Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 596 new cases, five deaths (media)
• Osmani, Zemaj agree anti coronavirus measures should correspond to current situation (media)
• In DW interview, Osmani says this is not time to continue dialogue with Serbia (media)
• Borrell: Western Balkans are at the heart of Europe, their future is in the EU (Koha/Klan)
• Kosovo women lambast exclusion from men-only dialogue (Prishtina Insight)
• MG Franco Federici to become new KFOR Commander (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 47 cases of COVID-19 in Serbian areas (Kontakt plus radio)
• Spahiu: At my request, the Hague removed from the indictment the part about the attacks on the Catholic community (Kosovo Online)
• Selakovic: Improving regional cooperation among government priorities (RTS)
• Vukcevic: I expect a conviction against Thaci (KoSSev, Nova S)
• Blakaj: Special Court work seriously, the process will be long, the families of victims of the KLA await justice (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• US Balkans Policy is Set to Change, but There’ll be No Quick Fixes (Balkan Insight)

International:

• Some ‘Pro-Russian’ Voices Tamed In Serbia, But Vucic Keeping His Options Open (RFE)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Ministry: We are working on finding a solution for the lion in Gnjilane, a ”working group” was formed (KoSSev) 

Albanian Language Media 

COVID-19: 596 new cases, five deaths (media)

596 new cases of COVID-19 and five deaths from the virus have been recorded in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. 136 patients have recovered from the virus during this time.

The highest number of new cases is from the municipality of Prishtina (295).

Osmani, Zemaj agree anti coronavirus measures should correspond to current situation (media)

Acting President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani met today Minister of Health Armend Zemaj and discussed the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The citizens’ discipline, respect of measures, inter-institutional cooperation of the central and local level, the commitment of three-levels of healthcare sector and the cooperation with international partners, are key to winning the fight against the virus,” Zemaj wrote on social media.

In DW interview, Osmani says this is not time to continue dialogue with Serbia (media)

Acting President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani has given an exclusive interview to Deutsche Welle in Albanian where she talks about the recent developments in Kosovo. She said that Kosovo is going through a difficult period at the moment and that, “there should be no hesitation to continuously emphasise the truth about what happened in Kosovo.” 

“The truth is that horrendous crimes were committed by Serbia in Kosovo starting with genocide attempt and crimes against humanity and war crimes.” Osmani said Serbia has not yet been held accountable for its actions in Kosovo.  

She said that despite everything that has happened recently, Kosovo’s institutions are stable. “We have a constitution that clearly specifies that in the absence of the president the Assembly speaker becomes acting president which has also been confirmed through a ruling of the Constitutional Court.”

Osmani said concerns about the functioning of the Specialist Chambers have been discussed and addressed on many occasions, but ultimately it was on the insistence of the then ruling coalition consisting of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) that the court was established. “We were told at the time that the alternative would be much more terrible and would involve the formation of a special tribunal by the United Nations which would not recognise Kosovo legislation.” Osmani said this was why the majority of MPs voted in favour of establishing the Specialist Chambers based in The Hague. 

“Despite the arguments being expressed now, this Court is an international obligation that Kosovo has taken on, through the ratification of an international agreement, at that time between President [Atifete] Jahjaga and the European Union.”

Furthermore, she said, the agreement has been incorporated into the Constitution of Kosovo and is also a piece of legislation setting out the procedures. “I would like to mention a fact that Specialist Chambers’ officials, or former prosecutors who have worked there and participated in investigations, have stated several times that nowhere in the documentation on which the Specialist Chambers were created is it said that it will deal with one ethnicity.”

Asked to comment on how she views dialogue with Serbia, Osmani said she considers that under the present circumstances the process should be halted for the time being. “Kosovo institutions need some time to sit down, consult, and come up with a much more unified position on dialogue because it is necessary for anyone that negotiates on behalf of Kosovo, on Kosovo’s fate, to have a more unified position of the political spectrum and not only of the ruling coalition,” she said adding that she is ready to give her contribution to this end. 

Osmani argued for the need to reassess the negotiations process and what has been achieved so far. “We need to take a step back, especially in light of recent statements from Mr. Lajcak asking for Kosovo to change the Constitution regarding the Association issue.”

