nur kriminelle Strukturen bedienen!

Das Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) wird von Bundesministerin Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, der Parlamentarischen Staatssekretärin Karin Kortmann und dem beamteten Staatssekretär Erich Stather geleitet.

http://www.bmz.de/de/ministerium/index.html

Wo sind die Milliarden der Aufbau Hilfe geblieben Frau Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul?

Warum arbeiten Sie mit vollkommen inkompetenten udn oft sehr dummen Leuten in ihrem Ministerium? Warum wurden in Albanien und Serbien Kriminelle Strukturen unterstützt und im Kosovo gleich der OK komplett jede Art von Projekt übergeben? Und von Afghanistan will man lieber mal gleich gar nicht anfangen. Warum wurden Projekte mit Landesweit bekannten kriminellen Politiker finanziert?

Die IEP - BND Studie Kosovo 2007 122 Seiten pdf
http://balkanforum.org/IEP-BND/iep0001.PDF

Und dann wolen wir mal das armselige Geschwätz von Gerhard Schröder (Joschka Fischer identisch und noch schlimmeres Geschwätz) von 1999 lesen zum Thzema Bundeswehr Einsatz!

Schröder: Der Einsatz der Bundeswehr im Kosovo schafft ein anderes Deutschland-Bild

23.7.1999 0:00 Uhr

Tages Spiegel

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11.10.2007 by admin.

Kontrollet, uji i amballazhuar me fekale

Eglantina Bardhi

10-10-2007

Sipas inspektorit në Drejtorinë e Higjienës, Veliterna janë pezulluar 2 subjekte që prodhonin ujë të ndoturVeliterna: Gjatë muajit shtator kemi penalizuar 32 subjekte. Mbyllëm edhe 2 pastiçeri pasi kishte ndotje fekale

Konsumatorët shpenzojnë jo pak për produktet ushqimore dhe fatkeqësisht jo gjithmonë ato janë brenda standarteve. Por kur bëhet fjala për elementin më jetik siç është uji i cili kundrejt parave ofrohet me fekale ky problem i kalon kufijtë e alarmit. Kështu kontrollet e fundit të Insitutit të Higjienës kanë evidentuar 2 subjekte që prodhojnë ujë jashtë kushteve higjieno-sanitare. Madje analizat e ujit në këto 2 subjekte kanë rezultuar me E.Coli apo siç njihet ndryshe nga populli me fekale. Sipas shefit të Sektorit të Higjienës Ushqimore pranë Drejtorisë së Higjienës, Shaban Veliterna ndaj këtyre subjekteve janë marrë masa të menjëhershme me pezullim të punës dhe gjoba. Ndërkohë ai theksoi se janë marrë masa ndëshkimore edhe ndaj subjekteve të tjera që nuk plotësojnë kushtet higjieno-sanitare.

Uji i ndotur

http://www.shekulli.com.al/news/50/ARTICLE/16555/2007-10-10.html

Auch hier liegt wie eine Bundestags Delegation schon für Afghanistan festgestellt hat, desaströses Versagen des BMZ (Ministierum die “Rote Heidi”) der GTZ, KfW, DEG, und anderen Tarn NGO’s vor, welche einen Politischen Hintergrund haben. Deutsche Aufbau Hilfe ist nicht nur desaströs, sondern unter der Kontrolle von sehr dummen und inkompententen Leute (siehe BND Studie Kosovo 2007) die leider auch nur noch kriminelle Strukturen aufbauen und mit ihnen zusammen arbeiten. Das typische bekannte Schema, wie sich sehr dumme Leute tarnen, indem sie Kriminelle Netzwerke aufbauen und mit diesen Leuten Projekte abwickeln (oder besser unterschlagen). siehe u.a. FES udn Hashim Thaci, oder der Drogen Baron Clan von Karsai mit Joschka Fische rund Steinmeier.

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