DAY 75 - PRISTINA, KOSOVA

5 July, 2011
Total: 716 miles (Total: 1,365,091 steps)

“I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.” General Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th President of the United States of America.

On the way from Valbona, I got a lift as far as Dakovica, from where I caught a bus to Pristina. On the bus I sat next to a young man called Mark, who is Kosovan, a law graduate and who runs a coffee bar in Prishtina called ‘Soho’—he gave me a brilliant, if ever so slightly prejudiced, overview of the political situation in Kosova and in return I briefed him about the Olympic Truce.

On arriving in Prishtina, there were enormous traffic jams and so I walked to the Grande Hotel where I had arranged to meet Fisnic Minci, who was helping arrange meetings on the ground. Fisnic is based in Prezren, but is a prolific and respected commentator on Kosovan politics, which makes him the perfect host. We were then joined by Besim Hasani, the excellent president of the Kosovar Olympic Committee and had a discussion about what we wanted to achieve from the two-day visit.
Soon after, I got a call from Joe Preston, Deputy Head of Mission and the British Embassy, who was extremely helpful and came immediately to the Grande with Rachel Lloyd, who is responsible for media. They gave me an excellent overview of the political situation on the ground and offered their support. I asked Joe if the British Embassy had any special rates at hotels in Pristina that I might be able to tap into—he replied “yes” and started with one at a 100 euros a night—the pain on my face must have been visible; and then there is another at 70 euros—I was still in shock. He then asked what my budget was, and I said “30 euros”; he looked shocked. It is one of the things that can happen in major centres of international activity; there is a bubble in hotel prices because all the places are easily taken at top rates by international organisations. Taking pity on me Joe kindly arranged for me to be able to stay at the ambassador’s residence, which was both generous and unexpected.

Then, it was off to the Ministry of Culture, Youth & Sport for a meeting with the minister Memli Krasniqi – a very able and young minister who has risen quickly through the ranks having started as an adviser to the current prime minister. The minister grasped the concept of the truce immediately and said that he had spoken to the prime minister who was sorry not to be able to meet with me as he was out of the country, but that they do want to implement the Olympic Truce even though they are not members of the United Nations yet. It was a tremendous start to the visit and we then headed out to a formal press conference, where the minister publicly stated the commitment to the Olympic Truce. I also urged the Kosovan’s to press for full membership of the International Olympic Committee to enable them to send athletes to compete at London 2012.