UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, November 15, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• Prime Minister Kurti travels to Germany (RTK)
• Konjufca meets the U.S. Congress delegation (RTK)
• Common language found in Brussels, solution to be presented by Friday (AP)
• Seven Serb candidates expected to join Assembly after SL resignations (Gazeta Blic)
• The EU ready to host Kurti and Vucic at the meeting (Koha)
• German Embassy: Escalation between Kosovo and Serbia, worrying (Express)
• Hoti: U.S. asked govt to postpone decision, but they are meeting with Petkovic (media)
• Bytyci: I expect agreement on licence plates this week (Koha)
• AAK calls for 30% increase in public sector wages until wages law adopted (Telegrafi)
• AAK’s Tahiri to Borrell: Your messages are not balanced (Klan)
• Retired U.S. General: Kosovo Army can coexist with a force like KFOR in future (media)
• Kosovo denies reports that agreement with Denmark on prison cells suspended (Klan)
• MP denounces Gracanica police station chief for harassing police officer (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Petkovic: Elections in northern Kosovo doomed to fail (N1)
• Serbian List to boycott elections in northern Kosovo (N1)
• Serbian and Kosovo NGOs: The attack on Milicevic is a reflection of the deteriorating atmosphere in Kosovo (Beta, N1)
• Milicevic for N1 on details of his mistreatment by Kosovo police special unit (N1)
• KoSSev on police rebuttal of Milicevic’s mistreatment, Svecla’s statement (KoSSev)
• OPEN Initiative: Perpetrators from ranks of Kosovo police to be punished (KoSSev)
• Visoki Decani Monastery on Milicevic’s case (social media)
• Serbian cemetery in Vitina renamed to Albanian, Petkovic's reaction on Twitter (Kosovo Online, medijacentar.info)
• Brnabic: Serbs in Kosovo request only adherence to agreements (RTS)
• Elections for mayors in the north of Kosovo and questions unanswered (RTS, Kontakt plus radio)
• UN GA adopts resolution on Russian war reparations, Serbia abstains (N1)
• Stano: EU ready for Vucic-Kurti meeting as soon it is possible (Kosovo Online)

International:

• Kosovo Albanian, Serb Journalists Trained in Fact-Checking, Media Literacy (BIRN)

Borrell: We’re facing most serious Kosovo-Serbia crisis in last 10 years (media)
Osmani sets date for mayoral elections in four northern municipalities (media)
EU warns Serbia, Kosovo against returning to the past (AP)
Jablanovic: Now is not the right time for elections (media)
Rasic: Elections at this time can be used to increase tensions (media)
Petkovic: People will be afraid to go out and vote (RTK)
Borrell on French-German proposal: It came from me and Lajcak (media)
Bislimi travels to Brussels, will meet Lajcak (Koha)
Police, Minister deny Serb NGO director was hit by special police (media)
PDK’s Haliti: High risk of escalation in north of Kosovo (media)
Advisory note by international experts on formation of Association (Albanian Post)
PDK leader Krasniqi meets Lajcak (media)
Lajcak meets McAllister, discuss Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (Klan Kosova)
Kosovo Reduces Serb Ex-Policeman’s War Crimes Sentence (BIRN)
‘Honour-Based Abuse’: The Fight against Virginity Testing in Kosovo (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media:

• Borrell: We’ve made proposal to resolve situation in north of Kosovo (Express)
• Kurti at Vienna Economic Forum: Kosovo has achieved high economic growth (Koha)
• AAK won’t attend President’s meeting with parties on elections in north (Klan)
• Mayoral elections in northern municipalities could be held on Dec 18 (Albanian Post)
• Ibrahimi on Association: Decision of Constitutional Court must not be ignored (EO)
• Aurescu encourages dialogue: Tensions in north must be stopped (media)
• Car with Serbian licence plates of Kosovo national set on fire in Mitrovica (Kallxo)

Serbian Language Media:

• Petkovic: Pristina authorities should not ‘play with fire’ (Beta, N1)
• Serbian FM says Belgrade won’t negotiate on something that was already agreed on (N1)
• Graffiti calling for resistance appear in Zubin Potok and Zvecan as well (Kosovo Online)
• Citizens again complain that special forces stop them on the roads, the police claim that this is not intimidation, but provision of security (KoSSev)
• Vucic meets ambassadors from Asia and Africa accredited to Serbia, briefs them about Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• Djordjevic, Obradovic on what could happen in Kosovo after November 21 (Danas)
• Sentence to Stanisic reduced from 20 to 15 years in prison (Kosovo Online)
• Brnabic to visit Singapore for Bloomberg New Economy Forum (Tanjug)
• Slovenian President: Visit to Western Balkans first trip abroad (N1)

International:

• Music Mobilisation: The Concerts Connecting Neo-Nazis in Croatia (BIRN)

• Osmani: Cooperation with allies to overcome common challenges (RTK)
• Osmani to meet parties today for consultations on election date in north (Koha)
• Interior Minister Svecla visited Jarinje border crossing on Saturday (media)
• Rohde: It's absurd to risk a violent confrontation over license plates (media)
• Kosovo Customs replaces the resigned customs officers (RTK)
• New graffiti in the north, Police are investigating the case (media)
• Opposition asks govt to commit to negotiating text of final agreement (media)
• La Repubblica: ‘Shadows’ of Wagner at Kosovo borders (media)
• Kurti discusses energy and environmental issues with AFD in Paris (media)
• Borell to hold informal meeting with diplomats of EU countries (Albanian Post)
• Kosovo becomes part of the UN Conference on Climate Change (RTK)
• Kurti heads to Austria for the Vienna Economic Forum (media)
• “Longer mutual recognition is postponed, Vucic will destabilise region” (media)
• PDK leader Krasniqi to visit Brussels and Washington (media)
• In Kosovo and Albania, Personal Data Up for Grabs (BIRN)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, November 11, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti meets with Borrell and Lajcak (media)
• Chollet to visit Kosovo in early December, sources say (Klan Kosova)
• Osmani: Cannot make friends with someone with war tendencies or goals (Indeksonline)
• Kurti: Ready to stretch our hand to Serbia if it is ready to free its fists (Koha)
• Osmani expected to announce extraordinary elections for north municipalities (RTK)
• Kurti in Paris: Serbia wants more conflict than cooperation (media)
• Konjufca: We feel threatened by Serbia’s claims over our country (Koha)
• Two envoys for Balkans, Sarrazin and Franges, visit Jarinje border crossing (Telegrafi)
• Guerot: We are waiting for a favourable decision on visas (media)
• Abazi: Government has wrong approach to internationals’ requests (RFE)
• Abdixhiku: French-German plan is not the one that is circulating in the media (media)
• Krasniqi's to travel for official visits to Washington and Brussels (Indeksonline)
• Musliu: Kurti to safeguard sovereignty and friendships created by PDK (EO)
• Haradinaj proposes a resolution on the situation in the north (Koha)
• Austrian MP: All EU member states and Serbia should recognise Kosovo (Klan Kosova)
• Ex-Interior Minister warns: Serbia may victimise Serb citizens in north (media)
• Molliqaj: Way we treated north and Serbs lately, I think there is small similarity to how Milosevic treated us (Gazeta Express/T7)
• Maloku: Molliqaj’s statement about Serbs treatment is hatred against Kurti (Nacionale)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucevic: There were drones on the administrative line, I can't say whose they were (NMagazin, Beta, RTV)
• Vucic at working lunch with Borrell and Lajcak (RTS)
• Vucic says good talk with Macron, no meeting with Kurti (N1)
• Vucic tells Chollet that Serbia is focused on peace, despite provocations (N1)
• Vucic on sanctions on Russia, pressure Serbia is facing (N1)
• Vucic met Hungarian president in Paris (Tanjug, media)
• Dacic: Independent Kosovo the starting point of Franco-German proposal (Beta, N1)
• Kosovo officials meet Macron, accuse Serbia of destabilising north Kosovo (KoSSev, N1)
• Jaksic: Vehicle plates nonsense to Kurti, for Serbs the only remaining link with Serbia (N1)
• Poll: Citizens’ opinions on issues concerning the north are divided (KoSSev)
• Arlov sends letter to Ambassador of Croatia in Pristina over his latest ban to enter Kosovo (Radio KIM)
• Ambassador of Slovakia: Bratislava's clear position on the independence of Kosovo, which is based on international law (RTS, Tanjug)
• Miners about their fate, Todic claims: KoSSev spreads disinformation, there is no strike (KoSSev)

