Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 529 new cases, six deaths (media)
• Mustafa: LDK will make a comeback, no party can replace it (Periskopi/RTK)
• Lutfi Haziri officially announces candidacy for LDK leader (media)
• AAK calls for a full vote recount (Koha)
• Gashi says lawsuit against Marty could be submitted to Swiss, EU authorities (Klan)
• CDHRF warns KLA veterans against travel through Serbia (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 33 newly infected in Serbian communities (KoSSev) 
• EP analysts: Limited results of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (Radio Mitrovica sever, Tanjug)
• Matic: Serbia prepares digital certificates on vaccination (Kosovo-online)
• North Macedonia PM Zaev: Balkans no longer a time bomb (N1)
• 10 years of dialogue: Real difference, says Lajcak; Life is not better, say South and North Mitrovica residents (KoSSev)
• Serbian List in Niksic, Montenegro, supports DF mayoral candidate (KoSSev)
• Fila: Gashi’s lawsuit against Del Ponte and Dick Marty a farce (Kosovo-online)
• Pascal Lamy: Great mistake was done in the Balkans (N1)
• Parents: Children were in detention for 16 days, we are pleased with their release (Kosovo-online)

Opinion:

• Political quotas and ethnic engineering in the Western Balkans (Al Jazeera)

International:

• Kosovo wants anthem, flag respected in Spain at WC qualifier (AP)
• More Work, Less Pay: COVID-19 Worsens Plight of Stressed-Out Balkan Reporters (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media  

COVID-19: 529 new cases, six deaths (media)

Kosovo’s National Institute for Public Health has recorded 529 new cases of COVID-19 and six deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours. 

333 persons have recovered from the virus during this time. 

Mustafa: LDK will make a comeback, no party can replace it (Periskopi/RTK)

The resigned leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Isa Mustafa said the party will make a powerful comeback in the political scene and that Kosovo needs what he described as a ‘state-forming’ party like the LDK.

Mustafa commented on the candidacies for party leader saying it will be very important who will win the post but that above all, it is important for the party to preserve unity and internal democracy. “These are values that set the LDK apart from the rest of the parties.”

“Kosovo needs a state-forming party like the LDK. Therefore the LDK will come back powerfully. No party of conjectures can replace a state-forming party such as the LDK. Populism cannot be a substitute for state formation,” Mustafa said.

Lutfi Haziri officially announces candidacy for LDK leader (media)

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lutfi Haziri announced his candidacy for party leader post. 

Speaking at a press conference, Haziri said that the upcoming election at the party should serve to unite the membership and reclaim the trust of people that feel disappointed or discontent. “A big change will happen and a comeback of the LDK as the first party and as guardian of this Republic,” he said.

Haziri also spoke about Vjosa Osmani saying he expects her to return to the LDK. 

Other candidates who have so far announced they will run for LDK leader include Anton Quni and Lumir Abdixhiku. Haziri said he has respect for both and that he will support anyone who wins the post. 

AAK calls for a full vote recount (Koha)

Representative of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) to the Central Election Commission (CEC), Ibrahim Selmanaj, called for a complete vote recount following allegations of irregularities in the counting process.

Selmanaj said the prosecution should duly investigate all allegations of improper conduct on the part of commissioners. He said irregularity allegations have not only been made against the AAK but have also involved other parties. “I am asking the support of the CEC to undertake a full recount of votes so that the process is clarified and all cases of misuse identified and called to accountability,” Selmanaj said.

Gashi says lawsuit against Marty could be submitted to Swiss, EU authorities (Klan)

Kosovo attorney Tome Gashi said that once all files are completed, a lawsuit against the former Swiss senator Dick Marty could be submitted to either the authorities in Switzerland or those in Brussels. 

Gashi said there are some ongoing procedures being carried out in Albania and in Kosovo whereby the family owning the so-called “Yellow House”, which was the subject of Marty’s organ trade allegations against the KLA, should be notified whether they ever received a report from the former Specialist Prosecutor Clint Williamson who looked into Marty’s allegations. 

He said if lawsuits against Marty as well as former ICTY chief prosecutor Carla del Ponte, also a Swiss national, are confirmed, this would then pave the way for the abolishment of the Specialist Chambers. 

