Mustafa: Kosovo will never belong to Serbia (Epoka e Re)
Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa said his government would not prevent its citizens of Serbian ethnicity from casting their votes in Serbian elections but stressed that Kosovo was never Serbia’s and will never belong to it. He urged the members of the Serb community in Kosovo not to become part of Serbia’s “nationalist rhetoric”. Mustafa said that as soon as Serbian elections are over, the leaders in Belgrade are going to have to tell the Serbs in Kosovo that the solution to their problems should be sought in Pristina.
CEC refuses to oppose Serbian elections in Kosovo (Koha)
In one of its front-page stories, the paper reports that Kosovo’s Central Election Committee (CEC) has refused a request by opposition representatives to oppose Serbian elections in Kosovo’s territory. The request was turned down by a majority vote with the excuse that the process of Serbian elections is not in the competencies of the CEC. CEC chairwoman Valdete Daka said this institution should not be involved in the process, “because this concerns the elections of another country”. “So far we -were not involved in political issues and I believe we will not get involved in the future either,” Daka said. She added that the CEC is responsible for organizing elections for Kosovo’s institutions and that there are other relevant institutions that can address the issue of Serbian elections.
AAK and NISMA reach agreement on pre-election coalition (dailies)
The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) formalized yesterday agreement on entering a pre-election coalition. AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj said the move comes after the two parties stepped up their cooperation in opposing the government of Kosovo actions. Haradinaj said the coalition will be open for all those political forces, civil society and citizens who want to change the situation in Kosovo. NISMA leader Fatmir Limaj said the coalition with AAK gives hope and opportunity to change the government which, he said, violated the Constitution and immensely damaged Kosovo.
Kurti: AAK initially accepted our Alternative (Kosova Sot)
Former leader of Vetevendosje Albin Kurti said yesterday that his party was not invited to be part of the agreement signed between the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA). Kurti said that Vetevendosje had proposed a new political platform called The Alternative, but it was not accepted by the AAK in the end. “This idea was initially accepted by the other opposition parties but later the AAK withdrew from it,” Kurti said. According to him, after the tear gas and protests, the opposition needed The Alternative, but this was opposed by AAK. “We are concerned about the contacts that AAK is making with the government people,” said Kurti, adding that there are new relations between AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj and PDK acting-leader Kadri Veseli.
Krasniqi: Open for the PDK, on some conditions (Zeri)
Jakup Krasniqi, former Assembly Speaker and senior member of Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) told the paper that he doesn’t exclude the possibility of cooperation with the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), if the latter distances itself from bad governance. He said his departure from PDK was made due to Hashim Thaci’s bad governance as Prime Minister. Krasniqi also said his party is in talks with the ruling coalition parties in order to as soon as possible declare early elections. However, according to him, for these talks, they don’t have to answer to anyone. “Political parties should be accountable to their members and citizens. Communication between political parties should be a culture for us,” Krasniqi said. Regarding the coalition with the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Krasniqi said this was done to move towards a greater victory.
Italy wants cooperation with Kosovo in fight against terror (media)
Italian Defense Minister Roberta Pinotti visited Pristina on Monday and met with Kosovo President Hashim Thaci and Prime Minister Isa Mustafa. Koha Ditore notes that leaders gave no statement to the media after the meetings, but that press releases issued by the Office of the President and the Government highlighted Pinotti’s call for cooperation between Italy and Kosovo in the fight against terrorism.