International:

• EU might mulled in Kosovo-Serbia Paris rendez-vous (euractive.com)
• Decision on Visas for Kosovo to be Taken Soon: EU Countries Support France’s Proposal for Visa-Free Regime on November 2023 (schengenvisainfo.com)
• The Kosovo Crisis: A risky all-or-nothing game (EWB)
• Metsola: Western Balkans should receive strong signal from the EU (EWB)

• Osmani, Kurti hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron (media)
• Escobar: Kosovo to meet requests on Association and licence plates (VOA)
• Borrell to meet separately with Kurti and Vucic today (Koha)
• EU presses Serbia, Kosovo to normalise ties as tensions flare (Bloomberg)
• Chollet expresses disappointment about decision on license plates (Koha)
• Luehrmann: Kosovo and Serbia to be ready for compromise (Koha)
• Kosovo to replace resigned Serb MPs amid pish to ‘defuse tensions’ (BIRN)
• Other Serb mayors ready to resign too (Klan Kosova)
• Bislimi received emissaries of Germany and Slovenia, discuss dialogue (RTK)
• U.S Embassy: Not time for Kosovar ministers to travel to the USA (Klan)
• Czech EU Presidency: No consensus on visa liberalisation for Kosovo (Kallxo)
• Von Cramon: No reason why liberalization shouldn’t happen immediately (RTK)
• Bassuener: French-German plan, discriminatory towards Kosovo (RFE)

Albanian Language Media:

• President Osmani travels for official visit to Paris (RTK)
• Gervalla: EU should not tolerate criminal actions (media)
• Borrell to meet Kurti and Vucic separately in Paris on Friday (Klan)
• CEC replaces the ten resigned MPs of the Serbian List (Koha)
• EULEX chief: Seven EU countries ready to send police to the north (Paparaci)
• Kusari-Lila: Even when in parliament, SL did not address needs of Serb citizens (Klan)
• Haxhiu: For first time, Kosovo has dignified position in talks with Serbia (Klan)
• Tahiri: We don’t want early elections, but solution to problem in north (Indeksonline)
• Haradinaj mentions four actions to overcome current situation (Telegrafi)
• PDK MP: I believe today we’ll have much-anticipated visa liberalisation date (media)
• Buja: North will never be quiet, only land swap brings stability (Nacionale)
• Analysts: Ambassador Hovenier's appeal should be taken seriously (RTK)
• Bislimi claims Tahiri insulted and threatened him, Prosecutor's Office invited to investigate (media)
• 11 officials of Serb nationality resign from Kosovo Customs (RTK)
• Possibility of transferring prosecutors in the north being considered (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• Rakic and Simic spoke with Sarrazin, Franges (media)
• Dacic met Colomina, UK ambassador (Tanjug)
• DefMin Vucevic to NATO official: No obstacle to cooperation (N1)
• Ambassador of Cyprus: Pristina does not respect obligations; we do not change stance on Kosovo (Tanjug)
• Vucic to begin two-day visit to France (Tanjug)
• Stano: Borrell will meet in Paris tomorrow with Vucic and Kurti in separate meetings (Kosovo Online)
• Hovenier on visits of Kosovo ministers to US (Kosovo Online)
• Brnabic to meet Sarazzin today (Kosovo Online)
• Hovenier on situation in northern Kosovo, Community of Serb Municipalities (KoSSev)
• Customs staff at Jarinje and Brnjak submit resignations (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• Jaksic: Kurti lost advantage; the question is whether the Serbian negotiators will know how to use it (N1, KoSSev)
• Why Albanians are Leaving, and What They Leave Behind (Balkan Insight)

