Kosovo risks losing 12 million euro worth US donation for KSF
(KTV)
For the first time since the establishment of Kosovo Security Force, ten years ago, its relationship with the US Army has been put under the question mark.
However, disagreements have nothing to do directly with the Army, but because of a political decision of Kosovo Government, the one on the tariff against Serbian products.
Commander of KSF Rrahman Rama told Kohavision about cancellation of the visit of Iowa National Guard Commander, Major General Timothy Orr, scheduled to take place on the 11th anniversary of statehood.
Rama explained that he was plainly told that General Orr will not come as a protest against the Government’s stance on the tariff. The Commander of KSF passed this information to the Prime Minister of Kosovo, too.
But Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj denied being aware of the cancellation of the visit.
About 12 million euros is the value of Humvee military vehicles, the donation that KSF was expected to receive from the US Army in the middle of this year.
This fact has worried the KSF General, who, despite saying that he would not want to make political statements; fears the freezing of relations with Kosovo Army’s main ally.
In the meantime, KSF Commander confirmed for KTV that the 25-year-old M.S. from Partes/Partesh, a Serb member of KSF, suspected of attempting to rape a minor girl, was suspended.
Haradinaj: Whoever violates borders is an enemy of Kosovo
(KTV)
“If we open the borders of this Kosovo, then we also open the graves of those we came to remember today, their wounds and their sufferings. Whoever violates these borders is an enemy of Kosovo.”
This is what the Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj said during his speech held in front of families of the martyrs of Deçan/Decane municipality.
Haradinaj reminded them that they were on the independence anniversary week marking 11 years since Kosovo became a sovereign and independent state.
“This week happened to start in Deçan/Decane, a coincidence that is meritorious. So Deçan/Decane and this area of Dukagjini are really meritorious for the freedom of our homeland, the independence,” said PM Haradinaj.
Speaking about the declaration of Kosovo’s independence, Prime Minister Haradinaj made it clear that February 17, 2008 and its flag was a minimum compromise of the Albanian right and that being so, every Albanian is obliged to defend Kosovo, the Kosovo of 17 February, the defence of which, as he said, is also obligatory by the Constitution.
Haradinaj also spoke about the tariff imposed against Serbia, once again stressing that it will remain applicable until Kosovo’s recognition by Serbia.
During the same meeting he had in Deçan/Decane, Haradinaj also spoke of fake veterans’ case. According to him, this is all a noise and the day when everyone will understand he was right in his statements that there are no fake veterans will come.
Finalisation of dialogue platform within next three days
(Most monitored broadcasters, TV21)
The negotiating team held a meeting on Monday afternoon at the Kosovo Assembly premises to harmonize and finalize the platform on dialogue with Serbia.
Fatmir Limaj, co-chairman of the team, said after the meeting that they are working on finalizing the platform. He believes that in the next three days they will conclude it and by the end of the week present it to the Assembly of Kosovo for discussion in a session.
MPs meet KPC and KJC representatives regarding Gllogoc/Glogovac minor girl case
(KTV)
The recent events regarding minor girl’s abuse in Gllogoc/Glogovac have pushed the Kosovo Assembly Human Rights Committee to discuss the matter with representatives of the Kosovo Judicial Council (KJC) and Kosovo Prosecutorial Council (KPC) on Monday.
Numerous questions were addressed by MPs to representatives of these justice institutions.
The Committee members called for a quick solution for prevention of such cases.
The KJC President Nehat Idrizi said that the event is sensitive because it concerns a minor and he is not allowed to speak into details about the case, as it is still in investigative proceedings
In the meantime, most TV broadcasters reported that a march was organised in Ferizaj/Urosevac town in support of this girl from Gllogoc/Glogovac, who allegedly was sexually abused by a professor and a police officer.
Hague prosecutors summon another ex-KLA commander
(GazetaExpress)
Former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) General, Lahi Brahimaj, confirmed on Monday that he has been summoned by the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, to be questioned for his role during and after the war in Kosovo.
Brahimaj confirmed to Gazeta Express that he has received the summons to appear before international prosecutors in The Hague.
“I am ready to cooperate and answer the summons as I did earlier,” said Brahimaj who was acquitted twice of war crime charges by the war crimes tribunal in The Hague. Brahimaj was deputy commander of the KLA Dukagjini Area, and was deputy to Ramush Haradinaj who currently serves as country’s Prime Minister. Brahimaj and Haradinaj were indicted by the Hague Tribunal, but they were cleared twice of war crime charges.
Brahimaj says he is ready to answer the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office established by the Parliament of Kosovo in 2005 and tasked to investigate and prosecute crimes committed by the KLA during and after the war in Kosovo.
“My vote as MP was against creation of this court, but I respect the vote of majority of MPs,” said former MP and member of Haradinaj’s party, AAK.
In December 2018 the Specialist Prosecutor’s Office summoned former KLA-commanders of Drenica and Llapi region who in January 2019 were questioned in The Hague.
Mentor Shala: It’s not about salaries, but RTK’s status
(Klan Kosova’s summary of Zona B show)
Talking to Klan Kosova’s Zona B show, the former RTK Director General Mentor Shala said that the issue of salary coefficient in this broadcaster could have been regulated with the old law.
“We are a public broadcaster and I believe that we shall remain as such. We are not against setting of a ceiling, a limit up to where the salary in RTK can go. We are not against it. But, this coefficient could have been regulated by the Law on RTK that is under procedure. In the Law on Salaries we must now necessarily be subject to other provisions of the law and RTK employees are transformed into civil servants,” Shala said.
“It’s not about salaries, but about the RTK’s status,” he underlined.
“In several meetings held we have also discussed the Law on RTK, Law on Salaries and setting of a coefficient. Unfortunately, in the region there are external practices and the Slovenian law, as well as other parts of the region, were taken as the basis,” Shala added.
He said that the editorial independence cannot be guaranteed with the inclusion of RTK in the Law on Salaries.
He insisted that RTK has a special law and it was not possible for it to be included in another law.
On the other hand, RTK Board Chairperson Afërdita Maliqi said that inclusion of the public broadcaster in the Law on Salaries was senseless.
“As RTK, we were not part of the first reading of Law on Salaries and we did not know what was happening. We were informally told that RTK will be included in the Law on Salaries in the coefficient from 1 to 7. After receiving this information we reacted through the public, and we asked the Assembly Speaker and the Chairman of the Committee for Public Administration and Media why RTK should be part of this Law,” said Maliqi.
She said they have addressed President Hashim Thaçi regarding this issue on Monday.
“Today, together with the Acting Director, we sent a letter to the President of Kosovo to see if there are any violations. We have asked him to look into this Article and abolish this provision. Initially, we must see how the President is reacting, if [the Law is] decreed, we will address the Constitutional Court,” Maliqi said.
Maliqi said that Chairman of the Assembly Committee for Public Administration and Media, Nait Hasani, made an explanation regarding inclusion of RTK in the Law on Salaries.
“His explanation was that since RTK has a budget from the state, any institution that receives a budget from the state should be in the Law on Salaries,” Maliqi stated.
Maliqi also explained why RTK currently has an Acting Director General and not an actual Director General.
The RTK Board Chairperson said that the RTK Board has annulled the vacancy for Director General as none of the candidates met the required criteria.
Maliqi said that RTK Board has not done any illegal action regarding this case.
Former RTK Director General Mentor Shala said he is dissatisfied with the conditions in which the RTK employees carry out their profession.
On the other hand, Maliqi said that despite the difficult conditions that employees of this broadcaster face they have achieved positive results by leading with viewership.
