PM Thaçi calls on displaced Serbs to return (All monitored broadcasters, RTK1)
Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi called on displaced Serbs to return in Kosovo and contribute to its statehood. Thaçi made this call during a visit he paid to two Serb families in Videjë village of Klinë/Klina municipality, on the occasion of Orthodox Christmas.
Thaçi called on Serbs to return to their property in the municipality of Klinë/Klina, considering that preconditions for their return have been met.
During this visit, Prime Minister Thaçi was escorted by his deputy Slobodan Petrovic, minister of return and communities Dalibor Jevtic and Klinë/Klina mayor Sokol Bashota.
Petrovic expects inauguration of north mayors by Friday (Most monitored broadcasters, TV21)
Friday is the final legal deadline when the elected persons in the local elections of the north should take over their mandates. Kosovo minister of local government administration Slobodan Petrovic expects that by Friday, the elected mayors of municipalities and municipal their councillors in the northern part of Kosovo will take oath.
Mayors of Mitrovicë/Mitrovica north, Zvecan/Zveçan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic/Leposaviq refused to take oath of office based on Kosovo laws with justification that their oath of office should be neutral to Kosovo status.
In the meantime, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi briefly commented the constitution of municipal assemblies in the north.
“Everything will be in line with Kosovo laws and the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo, as well as the 19 April Agreement reached in Brussels. Elections were organized with Kosovo laws and their work will resume with Kosovo laws,” Thaçi stated during his visit to Serb families of Videjë, Klinë/Klina municipality, where he congratulated them for Orthodox Christmas.
During his visit to Gracanica/Graçanicë Monastery on Tuesday, the Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic said that four Kosovo northern municipalities will be constituted in line with the people’s will.
Serbian DPM Vucic visited Gracanica/Graçanicë (All monitored broadcasters, TV21)
During his visit to Gracanica/Graçanicë Monastery for the Orthodox Christmas, Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic sent a message to, as he said, the Albanian neighbours, that Serbs want peace and talks, while he said that the ones that are against talks send a bad message.
Commenting Monday’s protest in Gjakovë/Djakovica and stoning of the bus with Serb pilgrims, Vucic said that situation of Serb people is not easy at all. Vucic said that statements in Kosovo for withdrawal from talks in Brussels are concerning.
According to Vucic, Belgrade considers that EULEX should continue to stay in Kosovo.
In the meantime, Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi said that Vucic’s visit to Gracanica/Graçanicë was private and of religious character.
Vulin insults Gjakovë/Djakovica citizens (Klan Kosova)
Minister for Kosovo at the Serbian government Aleksandar Vulin issued denigrating statements against Gjakovë/Djakovica citizens after he was prevented on Monday to enter the Orthodox Church of this town. He insulted mothers, fathers and family members of the war victims and the missing in Kosovo who protested in front of the church, saying that they are not humans.
“Maybe they were Albanians, I do not know, but I can assure you that they were not humans,” Vulin told Radio and Television of Serbia (RTS).
Vulin called on the international community to do more for safeguarding the rights of Serb community in Kosovo.
In reaction to Vulin’s statements, the LDK Youth Forum calls on Kosovo Government to declare him persona non grata.
APJK concerned about closure of Bota Sot newspaper (Klan Kosova, TV21)
Association of Professional Journalists of Kosovo (APJK) expressed its concern regarding of closure of Bota Sot newspaper by its owner without any prior information to its employees, as APJK states, who were devoted to their work in the editorial office.
APJK considers this practice is intolerable and inhuman toward employees of media outlets. It called on the Labour Inspectorate to seriously look at the case of Bota Sot newspaper and take all necessary measures against leaders of this newspaper.
