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UNMIK Headlines 13 May

Vucic to Serb leaders: Agreement to be implemented with or without you (Koha)

Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic has made it clear to leaders of northern Kosovo Serbs that with or without their approval, the agreement reached in Brussels between Prime Ministers Thaçi and Dacic is going to be implemented.

Vucic did not spare threats to opponents of the agreement. “With or without you, we are going to implement the agreement,” Vucic said on Sunday in a four-hour meeting with representatives of the four northern municipalities.

Sources told the paper that Vucic threatened Serb representatives that they would be discharged if they reject the agreement. The same sources said members of the Serbian Gendarmerie, who were escorting Vucic on Sunday, also made threats for arrest and detentions.

Tahiri: We oppose exchange of territories (Epoka e Re)

Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Edita Tahiri, stated that Pristina will insist for theBelgradeauthorities to give up discriminating policies towards the Albanians of Presevo Valley. “There is no doubt that the agreement will reflect positively on the improvement of the status of our minorities, be them in Kosovo orSerbia. Except for this, we will continuously request and insist forBelgradeauthorities to give up the anti-Albanian policy and all other discriminating forms towards ethnic Albanians inPresevoValley,” said Tahiri for “Presheva e jone” news agency. Tahiri objected the idea of exchange of territories. “The north of Kosovo andPresevoValleyare Albanian territories, therefore we object exchange of territories,” she said.

They will not talk about Kosovo’s wealth (Tribuna)

The paper reports on the front page that the Kosovar delegation will not agree to talks with Serbia on Kosovo’s natural wealth. The Government of Kosovo will namely turn down Serbia’s proposal to discuss the Trepça mining complex, the Gazivoda Lake, public properties surrounding Orthodox churches.

Bekim Çollaku, senior advisor to Kosovo’s Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi, said the request is Serbia’s wish-list that will never come to life. “The Government of the Republic of Kosovo will not accept talks on the wish-list of the Serbian Government for the state wealth of Kosovo and its people,” he said.

Hoxhaj: Serbia aims another agreement in framework of plan (Kosova Sot)

In an interview for the paper, Kosovo’s Foreign Affairs Minister Enver Hoxhaj said Serbia is trying to use the implementation plan to achieve goals it could not reach during the process of dialogue. “In reality, Serbia is trying to reach another agreement in the framework of the implementation plan,” he added.

Hoxhaj also rejected claims by deputy prime minister Behxhet Pacolli that Mali has recognized the independence of Kosovo.

LDK: Taxpayers’ money used to pay PDK supporters (dailies)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), the biggest opposition party, issued a press release on Sunday criticizing the central government of using taxpayers’ money to pay its supporters. “Citizens and businesses in Kosovo must know that instead of encouraging employment their taxes are used to pay the supporters of the PDK and other parties in the ruling coalition,” the press release said.

The LDK also argued that the PDK-run government is characterized by three key issues: unemployment, poverty and corruption. The LDK also criticized the employment in government institutions based on family connections, bribes and party affiliations.

Interethnic incident on Ibër Bridge (dailies)

An interethnic incident broke out on Sunday in Mitrovica, on the bridge over Ibër River when a group of Serbs and an Albanian and Bosnian started throwing stones at each other. A Kosovo Police spokesman for the Mitrovica region said no one was injured in the incident. He also said that the Albanian and the Bosnian were escorted to the police station in southern Mitrovica and were later released.