• Thaci says Assembly session will be called as required by law (Bota Sot)
• Veseli: Delays in forming new institutions not positive for Kosovo (Telegrafi)
• Hoti: Agreement to be reached in following days, no reason for failure (media)
• In Berlin, Osmani meets U.S. special envoy Grenell (media)
• Delays in formation of Assembly cannot set in motion Constitutional Court (Koha)
• Thaci: Internationals’ silence enabled Vucic to deny the massacre (media)
• Pacolli: EU to demand Serbia hand over war criminals (media)
• Borell: An agreement in Pristina – Belgrade dialogue, my priority (RTK)
• Svecla on meeting with Djuric: It was a working meeting (media)

Thaci says Assembly session will be called as required by law (Bota Sot)

Asked by reporters when he plans to call the session of the Kosovo Assembly following the certification of 6 October election results, President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci said the session will be called “in regular constitutionally set timeframe and in line with laws.”

Thaci made the comments yesterday as he paid tribute to victims of Recak massacre which he said marked “the highest point of Serbian genocide in Kosovo.”

Veseli: Delays in forming new institutions not positive for Kosovo (Telegrafi)

Speaking from The Hague to RTV Dukagjini following his interview with the Specialist Chambers, leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Kadri Veseli said he did not wish to comment on the interview itself but said he was correct in that he positively responded to the invitation. He added however that the Kosovo Liberation Army war was a defensive one. “This is the truth about our war,” he said.

Veseli said that they are waiting for a coalition agreement to be reached between parties who he said announced such a deal even while they were still in the opposition. “I expect them to deliver, be correct before the citizens, not before me, and then actions will be very transparent,” he said adding: “Kosovo has no time to lose.”

Veseli also said that some parties, seemingly referring to Vetevendosje, “tried to uproot the country only to come to power.” “Let’s see now whether they will be able to significantly change what they boasted about.”

He said populism will not do Kosovo any good and will only strengthen Serbia. “The more internal populisms we have the more we will strengthen crocodiles like Vucic. Why should Vucic not deny Recak massacre when the other one goes and meets them in Tirana,” Veseli said referencing a recent conference that took place in the Albanian capital where Kosovo officials, including Xhelal Svecla from Vetevendosje, were seen at the same table with the head of the Serbian government’s office for Kosovo Marko Djuric.

Hoti: Agreement to be reached in following days, no reason for failure (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) MP Avdullah Hoti told Ekonomia Online on Tuesday that the final agreement for ruling coalition with Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) will be reached in the following days. Hoti said this is LDK’s will and called on LVV to be restrained in their statements.

“I expect for the discussions to conclude and then, the two leaders to announce the details. I believe that we have been sufficiently transparent so far on the manner of holding the discussions on the coalition agreement, and I believe that it is a new standard. We are now in the phase when we are negotiating the division of responsibilities. I cannot say anything more prior to the conclusion of discussions,” Hoti said.

“Two meetings between the leaders were held so far, I believe that these positions can be approximated these days during the third, fourth meetings. So, there is nothing unusual, negotiations are taking place, we had negotiations for program for three weeks in a row, at six meetings of the working groups of the two entities, now the discussions have passed at the level of the political leaders, after reaching agreement on all program matters. Now we have to agree on how to divide responsibilities within the institutions. Expectations are positive, I expect this matter to conclude as soon as possible,” Hoti said.

In Berlin, Osmani meets U.S. special envoy Grenell (media)

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Vjosa Osmani met in Berlin with the U.S. special envoy for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue Richard Grenell. “Thank you Ambassador Richard Grenell for a great discussion at the U.S. Embassy in Berlin today. Looking forward to further strengthening our cooperation,” Osmani wrote on Twitter.

During her visit to Germany, Osmani also met German MPs Peter Beyer, recently appointed Council of Europe rapporteur for Kosovo, and Christian Schmidt and discussed the latest political developments in Kosovo. She also met Matthias Luttenberg from the Chancellor’s Office in Berlin.

