Headlines - 16.03.2016

Thaci presents plan for normalizing Kosovo-Serbia relations (Koha)

In a lecture at the Institute for Global Justice in The Hague, Kosovo’s president-elect Hashim Thaci presented four points which, according to him, will help in establishing peace and cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia. The first point refers to the need for cooperation in the fight against organised crime and human trafficking as well as religious extremism. “We also need to be attentive of Russia’s involvement,” said Thaci adding that Serbia should look towards NATO and EU more than it does towards Russia. Secondly, Thaci said Kosovo and Serbia should reach long-term agreements aimed at strengthening the economies and providing new jobs. He said Serbia should recognise Kosovo as a neighbour and not prevent its international integration. “However, we need to make compromises that will allow us to think about the future,” noted Thaci. The third aspect for normalizing relations between Kosovo and Serbia, according to Thaci, is fostering regional cooperation and finally, to continue working on the rule of law and on brining justice to the victims. “Many allegations have been published in the so-called Dick Marty report and Kosovo is now implementing a very transparent and international judicial process to establish the truth. We have nothing to hide,” stressed Thaci.

President Jahjaga establishes committee on border-demarcation (Zeri)

Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga appointed on Tuesday a three-member committee to evaluate the process of border-demarcation with Montenegro. The committee, which includes Fletcher Burton from the United States of America, Herbert Wilmes from Germany and Fred Newton from the United Kingdom, will address concerns raised by the opposition over the demarcation process. President Jahjaga called on all political parties, institutions and citizens to cooperate with international experts to enable an accurate assessment for demarcation process. Meanwhile, opposition parties issued a joint statement stating that “every committee that starts work by the same methods and materials used until now, will come to a conclusion similar to the government's, which according to them, is not accurate and is unfair. The committee must include local experts as well”.

“Court will send shock waves through Kosovo, this is positive” (media)

Several media run an interview that Mark Ellis, Executive Director of the International Bar Association, gave to Radio Free Europe. Ellis said the exact date when the special court will commence its work has yet to be set, but added that it is important that Kosovo has shown commitment to meet this obligation in line with international standards. “There is no doubt that the special court will send shock waves through Kosovo society in the future but this something very positive,” Ellis was quoted as saying. “I believe the special court will play an important role in removing a dark cloud of history in the region and this is why it is important to support it”. Ellis said he believes the special court will be successful in shedding light on what happened during the war in the region and help bring at least some of the perpetrators to justice.

Agani: Mitrovica municipalities bordering at Suhodoll (Klan Kosova)

Kosovo’s Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning Ferid Agani said in an interview that the border line between the southern and northern municipalities of Mitrovica is at the village of Suhodoll. “The administrative borderline between the two municipalities is clear. This was also acknowledged by [EU Special Representative] Samuel Zbogar,” said Agani.

Djuric: We will not leave Trepca to Kosovo (RTK)

Marko Djuric, director of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, said that Serbia will not leave the Trepca mining complex to Kosovo. After authorities in Pristina established a government committee on the mining complex, Djuric reacted claiming that the Serbian state has the biggest shares in the Trepca ownership. “We want to resolve disputes over wealth … It is best to talk about this, but we will not allow anyone to touch our wealth,” Djuric said.

Protest on Friday against the forming of Prilluzhe municipality (Kosova Sot)

A protest has been called on Friday in the town of Vushtrri/Vucitrn against the forming of a new Serb-majority municipality of Prilluzhe. Organizers of the protest claim the new municipality would affect the coal production in the area as well as the connecting power plant. According to Telegrafi, the protest is being organised by Vetevendosje Movement.

Thirty days of detention for Gafurr Dugolli (Epoka e Re)

The Court in Skopje decided late on Tuesday to extend for thirty days the detention of Kosovo’s Chief Protocol at the Ministry for Security Forces, Gafurr Dugolli. The news was confirmed by his brother, Bujar Dugolli, who said this is an injustice. He expressed regret that Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) considers Serbia’s arrest warrants for Kosovo citizens. Earlier on Tuesday, the FYROM Minister of Justice, Adnan Jashari, said that he would not allow Dugolli’s extradition to Serbia and that his release would happen in a matter of hours.

Schoolbooks from Serbia contain language of hatred (Epoka e Re)

Kosovo’s Minister for Education, Arsim Bajrami, said during his reporting to the Commission for Education, Science, Technology, Culture, Youth and Sports, that the textbooks coming from Serbia for the Serb minority in Kosovo contain the language of hatred. Speaking about the return of the books from Kosovo for the Albanian students in the Presevo Valley, Bajrami said that the books will not change their destination and that they are only temporarily returned, until an adequate solution is found.