Thaci’s meeting to go ahead even without LDK and Vetevendosje (Indeksonline)
The President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, has called a meeting with all political parties for Monday, however, Vetevendosje movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) have not responded to the invitation yet. Ardian Arifaj, adviser to the President, told Indeksonline that the meeting will be held as foreseen, no matter absences of certain political parties. “Let us see on Monday, there is no need to speculate about anything. We have scheduled the meeting and we will be holding it. We have invited them to come at 10:00 hours, and we will hold the meeting with the parties that will come. It is simply a constructive meeting, nothing more. It is in interest of the parties,” Arifaj said.
Hoxhaj: PAN to form institutions next week (Zeri)
Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Enver Hoxhaj, said in an interview that PAN coalition has the sufficient numbers for forming new institutions but that it remains open to other reinforcements. “We are convinced there will be no political crisis, no political stalemate and that our view before and during early parliamentary elections took place was based on a concept that the country cannot afford to lose time, that major decisions await the country and it would it unacceptable for it to fall into a political stalemate. I hope the coming week will be decisive”, Hoxhaj said.
Hoti: Thaci responsible for the delays (Lajmi)
The candidate for Prime Minister from the LDK-AKR-Alternativa coalition, Avdullah Hoti, blamed President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, for the delays in constituting new institutions. According to him, Thaci should have called the constitutive session of the Assembly, two weeks ago. Asked if LDK would participate at the meeting called by President Thaci, Hoti said that they have not decided yet.
Matoshi: Haradinaj talking to people from LAA and Vetevendosje (Koha)
Official from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Halil Matoshi, said in an interview last night to KTV that the party leader and PAN coalition’s candidate for prime minister, Ramush Haradinaj, is having “indirect” talks with officials from other parties but not official ones. “I cannot confirm there are official meetings with Vetevendosje but there may be with certain individuals while there are talks and meetings on daily basis with LAA and Behgjet Pacolli’s AKR”, Matoshi said.
Molliqaj: We would govern even with PDK, but not with this one (RTK)
Vetevendosje MP, Dardan Molliqaj, said that Vetevendosje would join coalition with the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), but with several conditions. However, he considers that initially, PDK should go to opposition. “I never said that we would never go with PDK, in the sense that this will not happen as long as PDK and Vetevendosje exist. I said that we do not go with the current PDK,” Molliqaj said. He said that it remains to be seen, who from PDK would go to prison and who will remain. He added that one cannot join PDK and try to resolve the problem of the caught up state.
Bahtiri: We will not go with PAN (Bota Sot)
Mayor of Mitrovica and member of the New Kosovo Alliance (AKR), part of LAA coalition, Agim Bahtiri, said the party would not join PAN under any condition and that this is a done deal. He said reports that AKR was getting closer to PAN and could enter a coalition government led by Ramush Haradinaj are “pure lies”.
Arrests for the Special Court to be executed by Kosovo Police (BIRN, Lajmi)
The president of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, Ekaterina Trendafilova, told BIRN the new court has no ethnic bias, will protect its witnesses from intimidation and deliver justice impartially and independently. In her first interview as president of the Kosovo Specialist Chambers, judge Ekaterina Trendafilova told BIRN that the newly-established Hague-based institution that will try former Kosovo Liberation Army members for wartime and post-war human rights abuses will not be ethnically biased as it will only prosecute suspected criminals, not the guerrilla organisation itself. Next, the Specialist Chambers can rely on Kosovo authorities, including the police, to execute orders, searches, and seizures and to arrest suspects. Kosovo authorities, by virtue of the [Kosovo] Law [on the Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office], are required to cooperate with the Specialist Chambers to achieve the ultimate goal to bring to account those responsible for the alleged grave crimes committed.
“Foreign Ministry, family business” (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports on the front page that it has managed to prove that at least a quarter of 270 employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs are somehow related and that the vast majority of them are either from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) or the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK). The paper claims that family background or place of origin as well as party affiliation are the dominating factors for employment in the Ministry and goes on to list a number of employees and their alleged connections to the senior officials of the ministry or the minister, Enver Hoxhaj.
