UNMIK Headlines 10 November
US and UK disappointed with UNESCO vote (Kosova Sot)
The United States and the United Kingdom ambassadors to Kosovo expressed disappointment with yesterday’s vote outcome on Kosovo’s application for UNESCO membership. The US’s Greg Delawie said however that the 92 votes in favour show that Kosovo has an important place in the international community while UK’s Ruairi O’Connell said Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO would bring benefit to all. “Kosovo would have been – and will be, in the future – a valuable member for UNESCO,” he said in a Facebook post.
Veseli: We shouldn’t be discouraged, on the contrary (Epoka e Re)
Kosovo Assembly President, Kadri Veseli wrote on his Facebook page on Monday that the diplomatic battle in Paris was harsh and that state institutions did their utmost for Kosovo to be accepted at UNESCO. According to him, Kosovo proved to have great friends in the entire world. “We should feel proud with our friends and to continue work in order for them to feel proud with their investment on Kosovo state. Today’s result should in no manner discourage us, in the contrary, it should motivate us to be more persistent in our inalienable right to be member with full rights in the international community,” Veseli wrote.
Mustafa: We will win over any racist campaign against Kosovo (Bota Sot)
Following the UNESCO no-vote on Kosovo’s membership application, Prime Minister of Kosovo Isa Mustafa said that he deeply regrets the outcome of the voting adding that this will not make Kosovo back down from seeking to become part of all international organisations. He said the Kosovo institutions led a remarkable lobbying campaign for Kosovo without directing it against any ethnic community in Kosovo. “Unfortunately, clear pro-western orientation of Kosovo and its readiness to push forward all constructive agendas bothered Serbia which continuously, and particularly during this process, led a racist campaign against Kosovo,” said Mustafa.
Thaci says dialogue with Serbia will continue (RTK)
Kosovo’s First Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hashim Thaci, stated in Paris after the voting at UNESCO that work for good relations with countries of the region will continue. “We will continue with our work to build good relations with the countries of the region,” Thaci said. He added that Kosovo delegation has done the maximum and it received support of the majority of western countries. To him, this represented a moral, academic and political victory. He accused Serbia for fascistic approach “It was a great support of all the western countries, but an aggressive reaction and racist campaign of Serbia against Kosovo,” he said.
Lunacek irritated by votes against Kosovo in UNESCO (dailies)
The European Parliament Vice President and Rapporteur for Kosovo, Ulrike Lunacek, said yesterday in Pristina that she is irritated by the fact that Kosovo was not accepted in the UNESCO. She said she was extremely angry with some of the EU countries that have recognized Kosovo and voted against or abstained. “The vote in UNESCO should have ended differently,” she said. Regarding Pristina - Belgrade dialogue, Lunacek said that Kosovo should ask for the implementation of agreements reached so far. “The vote today in UNESCO has put into question on how this dialogue should continue. As soon as I return to Brussels, I will try to speak with HRVP Federica Mogherini to see how to make Serbia not to impede Kosovo's integration processes,” she added. As for visa liberalization Lunacek said that this decision will come but she didn’t specify any dates.
CDHRF: Continuing dialogue with Serbia is senseless (Koha)
The Pristina-based Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) issued a statement yesterday after Kosovo failed to secure the necessary votes for membership of the UNESCO. The CDHRF called for reciprocity measures vis-à-vis Serbia. “What sense is there in Kosovo’s commitment to respect the agreements signed in Brussels if they are sabotaged and not implemented by Serbia? The Kosovo Government should either withdraw from further talks with Serbia or implement only the agreements that are implemented by Serbia. Otherwise, we will become a quasi-state and no one will treat us seriously,” the statement said. The CDRHF also noted that it was illogical that some countries, which have recognized Kosovo’s independence, did not vote in its favor in the UNESCO. “Following this debacle, we need to urgently review our state lobbying strategy, which came out as inferior toward Serbia despite the fact that the truth was on our side.”