“Knowing that the Specialist Chambers was formed based on false reports, especially that of Dick Marty, which was drafted based on information exclusively from certain Serbian services, I therefore believe there is sufficient basis for the relevant authorities of the Republic of Kosovo, once they possess all these documents confirming the deceit of the Council of Europe by the Swiss senator Dick Marty, we can attempt to undo the Specialist Chambers. At the end of the day, something created in a false way has to be undone,” Gashi told Klan Kosova.

Gashi said that the detention of seven former KLA members at The Hague is unjust as they are being accused on false charges. He said he has been authorised by the family owning the so-called “Yellow House” to sue all individuals who he said are responsible for making unsubstantiated claims that the house served as a detention facility by the KLA and was used for torture and killing of civilians during the 1998-99 period.

“We are asking the Specialist Chambers to send us the report of the U.S. prosecutor, Clint Williamson. If they do not, the lawsuits will just the same be submitted to Brussels and Switzerland, but the main burder again falls on the relevant authorities in Kosovo and Albania.”

CDHRF warns KLA veterans against travel through Serbia (media)

The Kosovo-based Council for Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) has appealed to the former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) not to travel through Serbia as they could face arrest.

“It is not at all necessary to go through Serbia when there are so many other alternative routes to reach western countries. If acted differently, there is a great danger of being arrested without the state of Kosovo being able to come to your assistance because of the current circumstances and lack of relations between Kosovo and Serbia,” CDHRF told KLA veterans. 

The organisation recalled the case of Nezir Mehmetaj from Kosovo who is being held in detention in Serbia since January of last year and that no one so far has been able to facilitate his release.

Serbian Language Media

33 newly infected in Serbian communities (KoSSev) 

In the Serbian communities in Kosovo, according to the latest data, out of a total of 102 tested samples, 33 are positive for coronavirus, the Kosovska Mitrovica Crisis Staff announced.

Of the total number of newly infected, 30 are from northern Kosovo, while 3 are from central Kosovo.

The new cases by municipalities: North Mitrovica – 17, Zvecan – 5, Leposavic – 5, Zubin Potok – 3, Priluzje – 3.

The number of active cases is 719.

Gracanica: 19 new cases of Covid-19 

KiM radio reported that in the territory of Gracanica municipality, coronavirus was confirmed in another 19 people, while 48 patients were hospitalized at the Infectious Diseases Clinic in Laplje Selo. The Crisis Staff calls for caution and strict adherence to the measures.

The Gracanica Crisis Staff called its residents for an increased degree of responsibility and disciplined behavior in the coming days, i.e wearing protective masks, maintaining distance and timely reporting to the nearest Covid clinic with the first symptoms.

EP analysts: Limited results of Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (Radio Mitrovica sever, Tanjug)

The Analytical Center of the European Parliament states that the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina during the 10 years of the meetings in Brussels had certain “initial successes”, but that the process “dragged on” and that it now shows “limited results”, reported Radio Mitrovica sever, quoting agency Tanjug. 

“There are several reasons for the limited results of the dialogue, from the internal political situation on both sides in the process, to ambiguous and different expectations from the agreement on normalization,” reads the analysis of the EP analysts published today.

The analysis, intended for internal use and informing European parliamentarians, reminds that both Belgrade and Pristina have expressed a desire to become part of the EU and emphasizes that regional cooperation and good neighborly relations are key to the EU accession process for all Western Balkan countries.

“Despite initial successes, such as the 2013 Brussels agreement, the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, which began under the auspices of the EU in 2011, has dragged on. The dialogue was restarted in 2020 with the support of the international community. However, due to the lack of coordination and communication between the EU and the USA, there was no real progress,” reads the text published today.

Analysts at the European Parliament state that “there are several reasons for the limited results” of the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, focusing on internal political situations on both sides in the process, but also on “ambiguous and different expectations” from the normalization agreement.

“Kosovo’s goal is clear – recognition of statehood by Serbia, while for Serbia, the normalization of relations is an economic normalization, and there is very limited space beyond that,” the text reads.