She said the Assembly of Kosovo has made it clear what are the issues that cannot be negotiated and that these include Kosovo’s sovereignty and territorial integrity as well as its internal arrangement. 

Osmani was also asked about what the election of Joe Biden as the new U.S. president and the impact it can have on the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue to which she replied that while he was Vice President and Hillary Clinton State Secretary, “the U.S. approach was very clear on Kosovo, including the border issue and the internal arrangement.”

“I expect the new administration, the Biden administration, to act first of all considering that Mr. Biden knows very well the history of Kosovo, knows its context, and knows that there can never be equivalence between what Serbia did in Kosovo and what certain individuals may have done.”

On Germany’s role in the process, Osmani said that the country’s clear position on the outcome of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue is necessary but expressed concern that certain officials still don’t refer to the end goal as ‘mutual recognition’ opting instead for the term ‘normalisation’. 

“Of course Kosovo is in dialogue for mutual recognition but not only that. A mutual recognition under existing borders and internal arrangement as set out in the current Constitution of Kosovo without any changes. It is therefore absolutely necessary for Germany’s approach to be more comprehensive, to be an approach also adopted by other countries, especially the European Union as a mechanism,” Osmani said. She noted that Germany has played a crucial role in preventing border change scenarios. “For this we as Kosovo will be eternally grateful to Germany.”

Borrell: Western Balkans are at the heart of Europe, their future is in the EU (Koha/Klan)

The EU High Representative Josep Borrell said that the Western Balkans are at the heart of Europe, and their future is in the European Union. He said this is why the EU engagement in the region is strong.

In his opening remarks delivered at the Western Balkans Summit in Sofia, Borrell said: “We have a shared interest in integrating the Western Balkans and to enhance their prosperity, justice and security. We face shared challenges and work on solutions together, as we do during this COVID-19 pandemic.”

He also recalled the support the EU has provided to the Western Balkans since the start of the pandemic. “Now, we also focus on recovery, dedicating long-term and sustainable support to the region through the European Union Economic and Investment Plan recently approved by the European Commission.”

“Working together is the best way to overcome the legacy of the past and to build a better future,” Borrell said.

Kosovo women lambast exclusion from men-only dialogue (Prishtina Insight)

Marking the 20th anniversary of UN 1325 resolution, which calls for the participation of women in decision-making in peacebuilding processes, Zahir Tanin, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Kosovo, said that women worldwide were still being excluded from negotiating processes. 

“If we are to achieve just, inclusive and peaceful societies, women’s priorities must be at the heart of peace and negotiation processes,” Tanin said.

However, women remain largely excluded from the EU-facilitated dialogue between Serbia and the country that Tanin reports on to the United Nations. 

In recent years, the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue has been dominated by men in terms of its representation, and Kosovo’s current negotiating team is entirely composed of men. 

The Kosovo Women Network, KWN, has criticised the local authorities on this, and has also complained to the European Union about the absence of women in key negotiating processes.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3kaS0cA

MG Franco Federici to become new KFOR Commander (media)

The Italian Major General Franco Federici is expected to take over command of KFOR troops on 19 November, online media report.

The change of command ceremony is scheduled to take place on 16 November. Federici will succeed the Italian Major General, Michele Risi.

Serbian Language Media

47 cases of COVID-19 in Serbian areas (Kontakt plus radio)

North Mitrovica Crisis Staff announced today that out of 98 processed samples, 47 new cases of coronavirus were registered, and seven recoveries in Serbian communities in Kosovo, reported Kontakt plus radio. 

The new cases by municipalities:  North Mitrovica (22), Zvecan (9), Leposavic (7), Zubin Potok (8) and Lipljan (1).   

Five people from Zvecan and one each in North Mitrovica and Zubin Potok recovered. 

Currently there are 258 persons in home-isolation, while 28 patients who tested positive for COVID-19 are hospitalized at the Health Centre in North Mitrovica. 

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 6400 people have been tested, of which 1356 people have tested positive for COVID-19. Currently, 286 cases are active, while 1030 people have recovered. 

To date, 41 people have passed away in Serbian communities in Kosovo, reported the radio. 

