Albanian Language Media:

• Borrell to inform EU foreign ministers today on Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (RFE)
• Osmani: I thanked the Holy Father for the care he shows toward Kosovo (media)
• Kurti meets with Mufti, talks about the Draft Law on Religious Freedoms (media)
• Fajon and Lajcak talk about the situation in the Western Balkans (Klan)
• Kusari-Lila: Kosovo is not a blocking party in the dialogue (media)
• Kosovo Police unit fires shots after being attacked by a vehicle in Leposavic (Koha)
• Abdixhiku criticises government on  Martin Berishaj and Oliver Ivanovic cases (media)
• Protest against Kurti’s statement about Ivanovic: resign or apologise (media)
• UN willing to help families and people affected by floods (Indeksonline)

Serbian Language Media:

• Serbian Government session commence, Vucic to address public this evening (RTS, media)
• Dacic: ZSO precondition for talks on Belgrade-Pristina solution (Kosovo Online, Happy TV)
• Opposition reacts to Vucic’s willingness to accept Kosovo agreement concept (N1, Prva TV)
• Serbian Orthodox Church elders express conviction that Serbian state leadership would not and can not agree to Kosovo independence (FoNet)
• Brnabic: Nothing regarding Kosovo will be decided without the people (FoNet, N1)
• Fatherland Movement seeks referendum on French-German proposal (KoSSev)
• Lajcak: Community of Serb Municipalities crucial, German-French plan solution (Tanjug)
• Danas: European plan for Kosovo in 10 points (KoSSev) 
• Professor: French-German proposal contrary to Constitution of Serbia and UN Resolution 1244 (N1)
• Nova: ZSO by the end of April, final agreement by June (Kosovo Online)
• Specialist Court without comment on media reports on theft of confidential data (Kosovo Online)
• Dacic receives Cuban ambassador in a farewell visit, thanks him for Cuban stance on Kosovo (Tanjug)
• Three key postulates for the formation of the CSM (ZSO) (Politika)
• Petkovic: Special forces shot at a vehicle near the Bistrica Bridge, a Serb was wounded (media)
• A Serbian boy attacked in Suvi Do yesterday (media)

Opinion:

• “Kosovo is a Country, and a Country Means a State, Rules the Court of Justice of the European Union” (EJILTalk)

Humanitarian/Development:

• The air is slowly but surely killing us (Kosovo 2.0)
• Floods in Western Balkans Cause Huge Damage, Drownings (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media  

Borrell to inform EU foreign ministers today on Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (RFE)

EU High Representative Josep Borrell will inform EU foreign ministers today about the course of the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia and discussions that EU Special Representative for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, had recently in Pristina and Belgrade. This was confirmed by EU spokesman Peter Stano at a press conference today. He did not want to say much about Lajcak’s meetings in Pristina and Belgrade, saying that the Special Representative talked about them himself.

“Following Lajcak’s visit, High Representative Borrell will inform the ministers today about the results of the meetings and the future steps in the process of dialogue,” Stano said. He also added that Borrell will reveal more details during the day.

Unnamed sources from the European Union said that the results of the meetings will determine the timing of a next high-level meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. The same sources said they expect the parties to seriously consider “the European proposal” and to be constructive in the dialogue. 

Osmani: I thanked the Holy Father for the care he shows toward Kosovo (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani said today she was happy to be received in a private audience by Pope Francis at the Holy See. “I informed the Pope of our determination to further cultivate and promote peace, harmony, and coexistence between people, as values of our people, on which our relations with the Holy See have been cultivated and preserved for nearly two thousand years. In particular, I thanked the Holy Father for the care he is showing towards Kosovo, and I thanked him for his decision five years ago to raise the Apostolic Administration to the level of the diocese. It was also a special pleasure to exchange views with him on Kosovo’s Euro-Atlantic orientation and the progress of our country towards this goal. Further deepening of relations with the Vatican and expansion of cooperation in many fields are our common orientation. Kosovo’s aim for recognition by the Vatican contributes to this and to the further advancement of our centuries-old relations,” Osmani wrote in a Facebook post.

Kurti meets with Mufti, talks about the Draft Law on Religious Freedoms (media)

Prime Minister Albin Kurti was received at the meeting by the chairman of the Islamic Community of Kosovo, Mufti Naim Ternava.

Kurti expressed gratitude to Mufti Ternava for the support and contribution given by him and the Islamic Community of Kosovo.

