U.S. envoy has "personal interest" in Kosovo highway

U.S. Ambassador in Pristina Christopher Dell has "strong personal interest" in Kosovo Albanian authorities taking over control of the administrative line. This is according to a report on Thursday in Belgrade-based daily Blic. U.S. envoy has "personal interest" in Kosovo highway The newspaper claims that tge U.S. diplomat has close business ties with a U.S. corporation that is taking part in the construction of a highway from the Albanian capital of Tirana, to Merdare on the administrative line between Kosovo and central Serbia. According to the article, Dell is to receive a percentage from the construction of the highway which is being built by U.S. Bechtel Corporation and its Turkish partner ENKA. The ambassador’s role is allegedly "to pour money into Kosovo’s budget and to make sure that the priority is to pay the U.S. company". None of the sources could specify how big Dell the percentage received by Dell will be, but it is believed to be a significant amount of money. The daily also says it learned "from a well-informed source in Pristina" that the Bechtel Corporation owns 15 percent of the total value of the contract, which according to some exceeds EUR 620mn. Dell became involved when Americans realized that the Kosovo government did not have the necessary funds to make the payments. The U.S. ambassador’s strong advocacy for the completion of Kosovo institution’s control - in the Serb north that rejects the authority of the government in Pristina - is described as "a continuation of the U.S. policy in the field, but it also represents an opportunity to make profit". According to the Blic’s source, the Kosovo budget does not have enough money and Dell believes that a way out is a sale of the telecommunications company. According to some estimates, the so-called Telekomi Kosoves - which is in fact property owned by Serbia - could be sold for EUR 300-350mn. A tender for the sale of the company is still open even though bids were supposed to be accepted only through June. If and when sold, it is estimated that some 75 percent of the money will be spent on payments for the highway construction. Croatia’s Telekom is among the bidders, and Croat Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor’s recent visit to Kosovo is believed to have been related to that. “The money will be used to repay debts and it will go into the budget. But the most important thing is that there will be enough for the U.S. firm,” the daily’s source was quoted as saying. Among other things, the highway represents an ideal link between the U.S. Camp Bondsteel and the Albanian coast, and the U.S. Fifth Fleet ships, according to the article. Albania also signed the agreement with the U.S. company. However, certain countries have had negative experience with the Bechtel Corporation. One of them is Romania, where a price estimate for a highways was EUR 2.2bn in 2004, to then reach EUR 7bn, with the deadine for completion moved to 2013. The construction works started in Albania in 2006, and currently reached Prizren in Kosovo. The newspaper also describes Christopher Dell as the diplomat exerting the most influence on the Kosovo Albanian government and its head Hashim Thaci. According to this, they did not have the support from EULEX to send Kosovo police to take over administrative line checkpoints in July, but Dell "knew about the operation". Now, when Pristina is announcing a new "takeover of borders", the U.S. ambassador is saying it is "a legitimate right of Kosovo to return its customs and police to the north". The daily concluded that Dell also took part in the making of an "operational plan" for this to happen, that was announced on Wednesday by Thaci. Christopher Dell (file)

U.S. envoy has "personal interest" in Kosovo highway

The newspaper claims that tge U.S. diplomat has close business ties with a U.S. corporation that is taking part in the construction of a highway from the Albanian capital of Tirana, to Merdare on the administrative line between Kosovo and central Serbia.

According to the article, Dell is to receive a percentage from the construction of the highway which is being built by U.S. Bechtel Corporation and its Turkish partner ENKA.

The ambassador’s role is allegedly "to pour money into Kosovo’s budget and to make sure that the priority is to pay the U.S. company".

None of the sources could specify how big Dell the percentage received by Dell will be, but it is believed to be a significant amount of money.

The daily also says it learned "from a well-informed source in Priština" that the Bechtel Corporation owns 15 percent of the total value of the contract, which according to some exceeds EUR 620mn. Dell became involved when Americans realized that the Kosovo government did not have the necessary funds to make the payments.

The U.S. ambassador’s strong advocacy for the completion of Kosovo institution’s control - in the Serb north that rejects the authority of the government in Priština - is described as "a continuation of the U.S. policy in the field, but it also represents an opportunity to make profit".

According to the Blic’s source, the Kosovo budget does not have enough money and Dell believes that a way out is a sale of the telecommunications company.

According to some estimates, the so-called Telekomi Kosoves - which is in fact property owned by Serbia - could be sold for EUR 300-350mn.

A tender for the sale of the company is still open even though bids were supposed to be accepted only through June. If and when sold, it is estimated that some 75 percent of the money will be spent on payments for the highway construction. Croatia’s Telekom is among the bidders, and Croat Prime Minister Jadranka Kosor’s recent visit to Kosovo is believed to have been related to that.

“The money will be used to repay debts and it will go into the budget. But the most important thing is that there will be enough for the U.S. firm,” the daily’s source was quoted as saying.

Among other things, the highway represents an ideal link between the U.S. Camp Bondsteel and the Albanian coast, and the U.S. Fifth Fleet ships, according to the article.

Albania also signed the agreement with the U.S. company. However, certain countries have had negative experience with the Bechtel Corporation.

One of them is Romania, where a price estimate for a highways was EUR 2.2bn in 2004, to then reach EUR 7bn, with the deadine for completion moved to 2013.

The construction works started in Albania in 2006, and currently reached Prizren in Kosovo.

The newspaper also describes Christopher Dell as the diplomat exerting the most influence on the Kosovo Albanian government and its head Hashim Thaci. According to this, they did not have the support from EULEX to send Kosovo police to take over administrative line checkpoints in July, but Dell "knew about the operation".

Now, when Priština is announcing a new "takeover of borders", the U.S. ambassador is saying it is "a legitimate right of Kosovo to return its customs and police to the north".

The daily concluded that Dell also took part in the making of an "operational plan" for this to happen, that was announced on Wednesday by Thaci.