UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, July 15, 2020

Albanian Language Media:

• COVID – 19: 119 new cases in last 24 hours (media)
• 1,192 active COVID - 19 cases in Prishtina, 35–44 age group most affected (media)
• COVID - 19, Kosovo tested only 1.61 of the population (RTK)
• Von Cramon: Grenell wanted to bypass EU and Kurti’s government (media)
• EULEX chief praises PM Hoti for traveling economy class (media)
• Who are candidates for PDK leader if Veseli indictment is confirmed? (Express)
• Bytyci: Kadri Veseli is PDK leader, media speculations are ill-willed (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• 37 new cases of Covid-19 infection registered in Serb areas in Kosovo (Kosovo-online)
• In Gracanica 24 infected with Covid-19, results to come for fifteen more (KIM radio)
• Radovic: KP to control if persons positive on Covid-19 respect self-isolation measures (KoSSev)
• Vucic: Missing persons and internally displaced first topic of dialogue in Brussels (N1)
• Destinies of missing and displaced persons from Kosovo unresolved for 21 years (Tanjug)
• Brussels no longer can ignore reality: There is no solution of Kosovo issue without Russia (Sputnik)
• Jaksic: Negotiations in Brussels will not bring anything good to the Kosovo Serbs (KIM radio, Beta)
• Serbian Military Union official says protest coming against Defense Minister (N1)
• Mutiny within Serbia's Socialists, main Vucic's partners, its leader says (N1)
• Serbia's NGO's asks UN to react to police actions during anti-regime protests (N1, RFE)
• Vucic starts talks about Serbia's new government, Albanians ask for four posts (FoNet, N1)

Opinion:

• Serbia-Kosovo deal: Can the EU succeed where Trump failed? (AlJazeera)
• Kosovo’s perplexing indictment and its effects (EWB)
• The EU Needs a New Balkan Strategy (Foreign Policy)

International:

• Trump Ex-Adviser Bolton Laments Lost Opportunity on Kosovo (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• EU removes Serbia, Montenegro from travel-safe list (B92, Tanjug, N1)

• Four more dead from coronavirus on Tuesday (media)
• Assembly lacks votes to pass law on pandemic (Koha)
• Hoti in Brussels with his office and associates, Weber calls for unity (Koha)
• President Thaci ends second day of interviewing at The Hague (media)
• Were prosecutors right to publicise charges against Thaci? (Balkan Insight)
• Haradinaj: Charges against Thaci, a blow to Kosovo’s freedom (Klan Kosova)
• War veterans’ leader: Specialist Chambers are attacking KLA directly (T7)
• Serwer: Be prepared (media)
• Presevo Valley Albanians ask to lead a ministry in Serbian government (Koha)
• Government defends decisions to appoint minister to extra post (media)

Albanian Language Media:

• Two more patients die from COVID – 19 (media)
• Hospital in Vushtrri transformed into hospital for COVID – 19 patients (media)
• Osmani: PM’s Legal Office endorsed Anti – COVID 19 Law (media)
• PDK calls for urgent increase of salaries of healthcare professionals (media)
• Justice minister Selimi to be part of Kosovo negotiating team (EO/Klan Kosova)
• Roth: Western Balkans at the centre of Germany's engagement (DW)
• UK welcomes resumption of Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (media)
• KSF ready to support efforts to fight COVID-19 (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Elek: 93 persons hospitalized at Clinical-Hospital Center in Mitrovica North, one person passed away (KoSSev)
• Gracanica: New measures and announcement of fines, and the old problem (KIM radio)
• Hashim Thaci's indictment will remain unknown until October (B92, RTS)
• PM Brnabic denies lack of transparency during coronavirus pandemic (N1)
• Vucic congratulates Macron, convinced in his support of Serbia's EU path (BETA, N1)
• Samardzic: ''Vucic is going to Brussels again without a strategy'' (KIM radio, Beta, N1)
• Maas: I will travel to Belgrade and Pristina, dialogue is priority (RTS)
• Serbian NGOs call on the EU to insist on core values in Serbia (KIM radio, EWB)

Opinion:

• A manual: how to lose the battle with COVID-19 (Prishtina Insight)
• Surroi: Kosovo yet to realise how dramatic situation with COVID – 19 is (Koha)

International:

• Corrupt clans or startups? Kosovo must now choose (Die Welt)
• Serbia ‘Provided War Crimes Evidence’ Against Kosovo President (Balkan Insight)
• Public anger rises across Balkans as coronavirus toll grows (Financial Times)

