Headlines - 14.09.2015

Opposition is organizing for protests (dailies)

Several dailies report that the three opposition parties, the Vetevendosje Movement, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo, are organizing a protest which according to them will be held soon. According to Vetevendosje representatives, there is nothing more urgent than preventing the internal division of Kosovo. Zgjim Hyseni, member of the Vetevendosje leadership, said there is an agreement between opposition parties on the importance of preventing the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities. Opposition representatives said that the protest will not only be against the agreement with Serbia, but also for other issues related to the welfare of citizens. Kosova Sot writes that the head of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Glauk Konjufca, said that the announced protest will not happen before the verdict of the Constitutional Court on the constitutionality of amendment 24 adopted by the Kosovo Assembly which opens way to the establishment of the special court.

Ymeri: “Zajednica” will have an autonomous authority (Epoka e Re)

Visar Ymeri, leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, said on Sunday that the formation of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities was initiated as a process aimed at integrating Kosovo Serbs but ended up with the integration of Serbia within Kosovo. “Zajednica [the word for ‘Community’ in Serbian] will have autonomous power, which despite the fact that it is in the territory of Kosovo, it will function outside the sovereignty of the Republic of Kosovo. It is ironic that ‘Zajednica’ will be recognized by more countries than the Republic of Kosovo. It will be recognized by the countries that recognize Kosovo and those that do not recognize it. ‘Zajednica’ will have state attributions and it will be more powerful than Kosovo. Belgrade will use this as a strong ground to fight the independence of Kosovo. There cannot be a Republic of Kosovo and a Serbia’s Zajednica in Kosovo,” Ymeri said.

“Hot” autumn at the Assembly (Epoka e Re)

The recent agreements reached with Serbia during the dialogue in Brussels, especially on the Association/Community of Serb majority municipalities, and the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into the Armed Forces of Kosovo, will be the “hot” issues that Kosovo deputies will discuss at the Assembly during the autumn session. Driton Selmanaj from Kosovo Democratic Institute (KDI) which monitors Assembly work, told this daily that the dialogue with Serbia, transformation of KSF and Special Court processes will dominate the autumn sessions of the Assembly.

Presevo Valley requests help to empower the Association (Epoka e Re)

Political representatives of the Presevo Valley hope that Kosovo and Albania would help them to empower the association of the Albanian majority municipalities in Serbia. The mayor of Presevo municipality said that Kosovo and Albania should request international pressure on Serbia to recognize this association. Kosovo’s Minister for dialogue, Edita Tahiri, had stated after the agreement for the Association/Community of the Serb majority municipalities in Kosovo that Albanians of the Presevo Valley have the right to establish their association.

Stankovic: Albanian Association is worth nothing (Zeri)

The President of the Serbian Government’s Coordination Board for Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovc, Zoran Stankovic, said on Sunday that the establishment of the Association of Albanian municipalities in southern Serbia is worth nothing. Stankovic said these municipalities can count on the rights guaranteed by the Constitution of Serbia, Serbian legislation, and international conventions on minority rights. “This association isn’t worth anything. It's just a movement that aims to cause chaos and disorder," Stankovic said.

Serbia hampers Albanians in Medvedja (Epoka e Re)

Serbian police created a long queue of vehicles at the Mutivoda border crossing on Sunday, with the justification that there are problems in the system. Serbian police impeded Albanians who live in Kosovo but who are inhabitants of Medvedje to participate in local elections. The election commission rejected the request of two Albanian parties in this municipality to extend the time of voting. The results of the voting for this municipality will be announced today.

Serbia continues to govern the four northern Kosovo municipalities (dailies)

Several dailies report that a report published by the Pristina-based GAP Institute, “Belgrade continues to govern the four northern municipalities in Kosovo”. The report notes that the northern municipalities do not bring revenues to the Kosovo budget, unlike other municipalities in Kosovo. The report says that these municipalities only spend the Kosovo budget, but do not contribute to it. Bekim Salihu from GAP Institute said that the parallel structures are still functional in Leposavic, Zubin Potok, Zvecan and Mitrovica North. According to this report, Serbia continues its presence in these four northern municipalities, despite the local elections held.

Appointment of political ambassadors, in violation with the law (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that Kosovo’s law on Foreign Service provides that half of Kosovo’s ambassadors should be political appointees and that the other half must be career diplomats. The paper notes that the appointment of new ambassadors is running late because the quota of political appointees has been surpassed. According to unnamed sources, it is because of this reason that Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga is not adopting the latest proposals for ambassadors.

Youth beaten up in Serbia for speaking Albanian (Koha)

Citing a report by Belgrade-based Blic, the paper reports that an 18 year-old was badly beaten up in the city of Novi Sad, Serbia, by two attackers, after they heard him speaking in Albanian.