Simic: Government to work with OSCE in drafting Association’s Statute
(Klan Kosova)
Kosovo Serbs might have a big celebration on the occasion Serbia’s National Day on 15th February. Political representatives of Kosovo Serbs have announced establishment of the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities. For this unilateral action, Srpska List has issued an ultimatum to Kosovo Government in case the latter fails to take concrete actions for establishment of this Association.
“We do not accept ultimatums. Considering the time and other circumstances, Mustafa’s Government will decide when and what is in the interest of our country,” said Faton Abdullahu, advisor to Kosovo Prime Minister Isa Mustafa.
Abdullahu admitted that institutions are obliged to establish this Association; however, according to him, there will be no concrete steps on the Association without the return of Srpska List to the Assembly and Government.
Srpska List’s reaction was immediate.
In a letter addressed to Klan Kosova, Srpska List caucus leader, Slavko Simic, said they do not accept Government’s justification. According to him, there is no connection between the return of Srpska List in the institutions and establishment of the Association.
Simic stressed that Mustafa’s Government should work with the Management Team and the OSCE in drafting the Statute of the Association.
“So far, Serb representatives were marginalized by several different processes. We do not agree with the unilaterally adopted Laws, but establishment of the Association is a process verified in Brussels,” reads the letter.
For this reason, Simic, said that they will not accept justifications any longer.
“We will not allow Kosovo Government to find justifications again and say that instead of the opposition parties, the establishment of the Association is not happening because of the Serb boycott in Kosovo institutions. This process should be dealt more seriously, because we think that the same process will develop and positively change Kosovo’s society, and it shall bring progress,” the letter concludes.
If Kosovo institutions fail to establish the Association by mid-February, the local Serbs have received support from the heads of the Serbian Government to unilaterally establish it, Klan Kosova concluded.
Rakic: Albanian politicians are using wall for daily politics
(Most monitored broadcasters, KTV)
Mitrovica/Mitrovicë north mayor Goran Rakic stated that Government of Kosovo is intentionally using construction of the wall in the northern part of Mitrovica/Mitrovicë to shift focus from many problems that Kosovo citizens have.
“The wall is being used for daily political purposes by Albanian politicians, who want to shift the focus of public from their failure to meet their obligations regarding the establishment of the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities,” Rakic told Belgrade media.
In the meantime, Srpska List President Slavko Simic said it is about time for Prishtinë/Pristina to fulfil obligations stemming from the agreement reached in Brussels.
He said that EU should make it clear to Albanian political leaders in Kosovo that there are no justifications nor time to postpone establishment of the Association of Serb Majority Municipalities.
He reiterated the position that in case Kosovo institutions do not establish the Association, then Serb representatives will establish it in coordination with Serbian Government.
Tahiri’s dates regarding implementation of agreements were never respected
(KTV)
No agreement reached in the framework of dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels has started to be implemented on time.
Regardless of the statements of Minister for Dialogue, Edita Tahiri, that many of the agreements, according to dates she gave, would already need to start implementing, this still has not happened, KTV reports.
Most recent failure was the one of implementation of the IBM Agreement on functioning of border crossing point Kapia in Sfircë, although it was announced that it would open within December.
Kosovo side also did not manage to start implementation of the Agreement on Reciprocity of Licence Plates, which was envisaged to happen by mid-November last year.
Tahiri once blamed Ministry of Internal Affairs, which did not call the tender for stickers, while now she is blaming the Government, part of which she also is.
Analysts of political developments also criticize Government for non-implementation of agreements reached in Brussels.
Political analyst Krenar Shala says that Edita Tahiri should not speak with dates when an agreement would need to start implementing, since, according to him, this does not only depend on Kosovo side, but on the Serbian side too.
Veseli: Assembly has implemented 98 per cent of its agenda
(RTK)
Despite extraordinary difficulties that the Assembly of Kosovo encountered, during 2016, as no other state institution, it met its agenda by issuing important laws for lives of citizens, such as the Law on Trepça or Law on Obiliq/Obilic, Speaker of Kosovo Assembly Kadri Veseli said.
According to him, disagreements are natural in a democratic political system; however, disagreements in Kosovo were followed by violent oppositions. Veseli said that opposition has realized that it will not achieve anything with violence and aggression, therefore they have returned to the institutional path, online version of RTK reported.
In an interview with Telegrafi portal, Veseli also said that adoption of the Law on Demarcation, which has been at the centre of attention of Kosovo’s public, is important to happen during this year.
Whereas, as far as dilemmas regarding this year, whether there will be elections or not, leader of the biggest political party in the country said that opposition will not manage to force them give up the mandate which has been given to them by the people with a vast majority vote.
Sherifi: 2017 will be a year of early elections
(TV21)
Nisma për Kosovën Secretary, Bilall Sherifi, considers that 2016 is a lost year for Kosovo both at the sphere of internal development, as well as in the international arena.
He said that 2017 will be a year of early elections where Kosovo citizens will punish with plebiscitary vote, as he says, the majority of failure.
