Assembly postpones voting of Resolution on Nehat Thaçi

(KTV)

The insufficient number of MPs taking part in the extraordinary session has made the Assembly of Kosovo postpone approval of the Resolution by which it would be called for immediate release of Kosovo Police Regional Police Director, Nehat Thaçi, who is being kept under arrest in Serbia.

After four hours of discussions, MPs decided that the Resolution text is prepared by a group of MPs, comprised of majority of parliamentary parties.

Its voting is expected to happen on Wednesday, because participation in the session was extremely minimal.

Law on Strategic Investments passed

(KTV)

With 56 votes in favour 14 against and 11 abstentions, Members of the Kosovo Assembly approved the Draft Law on Strategic Investments in Kosovo.

The two parties in power, PDK and LDK, supported the draft law in question, while Vetëvendosje was against this law, since, according to them; it has not been drafted for the interest of country’s development.

The two other opposition parties, AAK and Nisma, also shared Vetëvendosje’s opinion, but their MPs abstained from the voting. 

Srpska List to send Law on Strategic Investments to Constitutional Court

(Klan Kosova)

Srpska List caucus leader, Slavko Simic, said that Kosovo Assembly has passed another Law on Tuesday which is very detrimental to the interests and property of Serbs in Kosovo, online version of Klan Kosova reported.

Simic told Serbian media that Law on Strategic Investments enables the Government of Kosovo to own property which has been earlier identified as socially-owned property or state property.

“Law allows the Government of Kosovo to own properties of Republic of Serbia, Serbian Orthodox Church, assets of Serbian companies, and those of Serb community in Kosovo,” Simic added.

Simic announced that Srpska List will file a complaint at Kosovo’s Constitutional Court about this Law.

“Tomorrow, or a day after, we will file a complaint at the Constitutional Court regarding the Law on Trepça and later on regarding the Law on Strategic Investments. Together with the legal team we have prepared a constitutional complaint,” Simic stated.

Meanwhile, four mayors of Kosovo northern municipalities announced they will not allow implementation of this Law in their municipalities.

During a meeting held on Tuesday, mayors concluded that this important legal act has been passed without consultation and consent of the local governments; therefore, according to them, this Law is not implementable in Kosovo north.

Zogaj: Law on Trepça will not be applicable

(Klan Kosova – Zona B show)

Political analysts, Petrit Zogaj and Astrit Gashi, debated in Klan Kosova’s Zona B show about the work that Kosovo Government did for the Law on Trepça and the accountability level it has demonstrated thus far.

Zogaj said that Prime Minster Isa Mustafa has demonstrated to be unaccountable throughout his mandate and disrespecting of an agreement, as the Serbs claim the one on Trepça mining complex to be, does not present anything new.

He emphasised the role that key Kosovo officials had in ‘paralysing country’s underground resources’, stressing that Law on Trepça will not be applicable, because PM Mustafa and Speaker Kadri Veseli are not capable of doing this.

Gashi, on the other hand, said that Law on Trepça also enables Serbs to fulfil their needs.

RTK considers Vetëvendosje’s video slanderous

(KTV, RTK1)

Airing a video published by Vetëvendosje Movement, Radio and Television of Kosovo reported that it distorts the reality presented in RTK and it selectively took out only the news related to Kosovo elected institutions, trying to leave the impression that RTK does not also reflect other news of interest to the public, where Vetëvendosje leaders are often their actors.

Considering VV’s video as slanderous, RTK aired it and then it also aired another video prepared by this broadcaster which, according to them, reflects the reality in presenting the leaders and VV members in its news editions during the recent days.

After airing both videos, RTK asked its viewers to judge what the truth is, saying that it gives space to Vetëvendosje activities in its news editions.

Through this material, RTK stated that irrespective of constant provocations and propaganda of Vetëvendosje, the public broadcaster and its staff will continue to engage in reflecting the truth in field to the public without the political influence of anyone. RTK considers that it has capable journalists and editors within its staff, who know their work well and will not allow someone else to decide about listing of topics in its shows, and interfere in its editorial policy.

Through a press release issued later during the evening, which was published by online version of KTV, Vetëvendosje Movement emphasised that RTK management, in its main news edition, continued to misuse the public broadcaster, which is paid by Kosovo citizens, to slander against this political party.

As its release states, in a reaction full of slanderous and insulting words against Vetëvendosje Movement, RTK misinformed the public by stating false things regarding the video presented two days ago by Vetëvendosje.

Special Prosecution investigates attack against RTK

(RTK)

RTK addressed questions to the Special Prosecution of Kosovo (SPK) about the progress of investigations related to the attack against the building of Kosovo public broadcaster and against the house of RTK Director General Mentor Shala.

After a week, SPK officials finally confirmed to RTK that investigations are underway and that they are waiting for the expertise from competent bodies.

