Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti presents five-point plan for “full de-escalation” (media)
• Svecla: One of organisers of attacks against KFOR is arrested (media)
• Hundreds of Serbs gather in Mitrovica North, many of them wearing masks (Nacionale)
• Haxhiu: Every criminal must be identified, prosecuted, and adjudicated (Klan)
• Sanctions could start today; “if he doesn’t reflect, Kurti must be isolated” (AP)
• Osmani to address European Parliament on Wednesday (media)
• Congressman Self: Nothing is new about disputes in the North Kosovo region (media)
• German Embassy: We didn’t boycott state reception for Liberation Day (RFE)
• Ahmeti: CoE membership strengthens vital pillars of democracy in Kosovo (KSP)
• Paint thrown at Kosovo minister’s car in Leposavic (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Serb arrested in Mitrovica North, sirens went off (RTS, Kosovo Online, social media)
• Protests in northern Kosovo continue (KoSSev)
• Milovic: Serbs are citizens of their municipality, on their own land, not terrorists (Kosovo Online)
• Pristina minister briefly visited Leposavic municipal building (RTS, KoSSev)
• Place where fiercest conflicts in Zvecan took place turned into a promenade (RFE)
• Singer displays an Albanian flag in the north: “Everything Albanian is ours, thanks to Albin Kurti…“ (KoSSev, Radio kontakt plus, Kosovo Online, social media)
• Milivojevic terms Kurti’s plan for north an attempt to avoid Quint sanctions, shift blame on Belgrade (Kosovo Online)

International:

• What Kosovo PM represents to BiH: Some Interests cannot be bought by Lobbying (Sarajevo Times)
• The reasons to stay (Kosovo 2.0)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Kurti: Kosovo most democratic in WB; number of women in institutions must increase (EO)  

Albanian Language Media  

Kurti presents five-point plan for “full de-escalation” (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that he met this morning with ambassadors of the Quint countries in Kosovo. “I informed them about the Kosovo government’s proposal to fully deescalate the situation in the four municipalities in the north of the country. I previously shared the proposal with the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security Affairs, Josep Borrell,” he said. Kurti said that on Sunday afternoon he was also in contact with the EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, and in the evening with the U.S. Ambassador to Kosovo, Jeffrey Hovenier.

“I expressed the government’s full commitment and engagement to de-escalate the situation in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo and for the normalisation of relations with Serbia. So, de-escalation and normalisation. It is important to understand correctly that the situation escalated despite the postponement of elections and deadlines for registration, and at the same time, as a result of the presence of criminal elements in Belgrade’s payrolls. These are the factors that are a source of continued tension,” Kurti said.

Kurti presented five steps to de-escalate the situation and return to dialogue: 

Step 1: Rule of Law in the four municipalities in the north of the Republic of Kosovo is ensured/established immediately including inter alia identification, prosecution and fair adjudication of all members of criminal groups who have attacked the Kosovo Police, NATO members and journalists. EULEX is invited to directly monitor the substance of the judicial/adjudication-related processes. 

Step 2: Violent groups are immediately withdrawn from Kosovo’s territory any criminal act against Kosovo’s institutions is stopped. On the basis of the principle of proportionality, the presence of Kosovo Police forces in the three municipal buildings in the north of Kosovo will be downgraded accordingly.

Step 3: Kosovo Police and KFOR/EULEX will conduct joint security evaluations every 15 days so as to guarantee a secure and safe environment for everyone and to support RoL measures.

Step 4: The Government of the Republic of Kosovo will coordinate with all actors and announce early elections in the four municipalities in the north. New elections should be organised in a free, democratic and unimpeded/liberal electoral atmosphere.

Step 5: Kosovo and Serbia return to the Brussels-facilitated Dialogue immediately. The EU ensures a fair and balanced sequencing plan for the implementation of the Basic Agreement, reached in Brussels on February 27, and the Implementation Annex accorded in Ohrid on March 18. Leaders from both states meet in a high-level dialogue in Brussels, this week.

