Thaçi: Religion should unite people (Epoka e Re)
President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, said at the fifth annual interfaith conference in Pristina that the debate on religious extremism in Kosovo should not be used for certain aims or become commercialised. He said that it would be wrong to deny the existence of religious extremists in Kosovo but at the same time Kosovo is determined to pursue its battle against terror and extremism. “Religion should bring people together not divide them. The dialogue should be expanded and deepened,” said Thaçi.
Ebadi: Educate women to combat extremism (Zeri)
Shirin Ebadi, Iranian lawyer and Nobel Prize Winner, in an interview with the paper said that women can play an important role in promoting peace and inter-religious dialogue. She also said that the state should be separated from religion and that religious leaders should call for cooperation among followers of different religions. Ebadi said that women are the ones that have a very important role in the combating radicalism. “Women have to fight the patriarchal mentality. This can be done through education. Educate women to combat extremism,” Ebadi said. She added that in Kosovo there is a good level of religious tolerance. However, according to her, religion must not be misused for political and economic interests. Ebadi is taking part in the Interfaith Dialogue conference which is being held in Pristina. The theme of the conference this year is the role of women in promoting interreligious dialogue and the fight against violent extremism.
Selimi writes to NYT regarding ISIS story (Telegrafi)
Kosovo’s acting Foreign Minister, Petrit Selimi, has written a letter to The New York Times as a reaction to the story the paper published recently claiming that Kosovo has become fertile ground for the terrorist group, ISIS. In the letter, Selimi says the NYT is correct in pointing out the past difficulties Kosovo faced with radicalized youths and the Islamic State. But it does not adequately recognize the efforts the Kosovo government has taken to combat this scourge. “My government’s response to the increased radical interpretation of Islam has been robust. New antiterror laws have made it possible to arrest and convict those who go to join ISIS in Syria. There are now fewer than 60 Kosovars participating in the Syrian war, a record drop in Europe”, wrote Selimi.
Visa liberalisation postponed after summer (Zeri)
The paper reports in a front-page story that the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers of the EU will not make a decision on visa liberalization for Kosovo until the autumn of this year. Citing unidentified sources in Brussels, the paper writes that the suspension of the decision on Turkey has led to the postponement of this process for Kosovo. The European Parliament will discuss only about Georgia next week. Meanwhile, members of the European Integration committee say that Kosovo government should be more committed to convince some countries that are still reluctant to support Kosovo for liberalisation.
Plan for revitalisation of Brezovica ski resort fails (Kosova Sot)
The paper quotes sources from the Ministry of Trade and Industry as saying that the French consortium “MDP Consulting – Compagnie des Alpes” failed to secure €163 million for the first phase of investments in the Brezovica resort. According to the contract, the winning consortium was supposed to secure the funds by 31 May. The Ministry of Trade and Industry has yet to come with official position.
Indictment filed for former president of Court of Appeals, Mekaj (dailies)
Under suspicion of abusing official position, the Special Prosecution Office filed an indictment against the former president of Court of Appeals, Sali Mekaj. Mekaj was arrested on 20 July last year on suspicion of “abuse of official position and authority for the purpose of personal benefit.”
Albanian youth attack Serb in Mitrovica South (Kosovapress)
The news site reports that several Albanian youths attacked a Serb in Mitrovica Youth on Tuesday causing him bodily injuries. A police spokesman confirmed that the incident happened near the main Ibar Bridge. The Serb received medical treatment at the hospital in Mitrovica South.
