Pacolli Afghanistan Hostages Behgjet Pacolli

Behgjet Isa Pacolli

Date, place of birth, family
30 August 1951, Marec, Pristina. The second of ten children of Isa and Nazmije. Married to Ms. Masha Pacolli. Father of five children, three daughters and two sons (Arbresha, Selena, Hana, Isa dhe Diar).

Primary Education
Primary Education, Marec – Kosovo.

Secondary Education
Secondary Education, Pristina.

Higher Education
1970-1973 Foreign Trade Institute Hamburg, Germany

Post Graduation
1982-1983 Master in Marketing and Management– Institute Mösinger Zurich.

Professional profile, Experience
● 1974-1975 Correspondent for foreign languages and Deputy Head for development within Textile enterprise, Gjilan.

● 1976 Commercial Director for regional development in the Company
Peter Zimmer, Kufstein Austria.

● 1977-1980 Commercial Director in the Company Interplastica
Project Engineering in Morbio Inf. Swiss.

● 1980-1990 General Director Interplastica
Project Engineering in Morbio Inf. Swiss.

● 1990 Founder, President and Owner of Mabetex
Project Engineering, Lugano, Switzerland.

● 1992-2009 President of CRS-Credito per lo sviluppo e
ristrutturazione, Lugano Switzerland;
● President of Mabco Construction, Lugano Switzerland
● President of Swiss Diamond Hotel Management, Bermuda;
● Owner of Corporation Interfin Finance London;
● Owner of Mabetex International (located in 18 countries of the world);
● Owner of Insurance Company Siguria, Pristina;
● Major Shareholder in Economic Bank, Pristina;
● Owner of Saranda Properties, Astana Kazakhstan;
● Owner of Sine Tempore International ;
● Owner of the Travel Agency Diamond;
● Owner of Nuova Bernasconi – Lugano
● Board member of several companies in the world

Other humanitarian activities
● Main sponsor of Foundation Aleksandër Moisiu;
● Founder of Foundation and orphanage “Bambini Di Sakha”
● 1993 – Founder and Sponsor of the Hospital for housing and caring of abandoned children with physical problems in Sakha);

● 1999 – In cooperation with the Foundation “Insieme per la pace” and Ms. Fanfani, intervenes massively to offer Aid in Kukës, Ivangrad, for the refugees from Kosovo;
● Support to hospitals in Kosovo with medical equipment;

● Founder of Foundation Ibrahim Kodra, Lugano;

● 2000-2004 – Support for the establishment of KPC infrastructure in Pristina and the contribution for its professional equipment;

● 2005 – Support for building a Memorial Centre in Penuhë, Podujeva;

● 2004 – Mediation for the release of hostages in Afghanistan (after tree weeks he successfully managed to release three hostages, UN employees, Shqipe Hebibi, Annete Flaninghan and Angjilito Najan;

● 2006 – Mediation for the release of journalist taken hostage in Afghanistan, Gabrielle Torsello;

● 2006 Foundation Behgjet Pacolli, Pristina (study scholarships, social assistance for people in need, building houses for the poor and other contributions in the social and cultural life);

● 2007 – Contributed in mediation for the release of 23 Korean hostages in Afghanistan;

● 2008-2011 – Permanent lobbying for the recognition of the Republic of Kosovo as an independent and sovereign state;

● 2007 Designer, sponsor and donor of all infrastructure of the American University in Kosovo AUK;

● 2009 Finance the construction and enlargement of the Philosophic University of Pristina;

● 2008 Finance the project for reconstruction and restoration of the Mosque of Llap in Pristina (an object of cultural heritage of Kosovo);

● Sponsor of Sports and Culture in Kosovo;

● Full contribution for building shelters and houses for poor families; (continuing)

● Support for sending patients abroad for medical treatment; (continuing)

● Social Assistance to invalids and persons in need (monthly salary); (continuing)

Political engagements and activities
Promoter and Founder
●1999 FORK – Foundation Rebuilding Kosovo Pristina;

● 2000 Founder of UAB, Union of Albanian Businessman, Lugano;
● 2004 Founder of SEED, Foundation for the economic development of the South Eastern Europe Washington (Foundation for promoting and lobbying for the independence of Kosovo);
● 2005 Founder of the Organization New Kosova Alliance, Washington (lobbying organization for the independence of Kosovo, 2005-2007);
● 2006 Founder and President of Political Party New Kosova Alliance, AKR (political party which is in the first elections in 2007, was ranged the third political party in the country);
● Member of Centre for International and Strategic Studies CSIS Washington, Permanent Advisor of the Committee chaired by Henry Kissinger;
● 2007-2010 Member of the Parliament of Republic of Kosovo;
● 2011 Member of the Parliament of Republic of Kosovo (second mandate)
● 2011 PRESIDENT of the Republic of Kosovo
● 2011 Initiator and signer of the Agreement for the political consensus for constitutional and electoral reforms.

