Thaçi: Security institutions and OSCE to decide on Serbian presidential elections

(RTK2)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi said that the decision on holding of Serbian presidential elections is in the hands of Kosovo security institutions and the OSCE.

“Now it is in the hands of respective Kosovo security institutions in cooperation with the OSCE, hence everything will be within the framework of previous practices,” President Thaçi told Radio Free Europe when he was asked if Serbian presidential elections will also be held in Kosovo.

Tahiri: Serbian elections will be held in Kosovo

(TV21)

In an interview with the TV21 regarding the visit of U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Hoyt Brian Yee, political analyst Ramush Tahiri also commented holding of Serbian parliamentary elections in Kosovo.

“Serbian elections in Kosovo are being held and they will be held. This is not forbidden. Elections are being held because this is regulated with earlier agreements and they are between the OSCE and Serbian officials, but in the Brussels Agreements as well. I think that Kosovo will not have a clear statement, but it will not have a statement that these elections will be impeded either. So, the process is monitored and organized by the OSCE, and it is followed by EULEX Police and Kosovo Police in order for everything to go on properly. Kosovo Central Elections Commission is not involved. It is not based on an agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, but let us say it is with an international report that existed earlier, and based on which elections were held thus far,” Tahiri stated.

Told by the moderator that Kosovo leaders stated on several occasions that Serbian elections in Kosovo will not be allowed to be organized, Tahiri responded: “No, they cannot impede them at this stage. It can only be the security relation, to provide support or not, but it in fact is beyond the mandate of Kosovo institutions at this stage. They can decide about the visits, such it was the case with the visit of candidate for Serbian President, Vucic, regarding the conditions that he will come, but also for the other candidates that file the request, but it is not that we have mechanism to impede or to close a polling station when it is opened,” Tahiri said.

He said that Kosovo Serbs’ right to vote was gained earlier and it cannot be impeded or stopped at present.

Apostolova: Association to be concluded after elections in Serbia

(Klan Kosova&RTK1)

Head of the European Union Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova, said that the issue of Association of Serb Majority Municipalities will be concluded after the Serbian presidential elections, since, according to her, it will be easier for Serbs to be integrated.

“After the presidential elections in Serbia and the positive move that Srpska List made with their return to Kosovo institutions, we, as EU, are looking into the process of establishment of Association of Serb Majority Municipalities,” Apostolova stated during a meeting between Kosovo and Serbian artists in Mitrovicë/Mitrovica who met and discussed ways of building bridges of cooperation through art.

According to Apostolova, the EU Office is trying to start this process as soon as possible and it enjoys great support from the European Union, the OSCE Ambassador, and other internationals, Klan Kosova reported.

In the meantime, Kosovo and Serbian artists expressed their readiness to increase the level of their cooperation.

Although Apostolova sees establishment of the Association close, this does not seem to be seen in the same by the Kosovo Government representatives. Talking to RTK INFO3 show, Deputy Minister of Local Government Administration Bajram Gecaj said that this process will take a lot of time.

On the other hand, LDK MP Arben Gashi said that the Association will not be brought to the Assembly at all.

“This is the specificity because the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities does not come to the Assembly. It will not come to the Assembly. Assembly does not deal with this issue because the Assembly has ratified an agreement that sets the standards how the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities will be, while the statute of this Association will be approved at the Ministry of Local Government Administration, Ministry of Public Administration, or at the Government’s meeting at the maximum,” Gashi said.

Asked if the Assembly will not approve it at all at the end, Gashi replied: “No, because if it enters the category of decision-making at the Assembly, then it becomes a legislative decision-making.”

Rasic skeptical that Association’s Statute will be drafted during this year

(RTK2)

MP Nenad Rasic stated in RTK2 ‘Razgovor’ show that return of Srpska List MPs to Kosovo Assembly was in a way influenced by the fact that the mandate of three Srpska List could have been revoked by 07 April.

Rasic, who, together with 10 other Srpska List returned to Kosovo Assembly after six months of boycott, said that he does not expect any spectacular changes in the relations with Albanian ruling coalition partners.

“It is better to have an impact or even partial influence on certain processes, rather than not have any influence at all,” said Rasic. He noted that Serbs communicate and cooperate with Albanians, but as he said, the gap created during the last six months is present.

Rasic considers that this might be corrected through the work in drafting the Statute of the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities.  He considers statements of certain representatives of international community that the Statute will be drafted during this year as too optimistic.

“From my experience, I know that processes get prolonged; therefore if I could, I would even accept finalization of this Statute by next year, and that would be all right for me,” said Rasic.

Rasic announced that Kosovo Assembly might vote Agreement on Demarcation with Montenegro on 05 April. He stressed that Srpska List still has not taken a stance about this issue.

Rasic also stressed that calls for early elections are increasing.

“We have to be ready for this. Taking the current circumstances into consideration, we are likely to have parliamentary elections in Kosovo soon,” Rasic concluded.

Srpska List return does not guarantee votes in favor of Demarcation

(KTV)

Government of Kosovo still does not know when it will submit the Agreement on Delineation of the Border with Montenegro to the Assembly.

