Djuric: Serbian elections will also be held in Kosovo

(RTK1)

Marko Djuric, Director of Serbia’s Office for Kosovo, told Top Channel that Serbia expects organization of its elections in Kosovo, too.

The model of organization through the OSCE will be applied on 24 April, too, online version of RTK reported on Sunday evening.

“Parliamentary elections will also be held in the territory of Kosovo and they will be held on the same principles as in 2014. Polling stations will open and all citizens with the right to vote, and who are in the election lists, will be able to exercise this right,” Djuric stated.

Drafting of the Association’s Statute is delaying

(RTK2)

Soon there will be three years since the signing of Brussels Agreement, where establishment of the Association of Serb majority municipalities (ASMM) was mentioned for the first time. There are three months since the Constitutional Court of Kosovo gave the green light to its establishment. There were also three months after the end of deadline for drafting the Statute, when the meeting of Kosovo-Serbia Prime Ministers was held in Brussels; however, no concrete steps for establishment of the Association were taken.

In Kosovo Government do not hide the fact that drafting of this Statute has not started.

“So far, we have not started with drafting of the Statute as Prime Minister Isa Mustafa publically declared in January that he will establish the commission with local and international experts, who will initially peruse the Constitutional Court’s verdict, as we have to be certain about it, and then the procedure for drafting the Statute will start through the Management Team, where four Serbs will be part of and who will cooperate with Ministry of Local Government Administration, the OSCE and other institutions,” stated Bajram Gecaj, advisor to Kosovo PM Mustafa and Deputy Minister of Local Government Administration.

Kosovo Serb MP, Nenad Rasic, who did not hesitate to criticize the concept of the Association earlier, not even after he joined the Srpska List caucus, is not optimistic that the Association can radically improve the position of Serb community. However, he adds that this is the only current mechanism available, although he remains pessimistic that the Association shall be established in a near future.

While the advisor to PM Mustafa, Bajram Gecaj, said he hopes that work on the statute will be done in due time, he mentions the political situation in Kosovo and elections in Serbia as the possible reasons for Statute’s postponement, journalist Gëzim Baxhaku considers that the Association will be discussed a lot in the framework of the election campaign for Serbian parliamentary elections, but this will not accelerate or decelerate the process, as the early elections in Kosovo would do it.

Kajtazi: I was insulted by Prime Minister Mustafa

(KTV, RTK1)

Using his Facebook, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, confirmed media reports that his brother, Ragip Mustafa, applied for asylum abroad for health reasons as he did not find cure in Kosovo.

Mustafa said that during the migration wave, his nephew and nieces also went, but they have returned. PM Mustafa said that this also tells that his family members also share the same destiny with other needy citizens of Kosovo: therefore, as the Prime Minister, he said that he is trying to find solutions to liberalise visas, attract investments to create jobs, to improve health system, in order for Kosovo citizens not to have the need of seeking cure abroad.

In the meantime, online version of KTV, Koha.net, reported that journalist Vehbi Kajtazi of Insajderi portal said he received an unpleasant phone call from Prime Minister Isa Mustafa, after he reported that Mustafa’s brother had applied for asylum in Germany and France to seek cure for a serious disease. Kajtazi said he was insulted by PM Mustafa. He said that he will report this phone call to Police and to all mechanism dealing with protection of journalists.

Head of the Association of Journalists of Kosovo Zekirja Shabani reacted regarding this case. He said this is unacceptable, a serious threat to free speech and Kosovo’s democracy.

Vetëvendosje chairperson Visar Ymeri also reacted. He considers Prime Minister’s threat as very serious.

Court in Lipjan/Ljipljane attacked with Molotov cocktails

(KTV)

Building of Prishtinë/Pristina Basic Court, Lipjan/Lipljane branch, has been attacked with Molotov cocktails. The attack happened around Saturday midnight.

A staff member of building security was cited to have told the Police that unknown persons threw Molotov cocktails toward the Court’s building. Due to this, fire caused some material damage in one its offices. Aside from the office, an official vehicle parked in front of the Court building was also damaged.

“Competent prosecution was informed about this case, while police units are carrying out thorough investigations,” a press information issued by the Police states.

Mayor of Lipjan/Lipljane Municipality, Imri Ahmeti, reacted against this attack. He said that these attacks are not in anyone’s favour.

Kosovo Judicial Council expressed its indignation regarding the throwing of Molotov cocktails at the Court offices in Lipjan/Lipljane. KJC condemned this attack and considered it a dishonourable and criminal act against justice institutions. It called on competent bodies to identify perpetrators of this vandal act.

Meha: Kosovo does not win or lose with agreement on demarcation

(RTK1)

Kosovo neither wins nor it losses anything from the agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro. This was stated by Murat Meha, Director of the Kosovo Cadastral Agency. Meha, who led the commission established by the Government for border demarcation, during his visit to Washington, told VoA that he welcomes establishment of the commission with international experts by President Atifete Jahjaga to review the agreement on border demarcation between Kosovo and Montenegro.

On the other hand, TV21 reported that non-inclusion of local experts in the ad hoc commission on demarcation with Montenegro established by Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga has pushed the opposition to ignore the invitation for giving their contribution in this commission. They also have raised doubts about the work of people engaged as experts in this commission.

Vetëvendosje says they will not be part of a commission without local experts, while AAK says they have not received any invitation for becoming part of it.

Jevtic: IDPs are always welcome in Kosovo

(RTK2&TV21)

Serb people and Serbia will survive in Kosovo. This was the message of the Director of the so-called Office for Kosovo at the Serbian Government, Marko Djuric, conveyed to Smederevo citizens during a meeting held under the election campaign in Serbia. Djuric stressed that Serbia’s citizens will demonstrate unity on 24 April.

In the meantime, RTK2 reported that Marko Djuric and Kosovo Minister of Communities and Return, Dalibor Jevtic, talked to residents of Smederevo village, Vucak, which is inhabited with other 70 per cent of people displaced from Kosovo.

Minister Jevtic told these displaced persons they are always welcome to Kosovo and that Serbs who lived in Kosovo should never give up their return. He also said they are working on creation of conditions for return.