Delays in formation of Assembly cannot set in motion Constitutional Court (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that eventual delays in the formation of the new Assembly of Kosovo, due to the lack of a coalition agreement between the Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo, cannot set in motion the Constitutional Court, neither by the President of Kosovo or any other body. Legal commentators in Pristina told the paper on Tuesday that the election of the Assembly President cannot go on indefinitely if the winning party does not nominate a candidate. The paper however notes that despite disagreements over the post of Kosovo President, the Kurti-led Vetevendosje Movement is optimistic that a coalition agreement will be reached this week.

Thaci: Internationals’ silence enabled Vucic to deny the massacre (media)

Most news outlets reported on Tuesday that Kosovo President Hashim Thaci paid homage at the graves in Recak today, highlighting his remarks that the silence of internationals made it possible for Serbian President Vucic to deny the massacre in Recak. Thaci said the massacre of 45 Albanian civilians in the village of Recak in January 1999, marks the highest point of Serbian genocide in Kosovo.

“Today is the international Human Rights Day. The state of Kosovo is working maximally to ensure the full respect of the highest standards of human rights in Kosovo. At the same time, we need to remember the past in order to move safely forward. On this day, I decided to visit Recak, which marks the highest point of massacres committed by the state of Serbia against the civilian population in Kosovo, as part of the genocide carried out by the state of Serbia,” Thaci is quoted as saying in Indeksonline.

Thaci also said that “Serbia has carried out around 400 massacres against Albanian civilians in Kosovo”. “It murdered around 1,300 children, raped over 20,000 women. We have around 13,000 civilians killed,” he added.

Commenting on the statements of Serbian leaders about the Recak massacre, Thaci said the perpetrators of the crimes have yet to face justice and that an apology is still missing. “Serbia has carried out genocide. Regrettably, those that carried out the genocide have yet to be brought to justice,” he said.

Thaci said the future cannot be built by denying crimes and by labelling and insulting the victims. “The future can be built if Serbia’s leadership admits the guilt and apologises. The silence of internationals and the fact that they have not visited Recak has amnestied the current leadership in Serbia and its efforts to try to deny the crimes,” Thaci added.

Pacolli: EU to demand Serbia hand over war criminals (media)

In a press conference yesterday, Kosovo’s acting Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Behgjet Pacolli presented a document of 10,000 pages which he said contains evidence of crimes Serbian forces committed in Kosovo.

Announcing that he will submit the document to the prosecution, Pacolli said the files were never dealt with by any judicial authority and that as a result of this, 95 percent of the people accused of carrying out war crimes continue to roam freely.

“I very much hope our prosecutors will set up a working team to tackle these documents. We cannot live alongside the perpetrators and I am convinced they are here somewhere, they are in Serbia but also come to Kosovo,” Pacolli said adding that the people charged with crimes in the documents he possesses should be added to the Interpol’s wanted list.

“We need to condition the European Union to take a political position and demand Serbia hand over the criminals,” Pacolli underlined.

Borell: An agreement in Pristina – Belgrade dialogue, my priority (RTK)

The EU High Representative Josep Borrell said on Tuesday that the main priority of his diplomacy will be approximation of Western Balkans with the EU and reach of an agreement at Pristina-Belgrade dialogue.

“My priority will be to work on a comprehensive agreement between Serbia and Kosovo,” Borell wrote in a letter sent to the EU Foreign and Defense Ministers.

In a letter published prior to the first meeting of the EU Council, Borell stressed his priorities in foreign policy and EU Security, appealing for greater unity and more comprehensive approach.

“In the first place, we must firmly support Western Balkans’ EU membership,” Borell wrote.

Svecla on meeting with Djuric: It was a working meeting (media)

Vetevendosje MP Xhelal Svecla said on Tuesday that his recent meeting with Marko Djuric, head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, was not a personal meeting. “It was a conference … The topic was relations between countries in the region. It had nothing to do with relations between Kosovo and Serbia, the status of Kosovo or anything of that nature,” he said.

Svecla said he highlighted the fact that Serbian senior officials have denied the massacre in Recak and the genocide in Kosovo. “I said this to their face. I highlighted the fact that they have denied the massacres and the genocide in Kosovo. I also said these are criminal statements and that I personally witnessed the massacre in Recak,” he said.