- Srpska Lista reacts after Todosijevic’s dismissal (KTV)
- Reçak residents disappointed that Government appointed ministers who deny the massacre (KTV)
- Kosovo, Serbia to reach best possible agreement (GazetaExpress)
- Kuqi: Partnership with US and EU must be preserved (RTK)
- Kosovo MP questioned as a suspect by Hague prosecutors (GazetaExpress)
- Vucic: Representatives of Serbs decide about elections in Kosovo north, we advise (KTV)
- Bozovic, Milovic, Simic: Participation in the elections depends on the position of top Serbian state officials (Kossev)
News
Srpska Lista reacts after Todosijevic’s dismissal
(KTV)
Srpska Lista reacted after Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj’s decision to dismiss Serb Minister Ivan Todosijevic from the Government, saying it is a “continuation of the pressure of Albanian leaders towards the Serbian people and the Srpska Lista.”
“The decision to dismiss Ivan Todosijevic for telling ‘the truth’ is the best ‘proof’ that Prishtinë/Pristina is not willing to face the past, but also the determination of Srpska Lista to always and everywhere defend Serb interests”, the press release states.
Otherwise, Minister of Local Government Administration, on the day marking the 20th anniversary of Reçak massacre, made a discriminatory and shameful statement, KTV reported. He did not hesitate to call Albanians as terrorists, while he called the Reçak massacre a fabrication.
Reçak residents disappointed that Government appointed ministers who deny the massacre
(KTV)
Reçak residents qualified as shameful the statement of already dismissed minister Ivan Todosijevic that the massacre in this village was a fabrication.
Some of the residents who experienced horror on January 15, 1999 say that such a language is intolerable by institution leaders.
They say people who deny such a massacre, which was evidenced by the entire world, do not deserve to be part of the Government.
The 20th anniversary of Reçak massacre was marked this year. Twenty years ago residents of this village woke up surrounded by Serb forces that killed 45 civilians.
The horror seen in this village was crucial for NATO’s military intervention, two months later, which led to liberation of Kosovo, this TV broadcaster reported.
Kosovo, Serbia to reach best possible agreement
(GazetaExpress)
Senior US official Matthew Palmer said his country does not offer ready-made solutions in dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
Deputy Assistant Secretary at U.S. Department of State Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs for the Western Balkans, Matthew Palmer, in an interview with the Voice of America, said that the issue of borders between the two countries might also be part of a potential agreement.
“The issue of borders might be part of this, but is not the key element of the agreement,” Palmer told VoA.
“What is important to the US is that for a potential agreement to have local ownership, to be something which both sides feel is acceptable, and both sides feel they can sell, both sides believe that defends their crucial interests, and what we have done is we have encouraged parties to sit at the table and negotiate the best possible agreement,” Palmer said.
Kuqi: Partnership with US and EU must be preserved
(RTK)
PDK deputy chairman Hajredin Kuqi said that Kosovo is in dialogue with Serbia as a result of the status quo, while he considers the tariff rather as an issue of Serbia itself.
In RTK’s show “Intervista me Blerimin”, Kuqi said it is a good thing for the Kosovo Constitution to be recognized internationally, even from the five EU countries that have not yet done so, and to unblock the Resolution 1244.
“Kosovo is in dialogue as a result of the status quo. We do not go to the dialogue to harm Kosovo. With regard to the foreign policy, we must be cautious and each political party assume responsibility for the historical developments, since partnership with the US and the EU must be preserved,” Kuqi said.
According to him, opposition can hurt the government, but he disagrees with the positions they have toward the state.
“The opposition must be part of the process and assume the responsibilities on what to do next,” he said.
Kosovo MP questioned as a suspect by Hague prosecutors
(GazetaExpress)
Member of Kosovo Parliament, Blerim Kuçi, has used his right to remain silent during questioning by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office, prosecuting alleged crimes committed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA).
Kuçi who was senior commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), is one of dozens ex-KLA members summoned by the Hague prosecutors for his role during and after Kosovo war 1998-2000.
His lawyer, Artan Qerkini, confirmed that Kuçi has been summoned in his capacity as a suspect by The Hague based special court dealing with alleged crimes of the KLA.
Kuçi travelled to Hague on Sunday, and according to his lawyer, he will return to Kosovo on Wednesday.
The Association of KLA veterans has announced that dozens of ex-KLA member have been summoned by the war crimes court for questioning.
Vucic: Representatives of Serbs decide about elections in Kosovo north, we advise
(KTV)
One day after Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi unexpectedly announced elections for mayors in Kosovo north, Serbia’s official response also came in.
Through a press statement from Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina, that the Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is visiting, announced that the decision for taking part in these elections will be taken by “true Serb political representatives”, but he is sure that “they would like to also hear our opinion,” KTV portal quotes Kossev as reporting.
The decision will be taken in consultation with the “true” Serb political representatives, while he announced that he “expects that many will try to exert influence in the Republic of Serbia to give up our request for revocation of tariff,” Vucic was quoted as saying.
