Veseli: Jahjaga to invite leaders to dialogue

(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)

Speaker of the Kosovo Assembly, Kadri Veseli, called on President Atifete Jahjaga to invite political leaders to identify a solution for overcoming the current political crisis.

“Identification of a political solution is necessary to overcome these challenges and orientate the country toward economic development. It is a constitutional and moral obligation toward the citizens to overcome this situation. We are being damaged from inside and outside. While we are continuing with our internal conflict, we are being damaged in the international scene.  President of the country must invite parties to a roundtable dialogue. This is her constitutional obligation and parties must respond to it. Threatening with elections is not an option, as we would set a precedent,” Veseli stated in a public letter. 

Hahn urges Kosovo to meet the remaining visa criteria

(All monitored broadcasters, TV21) 

In Wednesday’s session of the European Parliament, the EU Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn said that Kosovo has marked progress so far, and it has fulfilled some of the criteria set by the European Union regarding visa liberalisation for Kosovo citizens. According to Commissioner Hahn, the eight required criteria to conclude this process still have not been met.

“The eight requirements still have to be fulfilled. Kosovo is working hard to fulfil the remaining criteria. We hope a lot that it will fulfil them. Once again, there is still more work to be done,” Hahn said.

Addressing the Members of European Parliament, rapporteur for Kosovo Ulrike Lunacek said that Kosovo has marked progress in different areas; however, according to her, there is still work to be done. She called for interruption of violence in institutions.

Kosovo Minister of European Integration Bekim Çollaku once again stated on Wednesday that Kosovo has met all the visa liberalisation criteria. 

Hyseni: Visoki Decani Monastery case is not related to terrorism

(Most monitored broadcasters, TV21) 

On the second day of “Gërmia Hill” conference, which is taking place in Prishtinë/Pristina, minister of interior Skender Hyseni confirmed that Kosovo is the only country that has identified all participants in the Syrian war.

The Balkan affairs analyst, Tim Judah, linked the arrest of several suspects few days ago in vicinity to Visoki Decani Monastery with terrorism.

Minister Hyseni reacted and denied Judah’s statement saying that this incident is not related to terrorism.

Haradinaj: Opposition will not allow Assembly to hold its session 

(RTK1)

AAK chairperson Ramush Haradinaj said that the opposition will not allow the Assembly to hold its new plenary session, no matter if the session will be dedicated to election of the new President of Kosovo. Talking to AAK structures in Lipjan/Lipljane, he expressed his confidence that Kosovo needs to have elections.

“We will hinder the Assembly to hold sessions on any topic, because we believe that there cannnot be normality in Kosovo without retracting the agreements, and without resignation of the Government which has violated the Constitution,” Haradinaj said.

Haradinaj called on citizens to massively turn out in opposition’s rally against Mustafa’s Government scheduled for 17 February.

Assembly’s blockade allows Government to take decisions without being held accountable

(KTV)

Since June 2014 elections, the Assembly of Kosovo has managed to normally function only for six months. With six months of the political deadlock and six months of the current political crisis, the Assembly has lost a complete year of work.

This blockade of the Assembly has enabled the Kosovo Government to have free hands in taking decisions without being held accountable by anyone.

Furthermore, reporting of Isa Mustafa’s government ministers to Assembly committees was very rare. Even in the cases when they reported, they did it easily and without being challenged by anyone.

Albert Krasniqi of Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) says that except that the Assembly did not manage to oversee Government’s work for this period, spending of public funds has neither gone through the Assembly’s loop.

Nevertheless, Krasniqi says that even in a normal situation, the Government rather controlled the legislative, than the other way around.

Fisnik Korenica of the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) said that during this period the Government has acted politically with its decisions and it fulfilled its obligations toward their party militants. 

Kurteshi reacts against court’s decision on Enver Hasani’s case

(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)

Basic Court’s decision to refuse the request of Special Prosecution to launch special investigation for former Constitutional Court President, Enver Hasani, has triggered anxieties in Vetëvendosje Movement.

Addressing a press conference, the Former Ombudsperson of Kosovo, currently a member of this political entity, Sami Kurteshi said that no constitutional or legal immunity can be protected from abuses in Kosovo. According to Kurteshi, this decision opens way to criminalisation of justice system in the country. 

Gjetaj requests more coordination for the issue of missing persons

(TV21 & RTK1)

Kosovo Government Commission on Missing Persons approved the 2015 annual report on Wednesday. Representative of the Associations of family members of missing persons, Bajram Çerkinaj, said that more work could have been done over the course of last year on the missing person’s issue.  Çerkinaj said that several locations, which were identified by them in previous reports, continue not to be probed.

On the other hand, the Chairperson of Kosovo government commission on missing persons, Prenk Gjetaj said that there are some suspected locations in the northern part of Kosovo which have not been excavated and probed, and that  EULEX officials of the Forensic Department are concerned about the lack of security in that area.

Gjetaj said that KFOR has continuously said it will provide security to forensics for the suspected locations, but as Gjetaj noted, there is lack of coordination.