Kurti also said that “since November 5, our decisions did not contribute to the escalation and are not a source of the escalation in the north of Kosovo. We are carrying out our duties for the implementation of constitutionality and legality throughout the territory of the Republic. And we are also on the right path of democratic advancement, enforcement and promotion of fundamental values that we share with our friends, partners and allies, the European Union and the United States of America”.    

Kurti argued that the best way to make way to new elections in the north is through a citizens’ petition. “The solution for elections must be legal. I have no legal, institutional, or constitutional right to ask for their resignations [the new mayors in the north]. Another solution is needed for new elections, and it needs to be legal. President Vjosa Osmani has mentioned an option through the signing of citizens, which in my opinion is more right, more reasonable, and more useful,” he said.

Nacionale highlights that when asked to comment on the draft statute for the Association of Serb-majority municipalities submitted by Albanian PM Edi Rama’s, Kurti said he has no doubt that Rama believes that his proposal is good and “everything that I suggest is for Prime Minister Rama to present this draft statute on national minorities to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic the latest in the next meeting of the Open Balkan, and for Albanians living in Preseva, Medvedja and Bujanovc.”  

Gazeta Express reports that Kurti mentioned misunderstandings when commenting on Kosovo’s relations with the European Union and the United States of America. He said he would continue “an even denser” communication and cooperation with internationals “to explain any misunderstanding”. “Let me reiterate, we have no other alternative to the European Union and the United States of America”. Kurti repeated that Kosovo has excellent relations with the EU and U.S.”. “When it comes to the European and American mediators, who come to us even with the requests of the other side, there are certainly challenges and difficulties,” he added.

Svecla: One of organisers of attacks against KFOR is arrested (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said in a Facebook post today that Kosovo Police have arrested today “Milun Milenkovic – Llune, one of the leaders of the criminal formation ‘Civil Protection’ and the leader of criminal gangs who for years have terrorised our citizens, attacked members of Kosovo Police and the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo. The same person was the main organiser of attacks against KFOR troops and Kosovo Police in Zvecan”.

Svecla said that during the arrest, members of Kosovo Police came under attack and three of them suffered slight injuries. “As I have continuously said, the time of criminal gangs in the north of our country is over. All individuals or criminal groups that threatened the security and constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo, will face justice. The Republic does not back down,” he concluded.

Hundreds of Serbs gather in Mitrovica North, many of them wearing masks (Nacionale)

The news website reports that the arrest of the head of the “criminal group ‘Civil Protection’” in the north has caused a reaction among the Serbs. Hundreds of Serbs gathered in the streets of Mitrovica North, many of them wearing masks. Numerous Kosovo Police members meanwhile are seen at the Bosniak Mahalla.

Haxhiu: Every criminal must be identified, prosecuted, and tried (Klan)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, said in a Facebook post today that the first point in Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s plan to de-escalate the situation in the north has to do with the rule of law in the four municipalities, “also including the identification, legal prosecution and fair adjudication of all members of criminal groups” that attacked Kosovo Police, NATO members and journalists.

Haxhiu said: “immediately and without delay, every criminal must be identified, prosecuted and tried for their criminal actions”. She also argued that “following the great engagement by the police of the Republic of Kosovo it is crucial for judicial institutions to be at the helm of their duty and undertake actions in accordance with their responsibilities”. “In no way should the acts of criminal groups be tolerated or neglected. Attacks against the police, media, or NATO members, and actions that threaten the constitutional order must not be normalised, but they should be prosecuted and sentenced,” Haxhiu concluded.

Sanctions could start today; “if he doesn’t reflect, Kurti must be isolated” (AP)

Sanctions for the Kosovo government and Prime Minister Albin Kurti by the international community could start this week, after the government refused to align with international partners on the issue of the north, the news website learns from diplomatic sources deeply involved in the negotiating process. “The point where the whole western community agrees is that if he doesn’t reflect, Kurti must be isolated!” the source told AP. “The process is underway. Most likely within a few weeks, Kurti’s sole international activity will be to participate in roundtables organised by European NGOs, and even this will be visibly reduced”.

“His sole international activities will be toward Brussels, on issues of dialogue, or in Berlin and Paris, again solely on issues of dialogue. Also any other substantial international contact with Kurti will be reduced exclusively to issues related to the dialogue. And we need to make this very clear, these communications will not be negotiations. Kurti knows very well what is expected of him,” the source explained.

