Belgrade Daily Media Highlights 17 January
STORIES FROM LOCAL PRESS
• Vulin: Elections in Kosovska Mitrovica to be held as soon as possible (RTS)
• Stefanovic slates Belgrade assembly elections for 16 March (Beta)
STORIES FROM REGIONAL PRESS
• Constitutional Court unblocks B&H Federation (Fena)
• Nimetz not to report to EP Committee on Foreign Affairs (Vecer)
• 62.4% of Macedonian citizens do not support name change (Utrinski Vesnik)
RELEVANT ARTICLES FROM INTERNATIONAL MEDIA SOURCES
• Fitch Downgrades Serbia Ratings to B+ (Wall Street Journal)
• Serbia downgrade may fuel calls for election (Reuters)
• EU Delegation in Bosnia welcomes FBiH Constitutional Court decision on FinMin case (Balkans.com)
• Turkish Deputy PM in Bosnia to open Izetbegovic memorial house (World Bulletin)
• Macedonia Name Logjam ‘is Reality’, Minister Says (BIRN)
• Montenegro Papers Protest Against Media Attacks (BIRN)
Kosovo War Veterans Protest Over State ‘Neglect’ (BIRN)
Around 50 former Kosovo Liberation Army fighters staged an angry rally in front of the government building in Pristina demanding more rights for those who fought in the 1990s conflict. The protestors rallied on Friday demanding legal changes that will give veterans more legal rights and state benefits, holding posters with slogans like “Enough silence!”, […]
Read More →Could the Central African Republic become another Kosovo? (CSM)
Michel Djotodia’s long held political aspirations came to an ignominious end last week when he resigned as theCentral African Republic’s (CAR) chief of state and went into exile in Benin. Prime Minister Nicolas Tiengaye also stepped down. The 135 members of the Transitional National Council (TNC), many of whom were appointed by Mr. Djotodia, were flown to […]
Read More →Tonga recognizes Kosovo independence (koha.net)
Senior officials of Kosovo’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs have confirmed that Tonga has recognized Kosovo’s statehood. Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci thanked Tonga for the recognition. Kosovo is now recognized by 105 world countries.
Read More →A week in four acts (Koha Ditore)
Lumir Abdixhiku recaps on the main developments of the last week splitting them into four parts. The first is the joint meeting of the governments of Kosovo and Albania was merely a photo opportunity and a symbolic handshake gesture and failed to address the real concerns at hand. “They met, got pictures taken, got fed […]
Read More →EP resolution (Kosova Sot)
European Parliament’s resolution on Kosovo based on the report of MEP Ulrike Lunacek is important to encourage substantial improvements in Kosovo and also to convince members of the EU that have not yet recognized independence of Kosovo, to do so, writes the paper today. The resolution addresses concrete issues and urges authorities to do more […]
Read More →Ivanovic: Complicated procedure for medical supplies (KIM radio)
Smaller shipment of medicine supplies waits for a week now in Raska, pending necessary documentation and approval of relevant institutions for its shipment to the Hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica, carried Director of the Hospital Milan Ivanovic to KIM radio. Ivanovic said that following introduction of the taxation at crossings in northern Kosovo, procedure for transporting […]
Read More →Vulin: Serbia refurbishing schools and kindergartens in Kosovo and Metohija (Danas)
Minister without portfolio in charge for Kosovo and Metohija Aeksandar Vulin held talks with the heads of districts in Serbia over the possibility for refurbishing schools infrastructure in Kosovo and Metohija, which operate in line with Serbia’s education system. Following the meeting, which was also attended by the Minister of Justice Nikola Selakovic, Vulin said […]
Read More →Vulin: Elections for the mayor of Northern Mitrovia as soon as possible (Tanjug)
Minister without portfolio in charge for Kosovo and Metohija in the government of Serbia Aleksadnar Vulin said that new elections for the mayor of Northern Mitrovica will take place, although he was not able to say a precise date. He stressed that it is important that election process is accomplished as soon as possible in […]
Read More →Communities want reserved seats in Kosovo Parliament (evropaelire.org)
Serb representatives in Kosovo institutions say they have not backed down from their request to extend for another mandate the reserved seats of minority communities in Kosovo’s Parliament. Kosovo Labor and Social Welfare Minister Nenad Rasic said the issue will be discussed in the following days with political parties. “We will continue to insist on […]
Read More →Lajcak to replace Ashton, Frattini to replace Rasmussen? (koha.net)
According to Vienna-based newspaper Presse, the former head of Italian diplomacy, Franco Frattini is the most likely candidate to replace Anders Fogh Rasmussen as NATO Secretary General. Among the candidates for the post are Belgium Defense Minister Pieter de Crem and Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski. The newspaper also reports that Miroslav Lajcak is expected […]
Read More →Thaci, Dacic to discuss judiciary in the north on January 27 (koha.net)
The judiciary in the northern part of Kosovo will be the main topic of discussion in the upcoming meeting between Kosovo and Serbia prime ministers, Hashim Thaci and Ivica Dacic, in Brussels on January 27. Bekim Collaku, senior political advisor to Thaci, confirmed the information to Deutsche Welle.
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