UNMIK Headlines 17 April
Jacobson: UN to set up special court if Kosovo Assembly fails to (Kosova Sot)
The US Ambassador to Kosovo, Tracey Ann Jacobson, said in an interview for KTV that if the Kosovo Assembly fails to endorse the establishment of the special court, this mechanism will then be set up by the United Nations. She added that the US has so far managed to thwart Russia’s efforts to set up a tribunal through the Security Council but warned that if the Kosovo Assembly doesn’t vote for it, the US will no longer block Russia’s request.
Mustafa, Vucic to meet in Brussels on Tuesday (Koha)
According to the paper, the Prime Ministers of Kosovo and Serbia, Isa Mustafa and Aleksandar Vucic, could meet in Brussels on Tuesday evening. Unnamed European diplomats told the paper that such a meeting could help move forward with the implementation of agreements and the further normalization of relations. “Without progress, Serbia cannot open the first chapter of negotiations. Meanwhile, Kosovo waits for the decision to sign the Stabilization/Association Agreement. This means that both sides have an interest in the continuation of dialogue and for proving their commitment,” a senior EU official told the paper.
Opposition parties say Saturday protest will be peaceful (Zeri)
The protest called by the three opposition parties scheduled for 18 April is expected to be quiet and peaceful, according to officials from the opposition parties. According to them, the purpose of the protest is to reflect on the lives of the people of Kosovo, and not to make it more complicated. The paper writes that opposition leaders expect the turnout to be massive and Kosovo-wide, while the Kosovo Police has not received any notification for this protest.
Kurti: Protests, until the state is free (Zeri)
The former leader of the Vetevendosje Movement, Albin Kurti, told Zeri that if Kosovo’s government doesn’t fulfil the demands of protesters, protests would not stop until the fall of the government. According to Kurti, the differences that Vetevendosje has with the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) are insignificant compared with the degradation that is being done to Kosovo by the ruling parties. In regards to special court which will address war crimes allegations, Kurti said that special court is an international experiment. “It is a pity that the international community is continuing to insist that many of Kosovo's politicians end up in jail for what they have done to Serbia, and not for what they have done to the people of Kosovo,” Kurti said.
Blerim Shala, coordinator for the dialogue (Zeri)
The Kosovo Assembly on Thursday appointed Blerim Shala as coordinator for the Pristina – Belgrade dialogue. Shala’s previous post was vice-president of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, but a few months ago he resigned from this post. AAK’s leader, Ramush Haradinaj a few days ago commented on Shala leaving the AAK, saying that he left out of greed for the position of the Pristina-Belgrade dialogue coordinator.
Report confirms failure to address corruption in Kosovo (Koha)
In its front-page story, the paper covers the second report funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe against economic crime in Kosovo. The report notes that Kosovo authorities have failed to undertake actions against corruption recommended by a team of experts contracted by the Council of Europe. During a two-year period, Kosovo authorities implemented only 4 out of the 64 proposed recommendations. The report further notes that there has been a mix-up of competencies between prosecutors, investigators and experts on corruption cases. The report suggests that the Anti-Corruption Agency should be given competencies to assess the declared wealth of senior state officials and to address the problem of the so-called “unexplained wealth”.