Vetëvendosje wants legal treatment for Church at UP campus

(RTK2 & KTV)

Action of University of Pristina (UP) students in front of the unfinished Serb religious building at the UP yard has brought the debate about this building into the spotlight.

Deputy Speaker of Kosovo Assembly from Vetëvendosje, Aida Dërguti, said that this building should undergo legal procedures same as all other ones.

“That building there is a building without a construction permit and it cannot be called a Church by any means, as there is a certain procedure as when it can be called a Church, which is a canonization process and so on. It should be treated as it is, so a construction without permit. Furthermore, it is a symbol of apartheid and genocide of Milosevic’s regime which stirs collective trauma of Albanians anytime they see this building,” she said.

Film professor at UP Faculty of Arts, Bekim Lumi, considers this building as a political product of Milosevic regime which is in contradiction with the laic character of the university.

Lumi says that surrounded by the National Library, faculties and UP rectorate, this building is a foreign body which should be legally treated. He warns that the effort to functionalise this building into a church would be followed by the request to also take other four hectares of land around it.

In the meantime, a group of UP students who oppose functionalization of this church at the university campus, called on all their colleagues and professors of this University to come on Monday to read and discuss in front of it.

Zivojin Rakocevic, the Serb journalist about whom the Kosovo Albanian media reported that he provoked the protest, said that the most important thing is that these events do not repeat in the future, RTK2 reported. To Rakocevic it is terrible that it is the students those who want to destruct the church.

Representative of the European Movement of Serbs, Rada Trajkovic, stated for RTK2 the rights of Serbs from Kosovo to freely practice their religion has been violated with the latest incident in front of “Christ the Saviour” temple.

The students’ protest in front of the temple was also condemned by Kosovo President, Hashim Thaçi, who said that its existence should not be put under question.

Minister for Communities and Return, Dalibor Jevtic, considers that the protest in Prishtinë/Pristina is a result of ‘everything that is recently happening in Kosovo – namely that the streets have become the place where the decisions are taken instead of strengthening the institutions.’ 

Srpska List urges consensus on demarcation

(TV21)

Srpska List finally made a statement in relation to demarcation with Montenegro. It joins the voices that a consensus between political parties should be reached prior to submitting the Agreement in question to the Assembly.

In a statement for TV21, Head of this List, Slavko Simic, said that only by doing so ratification of the Agreement on the borderline with Montenegro would be concluded.

He said that Srpska List MPs have been expelled from the process of demarcation with Montenegro.

“Srpska List has never stated that it is against or in favour of the Agreement on demarcation, nor has it set any condition in its regard,” Simic underlined.

MPs of the ruling parties, who oppose the current version of the Agreement on demarcation with Montenegro, say that additional discussions and consensus for this issue are needed; at the contrary, they consider the Agreement harmful for the country.

However, according to Vetëvendosje MPs, no consensus can be reached until Government does not completely withdraw the current Agreement on the borderline with Montenegro.

A meeting between leaders of the ruling and opposition parties might happen next week in regards to the issue of demarcation with Montenegro. This was announced by Vetëvendosje deputy chairperson Aida Dërguti during a press conference stated on Sunday. 

Tahiri: My statements regarding agreement on licence plates were accurate

(KTV) 

The agreement on licence plates reached between Kosovo in Serbia in Brussels will enter into force on 15 November this year.

Although there were contradicting statements by the parties in dialogue regarding this issue, Minister for Dialogue Edita Tahiri says that her statements regarding the achievement of the agreement on licence plates were accurate.

In an interview with KosovaPress, Tahiri stated that now there will be reciprocity between the two countries regarding the use of licence plates and that probationary plates have already been removed.

As far as the stance of the Serbian side and EU regarding the reached agreement is concerned, which did not match with the statement of Minister Tahiri, she said that she rushed to give the good news to Kosovo people, which, according to her, are frustrated and irritated by these plates.

The second part of the agreement, according to Tahiri, is related to removal of illegal plates still in traffic in Kosovo north, which should be taken out of traffic for 12 months, starting from January next year. 

On the other hand, Vetëvendosje Movement considers the Agreement of 14 September on free movement between Kosovo and Serbia as shameful. 

At a press conference staged on Sunday, Vetëvendosje deputy chairperson Aida Dërguti said the Agreement of 14 September does not vary from the one of 02 July 2011, which was also proclaimed as a free movement agreement. Dërguti also said this Agreement is not reciprocal.

International arrest warrant for Lutfi and Arban Dërvishi issued

(KTV) 

Since July this year, father and son, Lutfi and Arban Dervishi, are being searched internationally.

Since the verdict was issued, the two sentenced with eight years for organised crime, human trafficking and illegal transplant of kidneys, are at large.

Basic Court in Prishtinë/Pristina has issued an international arrest warrant to execute the verdict of Court of Appeal. Aside from confirming issuance of this arrest warrant, Head of this Court, Hamdi Ibrahimi, did not want to give any comment regarding the case.

On the other hand, Kosovo Police Spokesperson, Daut Hoxha, confirmed that since July this year Lutfi and Arban Dervishi are being searched internationally.

KTV contacted Arban Dervishi’s lawyer, Petrit Dushi, who said that he is not aware of this arrest warrant. Dushi also said that he had no contact with his client for several months now.