Citing officials from the international community, the source said: “In the event the situation on the ground escalates, other harsher measures of personal sanctions are not ruled out. We need to say it clearly again: no one is joking anymore”.

But “the international community does not see Kurti as the exclusive guilty party. The situation in the north is a series of wrong decisions, including Belgrade’s decision to boycott the elections, despite the Ohrid Accord on March 18. But this is a specific issue with a specific treatment”. 

“The western community has realised that both Kurti and Vucic have turned dialogue into an instrument for their internal politics. Therefore, refusing to become part of this game, if Kurti and Vucic remain at a standstill, the western community will not hesitate to undertake measures to safeguard peace and security, regardless of reactions from the parties”.

“There should also be no doubt that in the event the situation on the ground escalates, the EU interior ministers will recommend delaying the date for visa liberalisation. This decision will be based completely on technical details (growing general insecurity, growing risk of migration and so on) but regardless of the official justification, in its core it is a sanction for Kosovo,” the source said.

“The wide spectrum in Kosovo should be aware that another sanctioning measure is the possible diminished understanding for Kosovo’s sovereignty in the north of the country. Unfortunately, the way things are going, the commander of KFOR could very soon have the required political support to fully implement his wide-ranging authorisations. Unfortunately, the north of Kosovo could turn into a mini-republic of KFOR,” the source added. “In case tensions in the north of Kosovo are prolonged, the western community will be forced to have understanding for a solution that takes into account the specifics of the north of Kosovo as a compact region, both in ethnic and geographical terms. If the situation develops toward that point, it will not happen as a result of a conspiracy or secret agenda, as government exponents in Pristina argue, but exclusively as a result of Kurti’s unilateral decisions.”

As for the eventual overthrow of governments, that is mentioned in Pristina, the source said that “no one has secret plans to overthrow Kurti or Vucic”. “If Kosovo and Serbia suffer as a result of their leaders’ actions, it is up to the peoples of Kosovo and Serbia to reflect on their way forward. We are very certain that after the nationalistic trance fades out, people will start remembering their real problems. And certainly they will ask for accountability. But meanwhile, at the White House or in the new European Commission, there could be some other people, with far less understanding and good will,” the source argued.

Osmani to address European Parliament on Wednesday (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani, is scheduled to address the European Parliament on Wednesday, following an invitation by EP President Roberta Metsola. A press release issued by Osmani’s office notes that “this is the first time that a President of the Republic of Kosovo, as an independent state, will address the plenary session of the European Parliament”.

Osmani will talk about Kosovo’s achievements and its path towards membership in the European Union. She will express the gratitude of the citizens of Kosovo for the support that the European Parliament has offered to Kosovo since the 1990s. 

“During her stay in Strasbourg, where the European Parliament session is being held, President Osmani will initially be received by the President of the European Parliament Mrs. Roberta Metsola to discuss the cooperation between the Republic of Kosovo and this institution, and then she will also be meeting the leaders of the main political groups represented at the European Parliament.”

“In addition to meetings with representatives of the European Parliament, during her stay in Strasbourg President Osmani will also meet the representatives of the Council of Europe.”

German Embassy: We didn’t boycott state reception for Liberation Day (RFE)

The German Embassy in Pristina said today that “we did not boycott” the state reception organised by the President’s Office and the Prime Minister’s Office on the occasion of Liberation Day on June 12.

RFE notes that ambassadors of Quint countries were not seen at the event organised by President Osmani and Prime Minister Kurti to mark the 24th anniversary of the liberation of Kosovo. Media meanwhile reported that the Quint ambassadors boycotted the event.

“The German Embassy received an invitation to attend the event and it was official represented by the deputy head of mission, as has happened on many occasions,” the German Embassy told the news website. The embassy however did not provide details as to why Ambassador Jorn Rohde did not take part.

Radio Free Europe sent questions to the other embassies too but received no response.