Spahiu: At my request, the Hague removed from the indictment the part about the attacks on the Catholic community (Kosovo Online)

Kosovo online portal quoted Gazeta Express and reported that analyst Nexhmedin Spahiu posted on Facebook that the Hague tribunal removed from the indictment the part which stated “attacks on the Catholic community”. 

Spahiu said that he personally wrote that to the Specialist Chamber in The Hague, even though he did not receive a salary from the state of Kosovo, while those who are paid to do that were not doing it.  

“I had to address the Specialist Chamber in the Hague to remove part of the indictment for “attacks on the Catholic community”. I do not receive any salary from the state of Kosovo, while those who receive a salary from the state to protect the national interest of Kosovo (Vjosa Osmani, Avdullah Hoti, Anton Quni …) did not react. Maybe we ought to send them to The Hague to show their patriotism, just like those who are now in The Hague and who plan to show their patriotism,” Spahiu wrote, the portal reported. 

Selakovic: Improving regional cooperation among government priorities (RTS)

Addressing the foreign ministers, the participants in the “Berlin Process” at a video conference, Selakovic said that this was a natural continuation of Serbia’s continuous commitment to strengthening mutual ties in a number of areas, especially through regional initiatives and processes, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to Selakovic, it was essential that the focus of the meeting was on two topics: the issue of youth, especially the cooperation of young people in the Western Balkans and the role of civil society in the region.

The head of Serbian diplomacy stated that the modern phenomenon of migration of young people was not a challenge faced only by Serbia, but also by the entire region, but also by many other European countries, including some of the EU members.

Referring to the role of civil society in the region, which was the second topic of yesterday’s meeting, Selakovic pointed out that the Government of Serbia was ready, at any time, to cooperate with the civil sector, which was clearly indicated by the statement of President Aleksandar Vucic that the civil sector was our true partner in building democracy.

“Because of ourselves, future generations and common prosperity, it is necessary to take such steps and give a full chance to regional cooperation, stability in the region and further progress of everyone from the Western Balkans towards full and deserved EU membership,” Selakovic said, the statement reads.

Reacting to the views expressed at the conference by Kosovo’s FM Meliza Haradinaj Stubla, Minister Selakovic expressed regret that ”the so-called the minister did not understand the meaning of the format and the reasons why federal chancellor Angela Merkel initiated the “Berlin Process” in 2014”.

He stressed that it would be better for Pristina to commit to implementing the Brussels agreement and forming the Community of Serbian Municipalities, instead of abusing the “Berlin Process” format to present unilateral views on past events, noting that the meaning of this process is the region’s future and all that it can make it better.

Vukcevic: I expect a conviction against Thaci (KoSSev, Nova S)

“I expect it to be a conviction,” commented former special war crimes prosecutor Vladimir Vukcevic on the arrest and detention of former KLA leaders Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Rexhep Selimi and Jakup Krasniqi by the Specialized War Crimes Chambers in The Hague, reports portal KoSSev. 

According to Vukcevic, witness protection is crucial for the current proceedings before the Special Court, reminding that in the case against Ramush Haradinaj, as many as 19 witnesses lost their lives. However, he reminds that even now, according to the Association of KLA War Veterans from Pristina, certain documents have been leaked and witnesses have been identified, which is the “only” thing that can endanger the cases.

“I believe in that court, these are judges who are experienced and who know how to examine witnesses,” he said, but added that even in the most ordinary trials, witnesses happen to withdraw because of threats and that they should be protected from it. 

He testified that the Serbian prosecutor’s office did a “great job” in due time and that the results of the work and cooperation with the investigation of Clint Williamson can now be seen, adding that he was optimistic and that he expected exactly that from the investigation and Dick Marty’s resolution.

In the Nova S TV show ”Među nama” (Between Us), besides Vukcevic, the journalist Radoslavka Zigic Despotovic, who is the author of the documentary film about the Yellow House, also spoke. 

She states that the political context in which they are being investigated is also important for such great crimes, adding that when she made the film in Albania, she could not even assume that an international court could investigate it in the future. The political context is also important because of the witnesses who will now be better guarded, she believes.

“It is no longer as easy as it was for Haradinaj all those years when the indictments against him were dropped, and he was destroying traces,” she added, which is why she expects verdicts that will have “specific weight”.

