Kurti: Next protest on 4 February (dailies)
The Vetevendosje Movement and opposition parties said on Thursday that they will hold their next protest on 4 February. The demonstration will be held to protest recent statements by Communities and Returns Minister Aleksandar Jablanovic and to support the transformation of the Trepca mining complex into a public enterprise. Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti told reporters that his party is coordinating the protest with the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) and several other organisations. Kurti said they will not request permission from the Kosovo Police to stage the demonstration, but maintained that the protest would be peaceful.
US ambassador: Violence is unacceptable (dailies)
The United States Ambassador to Kosovo, Tracey Ann Jacobson, told Voice of America that the violence in the recent protests in Kosovo was unacceptable and called for dialogue between political parties. Jacobson said that the dismissal of Communities and Returns Minister Aleksandar Jablanovic and the Trepca issue were not the main reasons behind these protests. She said that people are also protesting corruption, the lack of economic development, and deficiencies related to the rule of law. Jacobson added that such protests damage Kosovo’s path towards European integration. She urged the organizers of the protests to act responsibly and distance themselves from violence.
Jablanovic’s dismissal linked to intelligence deputy chief nomination (Koha)
In a front-page story, the paper cites unidentified sources as saying that Kosovo’s Communities and Returns Minister, Aleksandar Jablanovic, could be dismissed before the meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and his Serbian counterpart, Aleksandar Vucic, in Brussels in February. Sources also said that Vucic has reportedly agreed to Jablanovic’s dismissal, but under one condition: the deputy chief of the Kosovo Intelligence Agency would have to be nominated based on Vucic’s proposal.
President Jahjaga promulgates law on Trepca (dailies)
Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga promulgated a law that changes and complements the law on reorganizing specific enterprises and assets, which was approved in the Kosovo Parliament’s plenary session on 19 January. A press release issued by the President’s Office said that the intent of this new law is to give Kosovo’s government time and space to prevent the liquidation of the Trepca mining complex. Jahjaga hopes this law will allow the government and Parliament to find long-term and sustainable solutions for Trepca.
Perpetrators of crimes in Kosovo hold high positions in Serbia (Indeksonline)
Isa Mustafa, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, wrote on his Facebook account that he expects the Serbian Government to resolve crimes that were committed under the leadership of Ljubisa Dikovic, the Chief of Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces. He wrote, “The Human Rights Fund in Serbia has revealed documents that talk about the responsibility of the Chief of Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces for crimes committed during the war in Kosovo. This is another example of the Fund’s courageous fight to shed light on crimes committed in Kosovo. But this also shows that people responsible for committing atrocious crimes in Kosovo still hold important positions in the Serbian State.”
Konjufca: Belgrade impeding integration of Serb minority (Epoka e Re)
Glauk Konjufca, the Deputy Speaker of the Kosovo Parliament and a member of the Vetevendosje leadership, said at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, that Belgrade is interfering directly in Kosovo. He added that, after the Brussels negotiations, Serbia has centralized Serb political representation within Kosovo through the Serbian List, and as a consequence, has increased control over Serb-inhabited regions in Kosovo. “Belgrade is using this control to impede the integration of the Serb minority and harm the sovereignty of Kosovo,” Konjufca said, highlighting the nomination of municipal mayors as the most recent case.
Dacic to visit Kosovo (Epoka e Re)
Serbia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic, has confirmed his visit to Pristina in late March to attend the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the Western Balkans. “My visit is not related to the status issue, and it does not mean that Serbia has changed its position on the matter,” Dacic said. He added that the meeting will be held without state symbols and that he will also visit the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) mission in Pristina.