It is added that Serbia emphasizes that the process of normalization of relations must remain within the framework defined by the Constitution of Serbia, which considers Kosovo an integral part of Serbian territory, as well as within the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

“Currently, the most sensitive issue is the slowdown (formation) of the Community / Association of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo, which was agreed in 2013. This shows that the challenges are deeply rooted in history and have a broader regional context,” concludes the Analytical Center of the European Parliament.

Matic: Serbia prepares digital certificates on vaccination (Kosovo-online)

Serbian Minister of Trade, Tourism and Telecommunication, Tatjana Matic said Serbia has already prepared a digital certificate on vaccination that would enable easier movement and traveling outside of the country, Kosovo-online portal reports.

She added that the digital certificate is not a COVID-passport.

“This is another type of document. The EU has withdrawn from it, because it contained a number of the passport, and some data that were not supposed to be there. A digital certificate proves you have been vaccinated, you had infection or you did a PCR test that was negative”, Matic explained.

She also said in a week’s time the EU would have more precise information relating to the template and ways on how to issue the certificate.

North Macedonia PM Zaev: Balkans no longer a time bomb (N1)

North Macedonia’s Prime Minister Zoran Zaev told N1 on Tuesday that he believes that the Balkans are no longer a time bomb, adding that solutions to existing problems will be found through dialogue.

Speaking live on the Pressing talk show, Zaev said that he does not think a union of Kosovo and Albania is a good thing. He said he is sure that the union that some politicians are calling for is not the future that the people of Kosovo and Albania want, nor do others in the region because their future is in the European Union. “A Europe without borders in which people cooperate and communicate and I am convinced that these are ideas from individuals who are in the minority and don’t have a future,” he said and added that the future lies in promoting cooperation. “If we cooperate regionally western and northern Europe will respect us more,” he said.

“Solutions are not easily found. I have gone through several difficult processes,” he said and recalled agreements with Bulgaria and Greece which included the change of the country’s constitutional name. “Serbia and Kosovo and other countries face their own challenges but definitely solutions can be found through dialogue, diplomacy and friendship,” he added.

He said that Skoplje is building excellent relations with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Prime Minister Ana Brnabic and promoting all possibilities for cooperation between Serbs, Albanians, Macedonians. “I sincerely hope that the potential Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti will join in the talks that benefit everyone,” Zaev said.

He said the mini-Schengen initiative will bring benefits for everyone, adding that there are significant developments in that regard such as the one stop shop on the border of North Macedonia and Serbia.

See at: https://bit.ly/3v8q9QZ

10 years of dialogue: Real difference, says Lajcak; Life is not better, say South and North Mitrovica residents (KoSSev)

Ten years have passed since the Belgrade and Pristina representatives sat down in Brussels for the very first time.

”The dialogue brought about important agreements. They made a real difference for people in both Kosovo and Serbia, for the stability of the Western Balkans, and for the European aspirations of an entire region,” the EU envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak tweeted last night.

The citizens of North and South Mitrovica, however, do not share Lajcak’s opinion.

According to them, there have been either no changes or only minimal ones. Some citizens reveal that their ”blood pressure rises” whenever they hear the remark that life in these parts has improved.

While the citizens south of the Ibar accuse Serbia and call on Belgrade to give up on Kosovo, their neighbors from the north believe that Pristina should form the Association of Serb-majority municipalities and fulfill what was agreed.

Some citizens, however, simply want to live as they used to, with the message that – ”smart people want to find friends, while others desire enmity”.

”We did not feel any changes. We have something to eat and drink. We have nothing else. It would be best if they agree to start living the way we used to, but that will never happen.”

”See what it is like, Pristina is pulling on the one side, they are pulling on the other, there is no agreement, bro, God forbid. We – the people as the people, would like to reach an agreement and for that to end once and for all.”

”Nothing, nothing. We see that they have allegedly separated. Serbs on one side, Albanians on the other, Turks there. Once upon a time in Mitrovica, no one used to say – ‘This is a Serb, this is a Turk, this is an Albanian’, we were all the same, and now – God forbid.”

