- The penalty measure for license plates postponed for one day (media)
- Borrell: We need to de-escalate situation, move toward normalisation (media)
- EU to hold emergency talks with Kosovo-Serbia as deadline looms (Euractiv)
- EU police patrol Kosovo’s north after Serb officers quit (Reuters)
- US hopes an agreement on licence plates will be reached (RFE, media)
- EULEX chief and KFOR commander walk in the north of Mitrovica (RTK)
- Kurti: Frank and important phone conversation with Chollet (media)
- Bugajski: Fundamental problem – Serbia’s non-recognition of Kosovo (media)
- Kosovo, Serbia delegations clash at NATO Parliamentary Assembly (RTK)
- Kosovo war crimes expert named Special Counsel in January 6 and Trump documents investigations in U.S. (RFE)
- Kosovo Public Broadcaster Complains of ‘Smallest Ever’ Budget (BIRN)
- Media Climate in Albania Worsening, Press Freedom Advocates Say (BIRN)
- Special Prosecution Charges Serbian Citizen with Torturing Civilians (BIRN)
- The need for lies (Kosovo 2.0)
The penalty measure for license plates postponed for one day (media)
All media report that Kosovo Police said in a statement on Sunday that the fine for drivers of vehicles with illegal Serbian license plates has been postponed for one day. “According to the decision, the reprimand will continue until November 21, and after this date from November 22 to January 21, 2023, for all owners of vehicles that circulate in the territory of the Republic of Kosovo with such illegal license plates, according to the official decision, the Kosovo Police will start enforcement towards the imposition of a fine according to the legislation in force,” the statement notes.
Borrell: We need to de-escalate situation, move toward normalisation (media)
EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Josep Borrell made a statement prior to Monday’s meetings in Brussels with the Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, and the President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic.
“I am convening an emergency meeting of the Belgrade -Pristina Dialogue tomorrow with Prime Minister Albin Kurti and President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic. We need de-escalation of the situation, stop going from permanent crisis management and start advancing on normalisation of relations instead,” Borrell tweeted.
Several news websites in Kosovo report that Borrell will first hold separate meetings with the two leaders and then a joint meeting.
EU to hold emergency talks with Kosovo-Serbia as deadline looms (Euractiv)
Amid the looming license plate deadline, EU’s chief diplomat Josep Borrell has called an emergency meeting between Kosovo and Serbia on Monday (21 November), EURACTIV has learnt.
The meeting, which is likely to see Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbia’s President Aleksander Vucic meet in Brussels on Monday (21 November) morning, is set to focus on reducing tensions between the two countries.
The move comes as a deadline to start implementing fines for citizens not displaying car registration plates issued by Kosovo institutions, the next stage in a gradual rollout that will see a total ban by April is due to expire on the same day.
Since 1 November, when Pristina started implementing the step-by-step plan for the re-registration of cars with illegal Serbian license plates, tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have increased.
With the pressure to find agreement before the expiration of the deadline, EU officials fear the region could otherwise slide back into ethnic violence.
Last week, the EU side held talks with the Kosovo representatives in Brussels, but Deputy Prime Minister Besnik Bislimi said no license plate solution had been found so far.
On Friday (18 November), EU foreign affairs spokesperson Peter Stano said there was no date, but it would happen “very soon”.
“We have urgently invited both parties to Brussels to find a European solution, a European solution to the current situation, which is among the most serious since 2013, and this is the goal, to have them in Brussels to discuss the solution”, Stano said.
Read more at: http://bit.ly/3Eh4TxG
EU police patrol Kosovo’s north after Serb officers quit (Reuters)
European Union police officers are undertaking patrols in northern Kosovo after some 600 police officers from the Serb minority quit over a car licence plate row that the West fears may trigger fresh ethnic violence.
Police officers, judges, prosecutors, and other state workers quit their jobs earlier this month after the government in Pristina ruled that local Serbs must finally replace their car plates, issued by Serbia’s unrecognised authorities in Kosovo, with Kosovo state ones.The almost two-year-long licence plate dispute has stoked tensions between Serbia and its former breakaway province which declared independence in 2008 and is home to a Serb minority in the north backed by Belgrade.
The 130 officers from Poland and Italy – who are patrolling in three municipalities where there is no local police presence – have no powers of arrest but the EU wants their presence to fill the security vacuum.
Read more at: http://bit.ly/3TM2C3u
US hopes an agreement on licence plates will be reached (RFE, media)
The United States said it hopes that Kosovo and Serbia will reach an agreement “in the coming days” on the license plate issue, with the support of the EU’s special representative, Miroslav Lajcak.
“We are actively supporting these efforts.”
The U.S. Department of State told Radio Free Europe that they agree with the European Union that recent developments are worrying and that they jeopardize the progress achieved in the dialogue.
These U.S. reactions come a day before the prime minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti and the president of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic meet with the mediation of the European Union on the issue of illegal Serbian license plates that are used in the north of Kosovo.
