In a Kosovo visit, Vucic claims Trepca mine belongs to Serbia (dailies)
Prime Minister of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic said yesterday during a visit to the north of Kosovo said that now more than ever, Serbs in Kosovo need a wise and peaceful politics and that Serbia will never recognise Kosovo. In a visit to a part of Trepca mine located in Leposaviq/Leposavic, Vucic said the mining complex belongs to Serbia and that it will not allow the Assembly of Kosovo to pass a law making it a public enterprise. Just before Vucic was scheduled to arrive in the north, a hand grenade went off in Zubin Potok where the Serbian prime minister was supposed to hold a speech later on. No one was harmed in the incident. Under the leading front-page headline Government is powerless vis-à-vis Serbia as in the 2014 elections, Koha Ditore reports that Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic made strong political statements against the state of Kosovo during his election campaign in Kosovo’s northern municipalities. Government officials in Pristina meanwhile said that this is not about their “inability to prevent such visits, but rather about tolerance”.
Ymeri: Vucic’s visit, undermining of Kosovo’s sovereignty (Kosova Sot)
Vetevendosje leader Visar Ymeri said that the visit of the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic undermines Kosovo’s sovereignty. Ymeri said Vucic’s statements that assets such as Trepca mine and Ujman water plant belong to Serbia show the intention of Serbia to prevent any development of Kosovo as a country.
Konjufca: Mustafa’s sons have business ties with Miskovic (dailies)
Several dailies report that Vetevendosje parliamentary group chief Glauk Konjufca told a press conference on Sunday that the sons of Prime Minister Isa Mustafa have business ties with renowned Serbian businessman Miroslav Miskovic. According to Konjufca, the ties between Mustafa’s sons and Miskovic, who was Deputy Prime Minister of former late Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic, were intensified after 21 July 2015. Konjufca also presented documents showing that a company owned by Mustafa’s sons had imported products from one of Miskovic’s companies. Koha Ditore reports that Mustafa’s party, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), reacted after the publication of documents, opposing what it called “bizarre and despicable attempts by Vetevendosje to stain Prime Minister Mustafa and his family”.
Veseli: PDK open for coalition with AAK as well (Zeri)
Kosovo Assembly President Kadri Veseli in an interview with the paper did not exclude the possibility that in the future the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) will enter into a coalition with the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK). He said the PDK is open to all formulas that are in the service of consolidating the state of Kosovo and moving forward. He said he will invite opposition’s leaders for dialogue, since according to him, dialogue is the means that will end the crisis. According to him, Kosovo’s political system makes cross-party cooperation, which is a basic principle of democracy, inevitable. In regards to the special court for war crimes, Veseli said this court will only prove Kosovo’s fair and just war for freedom. Veseli also added that Kosovo will not compromise on terrorism and violent extremism.
EU calls for urgent meeting regarding ADR certificates (dailies)
At the invitation of the European Union, a delegation from Kosovo, led by Minister without portfolio Edita Tahiri, travelled today to Vienna to attend an urgent meeting organized by the EU in regards to mutual recognition of certificates for transport of dangerous goods, known as ADR. “This issue was discussed in Brussels for more than seven months at the request and insistence of Minister Tahiri. However, Serbia has not shown willingness to agree on mutual recognition of ADR certificates through dialogue in Brussels. Tahiri informed the EU regularly on these developments, arguing that Serbia’s behavior is against the European principles, which resulted in the urgent call of this meeting,” reads a press release issued by government of Kosovo.
Márkusz: Government has the majority, no need for elections (Epoka)
The Hungarian Ambassador to Kosovo, Lásló Márkusz, told the paper that Kosovo is in the final phase of visa liberalization. “It is for certain that this process is closing,” he said in the interview for the paper. He appealed to Kosovo people not to head Hungary to seek asylum, because the response would be negative. Speaking about the Stabilization Association Agreement, the Hungarian Ambassador said that this is Kosovo’s start towards the EU journey. He added that Kosovo and Hungary have an excellent political and economic cooperation. Speaking about the current political situation in Kosovo and disagreements between the government and opposition, Márkusz said that the governing coalition has the majority in Parliament and that there is no reason to go to early elections.
KLA martyrs’ cemetery damaged in Kacandoll (Zeri)
The government of Kosovo has condemned the damage of the KLA martyrs’ cemetery in Kacandoll, Shale e Bajgores. Through a press release, the government of Kosovo requires the authorities to reveal how the cemetery was damaged and bring the perpetrators to justice. “The government of Kosovo will support the reconstruction of the KLA cemetery in Kacandoll,” reads the press release.
