Pacolli: I will be constructive; LDK and VV have ten days to agree

(RTK1)

In RTK’s Debate show, the AKR chairperson Behgjet Pacolli said he has made the first step towards unblocking the political stalemate. He spoke of the meeting he had on Wednesday with Ramush Haradinaj, PAN’s nominee for Prime Minister, and the Democratic League of Kosovo chairperson Isa Mustafa.

“Mr. Haradinaj visited me. He came to my family at 10 o’clock. We talked for two hours with him. We talked extensively about the concerns, consequences of the delay in establishment of institutions, priorities that Kosovo will have with this governance and the shortcomings it will have in this governance,” Pacolli told RTK.

He further said that he is constructive and will not block the country, but he will rather make the first step towards unblocking the political stalemate.

“I am for a constructive solution, but I cannot say that will vote for Kadri Veseli, or Milaim Zeka, or someone else,” he underlined.

Pacolli also spoke about the meeting he had with the LDK chairperson Isa Mustafa during the day.

“Today I talked to Mr. Mustafa… I will also speak to Mr. Kurti, and I said that within the first ten days you have to agree and if you are not ready to form a government, I do not know what the sense of my staying there is,” said Pacolli at the RTK Debate show. 

LAA plans to address Speaker’s issue to Constitutional Court, VV against

(KTV)

The Constitutional Court of Kosovo might get involved in the situation created in the Assembly and review a possible request by the MPs.

Coalition gathered around LDK has announced that it is looking into the possibility of addressing the Court with a request for interpretation of the created situation. What happens to the proposal for the Assembly Speaker when the winning coalition does not have the parliamentary majority was mentioned in relation to this case.

To the pre-election coalition that won the election, the right to propose to the Speaker of the Assembly was given exactly by the Constitutional Court after the 2014 deadlock, when this institution was led by Enver Hasani.

However, Vetëvendosje does not support the proposal for the issue to be re-addressed to the Constitutional Court.

Legal experts say that in fact the Constitutional Court should not be involved in any political situation in the country, but politicians would need to reflect and identify a solution.

According to Artan Qerkini, in order for the Court to accept an eventual request, it should be addressed for interpretation of a constitutional article that already exists and not to interpret its own earlier rulings.

The Assembly of Kosovo has been blocked because PAN Coalition did not go to any session to propose the candidate for Assembly Speaker, which is obliged by the 2014 Constitutional Court ruling.

According to the Constitution, rulings of the Constitutional Court are mandatory for all individuals and institutions. 

EU Office calls for constitution of Assembly

(TV21)

The EU Office in Kosovo did not comment clashes of PAN Coalition with Vetëvendosje Movement and LDK-AKR-Alternativa Coalition on the other hand, which emerged over the recent days as well as after Wednesday’s consultative meeting and ahead of Thursday’s constitutive session.

However, the EU Office in Kosovo calls for the Assembly to be constituted as soon as possible and parliamentary parties to act responsibly and fulfil obligations deriving from the Constitution and Kosovo laws.

Viets urges establishment of a stable Government

(RTK&KTV)

The German Ambassador to Kosovo Angelica Viets calls for sooner establishment of Kosovo institutions. According to her, Kosovo needs a stable and European Government.

In the farewell meeting she had with Minister for Dialogue Edita Tahiri, Viets assessed Kosovo’s engagements in Brussels dialogue saying that this dialogue is important because it serves peace, good neighbourhood and Euro-Atlantic integrations, which are the goals of Kosovo.

On the other hand, Minister Tahiri highly appreciated the excellent relations established between Kosovo and Germany.

In the meantime, RTK reported that during a visit to Podujevë/Podujevo the British Ambassador to Kosovo Ruairí O’Connell demanded responsibility from politicians to build the institutions as soon as possible.

Kusari-Lila refutes media reports on AKR-Alternativa caucus

(RTK2) 

Mimoza Kusari-Lila refuted the reports of Indeksonline portal that representatives of the Alliance for New Kosovo (AKR) and the Alternative have asked Central Elections Commission to have their MPs listed in a single caucus and not together with the coalition partners gathered around Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK).