In the joint meeting with the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Hajrulla Ceku and the legal advisor of the Prime Minister, Tea Blakaj Hoxha, the Draft Law on Religious Freedoms was also discussed.

Prime Minister Kurti thanked Mufti Ternava for his cooperation on this draft law. It was emphasized that the government takes seriously the guarantee and full respect of religious freedom, equally, for all citizens without distinction.

Fajon and Lajcak talk about the situation in the Western Balkans (Klan)

The Foreign Minister of Slovenia, Tanja Fajon, met with the European Union envoy for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak.

In the announcement of the Foreign Ministry of Slovenia, it is said that “They exchanged views on the situation in the Western Balkans, especially in the recent visits of the head of diplomacy Fajon to Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro”.

Fajon visited Kosovo last week, she met with President Vjosa Osmani, Prime Minister Albin Kurti and the Speaker of the Assembly, Glauk Konjufca.

Kusari-Lila: Kosovo is not a blocking party in the dialogue (media)

The head of the parliamentary group of the Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) Mimoza Kusari-Lila said that Kosovo is not a blocking or destructive party in the dialogue with Serbia.

She said that the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti and his subordinates insist on revitalising the dialogue.

“Kosovo is not a blocking party, or the institutions of Kosovo are not a destructive party in this process. It is known who is to blame for the events of the end of the last century in the Balkans, including Kosovo. Kosovo, the prime minister and his subordinates do not block it in any way but insist on the dynamism of the dialogue,” she said, after the Assembly presidency meeting, which failed to be held due to the lack of quorum.

Kosovo Police unit fires shots after being attacked by a vehicle in Leposavic (Koha)

A Kosovo Police unit was attacked on Monday in Bistrica, Leposavic, by a vehicle which it was trying to stop for control. Police said in a statement that the vehicle hit the police and directly threatened the lives of the police officers. With the aim of neutralising the threat, police officers fired shots. The suspects managed to flee from the scene.

“The suspects with their vehicle managed to flee from the site, while investigations are ongoing, in cooperation and coordination with the judicial bodies. Kosovo Police has notified the Police Inspectorate for further procedures about the case,” the police statement notes.

Abdixhiku criticises government about Martin Berishaj and Oliver Ivanovic cases (media)

The chairman of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku has criticised the government, mentioning the ambassador of Kosovo in Croatia, Martin Berishaj, and the former Serbian politician Oliver Ivanovic.

“Amnesty of Martin Berishaj. Rehabilitation of Oliver Ivanovic. Still waiting for action. The first presents us as a corrupt scandal from which every politician in Slovenia distances themselves, but to which every ruler in Kosovo joins. Martin Berishaj has withdrawn a full 1.4 million euros in cash from one of Pristina’s banks. The money was transferred from the energy company “GEN-I” with headquarters in Belgrade. These means and this business have been kept secret. Therefore, the ambassador has two separate criminal reports. One for money laundering and tax evasion; and one for concealment of wealth. He continues to receive the unreserved protection of the rulers only because he has close political ties with them. The law on partners in power continues to be invalid.”

“The second one came to us as a rehabilitation of a war criminal. Oliver Ivanovic was sentenced to 9 years in prison for killing and persecuting civilian Albanians in the north of the country. As the leader of the infamous “Bridge guards” formation, he had organised and ordered the killing of 31 Albanian civilians before and after the war. Today, he is described by the government as ‘the man who worked for a stable future of a multi-ethnic Kosovo’. 31 civilians killed! 31 Albanians killed by the multi-ethnic man in power. What could be more painful than that?” Abdixhiku wrote.

Protest against Kurti’s statement about Ivanovic: resign or apologise (media)

The children of the martyrs of the Kosovo Liberation Army held a protest against Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s statements about the late Serb politician, Olivier Ivanovic.

With the motto: “Prime Minister, don’t step on our blood, Stop, the deviation of history, they marched along the “Skenderbeu” square in Pristina.

During the march, they are heard shouting “We do not forget, we do not forgive.”

One of the initiators of the protest, Berat Beqiri, asked Kurti to apologise or resign.

UN willing to help families and people affected by floods (Indeksonline)

United Nations Development Coordinator in Kosovo, Arnhild Spence, met today with Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, and discussed the recent floods. Svecla briefed Spence about the general situation in the municipalities mostly affected by the floods and the actions taken by Kosovo’s central and local institutions. He said that fortunately there have been no victims but that there are major damages. Spence expressed the readiness of the United Nations to come to the aid of families and people affected by the floods.

