Kosovo government has Plan B for special court (Koha)
The paper reports on its front page that according to the Office of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, the Kosovo government has a Plan B in the event that the Assembly fails to pass the constitutional amendments for the establishment of the special court. Besnik Berisha, a legal advisor to Prime Minister Mustafa, told the paper on Monday that Kosovo’s authorities have already committed to fulfilling the international obligation of establishing the specialist chambers and the office of the special prosecutor. “There is certainly more than one alternative to establish the special court. But we continue to believe that this issue will be resolved according to plan and with greater commitment from every stakeholder,” Berisha added. Meanwhile, representatives of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), a partner in the ruling coalition, told the paper that party leader Hashim Thaci is trying to persuade his MPs who initially voted against the special court to change their position.
Veseli: We’re not under pressure to establish special court (Koha)
Kosovo’s Assembly President, Kadri Veseli, denied on Monday that Kosovo’s authorities are under pressure from the international community to establish the special court. “The most important thing for us is our country’s interest, to maintain the partnership with the United States of America and the European Union and not to have any internal divisions … As long as I can remember, we were never under pressure from the United States of America; they have always helped us. This is a very serious process. I thanked [United States Assistant State Secretary] Nuland for her commitment. She expressed the need to overcome this challenge,” Veseli was quoted as saying.
Haradinaj doesn’t listen to Nuland’s advice (Lajmi/Zeri)
The United States Assistant Secretary of State, Victoria Nuland, who visited Kosovo on Sunday, failed to convince Ramush Haradinaj, the leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), to support the establishment of the special court. Avni Arifi, an advisor to Haradinaj, told Zeri newspaper on Monday: “We know the position of the United States administration and their request to support the establishment of the special court. But the AAK will not support the court as it is being proposed. We will only support an eventual local court”.
Serbian media: US deadline for special court is 1 August (Lajmi)
The news site cites reports by Serbian media according to which during her visit to Kosovo on Sunday, the United States Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland told the Kosovo authorities that they have until 1 August to establish the special court.
Greek FM to visit Kosovo today (Telegrafi)
Greece’s Foreign Minister Nikolaos Kotzias will visit Kosovo today and meet Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci. A joint press conference is expected to take place after the meeting.
Two of the terrorism detainees, former ISIS fighters (Zeri)
The paper reports that two of the five arrested on Saturday near Badovc Lake for preparation of terrorist acts were previously part of the Islamic State in Syria. They left and returned to Kosovo in different time periods. They were also previously arrested for crimes related to terrorism, but were released for lack of evidence. Koha Ditore reports in one of its front-page stories that two weeks ago the guards at Badovc Lake were warned by their superiors about potential threats from ISIS supporters.
Public property in Decani doesn’t belong to the Monastery (Koha)
The news site reports that since 2000, the Municipality of Decan/Decani and the Monastery of Decani have continued the “battle” over the public properties “APIKO” and “Illyria”. The Appellate Panel of the Supreme Court decided on 12 June that these public properties do not belong to the Monastery, Koha reports. The decision, which the municipality received on Friday, notes that the Special Chamber of the Supreme Court is not competent to address these issues, and requires that the case be returned for consideration in the Basic Court in Peja. This decision was welcomed by Mayor Rasim Selmanaj, who said that the decision brought back hope that justice would be served.
Nine Syrian migrants caught near Prizren (Zeri)
The paper reports that nine Syrian migrants were caught near Prizren yesterday. The news was confirmed by Kosovo Police Spokesperson for Prizren region, Hazir Berisha, who said that the migrants were sent to the police station for further procedures while two individuals were arrested in relation to this case.
