CDHRF organized a debate in Urosevac/Ferizaj concerning the return process
THE RETURN SHOULD RATHER BE KOSOVAR THAN POLITICALLY ORIENTED
Mr. Nuhi Kosumi, High Adviser from the Ministry of Returns and Communities stated that the return of Serbs was blocked
UROSEVAC/FERIZAJ, 23 RD NOVEMBER - In the cold hall in the Municipal Building of Ferizaj/Urosevac, the representatives from NGOs and some journalists participated in the debate regarding the Role of the Civil Society and the Local Government in the Return Process of IDPs.
Mr. Ibrahim Makolli stated that CDHRF came to Urosevac/Ferizaj in order to discuss this tropic, away from Prishtina. Mr. Faik Grainca, Mayor of Urosevac/Ferizaj Municipality informed all the participants on the activities realized by the Municipal Local Government for Babljak/ Bablak village as well as about 4 other Concept Documents which has been endorsed for the return of Serbs to 4 villages. Mr. Grainca also said the following: ”We consider the return process rather as human rights than political issue”. In addition to this, Mr. Grainca said that the Urosevac/Ferizaj Municipality expressed a willingness to participate in 15% of the return process, taking into consideration that the municipality did not have the financial capacity to do more.
Mr. Bexhet Shala, Executive Director of CDHRF, gave some objections on the return process which has been a failure as from its beginning this process has not been handled accordingly due to the fact that the funds were possessed by UNMIK. In addition to this, Mr. Shala stated that according to the experiences in other countries, it was difficult to expect more than 30% of the IDPs to return to their property. Mr. Shala also said that the return process had been tainted because nobody spoke about the return of the Boshnjak community or the return of the Albanians - only about the return of the Serbs. Mr. Nuhi Kosumi, High Adviser from the Ministry of Returns and Communities stated that the return of Serbs had been blocked by Nebojsa Covic and Ministry requested from the Serbs to distance themselves from the spell the Government of Serbia has put them under. In addition to this, Mr. Kosumi said that the return process should be Kosovar oriented and as everybody knows, the return process is not easy but we do not have the competence to talk about this issue since the budget is managed by UNDP. |
