Ruling and opposition parties vote in favour of suspension of talks

(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)

For the first time ever, ruling and opposition parties came together to request suspension of Kosovo-Serbia talks. But, this was managed only after all the political parties sat around a table to harmonize the text.

“To suspend/halt the process of dialogue on normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia until the former Prime Minister of Kosovo, Ramush Haradinaj, is released and until the European Union will force Serbia to annul all arrest warrants issued by Serbia through INTERPOL for citizens of the Republic of Kosovo,” AAK caucus leader Pal Lekaj read the Resolution’s text.

After 30 minutes of recess, as it rarely happens, all the parties managed to come to a joint conclusion, but there was something that Vetëvendosje did not like.

“A compromise was reached on this Resolution and the compromise weakened the Resolution a bit. This compromise was made with the authority’s interference because the thing that was crucial in the earlier Resolution was that removal of arrest warrants should be a condition. This is the real trouble of Kosovo,” Vetëvendosje caucus leader Glauk Konjufca said.

At the end, with 78 votes in favour, MPs voted the four-point Resolution proposed by AAK and harmonised by all the caucuses.

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli, who was in Vushtrri/Vucitrn while this Resolution was discussed at the Assembly, reacted against it. He said that dialogue will go on.

“We are in favour of dialogue. We will continue dialogue with Serbia, but we are an independent, sovereign state. We do not depend from Serbia on anything. For Kosovo, Serbia has been finished once and for all,” Veseli said.

EU reacts against Assembly’s resolution on suspension of talks

(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)

The European Union has reacted against the Kosovo Assembly Resolution which requests suspension of dialogue with Serbia pending Ramush Haradinaj’s release.

“The call for a suspension of the EU-facilitated Dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtinë/Pristina, included in a Resolution adopted in the Kosovo Parliament today, does not contribute to a normalisation of relations and is not in line with the commitments continuously made by Kosovo,” says the reaction of EU High Representative’s Spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic.

In the reaction it is also called on Kosovo leaders to continue to engage constructively in dialogue, to implement agreements reached in the Dialogue so far and thus advance both the normalisation of relations and its EU perspective.

Serbs insist on establishment of Association

(RTK1, Klan Kosova)

Two Mitrovicë/Mitrovica based TV stations organized a debate between representatives of Albanian and Serb municipalities. Serb representatives insisted on establishment of the Association of Serb Municipalities, for which they were persistently supported by the Russian Office and UNMIK, Klan Kosova reported.

Albanians and Serbs sat around the same table to discuss relations they have between them as representatives of municipalities they are part. Serbs did not give up that majority municipalities need to have their ‘burrow’, no matter that they pledged to have good cooperation with Albanian mayors of municipalities.

“Serb community in Kosovo is interested to establish the Association of Serb Municipalities,” said Sasa Aleksic, Chairman of Ranilug/Ranillug Municipal Assembly.

However, the Head of Association of Municipalities, Naim Ismajli, says that Kosovo needs only one Association, but it only needs to be stronger.

“Do we need to have five Associations of Municipalities in Kosovo? Do we need to have two Associations of Municipalities divided into community? Do we need to have only one? I defend the thesis that we need only one,” Ismajli said.

Serbs are being supported by the representatives of UNMIK and the OSCE, who requested establishment of this Association, but Head of the Russian Office in Kosovo, Andrej Lissovoj, was more persistent.

“As far the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities is concerned, it must be established as soon as possible with the trust of all parties,” he insisted.

“It is not normal that almost no Serb lives in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica south. What is the cooperation we are talking about?” Lissovoj asked.

Mitrovicë/Mitrovica South mayor, Agim Bahtiri, told the Russian that houses for Serbs in Frashër/Svinjare are built, but they are not willing to return.

Bahtiri was also supported by Nenad Radosavljevic, a municipal councillor in Leposavic/Leposaviq and director of TV Mir.

“The perspective of unification with Serbia is something that is desirable by Serbs in the north of Iber River,” Radosavljevic said.

Bahtiri is worried about the Albanians who are not being able to return to their homes in the north. For this, he requested help for this from Lissovoj himself.

“I would make a request that the Head of Russian Office in Kosovo to help us in this process,” Bahtiri stated.

This debate was organised by TV Mitrovica and the TV station from Leposavic/Leposaviq in cooperation with the OSCE. 

OSCE welcomes assignment of a Prosecutor who will deal with threats and protection of journalists

(GazetaExpress) 

The Head of OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Ambassador Jan Braathu, has welcomed the official decision by the Kosovo Chief Prosecutor, Aleksandër Lumezi, to assign a Prosecutor from his Office to the position of coordinator in charge of threats and criminal cases against journalists. The decision, which enters into force today (09 March), also obliges Chief Prosecutors of Basic Prosecutions to assign a Prosecutor to deal with all reported cases in which journalists are injured parties.