“All parties must take steps to reduce tensions and ensure peace and stability. Actions and rhetoric that increase the possibility of violence put the lives of innocent people and international peacekeeping forces on the ground at unnecessary risk,” a spokesperson for the US State Department told Radio Free Europe.
The authorities in Kosovo have announced that from November 22 they will start issuing fines of 150 euros for drivers in the north who have cars with license plates issued by Serbia, which Kosovo considers illegal.
The United States and the European Union have repeatedly asked the government to postpone the deadline for the re-registration of cars with illegal number plates.
The Serbs in the north of Kosovo, where they constitute the majority, have warned that they will oppose the imposition of fines, just as they have opposed the entire Government’s decision on license plates.
President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said on November 20 that he is not optimistic about Brussels. “I’m going to Brussels. I don’t think we can do anything, but I’m going so I don’t give reasons for Serbia to be accused of not wanting to do anything,” Vucic said on November 20 in an interview for Prva television.
He reiterated Serbia’s conditions for the formation of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority and the annulment of the license plate decision.
EULEX chief and KFOR commander walk in the north of Mitrovica (RTK)
The head of the EULEX mission in Kosovo Lars-Gunnar Wigemark together with the KFOR commander Angelo Michele Ristuccia went on Saturday for a walk, and then drank coffee together in the north of Mitrovica.
Wigemark stated on his Twitter account that they were for a walk along the river “Iber” in Mitrovica. “EULEX and KFOR are synchronized in our respective roles as security responders in Kosovo,” Wigemark wrote.
During the day, EULEX troops were seen in the north of Kosovo patrolling. This is because members of the Kosovo Police of the Serb community resigned there a few days ago.
The patrols and the increase of KFOR and EULEX Police forces take place prior to November 21, when the decision of the government of Kosovo to fine citizens who continue to have illegal license plates on their cars begins to be implemented.
Kurti: Frank and important phone conversation with Chollet (media)
Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said in a Twitter post on Friday that he had “a frank and important phone conversation with State Undersecretary Derek Chollet on the necessity for a full normalization agreement with Serbia centered on mutual recognition, with a focus on the security situation in Kosova coupled with the rule of law.”
Bugajski: Fundamental problem – Serbia’s non-recognition of Kosovo (media)
U.S. analyst on the Western Balkans and senior fellow at the Centre for European Policy Analysis (CEPA) reacted to a tweeted by EU High Representative Josep Borrell who said that he will meet today with Kosovo PM Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. Bugajski tweeted: “You will continue going round in circles unless you resolve the fundamental problem – Serbia’s non-recognition of Kosova as an independent state. Belgrade is also a gateway for destructive Kremlin influence. Non-recognition and Moscow’s penetration ensures regional instability.”
Kosovo, Serbia delegations clash at NATO Parliamentary Assembly (RTK)
The 68th annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, held in Madrid, Spain, has turned into a clash between the delegations of Kosovo and Serbia. After the NATO Parliamentary Assembly approved the report on the Western Balkans, the leader of the Serbian delegation, who comes from the party of the president of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, opposed the report.
He claimed that the report contains untruths about Kosovo, because according to him, this country is not a state, and moreover, referring to the unconstitutional name of Kosovo as – “Kosovo and Metohija”, reports RTKlive.
In his objection, he stated that Kosovo and Serbia are discussing the issue of the status of Kosovo.
He also claimed that the Russian military bases in Serbia are for humanitarian purposes, and that there are no tensions instigated by Serbia.
Then, at his request, the Assembly passed the floor to the head of the delegation of the Assembly of Kosovo Driton Hyseni, who, among other things, argued that the claims of the Serbian delegation, respectively the head of this delegation, are completely untrue. He said that Kosovo is a sovereign state, which declared its independence in 2008, and is internationally recognized by 117 countries of the world.
Moreover, Hyseni emphasized that Kosovo’s independence has been confirmed and legitimized by the International Court of Justice.
Hyseni continued emphasizing the fact that only a few Serbian officials still refer to Kosovo with the unconstitutional name “Kosovo e Metohija”, but in fact the only name of Kosovo is Kosovo.
Regarding the Russian bases in Serbia, MP Hyseni said that it is not about bases with humanitarian purposes, but that they are military bases, many in number, and a large part of them are located along the border with Kosovo. In addition, Hyseni stated at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly that Serbia is arming itself with Russian and Chinese weapons.
He also added that all the tension in the north of Kosovo is a product of the influence and influence that Belgrade has on the Serbian minority that lives in the north of Kosovo.
After the speech of the head of the delegation from Kosovo, the report was put to the vote, and except for two abstentions, all other votes were “for”, which means that none of the statements of the head of the Serbian delegation were taken into account, reports RTKlive.
Great support in these discussions has been given to Kosovo by the member of parliament of the United Kingdom Harriett Baldwin, calling for recognition of the reality in Kosovo and inviting NATO member states to recognize Kosovo’s statehood.