Serbian Language Media 

Serbian Government session commence, Vucic to address public this evening (RTS, media)

The session of the Serbian Government commenced today at 11.00 with the participation of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic as per invitation of the Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnbic. President Vucic is supposed to inform the members of the government about negotiations he had with a high Western delegation on Friday, RTS reports.

Vucic earlier described the meeting with five Western envoys as “one of the toughest days for Serbia”, adding unity was needed because of what awaits Serbia in the future.

As RTS said, Vucic will address the public at 20.00 this evening.

RTS also reported Vucic had a meeting with closest Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) associates last night, and that according to the media reports there were disagreements in that meeting as well as calls to reject negotiations with the US and the EU. The RTS further reported, referring to the media reports that Vucic said if someone thinks of being able to lead the state better he was ready to withdraw, and left the meeting.

One of the SNS executive board members, Darko Glisic said if that (withdrawal) would happen it would be an end to SNS and an end of the career this party had on the political scene of Serbia. As he said then “the worst and the blackest scenario for Serbia” would follow, that he even dares not to imagine.

Meanwhile, local SNS boards, including the ones in Belgrade and Novi Sad extended “absolute and unequivocal support” to President Vucic and leader of SNS in the pursuit of his policies both on Kosovo and for a stable and modern Serbia. 

Dacic: ZSO precondition for talks on Belgrade-Pristina solution (Kosovo Online, Happy TV)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic said Community of Serb Municipalities is the essence of the Brussels agreement, it was not envisaged for it to be a non-governmental organisation, and that Serbia shall insist on its urgent establishment as a precondition for the talks on some political plan or proposal on Belgrade-Pristina solution, Kosovo Online portal reports.

Dacic told Happy TV there will be talks today on what will happen if Serbia does not agree to the offered proposal, adding that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has support from state leadership, Serbian Government and an entire ruling coalition.

“We have never discussed within categories of refusal. The President himself said he has certain reservations. I do not want to enter into it, the president will address the citizens today. It is on us to say what it is that we do not agree with. However, one should take part in the dialogue and should talk about the plan”, Dacic said.

He noted it was of crucial importance for the vital state and national interest to have a political and state unity in situations such as this one.  

Opposition reacts to Vucic’s willingness to accept Kosovo agreement concept (N1, Prva TV)

Former Serbian President Boris Tadic argued that the offered agreement to resolve the Kosovo issue can enable Kosovo membership in the UN, even if this is not explicitly stated in the text itself. He added that it was unacceptable for President Vucic to express his readiness to accept the agreement without consulting the competent institutions.

A similar problem was pointed out by the Dveri Movement and the NADA coalition. Dveri asked for an urgent Assembly session, where MPs would be informed about the content of the agreement.

The leader of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, Bojan Kostres, is currently the only one who asked the President of Serbia to sign the French-German plan for Kosovo.

“As far as I’m aware of the agreement that is being offered, I once again publicly point out that such an agreement may indeed enable Kosovo membership in the UN, even if it is not explicitly stated in the text itself”, Tadic said in a post on Twitter.

According to him, the German proposal that was brought by the then-German Chancellor Angela Merkel during his term of office “was nowhere near as dangerous for the preservation of the territorial integrity of Serbia as this agreement“.

The leader of the People’s Party, Vuk Jeremic, wrote on Twitter that “’accepting the concept of the agreement,’ which implies that Serbia agrees with the international equality of ‘Kosovo’, is an extremely dangerous step. From that, Pristina’s seat in the UN can be reached overnight, even if that is not Vucic’s intention. It is tragic that he didn’t write to Moscow and Beijing“.

The Dveri Movement requested the urgent convening of a session of the Serbian Parliament, where President Vucic would inform the deputies of the details of the Franco-German plan for Kosovo “as well as the dangers and challenges that would be placed before Serbia if it does not accept that proposal“.

The NADA coalition, consisting of the New DSS and POKS, asked the President of Serbia to urgently inform the citizens about the content of the so-called Franco-German agreement, that is, the EU plan for Kosovo. President Vucic was asked on the basis of which powers and which decisions of the competent authorities did he assume the obligation, meaning, express the readiness for Serbia to accept the concept and to work on the implementation of the proposed agreement?