“No, this is not true. We still are one caucus and we function together. Our activity at the Assembly will be unified,” Kusari-Lila of Alternativa said.

She confirmed that Avdullah Hoti, Ilir Deda and Korab Sejdiu met during Thursday to discuss further operation of these parties.

The AKR MP, Sejdiu, also said he was not aware of this information and that he learned about this through media.

Guterres: No progress in dialogue, process to be revived

(RTK2) 

Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres assessed that dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtinë/Pristina is facing serious challenges, warning that there is not enough progress, including the Association of Serb majority municipalities, and urged both parties to revive the process.

In the report on UNMIK’s activities and the situation in Kosovo within the period of April 16 to July 15, it is stated that during this period no progress has been made in implementation of the existing agreements on the establishment of the ASMM, or integration of the judiciary.

Guterres’s report will be reviewed at the UN Security Council’s session on 16 August.

“I encourage adherence to the principle that disputes must be solved exclusively by peaceful means,” Guterres said.

The period covered by the report is marked by limited progress in the EU-facilitated dialogue between Belgrade and Prishtinë/Pristina the UN Secretary General recalled, while he reminded that the High Representative Federica Mogherini held an informal meeting of President Aleksandar Vucic and Hashim Thaçi in Brussels. 

Petrovic: Kosovo Serbs should have been involved in Brussels talks

(RTK2) 

I do not know how (Ivica) Dacic would divide Kosovo, because if he thinks that Kosovo north belongs to Serbia and south of Ibër River to Kosovo then this is crazy for several reasons and it certainly can bring to a new conflict, leader of Independent Serb Liberal Party and Member of Kosovo Assembly Slobodan Petrovic said in an interview with Danas.

“Dialogue is always good and necessary but I believe it should have started way earlier. I am afraid that we have been brought before a done deal and now we have to share the responsibility for something that will happen in the future. I think that Serbs from Kosovo should have above all been included in Brussels dialogue because I consider that a lot of it has been lost and missed with the fact that Kosovo Serbs were not there. Above all, we know what the issues of our lives are,” Petrovic said.

Rasic to run for mayor of Gracanica/Graçanicë

(RTK2)

Former minister and MP Nenad Rasic will run for the mayor Gracanica/Graçanicë municipality. He confirmed this in an interview with Telenews portal.

“Yes, I will be a candidate for mayor of the municipality of Gracanica/Graçanicë, and at the same time, we will have candidates for the municipality of Ranilug/Ranillug and Strpce/Shtërpcë in the upcoming local elections,” Rasic said.

According to him, “in case Kosovo institutions do not intervene and do not prevent manipulations during local elections, then Kosovo will find itself in an even more difficult situation.”

Court sentences 11 arrested Serbs and Russians with 250 euros fines and expels them

(KTV)

Basic Court in Prishtinë/Pristina, branch in Podujevë/Podujevo, has reviewed the case “Unauthorized crossing of border crossings or borderline” from Article 146 paragraph 2 in relation with paragraph 1 and Article 31 of the Criminal Code of Kosovo against ten accused, out of which five Serbian and five Russian citizens.

“The court has approved the request of the prosecutor’s office for issuance of a punitive order and imposed fines of 250 euros for each of the defendants, and obliged them to pay 20 euros lump sum for the court expenses,” statement of the Basic Court in Prishtinë/Pristina reads.

After payment of the fine, defendants will be sent to the nearest border crossing point by the Kosovo Police, KTV portal reported. The accused persons were arrested on Tuesday near Podujevë/Podujevo by Kosovo Police for illegal border crossing. 

Enver Peci elected President of Supreme Court

(TV21) 

Enver Peci has been elected the new President of the Supreme Court of Kosovo.

He took seven votes of the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC) members. His counter-candidates for this post, Valdete Daka received three votes, Erdogan Haxhibeqiri one vote, whereas Nesrin Lushta received no vote.

Valdete Daka had complained about the earlier process of Enver Peci’s selection for President of Supreme Court, a decision which was annulled by the Kosovo Constitutional Court of Kosovo.