Headlines - 12.11.2013

Brussels calls for implementation of Brussels agreement (Koha Ditore)

EU has urged Pristina and Belgrade to make maximum efforts in implementing Brussels Agreement of 19 April, namely the aspect dealing with disbanding of Serb parallel structures in Kosovo. Powerless in face of Serbia’s obstructions, Kosovo Government has appealed to Brussels to monitor implementation process and put pressure on Serbia to stop interfering in Kosovo.

Spokesperson of the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Maja Kocijancic, did not give too much hope that Brussels will actually take on the commitment. She said the parties of the agreement should be engaged in overcoming the issue. “With regards to parallel structures, in April the two sides have reached an agreement that has to be implemented entirely”, said Kocijancic. She added that in the last meeting, the two prime ministers, Thaçi and Dacic, agreed to conclude the issue.

Association, by mid-December (Tribuna)

The mediator of the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade, Baroness Catherine Ashton, will invite the Prime Ministers, Hashim Thaçi and Ivica Dacic, immediately after the conclusion of the elections. European facilitators, plan to have the first meeting with the two Prime Ministers, to evaluate the work of technical teams on disintegration of parallel structures and preparations for the creation of Association of Serb municipalities in Kosovo. The Prime Minister will conclude this meeting on 5 December, to meet again on the 13^th of the same month. Sources from international diplomats told this daily that the 13 December meeting should be the one to make official the start of the work of the Association of Serb Municipalities. 

Serbia could challenge “indefinitely” sovereignty of Kosovo (Koha Ditore)

Kosovo’s sovereignty and internal functionality could be disputed by Serbia if western countries do not pressure Government of Serbia to recognize independent state of Kosovo, says the still unfinished document: Kosovo and agreement Pristina-Belgrade, of the think tank “Democratization Policy Council”. Kosovo and Serbia have achieved an agreement in April this year with the facilitation of European Union for normalization of relations. However, Belgrade does not recognize independence of Kosovo.

The Agreement encountered significant obstacles in the implementation.  Serb parallel structures have resisted to the calls from Serb officials to take part in local elections of 3 November. The elections for the creation of new municipality of Mitrovica north will be repeated after groups of Serb youth have entered with masks in three voting centers and have destroyed voting boxes and ballots.

Democratization Policy Council evaluates that the developments in the field after the agreement facilitated from European Union Foreign Policy, Catherine Ashton, warns that the process has come to the point, in which threatens the functionality of the state of Kosovo, acquired with difficulties, integration of the majority of Kosovo Serbs and as the continuation to eternity of disagreements over the status with Serbia. 

Agreements with Serbia should be ratified  (Tribuna)

Members of the Commission for External Affairs, assessed that the agreement on Energy and Telecommunication, reached between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels, should be ratified at the Assembly, in order to come to power. The Commission also assessed that the law on international agreements is unclear in some of its articles, and as such, caused stagnations on implementation. According to the report of this Commission, Kosovo Law for international agreements does not require for those agreements to change laws ratified at the Assembly, which according to them, represents a failure.  

Tirana and Pristina governments to hold joint session in December (dailies)

Government of Kosovo and Albania will hold their joint meeting not on 16 November as previously suggested but early December. Opposition in Kosovo accused the Government for using the meeting for election purposes but in a press release, the Government of Kosovo said the time of the meeting should not be target of attacks and electoral interpretations, especially when the date of the meeting was agreed upon before the elections were scheduled.

“Nevertheless, wishing to preserve at all cost integrity of cooperation between the two countries and governments, we today asked for understanding from the Government of Albania to hold the first meeting early in December”, the Government’s statement reads.

Moscow to change stance if Belgrade does (Epoka e Re)

Russian Ambassador to Belgrade Alexander Chepurin said his country will reconsider the stance against independence of Kosovo if Belgrade makes such a request. “For as long as Serbia’s position remains unwavering, our position will also not change”, said Chepurin. “But if Serbia, Belgrade, were to say ‘recognise it’, this would then be a different situation”, said the Russian diplomat.

CDHRF requests repeat of voting (dailies)

The Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms CDHRF thinks that there were many irregularities, which have influenced and are influencing final result of elections. According to CDHRF, the positive evaluation is political evaluation conditioned from the violence organized in the north, in which have been attacked and demolished voting boxes and the polling stations have been closed before 19:00 hours. For this reason, CDHRF requests moral and legal responsibility from CEC, who is directly responsible that over 100.000 thousand votes invalid as a consequence of failure of explanatory information for the voters. “ These invalid ballots produce consequences in the final election result,” says CDHRF. 

A group arrests in Kosovo suspected of connections with Al Qaeda (dailies)

Zëri reports that few months ago a group of seven persons, Albanians from Kosovo, had their phones tapped as suspected for planning terrorist attacks in Kosovo. This group, that included one who returned recently from fighting in Syria, are youth from Pristina and Gjilan, the names of which are in the possession of the papers. Last week, some of them gathered near the lake of Gërmia where it has been suspected that they were planning a terrorist attack. Not all were arrested in Gërmia though as arrest operations were also carried out in Gjilan.

The recent attack on American citizens two days ago in Pristina is suspected to have been made from two members from this group. And from the tapping it has been learned the plan of this group, which resulted with the police action for their arrests.