Thaçi: Main goal of Tuesday’s meeting has been achieved
(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)
“Dialogue has no alternative”, Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi said at a press conference held upon his return from Brussels.
Thaçi described the situation in Tuesday evening’s meeting with his Serbian counterpart, Tomislav Nikolic, as a difficult one. According to him, this is due to interruption of high political level meetings for a long period.
Although, according to President Thaçi, the main goal of the meeting, which has been reduction of tensions and avoidance of unnecessary provocations, a request of mediator [Federica] Mogherini, has been achieved.
Full statement of Kosovo President Hashim Thaçi in English is here: http://www.president-ksgov.net/?page=2,6,4721#.WIjn_FXaeJA
In the meantime, most TV broadcasters reported that EU High Representative, Federica Mogherini, reacted against public statements given after Tuesday night’s meeting between Kosovo and Serbian leaders, and called upon all to show self-restraint.
North is a ‘ticking bomb’
(Most monitored broadcasters, TV21)
Except the north and tensions with Serbia, security experts consider extension of Russian influence as another threat to security in Kosovo.
“This situation in the north for which we can easily say is a ‘ticking bomb’ that can produce insecurity at any moment in Kosovo, is being monitored,” said Nehat Mustafa, Deputy Minister of Interior.
Special Court might also destabilise the national security said panel members of the roundtable organised by the Security Policy Research Centre (SPRC) on the topic of “Kosovo security challenges 2017.”
Former Minister of Kosovo Security Force, Agim Çeku, also said that Special Court might trigger dissatisfaction among the citizens.
“Special Court is the first one; it can trigger citizens’ dissatisfaction. Demarcation might trigger citizens’ dissatisfaction, establishment of the Association of Serb Majority Municipality might trigger citizens’ dissatisfaction…,” Çeku highlighted.
He also said that the new world order is another threat to security in Kosovo.
“Srpska List has openly said that it will not vote constitutional changes for which two-thirds of the votes are necessary. But, is there a way out of this situation? Of course, there is. The Government, Assembly must take the further steps and pave the way for KSF to move ahead without making constitutional changes,” said Kadri Kastrati, former KSF Commander.
Organiser of this roundtable on security in Kosovo, its initiator, director of SPRC, Burim Ramadani, said that 2017 started with much tension. It was also said that extremism and organised crime remain another security threat.
No one can stop smuggling in Kosovo north
(KTV)
Kosovo institutions commended themselves that they managed to stop entrance of Serbian train to Kosovo, but they are not managing to control smuggling, the market, nor licence any of the businesses in Kosovo north.
“Nis Petrol” is a fuel station with 56 per cent of shares of Russian company “Gazprom” and the other part of shares belong to Serbian Government.
This fuel station continues to operate without a licence, by not being impeded by anybody.
Everything that Ministry of Trade and Industry has managed to do is to take photos of these fuel stations.
Minister of Trade and Industry Hykmete Bajrami said this fuel station is not functional. But, in reality, situation is different. Kohavison visited northern part and closely saw that this fuel station functions without any problem.
Minister Bajrami is expecting from “Nis Petrol” to file a request for licencing.
EU reconfirms, wall will be demolished
(Klan Kosova)
Head of EU Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova, met with Minister of Environment Ferat Shala, where they discussed relevant developments in the north.
Spokesperson of the EU Office, Dinka Zivalj, reconfirmed EU’s stance to Klan Kosova that the wall will be demolished since “the European Union is about building bridges, not walls.”
Therefore, according to her, in this meeting Apostolova asked about the legal procedures and necessary steps for solution of this problem.
In the meeting it was also discussed about the future work of monitoring and implementing council which facilitates implementation of Kosovo legal provisions related to preservation of Serbian religious and cultural heritage in Kosovo.
PDK will make its finances public
(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)
Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) will soon make its finances public, KTV reported.
This is at least the promise that Assembly Speaker and PDK chairman, Kadri Veseli, gave to EU member states. This was made public by the Head of EU Office in Kosovo, Nataliya Apostolova, after the joint meeting at the Assembly of Kosovo. The host, Speaker Kadri Veseli, in the meeting told ambassadors that appointment of the Minister for European Integration is a matter of days.
Apostolova also spoke about the importance of SAA and Assembly’s role in it.
Assembly Speaker, Veseli, said that Euro-Atlantic integration is vital for Kosovo, while he emphasised that they will fulfil any standard or criterion in order for Kosovo to move ahead.
Aside from statements made by Apostolova and Veseli, journalists’ questions were not allowed, while not a single word was spoken about latest developments in the country.
Four Vetëvendosje activists appeared on trial
(All monitored broadcasters, KTV)
Wearing blouses with inscription “Justice for Astrit,” four Vetëvendosje activists appeared in front of the trial panel for their first time. Frashër Krasniqi, Atdhe Arifi, Egzon Haliti and Adea Batusha are being accused of committing the criminal offence of terrorism, which is related with last year’s attack against Kosovo Assembly building.
Defence of the accused persons did not even provide space to prosecutor Abdurrahim Islami to read the indictment, because it requested his exclusion and exclusion of the whole Special Prosecution from this case.
The request was made with the justification that this is a political persecution, a vocabulary which was criticized by the trial panel chairman.
Prosecutor said he did not file a political indictment and he justified this with the fact that he did not mention the word Vetëvendosje anywhere.
There were even stronger reactions when prosecutor Islami said that the defendant Atdhe Arifi has verified a part of the indictment.
Nevertheless, the judge closed the session until a decision for exclusion of the case prosecutor, or not.
Revision of RTK budget projection postponed
(RTK1)
Kosovo Assembly Budget and Finance Committee postponed revision of the first quarter budget projection for the Radio and Television of Kosovo (RTK) to another meeting. This was done with justification that they have not read the reports, although these reports were sent to the Assembly a week earlier.
This delay can also postpone the salaries of RTK employees. Members of this Committee were informed by the deputy chairperson that non-revision of this point also implies postponement of employee salaries, but this was not of significance for majority of the Budget and Finance Committee members.
Such prolongations by the respective Committee might be understood as the next pressure on the line and a bad message for RTK employees, who produce 96 hours of TV programme and 48 hours of radio programme each day, RTK1 reported.
RTK Trade Union reacted against this situation with a statement, qualifying it as pressure and blackmail, online version of Kosovo’s public broadcasters reported.
Real chances for ruling down judgment in case of Oliver Ivanovic
(RTK2)
In a few days there will be exactly three years since the arrest of the Civic Initiative SDP leader, Oliver Ivanovic, who is in jail awaiting a decision of the Appellate Court to the appeal filed by his defence at the first instance.
Lawyer Ljubomir Pantovic told Tanjug that three years are turning since Ivanovic is being kept in custody, that there is still no judgment in effect and that chances for ruling down the judgment, by which the Citizens Initiative SDP leader was sentenced to nine years of imprisonment, are real.
