UNITED NATIONS, May 17 -- "Kosovo cannot tolerate any longer so much lawlessness, " Skender Hyseni, Foreign Minister of Kosovo, told the Press on Monday. Inner City Press has asked Hyseni about this government's move last month to disable the repeaters of Telekom and Telenor, two Serbia-based cell phone companies, from providing service south of the Ibar River.
"Any company which seeks a license will be duly considered and eventually honored," Hyseni said. Video here, from Minute 2:50.
Who provides cell service is a politically charged issue. Currently, according to Hyseni, 68 countries recognize the unilateral declaration of independence of Kosovo. He predicted the number will grow after the International Court of Justice rules on Serbia's case, which he said will be soon.
The Serbs argue that regulating telecommunications should still be the responsibility of the UN, under Resolution 1244. After a Security Council meeting Monday about Kosovo, Russian Ambassador Vitaly Churkin came out smiling. "Resolution 1244," he told the Press as he passed.
Inner City Press asked Serbian Foreign Minister Vuk Jeremic to, like Hyseni, take questions at the stakeout. Jeremic shook his head. "It was a good session," he said, gesturing back at the Council. Last Kosovo debate in January, Boris Tadic similarly declined to take questions.
Jeremic on Monday might have been asked about the mass grave recently found in Southern Serbia, or whether Kovoso's participation in the upcoming EU - Wester Balkan conference in Sarajevo connotes increased recognition of the UDI.
Perhaps he would have wanted to call for the ouster of Kosovo transportation minister Fatmir Limoj, whose office was recently raided by EULEX. Hyseni when asked by Inner City Press declined to speak on this, saying that the judiciary in Kosovo is independent, and that questions of corruption should be kept separate from "projects." Video here, from Minute 4:16.
But if the alleged corruption was in the procurement for the project, how can they be separate? Watch this site.