For me, it would really be a crime for someone to recognize Kosovo, but it would also be a crime for someone to deny our children and Serbia a European future, the leader of Freedom and Justice Party, Dragan Djilas, said Sunday, adding that this year he expects new elections at all levels, except for the presidency.

“Let’s see what is written in that Franco-German proposal, if it gives a European future to Serbia without the recognition of Kosovo and if it enables further normalisation of relations, if all that is so, then we would be ready to vote for it“, Djilas told Prva TV. He repeated that it would be irresponsible for him to comment on the proposal for solving the Kosovo issue “which none of us has seen“.

The leader of the League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina, Bojan Kostres, is currently the only one who asked the President to sign the French-German plan for Kosovo.

Kostres asked Vucic to stop playing with the future of the citizens of Serbia and to stop leading an indecisive policy, but to save Serbia from new sanctions, economic decline, and destruction.

Serbian Orthodox Church elders express conviction that Serbian state leadership would not and can not agree to Kosovo independence (FoNet)

Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) elders said on Friday that the Serbian state leadership would not agree to anything that leads to Kosovo independence, FoNet news agency reports.

“The spiritual leader of the Orthodox Serbs and the bishops present repeated the clear and unequivocal stand of the church that Kosovo and Metohija is an integral and inalienable part of Serbia and that keeping it inside the borders of Serbia is a constitutional obligation and imperative for both the church and our state”, a statement issued after a saint’s day celebration said.

The SOC celebrates the feast of John the Baptist according to the Julian calendar. The celebration at the Patriarchate Palace in Belgrade was attended on Friday by President Aleksandar Vucic who told the bishops that he is due to meet with European and US envoys to discuss Kosovo.

The SOC statement said that the church will always support the Serbian state leadership’s efforts to keep Kosovo as a part of Serbia and maintain coexistence in peace and understanding for the entire population of Kosovo.

Brnabic: Nothing regarding Kosovo will be decided without the people (FoNet, N1)

Serbian Prime Minister, Ana Brnabic commenting on the Friday visit of five international envoys related to the Kosovo issue, said the government is not hiding anything and that nothing will be decided without the citizens.

“It’s important for us to continue to fight for a strong Serbia in every aspect. We will communicate everything openly and transparently with our people, we will make all difficult decisions with our people, and we will bear all the responsibility“, she told Pink TV.

According to her, since the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) has been in power, everything has been done transparently, but when addressing the people Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, “seems too moderate“.

“Vucic is often much more direct and explicit when he defends Serbia’s interests in closed meetings, behind closed doors, than when he says what he was saying“, Brnabic said.

She accused the opposition that their negative reactions to the government’s moves to resolve the Kosovo issue show that they “start from themselves and from how they worked“.

Fatherland Movement seeks referendum on French-German proposal (KoSSev)

“This is a finale of a catastrophic state and national policy of Aleksandar Vucic that Serbia needs to pay by surrendering its southern province”, Fatherland Movement from Kosovo said in a statement, KoSSev portal reports.

The Movement made those remarks reacting to the statement of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic following his meeting on Friday with five international envoys who came to Belgrade to discuss the so-called French-German plan and Kosovo issue. Vucic said Serbia was ready to accept the concept and work on implementation of proposed agreement, voicing very clear concern and reservation on one important issue.

They also said as far as Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija are concerned, those who didn’t leave Kosovo but also those who left, think that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic “has absolutely lost the trust to lead negotiations on their destiny and that of their forefathers”.

The Fatherland Movement also proposed a referendum on the French-German plan.

“This is an ideal opportunity for the citizens of Serbia to declare whether they are for giving up on Kosovo and Metohija or not. Because the French-German proposal means nothing else but surrender of the southern Serbian province”, they said.

If citizens of Serbia vote to keep Kosovo and Metohija integral part of Serbia, then Serbian Assembly must make a political platform for negotiations, and a new negotiation team must be established that would “unequivocally and clearly protect the interest of the Republic of Serbia”, they added.  

Lajcak: Community of Serb Municipalities crucial, German-French plan solution (Tanjug)

EU Special Representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue Miroslav Lajcak said on Friday in Belgrade the “overdue implementation of the association of the community of Serbian-majority municipalities is a crucial element for stability”, Tanjug news agency reports.

Speaking to reporters after a meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and five international envoys, Lajcak said the envoys remained convinced “the (German-French) plan we presented in September and discussed today is the best way for normalisation of relations between Serbia and Kosovo and for European integration of the region”.

