• Haradinaj: Albanians have no land to give away (dailies)
• Veseli: No visa liberalisation for Kosovars, more than shameful for EU (media)
• Analysts: Kosovo-Serbia agreement could invalidate Resolution 1244 (RFE)
• Hoti: No need for referendum on Kosovo-Serbia agreement (media)
• Mustafa: Government should resign (Kosova Sot)
• VV: Blocking of CEC prevents activity of opposition parties (dailies)
• Vucic accuses Haradinaj for violent protests in Serbia (media)
• Matoshi has a message for Kosovo Serbs (RTK)
• Unclear who is paying for north’s electricity bills (Koha Ditore)
• Tahiri at UN seeking justice for survivors of sexual violence in Kosovo (Epoka)

Kosovo Media Highlights

Haradinaj: Albanians have no land to give away (dailies)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj is continuing to oppose any agreement that would affect Kosovo’s borders. Most recently in a ceremony marking the anniversary of fallen martyrs in the village of Korishe, Prizren, Haradinaj spoke of the need for the territory of Kosovo, as declared through its independence on 17 February 2008, to be protected. He said Kosovo has no land to give away.

“We in Kosovo are in our rightful side but we are at a time when we need to take care of our land, our country. It is known that throughout centuries Albanians have given away land that was God-given to them. When I say the land of Albanians I mean of all ethnic communities living here which are at their home,” Haradinaj said adding: “However, there is no turning back and practices of taking away from Albanians are gone. The KLA generation has changed all this and the course of history has changed.”

Haradinaj said that the Kosovo of 17 February is a product of compromise and whoever tries to change this will open the question of the rights of Albanians in the Balkans. “We have agreed to fulfil our right, the Kosovo of 17 February, convinced that once again we are proving we want peace and stability in the Balkans,” Haradinaj said.

Veseli: No visa liberalisation for Kosovars, more than shameful for EU (media)

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli, said during an interview given to the Austrian daily Der Standard that it is incomprehensible lack of the decision to remove visas for Kosovo’s people, when all the required conditions are fulfilled. “Where is EU’s dignity? Where are the values?” he asked. “It appears that EU is in major crisis, because a country in Europe with 1.7 million people, who are very pro-European, now has to pay for this crisis.” Veseli told the paper.

Analysts: Kosovo-Serbia agreement could invalidate Resolution 1244 (RFE)

Radio Free Europe spoke to legal experts in Kosovo who said that a possible agreement between Kosovo and Serbia would result in invalidation of the UN Security Council resolution 1244.

Arsim Bajrami, university professor, said that the Kosovo-Serbia agreement would be sponsored by the EU but considering UN’s involvement in Kosovo issue through the Security Council resolution 1244, “the agreement would need to formally invalidate Resolution 1244 and replace it with another one that would pave way for [Kosovo’s] UN membership. In a way, this resolution would end the international administration set out by the 1244 and in a way serve as recognition of Kosovo’s independence by Security Council member states.”

International law professor Afrim Hoti, said however that he believed a possible agreement between Kosovo and Serbia would not need to be discussed at the Security Council. However, “indirectly such an agreement would have to be formalized because, whether we like it or not, the Resolution 1244 is in force in Kosovo,” Hoti said. “The change of all these circumstances can only happen in the case when this resolution is invalidated and succeeded by another resolution that would reflect the content of the possible agreement,” Hoti added.

Hoti: No need for referendum on Kosovo-Serbia agreement (media)

Head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) parliamentary group, Avdullah Hoti, has opposed the idea of the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia be put to a referendum. In a Facebook post, Hoti wrote: “Agreement with Serbia will include normalisation of relations with this country, nothing more. Therefore, it needs to be achieved in line with the Constitution of Kosovo and relevant legislation. Such an agreement does not have to go to referendum as is being announced by the leader of PAN, unless he is planning to correct the border through this agreement. He should be upfront with citizens and then see their response,” Hoti wrote in reference to Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli suggesting that a referendum ought to be organised on the possible agreement between Kosovo and Serbia.

