UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 8, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 587 new cases, 6 deaths (media)
• EU: Ten-year dialogue has brought clear changes (RFE, Kallxo)
• ECAP: All votes for Bosniak in 7 municipalities are annulled (media)
• ECAP decides on recount of conditional and diaspora votes for AAK (media)
• ECAP suspends six commissioners in Suhareka, orders vote recount (Koha)
• Investigation on suspicions for Haradinaj-Stublla’s vote rigging begins (media)
• Haradinaj: I wish the manipulators meritorious punishments (Koha)
• Kurti says new government won’t have less than 5 female ministers (media)
• Women’s representation in Kosovo’s Parliament increased without reliance on gender quotas (exit.al)
• March in Prishtina in honor of the International Women’s Day (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 18 new cases of Covid-19 registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo on Sunday (KoSSev)
• Office for KiM: 10.500 Serbs from Kosovo inoculated (Radio KIM)
• EU: 10 years later, time to bring the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina to an end (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)
• Odalovic: Pristina should open archives, people have not disappeared in the forest (RTS, Kosovo and Metohija radio, Kontakt plus radio)
• Vucic: Pristina wanted to buy Serb souls in the south, it failed in the north, we will help the people (KoSSev)
• Dacic: Double standards of EU, Belgrade’s stances clear since beginning (Kosovo-online)
• Additional 28.080 doses of Pfizer vaccine arrived in Serbia (Tanjug)
• Serbian List urges competent authorities to prosecute those who broke into Serbian Orthodox churches (Kosovo-online)
• Serbian opposition parties and organizations submits joint platform on elections conditions’ talks (N1)

Opinion:

• Rebuilding on Equal Foundations (EurActiv)

Humanitarian/Development:

• UN highlights transformative power of equal participation, marking International Women’s Day (UN News)
• Covid could endanger progress on gender equality, says Merkel (The Guardian)
• A boy from Novo Brdo’s love for tennis breaks all boundaries (KoSSev)

• COVID-19: 566 new cases, nine deaths (media)
• Kurti: Formation of new institutions ASAP (media)
• Osmani: Diplomatic actions to be coordinated with U.S. (RTV21/Telegrafi)
• Serwer, Philips comment on Kosovo-Israel diplomatic relations (Telegrafi)
• Prosecution called on to investigate 'vote buying' allegations (Klan)
• In a land dominated by ex-rebels, Kosovo women find power at the ballot box (NYT)
• SRSG Tanin reaffirms the need to address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on women and recognise their contributions (UNMIK)
• Vetevendosje to support “We march, we don’t celebrate” march (media)
• Vucic: Serbia facing western pressure to recognise Kosovo (media)
• Krivokapic: I would never have agreed to recognise Kosovo (Koha)
• Kosovo planning to draft 'black list' modeled on the U.S. (Koha)
• New Court Faces Old Problems in Protecting Kosovo Witnesses (BIRN)
• A life dedicated to education (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 564 new cases, seven deaths (media)
• Hoti: Kosovo facing a new wave of COVID-19, first vaccines to arrive in March (media)
• Kurti-led government expected to be formed on 25 March (Koha)
• Non-Serb community parties appeal election result (media)
• Osmani: KSF to deploy on its first mission abroad this week (Telegrafi)
• SPO ready for commencement of trial against Salih Mustafa (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• In Serbian areas in Kosovo 56 new cases of Covid-19, two deaths (Radio Mitrovica sever)
• Lajčák: Both Belgrade and Pristina understand dialogue has no alternative (N1)
• Analysts:Citizens committed to change and reforms, but present differing views on cooperation with SL (KoSSev)
• Petkovic: We continue the joint struggle for the survival of our people (RTV Puls)
• US diplomat: Biden to condemn statement on Kosovo’s unification with Albania (N1)
• German FM: Serbia will get 300,000 vaccines from COVAX programme (DW, N1)
• Selakovic: Von Cramon's views do not reflect official German policy (Kosovo Online, Tanjug)
• Vecernje Novosti: "Lajcak didn't bring anything new to Belgrade, left with a clear message from Vucic" (B92)
• The Court of Appeals revoked the decision on the detention of seven young men, but will not be released until a new decision (Kosovo Online)
• Ambassador says France committed to supporting Western Balkans (N1, FoNet)
• Biden deleted Trump's plan to invest in Serbia? (Danas)

Opinion:

• The Times They Are a-Changin’: But For Better or Worse? (Balkan Insight)

International:

• Serb Ex-Policeman Claims Alibi for Kosovo Family’s Killings (Balkan Insight)

• COVID-19: 658 new cases, nine deaths (media)
• Kurti: My position hasn’t changed; we can’t change the Constitution (media)
• Petkovic reacts to Kurti: Idea for unification could have consequences (media)
• Lajcak expects a Kurti-Vucic meeting before summer (media)
• ECAP receives 15 complaints over election results (media)
• Kusari-Lila: LDK voted Thaci, it should also vote Osmani (RTK/Telegrafi)
• AAK has not yet decided whether to vote for Osmani as president (Klan)
• Hodzic: Vote for Kurti government if two Bosniak municipalities formed (media)
• Mustafa: No preferences for LDK leader and no official candidacies (Kallxo)
• UNDP publishes latest public pulse report (media)
• Kosovo’s Courts Struggle to Hold Corrupt Officials to Account (Balkan Insight)
• Suicide prevention helpline seeking funding (Prishtina Insight)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, March 4, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 591 new cases, seven deaths (media)
• Zemaj warns stricter measures if increasing trend continues (media)
• Central Election Commission announces final election results (media)
• NATO SG: We’re reviewing engagement with KSF, after mandate change (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 67 new cases of Covid-19, two deaths registered in Serbian areas in Kosovo (KoSSev)
• Antonijevic: The number of patients is growing, the worrying situation (KiM radio)
• The CEC confirmed 10 mandates of the Serbian List, Slavko and Igor Simic won the most votes (Kosovo Online)
• Vucic: Albanians are not ready to compromise (KoSSev)
• Lajcak from Belgrade: Status quo is not sustainable for either side (KoSSev)
• Germany against change of borders; Serbia for compromise (KoSSev)
• Sava Janjic: No hasty solution for Kosovo and Metohija (NMagazin, FB)
• Selakovic addressed German Bundestag EU Committee, talks about EU integration, Kosovo issue (GoS, media)
• Grubjesic: Lajcak visit to 'feel the pulse' of Pristina about the dialogue continuation (Tanjug, Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• Lack of paper in the Paper Leviathans (Koha)
• Intentional Amnesia: Croatia’s Attempt to Erase Yugoslavia (Balkan Insight)