“Our work will continue without delay”, he said.

Lajcak and four other envoys – US special Western Balkans envoy Gabriel Escobar, the foreign policy aides of the French president and the German chancellor, Emmanuel Bonne and Jens Plotner, and the diplomatic adviser to the Italian PM, Francesco Talo – met with Vucic Friday afternoon.

The meeting was also attended by US Ambassador to Serbia Christopher Hill.

Danas: European plan for Kosovo in 10 points (KoSSev) 

KoSSev portal reported on ”the integral version of the document of the so-called Franco-German proposal”, published yesterday by the Danas daily and which “leaked” on social networks. 

The text of the “European” proposal of the “basic agreement between Kosovo and Serbia”, 20.1.2023, published in the media is as follows:

Aware of their responsibility to maintain peace;

Committed to contributing to fruitful regional cooperation and security in Europe;

Realising that the inviolability of borders and respect for territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as the protection of national minorities, are basic conditions for peace;

Acting based on historical facts and without prejudging the different views of the parties on basic issues, including the issue of status;

With the desire to create conditions for the cooperation of the parties for the benefit of the people,

The following is agreed upon:

Article 1

The parties will mutually develop normal, good neighbourly relations based on equal rights.

Both parties will mutually recognize relevant documents and national symbols, including passports, diplomas, vehicle plates and customs stamps.

Article 2

Both parties will be guided by the purpose and principles established in the Charter of the United Nations, especially those on the sovereign rights of states, respect for their independence, autonomy and territorial integrity, the right to self-determination and the protection of human rights and non-discrimination.

Article 3

In accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the parties shall settle all disputes between themselves only by peaceful means and shall refrain from the threat or use of force.

Article 4

The parties start from the assumption that none of them can represent the other party in the international sphere or act on its behalf.

Serbia will not oppose Kosovo’s membership in any international organisation.

Article 5

Both sides will support their aspirations to become members of the European Union.

Article 6

While this basic agreement represents an important step in normalisation, both sides will continue the EU-led dialogue process with renewed momentum, leading to a legally binding, comprehensive agreement to normalise relations.

The parties agree that in the future they will deepen cooperation in the fields of economy, science and technology, traffic and connectivity, relations in the judiciary and law enforcement, post and telecommunications, health, culture, religion, sports, environmental protection, missing persons, and other areas, similarly through reaching specific agreements.

Article 7

Both sides advocate for the achievement of specific arrangements, in accordance with the relevant instruments of the Council of Europe and using existing European experiences, in order to ensure an appropriate level of self-government for the Serbian community in Kosovo and the possibility of providing services in Kosovo, some specific areas, including the possibility of financial assistance of Serbia and direct channels of communication between the Serbian community and the Government of Kosovo.

The parties will formalise the status of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and ensure a high level of protection of Serbian religious and cultural heritage, in accordance with existing European models.

Article 8

The parties will exchange permanent missions. They will be located at the seat of the respective government.

Practical issues related to deployment of missions will be addressed separately.

Article 9

The commitment of the EU and other donors to create a special package of financial assistance for joint projects of the parties for economic development, connectivity, green transition, and other key areas was noted on both sides.

Article 10

The parties will establish a joint commission, chaired by the EU, which will monitor the implementation of this agreement.

Both parties confirm their obligations to implement all previous agreements.

Professor: French-German proposal contrary to Constitution of Serbia and UN Resolution 1244 (N1)

Professor at the Faculty of Philosophy at Belgrade University, Milo Lompar opined that the French-German proposal on resolving Kosovo issue runs contrary to the Constitution of Serbia and UN SC Resolution 1244, N1 reports.

He recalled his previous assessments that the acts of the current Serbian authorities will lead to recognition of Kosovo and imposing sanctions on Russia, adding he has been proven right. 

He said referral to the UN Charter and its principles in the agreement between Serbia and Kosovo represent a referral to Article 2 of the UN Charter.

“This article obliges all states to mutually respect the borders, territorial integrity and sovereignty and not to interfere in internal affairs. Therefore, Serbia this way de jure recognizes Kosovo as a state, but it is not establishing diplomatic relations. This should enable the Serbian president to falsely claim he didn’t recognize Kosovo”, Lompar assessed.