The decision follows recent debate on the safety of journalists, where associations of journalists and Prosecutor Aleksandër Lumezi were part.

The debate discussed prospects for increased co-operation, the overall situation pertaining to the safety of journalists, including their protection and criminal prosecution of cases involving journalists. It was also called for shedding light on cases of murdered and missing journalists during and since the conflict in Kosovo.

The decision was presented yesterday at a meeting between the Chief Prosecutor and the Association of Journalists of Kosovo. 

Veseli insists, Kosovo will have its Army

(RTK1) 

Kosovo will have its Army. This was at least said by the Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli during a visit he paid on Thursday to Vushtrri/Vucitrn. He said that it cannot be waited to infinity for Kosovo to have its defence force.

Veseli said that there were three years of waiting to identify a joint consensus in order to make changes in Constitution that would turn Kosovo Security Force into Kosovo Army, but this did not happen. However, as he said, this will be done through changing the Law on KSF.

Veseli said that partnership with the United States and other international partners has not been broken, nor will it be.

During this visit to Vushtrri/Vucitrn, Speaker Veseli also spoke about terrorism.  According to him security institutions have done a good job by fighting it, but religious institutions also had an important role in this challenge. 

EU shares US and NATO stance regarding Kosovo Army

(RTK2)

The European Union shares the stance of United States and NATO when it comes to the question of Kosovo Army. It emphasises that there cannot be any transformation of Kosovo Security Forces without the support of all communities, RTK2 quoted Brussels’ officials as stating on Thursday.

European Commission’s Spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic, said that Commission is closely following developments in Kosovo related to transformation of KSF.

“This transformation must implicate inclusive and multi-ethnic process which will secure the support of all communities in Kosovo,” Kocijancic conveyed the Brussels’ stance.

Government calls a meeting for Friday, does not include KSF on its agenda

(KTV) 

Government of Kosovo has called its regular meeting for Friday; however, the draft law on military mission of Kosovo Security Force (KSF) was not included on the agenda.

KohaVision sources within the government cabinet said that such a discussion is not on the agenda which was distributed to ministers.

Nevertheless, according to these sources, the agenda might undergo changes until Friday. 

Surroi: Army and Demarcation should not reach Assembly without consensus

(KTV) 

Publicist Veton Surroi would not allow the Law on transformation of Kosovo Security Force (KSF) and Demarcation to reach the Assembly. Regarding the KSF, Surroi initially proposes achievement of political consensus between the ruling parties and opposition in cooperation with the international factor.

As far as Demarcation is concerned, Surroi says that there are legal possibilities to approach it from the beginning. Talking to KTV Rubicon show, publicist and writer Veton Surroi stressed that KSF evolution should continue in cooperation with the United States and NATO.

“The moment that the United States of America and NATO are forced to publically draw the attention that one action or the other, – the action with the legal initiative in this case, will make them reconsider the manner of assistance and further support for KSF and Kosovo than we should necessarily worry,” he said.

Surroi considers the draft law on KSF transformation to Armed Force as mishmash, both from its form and content. Surroi said that Kosovar system is dominated by the legal atrophy by drawing parallel between the cases of late Vetëvendosje activist Astrit Dehari and Imam Shefqet Krasniqi.

Surroi says that although there was lack of evidence, both of them were accused of terrorism.

“Mr [Shefqet] Krasniqi might be sentenced for carrying weapons, for misuse of funds, for non-payment of taxes, for incitement of hatred. His vocabulary has hatred against different sects on their interpretation of Islam… the state of Kosovo does not dare to file and indictment against Shefqet Krasniqi for interpretation of Quran ayahs,” he underlined.

Surroi highlighted that lack of internal consensus has made Kosovo have the problems that it faces today.

Indictment filed against Deçan/Decane municipal official for national intolerance

(KTV)

Basic Prosecution in Pejë/Pec has filed an indictment against Asim Cenaj, municipal official in Deçan/Decane for the criminal offence of inciting national, racial, religious or ethnic hatred, discord or intolerance.

The case is related to an event of the end of last year when the suspect took part in a meeting of the Municipal Assembly being held in relation to missing persons of Serb and Montenegrin communities.

There Cenaj had spoken how there are still Albanians who are missing.

“For 18 years now I have an anxiety because I do not know where the bones of my father are, same as the family members of 84 missing persons from the municipality of Deçan are at their anxiety, because they do not know the fate of their family members,” Cenaj had said in a meeting where representatives of Municipality, KFOR and Police took part.

Following this he was arrested and kept in detention while at that time there were many reactions in his defence, including the Municipality of Deçan/Decane and Members of Kosovo Assembly.