Humanitarian/Development:

• New restrictive measures added following jump in coronavirus cases (Prishtina Insight)
• Austria bans flights from Western Balkans (N1, DW)

• COVID-19: 187 new cases, six dead (media)
• Hoti: New measures aimed at slowing the spread of COVID-19 (media)
• Osmani: It is our constitutional duty to pass anti-Covid law (media)
• Zemaj: Health Institute has capacity to do 500-600 tests in 24 hours (media)
• Gjilan Mayor: New government measures are very unpopular (media)
• Government has no plans to carry out massive testing (Koha)
• PDK MP requests names of persons with COVID-19 be published (Kallxo)
• President Thaci interviewed by Specialist Prosecutor’s Office (media)
• Haradinaj: If indictments confirmed, Kosovo risks serious damage (media)
• Cakaj: When KLA is concerned, we should react as a nation, not as two states (media)
• Assembly approves in principle budget review (media)
• Lajcak discusses dialogue with Russian Ambassador at EU (Sputnik/RTK)
• Hague war crime prosecutors quiz Kosovo President Thaci (Balkan Insight)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, July 13, 2020

Albanian Language Media:

• President Thaci arrives at the Special Court (RTK)
• Veseli: We will triumph in this battle as well (media)
• Haradinaj: I highly value Thaci’s readiness to respond to Specialist Chambers (RTK)
• Albanians protest in Hague (Koha)
• Kosovo Government announces new measures against coronavirus (media)
• Borrell considers Lajcak has done a good job (Koha)
• Police Director warns penalty measures for those who do not wear masks (media)
• Kurti accuses the government: They are filling the morg (RTK)
• Gucati and Kosnett discuss KLA veterans (RTK)
• Thaci’s lawyer, former U.S. senior official Pierre-Richard Prosper (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

• 38 new cases of Covid-19 infection registered, one person passed away in Serb areas (Kosovo-online)
• Vucic: Belgrade-Pristina talks to resume on Thursday with new topics (media)
• Dacic: There is no readiness of Pristina for compromise (Prva TV)
• Dialogue on reset, but still paralyzed (DW)
• Vucic met Botsan-Kharchenko, discussed Kosovo and Metohija (Danas)
• “Consultations on new Serbian government to start as of Tuesday” (N1, FoNet)
• NGOs urged crisis headquarters to inform public on epidemic, unbiased cooperation with media outlets (KoSSev)
• Dr. Rasic: Increased number of patients with respiratory infections in Gracanica (RTK2, Radio kontakt plus)

International:

• 'I believe in justice' says Kosovo's Thaci as he arrives at The Hague on war crime charges (Euronews)
• Kosovo-Serbia Deal Must Not Lead to Impunity for War Crimes: US Ex-Ambassador (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Kon on epidemiological situation in Serbia, possibility of new measures (B92, Prva TV)
• Temporary residence permits in Kosovo extended (Prishtina Insight)

• COVID-19: 216 new cases in last 24 hours (media)
• State of emergency not declared; stricter measures will be applied (media)
• Kosovo President Hashim Thaci’s interview to Top Channel
• EU Special Representative: The dialogue is back on track (media)
• Von der Leyen expresses support for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (media)
• Hoti: I’ll meet Vucic in Brussels on Thursday; only mutual recognition (media)
• Hoti: U.S. and EU to complement each other in the dialogue (media)
• Vucic: Situation with Kosovo, almost hopeless (media)
• President Thaci urges people to strictly implement protective measures (media)
• Zemaj: Do not force us to declare a state of emergency (media)
• No total lockdown from state of emergency, sources say (Indeksonline)
• Association of Municipalities supports state of emergency (media)
• Association of Psychologists oppose state of emergency (media)
• Thaci and Borrell agree to extend EULEX mandate for another year (media)
• EULEX chief: We remain fully committed to our partnership (media)
• “France, Germany and Netherlands opposed visa liberalisation” (Lajmi)
• U.S. Embassy: People of Kosovo deserve better (media)
• Bajrami: Let’s focus on economic recovery, not personal attacks (media)
• Kosovo’s Thaci strongly denies committing any war crimes (AP)

