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http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/main/news/16568/
Serbia, Kosovo Ignore UNMIK Talk Invite
Pristina | 10 February 2009 |
A Kosovo Church burns during the 2004 riots
Both Serbia and Kosovo ignored an invitation by the United Nations mission
in Kosovo to hold talks on the 'technical issue' of cultural heritage, with
negotiations supposed to be held today in Pristina.
Rasel Giki, UNMIK spokesperson confirmed that the UN mission invited both
Belgrade and Pristina to the round table, but had not received any response
from either.
Part of the Serbian Orthodox heritage in Kosovo, the province Serbs consider
the spiritual heartland of their nation, was destroyed or damaged by
Albanian rioters in March 2004. To maintain its claim, both politically and
in terms of property, the Serbian Orthodox Church has defiantly stayed on
after the declaration of independence, with priests hunkering down in
churches and monasteries patrolled by NATO peacekeepers.
A commission for the preservation of Serb monuments and churches has created
'protective zones' around Kosovo, a move supported by government officials
in Pristina, but boycotted by Belgrade.
Commenting on the UNMIK invitation, Kosovo's Ministry of Culture, Youth, and
Sport said Pristina knew what it had to do and saw no need for the agenda to
double by including Belgrade in the arrangements.
“The Ministry of Culture, Youth, and Sport will not take part in Tuesday’s
meeting, because of the fact that a duplication of meetings would occur,
which we have currently initiated. We have created a forum for cultural
heritage, where the same issues will be discussed” said Arberore Riza, the
Minister’s media advisor.
Kosovo government spokesperson Memli Krasniqi said that there was no need
for the government to further discuss an issue already covered in the plan
of UN envoy Martti Ahtisaari’s package, which served as a blueprint for
Kosovo’s declaration of independence from Serbia in February of last year.
(Reportd By Shega A'Mula)
Kosovo creating a database of cultural treasures
03. February 2009. | 12:20
Source: New Kosova Report
The Republic of Kosovo Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with the British
Embassy in Prishtina, is working on creating an electronic database
regarding cultural heritage of Kosovo.
The Republic of Kosovo Ministry of Culture, in cooperation with the
<http://ukinkosovo.fco.gov.uk/en/our-office-in-kosovo/> British Embassy in
Prishtina, is working on creating an electronic database regarding cultural
heritage of Kosovo.
The Ministry states that this is "a unified and indivisible cultural
heritage."
The database will include information on all cultural monuments and the
value of various cultural properties in Kosovo.
Valton Beqiri, in charge of the Ministry in the Republic of Kosovo
government, said that the intention is to "preserve and promote the cultural
heritage of Kosovo and show it as being unified and indivisible at the same
time".
“A Swedish foundation will implement the project. Experts will work on
updating the database, some of which will be Serbs,” Beqiri said.
“We have made contact with officials of the Serbian Orthodox Church in
Kosovo through the projects for reconstructing Orthodox monuments. We would
like to communicate in other projects as well, in order for monuments in
Kosovo to be presented as truthfully and faithfully as possible,” he said.
The database will include data from the municipal bureaus for cultural
heritage.
Kosovo culture authorities hope that the register will help identify and
protect Kosovo’s cultural treasures. Just recently, the Orthodox Patriarchy
in Peja was painted in red color by the clerics serving there, denigrating
the original authenticity of the monument, which is also under the
protection of UNESCO.
Gentlemen,
Such as presented by certain countries which opened their
embassies in Kosovo, and “issues already covered in the plan by the UN
envoy, today the “Nobel prize for peace” Mr. Marty Ahtisaari”,
the property of Christian Orthodox Serbian church, has nothing to do neither
with Mr. Marty Ahtisaari, nor with the puppet Kosovo government nominated by
the disproportional use of force by 19 NATO
members. It is most curious that “the ministry of culture in cooperation
with British Embassy in Pristina” is working on creating an electronic
database regarding “cultural heritage of Kosovo”. It is more than rude to
use such a terms,
knowing that in March 2004, the international community, particularly
European Union did nothing to protect Christian Orthodox Serbian middle age
monasteries, ( Watch the YouTube documentary “ Les eglises serbes du Kosovo
brulent 16-17 Mars“), how Albanians treated those churches protected by
UNESCO, and suddenly today, for some touristic reasons, a “database”
regarding cultural heritage of Kosovo” is necessary.
Why not make the database of Albanian cultural heritage of Kosovo, mosques,
libraries, middle –age scripts or “Illyrian” cultural monuments, but Serbian
Orthodox middle age monasteries, if Kosovo was not a cradle of Serbian
history?
And do you really think you can repair middle age monuments by putting a bit
of concrete, a bit of acrylic paint and cleaning all the stuff with
chemical products? What was built with the soul and faith during ages
cannot be repaired by some “database” or “already covered plan of Marty
Ahrtisaari”.
Sincerely
Dragan RAKIC
Strasbourg
France
EU