Kosovo war crimes expert named Special Counsel in January 6 and Trump documents investigations in U.S. (RFE)
U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said on November 18 that he has named former Hague war-crimes prosecutor Jack Smith to oversee two investigations related to possible interference in the transfer of power after the U.S. presidential election in 2020 and to the removal of classified documents after Donald Trump left office. The Justice Department said Trump’s new run for the presidency prompted Garland’s decision to use a special counsel. Smith has stepped down from his role investigating war crimes in Kosovo. which he had been doing since 2018.
Read more at: http://bit.ly/3OmKuMs
Kosovo Public Broadcaster Complains of ‘Smallest Ever’ Budget (BIRN)
The board of Radio Television of Kosovo, RTK said in a statement on Friday that its allocated budget of 8.96 million euros for 2023 is inadequate and will not allow the public broadcaster to make any investment in new equipment or technology.
“The budget of 8.96 million euros is the smallest budget ever allocated to RTK in the last ten years,” said the board after the Kosovo parliament approved the budget on its first reading on Thursday.
The 2023 budget is the same as the one for 2022 and significantly lower than the one for 2021.
“This budget is 2.2 million euros less than the 2021 budget,” the RTK board’s statement said.
It complained of alleged past mismanagement at the public broadcaster, which it said was proved by Kosovo National Audit in its 2019-2021 report on RTK, as well as in the 2021 financial audit report for RTK.
Read more at: https://bit.ly/3AyGZwF
Media Climate in Albania Worsening, Press Freedom Advocates Say (BIRN)
Seven media freedom organisations raised concerns at a press conference in Tirana on Friday that despite some progress, the situation for free and independent reporting is deteriorating in the country.
“Our assessment is that overall Albania continues to experience a deterioration in media freedom. While the legal framework remains generally adequate, no progress has been made in recent years in improving the environment for independent and watchdog journalism or media pluralism,” they said in a statement.
They pointed out that Albania has good laws on media freedom and the protection of journalists but it is not implementing them properly.
Friday’s press conference came after a two-day fact-finding mission to Albania by Article 19, the International Press Institute, the European Federation of Journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters without Borders, the European Broadcasting Union and the European Centre for Press and Media Freedom.
Read more at: https://bit.ly/3OlCdIK
Special Prosecution Charges Serbian Citizen with Torturing Civilians (BIRN)
Kosovo’s Special Prosecution said on Friday that it has filed an indictment to Pristina Basic Court charging a Serbian citizen, identified by the initials C.J., with torturing three civilians in the municipality of Istog/Istok during the Kosovo war.
“The defendant C.J. is accused, in complicity with other persons, of violating the rules of international law by applying methods of torture against civilians, the injured parties Z.M., N.F. and N.C., in the territory of the municipality of Istog during the period of the war in Kosovo from January 1998 to June 21, 1999,” the prosecution said in a statement.
Case prosecutor Ilir Morina told BIRN that the accused is Caslav Jolic, who was arrested by Kosovo police on June 3 this year.
The prosecution said that the suspect, who allegedly committed the crime with other members of Serbian police and military forces, is being held in custody.
Read more at: https://bit.ly/3gpoJz4
The need for lies (Kosovo 2.0)
Opinion piece by Stefan Janjic, editor-in-chief at FakeNews Tragač (www.fakenews.rs), a media outlet dedicated to countering disinformation.
An explosive mix of ignorance and confidence.
If a passion for consuming disinformation was classified as an addiction by the World Health Organization (WHO), how would we identify the addicts? We could maybe do so by asking a standard set of questions, like when diagnosing whether someone is a heavy smoker or an alcoholic.
Let’s say that one Marko Marković from Belgrade comes to us for examination; he scrolls all day through the jungles of Facebook and is exposed to various fantastic, mystical, sensational, explosive and exclusive content. He’s gotten so used to it that everyday news reports no longer excite him, especially if they’re longer than ten lines.
First and foremost, it should be determined whether there is habituation. Do you feel, Mr. Marković, a craving for disinformation? He says he does.
Alright. Do you notice that you need an increasing amount of disinformation in order to reach the same level of satisfaction? He does, and it is of particular concern to him.
Have you ever tried to limit the time you spend consuming such content? He has, but abstinence was a severe crisis.
This fictitious Mr. Marković — along with hundreds of thousands of real people in Serbia who are similar to him — has a diagnosis we could sum up with a paragraph taken from the work of Mirjana Vasović, professor of political science at the University of Belgrade. In her treatise on manipulation techniques in propaganda, she writes:
“Most people oversimplify things when considering complex issues. Most people seek to confirm rather than refute their own preconceptions, even if faced with new information on a matter or individual. People have a need to belong and to, at the same time, exclude others from the group. They have a need to blame others for their own frustrations, inventing enemies and pointing their fingers at scapegoats. […] Specific acts of propaganda rely precisely on some of these psychological patterns, which are close to common sense.”
The Serbian media scene has provided its audience this year with all the materials needed to satisfy the above needs. Here’s a breakdown.
Read more at: https://bit.ly/3TPK961