“Prosecution is waiting for the expertise by competent bodies. We will issue an announcement as soon as we receive the information,” reads a SPK written response to RTK.

These attacks were strongly condemned by local and international institutions, considering it as an attack against the freedom of the media.

Investigation against Hashim Thaçi requested

(KTV)

On the same day that Kosovo President, Hashim Thaçi, came out publically with the request for investigation of war and post-war crimes without any distinction, his name was mentioned as one of the involved persons in a major corruptive affair.

In an interview with Fjala online gazette, the former Government of Kosovo Central Bank, Hashim Rexhepi, spoke about former Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, current President of Kosovo, as the person who directly interfered on budget managed by the Kosovo Central Bank.

However, refusals that Hashim Rexhepi made to the Israeli advisor of the former Prime Minister made Thaçi criticize him of poor management of banks. Through his advisor, Hashim Thaçi insisted on determining the foreign bank in which 1 billion euros had to be invested.

In the second part of his interview, the former Governor speaks about the unusual visit that former Skenderaj/Srbica Mayor Sami Lushtaku and former Finance Minister Ahmet Shala paid to him in 2010.

This statement of Rexhepi provoked Nisma MP Valdete Bajrami to request investigation for President Hashim Thaçi.

In Tuesday’s session of the Assembly of Kosovo, Speaker Kadri Veseli also requested investigations into public statements made.

No prosecutors to shed light on crimes requested by President Thaçi

(KTV)

Crimes committed during and after the war in Kosovo should wait a little longer to be revealed.

With nine prosecutors that it has in total, Special Prosecution of Kosovo does not have the capacity to investigate these crimes, no matter that the President Hashim Thaçi has requested it.

According to Ehad Miftari of the Kosovo Law Institute, one such request of the President might also be interpreted as direct interference in field of justice.

He said that Kosovo leaders have ignored justice bodies for many years and President Thaçi’s request cannot be sincere.

After receiving the papers sent by the President, the reaction of Chief Prosecutor Aleksandër Lumezi was immediate, saying that these papers ‘are a priority of the Prosecution.’

During the day, Lumezi held a meeting with all prosecutors, including the ones from Special and Basic Prosecution, as well as serious crimes departments.

LDK officials, who used to accuse PDK and Kosovo Intelligence Service (SHIK) of the so-called political murders, have kept silent and made no comment about this request made by Thaçi.

Berisha: Serb MPs an obstacle to Kosovo Army establishment

(KTV – Rubikon show)

Discussing developments in Kosovo Security Force (KSF) in KTV’s Rubikon show, LDK MP Anton Quni, said that establishment of Kosovo Armed Force (KAF) should be treated rationally and without any political interests.

“We cannot be violators of the Constitution, we should demonstrate state culture.  I am convinced that if this topic is treated rationally, without any political interests and through communication, we will manage to persuade non-majority communities that Kosovo’s Army is not a threat,” said Quni.

In the meantime, other participant in this show, AAK MP Rrustem Berisha, said that establishment of the Army depends on Srpska List. He said that Serb MPs are an obstacle to transformation of KSF into an Army. According to him, they do not make any moves without Belgrade’s consent.

Vetëvendosje Movement MP, Rexhep Selimi, considers that Government of Kosovo made mistakes during KAF establishment process. He said that Government of Kosovo has reached to the point where it needs to ask Serbia if it can establish the Army, or not. He said that Government needs to reflect about the current situation.

Colonel Fadil Hadërgjonaj, military advisor to KSF Minister Haki Demolli, revealed the long-term plan of this Ministry regarding the transformation of KSF to KAF. According to this plan, additional 5 million euros will be added to the budget each year, which will result with 90 million euros budget for the Army after 10 years. 

Lists of missing persons have existed

(KTV) 

There are over 1.660 citizens of Kosovo the fate of which is still is not known. However, Kosovo delegation in talks with Serbia, did not raise this issue once, KTV reported.

Based on the statement of Kosovo Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, this issue has remained a tentative, because the countries did not provide the names of missing persons in Brussels.

Five years later, Prenk Gjetaj, who leads the Government Commission on Missing Persons, says he never heard such a statement before. He says that in case lists did not exist, than the issue of missing persons would not exist either.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is the main authority coordinating talks between Kosovo and Serbia and according to this institution, intensification of works on shedding light on the fate of 1.660 persons is necessary.

CRDP urges greater commitment regarding radicalism and violent extremism

(RTK1)

Centre for Research, Documentation and Publication (CRDP) presented the findings of its latest report on security issues. The issue of risk from radicalism and violent extremism were at the focus of this report. Greater institutional commitment for fighting this phenomenon was requested.

According to this report, 61 per cent of people are unemployed; however, according to official representatives, this figure is disputable.