She emphasizes that there are living witnesses from the time of the investigation of Carla del Ponte and the Yellow House.

There are no allegations about the Yellow House and organ trafficking in the part of the indictment that is public, and that is exactly what Thaci’s defense attorney, David Hooper, pointed out yesterday at the first appearance of Hashim Thaci. 

He criticized the court because it was based on those allegations, which, as he said, were false.

Zigic Despotovic added that ”one of the investigations took the former prosecutor of the Hague Tribunal to the Yellow House, but that she was not allowed to drill the terrain and investigate several dozen unmarked tombs near that house”.

“Near that Yellow House, there is a cemetery that was an important part of the evidence of what was an attempt of Carla del Ponte to investigate, where there were a dozen unmarked graves,” said the author of the film about the Yellow House.

She stated that Carla del Ponte still brought important evidence from there, which in the end was not preserved in the Hague Tribunal because three years have passed since the sealing.

“These are traces of blood, investigation with luminol to see if there were traces of blood, examinations whether it is of animal origin or not, syringes and gauze, drug residues, biorelaxants given postoperatively for muscle relaxation and various other traces that indicated that that organ removal was very likely performed in that Yellow House, as well as later in the prison hospital in the town of Burel.”

Vukcevic, however, denied that the tribunal had destroyed the evidence, specifying that the material evidence decayed over time, but that the video material and photographs had been preserved. He also reminded that del Ponte came to the Yellow House following the crime of Ramush Haradinaj and that the evidence remained unused because they could not relate to him.

She emphasizes, however, that what happened in the Yellow House was organized crime because of a war crime, and that it is significantly different.

Speaking about the period before the launch of Dick Marty’s investigation, Vukcevic emphasized the importance of the media. 

Although he spoke twice in the European Parliament about the evidence and drugs found at the location in Albania, which, as he said, horrified the European parliamentarians, the article by journalist Michael Montgomery published in the US was key to the adoption of the resolution in the Council of Europe.

“When the Americans, their then legal advisor Sam Lazzaro, heard that we had obtained certain information, they immediately came to me and asked me what I would do. I said that it was best to go to Albania and try to cooperate with their prosecutors. We had 11 locations where, to our knowledge, the remains of the victims were, and we asked for an exhumation. The Americans said they would provide the logistics.” 

The visit to the then Albanian prosecutor Ejna Rama took place and she was shown the suspected locations of where the bodies were, and which overlapped with the del Ponte investigation. 

However, a negative response came from Albania, which is why the investigation of those 11 locations was never conducted.

Zigic Despotovic also reminds that at that time, the President of Albania was Sali Berisha, whose family house in the village in the north of Albania housed the General Staff of the “KLA”, and as Vukcevic added, one of the suspicious locations planned for exhumation was 5 km from the family household of Sali Berisha.

On the other hand, Zigic-Despotovic states: “It seems to me that there is a serious chance that this will be done now.”

Vukcevic’s name was also mentioned yesterday by former KLA spokesman Jakup Krasniqi, who stated that the Special Court in The Hague was even more unfair than the Yugoslav regime, which detained him twice, and added that even according to Vukcevic’s findings, he was not marked as responsible for any crimes.

“In criminal proceedings, everyone can tell the truth, except the accused, the accused can lie,” was Vukcevic’s answer, adding that Krasniqi abused his name.

Blakaj: Special Court work seriously, the process will be long, the families of victims of the KLA await justice (Kosovo Online)

The director of the Humanitarian Law Center Bekim Blakaj says that the trial in the case of Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli and other indictees will not be easy, but he still believes that justice will be at least partially served.

“That court has been working seriously so far, how much will it satisfy justice, it is a question to which no one has an answer now, I am afraid that a certain number of victims will be left without justice. Expectations from the court were high, because every family of victims who were killed by members of the KLA had expectations from this court. In the end, we will see how much justice has been served,” Blakaj said in a statement for portal Kosovo Online.

According to him, the indictment against Thaci, Veseli and others is quite extensive, and it also contains cases that have already been the subject of certain courts.

“It contains ten counts and includes a large number of crimes, what is striking is that most of the crimes that are the subject of the indictment have already been in some trials, before the Hague Tribunal, before domestic courts, or war crimes cases in Kosovo, whether they are administered by EULEX judges and prosecutors, or UNMIK, ”explains Blakaj.

