UNMIK Headlines 16 March
Serbian List will vote in favor of special court, but not for KAF (Koha)
In a front-page story, the paper reports that the Serbian List is expected to return to the Kosovo Assembly in order to vote in favor of the constitutional amendments that will pave way to the establishment of the special court. Meanwhile, Serbian List representatives said during the weekend that they will decide on their eventual return to the Assembly only after consultations with Belgrade. “There is a good chance that the Serbian List will return to the government before the joint meeting of the governments of Kosovo and Albania [scheduled for late this month],” an unnamed source told the paper. However, even if Serb representatives return to the government, they will continue to reject the establishment of the Kosovo Armed Forces. The paper recalls that the Serbian List suspended its participation in Kosovo institutions on February 3 after Prime Minister Isa Mustafa decided to dismiss Communities and Returns Minister Aleksandar Jablanovic due to his derogatory statements.
Veseli: The time to come back (Koha)
Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli, in an opinion piece, calls on the Serbian List to return to the Kosovo institutions “and not deny their constituency a basic democratic right: the right for institutional representation”. “If the goal of the Serbian List is to improve the wellbeing of Kosovo Serbs, it can certainly not achieve this by leaving them without representation and by sentencing them to isolation. Isolation never brings good results … Kosovo Serbs, same as all other citizens, need programs of development, and not political myths and legends. The time of myths is behind us and it will never return because there is no alternative to the path of Euro-Atlantic integration for Kosovo and the Balkans,” Veseli writes.
Mustafa: Special court will not harm Kosovo’s image (Bota Sot)
Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, said on Saturday that the special court will not deal with the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), nor will it damage the KLA’s image for “its clean fight.” He stressed that this court will deal with individuals who are suspected to have committed crimes, while reiterating that the special court will remove any doubts about the KLA.
Konjufca: Special court is against the KLA (Zeri)
The head of the Vetevendosje Parliamentary Group, Glauk Konjufca, said on Sunday that the special court is detrimental to Kosovo. According to Konjufca, the court is being created particularly to attack the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). “Vetevendosje is against the establishment of the special court because it will function as a parallel structure to the Kosovo judiciary,” Konjufca said.
Agreement with Serbian List, not implemented (Zeri)
The agreement between the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Serbian List, for the establishment of the Association/Community of Serb municipalities within 3-5 months, cannot be implemented until the Belgrade implements the Brussels Agreement. Kosovo’s Minister without portfolio, Edita Tahiri, told the paper that the issue of the Association should wait until the start of the implementation of the Brussels Agreement. Tahiri argued that the Association should not have any executive power or a separate budget. Serbian media are reporting that one of the Serbian List’s conditions to return to the Kosovo institutions is the creation of the Association. Opposition parties in Kosovo meanwhile have expressed their concern over the status of the Association.
Special Investigative Task Force, indictments ready (dailies)
The Spokesperson for the Special Investigative Task Force (SITF), Joao Sousa, confirmed to RTK that the SITF is ready to file indictments immediately after the establishment of the special court. “Our investigations will determine whether certain individuals are responsible for any crimes based on accusations arising from the Dick Marty report,” Sousa said. Media in Kosovo have reported that three former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders, who reportedly are part of Kosovo politics at present, are subject of investigations by this Task Force.
German Chancellor invites Kosovo PM to visit Germany (Bota Sot)
Unidentified sources within the government told Blic that German Chancellor Angela Merkel has invited Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, on an official visit to Germany. According to this source, the visit would take place on June 30. “This is the first time that a German Chancellor is inviting the Prime Minister of Kosovo to visit Berlin,” the source added.
President Jahjaga visits Switzerland (Epoka e Re)
The President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga travelled to Switzerland on Sunday, where she is meeting with the Swiss authorities and the Kosovo Diaspora in this country. As announced on her Facebook page, Jahjaga said that the purpose of this visit is also to attract investments from Switzerland.