● 2011 FIRST DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER of the Government of Republic of Kosovo and responsible for foreign policy and foreign investments.

Acknowledgments
● Decoration of KPC;
● Award and honorary titles from the Rochester Institute of Technology
● Decoration from AUK (American University of Kosovo)
● Decorations from the State of Peru, President of Peru;
● The highest Decoration of the Russian Federation (awards on Architecture) second foreigner after American Armand Hammer to receive this Decoration;
● Honorary citizen of Astana, Republic of Kazakhstani;
● Global Honorary Consul of Liberia (2002-2008);
● Peace Ambassador (Universal Peace Federation);
● Global Piece Cavalier of the Millennium; award by Centro Internazionale per la Pace fra i Popol, an award given to Michail Gorbaciov, Perez De Cuellar, S.S. Giovanni Paolo II, Luciano Pavarotti, Helmut Kohl, Mother Theresa of Calcuta, Kofi Annan, Bill Gates, etc;
● Acknowledgment from Foundation Nelson Mandela;
● Acknowledgment from Foundation Clinton Global Initiative.
● Honorary citizen of Lezha – Albania
● Title Doctor Honoris Causa from the European University of Tirana
● Presented with the “Key of Tirana”

Languages
Mother tongue: Albanian
Foreign languages
English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish, Serbo-Croatian, etc.

Publications
Various publishing’s from socio-economic, political and cultural sphere:
• Founder and publisher of the magazine “Albanica”.
• Founder of the magazine “Lajm”
• Author of Autobiographical book “From one challenge to another, life of Behgjet Pacolli, 2010.

Other info
www.behgjetpacolli.com
http:// www.mabetex.com/
http:// www.ks-siguria.com/ks-siguria/
http:// www.swissdiamondhotel.net

Forum’s in English language
http:// www.pacollikosovo.com/

http://pacolliafghanistan.com/

http://www.pacollimabetex.com/

http://www.pacollidiamond.com/

http://www.pacolligroup.com/

http://www.mabetexconstruction.com/

http://www.balkanwelfare.org/

in German language

http://www.behgjetisapacolli.de/

http://www.behgjetpacolliafghanistan.de/

http://www.behgjetpacollikazakhstan.de/

http://www.behgjetpacollikosovo.de/

http://www.behgjetpacollimabetex.de/

http://www.behgjetpacollirussia.de/

http://behgjetpacolliswitzerland.de/

http://www.behgjetpacolliusa.de/

http://www.bpacolli.de/

http://www.bpacolli.ch/

http://www.behgjetisapacolli.ch/

http://www.pacolligroup.ch/

http://www.mabetexconstruction.ch/

http://www.pacollikosova.ch/

http://www.pacollibalkan.ch/

http://www.pacollimabetex.ch/

in Albanian language

http://behgjetpacollirussia.al/

http://www.behgjetpacolliusa.al/

http://www.behgjetpacollimabetex.al/

http://www.behgjetpacollikazakhstan.al/

http://behgjetpacolliitaly.al/

http://www.behgjetpacolliafghanistan.al/

http://behgjetpacolliswitzerland.al/

in Russian language

http://behgjet-friends.ru/

http://behgjet-pacolli.ru/

http://behgjetbiography.ru/

http://behgjetbusiness.ru/

The official website of Behgjet Pacolli the world famous businessman and philanthropist is now online!

CLICK HERE TO VISIT THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE OF BEHGJET PACOLLI

http://www.behgjetpacolli.com

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The 2007 South Korean Hostage Crisis in Afghanistan: Untold Story

Prolegomena to the Interview Article
Published in August 2009, Monthly Chosun, Republic of Korea

From the end of the Korean Hostage Crisis in September 2007 to May 2009 interviews with Waheed Waheedullah and Behgjet Pacolli by Korean media when the untold truths surrounding the release of the hostages was made known to the world —

Behgjet Pacolli

In the United States, George W. Bush’s Republican Party lost power and Barack Obama was sworn in as new President, promising a new era of U.S. foreign policy;

In South Korea, opposition leader Lee Myung-bak as new President of the Republic replaced the former government that dealt with the hostage crisis;

On Saturday May 23rd, 2009, before the scheduled interviews by Korean media with Waheedullah and Pacolli in the morning of Monday, May 25th, at the United Nations Headquarters, which was to provide the basis for the following interview, Roh Moo-hyun, the former President of Korea during the time of the Hostage Crisis, shocked the world by committing suicide after jumping from a high-cliff known as Owl’s Rock.