Despite numerous efforts to damage the reputation of the Special Court in The Hague, Blakaj believes that this will not affect the further work of this institution and that it will persist in its intention to justify the purpose of its establishment.

“I believe that the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office has taken adequate measures and that they have used the experience of the Hague Tribunal and domestic courts in Kosovo, I hope they have done enough to substantiate the indictment. It will certainly be very difficult and will take a long time, but I believe that the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office and the Specialized Chamber, regardless of the events when the documents were leaked, managed to preserve the identity of witnesses and that they will testify in the main trials,” said Blakaj.

In the end, he says that it was clear and expected that the indictment against Thaci and the other accused would be confirmed, because the report of the Council of Europe, based on when the Specialized Chamber was established, mentions the names of the accused.

“I don’t know why the reactions are so strong now. Since the establishment of the Specialized Councils, their mandate has been clear, the law is public and everyone can read it and get acquainted with its mandate, which aims to process Dick Marty’s allegations from the report of the Council of Europe,” concludes Blakaj.

Opinion

US Balkans Policy is Set to Change, but There’ll be No Quick Fixes (Balkan Insight)

America’s approach to the Balkans will undoubtedly change under a Biden administration, but the Balkans must change too.

Don’t we have enough information about the presidential election in the United States? Do we need more? After thousands of OpEds, editorials, and scholarly analyses how can one write something original about the ramifications for Europe and the Balkans of a change of administration in Washington?

Rarely have regional media been so interested in a US presidential race, many outlets offering unprecedented, wide-ranging coverage of events across the Atlantic. Even as several US states continue counting votes, people of the Balkan region have learned more about the US elections than they know about their own electoral legislation.

Described as the most litigious vote ever, the presidential election is likely heading to the US Supreme Court, which, not so long ago in 2000, decided who would be the next American president. Joe Biden, in the meantime, has become president-elect, while Donald Trump’s claims of fraud imperil Republican unity.

In a nutshell, the campaigns, the debates and the voting have all had a strong Balkan flavour, leaving many Americans embarrassed and uncomfortable.

But how much do people of the region really know about the ideological platforms or political profiles of the two contenders? Many know very little. They look at the US election through a Balkan prism, creating mostly unsubstantiated expectations that suit their political dreams or agendas. Their beliefs are moulded by political elites and media that twist narratives and play with the truth.

See at: https://bit.ly/3ljoe6G

International

Some ‘Pro-Russian’ Voices Tamed In Serbia, But Vucic Keeping His Options Open (RFE)

When a new government finally got near-unanimous support from lawmakers in Serbia’s overwhelmingly one-party parliament late last month, there were a lot of familiar faces.

President Aleksandar Vucic had once again designated fellow Progressive Party member Ana Brnabic as prime minister after being noncommittal toward her ahead of a much-maligned election.

And despite taking four months to put together after a heavily boycotted landslide vote, the 23-member cabinet was mainly shuffled ministers and deputy ministers, a smattering of newcomers from the populist presidential party, two ministers from a chastened junior party, and Serbia’s richest outlier politician.

Apart from the widely discussed inclusion of more women, there was a buzz around at least two notable exclusions.

See at: https://bit.ly/38tfyap

Humanitarian/Development

Ministry: We are working on finding a solution for the lion in Gnjilane, a ”working group” was formed (KoSSev) 

The Kosovo Animal Rights Foundation accused the Kosovo Ministry of Economy and Environment on Sunday of  ”not doing its job”  regarding the illegal keeping of a lion in a cage of a resort in Gnjilane/Gjilan even though a whole year has passed since the lion was discovered. We are working on this case, we will find a solution for the lion, the head of the ministry, Blerim Kuci announced Monday.

Civil society has reason to be concerned, Minister Kuci said, Pristina-based Zeri reported.

Kuci underlined that he will take further steps to address the issue – in coordination with civil society representatives.

” The Ministry of Economy and Environment has formed a working group to find a solution to this problem – which also has members from the civil society sector, ” he added.

He said that the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Gnjilane was informed about the case.

See at: https://bit.ly/3pfeOvG