• Mogherini: If tariff is revoked tonight, I call Dialogue tomorrow (RTK1)
• Haradinaj: Thaçi, Rama, and Mogherini have discussed partition (KTV)
• Thaçi to Haradinaj: Kosovo is not endangered by partition, but by bad government (Klan Kosova)
• Rama: Things in Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue can’t happen secretly (RTK)
• Thaçi in Tirana asked Mogherini for visa liberalisation (Klan Kosova)
• Thaçi: Border correction was my idea, US has not set ‘red lines’ (Klan Kosova)
• Swiss Ambassador: Border correction idea could lead to trouble (RTK)
• Deda: Merkel’s Office confirms that there is no change of borders (KTV)
• Liberalisation might happen in September, Haradinaj says (RTK)
• Task Force for war crimes established (Klan Kosova)
• O’Connell: Time for citizens to raise their voice against corruption (KTV)
• CEC approved slogan for elections in four northern municipalities (RTK)

News

 Mogherini: If tariff is revoked tonight, I call Dialogue tomorrow

(RTK1)

The EU High Representative Federica Mogherini said that if the Kosovo Government revoked tariff against Serbia tonight, tomorrow morning she would call the next meeting for Dialogue.

She made this statement in Tirana, at a joint press conference with the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.

“Over the last months, the Kosovo Government’s decision to impose 100 percent tariff on goods from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, has created an environment which is not fruitful for the dialogue. From our side, from the EU side, but also from the side of other international partners, we have asked for the tariff to be revoked, and this would immediately create conditions for the dialogue to resume. And I am convinced that in case the tariff is revoked tonight, tomorrow morning I would call a new session of the Dialogue,” she highlighted.

Haradinaj: Thaçi, Rama, and Mogherini have discussed partition

(KTV)

Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said that anyone who mentions border changing as an option is aware that it brings tragedies and wars.

Haradinaj said that the Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi and the Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama have discussed partition of Kosovo with the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini.

According to Haradinaj, Mogherini is not going to facilitate the Dialogue for a long time, because her time is over.

Prime Minister Haradinaj added that he could not accept Serbia’s condition to revoke the tariff, having in mind the massacres that the Serbian state committed in Kosovo.

At the roundtable organised by Kosovo Democratic Institute, the Swiss Ambassador to Kosovo Jean Hubert Lebet said that border changing is never a solution to the problem.

Chairman of the Democratic Progressive Party Nenad Rasic also said that border correction is harmful for Kosovo Serbs.

Thaçi to Haradinaj: Kosovo is not endangered by partition, but by bad government

(Klan Kosova)

 Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi was very harsh against the Government of Ramush Haradinaj during his address after the meeting he had with the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini in Tirana.

Thaçi said that Haradinaj “must fight for a better government, rather than giving statements like – I have prevented partition of Kosovo,” Klan Kosova portal reported.

According to President Thaçi, Kosovo is not risked by partition, but by bad government.

During his visit to Tirana, President Thaçi also said that his Albanian counterpart Ilir Meta made a mistake when he invited Milorad Dodik to Brdo-Brijuni Summit.

”It is a big mistake that the Albanian President Ilir Meta has invited the Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina Presidency Milrodad Dodik to Brdo-Brijuni,” Thaçi said.

 Rama: Things in Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue can’t happen secretly

(RTK)

The Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said that things in the Kosovo-Serbia Dialogue could not happen secretly.

He made this statement at a joint press conference with the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini.

“If there are so many stupid persons to believe that a process which includes not only the two states but also states of the world, parliaments, political parties, societies, and voting in referendum, can eventually be done secretly by some persons and go unnoticed, then this is the end of this world. Every person with some common sense believes that this is a lie,” Rama said.

Thaçi in Tirana asked Mogherini for visa liberalisation

(Klan Kosova)

The Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi and the EU High Representative Federica Mogherini had a meeting behind closed doors in Tirana.

President Thaçi told Klan Kosova that he asked Mogherini for visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens to happen as soon as possible.

In addition, Thaçi opposed the statement of Federica Mogherini, who said that as soon as the tariff is revoked, she is able to call a meeting to resume the Dialogue.

Thaçi said that he does not accept such a condition.

 Thaçi: Border correction was my idea, US has not set ‘red lines’

(Klan Kosova)

Once again, Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi commented on what happened at the Berlin Summit. According to him, the border issue was not addressed at all at the meeting.

The Kosovo Presidents insists that he is the one that came up with the border changing idea.

”I am the designer of advocating for correction of the injustices through inclusion of Presevo, Medvedja, and Bujanovac in the territory of the Republic of Kosovo, with the current Kosovo territory, without violating even a single centimetre of the Kosovo territory, by Kosovo remaining multi-ethnic,” he said.

Thaçi stressed that the US has no red lines in this respect.

