Pristina waiting for Brussels to remove Mitrovica barricade (Koha)
In a front-page story, the paper quotes Kosovo’s Minister without portfolio, Edita Tahiri, as saying that conditions are now ripe for Brussels to remove the barricade on the Iber/Ibar Bridge in Mitrovica. “We have asked Brussels to act as quickly as possible, because the European Union is responsible for removing the barricades on and around the bridge. The agreement for this was reached in August last year,” Tahiri said. Meanwhile, Nexhmedin Spahiu, a Mitrovica-based political analyst, told the paper that the removal of the so-called Peace Park and other barricades depend on Belgrade’s readiness. “It is difficult to predict when the barricade will be removed, because Pristina has no plans in this respect. This means that we are left to hope that Belgrade will remove the barricade,” Spahiu added.
Opposition parties won’t vote in favor of special court (Zeri)
The paper reports on the front page that the Vetevendosje Movement, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), will vote against the formation of the special court that will address war crimes allegations in Kosovo. According to the paper, the court will not become operational in January despite the international community’s urgent request. The government in Pristina is confident that Parliament will adopt the law on the special court, and Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said recently that his government was preparing the relevant documentation. “The bill will go to Parliament soon,” Mustafa added.
Trade unions: Mustafa should increase salaries by 9 January (Gazeta Blic)
Representatives of the Kosovo education trade unions said they do not intend to back down on their demands to the Kosovo government to increase their salaries despite the fact that the increase has not been included in the 2015 budget. These pay raises had been promised by former Prime Minister Hashim Thaci. A trade union representative, Rrahman Jasharaj, said the unions will give the government until 9 January to “reflect” and will then decide on a further course of action.
Wilhelm calls for progress in dialogue (Epoka e Re)
Heinz Wilhelm, the German Ambassador in Belgrade, told the Belgrade-based B92 news agency, that Pristina and Belgrade should resolve some extremely important issues deriving from the Brussels Agreement, since Serbia’s envisioned European Union membership depends on them. “The dialogue will continue in February. Even though it is not Serbia’s fault, much time has been lost, due to the delay in the dialogue,” Wilhelm said.
