Jahjaga calls for a solution (Kosova Sot, Koha Ditore)
Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga, in the framework of facilitating discussions with party leaders, yesterday held separate meetings with the leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Isa Mustafa, and the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Ramush Haradinaj. They discussed ways to move towards establishing institutions. President Jahjaga said that a quick solution to the present stalemate will enable Kosovo to fulfill its obligations to its people and the international community, and will help with its European path. According to Koha Ditore sources, Mustafa and Haradinaj asked for guarantees from Jahjaga that she would nominate them during the second try at forming the government after the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) failed the first time. Jahjaga is reported to have given no such assurances to the bloc’s leaders.
Bloc expected to give up claims on Speaker post (Koha Ditore)
The post-election coalition bloc, made up of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), and Vetevendosje are expected to withdraw their demands for the post of Assembly Speaker, the paper reports, quoting a source inside the bloc. The source added that the bloc wants to see the political deadlock end but still wishes to form the government. According to MP Zafir Berisha from NISMA, Isa Mustafa and Ramush Haradinaj should agree to share the post of Prime Minister on a rotational basis.
President not interested in elections (Kosova Sot)
The spokesperson for the Kosovo President, Arber Vllahiu, said that it is important to resolve the political deadlock and not go into elections. “The time has come for the leaders of parliamentary political parties to sit together in a joint meeting. And the time has come to jointly find an acceptable solution to build sustainable and functional institutions. A solution is important – not elections,” said Vllahiu.
Serbian List fears protests (Tribuna)
The Serbian List notes that the political crisis in Kosovo is deepening and is concerned by recent calls for protests. The List said their concern has to do with the security of Serbian and other communities if protests take place. “Learning from past experience, Serbs have almost always suffered collateral damage because of general security issues,” the Serbian List said in a press release.
Hoxhaj calls for peace treaty with Serbia (dailies)
Kosovo Foreign Minister Enver Hoxhaj took part in a panel in Berlin organized by the Aspen Institute with foreign ministers from the region. This panel was called by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier and British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond. In his speech, Hoxhaj talked about the need to finalize the dialogue with Serbia during the next three to five years through a peace treaty that foresees recognition of Kosovo, establishment of diplomatic relations and an end to Serbia’s policy of blocking Kosovo from United Nations membership.
Meucci pledges zero tolerance towards corruption (dailies)
Upon his return from Brussels, where he had consultations with the European External Action Service, Gabriele Meucci, EULEX Head of Mission, said that, following High Representative Federica Mogherini’s decision to appoint an independent and experienced legal expert to review the mandate implementation while focusing on corruption allegations, the Mission is fully committed to cooperating and providing assistance to the expert. “An open and transparent external review is a crucial step towards restoring the mutual trust between EULEX and our partners. This review is in the best interest of all. I reaffirm my personal commitment to apply a zero tolerance policy towards corruption under my leadership”, said Meucci.
Court acquits three Serbs accused of war crimes (Kosova Sot)
A mixed panel of judges at the Pristina Basic Court yesterday acquitted three Kosovo Serbs accused of committing war crimes in 1999. “The brothers Slobodan and Srecko Martinovic and Svetlana Jovanovic have been freed of charges because of the lack of evidence,” Srecko Martinovic’s lawyer said. The three Serbs were arrested by EULEX on 24 September 2009.