He thinks that the strong statement of Aleksandar Vucic that even if they kill him he would not recognise Kosovo is a populist statement for internal consumption, adding that Vucic is aware that recognition of Kosovo is a condition for Serbia’s EU future.

 Swiss Ambassador: Border correction idea could lead to trouble

(RTK)

 Switzerland’s Ambassador to Kosovo, Jean Hubert Lebet, said border correction idea has never worked, and warned that such an option could spell trouble for both Kosovo and Serbia, English edition of RTKLive reported.

“If borders are shifted, the sources of conflict will not be resolved, especially not in the Balkans. You could get into trouble,” he said.

“Border change idea does not work, it never did, and we are happy the Berlin meeting did not support this,” Lebet said at a conference organized by the Kosovo Democratic Institute on the recent Western Balkans summit in Berlin.

He said the event confirmed the importance of a comprehensive and legally binding agreement being reached between Kosovo and Serbia ensuring full normalization of their relations.

Deda: Merkel’s Office confirms that there is no change of borders

(KTV)

Kosovo Assembly Member Ilir Deda announced that they have received confirmation from Chancellor Merkel’s Office that there is no change of borders.

A delegation of Kosovo Assembly is paying an official visit to Germany, where they held meetings with German state officials.

“There is no change in borders, Chancellor Merkel’s Office confirms. Kosovo is one and inseparable, with non-negotiable territory. Photo after meeting with Mr. Matthias Lütenberg, Director of the Division for Central, Eastern and South Eastern Europe in the German Chancellery,” Deda wrote on Facebook.

 Liberalisation might happen in September, Haradinaj says

(RTK)

Prime Minister of Kosovo and AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj said on Wednesday that visa liberalisation was promised in Germany, while he claimed that September may be a possibility.

Speaking before AAK, Haradinaj said that visa liberalisation is already a done deal.

“President held a visa conference. The next day, Seehofer, in the reception, told me that you have greetings from Chancellor Merkel. We have a stance on the visas. We entered the meeting and he said, ‘we discussed this topic with the Chancellor, they will faint when they realise this, we are in favour of visa liberalisation and immediately. I confirmed this to Romania because there is opportunity for them to include it June, but Finland takes over the EU Presidency and I believe we will be on the agenda very quickly. There is no reason for the EU countries to break up with Germany for a matter like this. For this I assure you that visa liberalisation is going to happen. It is something technical that the countries have to vote for. September is optional to make the decision so that we move freely within a year,” he said.

 Task Force for war crimes established

(Klan Kosova)

Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPC) has prepared a strategy on war crimes as of 21 February this year.

This is what the KPC Chairman Bahri Hyseni said at a press conference staged after the meeting that was closed for journalists on Tuesday between the leaders of the justice institutions in the country.

He stated that the purpose of this meeting was beginning of implementation of this strategy, which consists of two mechanisms.

Chief State Prosecutor Aleksandër Lumezi explained who will initially be investigated by the prosecution.

 O’Connell: Time for citizens to raise their voice against corruption

(KTV)

The British Ambassador to Kosovo Ruairi O’Connell stated that Kosovo problems could not be fixed by foreigners, but by Kosovars themselves.

O’Connell reiterated that citizens’ voice against corruption in Kosovo needs to be raised.

At the Speak Up forum of FOL Movement, the British Ambassador said that the way to force politicians to take measures to the situation that has been created in Kosovo is civic pressure.

The British Ambassador said that Kosovo would be judged abroad because of the Government’s behaviour, but also if citizens accept this behaviour of the Kosovo Executive.

According to him, they find it unacceptable that over the last two years, no-one in Kosovo has been convicted for high profile corruption.

Talking about the issue of recruitments to various positions, O’Connell said that in some cases recommendations of the British Embassy were not taken into consideration and that nepotism at public institutions is high.

 CEC approved slogan for elections in four northern municipalities

(RTK)

The Central Election Commission approved the slogan for elections set to be held in four northern municipalities, and the slogan will be – Your vote, your future.

At this meeting, CEC also took some other important decisions for the extraordinary mayoral elections in the municipalities: Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North, Leposavic/Leposaviq, Zvecan/Zveçan and Zubin Potok, RTK portal quoted Telegrafi as reporting.

CEC decided to unregister four political parties and abolished suspension for three other political parties.

According to the CEC’s decision, the unregistered parties are: National Front (PB); Strong Party (PF); Active Civic Initiative (AGI); and the Union of Independent Social Democrats (SNSD). These political parties have not submitted data on annual changes even after the additional deadline.

The Central Election Commission decided to abolish the suspension of three political parties: Unity Democratic Party (PDU); Montenegrin Liberal Party (CLS), and Kosovo’s New Party (NPK). According to the CEC decision, these political parties have submitted the update of the annual data at the additional deadline.