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[Original article]

Shqipe Hebibi and Behgjet Pacolli

Behgjet Pacolli, a businessman from Kosovo who says he is a relative of Hebibi’s, told The Associated Press that Hebibi made a satellite telephone call to a friend in Kosovo on Monday. The message was passed to her family, he said.

“She said she feels good and she will be soon with them in Kosovo,” Pacolli said.

Pacolli, who met former President Burhanuddin Rabbani on Monday, said he conveyed a message to the kidnappers via “influential people” and received an answer. He said that he expects “success” but that no ransom is being offered.

Extract from an article by Stephen Graham [... read more]

[Original article]

Behgjet Pacolli

The kidnappers of three U.N. workers in Afghanistan said the government agreed terms for their release on Wednesday, but there was no confirmation and a top U.S. official said a deal would encourage hostage taking.

The kidnappers from a Taliban faction have threatened to kill Annetta Flanigan from Northern Ireland, Shqipe Hebibi from Kosovo and Filipino diplomat Angelito Nayan unless 26 Taliban prisoners, some of whom may be in U.S. custody, were freed.

Mullah Sabir Momin, one of several men claiming to speak for the Jaish-e Muslimeen (Army of Muslims), told Reuters the group had talks with the government and U.N. officials via intermediaries on Wednesday.

“The intermediaries told us that the government has accepted our demands. [... read more]

All daily newspapers report on the front pages about the release of Shqipe Hebibi and her two colleagues who were kidnapped in Kabul, Afghanistan. Koha Ditore reports on the front page that the hostages were set free in an unidentified area in Kabul at around 0600 hrs.

Behgjet Pacolli in Kabul

Lajm newspaper reports on the front page that UNMIK chief Jessen-Petersen and Prime Minister Rexhepi visited Hebibi’s family in Peja yesterday. ‘This is a very happy day for Shqipe’s family and for all in Kosovo, and this is the reason why we came here to share the happiness with your family,’ Jessen-Petersen is quoted as saying.

The Afghan Government, according to Koha, claims that it had reached no agreement with the kidnappers for the release of hostages, despite statements by the militants that Flanigan and Nayan were set free after the release of 24 Taliban prisoners and that Shqipe was released after the appeal by Kosovar businessman Behxhet Pacolli. All daily newspapers report that UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has welcomed the release of Shqipe Hebibi and her two colleagues.

Article by KOHA (Pristina, Kosova) – October/November 2004

Three United Nations workers kidnapped in Kabul were released unhurt yesterday, ending a three-week ordeal that sparked fears Afghan militants might be copying the grisly tactics used by Iraqi terrorists to intimidate expatriates.

The hostages were dropped off at an unidentified location in Kabul at about 6am yesterday, said Ali Jalali, the Afghan interior minister. They were then taken to a military base used by the Nato-led International Security Assistance Force, where they had medical checks and called their families.

In Kabul - Behgjet Pacolli

Kofi Annan, UN secretary general, said he was “profoundly relieved” at the hostages’ release and that he had spoken to each of them by phone.

Annetta Flanigan, from Northern Ireland, Shqipe Hebibi, a Kosovan woman, and Angelito Nayan, a Filipino diplomat, were driving on a Kabul street at about midday on October 28 when gunmen stopped their car, pulled them out and bundled them into another vehicle.

Behgjet Pacolli, a relative of Ms Hebibi who has been in Kabul trying to help negotiate the hostages’ release, said in a phone interview that Afghan officials had told him on Monday night that the three would be freed yesterday. He thought Ms Hebibi, whom he had not yet seen, would return to Kosovo as soon as possible.

“I am very, very happy,” he said.

It was still unclear yesterday who the kidnappers were. Jaish-e-Muslimeen, a formerly little-known splinter group of the Taliban, claimed it was holding the trio and contacted news agencies almost daily with demands and deadlines, which were repeatedly extended.

