• Assembly adopts resolution condemning Serbian genocide in Kosovo (media)
• Thaci: Resolution and committee on Serbian genocide, smart moves (media)
• Thaci: I will never dialogue on Kosovo’s territory (Koha)
• Special prosecution to open investigation into Brovina’s allegations (media)
• Veseli: Authenticity of Brovina’s picture to be determined by KIA (media)
• Ahmeti: Brovina’s act damages all Kosovo victims (media)
• Jahjaga: Brovina’s action, inhumane (media)
• KRCT calls on media to remove Brovina’s picture (media)
• U.S. will not issue visas to individuals involved in corruption cases (media)
• Petrovic: No free elections in the north (Zeri)

Assembly adopts resolution condemning Serbian genocide in Kosovo (media)

All media report that the Kosovo Assembly adopted on Thursday a resolution condemning the Serbian genocide during the war in Kosovo. All political parties voted unanimously in favor of the resolution, which mentions the sites of massacres and killings, the raping of 20,000 women, the expulsion of over 1 million Kosovo Albanians, missing persons and material damages. Koha Ditore notes in its coverage that the parliamentary groups however had different positions with regards to Assembly President Kadri Veseli’s initiative to form a state committee that would precede the formation of an international tribunal on Serbia’s crimes in Kosovo. The vote on the initiative has been postponed for Monday. Kosovo President Hashim Thaci welcomed the adoption of the resolution on genocide saying that “now that judicial institutions are in the hands of Kosovars, we need to find the right way to bring all perpetrators of crimes in Kosovo to justice”. Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj said in a statement that “without justice, there can be no reconciliation or sustainable peace” and that “criminals belong in jail”.

Thaci: Resolution and committee on Serbian genocide, smart moves (media)

Kosovo President, Hashim Thaci, supported on Thursday the initiative of Assembly President Kadri Veseli, to create an international tribunal for Serbia’s genocide in Kosovo, saying that this a smart move by the Kosovo Assembly. Thaci called on all stakeholders to jointly condemn the Serbian genocide in Kosovo so that perpetrators can be brought to justice. “Today’s debate in the Assembly and the possibility of a resolution and a committee are the smartest moves by the Assembly of the Republic of Kosovo. This is a great idea coming from [Assembly] President Veseli and I believe that everyone will join forces in condemning the genocide and the ethnic cleansing, so that the perpetrators and people from the state apparatus of Serbia can be brought to justice,” Thaci was quoted as saying.

Thaci: I will never dialogue on Kosovo’s territory (Koha)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci said in an interview to KTV on Thursday evening that he mentioned his idea for border correction, namely for Presevo Valley joining Kosovo, at the Berlin Summit and that he will do the same at the upcoming summit in Paris. “The Berlin Summit neither opened nor closed any idea that was discussed before … I will never dialogue on Kosovo’s territory. I will dialogue for Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac, but not on other issues, not for Kosovo’s partition, or land swap, or sovereignty or the association of Serb-majority municipalities,” Thaci said.

Thaci said he expects more creative ideas and better coordination between German Chancellor Merkel and French President Macron at the Paris Summit. “I expect it will be better organized, that there will be creative ideas, and for the two hosts to be more coordinated. I also expect a more unified European position on the matter”. Thaci argued that the Berlin Summit was not coordinated with Washington. “It was confirmed to me that the summit was not coordinated with the United States of America and the only success that was achieved was that French President Macron approached us and we confirmed that that we will take part in the Paris Summit,” he added.

Thaci said there were no promises for visa liberalization for Kosovo at the Berlin Summit, and that only he and Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj mentioned visa liberalization there. He further argued that in recent meetings it was said that the import tariff on Serbian goods could threaten the visa liberalization process. “We will under no circumstance allow another condition for visa liberalization, because this is discriminatory against the citizens of Kosovo and the European Union must respect its contract with the people of Kosovo. We must not allow for the tariff to be used as a condition for visa liberalization. I insisted that it should not even discussed at the table,” he added.

Special prosecution to open investigation into Brovina’s allegations (media)

Special Prosecution of Kosovo has announced it will open an investigation into the alleged rape case which Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP Flora Brovina claimed to have evidence of in the form of a picture she presented yesterday at the Kosovo Assembly seemingly showing a woman being raped by men in uniform.