International:

• Left-wing party wins Kosovo poll, needs ally to form cabinet (AP)
• World Health Organization warns of global uptick in Covid cases after weeks of decline (CNBC)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Inspiring change: women’s leadership in health care is vital during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond (euro.who.int)
• In COVID-19 Fight, Free Speech Becomes Collateral Damage (Balkan Insight)
• EU Starts Sputnik V Review as Russia Seeks Vaccine Acceptance (Bloomberg)

• COVID-19: 601 new cases, five deaths (media)
• New anti-COVID measures to be proposed in face of growing new cases (media)
• CEC: Election results to be announced Thursday (media)
• VV thanks diaspora members, claims to have overwhelmingly won their votes (media)
• Daka says recent elections were the most difficult to organise (Klan Kosova)
• Kurti: Specialist Chambers were imposed, KLA led just war (Telegrafi)
• In Switzerland, Osmani meets diaspora, chairman of National Council (media)
• EU-U.S. coordination, guarantee there will be no imposed solutions on Kosovo (Koha)
• EU envoy tells Serbia, Kosovo dialogue key for entry talks (AP/RFE)
• Grenell: Kurti and VV believe Israel was built by crimes (media)
• DFC dismisses head of Belgrade office - report (SeeNews/Tanjug)
• Twenty years on, the disappeared still cast shadows in northern Kosovo (euronews)

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 601 new cases, five new deaths (media)
• Vetevendosje’s Kurti says he has votes to form the government (RFE)
• Kurti replies to Netanyahu, Erdogan; no mention of embassy in Jerusalem (media)
• CEC likely to announce final election results today (Express)
• EUSR Lajcak’s visit to Kosovo: Dialogue will continue (media)
• Lajcak: Dialogue important for Kosovo and Serbia’s European aspirations (media)
• Abbott: UK shares views for well-prepared, principled dialogue (media)
• EU-facilitated dialogue with US support as soon as institutions are formed (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 33 Covid-19 cases in Serbian communities in Kosovo, one deceased (Kontakt plus radio)
• Gracanica: 10 new Covid-19 cases (KiM radio)
• Patriarch Porfirije: Kosovo not only a geopolitical issue for us, but also a question of identity (RTS, KiM radio, Kosovo Online)
• Freedom House: SNS erodes political, civil liberties in Serbia (N1, VoA)
• Germany honestly supports Western Balkans’ European perspective (Beta, N1)
• LVV publishes photos of Kurti and Lajcak – no Albanian flag (KoSSev)
• Lazic: An epidemic would be under control with 20,000 revaccinated, we are now halfway there (Kosovo Online)
• Bajrami: Dialogue cannot continue with the same discourse, reaching an agreement in a few months is unrealistic (KoSSev)

Humanitarian/Development:

• WHO: Serbia fourth in Europe by number of newly infected per 100,000 people (N1)

• COVID-19: 488 new cases, 8 deaths (media)
• First COVID-19 COVAX vaccines for Kosovo by May (Express)
• Palmer: Full normalization is achieved through mutual recognition (Koha)
• Lajcak: Dialogue can be completed within several months (Prishtina Insight)
• Kurti in Lezha: The Constitution of Kosovo forbids national unity (media)
• Former U.S. dialogue envoy calls Kurti “Anti-American” (media)
• Kosovo Bosniaks Protest About ‘Election Trickery’ (Balkan Insight)
• Haradinaj claims to have an offer for the winning party (T7, media)
• Freedom House: Global decline in democracy has 'accelerated' (RFE, media)
• EU Envoy in Pristina to discuss Kosovo-Serbia normalization process (RFE)

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID-19: 488 new cases, 8 deaths (media)
• Lajcak expects Kosovo-Serbia agreement within mandate of Kurti’s government (media)
• Schutz on Lajcak's visit to Kosovo (Express)
• Hoti: Sovereignty and integrity of Kosovo non-negotiable (media)
• Vetevendosje publishes details of Kurti-Lajcak discussions (Express)
• Kurti: The Constitution does not allow us to unite with Albania (media)

• COVID-19: 467 new cases, 9 deaths (media)
• Lajcak arrives in Prishtina, meets Kurti and Kosnett (media)
• Lajcak: Kurti knows international community expects dialogue to resume (RTK)
• Hoxha: Revoking Radojicic warrant was unexpected (Kallxo)
• Ismaili: AAK, safest and most natural partner for Vetevendosje (media)
• Shasha: Embassy in Jerusalem, a done deal (Koha)
• Prosecution senior official arrested on abuse of duty (media)
• Deadly provocation: How village killings kindled Kosovo’s resistance (BIRN)