Schlumberger: Special Court could help reconciliation

(RTK2)

The OSCE Mission follows developments related to establishment of Special Court on war crimes committed in Kosovo, as it is a way that contributes to mitigation of relations between the communities, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo Jean-Claude Schlumberger stated for RTK2 “Talk” show.

“I consider that it is very necessary for this Court to be established, because, as you said, it is an international obligation. At the same time, I believe that this would be a good opportunity for clarification of things, because there are certain families that are still wondering what happened. It would be necessary to clarify things. This would contribute to Kosovo’s success and it could help reconciliation and better relations between the communities,” Ambassador Schlumberger said.

Zbogar: First indictments of Special Court at the beginning of 2016

(KTV)

Special Court will clear the history of KLA war from suspicions of crimes and transplantation of human organs, as these allegations are hanging over as black clouds Kosovo or as a rope around the neck for many years, the EU Special Representative in Kosovo Samuel Zbogar said.

Talking to KTV’s Rubicon show, Zbogar underlined that its establishment is necessary, as Dick Marty’s allegations have also involved Albania and other countries, and EULEX did not have the mandate to solve these cases.

Although he said that he does not know who will be the potential defendants in this Court, Zbogar underlined that first indictments are not expected to be filed before 2016.

Zbogar emphasized that it is up to locals if they want to be part of the Special Court or not, as establishment of this Court has been decided and it is an irreversible process.

EUSR Zbogar blamed current situation in Kosovo for recent fleeing of citizens toward EU countries and this, according to him, impacts on postponement of visa liberalization. Nonetheless, he stated that Kosovars will be able to celebrate the Europe Day, 9 May 2016, with liberalization of visas.

Duda Balje against the Special Court

(RTK2, Klan Kosova)

Duda Balje, Bosniak community MP at the Assembly of Kosovo, said that she will vote against the Special Court.

“No Special Court has been established for Srebrenica, whereas one is being established for Kosovo,” she said during a conference held in Caglavica/Çagllavicë Media Centre, Radio Kim reports.

She said that non-establishment of the municipality of Reçan/Recane is yet another reason why she will vote against the Court. Moreover, Balje said that current Kosovo Prime Minister is avoiding any kind of meetings with Bosniak community representatives.

Nonetheless, Balje said that she will make use of the situation related to the establishment of the Special Court for her community benefits.

On the other hand, all TV stations reported that the Assembly’s Committee on Legislation approved with majority of votes the Constitutional amendment which opens the way for establishment of the Special Court.

Kosovars involved in clashes in Kumanovo, entered Macedonia illegally

(KTV)

Most of the persons, Kosovo citizens, involved in the armed conflict in Macedonia did not cross the border legally in 2015.

KTV managed to get hold off accurate data for exit-entry of each person that was involved in severe clashes in Kumanovo. Out of all the names made public in media and by the Macedonian institutions, only one of them results to have legally passed the border with Macedonia in 2015.

Based on the figures that KTV got hold off, it turns out that Sami Ukshini visited Macedonia in May; however, other details about this visit are still unknown.

Kohavision reported on Tuesday that Kosovo Intelligence Agency had informed institutions, including the Prime Minister, President and the Police, about potential involvement of Kosovars in Macedonia’s turmoil.

Irrespective to this, institutions did not manage to prevent involvement of Kosovars, although they had information about such a scenario.

Former KLA commander, Naim Maloku, said that Kosovo institutions should have prevented this group from going to Macedonia, as, according to him, government officials know most of them.

Terrorism financing expert Bashkim Zeqiri said that Kosovo should have taken preventive measures and stop this from happening.

KPC establishes War Crimes Department

(All monitored broadcasters, RTK1)

Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPC) adopted the proposal for the establishment of the War Crimes Department within the Special Prosecution of Kosovo (SPRK), which is considered necessary for the justice system in Kosovo.

Minister of Justice Hajredin Kuçi, who attended the KPC meeting held on Wednesday, said that he had proposed establishment of the War Crimes Department back in 2011, but his request was opposed by international partners in Kosovo.

Acting Chief Prosecutor of the SPRK, Sevdije Morina, said that establishment of the War Crimes Department is necessary, but it was not done earlier due to the small number of prosecutors.

The KPC also took the decision to ask the President Atifete Jahjaga to dismiss the suspended prosecutor Nazmi Mustafi after the court has found him guilty of corruption, KTV reported on its later news edition.