Mustafa: Government should resign (Kosova Sot)

Isa Mustafa, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) wrote on Facebook that Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina are not paying the 100-percent tariff for their goods, but Kosovo citizens are. He further wrote that the dialogue with Serbia is transformed into a competition for the leaders of the “fragile governing coalition to show their muscles and as an instrument to keep their power.”

“If anyone from this coalition loves this country, and I do not suspect that there are such people, then they have to admit that they have deceived the population and themselves with PDK’s slogans of major decisions, and that their only right decision is to resign. They should dismiss themselves and we should go for new elections,” Mustafa wrote.

VV: Blocking of CEC prevents activity of opposition parties (dailies)

In a press conference, Vetevendosje officials said that the failure to appoint new members to the Central Election Commission (CEC) is preventing opposition parties from carrying out their activities. MP Fatmire Kollcaku said the President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci is blocking the activity of opposition parties by not decreeing new members to CEC. “Not a day goes by where we are not reminded that this president is not consensual and that he does not respect the will of the people,” Kollcaku said. She said with the CEC not being operational, the political parties cannot benefit from the legally entitled funds.

Vucic accuses Haradinaj for violent protests in Serbia (media)

A few hours after the attack on the Serbian national broadcaster, where dozens of protesters stormed its premises, Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic accused the Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj and his collaborators to be behind the violent protests. “When Haradinaj said that he will bring me down from the government, I thought he was collecting votes. Now I see that he has his collaborators here, among us. Bosko Obradovic is a small fascist, who thinks he can reach something with violence against people,” Vucic said.

Matoshi has a message for Kosovo Serbs (RTK)

Halil Matoshi, adviser to the Prime Minister of Kosovo has reacted against Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vucic, after the latest protests in Belgrade, saying that his calls for Kosovo Serbs to go to Belgrade and defend his from opposition are a continuance of the policy of the chief-criminal Slobodan Milosevic.  “It is time for Kosovo Serbs to say no to a new hopeless hegemonism of the President of Serbia, who is openly against Euro-Atlantic values, and who in order to keep his totalitarian power over all Serbs, is capable of initiating a new tragedy,” Matoshi wrote. “Kosovo citizens of Serb community should definitely become politicly aware and detach from medieval horror,” he added.

Unclear who is paying for north’s electricity bills (Koha Ditore)

The decision of the Basic Court in Pristina preventing the Energy Regulatory Office from charging the unpaid electricity bills in the north to the rest of Kosovo residents has led to confusion as to who is actually paying for the unsettled bills, the paper writes. Kosovo MPs say they are certain that Kosovo citizens are no longer being charged extra for the unpaid bills in the north and that these are being covered by the EU Office in Kosovo.

Teuta Haxhiu, MP from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), said she has official information that the EU has been covering the costs of unpaid bills in the north. At the same time, Suzana Gashi from the Ombudsperson Institution in Kosovo said they have unconfirmed information that the bills are being paid by the European Energy Network. However, the EU in Kosovo said its funds under the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance (IPA) cannot be used to cover expenses of a public enterprise. “The EU assistance is designed to help the beneficiaries to prepare for EU integration,” the EU said in a response.

Tahiri at UN seeking justice for survivors of sexual violence in Kosovo (Epoka)

Former Deputy Prime Minister and former head of the negotiations with Serbia, Edita Tahiri as head of the Regional Women's Lobby for Peace, Security and Justice in South East Europe participated at the works of the 63 UN session of the Commission for Women’s Status, invited by UNWomen in New York. Tahiri said in her speech that the peace is not reached. “Balkans is in a situation where peace is not reached, therefore the seven countries should integrate faster in the EU and NATO, prior for Balkans making the next surprise.” She further requested justice for survivors of sexual violence during the conflict in Kosovo. “The international justice should act in order to bring dignity to the victims, while perpetrators should receive the deserved punishment,” Tahiri said.