Lakes between two fires: He quits work on the Arbe Xhaferi Highway, or pays Bechtel 53m euros

Minister of Infrastructure, Pal Lekal has recommended to the Government that this decision be taken at the 29 May meeting, but due to the need for additional consultations, Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj has proposed that the decision be postponed for the next meeting.

Lekaj has been commemorating that the Kosovo government has signed contracts with Bechtel-Ekan for the construction of the 600m-euro highway, but after September 1, 2015, this price was raised to 608m euros due to TV change S from 16 to 18%.

Construction of the Autoway “Arba Xhaferi” was meant to end on January 1st 2018, but since the Government of Kosovo from 2014 to 2017, according to Lekaj, had failed to pay annual bills to this company, then it had to delay the completion deadline by 31.12.2018.

This agreement was reached with the September 27, 2017, after the former minister and Government had declined to sign this agreement, despite many meetings held and against the decision of the September 2016 Inter-ministerial Steering Committee to approve this accord”, Lekaj said.

The “that occurred in this situation, in less than a month of taking office, we have been forced to continue the duration of the contract agreement until December 31, 2018, so that the work would not cease, which could have major consequences for the country”, he added.

After the signing of this agreement, the Bechtel-Enka consortium has submitted the request for indirect spending to extend the completion deadline of the works to an estimated 63m euros.

Lekaj says the consortium has argued with the fact that it maintains the necessary equipment and due to insufficient resource commitments during 2014- 2017.

“Costs for material and non-material damage have not been required. So it's only about covering expenses for the extra deadline of 31.12.2018<18x1>, Lekaj explained.

After intensive negotiations were held between the two sides, we have managed to lower this amount to 45m euros. Adding T VSH 18%, in many of 8.1m euros, has reached the total amount that amounts to 53.1m euros”, Lekaj said.

With the deal, the Behchtel-Enka consortium has been reached to relinquish the right to pay the damage due to payment delays by the Government of Kosovo for 2014-18, and that the 53.1m-euro payments be made with equal rates by 1 June 2019. In practical terms, for a year, the government towed into Bechtel-Enka cones from 4,425,000 euros per month.

This agreement, as Lekaj has said, has been reviewed on the Inter-ministerial Steering Committee, which has largely decided that the issue will be considered and decided by the Government of Kosovo.

The Committee participates: Environment and Spatial Planning Minister Albena Resiti, Trade and Industry Minister Bajram Hasani, Economic Development Minister Valdrin Luka and Deputy Finance Minister Fatmir Gashi.

“As minister of Infrastructure I will respect any decision of the Kosovo government”, Lekaj has said.

But Minister for Innovation and Intervention Besim Beqaj has not named the move in order.

He has said that under normal conditions, the Interministerial Steering Council has had to make clear decision or recommendation on the issue.

The “on the Interministerial Committee is the people who have full information about all things that happened in that process. We now (as the government cabinet v.j) are engaged in making any decision because we don't know the basic document”, he has decorated Beqaj, acknowledging that for him “it's a concern that they haven't set the”.

The government, according to him, would have to decide on the basis of the ministerial committee's recommendation rather than on its own.

In such a situation, Prime Minister Haradinaj has seen fit to leave the issue for the next meeting, which is expected to be held next week. /activepress/