”Very little has changed because they (cf. Serbs) have only their goals and do not miss on anything. It (cf. Serbia) must know that Kosovo is independent and that there is no way back. We are constantly moving forward. Politics among them is a century behind its time. However, a lot has moved forward here as well, without the same background. We have problems on both sides on not being able to move forward toward democracy, and that is the most important thing.”

”If only what they agree upon is implemented in time, and if they implement what they agree for the benefit of the people, and implement it fast, it would be good for all.”

”Hate is a disaster for humanity. Smart people want to find friends, while others desire enmity. I cannot understand – young people need to be smart, a little sensitive, they know what our ancestors suffered, they should move away from it, that hatred, that intolerance among people, that’s bad. I hope that good people will succeed, and we should pray that we are in the hands of good people, and that they will win and that we will live peacefully for a change.”

”I don’t believe that things will be better, in no way better, because I have an apartment on the other side (North), but I can’t go to my apartment – how will it get better then? If only it is like it used to be, for example, so that people can go to the other side or come to this one. It was war, but what they (Serbs) did, no one did. They all sold their apartments, and I cannot go to my apartment. ”

”There are no jobs, people do not work, relations are a little better than they used to be because people have realized that there is no other choice but to live together and cooperate.”

”Nothing is better or worse than it used to be. They did not regulate what they agreed on for the ZSO. Let them solve that and then we’ll see. And the final agreement, it would be difficult to achieve with them (cf. Albanians).”

”My blood pressure rises when I think about it. That’s why I avoid listening to those political shows. It is disgraceful and shameful. What an improvement, what progress! Because the people can’t influence anything when it comes to that and they just get annoyed. Trust me, my blood pressure is up. Well, first of all, no one mentions the ZSO, and when was it signed? I cannot talk about it. I am not a member of any political party, because no party can deal with either the European Union or the world community.”

”I don’t see any drastic changes when it comes to the Serb community, moreover, as far as some things are concerned, I think we are at a standstill, we haven’t moved all these years. People have begun communicating. People from the north have started going south of the Ibar River, but it is not in the long run because there are always cases when there are attacks on Serbs that somehow spoil the impression, in fact, these incidents spoil the impression that there has been an improvement in mutual cooperation and communication.”

The majority of KoSSev portal’s interlocutors today – both from South and North Mitrovica – were the elderly citizens, who were happy for their voices to be heard, while young people tended to shy away from sharing their view on whether their lives have improved in the last 10 years.

See more at: https://bit.ly/2OCriQb

Serbian List in Niksic, Montenegro, supports DF mayoral candidate (KoSSev)

Delegation of the Serbian List (SL) consisting of President Goran Rakic ​​and Vice President Igor Simic, is currently on an official visit to Niksic in Montenegro ahead of local elections there scheduled for Sunday. Namely, the SL officials gave their support to the coalition “Za buducnost Niksica” (For the Future of Niksic) and one of the chief members of this coalition, Marko Kovacevic, KoSSev portal reports.

Goran Rakic told the Niksic electorate to be united because that is the key to success and the future of this city.

“On Sunday, March 14th, you must be united because that is the only key to success and the future of Niksic. The brothers from Kosovo are with you, just as you were with us when it was a difficult time for us. I also send my greatest gratitude and greetings to my brother Andrija Mandic, who was with us, who is with us now, and who will always be with us. Once again, good luck on Sunday – For the future of Niksic!“, Goran Rakic ​​said.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3emOug5

Fila: Gashi’s lawsuit against Del Ponte and Dick Marty a farce (Kosovo-online)

Serbian lawyer Toma Fila commenting on the statement of Pristina lawyer Tom Gashi, that he is preparing a civil lawsuit against Carla Del Ponte and Dick Marty, told Kosovo-online portal this was just an attempt to push forward a story serving to prove a great patriotism to the Kosovo public and politicians.   

“I would even not comment on his claims that Dick Marty’s report was false. Who he would sue them to and whom will he sue? His announcement is most probably of political nature, in order to demonstrate his, I would say, fake patriotism. There are many such examples, both in Kosovo but also in Croatia”, Fila said.

He added Gashi is well aware of the fact that such a lawsuit was not grounded on legal principles.

“He knows it very well nothing would come out of it. This all is just a farce and comedy”, Fila said.   