Commenting on the provision of the French-German proposal on the rights of the Serbs and Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo and Metohija, he said it looks like they are below the minimal provisions of the Ahtisaari’s plan or Brussels agreement, as it even doesn’t include the name Community of Serb Municipalities.

He opined that in a political sense, by this Serbia would recognize justification of the NATO bombardment from 1999 and consequences deriving from it. 

Nova: ZSO by the end of April, final agreement by June (Kosovo Online)

The year, which many said would be “the one” or “promised” to untie the Kosovo knot, began dynamically, with a major diplomatic offensive on Belgrade and Pristina. European and world officials visit the Balkans almost every week, and the messages they send confirm that Serbia and Kosovo must speed up and sit down as soon as possible, reported portal Nova.rs. 

As Nova learns, cited Kosovo Online, the deadline for reaching an agreement on the CSM (ZSO) is April, and it is expected that the agreement between the two parties will be signed by June. At the moment, the priorities are the ZSO and the return of the Serbs to the institutions, after which an agreement on the normalisation of relations between the two sides should be signed.

Milica Rakic Andric from the “New Social Initiative” told Nova that the priority now is the creation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM), and that without an agreement on the implementation of this point of the Brussels Agreement, the fate of the agreement on the normalisation of relations is uncertain.

“I expect an agreement that aims to stabilise relations in Kosovo and solve some problems in the short term, but we should not expect it to be the final agreement. The recent visits of high-ranking officials only show that the US and Europe care very much about progress in the dialogue between the two sides, specifically that implement what was signed in the Brussels Agreement in 2013. I believe that the priority now is the implementation of this agreement, the creation of the CSM (ZSO) in the spring, after which normalisation would be further discussed,” she explained.

She underlines that the USA and Europe are very interested in the agreement, and notes that it is obvious that the negotiations are going in two directions.

“One stream is the agreement on the ZSO, the establishment of which should also mean the return of Serbs to Kosovo institutions. This part of the negotiations is obviously being taken over by the US, which is primarily responsible for it. The second stream is parallel negotiations on a comprehensive agreement. At the moment, the priority is the ZSO, because with this obstacle it is not possible to reach any possible agreement in the summer. Additionally, we should not forget that ZSO will be a big challenge for Kurti. It is a nightmare for him,” concluded Rakic Andric.

Specialist Court without comment on media reports on theft of confidential data (Kosovo Online)

The Specialist Court in the Hague didn’t wish to comment on the reports of French Weekly Newspaper on the targeted robbery of an apartment of a judge for KLA crimes beginning of January in Paris, resulting in a stolen laptop, which, as the media claimed, contained confidential data, Kosovo Online portal reports.

“Kosovo Specialist Chambers do not have comment on the article from French media that you referred to”, reads the brief response to the portal’s question regarding the theft.

Similar robbery, the portal adds took place in Brussels, in which a laptop of another judge in the KLA crimes proceedings was stolen, however those two cases “are not linked for the time being”.  

Dacic receives Cuban ambassador in a farewell visit, thanks him for Cuban stance on Kosovo (Tanjug)

Serbian First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic received a farewell visit from Cuban Ambassador to Belgrade Gustavo Tristo del Todo on Monday.

In an open and cordial discussion, Dacic thanked the ambassador for his contribution to further advancement of the traditionally good and friendly relations between Serbia and Cuba, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. 

The parties agreed there is potential for further development of overall bilateral cooperation, including for stepping up political dialogue and exchanges of visits at high and the highest levels. 

Dacic thanked Cuba for its principled support for the preservation of the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Serbia.

Three key postulates for the formation of the CSM (ZSO) (Politika)

More than an NGO – less than autonomy. These are the limits of authority that Berlin envisages for the Community of Serbian Municipalities (ZSO) signed ten years ago in Brussels. Competences in the areas of education and health and partly urban planning that would be given to local Serbs would be guaranteed by law, and all decisions would have to be confirmed by the provincial parliament. The decision of the Serbs to leave the Kosovo institutions until the ZSO was formed finally brought this topic up from a dead end. Until a few months ago, Western diplomats kept repeating that the ZSO should be formed, but they did not do anything about it. After the decision of the Serbian List in December, it seems that there has been a reversal because, due to the exit of the Serbs from the institutions, there is no longer even a semblance of Kosovo’s multi-ethnicity. 

The Ambassador of Serbia in the USA, Marko Djuric, told Politika that these are precisely defined and elaborated obligations, which in the case of Pristina even have the character of full domestic and international legal obligations.