During this meeting KPC also appointed Haxhi Durguti as Acting Chief of the Appellate Prosecutorial Office and extended the mandate of Sevdije Morina as council member.

Bill on digitalization of radio-diffusive terrestrial broadcasting criticized

(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)

The bill on digitalization of radio-diffusive terrestrial broadcasting was discussed with many remarks at the Assembly committee for economic development. It was requested that this bill ensures representative competition for all the operators.

Avoidance of the collision between the strategy on media and the Law was also requested in discussion about this bill. It was also said that technology sustainability was not analysed, nor how much was Kosovo prepared for such a process.

According to Assembly members, the cost that this Law will produce does not guarantee a justifiable financial cost, although it is listed among the laws set as criteria for EU integration process.

According to the Independent Media Commission (IMC) members, this Law has some unclear Articles, which need to be amended.

The bill on digitalization of radio-diffusive terrestrial broadcasting was discussed following the first reading at the Assembly of Kosovo, where the opposition MPs also had many remarks about it.

Laws on minorities should be implemented

(RTK2)

Participants of a debate on the rights and position of minority communities, held in Caglavica/Çagllavicë Media Centre concluded that Kosovo has good laws on minorities, but it lacks their implementation.

Speakers at the Caglavica/Çagllavicë Media Centre agreed that minority communities face serious problems in protecting their rights and invited citizens to foster their mutual cooperation.

Stefano Gnocchi, adviser for political affairs and communities in the EU Office in Kosovo, said that Kosovo respects international standards related to the multi-ethnicity.

On the other hand, Duda Balje, Kosovo Assembly MP, considers non-implementation of these laws as a serious issue. Moreover, she said that the representatives of non-majority communities at the Assembly do not have big impact on decision-making process of the ruling coalition partners.

Director of the European Centre for Minority Issues (ECMI) Adrian Zeqiri considers that it is an obligation of the society in general and institutions in particular to seriously treat the issues of the non-majority community, while he reiterated the importance of implementing these laws.

Srpska List MPs in Belgrade to discuss recent developments

(Klan Kosova)

A close source to Srpska List confirmed to Klan Kosova that the majority of Srpska List MPs have travelled to Belgrade to meet Serbian institutional leaders.

According to the source, Serb representatives will discuss recent developments in Kosovo and the Association of Serb Municipalities in Kosovo with Serbian leaders.

Six candidates for Constitutional Court judges proposed to Assembly

(TV21)

Committee for selection of Constitutional Court judges proposed six candidates to Assembly of Kosovo, two of which shall be selected.

The selected candidates by the committee are Gresa Cakaj-Nimani, Remzije Istrefi-Peci, Selvete Gërxhaliu, Hashim Çollaku, Safet Hoxha and Zef Prendrecaj.

Interview with Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo

(Summary of RTK2 ‘Talk’ Show)

Wednesday’s evening RTK2 “Talk” show hosted the Ambassador Jean-Claude Schlumberger, Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.

Asked about the OSCE role in integration of the north, having in mind that the OSCE’s assistance was required to organize local and general elections in this part of Kosovo, Ambassador Schlumberger said that OSCE is present in the north since its establishment. He reminded that the OSCE has undertaken many activities related to civil society, youth, media and other sectors in this area. With the Brussels Agreement and the progress of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, OSCE had the role of facilitating elections in the northern municipalities. Ambassador Schlumberger said that elections were the first activity that the Mission implemented, which was also stipulated by the Brussels Agreement. He underlined that the facilitation process organized by the OSCE proved to be very successful and helped establishment of new municipalities in the north. He also reminded that OSCE also facilitated June 2014 general elections in the north. Ambassador explained the assistance that the Mission provides to the new northern municipalities, which are related to training and experience exchange between different municipalities, international human rights standards, women rights, gender issues, safety, integration of police in the north, and so on. He added that in line with the Brussels Agreement, the OSCE has also a role to play when it comes to judiciary in the north.

Responding to moderator’s question about Kosovo’s path toward the EU membership, Mr Schlumberger said that EU and its member states are in better position to speak about this matter; nonetheless, as an observer and partaker in certain process, he said that Kosovo has marked progress, which is also demonstrated with the SAA that Kosovo should sign in the coming months.

Asked about mechanisms necessary for rectifying unresolved property issues in Kosovo and returning of the usurped property to their legitimate owners, Ambassador Schlumberger clarified that OSCE does not deal with privatization issues, respectively commercial property, but it is rather focused on private property, in particular on private property of minority community members. He said that from the legal aspect, most of the property issues are solved and decisions have been taken for most of the claims from the Kosovo Property Agency, or the judiciary. Nonetheless, he underlined that there is insufficient coordination between the Agency and the judiciary to implement these decisions, and due to this the re-usurpation occurs.

