• 12 new cases of coronavirus confirmed (media)
• President Thaci invites Kurti to meeting (media)
• Veseli: Whoever incites conflict will have no room here (RTK)
• Mustafa reacts to Bahtiri’s statement (media)
• Charges files against Mitrovica South Mayor (Indeksonline)
• Acting Interior Minister files charges against Thaci (media)
• US gives Kosovo $1.1 million to fight coronavirus (media)
• Lajcak to start his duty as EU Envoy for dialogue in two days (RFE, RTK)
• Haradinaj: Kurti gave up the tariff, if he kept it, I would support him (RTK)
• “If Kurti does not meet Thaci, we call it a constitutional silence” (RTK)

12 new cases of coronavirus confirmed (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health announced on Tuesday that 12 new cases of coronavirus have been confirmed. These are all contact cases and are from the municipalities of Malisheva, Fushe Kosove, Prishtina, Mitrovica and Kamenica.

The total number of cases is now 109.

President Thaci invites Kurti to meeting (media)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci has sent an invitation to acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti for a meeting, several news websites report. Following the no-confidence motion against the government, Thaci said he would consult leaders of all parliamentary parties on the future course of action.

Veseli: Whoever incites conflict will have no room here (RTK)

Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) leader Kadri Veseli said in an interview to RTK on Monday evening that as long as his party exists there can be no fratricide and that whoever incites conflict has no room in Kosovo.

Veseli’s remarks were a reaction to a statement by Mitrovica South Mayor and Vetevendosje member Agim Bahtiri who warned of fratricide if President Hashim Thaci decides to form a new government without announcing new elections.

“I want to assure Kosovo citizens that they can feel safe. No one should be afraid of cowards calling for violence. These people did not come to the country’s aid when it was time to fight against Serbia. Calling for a conflict between Albanians is unacceptable. I assure you that as long as the PDK exists, there will never be any civil conflict in Kosovo,” Veseli said.

Veseli also said his party would not initiate the formation of a new government following the no-confidence motion.

Mustafa reacts to Bahtiri’s statement (media)

Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) leader Isa Mustafa reacted to a statement by Mitrovica South Mayor and Vetevendosje member Agim Bahtiri who warned of fratricide if President Hashim Thaci decides to form a new government without announcing new elections. Mustafa said the remarks are the culmination of irresponsible individuals.

Charges files against Mitrovica South Mayor (Indeksonline)

Citing unnamed sources, the news website reported on Monday that charges have been filed against Mitrovica South Mayor Agim Bahtiri for his statement on Monday when he warned there could be fratricide in Kosovo if President Hashim Thaci decides to form a new government without announcing new elections.

Bahtiri later in the day said he was always a man of peace and that his statement was taken out of context.

Acting Interior Minister files charges against Thaci (media)

Several news websites reported on Monday that acting Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla has filed charges against President Hashim Thaci for his statement on March 23 calling on Kosovo citizens not to comply with the government’s measures against the coronavirus. Some news websites note that if Thaci is found guilty of the criminal offense “Call for Resistance” he could be sentenced up to five years in prison. 

US gives Kosovo $1.1 million to fight coronavirus (media) 

The United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Philip Kosnett tweeted on Monday: “Kosovo Government receives $1.1 million dollars from U.S. to provide operational support and increase Kosovo’s response capability to stop further transmission and mitigate COVID-19’s impact. #TogetherWeCan.”

Lajcak to start his duty as EU Envoy for dialogue in two days (RFE, RTK)

Slovakia’s former Foreign Minister, Miroslav Lajcak is expected to take over the position of the European Union’s Special Representative for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue as well as Western Balkans this week.

According to a document that the Radio Free Europe claims to have seen, Lajcak will take over his duty on 2 April, for a one year period.

According to the document, Lajcak’s initial duty is to reach comprehensive normalization of the relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

This has to be achieved through the completion of a legally binding agreement which addresses all unresolved issues between the parties, in accordance  with the international law and by contributing to the regional stability.

Lajcak’s nomination was expected with skepticism in Kosovo, where President Thaci said a few weeks ago that “his mission is created to fail due to his engagement to stop Slovakia from recognizing Kosovo, RFE reports.

Haradinaj: Kurti gave up the tariff, if he kept it, I would support him (RTK)

Ramush Haradinaj, former Prime Minister of Kosovo, said support of his political party for the no-confidence motion was completely principal  and it is related to the lifting of the tariff on Serbian goods. Haradinaj said Kurti did not respect his advises and appeals. He added that if he defended the tariff, AAK would have been with him on the day of the no-confidence motion. “He lifted the tariff without honor or counter-value,” Haradinaj said.

“If Kurti does not meet Thaci, we call it a constitutional silence” (RTK)

One of the drafters of the Constitution, Kadri Kryeziu, assessed that the Constitution of Kosovo is one of the most advanced in the region.

Kryeziu explained that at the current political situation in Kosovo, President Hashim Thaci should initially call the winning political party to take over the mandate of forming the government. If the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) fails to form the government, then the President has the discretion to decide who will be mandated to form the government on the second round. “Discretion means the will expressed within constitutional and legal framework,” he said.

“In the second case, the President will see based on meritocracy and actions of political parties. In this case, he sees which political party has the possibility of creating the government,” Kryeziu said.

Asked how does the Constitution foresee the case if LVV leader Albin Kurti choses not to meet the President, Kryeziu said ‘we call this a constitutional silence;’ He added that each prime minister and political party joins elections to improve peoples lives. “This has the human element – he has to go,” Kryeziu added.