• Serb parties willing to co-operate with new Government (KTV)
• Kurti meets with candidates for MPs from Kosovo Bosniak, Egyptian and Ashkali communities (Klan Kosova)
• Kurti to Italian Ambassador: We will reduce the power to strengthen the state (KTV)
• Special Chambers summons Azem Syla (Klan Kosova)
• International Federation of Journalists tell Pristina to stop harassment (N1)
• Court frees Kosovo Serb of war crimes charges (N1)

News

Serb parties willing to co-operate with new Government

(KTV)

Political entities, which represented the Serb community in October 6^th early parliamentary elections in Kosovo, are expecting and willing to co-operate with the new Kosovo Government.

One of these entities says that participation in new government is guaranteed by the Constitution, while other entities consider that the composition of the new Government is a chance that Kosovo Serbs should not miss.

However, Albin Kurti, leader of Vetëvendosje Movement, which, as the first party with the most votes in the October 6^th elections, aims the Prime Minister’s post and formation of the new government, has said that Srpska List should go to opposition and that he will initially talk to other Serb parties for the post of a minister from the Serb community.

Igor Simic, Srpska List deputy chairman and the first candidate in the list of this political entity in October 6^th early parliamentary elections in Kosovo, told Radio Free Europe that his political entity has won elections in Serb-majority areas and it already has the right guaranteed by all Kosovo legal acts to propose members to the Government of Kosovo.

Slobodan Petrovic, leader of the Independent Liberal Party, believes that after the vote count, this political entity will be able to enter the Kosovo Assembly. He told RFE that he is open to any kind of co-operation with the next government, which would lead to a better quality of life for the Serb community, but also for all other citizens of the country. He stresses that his party has, for several years, been committed to coexistence and solving citizens’ problems at the local level. Petrovic pointed out that Kurti is a person who sticks to his views and believes that he will continue to be so.

Nenad Rasic, first candidate of the ‘Freedom’ Coalition list, says that Srpska List representatives have been destructive to Kosovo institutions and abused Kosovo Serbs, stressing that their activity in the institutions was of personal character, and only the individuals benefited.

 Kurti meets with candidates for MPs from Kosovo Bosniak, Egyptian and Ashkali communities

(Klan Kosova)

 Vetëvendosje Movement leader Albin Kurti together with the member of Presidency of this Movement Xhelal Sveçla met the candidates for MPs from the Kosovo Bosniak, Egyptian and Ashkali communities, Emilija Redzepi, Duda Balje, Artan Berisha, Veton Berisha and Hetem Arifi.

“With representatives of these communities we discussed the progress and outcome of the electoral process, plans of the new government, challenges and opportunities of co-operation for democratic state building and socio-economic progress,” the Vetëvendosje announcement reads.

Kurti is said to have assured community representatives that his government will treat all citizens of Kosovo equally regardless of their nationality.

He stressed that the progress of minority communities is done through economic development and that this will be a priority with the new government.

 Kurti to Italian Ambassador: We will reduce the power to strengthen the state

(KTV)

Vetëvendosje Movement chairman Albin Kurti received on Monday the Italian Ambassador Piero Cristoforo Sardi.

As Vetëvendosje Movement announces, Sardi welcomed the orderly conduct of electoral process by commending the high turnout of citizens in democratic elections in the country. He said that upon certification of results, it is important to form new institutions and government.

Kurti thanked Ambassador Sardi for Italy’s ongoing support to the Republic of Kosovo and expressed his conviction that with the new government, cooperation between the two countries will be advanced further.

“Chairman Kurti informed the Ambassador that the priority of the new government will be the reduction of power to strengthen the state, institutional and legal justice, as well as economic development and employment,” Vetëvendosje’s announcement reads.

In this regard, he said, talks are underway between Vetëvendosje Movement and the Democratic League, which will give the new government to the Republic.

According to the press announcement, Kurti also spoke about irregularities and violations during the electoral process in Serb-majority municipalities where the rule of law, political pluralism and democracy are lacking.

Special Chambers summons Azem Syla

(Klan Kosova)

Former Kosovo Liberation Army Chief of Staff Azem Syla has been summoned to appear before the Specialist Chambers for interview.

Syla’s lawyer Besnik Berisha confirmed the news to KlanKosova.tv.

“Yes it is true. Syla has been summoned by the Specialist Chamber for interview,” Berisha said over the phone.

Syla is one of the former high profile KLA members who were summoned by the Hague Tribunal. Others interviewed so far are, Ramush Haradinaj, Jakup Krasniqi, Rrustem Mustafa, Sami Lushtaku, and so on.

International Federation of Journalists tell Pristina to stop harassment

(N1)

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) called the authorities in Kosovo to stop harassing journalists, the Journalists’ Association of Serbia (UNS) said on Monday.

The press release said that the IFJ sent a letter to Kosovo President Hashim Thaci following the arrest of Serbian state TV (RTS), TV Pink and Tanjug agency reporters and crews at the Jarinje crossing into Kosovo on October 4. The IFJ was informed of the detention of the media crews by the UNS.

The UNS said it was granted access to the IFJ letter which expressed deep concern over the detention of journalists to prevent them from reporting from Kosovo and the increasing number of threats and attacks on journalists. “Measures like these violate the freedom of the media and take away the right to free movement for journalists,” the UNS quoted the letter, which it said was signed by IFJ General Secretary Anthong Bellanger, as saying.

Court frees Kosovo Serb of war crimes charges

(N1)

 A Kosovo Serb was freed of war crimes charges by the Appeals Court in Pristina which ruled that there was insufficient evidene to try him, the Serbian state TV (RTS) reported on Monday.

Kosovo‘s Special Prosecution indicted Milorad Zajic from the town of Klina for the alleged murder of three elderly, paralyzed members of the Kosovo Albanian family Marmulaku as a soldier in the Yugoslav Army (VJ) in the village of Disevic outside Klina. This was the first trial of a Kosovo Serb by the local judiciary after the mandate of the EULEX mission expired.

“The Appeals Court ruled to uphold a lower court decision that the testimony of one witness who claimed to have seen Zajic armed and in uniformed at the site of the murder could not be used as the basis for the indictment,” lawyer Dejan Vasic said.

Zajic was arrested on March 19, 2018 when he tried to report a burglary and was ordered into house arrest in March this year when the lower court freed him of the war crimes charges.