UNMIK Headlines 15 January
Thaçi promises joint meeting with Government of Serbia (Koha Ditore)
Following the joint meeting with Government of Albania, Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi said he is optimistic such a meeting could be also organized with Serbia.
“The Government of the Republic of Kosovo will hold such meetings also with governments of other countries. Preparations are already underway for a joint meeting with Government of Macedonia. In the future we expect meetings with Government of Montenegro and when conditions and circumstances are eight, I am hopeful there will also be a meeting between the Government of the state of Kosovo and that of Serbia”, Thaçi is quoted as saying at the meeting of the government.
Thaçi, Mustafa and Haradinaj, discuss elections without reform (Koha Ditore)
The leaders of the Democratic Party, Democratic league of Kosovo and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, Hashim Thaçi, Isa Mustafa and Ramush Haradinaj, discussed on Tuesday the possibility of leading the country to early elections, in June of this year, prior to completion of election reform. However, this was objected by Behxhet Pacolli, while Vetëvendosje did not make any comment. “AAK leader, Mr. Haradinaj, participated at a meeting with the leaders of PDK and LDK, respectively Mr. Thaçi and Mr. Mustafa. They discussed also the election process, respectively general elections. If the process of reform does not run, there is a possibility that, due to the lack of numbers at the Government and Parliament, to go for election in June,” said member of AAK leadership, Besnik Tahiri.
Statute of Association to be determined in Brussels (dailies)
Prime Minister of Serbia Ivica Dacic said yesterday in Gracanica that he expects agreement on the statute of association of Serb municipalities will be achieved in the upcoming meeting with Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi on 27 January. He said he didn’t believe the process of establishing the Association will be slowed down because of repeat elections in North Mitrovica.
Papers also report that Dacic did not prefer to apologize for crimes Serbia committed in Kosovo. “It is not my job to apologize, my job is to look to the future”, he is quoted.
Ischinger invites Thaci and Dacic to security conference (Lajm)
Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger, former mediator in talks for Kosovo’s status, has invited Kosovo and Serbia prime ministers, Hashim Thaci and Ivica Dacic, to attend the 50th conference on security which will be held in Munich late this month.
EP: EULEX has left untouched politicians’ corruption cases (Koha Ditore)
The European Parliament will discuss and vote during the plenary sessions of Wednesday and Thursday in Strasbourg two resolutions, one for Kosovo and another one for Serbia. It is not a coincidence that they were left to be approved at the same day, since a major part of the discussions and text of the documents, concerns the process of dialogue and normalization between Serbia and Kosovo, and their road towards European integration.
The European Parliament is expected to request from Kosovo authorities to extend the mandate of EULEX even after the June of this year. From EULEX on the other hand, they are expected to request more responsibility, accountability. They are expected to express regret on EULEX’s results and request from this mission to inform about its activities the European Parliament and the Assembly of Kosovo.
Symbolic officer (Koha Ditore)
Six months since taking on the post of Kosovo’s liaison officer to Serbia, Valdet Sadiku has not been given attributed any activity and remains mainly a ‘symbolic’ officer. Kosovo Foreign Ministry has given no information regarding Sadiku’s activities but Minister Enver Hoxhaj said that he did have meetings. At the same time, Kosovo Assembly is also not briefed on Sadiku’s activities in Belgrade.
Kuçi begins dialogue on EULEX (Tribuna)
Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuçi is reported to have travelled to Brussels where he is expected to meet EU officials and discuss transition of EULEX competencies. Kuçi will also have talks on the structured dialogue in the field of rule of law.
Sejdiu: Mustafa to leave, I’m ready to take over responsibility in LDK (Koha)
In an interview for Ora News, the honorable president of the Democratic League of Kosovo, Fatmir Sejdiu, talked about his political future in the LDK and about current LDK leader Isa Mustafa. Sejdiu said reforms in the LDK were not implemented since he left and added that he would support anyone that the party’s membership would vote for party leader.
Sejdiu further argued that the LDK had three opportunities to oust the Thaci government, but failed to do so and that this could imply a possible secret agreement. Sejdiu also said that the coalition with Thaci’s Democratic Party of Kosovo was more responsible when he was part of government.
Commenting on the recent meeting of Kosovo and Albanian governments in Prizren, Sejdiu said it marks an important step for cooperation between the two countries.
Serbs in the north request Belgrade’s government and army (Epoka e Re)
The so-called Assembly of Kosovo, established by assembly members dismissed from municipal assemblies in the north, decided on Tuesday to elect their government and proposed for this parallel body to have its own police and army. “We will continue with all legitimate means to defend the constitutional order of the Republic of Serbia, we will do the utmost to save territorial integrity of our state, Serbia and Kosovo as its part, as well as Serb population in Kosovo,” said the leader of this body Slavko Stevanovic.
Organization linked to Fuad Ramiqi suspected of ties with Al-Qaeda (Koha)
The paper reports in one of the front-page stories that the organization that took Fuad Ramiqi, head of the Islamic Movement Unite, to the Middle East was hit by Turkish police on Wednesday for alleged ties with the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda. Reuters namely reported that over 20 people, staff members of the Humanitarian Aid Fund were detained by Turkish police.
The paper notes that the organization, which had operated in Kosovo too, is suspected of recruiting mujahedin to send them to Syria. It is believed that Kosovars too went to Syria through this organization. The organization meanwhile denied any links to Al-Qaeda and added that the police raid was an attempt to discredit the image of the organization. Police authorities in Kosovo suspect that Ramiqi helps Kosovars, who want to go to Syria, to get in touch with the organization.