Congressman Self: Nothing is new about disputes in the North Kosovo region (media)

U.S. Congressman Keith Self said in a Twitter post that “nothing is new about disputes in the North Kosovo region. Recent boycotts by Serbian voters resulted in the newly elected mayors of Kosovo descent taking office in Serbian-majority communities”. He also wrote that “everywhere, it is municipal elections that affect the safety and security of the citizens the most, and it is unfortunate that some choose not to participate. As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘We have government by the majority who participate’.”

Ahmeti: CoE membership strengthens vital pillars of democracy in Kosovo (KSP)

Kosovo has made progress in rule of law and the fight against corruption, it was said at the meeting of the working group of the institutions of Kosovo and representatives of the Council of Europe in Pristina today.

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Kreshnik Ahmeti, said Kosovo has improved by 20 places in the last two years in the Transparency International index. He also said that moving past the first phase of membership in the Council of Europe is an important moment for Kosovo.

Director of Programme Co-ordination at the Council of Europe, Claus Neukirch, said that monitoring reports have shown progress in Kosovo’s legal framework, including the inclusion of the Istanbul Convention in the Constitution of Kosovo. He said he expects fruitful exchange on joint activities between the CoE and Kosovo.

Paint thrown at Kosovo minister’s car in Leposavic (media)

Several news websites report that Kosovo’s Minister for Infrastructure, Liburn Aliu, visited today the mayor of Leposavic, Lulzim Hetemi. After the meeting and as the minister’s convoy was leaving the area someone threw paint at one of the cars. Kallxo news website quotes unnamed sources as saying that Aliu was escorted by Kosovo Police. No other incidents were reported.

Serbian Language Media 

Serb arrested in Mitrovica North, sirens went off (RTS, Kosovo Online, social media)

A Serb M.M. was arrested in Mitrovica North today, prompting the aerial raid sirens to go off slightly after midday and residents in the town to gather. Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic will hold a press conference in Belgrade today at 15.00, RTS reports.

RTS also reported that a number of Kosovo special police armoured vehicles are present in the part of the town called Bosniak Mahala along with police officers armed with long barrelled arms. Following the arrest the people started gathering near the Technical School and Health House in Mitrovica North. RTS said the situation is tense.  

Coordinator of the National Convent of the European Union Dragisa Mijacic said Kosovo PM Albin Kurti intentionally sent special police to Mitrovica North today, arresting one more Serb there “to cause unrest and loss of lives”, Kosovo Online portal reports.

In posts on Twitter Mijacic wrote that following the meeting with Quint ambassadors Kurti “instead of accepting the demands for de-escalation of the situation, and it is to withdraw Kosovo special police and illegal Albanian mayors continued with violent actions”.

“Only a few moments after presenting his five-point plan for resolving the situation in the north, Kurti sent special police officers to the centre of Mitrovica North to carry out an arrest, all in hope that unrest and loss of human lives will happen. Already seen tactics, good that clashes did not occur”, he added.

In an earlier post on Kurti’s actions in northern Kosovo Mijacic said that “everyone following developments in the north of Kosovo sees that Kurti wishes for war. During 1999 he was in prison, and missed the opportunity to wear a uniform and that taunts him entire life. That is why he is radical, he wishes to show that he is greater Albanian than those from KLA”. 

Protests in northern Kosovo continue (KoSSev)

Serbs continue protesting in northern Kosovo in front of municipal buildings also today, KoSSev portal reports. The crisis, caused by violent intrusion of the Kosovo special police forces to the municipal facilities enters its 19th day, while Serbs protest for the 17th day in a row.

Serbs remain persistent in their demands that Kosovo special police leave municipal facilities, but also the north, where over the last year and a half at least five bases of the special police have been reconstructed. They also demand that new Albanian mayors do not come to the municipal buildings in the Serb-majority areas and that Serbs arrested on May 29 are released. 

Today a gathering in support of two Serbs arrested on May 29 was organised in Zvecan. Large number of people attended this gathering, much more than the number of people protesting during the weekend, the portal recalls. 

Members of the families of arrested Rados Petrovic and Dusan Obrenovic, and citizens carrying the banners gather near the metal fence placed by KFOR earlier.

