By artan pernaska
apernaska@tiranatimes.com
“Vive la Republique!” – titled in French, Express one of the leading newspapers published in Kosova, on the morrow of the visit that the Prime Minister of Kosova, Hashim Tha詬 and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sk쯤er Hyseni, made on Monday the 8th of June, in France. This is the first official visit of the Prime Minister in France after the proclamation of independence, writes Express. Since the Rambouillet Talks in 1999, Tha詠has on several occasions visited Paris.
France will help Kosova integrate the European Union and other international structures. Paris will lobby for additional recognition for the new Balkan republic. Those were the main points coming out of the meetings that the Prime Minister of Kosova and the accompanying delegation of high officials had with their opposites in France. These points were underlined not only by the press in Kosova, but by the press in Albania as well (Koha Jon묠Panorama, etc.). “The independence of Kosova is irreversible” – the French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, was quoted by Express, saying further that “The determination of Kosova, like that of all the Balkans, should be membership in the European Union” and that “France will help Kosova join the EU”.
The French President has encouraged the Prime Minister of Kosova to find a modus vivendi with the Serbs. “It is necessary that the two states [Kosova and Serbia] find the way to gradually overcome problems from the past” – writes the French Presidency’s communiqu鮍
Tha詠and Sarkozy also discussed Kosova’s attractiveness for French investment.
During the visit, the delegation from Kosova also met the French Foreign Minister, Bernard Kouchner, formerly the first civilian administrator appointed by the United Nations in Kosova after the international takeover in Kosova in 1999.
The Prime Minister of Kosova was also guest at the Center for International Studies and Research (CERI), where he declared that “The Republic of Kosova, like the Republic of France has founded all construction based on the three essential principles of Freedom, Equality and Fraternity [Friendship in the quotation given by Express]: freedom for all, equality for our citizens and friendship that ensures the multiethnic society of our country”.
The delegation has also visited the Embassy of the Republic of Kosova in Paris.
The visit seems to have escaped attention of the main French newspapers. After its independence, Kosova seems to have fallen into media “normality”, in the French press, busy with multiple subjects. Le Monde, which appears daily at mid-day, reports the visit in the last lines of a short article speaking of the international military presence reduction in Kosova.
NATO’s task-force presence in Kosova (KFOR) will be reduced from 15,000 to 10,000 in January 2010, writes Le Monde on the day after the visit, believing that this could later fall to 2000 men if the stability of the country is assured. This reduction, planned for January 2010, should be validated by the Defense Ministers of the NATO countries on the 11th or 12th of June, writes the newspaper, recalling that the reduction was planned since the establishment in 2008 in Kosova of the European mission (EULEX) helping the local authorities in the domains of police, justice and customs.
The Albanian media not only a reported the visit, but also an analysis of the political significance and the political context on which it took place. This visit could be qualified not only as a height-point of the relations between the two countries, but it can also help Kosova overcome the nasty period of what has been asserted as an ignoring policy to the state of Kosova from neighboring countries, writes Koha Jon뮍
The press also reports that French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, accepted the invitation to visit Kosova and he will do so during the current year.
