22 killed in Kumanovo clashes (dailies)
Several dailies report that 22 people were killed during clashes in Kumanovo, in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Eight of the victims are police officers and another 14 victims were members of the group calling itself the National Liberation Army (NLA). Ivo Kotevski, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Internal Affairs of FYROM, said the armed group included Albanians from FYROM, Kosovo and Albania. According to Kotevski, the leaders of the armed group were all from Kosovo. While there are no further details on the killed civilians, the FYROM Interior Ministry reports that 37 police officers sustained injuries during the clashes and some protesters were arrested. The media meanwhile report that gunshots could be heard even on Sunday morning in the Kumanovo region. The FYROM Government announced on Sunday that the two-day clashes had ended and that state authorities had managed to neutralize the armed group.
NLA announces even harsher actions (Koha)
The paper reports on page three that the so-called National Liberation Army (NLA) has claimed responsibility for the clashes with FYROM authorities in Kumanovo. The NLA issued a communiqué saying that it will “carry out even harsher actions until it brings down the criminal regime of Nikola Gruevski and Ali Ahmeti”. According to the communiqué, the NLA launched their attack against FYROM military and police in Kumanovo because they were terrorizing the civilian population there.
Kosovo politicians react against violence in FYROM (Zeri)
The paper reports that various politicians in Kosovo in the recent days have called for calm and peace in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, through a Facebook posting said that “refraining from violence is beneficial to all parties and to stability in Macedonia, for what Kosovo is very interested in. Kosovo’s President Atifete Jahjaga met on Sunday with Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and Interior Minister Skender Hyseni to discuss the current security situation in Kosovo and the latest developments in FYROM. Meanwhile, the reactions of senior officials are not sufficient for the Vetevendosje Movement. A press release issued by Vetevendosje said that Pristina and Tirana have reacted as if they were in a position of neutrality and felt no responsibility for the protection of Albanians in Kumanovo.
Kosovo deploys special police along border with FYROM (Koha)
Special units of the Kosovo Police, ROSU, have been deployed early this morning along the Kosovo-FYROM border, KTV reported. The decision to deploy the police units along the border comes after recent events in Kumanovo, FYROM. Police will monitor border crossings of people following reports that a group of people from Kosovo have been involved in clashes with FYROM police.
Kosovo insisting on implementation of agreements (Epoka e Re)
Valon Murtezaj, advisor to Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, said that the government of Kosovo will not block the dialogue for normalization of relations with Serbia but it insists on implementation of agreements reached so far. With regards to the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, Murtezaj said it will be established as specified in the 2013 Brussels agreement.