The citizens carry the banners saying “Kurti Is Your Prosecutor, Kurti Is Your Judge. It Has Been Enough”, “Kurti’s Casemates Will Not Break Us Down”; “There Is No Justice And Rights For Serbs In Kosovo”; “Europe Do You See Injustice Against Rados And Dusan”; “Freedom For Imprisoned Serbs”, “We Are All Rados And Dusan”; “Staged Process Against Rados And Dusan And What Does Lajcak Say” and others. 

Milovic: Serbs are citizens of their municipality, on their own land, not terrorists (Kosovo Online)

Former Zvecan mayor Dragisa Milovic said in a protest today that Serbs over the last two weeks in Zvecan in a democratic manner attempted to demonstrate to the world the difficult situation Serbs in Kosovo are facing, Kosovo Online portal reports.

“(…) For two weeks citizens do not have access to their municipality, employees can not access their working place. Our pupils, professors and students do not have access to their school premises. Our co-citizens living in this street are surrounded by barbed wire, armed soldiers meet them on their way to and out of the apartments. People who were sitting on the ground (Rados Petrovic and Dusan Obrenovic) were arrested, video footages showed that they did nothing to anyone”, Milovic said.

He also said that Serbs are not terrorists, but citizens of their own municipality. He also said they will remain calm, contributing to de-escalation but that they see no good intentions from Pristina  as it continues labelling doctors, professors, political representatives as “mobs and fascists” and that with vocabulary like it is difficult to reach de-escalation.  

“My brother didn’t do anything to anyone, today he is in prison, and no one knows why. When I went to visit him, I saw that he was beaten up, bruised, and it hurts me every day. I send support to Rados Petrovic and his family. This suffering united us. Thank you to all the people who protest every day and give us support in these difficult moments,” Sanela Muratovic, Obrenovic’s sister, told people at the protest in Zvecan today.  

Pristina minister briefly visited Leposavic municipal building (RTS, KoSSev)

Minister for Infrastructure in Pristina, Liburn Aliu entered early this morning a municipal building in Leposavic where newly elected Albanian mayor Lulzim Hetemi, deemed illegitimate by Serb majority, is staying longer than two weeks, RTS reports.

Leposavic Interim Municipal Authority President Zoran Todic told RTS that Aliu came escorted by Kosovo special police forces, in vehicles with civilian licence plates, at the time when a smaller number of Serbs were present in front of the building.

“After half an hour he left the municipal building because residents of Leposavic started gathering in larger numbers because of his arrival. They protested peacefully his presence, which they perceive as provocation”, Todic said.

Aliu tried to enter the municipal building previously on June 9, but was not allowed by KFOR, RTS recalled.

KoSSev portal reported about the visit under the headline “Kurti’s minister in Leposavic again, managed to visit mayor, citizens throw paint at his vehicle”. 

Place where fiercest conflicts in Zvecan took place turned into a promenade (RFE)

“Zvecan (the street around the municipal building) has become a kind of a promenade, there are old and young, a place where they can talk,” the leader of the CI “Serbian Survival”, Aleksandar Arsenijevic, describes the atmosphere of the Serb protest in this municipality with a Serbian majority in the north of Kosovo, which entered its sixteenth day. He himself is at these protests almost every day. He added that no one informs the residents about anything, that they are being informed through the media, and that the exit of the crisis can’t be seen.

“We still don’t see any indication that there is a solution. We expect official Belgrade and Pristina to sit down and find a solution,” the leader of CI “For Zubin Potok” Milija Bisevac, also attending protests in his municipality, told RFE. 

RFE tried to talk to several residents who are protesting, but to no avail. As they told RFE, they are afraid that they may be arrested because they are “violating the constitutional order of Kosovo”.

On June 2, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, read the names of the people who were allegedly involved in the incidents in the north of Kosovo on the first day of the protest, when there was a conflict between Serbs and members of KFOR in Zvecan.

When will the first steps towards de-escalation be taken?

Radio Free Europe addressed the Government of Kosovo with a question about further steps regarding the de-escalation of the situation in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo, but by the time this text was published, the answer had not arrived.

The same questions were sent to the Serbian List, the largest party of Kosovo Serbs, and the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, but there was no reply.

RFE pointed out that the European Union, which mediates in the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia on the normalisation of relations, did not respond either.