“Of course, it is not forbidden for organizations and individuals to speculate or give ideas for possible content. There are three key postulates on which the establishment of the ZSO rests. The first – the original text of the First Agreement on Normalization dated April 19, 2013, which broadly defines the general framework of the work that ZSO deals with. The second postulate is the Rules of Procedure of the Management Team for the establishment of the ZSO, which was accepted by Edita Tahiri on behalf of Pristina. It established the full and exclusive competence of Serbian representatives for drafting, with consultations as necessary with the Ministry of Local Self-Government and the OSCE mission,” says Marko Djuric. He adds that even this is only to the extent and in the way that the Serbian representatives assess that it is expedient, wrote the daily.

The third and key postulate is the Principles for the formation of the ZSO, which were signed in August 2015. “We are talking about 23 principles to which Pristina agreed in writing and with the signature of the then president of the provincial government, Isa Mustafa, for the full elaboration of a wide range of competences of the ZSO, of course with the guarantees of Federica Mogherini, the then vice-president of the EC. Later, the so-called constitutional court of Kosovo ‘annulled’ precisely these 22 out of 23 principles, which started a crisis in the dialogue that continues to this day, and which will not be resolved positively until the ZSO is formed in the manner and to the extent that it was signed in April 2013 and in August 2015,” pointed out Djuric. 

Politika writes that there are two models on the table when it comes to writing statutes: The American and German one. And both are not in accordance with the principles that Marko Djuric talked about. 

According to the American model, as published by the “Financial Times”, Pristina must grant greater autonomy to the Serbs, especially the formal ZSO, and that in the north. “While the Serbs will eventually have to accept a certain level of sovereignty, Kosovo must give its ethnic Serb citizens greater autonomy, especially the formal community of Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo,” the article stated, cited Politika. 

It is not known whether the US diplomats started writing “their” ZSO statute, but these allegations are very dangerous, because the exclusion of majority Serb municipalities south of the Ibar from the ZSO would have far-reaching consequences for the survival of Serbs in Kosovo, according to Politika. The daily stated several reasons, the most important being that the position of the Serbs from the north will be much more difficult if the Serbs from the south move out, because their survival is inextricably connected. Such a decision would also lead to a division among the Serbs because those from the north of Kosovo would suddenly get greater rights than those from the south. If such a plan were to be accepted, a system would be built that would further centralize power and would not contribute to the sense of equality and freedom that Serbs need to survive in the ghettos in the south, wrote the daily.

In the past months, Berlin unofficially authorized the “Friedrich Ebert” Foundation to write a proposal for the ZSO statute, according to Politika. The spokesperson of this German foundation in Kosovo, Rene Schle, said that the organization had completed the drafting of the ZSO statute. He told Radio Kosovo that the draft statute is ready for discussion, but he did not clarify what this draft contains. “At this stage I can confirm that we have finished drafting the statute and in the near future we will meet with our partners to discuss when the draft will be publicly presented,” says Schle, reported the daily. 

Petkovic: Special forces shot at a vehicle near the Bistrica Bridge, a Serb was wounded (media)

The Office for Kosovo and Metohija announced that members of the Kosovo Special Police shot at a vehicle in which two Serbs were on the Kosovska Mitrovica – Leposavic road, near the Bistrica bridge checkpoint, reported KiM radio.

The shooting at the vehicle happened around 11:30 a.m. and on that occasion Miljan D. was wounded, while his co-driver Dusan S. was unharmed. The car was riddled, claims the director of this office, Petar Petkovic, in a statement.

“Delevic was hit in the left chest area and has a gunshot wound with which he was transported urgently to the hospital in Kraljevo,” Petkovic said.

He also points out that the special forces fired a burst “only because they did not want to allow the ROSU police to harass them without any basis or reason”.

Petkovic says for the umpteenth time that “Kurti’s special forces” have nothing to look for in the north, but also that the checkpoint was erected illegally.

“Since the beginning of the presence of special forces in the north, Belgrade has been warning that their only goal is to cause incidents and mistreat our people in the province, which has been demonstrated today,” says Petkovic, reported Serbian media.

A Serbian boy attacked in Suvi Do yesterday (media)

KiM radio reported that a boy Lazar M. (15) was beaten yesterday morning by four elderly Albanians in the ethnically mixed neighborhood of Suvi Do near Kosovska Mitrovica, according to the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

According to the Office for KiM, the boy, accompanied by his father Zlatko, went to Kosovska Mitrovica Hospital with visible head injuries, hematomas, and scratches, as well as a bruise under the eye, and according to him, the attackers hit him several times in the chest and stomach area. A complete diagnosis was made, and he was discharged for home treatment.

