EULEX: Progress in investigations on organ trade allegations (Tribuna)
EULEX chief Bernd Borchardt said there is progress in investigations into allegations of organ trade, kidnapping and killings in Kosovo. In the report attached to that of the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Kosovo, Borchardt stressed that the task force has stepped up its efforts in recent months and is working closely with police and judicial authorities inside and outside the region. He also noted that a high priority for EULEX special prosecution is to bring to justice persons responsible for killing EULEX customs officer Audrius Senavicius in northern Kosovo last year.
Kerry guarantees support for Kosovo (Zëri)
According to US State Secretary John Kerry, the United States strongly supports Kosovo’s independence and sovereignty. In a meeting he had with Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj, Kerry said American support for Kosovo continues.
US supports extending mandate of reserved seats for communities (Koha Ditore)
The US Ambassador in Pristina, Tracey Ann Jacobson, on Thursday stated that she supports the idea for extending reserved seats for community members in the Kosovo Assembly for another mandate. The eventual lack of political will on this issue, according to her, would be disappointing, although she made it clear that this is a decision that needs to be taken by the Kosovo Assembly. Jacobson admitted that ensuring two-thirds of votes will be challenging, but not impossible.
According to her, no matter how elections reform is continued, it is best that this process be finalised, as it has taken a lot of time. “We are not recommending any specific kind of model or form, but we hope that the reform ensures a more open, simple and comprehensive electoral system,” emphasized Jacobson.
Assembly fails to endorse LDK recommendations for UP (Koha Ditore)
After an hour-long debate on the situation at the University of Pristina (UP), the Kosovo Assembly failed to adopt LDK’s recommendations, as ruling coalition parties walked out of the session. Head of LDK parliamentary group Ismet Beqiri said UP leadership has lost credibility to continue its work at this institution and called on rector Ibrahim Gashi to resign.
One month detention for Uke Rugova (dailies)
Yesterday, an international judge ordered one month detention for Kosovo MP Uke Rugova after the prosecutor presented evidence found in his house that included completed applications for Schengen visas, photos of applicants and photocopied pages of passports.
KSF, nothing less than an army (Tribuna)
Members of the Assembly commission for the Kosovo Security Force supervision opposed having the current Force transform into anything less than an army. Chairman of the commission Ahmet Isufi said the time of transformation is over and Kosovo now needs to set up its own defence institution. He said KSF deserves to become an army as it has reached sufficient operational capacity.
ARC illegally includes 6,992 Serb voters in civil registry (Koha Ditore)
The Agency for Civil Registration (ARC), which acts in the framework of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, together with the central registry handed over a list of 12 thousand names of Serbs from Mitrovica North, who are not Kosovo citizens , to the Central Election Commission (CEC). Out of this number, 6,992 Serb voters are already included in the preliminary voters list for the upcoming elections on 23 February, which contradicts the Constitution and law on elections. This entire process has been quietly conducted by the ARC; no information was offered to the daily in connection with the inclusion of these Serbs in the civil registry. CEC head Valdete Daka said she does not know about this list and will discuss this further in one of the CEC’s upcoming meetings. The Secretariat of the CEC concluded, from the exchange of letters between the ARC and CEC, that the inclusion of the names of these non-citizens in the voters list for special elections for mayor of Mitrovica North constitutes a violation of legal and constitutional provisions. However, seven thousand of them are included in the voters list; this is expected to be voted upon soon by the CEC.
