• LVV and LDK with no agreement despite Quint meeting (media)
• Abbot and Heldt: We did not have any advice for Kurti and Mustafa (Klan)
• Haxhiu: LDK’s proposal, a mockery of Kosovo Assembly (Zeri)
• Abazi on Quint statement: Normal position as Kosovo is independent (EO/Klan)
• Borell to visit Kosovo tomorrow (media)
• Haradinaj: I would gladly lift the tariff towards Serbia (Express)
• Serwer: No continuation of dialogue before elections in Serbia (media)
• UK ambassador meets members of missing persons commission (media)
• One officer killed during a police operation in Zhur (media)

 Kosovo Media Highlights

LVV and LDK with no agreement despite Quint meeting (media)

Media report that the presence of the Quint representatives in the meeting between Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) did not contribute to the parties reaching agreement to jointly form the new government of Kosovo.

Following the meeting with Quint ambassadors, LVV leader Albin Kurti told reporters that there is no agreement. “There is no rapprochement of positions between the two parties. We have made two proposals since when my name was sent to the president as candidate but a two-sided consent is required for an agreement. We can’t have an agreement of the type of ‘take it or leave it’,” Kurti said.

“The people have spoken. My interest and readiness were never greater. We have one more week left. With unrelentless good will and work I was open for an agreement but there can be none with one-sided rapprochement,” he added.

At the same time, LDK leader Isa Mustafa made it clear his party stands by its latest offer to LVV which consists of request for getting the Assembly speaker’s post. Mustafa said the offer is balanced and reasonable.

“We spoke to LVV about the possibility of a governing coalition. We also informed Quint ambassadors because the goal was for them to get informed and not mediate or intervene in the agreement process. As LDK we are convinced that the solution we proposed recently contributes to a governing agreement that balances the votes and the trust of the citizens,” he said.

Koha Ditore writes on the front page that the negotiations between the LVV and LDK are on the verge of collapsing as they have not shifted from their ‘cemented’ positions. However, the paper also notes that none of the parties has declared that negotiations have failed and did not rule out new meetings.

Similarly, Zeri reports that the prospects for a coalition between the LVV and LDK are becoming slim. “Even without the ‘coalition of hope’ being properly formed, the Vetevendosje Movement and the Democratic League of Kosovo gave strong signals last night that the hopes of around 500,000 Kosovars that voted for the two parties are about to fade out,” the paper writes.

Abbot and Heldt: We did not have any advice for Kurti and Mustafa (Klan)

The British Ambassador to Kosovo Nicholas Abbott said after the meeting with the leaders of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) and the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) that he did not have any advice for Albin Kurti and Isa Mustafa as he did not go to the meeting with the intention of forming the government.

After the conclusion of this meeting, the three international diplomats: the UK Ambassador Nicholas Abbott, the German Ambassador Christian Heldt as well as head of the EU Office in Kosovo Nataliya Apostolova, left together the premises of the Assembly of Kosovo.

Heldt also said he did not have any advice for Albin Kurti on forming the government.

Haxhiu: LDK’s proposal, a mockery of Kosovo Assembly (Zeri)

Vetevendosje Movement MP, Albulena Haxhiu, commented on last night’s meeting between the party leader Albin Kurti and the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Isa Mustafa which did not result in a power-sharing agreement. She said the agreement was not reached because of LDK’s insistence on getting the post of Assembly speaker.

“Of course I would have liked to be able to say the agreement has been finalised but I cannot say that because, as you know, LDK is insisting on its proposal of 8 January,” she said adding: “We have not accepted their proposal and this would be toppling of the will of 75 MPs and a mockery of the Assembly.”

Abazi on Quint statement: Normal position as Kosovo is independent (EO/Klan)

Vetevendosje Movement’s MP Haki Abazi told Ekonomia Online news website that the Quint response to the invitation in the discussions for the reach of coalition between LVV and the Democratic League of Kosovo is normal as Kosovo is an independent state and it does not need foreign interference to form the institutions.

“It is a fact that there are many circles which do not want Vetevendosje in the government, but this will not stop the efforts to form the future government,” Abazi said.

Borell to visit Kosovo tomorrow (media)

Josep Borell, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, is expected to visit Pristina on 30 January and Belgrade the next day, several newspapers are reporting.

In his recent meeting with the German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, Borell said that the EU will do all it can to facilitate dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade.

Haradinaj: I would gladly lift the tariff towards Serbia (Express)

Ramush Haradinaj, Acting Prime Minister of Kosovo said he would be ready to lift the 100-percent tariff on Serbian goods if recognition of Kosovo as an independent state would be offered by Serbia in return. “I would love to lift it,” he told T7 broadcaster. He further insisted that the tariff should remain in power until Serbia recognizes Kosovo.

Haradinaj further criticized the leader of the Vetevendosje Movement Albin Kurti, saying that his position ‘we will lift the tariff to impose reciprocity measures’ is a deceit. “Such maneuver is also an insult to the population,” Haradinaj said warning that Kurti will lift the tariff as soon as he forms the government.

Serwer: No continuation of dialogue before elections in Serbia (media)

The U.S. Balkans analyst Daniel Serwer said that he cannot see how dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade can continue without the government of Kosovo being formed and before elections in Serbia take place. Serwer told Belgrade news agency Tanjug that he doesn’t think it is in the best interest of Kosovo to negotiate with Serbia during election campaign there.

He also commented on the Letter of Intent for establishing flights between Pristina and Belgrade saying that the two sides need to simultaneously retract their decisions whereby the tax on Serbian goods would be lifted and the derecognition campaign would stop.

Serwer pointed out that the U.S. President Donald Trump is undoubtably seeking to achieve an international success to divert attention from his impeachment trial in the Senate.

UK ambassador meets members of missing persons commission (media)

The British Ambassador to Kosovo, Nicholas Abbott, met yesterday members of the Kosovo Government’s Commission for Missing Persons and expressed the commitment of his government and his own to support the process for determining the fate of the missing persons.

Members of the missing persons commission spoke about the efforts of the Kosovo Government to resolve the fate of missing persons and underlined the challenges they face due to the failure of Serbian authorities to provide information.

One officer killed during a police operation in Zhur (media)

One member of the Kosovo Police died last night and three other persons, of which two police officers, sustained injuries during a police operation in the village of Zhur, Prizren municipality.

Several media outlets report that the police were conducting a search for narcotics in a house when an explosive device went off. At the same time, the Kosovo Police issued a statement saying that one police officer died and three others, including a private citizen, suffered injuries as a result of an ‘unidentified’ explosion in the village of Zhur.

Kosovo leaders extended their condolences to the family of the killed police officer.