International:

• Friend or Foe? For Balkan LGBT Community, TikTok is Mixed Blessing (BIRN)
• Kosovo Court Approves Confiscation of ‘Illegal’ Villas in National Park (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Berlin Declaration of the WB Youth Forum: An example of youth agency and commitment (EWB)

• Kurti indicates meeting with Vucic in Paris (Koha)
• Hovenier: Kosovo should urgently start negotiations on Association (media)
• Leak: Franco-German plan to resolve Kosovo-Serbia dispute (Euractiv)
• Kurti says reprimands issued, US calls situation in north ‘worrying’ (BIRN)
• Kurti meets German and Slovenian envoys for Western Balkans (media)
• Abdixhiku: We need to coordinate with U.S.; not fall on Serbian traps (media)
• Haradinaj: Kosovo must not go to elections, govt must not fall (media)
• EU Boosts Police Presence in North Kosovo After Serbs Quit (BIRN)
• For Kosovo Serbs, It’s Not Just About Licence Plates (BIRN)
• EU Council working group to discuss visa liberalisation today (RTK)
• Svecla: Kosovo has met visa liberalisation requirements (RTK)
• Mehaj denies reports about resignation of 10 Serb members of KSF (media)
• Solidarity Stories #2: Serb Saves Albanian Neighbours in Kosovo (BIRN)
• “Zvonko Veselinovic and Milan Radoicic criminals” – Serbian MPs clash over their dirty work (The Geopost)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, November 9, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Kosovo, reliable partner of its friends, Serbs should not abandon institutions (media)
• The U.S. ambassador to UN speaks about developments in north of Kosovo (TV Klan)
• Musliu: The security situation is calm, let us be careful in our actions (RTK)
• Haxhiu about past governments: They indulged Belgrade by saying "yes" to everything (Koha)
• Svecla to the French delegation: Kosovo has met the criteria for visas (media)
• Abdixhiku: Leaving Kosovo without allies is treason (Albanian Post)
• Poland opens consulate in Pristina (media)
• Exclusive: Three-point proposal of internationals to exit current situation in the North (Albanian Post)
• Tahiri: Increasing presence of EULEX risks turning the north into protectorate (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic to meet Macron, Lajcak, says it is your turn to fulfil agreement (N1)
• Officials of the municipal election commissions in the north of Kosovo submitted their resignations (Danas, Kosovo Online)
• Employees of Kosovo institutions in the north of Kosovo submitted their resignations (RTK2)
• Ten Serbs left KSF (Kosovo Online)
• Serbian President decorates Kosovo Serb police officers (N1)
• Strpce Mayor: If Pristina continues with violence, the Serbs south of the Ibar should also leave the institutions (Danas, euronews.rs)
• Dacic: Greece will not yield to pressure and surprise Serbia (Tanjug)
• Romania confirms it will not recognize Kosovo (Kosovo Online)
• Preteni: Resignations of Serbs create problems in functioning of basic prosecution in Mitrovica (Kosovo Online)
• NATO official calls for restraint in Kosovo (N1, FoNet)

Opinion:

• For Kosovo Serbs, It’s Not Just About Licence Plates (Balkan Insight)
• After K.Serbs left the institutions: Kurti in the 1990s, Serbs in the 2000s (KoSSev)

International:

• LEAK: Franco-German plan to resolve the Kosovo-Serbia dispute (EURACTIV)

• President Osmani, CEC chief discuss elections in northern municipalities (media)
• Konjufca: French-German plan, biggest step to solve problem since ‘99 (media)
• Price: Kosovo to form the Association; situation in north can escalate (media)
• U.S. call for formation of Association of Serb-majority municipalities (Klan)
• Italian Carabineri deploy in Kosovo after tensions in the north (Express)
• Osmani briefed on latest developments in the north by intelligence chief (media)
• Bogujevci: Deadline for licence plates won’t be postponed (A2 CNN)
• Kosovo Serb MPs’ Mass Resignation Causes Constitutional Dilemma (BIRN)
• Opposition Urges Kurti to Listen to International Community (BIRN)