Braathu appointed as the new head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo
(RTK2)
Ambassador of Norway to Kosovo, Jan Braathu has been appointed as the new Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.
The news was announced by the President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, who congratulated, through a post in his personal Facebook account, the new Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo.
“Congratulations to the Ambassador of Norway to Kosovo, Jaan Braathu for his appointment as the new Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. He is an exceptional friend to Kosovo”, wrote Thaçi.
Jan Braathu will replace Jean-Claude Schlumberger as Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, RTK2 reported.
Zbogar to be appointed as the new EU Ambassador to Skopje
(Most monitored broadcasters, Klan Kosova & TV21)
Unofficial Brussels-based sources confirmed that the current EU Special Representative to Kosovo, Samuel Zbogar will be the new Head of the EU delegation to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). Zbogar will take over the position from the Estonian diplomat Aivo Orav at the beginning of September.
While the current EU Ambassador to Libya, Natalija Apostolova from Bulgaria, will replace Zbogar as EU Special Representative in Kosovo.
Meanwhile, Alexandra Papadopoulou, who was Ambassador of Greece to FYROM, will be appointed as the new Head of the EULEX rule of law mission.
Assembly Presidency schedules roundtable on demarcation
(KTV)
A roundtable without a mandatory character and out of the Assembly’s Rules of Procedure is considered to be the roundtable of 03 August called by the Assembly Presidency. On this roundtable, members of the Government’s commission for border demarcation will debate with a group of experts, MPs and civil society about the demarcation with Montenegro.
Albert Krasniqi of Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI), who monitors Assembly’s work, considers the roundtable initiative as good step, but notes that this roundtable does not have a mandatory character, KTV reported.
He said that in order for this roundtable to have a mandatory character, a public hearing should have been organized by the Assembly Foreign Affairs Committee, and, according to Krasniqi, the findings deriving out of this hearing should be recommended to the plenary session.
On the other hand, Imer Mushkolaj, a political analyst, considers the roundtable of 03 August as a delayed debate, while he says the debate might be used to trick the public opinion, too. Moreover, he says that this roundtable might be by the ruling coalition as a way to measure the pulse of MPs.
Other opposition parties have supported the initiative but they do not expect any concrete results out of this roundtable, KTV reported.
On the other hand, Kosovo Minister of Foreign Affairs, Enver Hoxhaj expressed his full support to the debate, but he said that he cannot talk about potential outcomes of this roundtable.
Hoxhaj said that the Government of Kosovo should initiate the demarcation with Serbia within the next two years. He emphasized the need for this issue to be included in the Brussels dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia.
Haradinaj reiterates stance against Association and demarcation
(Klan Kosova)
AAK chairperson, Ramush Haradinaj reiterated his stance against the agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro. He said that due to the importance of this agreement, AAK feels obliged to oppose its ratification.
Haradinaj said that AAK and Nisma will return to Kosovo Assembly to oppose ratification of the demarcation and the establishment of the Association of Serb majority municipalities.
”Demarcation damages Kosovo and return Serbia’s role in Kosovo while the Association harms Kosovo’s constitutionality,” Haradinaj said in Klan Kosova.
Journalists oppose Government’s initiative to control the media
(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
A legal initiative taken by the Office of Kosovo Prime Minister (OPM) to draft a regulation to protect children in print and online media has triggered harsh reactions from media organisations, KTV reported.
The initiative has been undertaken by UNICEF, on behalf of the Office of Prime Minister (OPM). According to journalists with this initiative, the Government is aiming to put Kosovo media under its control.
President of Kosovo Press Council (PCK), Imer Mushkolaj, said that PCK and Association of Kosovo Journalists (AKJ) have requested explanations from PM’s office about this initiative, but they have not received anything so far. “We demand from the Office of Prime Minister to inform us about these activities within 10 days,” Mushkolaj said, adding that Isa Mustafa’s office has drafted a regulation on media without consulting media.
Also, the Association of Kosovo Journalists (AKJ) expressed its concern with the actions undertaken by the PM’s Office. AKJ chairperson, Shkëlqim Hysenaj considered this regulation as unacceptable.
AKJ and PCK requested from media outlets to continue to implement the existing regulation of Kosovo Independent Media Commission on protection of children in media.
VV member banned from entering in Kosovo
(Most monitored broadcasters, Klan Kosova)
Through a press release issued on Monday, Vetëvendosje Movement (VV) reported that Dejona Mihali, VV coordinator and presidency member of this Movement was not allowed entrance to Kosovo.
According to VV, she was held for several hours at the border and has been returned to Albania after a warrant was communicated to her banning her entry to the territory of Kosovo.
“The entry-ban to the territory of Kosovo has been issued to her in February but until today Dejona Mihaili was newer informed about the existence of this ban, nor officially or through other channels,” reads the reaction of VV.
Moreover, VV requested the immediate annulment of the entry-ban against Mihaili, and called for, as stated in the reaction, an end to the persecution of VV activists from Albania.