Asked if this was the reason why the return process is not happening with the desired course, Mr Schlumberger said that it is one of the reasons that contribute to small number of returns, but it is not the key one. He underlined local community assistance as a very important factor in the process of return. Regarding the return of IDPs into towns, he said that funding is important for return and that the process should go on with the support of the international community.

Asked if last year’s conference organized by the OSCE on return was a turning point between Prishtinë/Pristina and Belgrade regarding the issue of returns, Ambassador Schlumberger said: “Yes, I think that this conference held in November last year in Skopje was very important, as it was made possible to bring around the same table political level representatives from Prishtinë/Pristina, Belgrade, Skopje and Podgorica, who wanted to talk seriously about the durable solutions for returnees, namely IDPs from Kosovo.” Ambassador pointed out that they signed a joint statement that contains possible solutions in this field. Ambassador Schlumberger said that return process was on a standby, but he expressed his belief that with the appointment of minister of communities Dalibor Jevtic new developments will take place in the coming period.

When asked about attacks on returnees and if this could be related with the political momentum, Ambassador Schlumberger that OSCE constantly follows ethnically-motivated incidents, or those incidents for which there is a perception of being ethnically-motivated. He said that there is a general conclusion that there is no increase of these incidents; at the contrary, he said there is a decrease of these incidents over the course of last two-three years. Nonetheless, he said there is a certain increase of these incidents at moments of political tensions. He mentioned desecration of graveyards at the beginning of 2013, and incidents following the football match between Albania and Serbia in October 2014. He pointed out that the overall trend of these incidents is falling, noting that most of these incidents happen in areas where Serb community is very isolated and it does not have good relations with the other communities. Ambassador said that the OSCE works closely with local institutions to have prompt reactions when it comes to these cases, to condemn them and urges judiciary to do its part of work, in order for these incidents not to go unpunished.

Ambassador underlined the importance of municipal community safety councils in dealing with these incidents and its work on building trust between communities, respectively on prevention of these cases.

Regarding the establishment of Special Court, Ambassador Schlumberger said that the OSCE is not directly involved in this process, but he considers establishment of this Court necessary as it also is an international obligation and a good opportunity to clarify things. He also said that establishment of this Court would also contribute to reconciliation and development of relations between the communities.

As far as Kosovo-Serbia dialogue is concerned, Mr Schlumberger considers Brussels talks as a considerable and positive step forward.

Asked how much can Kosovo benefit over the course of this year, taking into account that Serbia is chairing the OSCE, Ambassador Schlumberger explained that chairmanship does not basically change the context of work and that rules within the OSCE remain the same. He also explained that mandates of the Missions do not change with the new chairmanship. The fact that Serbia, or any other country, is chairing the OSCE basically does not change anything, Ambassador Schlumberger stated. Nonetheless, he expressed his personal hope that this will serve as an opportunity for solution of some issues in the spirit of dialogue, which is also part of the OSCE values.

Ambassador Schlumberger said that OSCE is concerned about recent situation in Macedonia and that OSCE Mission in Skopje has a direct role as facilitator in some difficult moments, in particular when it comes to surrender of these armed groups.

Asked if situation in Ukraine can impact on extension of the OSCE mandate in Kosovo, Ambassador Schlumberger said that in the future it might lead to taking resources by the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. He added that decrease of means and number of staff members in Kosovo Mission is normal and this is happening for several years back.

As far as media freedom is concerned, Ambassador said that there are certain indicators, such as the Freedom House report, which demonstrate that Kosovo is partly free when it comes to media freedom. He said that there are many issues in this field, including sustainability of media outlets and threats against journalists. He commended Kosovo journalists for their commitment and professionalism.

When asked if the OSCE can assist RTK2 channel in Serbian to cover the entire territory of Kosovo with signal, Ambassador Schlumberger said the Mission in involved in this process and provides its support in this regard.

Asked about the challenges that await the OSCE Mission in Kosovo in the future, Ambassador Schlumberger underlined that the Mission has evolved and that it is more and more focused in specific sectors, such as local government, as there is evident need for assistance in this level. He mentioned protection of rights of communities as a relevant field for the Mission, as well as the issues of cultural heritage, respect of the rights of communities, media and so on.