Aleksandar Arsenijevic from the CC “Serbian Survival” opined that it was Pristina that must take the first step to defuse the tensions, i.e., withdraw the special units from the north.

“After that, the Community of Serb Municipalities is to be formed, which the Serbs desire and which they believe can protect their collective rights. As the Community is being formed, certain percentages of people should be returning to the (Kosovo) institutions and as the icing on the cake there would be the elections,” Arsenijevic said. 

RFE reports that the members of the Serb community are seeking greater autonomy through CSM, and its formation is one of the demands to return to the Kosovo institutions they left in November last year.

Milija Bisevac, the leader of the CI “For Zubin Potok” opined that the situation in the north of Kosovo is “alarming”, and that the withdrawal of the Kosovo special units is now necessary so that the crisis does not deepen.

“The resolution of the crisis should return to the political arena, i.e., there should be a discussion between the politicians of the government in Pristina and the representatives of the Serbs who live here, that a solution should be found… because this crisis can last a long time and we have a system that does not work,” he pointed out.

He added that part of the responsibility for the new crisis in the north is borne by the international community “because it did not understand the seriousness of the situation when the Serbs left the Kosovo institutions”.

Are crises in the north of Kosovo being provoked?

By the opinion of political scientist Ognjen Gogic, Pristina and Belgrade are consciously causing crises in the north of Kosovo for the sake of political goals, that is, that Kosovo wants to achieve recognition by Serbia, which, according to Gogic, wants “dialogue to last endlessly”.

“With those crises it created, Pristina brought about the fact that international mediators initiated the agreement from Brussels and Ohrid, the road to normalisation. But then Belgrade, on its part, made them (agreements) meaningless, that is, to make its implementation impossible,” Gogic said.

Gogic said that Kosovo and Serbia are currently fighting “trench battles”, that is, that the protests in the north can last quite a long time, bearing in mind that “the Serbs have organised themselves well”.

RFE reports that for employees in Serbian institutions, going to protests is a kind of work obligation. 

“So, they can really last a long time in that state, primarily at protests in Zvecan but also in other municipalities,” Gogic pointed out and added that KFOR and the Kosovo Police have also established their positions inside and around municipal buildings.

Arsenijevic and Bisevac: Citizens are afraid of arrest

Aleksandar Arsenijevic and Milija Bisevac underline that the Serbs in the north are afraid that they may be on some arrest list because they participate in protests against the decisions of the Government of Kosovo.

They add that the Kosovo PM himself “labels” individuals by publicly mentioning the names of people who are allegedly part of criminal groups.

Competent judicial institutions have not made any statements about this so far.

“They feel that in this way anyone can be on a list and that anyone can be targeted. So, the families feel that it is a personal attack on them,” Arsenijevic said.

“The government in Pristina must be aware that it must talk to people, both political representatives and ordinary citizens, because not all of them are criminals. These people standing in front of the municipality do not represent criminals,” Bisevac underlined. 

Political scientist Ognjen Gogic sees the public naming of alleged criminals from the north as a way for the Kosovo authorities to deliberately raise tensions.

“With those lists and individual arrests, they want to keep the Serbs in that state of uncertainty and nervousness… it’s a tactical tool,” he opined. 

Singer displays an Albanian flag in the north: “Everything Albanian is ours, thanks to Albin Kurti…“ (KoSSev, Radio kontakt plus, Kosovo Online, social media)

An Albanian singer from Kosovo, Fjolla Morina, shared a photograph of her displaying the Albanian flag, with the message “Everything Albanian is ours,“ that was taken yesterday near the main Ibar bridge in North Mitrovica, KoSSev portal reports.

She boasted about her visit to the North on Instagram, where she posted a photograph of her posing at the beginning of the North Mitrovica promenade. Morina has 424 thousand followers on her Instagram account.

“Everything Albanian is ours – Thanks to Albin Kurti, congratulations on the 18th anniversary of Self-determination“, she wrote in the photo caption.