Pascal Lamy: Great mistake was done in the Balkans (N1)

Europe is like a tanker, big, solid, reliable, and its direction is quite subject to change, but it is still a bit slow when it has to manoeuvre, said Pascal Lamy, former WTO director-general and current president of the Paris Peace Forum, in an exclusive interview with N1 Sarajevo.

When it comes to the Western Balkans, Lamy pointed out that this region is a great drama for former European Commission President Jaques Delors, to whom he was chief of staff. Lamy noted that their common opinion is that a big mistake was made in the Balkans.

On the future of geopolitical relations and how those relations will be affected by Biden’s arrival at the White House, Lamy said that the next decade will surely be marked by the conflict between China and the United States.

The decades to come will be shaped by the great geopolitical, geoeconomic issue of the American-Chinese rivalry. It started in the late 1970s when it was decided that China had to open its economy to the rest of the world, Lami told N1.

Watch the video to see what Lamy had to say about the fight against coronavirus in France, the influence of China, Russia and Turkey in the Balkans, and the corruption conviction handed down to former French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

See at: https://bit.ly/2PPjivI

Parents: Children were in detention for 16 days, we are pleased with their release (Kosovo-online)

Following the decision of the Basic Court branch in Gracanica to release all seven youngsters involved in a fight in Laplje Selo, parents of the young men said they were pleased with the decision of the court.

“Finally we are pleased with the decision. The children spent 16 days in detention and we are pleased that all of them have been released. They all are suspects, no criminal reports have been filed so far, and we shall see how things will go on”, one of the parents said. 

Opinion

Political quotas and ethnic engineering in the Western Balkans (Al Jazeera)

Measures implemented to protect vulnerable ethnic groups are increasingly abused in Bosnia and Kosovo, writes Aleksandar Brezar, Sarajevo-based journalist.

Quotas are an imperfect yet often necessary means for societies to rectify the deficiencies of democratic processes, especially in ethnically or culturally pluralist countries.

In Kosovo and Bosnia and Herzegovina, quotas and other protections have been implemented to ensure that certain communities that may face discrimination in a post-conflict environment are guaranteed political representation in legislative and executive bodies.

In Kosovo, 20 out of the parliament’s 120 seats are allocated to minorities, including 10 for the Serbs and the rest for the Bosniaks, Egyptians, Roma, Ashkali, Turks and Gorani. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, where all political activity has an ethnic character, there are rigid quotas that ensure its three main ethnic groups – the Bosniaks, the Croats and the Serbs – are equally represented at every level.

On paper, it may sound like these quotas are a good way to safeguard minority and ethnic rights, but in practice, they are gravely abused, especially in countries where a certain level of suspicion and distrust exists between ethnic groups.

In reality, as two recent elections – in Kosovo and in the Bosnian city of Srebrenica – show, these quota systems may actually hurt the interests of the communities they are meant to protect.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3qxnb57

International

Kosovo wants anthem, flag respected in Spain at WC qualifier (AP)

Kosovo’s soccer federation warned its Spanish counterpart on Tuesday to respect the Balkan country’s sovereignty when they play their World Cup qualifier in Seville this month.

The federation took issue with the Spanish national team’s references, in a press release and on Twitter, to Kosovo as a “territory.” The teams are scheduled to play March 31.

“We shall play only in line with the strict UEFA criteria and rules, with the state anthem and flag, otherwise the match won’t take place,” the federation said a statement.

See more at: https://bit.ly/30tKXUZ

More Work, Less Pay: COVID-19 Worsens Plight of Stressed-Out Balkan Reporters (Balkan Insight)

Given the low rates of pay, long hours and stress, journalism was never the most coveted career in the Balkans. But now a survey of media workers in the region shows that COVID-19 has made their working lives a whole lot worse.

By the nature of the job, most journalists can ill-afford to stay at home. At work, however, they face a constant balancing act between getting the story and protecting their health and the health of their loved ones.

While many aspects of life have slowed to a halt, the news cycle has not, but now journalists face the unenviable task of getting to grips with the complexity of the pandemic and explaining it to their viewers or readers, while weeding out fake news and conspiracy theories.

See more at: https://bit.ly/2N2wsUY