According to Prime Minister’s advisor, Bajram Gecaj, the governing coalition will also discuss with Srpska List next week and then it will decide when it will proceed this Agreement to the Assembly.

Even the main partner of LDK in governing coalition, PDK, does not have a position as on what date it will submit this Agreement for voting, but they request a political consensus in advance.

Regardless of the return of Srpska List MPs to the Assembly, Government does not have even the votes of Serb minority MPs, KTV reported.

Opposition has continuously opposed the Agreement on Border Demarcation with Montenegro. Aside from the opposition, there are also several MPs of the governing coalition who have reemphasized that they will vote against it.

Maksimovic: Roadblocks send message of non-tolerance toward Serbs

(RTK2)

Local and international community representatives and civil society strongly condemned the blockade of buses with supporters of Serbian National Party (SNS) in several places south of Ibër River.

Kosovo Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, Milan Radojevic, considers the fact that Police was not informed on time about the roadblocks as unacceptable.

Condemning the roadblocks, Srpska List MP Nenad Rasic said that there are a certain number of people who want to marginalize the importance of Serbs and their participation.

Executive director of ‘Center for Peace and Tolerance’, Nenad Maksimovic, considers that roadblocks conceal a message of non-tolerance toward Serbs which, according to him, threatens not only the freedom of movement, but also their life in Kosovo.

“More than 500 cases of ethnically-motivated incidents are reported on yearly basis in Kosovo, which are not adequately processed by the Prosecution or Police, and usually there are no discussions about these incidents. Taking the big number of incidents into account, we cannot talk about a normal situation which is favorable for all Kosovo citizens,” said Maksimovic.

On the other hand, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Zahir Tanin, has closely followed Wednesday’s developments in Kosovo with concern, reads a press release issued by UNMIK.

Kosovo to apply this year for UNESCO membership

(RTK2)

Kosovo Minister of Foreign Affairs, Enver Hoxhaj said on Thursday’s session of Kosovo Assembly that during this year Kosovo will apply for membership in UNESCO, INTERPOL and the European Council.

Hoxhaj emphasized that Kosovo representatives are intensively lobbying and seeking support to join these organizations.

O’Connell against draft law for reduction of all criminal sentences

(TV21)

British Ambassador to Kosovo, Ruairí O’Connell, opposes the draft law for reduction of all criminal sentences by a third, considering this as an attempt to free, as he qualifies them, politically powerful prisoners.

In a Facebook post, he said that this looks like an attempt by some MPs to free politically powerful prisoners, as well as many other hardened criminals.

“It would be deeply damaging for the rule of law in Kosovo,” British Ambassador to Kosovo considers.

Coalition partners with different opinions about early elections

(Summary of Klan Kosova – Debate Zone)

Sadri Ferati of Democratic League of Kosovo and Rexhep Hoti of Democratic Party of Kosovo were not of the same opinion when they presented their stances, namely the stances of their political parties, while discussing the possibility of early elections in Klan Kosova Debate Zone show.

Ferati said that it is not necessary to enter elections without finishing the mandate and the remaining work, while Hoti said that due to Government’s stalls the issue of elections is on the table.

“The current coalition does not have a crown, but it has consent regarding an agreed program and we have a lot of work to do. In case elections will be held, what next?! What will we say to Demarcation, Army, integration and development?” said LDK MP Sadri Ferati, adding that ‘we should not enter hasty elections.’

According to him, political motives are behind the request for elections, but these motives should stay behind the state and citizens’ interests.

“Elections should happen when there are extraordinary situations, which is not now,” he stated.

On the other hand, Hoti, Deputy Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, said that holding of elections is on the table.

“Holding of elections is on the table, not only between the coalition, but also in the opposition, taking into account that the coalition has stalled in performing responsibilities it has, sometimes with our fault, and sometimes with opposition’s fault. The issue of elections is important and an issue that we need to jointly discuss about,” Hoti added.

Hoti also mentioned the constant fractions that were within LDK during this mandate.

“Prime Minister (Isa Mustafa) did not have about 25 or 30 per cent of his MPs with him from the very start,” Hoti underlined.

Officials of Vetëvendosje Movement and Alliance for the Future of Kosovo said that elections are unavoidable because the coalition has demonstrated to be irresponsible by making the state dysfunctional.

VV MP Mytaher Haskuka said that the country should enter parliamentary elections because institutions are not functional. Haskuka also said that the governing coalition did not fulfil the promises given to citizens, but it dealt with completely different topics.

Rexhep Kadriu of AAK also agreed with Haskuka, stressing that PDK-LDK misgovernment has made elections unavoidable.

“Even the citizens of Kosovo want elections. It cannot be moved on with this Government, with this Assembly. We as a country can decide about elections, so even if Americans say otherwise, we can hold elections,” Kadriu told Klan Kosova Debate Zone show.

Sadri Ferati of LDK said he believes that Special Court’s work will not destabilise the country. He stated that decision for it was hard, but necessary, and a good possibility for clearing the war of Albanians for liberation.

On the other hand, Rexhep Hoti said that PDK has the votes for voting Demarcation with Montenegro, but they are waiting for their coalition partner [LDK] to also collect the necessary votes for it.