“Tomorrow we will have long discussions with the true representatives of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, with those who represent the people, and not with those representing themselves and no one else. We expect to take a decision with representatives of Serb people from Kosovo and Metohija,” he said.
Bozovic, Milovic, Simic: Participation in the elections depends on the position of top Serbian state officials
(Kossev)
The Kosovo President, Hashim Thaci made a decision yesterday to call local elections in the four northern municipalities. The elections are planned to be held on May 19th. The decision surprised the general public, as well as political representatives and competent institutions, including the Central Election Commission. The president of CEC, Valdete Daka said yesterday that the decision to call elections was unexpected. Kosovo Serb political representatives assessed the elections as „strange“ and a „provocation.“
A day after the Kosovo President ordered elections in the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo, the Kosovo Serb political parties still do not have a clear answer whether their candidates will be running in the upcoming elections.
Bozovic: As a political option for Kosovo Serbs, we expect Vucic’s invitation to consult
„We find this decision and the time it was put forward a little strange,“ the president of the GI SDP and a councilor in the North Mitrovica MA, Ksenija Bozovic said, recalling that only four days remain until the deadline set by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who asked Srpska Lista to wait for 45 days before leaving Kosovo institutions.
Bozovic also recalled that the mayors initially resigned because of the taxes imposed by Pristina, which were not abolished in the meantime, while elections were called.
„The SDP is fully monitoring the situation, we will hold a meeting with our members. We will thoroughly review the situation. We will see how people think and we will talk to the citizens because this is something new for them as well,“ she told KoSSev.
„As a political option in Kosovo, we will wait for President Vucic to call and talk to us. Since Srpska Lista is meeting with the President in Belgrade tomorrow, we expect the President to invite us and to talk to us so that we can evaluate the situation together and do what is best for the Serb community in Kosovo,“ she emphasized.
Bozovic also pointed out that only elections for the mayoral positions have been announced and not for local assemblies. She recalled that under the Kosovo laws the local assembly is obliged to convene a minimum of one session in the first six months of the current year and that municipal assemblies in the north will be dissolved if they do not hold at least one session by June 1st.
Milovic: Opportunity for the Assembly of the Republic of Serbia to consider calling elections under the laws of the state of Serbia
The leader of GI „For Our Zvecan“, Dragisa Milovic also believes that the reasons why the mayors initially resigned have not been resolved.
„The mayors resigned due to the introduction of the 100% tax increase on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina and because the instigators and the murderers of Oliver Ivanovic were not found. As far as we can tell, both reasons behind their resignations have not been resolved and I do not see why we should participate in these elections,“ Milovic told KoSSev.
He agreed with Bozovic’s claims that other political options should be involved in the consultation process in Belgrade.
„The representatives of Srpska Lista were invited to come tomorrow, and I think that there was room for the others. The representatives of Srpska Lista are not the only ones living in Kosovo, there are other political structures, civil initiatives, but we will see. We will wait for the official position of the government and the President of the state, Mr. Vucic, and then we will make a decision,“ Milovic said.
Milovic also recalled the last election campaign:
„Remember the pre-election campaigns when cars belonging to political opponents were set on fire, when we had so much bad blood among us that I would not want anyone to participate under such conditions,“ he emphasized.
Milovic shared his belief that this new situation is an opportunity to bring back the local municipal assemblies within the Serbian system and to call elections under the laws of the Republic of Serbia.
Simic: Srpska Lista will officially announce its position after consulting with the President
Vice-President of Srpska Lista and a deputy in the Kosovo Assembly, Igor Simic told RTS this morning that Srpska Lista will act in agreement with the Serbian government and President, and that its position will be officially announced after tomorrow’s consultations with the President.
„Srpska Lista will always, as it has done so far, accomplish two things: consultations with official Belgrade and absolute respect for the interests of our people,“ Simic emphasized.
He said that he „does not want to waste words“ on other Kosovo Serb political representatives.
„We will talk to President Vucic in Belgrade tomorrow and they will talk to those who absolutely do not represent Serbs in Kosovo, who received less than 5% of votes here. Those people from Savski Venac and those millionaires and everyone else are awaiting Srpska Lista’s decision on this issue, not so that they will make their decision, but in order to attack the decision of Srpska Lista,“ Simic said, adding that “attacks” of other political representatives from Kosovo are inevitable, regardless of which decision Srpska Lista reaches.
„If we decide not to participate in these elections, they will attack us, claiming that we do not want to take responsibility. If we choose to participate in the elections, they will also attack us,“ Simic claimed.
According to the Vice-President of Srpska Lista, there is “a huge difference in the decision-making process between Srpska Lista and them because we have the support of 90% of Serb citizens in Kosovo, while they have only a few members of their families standing behind them.”
„This is just another provocation by Pristina, from which the Serbian people, as in all previous cases, will come out stronger and more united,“ he added.
„We have different ideas, but we will be able to officially present them only after consultations,“ Simic concluded.
