Assembly expected to discuss special court amendments next week (RFE)
The Kosovo Assembly is expected next week to proceed with the constitutional amendments regarding the establishment of the special court which will address war crimes allegations. Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli told Radio Free Europe he believes that these amendments will be sent to the Assembly next week. According to him, in this process it is important to have local and international consensus. “What is more important is to maintain a national consensus on this issue and at the same time preserve the partnership with the international community. The amendments are in the Committee on Legislation and when we will receive the green light from [the Committee] we will act,” Veseli said.
EU delegation visits Pristina over special court legislation (Koha)
The paper reports on its front page that a delegation of the European Union visited Pristina on Wednesday with the aim of harmonizing positions about the content of the draft law on the specialized chambers and the Special Prosecution. The EU delegation held a 30-minute meeting with Kosovo’s technical team. The technical team decided not to negotiate the content of the draft law, without a prior decision by the Political Group on the 11 issues that were raised two weeks ago. Hajredin Kuci, the Minister of Justice and the head of the technical team, told the paper: “We are waiting for a decision from the Political Group and I have asked the President [Jahjaga] to coordinate with the opposition too. The technical team and I cannot decide or negotiate on such issues”. The Political Group is led by President Atifete Jahjaga.
Former KLA commanders support establishment of special court (Epoka)
The Assembly of Kosovo is expected to proceed with the constitutional amendments related to the special court next week. Lately, appeals of the Western diplomats to the political leaders and deputies to vote for the special court have increased. Former commander of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) general headquarters, Azem Syla, and former commander of the Llapi operation zone, Rrustem Mustafa, support this court. The latter wrote on his Facebook page that the court does not harm Kosovo, but it removes the suspicions on the KLA and this phase should be overcome with dignity. Syla, for his part, stated that he would vote for the special court adding that he has responded positively to the justice system ever since the end of the conflict. “I gave and will give the right to our police, UNMIK, EULEX and the new court to investigate freely and in a fair manner. I will say yes to the newest court,” Syla said.
The missing, a condition for Pristina – Belgrade dialogue (Zeri)
Members of the Kosovo Assembly on Thursday unanimously urged Prime Minister Isa Mustafa to condition the dialogue with Belgrade on resolving the fate of thousands of missing persons. MPs also called on the international institutions to put pressure on Serbia, while demanding that Kosovo authorities file a lawsuit for genocide against Serbia.
Indictments filed against 32 terrorism suspects (dailies)
The Special Prosecution of Kosovo (SPRK) has filed indictments against 32 suspects on terrorism-related charges, several dailies report. The suspects are accused of recruiting people for terrorist groups, organizing and participating in terrorist groups and the illegal possession of weapons. Some of the suspects are also accused of joining the terrorist group ISIS.