• COVID – 19: 205 new cases, 3 dead (media)
• Kosovo PM in favor of state of emergency to fight COVID – 19 (media)
• PM Hoti: We’re heading toward a state of emergency (media)
• Mitrovica Mayor against state of emergency: Grave consequences (Koha)
• Kosovo Assembly stops session amid tensions and insults (media)
• Quint ambassadors: Debate without recourse to insults and threats (media)
• EU Head of Office: Violence has no place in democratic societies (media)
• Kosovo-Serbia talks in Paris close without results (Prishtina Insight)
• Biden hails continuation of talks, calls for coordination with Europeans (media)
• Grenell: Biden threw negotiations into a US presidential political issue (media)
• Meeting in Washington can happen within weeks, says Kosovo PM (media)
• Prishtina with highest number of domestic violence cases (Kosovapress)
• The real heroes of our time: the lives of workers in Kosovo (Prishtina Insight)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, July 10, 2020

Albanian Language Media:

• Hoti-Vucic Sunday meeting in Brussels postponed (media)
• Hoti: Agreement with Serbia cannot be successful without mutual recognition (media)
• Osmani calls blocking of anti-Covid draft law 'disgraceful' (media)
• Nagavci: Management of pandemic, presently top priority for Kosovo (media)
• Germany donates 6,000 COVID-19 testing kits to Kosovo (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Meeting in Brussels postponed for Thursday, US- EU relations are not our matter (RTS)
• 36 new cases of Covid-19 infection in Serb areas in Kosovo (Radio KIM)
• Djuric: Walker is last person who should talk about crimes (RTS)
• Vucic: Discussing three crucial issues with Macron (B92)
• Simic: Vjosa Osmani deceived public, read inexistent Rakic’s statement (TV Most)

Opinion:

• EU mediation is a relief but not a panacea (Prishtina Insight)

International:

• France, Germany lead effort to fire up Serbia-Kosovo talks (AP)
• Europe’s Latest Peace-Making Efforts in Balkans Hit New Hurdle (Bloomberg)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Media Literacy Project: Photojournalist and journalist form integral whole (KoSSev)

• COVID-19: 207 new cases, 8 deaths in last 24 hours (media)
• Prishtina Mayor: Number of coronavirus cases is much higher (Klan)
• Zeka: 45% of businesses in Kosovo have stopped operating (media)
• EU: Dialogue will continue regardless of protests in Serbia (media)
• Kosovo PM Hoti goes to dialogue without internal consensus (Koha)
• Assembly adopts resolution “in defense of people’s values” (media)
• EU Office chief disappointed with failure to ratify agreements (media)
• Haradinaj: Not logical for Europeans to undermine US summit (T7)
• Kosovo ministers visit Presevo Valley (media)
• William Walker disappointed with SPO’s actions (RTK)
• War veterans protest charges against President Thaci (Balkan Insight)
• Lushtaku: Better for PDK to join the government (Telegrafi)
• Stalled talks set to resume in Brussels but what's at stake? (Euronews)

Albanian Language Media:

• Kosovo government not in support of draft law on pandemics (RTK)
• Government endorses action plan for increase of Covid-19 tests (Telegrafi)
• Kosovo PM ready to declare state of emergency over coronavirus (Gazeta Express)
• Roth: EU must grant Kosovo promised visa liberalization (Die Welt, Express)
• LVV does not vote international agreements, endorsement fails (media)
• Gucati: Indictment proposal against KLA leaders, direct attack on Kosovo (media)
• Assembly does not approve LVV’s draft resolution on dialogue (media)
• UNMIK assists Malisheva with anti-Covid-19 protection equipment (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

• In all Serb areas, 139 newly infected in the last three weeks of testing (Kontakt plus radio, KIM radio)
• Dacic: Visit to Paris important, matter of Kosovo recognition does not exist for Serbia (TV Pink, Tanjug)
• Vucic: We know how to maintain peace (N1)
• Stefanovic: An attempt to seize power by force (B92)
• New riots in Belgrade; speculations about who provokes clashes (N1)
• Vucic: No compromise with the vandals; Involvement of foreign security services proven (B92)
• Russian Ambassador rejects allegations or Russia’s involvement in unrests in Belgrade (B92)
• US Embassy closely follows events, condemns all violence (media)

Opinion:

• "Kosovo Serbs always suffer the consequences of instability in Serbia" (KIM radio)
• What ‘Twiplomacy’ reveals about the Serbia-Kosovo dialogue (neweasterneurope.eu)

International:

• Kosovo's Thaci To Go To The Hague For Interview With War Crimes Prosecutor (RFE)
• Serbia Protests Meet Violent Response in Europe’s 1st Major Virus Unrest (The New York Times)
• Serbian President ‘Has the Evidence’ to Resolve US Albanians’ Murders (Balkan Insight)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Kosovo’s hospitals receive influx of COVID-19 patients (Prishtina Insight)