Mr Jalali said the kidnappers were “criminals” but that it was possible they had been hired by the militant group. He said the three had not been freed as a result of a military operation or ransom payment. He denied claims made to news agencies by Jaish-e-Muslimeen spokesmen yesterday that the hostages had been released in exchange for 24 Taliban prisoners.

“We don’t do any deals with terrorists,” Mr Jalali told a news conference. “No money was paid, no prisoners were released and no demand was met.”

Afghan and international security forces raided a group of houses in west Kabul on Monday, quizzing the occupants about the hostages and confiscating a computer hard-drive and mobile phones, but it was unclear if this had expedited their release. Mr Jalali said one person was killed and four wounded in a separate raid north of Kabul on Monday.

Mr Annan said the UN would “continue to work to strengthen the security of its staff in order to enable it to fulfil [its] mandate to further peace, reconstruction and democracy in Afghanistan”.

Mr Jalali vowed to pursue the kidnappers yesterday. “This episode must not be repeated and will never be tolerated.”

Victoria Burnett in Islamabad

Article by Financial Times – UN workers held in Kabul released unhurt – November 24 2004

[Original article]

Two of three United Nations workers being held hostage by militants in Afghanistan have called home, raising hopes that the trio might be released. Authorities said they were making headway in efforts to secure their freedom yesterday, as a deadline for the kidnappers’ demands came and went.

Jawed Ludin, spokesman for Hamid Karzai, the president, said there had been progress in efforts to convince the kidnappers to release Shqipe Hebibi, Angelito Nayan and Annetta Flanigan, who were abducted in Kabul 12 days ago.

Ms Hebibi, a Kosovan, called a friend in Kosovo saying she was well and hoped to be home soon, according to Behgjet Pacolli, a relative in Kabul trying to help secure her release. In a call to the foreign office in Manila on Monday, Angelito Nayan, a Filipino diplomat, said he was fine, the Associated Press reported. Victoria Burnett, Islamabad

Victoria Burnett
Article by Financial Times – [Kabul hopes rise for hostages' release] – November 10 2004

March 25th, 2009

Kidnappers say that government accepts the agreement

Interview

Behgjet Pacolli a businessman from Kosova that went to Kabul for release of Shqipe Hebibi, said that he is very optimist that the three hostages will be released on Thursday. Pacolli for “Lajm” said that he had information’s from a very reliable source, which he did not want to identify. “I am confident that they will be released”. “it is only a mater of procedure”.

The Businessman Behgjet Pacolli, who’s been staying in Afghanistan for a week now, he accomplished the agreement with the kidnappers and he’s expected to return to Kosovo, with Shqipe Hebibi, kidnapped on the 28^th October.

According to “Lajm” sources Pacolli is optimist that the agreement will be executed.

[Original article]

THE millionaire Kosovan businessman who negotiated the release of Annetta Flanigan in Afghanistan has criticised the United Nations for ignoring her plight Behgjet Pacolli, who offered $1.5m (€1.13m) to the kidnappers in the days before the release of Flanigan and two other UN workers, said that the organisation had been extremely passive, and had effectively deserted Kabul during their captivity  Flanigan, from Richhill, Co Armagh, is still in the Afghan capital being debriefed and recuperating. She will fly to Dubai with her husband Jose Aranaz for a holiday within days. Friends say the couple hope to spend Christmas with her mother in Northern Ireland.

Hostages: Anneta Flaningan, Angelito Nayan and Shqipe Hebibi

There is a deepening mystery about the manner of her release and a fear among some western officials that a ransom may have been paid.

The UN is maintaining its security status in Kabul at the same level as at the time of the kidnapping.

Last night Pacolli refused to comment on a ransom. He described the kidnappers as “dilettantes” and “bandits” who held the captives only “a few metres, a kilometre at most” from where they had seized them in Kabul.

Flanigan and her fellow captives — Angelito Nayan, a Philippines diplomat, and Shqipe Hebibi of Kosovo — told the UN that their experience was by turns terrifying and surreal.

Angelito Nayan, Shqipe Hebibi and Anneta Flaningan

They played cards with their captors to build up friendships. They gave their captors nicknames according to the length and colour of their beards. At night they were sometimes moved on foot to new houses and often feared they were about to be killed as deadlines were set by the captors for their demands to be met.

Speaking from his home in Switzerland, Pacolli said: “The United Nations was a very passive organisation in this case. For the festival of Eid (when hostages are traditionally released) many staff from the UN had gone out of the country. People who were in charge of the security were not in Kabul. Three hostages were in the hands of bandits and nobody was in the UN.”

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