UNMIK Headlines 1 April
Pristina adamant: No executive competencies for Association (Koha Ditore)
"Accept every agreement that is in line with the Constitution and laws of Kosovo, reject every agreement that breaches the Constitution and laws of Kosovo. This is the guiding principle for Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci when he meets his Serbian counterpart Ivica Dacic in Brussels on Tuesday," Bekim Collaku, advisor to Prime Minister Thaci, told the paper.
Collaku said the two prime ministers would address issues that were discussed in the last three rounds of dialogue: the establishment of the Association of Serb municipalities in Kosovo, its function, and duties.
Collaku said despite Belgrade's insistence, Pristina would not agree for the Association to have executive competencies. "Pristina will never agree for the Association of Serb municipalities to have legislative competencies, to have an Appeals Court or special police formations. No association can have competencies that belong to the central level," he added.
Collaku said Pristina would offer a solution foreseen in the Ahtisaari Package, the Constitution, and laws of Kosovo. "An Association that in certain areas can assume joint responsibilities for implementing certain issues that are related exclusively to the municipal level, and nothing more," he said.
Collaku also said that Pristina will not waver from its position and that an agreement is possible if Serbia backs down from its position that the association should have executive competencies.
Haziri: Serbia responsible if agreement fails (Express)
Lutfi Haziri, member of Kosovo Parliament and senior official of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), told the paper that the eighth meeting between Hashim Thaci and Ivica Dacic is a good opportunity to start normalizing relations between the two countries. He said an agreement between Pristina and Belgrade would bring them rewards from the European Union. Haziri argued that if an agreement is not reached, Serbia would be responsible for this as this would be the third time that it wastes an opportunity for reconciliation with Kosovo.
Haziri, who chairs the parliamentary committee for European integration, said an agreement on the northern part of Kosovo should be reached before April 16 when the EU Council of Ministers convenes.
"After refusing to sign the Rambouillet Agreement and after rejecting the Ahtisaari Plan in Vienna, Serbia now has another opportunity to contribute to improving relations and accommodating Kosovo Serbs, by assuming the responsibility to disband its parallel structures in northern Kosovo," Haziri said.
Deda: Neither Kosovo nor Serbia will win (dailies)
In an interview for Belgrade-based Danas newspaper, Ilir Deda, director of the Kosovo Institute for Political Research and Development (KIPRED), said talks between Kosovo and Serbia will not produce a winner and that both parties will have to make compromises.
"Neither Kosovo nor Serbia will win. The north will remain part of Kosovo and as a reward it will establish the Association of Serb municipalities with softer or slightly stronger competencies. Some people will certainly be upset, while others will be happy that the problem has finally been solved and everyone will resort to their lives and to developing society."
Asked if the Thaci-led Government of Kosovo will have the power to implement agreements, Deda said the government in Pristina relies on international support and will therefore implement everything that is required.
Krasniqi's calculations (Express)
Jakup Krasniqi has yet to make a move in the ruling Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), five weeks after he rejected being a member of the party's chairmanship. Sources told the paper that Krasniqi is waiting for the outcome of the trial of another PDK member, Fatmir Limaj, before clarifying his position in the party.
"His first option is to remain in the PDK and starting elections in the party from scratch," an official close to Krasniqi told the paper. "The second option is for Krasniqi and Fatmir Limaj to form a new political party or to join another party. The Vetevendosje Movement is a possible option."
The paper recalls that last week, Krasniqi met Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti and among other things discussed the possible ousting of the ruling government.
Albanian seriously wounded by Serbs at Merdare crossing point (dailies)
Around 21:00 hrs on Monday, at the border crossing point of Merdare, a group of Serbs attacked a bus from Kosovo, causing serious injuries to an Albanian. Two Serb vehicles stopped the bus and refused to let it cross. An altercation ensued and one of the Serbs stabbed a Kosovo Albanian in the chest. The victim was transported to the central hospital in Pristina; his life is not in danger.