Brovina said at the Assembly that the woman was a Kosovo Albanian and was being raped by Serbian forces but the online media later questioned the authenticity of the picture Brovina showed saying it was taken from a pornographic website and is easily available on the internet.  Brovina rejected reports saying she even knew the identity of the woman in the picture.

Veseli: Authenticity of Brovina’s picture to be determined by KIA (media)

Kosovo Assembly Speaker and leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Kadri Veseli commented on his party’s MP Flora Brovina presenting a picture she claimed showed an Albanian woman being raped by Serbian forces. Veseli called on MPs not to ‘tricked’ but stay focused on the initiative for establishment of an international tribunal for Serb crimes in Kosovo.

“I am not in a position to speak about something I was not informed about and presume the truth or the lack of it. But one thing is true and this keeps us all alive and strong to not turn our backs to. Serbia has committed genocide. Serbia has committed rapes. Serbia has committed killings,” he said at the Assembly.

He added that if someone in the Assembly was manipulated, this can be easily determined by security mechanisms, namely the Kosovo Intelligence Agency (KIA).

Ahmeti: Brovina’s act damages all Kosovo victims (media)

Pristina Mayor and leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Shpend Ahmeti commented on the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP Flora Brovina presenting to the media a photo claiming to show a case of rape of a woman by Serbian forces during the 1998-99 conflict saying a fake picture causes huge damage to all victims in Kosovo.

“Who is behind this shameful act? Who will go to the victims and families of victims to tell them that they showed a fake picture when there is abundance of evidence all around? This is unforgivable,” Ahmeti wrote on Facebook.

Jahjaga: Brovina’s action, inhumane (media)

Atifete Jahjaga, former president of Kosovo and activist for women’s rights, reacted to the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP Flora Brovina publishing a photo claiming to show a case of rape of a woman by Serbian forces during the 1998-99 conflict.

Jahjaga said Brovina’s action represents another serious blow for thousands of women survivors of sexual violence. “It is disgusting, horrific, and shameful how a member of the Kosovo Assembly, who once raised her hand for women and men sexually assaulted during the war in Kosovo, to use the building of the Assembly to present before the media a picture claiming to prove the act of rape of an Albanian woman by three Serb soldiers,” Jahjaga wrote on Facebook. She added that Brovina acted ‘inhumanely, unethically, and unlawfully’.

KRCT calls on media to remove Brovina’s picture (media)

Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT) has reacted to the picture the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) MP Flora Brovina presented before the Assembly of Kosovo and the media claiming to show an Albanian woman being raped by Serbian forces by calling on the media outlets to remove it.

KRCT said survivors of sexual violence during the conflict in Kosovo were outraged at the publication of such images. Furthermore, Brovina’s act does not help the survivors’ cause, KRCT said.

U.S. will not issue visas to individuals involved in corruption cases (media)

All media cover a press release issued by the United States Embassy in Pristina on Thursday which noted that the Embassy is taking steps to ensure that individuals in major corruption cases are not issued visas. The press release notes: “Kosovo citizens deserve a justice system that holds individuals accountable for their corrupt actions. In this regard, the U.S. Embassy is taking steps to ensure that individuals involved in major corruption cases are not issued visas that would allow them to travel to the United States for business or tourism. It is the practice of consular officers to review the facts of every visa application, including any derogatory information associated with the applicant, and determine visa eligibility based on U.S. laws.  We continuously weigh allegations and evidence of corruption and organized crime in visa determinations, as appropriate, to limit those who contribute to these problems from obtaining visas to travel to the United States. We will continue to express publicly our concern that no one is being held accountable, including Kosovo officials, for the clear corruption and organized crime present in the Pronto, Italian visa, Dubrava prison escape, Land, and Apex cases, as well as other similar cases”.

Petrovic: No free elections in the north (Zeri)

Leader of the Independent Liberal Party (SLS), Slobodan Petrovic, said that extraordinary elections in the northern municipalities of Kosovo are not free as other Serb candidates were unable to run due to intimidation and pressure.

Petrovic said that if the same candidates win again elections in the north, the lives of the citizens there will not improve. “Everything will remain the same, as the same people would continue to be mayors,” Petrovic said.

He said the Serbian List is not ‘thinking with its own head’ and is instead relying on Belgrade’s instructions which Petrovic said was not a good thing. “Someone in Belgrade cannot know better than us living here what our problems are and how to solve them,” he said.