radio free europe
February 24, 2011
By RFE/RL
PRISHTINA -- Just three years after unilaterally declaring independence, the new country of Kosovo is learning the old truth that politics makes strange bedfellows.
By RFE/RL
PRISHTINA -- Just three years after unilaterally declaring independence, the new country of Kosovo is learning the old truth that politics makes strange bedfellows.
As a result of political deal-making, Kosovo now has a president with close personal and business ties to a country that strenuously opposes Kosovo's independence and a prime minister who has been linked to allegations of trafficking in human organs during the 1990s conflict with Serbia.
During a rocky and controversial session of parliament on February 22, deputies elected 59-year-old Behgjet Pacolli as the country's third president. Pacolli, a Kosovo native with Swiss citizenship, is reputedly the world's richest Albanian, the multimillionaire owner of the Switzerland-based Mabetex construction giant.
Pacolli is best known in Kosovo for his murky ties to Russia, a country that has lobbied against Kosovo's independence on the international stage. As a result, he is deeply unpopular in the country; his New Alliance Kosovo party polled just 8 percent in the December elections and barely cleared the 5 percent hurdle for gaining seats in the legislature.
Nonetheless, Pacolli became the head of state following a back-room deal with Prime Minister Hashim Thaci's Democratic Party.
Under Kosovo's constitution, two-thirds of the 120 deputies are needed to elect a president on the first two ballots, but only a simple majority of 61 votes is needed on the third. Knowing this, several small opposition parties boycotted the proceedings.
In the first two votes, Pacolli received 54 and 58 votes. Following them, a recess of disputed legality was called before the third vote to give leaders time to rustle up the needed votes. After the recess, Pacolli was approved and, in short order, Thaci's government was also endorsed by a simple majority with the opposition boycotting.
Checkered Past
Thaci is under fire internationally following a report by a Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) rapporteur alleging involvement in heinous crimes during the war with Serbia in the late 1990s. The charges include allegations of involvement in trafficking in human organs taken from Serbian prisoners.
Kosovo media reported today that the controversial break between the second and third votes may have been partly instigated by U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo Christopher Dell. Dell was in the parliament chamber during the session and was seated next to a close aide of Pacolli's. Local media have aired footage from the session purportedly showing Pacolli receiving text messages from the aide conveying Dell's views of the proceedings.
In a statement, the U.S. Embassy in Prishtina denied that the messages amounted to interference in Kosovo's political processes and deplored the local media's "unprofessional, unethical, and potentially illegal activity."
But it was Pacolli's ties to Russia that concerned most observers. Parliament member Visar Ymeri, of the Self-Determination party, explained to deputies why his party refused to back Pacolli.
"Pacolli's biggest business successes were gained due to his ties with Russia. Pacolli got rich in Russia and, in the meantime, Russia tends to bolster Serbia," Ymeri said. "Serbia as a state owes its political existence to Russia, and Russia is the biggest current and historical opponent of the Albanians' right to self-determination."...more...
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