The director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, spoke with the father of the injured boy and offered him support and help.

“After the attack on Serbian young men in Strpce and Klokot, another Serbian child was targeted by Albanian hooligans and extremists. The attack is taking place in the place where members of Kurti’s Kosovo Police are stationed, due to the alleged ‘endangerment of Albanians’ in mixed environments. The truth is obvious that their intention is to provide protection to hooligans and extremists, to attack Serbs and Serbian children with impunity,” announced the Office for KiM, reported KiM radio. 

“No one must turn their head away from this attack and the entire international community must look Lazar in the eyes and explain to him why he was attacked on his doorstep. There must be no room for relativizing the attack because Lazar was attacked only and exclusively because he is a Serb,” the announcement concluded.

Opinion 

“Kosovo is a Country, and a Country Means a State, Rules the Court of Justice of the European Union” (EJILTalk)

In September 2020, the General Court of the European Union (GCEU) examined whether the 2019 admission of Kosovo as a ‘third country’ to the EU Body of European Regulators for Electronic Communications (BEREC) amounted to recognition by the EU of Kosovo as an independent State. The case was brought by Spain, a non-recogniser of Kosovo, against the Commission, who had decided on the admission of the National Regulatory Authority (NRA) of Kosovo to BEREC.

As I reported here in 2020, the GCEU had found that the concept of ‘third country’ within the meaning of the EU law could not be equated with that of ‘third State’. The GCEU found that the “concept of ‘third country’ [had] a broader scope which [went] beyond sovereign States alone, with the result that Kosovo [was] capable of falling within it, without prejudice to the position of the European Union or its Member States as regards the status of Kosovo as an independent State”. (para 36)

According to the GCEU, “the provisions of the EU law relating to ‘third countries’ [were] clearly intended to pave the way for the conclusion of international agreements with entities ‘other than States’. Thus, the European Union [could] conclude international agreements with territorial entities, covered by the flexible concept of ‘country’, which [had] the capacity to conclude treaties under international law but which [were] not necessarily ‘States’ for the purposes of international law. To claim the contrary would be to create a legal vacuum in the European Union’s external relation.” (para 30)

Read more at: http://bit.ly/3kBxwjf

Humanitarian/Development

The air is slowly but surely killing us (Kosovo 2.0)

The dramatic medical consequences of polluted air in Southeast Europe.

The data is unequivocal — the air we breathe makes our lives significantly shorter and of a poorer quality.

The single biggest environmental risk factor for human health globally but also in Europe is air pollution. It is estimated that ambient air pollution (that is, outdoor air pollution) caused 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide in 2016 alone. Around 91% of these premature deaths occurred in low-income and middle-income countries (also called developing nations).

Air pollution is a risk for all-cause mortality, as well as for specific diseases. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), illnesses associated with breathing polluted air include strokes, lung cancer and other types of cancer, ischemic heart disease, increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in case of exposure of pregnant women (low-birth weight), diabetes and more.

Based on scientific data, pollutants with the most substantial evidence for public health concern include particulate matter (PM), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). Microparticles with a diameter of 2.5-10 micrometers penetrate deep into the lungs, enter the bloodstream and travel to organs causing systemic damage to tissues and cells and deposit themselves in blood vessels.

Speaking of the adverse effects on health, in order for the aforementioned diseases to occur, long-term — and even decades-long — exposure to polluted air is necessary. However, it is a well-known fact from various data available in the scientific literature that certain effects can be caused by short-term episodes of highly polluted air. The most notable such event was the 1952 Great Smog of London.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3H7LuRA

Floods in Western Balkans Cause Huge Damage, Drownings (Balkan Insight)

States of emergency have been declared in some Western Balkan cities as floods block roads and cut off power while two people in Montenegro and Serbia reportedly drowned.

Heavy rain was blamed for at least two deaths in Western Balkan countries, while in some towns transportation was affected as local roads and bridges were damaged by flooding.

Due to the bad weather, high waves drowned one youngster in Montenegro’s coastal town of Herceg Novi, one body was found in the Raska River in Serbia and two persons remain missing.

Read more at: https://bit.ly/3kwSPSW