Srpska List dismisses its Caucus leader

(Most monitored broadcasters, RTK1)

Srpska List Caucus with majority of votes has decided to dismiss its chief, Slavko Simic, and replace him with Sasa Milosavljevic.  According to media reports, the decision was made after Simic together with a small number of Srpska List MPs secretly agreed with Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa to replace the Minister of Local Government Administration Ljubomir Maric, RTK1 reported.

Srpska List justified its decision saying that the Serb community in Kosovo and Srpska List will never become hostage of a group of political adventurers and criminals from the Socialist Movement.

Slavko Simic, on the other hand, said to local media that he will not accept this decision, which he considered as mission impossible. According to Simic, the request for his dismissal was signed also by Nenad Rasic and Adem Hoxha, who, as he said, as of Tuesday are not members of Srpska List.

Mayors of Serb majority municipalities boycott Minister Jevtic

(RTK2&KTV)

After a joint meeting in Zvecan/Zveçan, representatives of Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo issued a joint conclusion, stating that they do not accept the appointment of the new Minister of Local Government Mirjana Jevtic in the position of the dismissed Minister Ljubomir Maric, the online version of KTV reported.

They expressed surprised with the appointment of Mirjana Jevtic as Minister of Local Government and also with her decision to accept that position.

“We consider that the Ms Jevtic has no legitimacy and we don’t accept her appointment. We exclude any possibility to cooperate or communicate with her,” states the conclusions of the meeting published in the press release.

The Serb mayors were gathered to discuss harmonization of their joint stance on the dismissal of the former MLGA Minister Ljubomir Maric and the appointment of his replacement, Mirjana Jevtic.

“Our municipalities will stop every contact and cooperation with members of Socialist Movement in all institutional levels in Kosovo, because this political entity is to be held responsible for their efforts to disunite political cooperation of Serbs in Kosovo,” the press release reads.

They also criticised the agreement of some of the Kosovo Serb MPs with Prime Minister Isa Mustafa stating that these MPs “have lost the legitimacy and they will not accept them as representatives of the Serb community.”

According to them, the replacement of Minister Maric with Minister Jevtic was against the will of the vast majority of Serb people in Kosovo.

The meeting in Zvecan/ Zveçan was attended by the mayors of Zvecan/Zveçan, Mitrovica/Mitrovicë North, Zubin Potok, Gracanica/Graçanicë, Strpce/Shtërpcë, Ranilug/Ranillug, Klokot/Kllokot, Partes/Partesh, and Novo Brdo/Novobërdë.

PM Mustafa: Demarcation might be ratified within this year

(Most monitored broadcasters, TV21)

Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa said that ratification of the Agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro is the only remaining criterion which needs to be fulfilled in order for Kosovo citizens to move without visas in the EU Schengen area.

PM Mustafa does not exclude the possibility for the demarcation to be ratified within 2016.

According to him, the best solution would be to ratify the Agreement within 2016, noting that that visa liberalisation should not remain hostage of this Agreement also in 2017.

“I call upon MP to sit together and conclude this Agreement by the end of this year,” said Mustafa, emphasizing that this will enable the EU institutions to take the decision for lifting of visas in due time.  PM Mustafa also stressed the fact that Kosovo has marked progress in fighting organized crime and corruption.

Kosovo a prime source of foreign fighters in the Iraqi and Syrian conflict

(KTV)

United States Institute of Peace (UPI) published a special report on the Dynamics of Radicalization and Violent Extremism in Kosovo, the online version of KTV reported.

The Report warns that Kosovo, a country with no prior history of religious militancy, has become a prime source of foreign fighters in the Iraqi and Syrian conflict theatre relative to population size.

According to the official data about three in four Kosovo adults known to have travelled to Syria and Iraq since 2012 were between seventeen and thirty years old at the time of their departure. The vast majority of these known foreign fighters have moderate formal education.

UPI listed the municipalities in Kosovo where most of the fighters come from. 83 recruits come from five municipalities: Hani i Elezit/Elez Han, Kaçanik/Kacanik, Mitrovicë/Mitrovica, Gjilan/Gnijlane and Viti/Vitina.

Regarding the motives, the report points out that despite substantial improvements in the country’s socio-political reality and living conditions since the recent conflict, chronic vulnerabilities have contributed to an environment conducive to radicalization.

Another factor pointed out in the Report is frustrated expectations, the growing role of political Islam as a core part of identity in some social circles, and the dynamic of militant groups.

As a conclusion the Report recommends a series of measures to be undertaken, starting from closing down informal cult institutions and more engagement and commitment to the rehabilitation of five municipalities which have been identified as most problematic.

Kosovo Civil Registry Agency opens its offices in north of Kosovo

(KTV)

Kosovo Ministry of Internal Affairs announced on Wednesday that for the first time, Kosovo Civil Registry Agency opened its offices in Mitrovica/Mitrovicë north, Zubin Potok, Leposavic/Leposaviq and Zvecan/Zveçan.

According to a press release issued by MIA, citizens of these municipalities now can obtain Kosovo documents such passports, identity cards driving licenses in compliance with the Laws of Kosovo.

According to Kosovo north-based news portal ‘Kossev.info’, these offices are not working with their capacities because Kosovo institutions do not recognize the documents issued by Serbia with which citizens file requests to get Kosovo documents.

“MIA’s Civil Registry Agency announces that after the Agreement in Brussels and after all preparations, it started to provide its services for citizens of Zubin Potok, Leposavic/Leposaviq, Zvecan/Zveçan and Mitrovica/Mitrovicë north,” Kossev quoted MIA’s press release.