Read more at: rb.gy/zwvy8

Milivojevic terms Kurti’s plan for north as an attempt to avoid Quint sanctions, shift blame on Belgrade (Kosovo Online)

Former high-ranking Serbian diplomat Zoran Milivojevic said a five-point plan presented by Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti is not a response to Quint demands, even less to the demands of the Serbian side, adding it does not lead to de-radicalization of the situation caused by violent intrusion of the Kosovo special police to the municipal facilities in northern Kosovo and instillment of Albanian mayors, whom Serbs deem illegitimate.

According to Milivojevic, by presenting the plan Kurti “is buying time”.

“It is no plan at all, but an attempt to avoid possible sanctions by Quint and to mitigate pressures he is exposed to by some initiative, because de-escalation depends upon him. And he undertook nothing in this direction, and did not respond to the demands of Quint, in particular of Americans. Because what he offers is far below what they asked for. He stays on his lines, attempts to place the story into the old narrative that crime under Belgrade’s control rules in the north and to build his position on it. But foremost to keep police there and control municipalities in the north”, Milivojevic said.

He also said that in Kurti’s “offer” there is not a single word about crucial topics – withdrawal of special police and mayors from northern Kosovo, as well establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities.

International 

What Kosovo PM represents to BiH: Some Interests cannot be bought by Lobbying (Sarajevo Times)

There is this need, but also the inevitable reality that the fate of Kosovo and everything that happens between Pristina and Belgrade is irresistibly linked to Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Sometimes less, sometimes more, and the main hero of those parallels is the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti.

In a fairly high-profile geopolitical crossword puzzle in the Western Balkans, Kosovo is facing a major challenge, namely the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities in the north of the country. The West insists that earlier agreements, which include the Community of Serbian Municipalities, be respected, while Kurti is trying to get out of the situation to agree to something that will resemble the entity Republika Srpska (RS) in BiH.

Apart from the name Community of Serbian Municipalities, which Kurti claims can only be a community of municipalities with a Serbian majority, Kurti’s problem is the jurisdiction of that area, which would have a certain autonomy. And although Kosovo was known as the favorite of the West, especially America, today it receives fierce criticism and even sanctions due to the situation in the north of Kosovo, and above all the refusal to form the Community of Serbian Municipalities.

In the last month, the West has had a fairly mild attitude towards official Belgrade, which raises numerous questions about the alleged change in policy. In this context, Kurti’s messages, with which he opposes politically to numerous foreign diplomats, began to be observed with greater attention in BiH as well. Why? Simply because the narrative that was created in BiH largely went in the direction of the West starting to create some new order in the Western Balkans, where Serbia and Albania will have the main say, while satisfying some of Croatia’s wishes, and where the alleged victims are BiH, Kosovo and Montenegro. This story is followed by the topic of the Open Balkans.

Read more at: https://t.ly/JMlM

The reasons to stay (Kosovo 2.0)

We can all make a difference.

In 1961 U.S. President John F. Kennedy said: “Ask not what your country should do for you — ask what you should do for your country.”

It’s a popular quote and I’m aware that it may have become a cliché from frequent and sometimes inappropriate use. Nevertheless. Kennedy was addressing the American people, then almost 200 million strong (now over 300 million). He was addressing a people whose state had been born almost 200 years before.

I was not even eight years old when Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008. Like the other citizens of this new state (less than two million), I had the privilege of witnessing its birth. Doesn’t this make what I said above more powerful? 

Doesn’t having experienced the birth of a state give life-changing decisions — like deciding to leave home, family, and the country itself — more weight?

Read more at: https://t.ly/H52Z

Humanitarian/Development

Kurti: Kosovo most democratic in WB; number of women in institutions must increase (EO)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that his government aims to increase the number of women participating in security institutions and other institutions. In the second annual conference “There is no peace without women”, Kurti said that 24 years after the war, Kosovo has managed to become “the most democratic country” in the Western Balkans. 

“Kosovo has been and continues to be a success story of NATO. Kosovo’s case showed how efficient cooperation can be between NATO countries in protecting and promoting peace … There is no peace without women because peace comes after liberation and women know best what it means to be liberated from oppression and domination. Women and girls play a major role in the path of our people. Currently, they make up 14 percent of employees in Kosovo’s agriculture. In the Kosovo Security Force, women make up 9.75 percent of members. Our government is trying to increase the participation of women in the security institutions,” Kurti said.