UNMIK Headlines 2 October
Serbia creates tensions among Kosovo Serbs (Koha)
The paper reports on the front page that Serbia is creating tensions among Kosovo Serbs. Serb political parties running in the November local elections have condemned Belgrade’s decision to support only the “Serb Civic Initiative”. Belgrade’s representative Aleksandar Vulin, who visited northern Kosovo in the last couple of days, hosted a reception in Belgrade for members of the Serb Civic Initiative. He called on northern Kosovo Serbs to cast their votes for the initiative, which was created with the support of Serbia’s Prime Minister Ivica Dacic.
Meanwhile, Rada Trajkovic, member of Kosovo’s Parliament, said Belgrade’s approach reminds her of the division during World War Two. “Similar to Thaçi, Vulin is entitled to support a political party, but no one has the right to divide Serbs, as Vulin is doing, into traitors and patriots,” Trajkovic told the paper on Tuesday. “Vulin’s campaign is reminding me of 1945, when Serbs were divided into Chetniks and Partisans, or of a time that does not correspond with democratic behavior.”
Oliver Ivanovic, a Kosovo Serb politician operating in the north, said he disagrees with Vulin’s policy. “We strongly condemn the behavior of Minister Vulin, who is using the funds of the Serbian Government to favor a list in Kosovo, and at the same time is indirectly anathemizing all other political parties. Such an approach causes serious doubts about the honesty of the government. All this can be dangerous and can cause added divisions among Kosovo Serbs,” a press release issued by Ivanovic’s party noted.
Kosovo Government powerless in face of Serbia’s obstructions (Koha)
Despite the agreement between Pristina and Belgrade for Serb illegal security structures in the north to disband by 30 September, these mechanisms are still very much operational and there is no specified time as to when they would stop working. Concerns over the continuing functioning of Serb structures were presented to EU officials on behalf of Kosovo by Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri who is in Brussels for talks.
The office of the EU High Representative for Security and Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton did not comment on Serbia’s obstructions to agreements with Kosovo. “Implementation of agreements is the key and we are working with the two sides, both Pristina and Belgrade, to ensure further progress,” said Spokesperson Maja Kocijancic.
Implementation of agreement in crisis (Tribuna)
The paper reports on the front page that by Friday, Pristina and Belgrade will have to work out numerous differences surrounding the implementation of agreements reached in Brussels. Technical working groups will try to overcome this situation, and in the event of failure, sources told the paper that European facilitators are considering an urgent meeting between the two prime ministers.
Thaci and Dacic were not supposed to meet before the November local elections in Kosovo but the failure of parties to dissolve parallel structures in the north and to integrate their members in Kosovo institutions, as well as disagreements about the November elections, have left open the possibility for an extraordinary meeting.
Citing unnamed sources, the paper reports that the European Union has made it clear to both parties that by November 3, the Serbian Ministry of Interior Affairs, the so-called Civil Protection and parallel courts in northern Kosovo need to be dissolved and their members integrated in the Kosovar system.
Belgrade says 12,000 Serbs have been included in voters lists (Koha)
A new round of talks between Pristina and Belgrade on elections, customs, freedom of movement and liaison offices began on Tuesday. After the meeting of the working group on elections, Marko Djuric, advisor to Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic, said parties have agreed for 12,000 Serbs to register as voters in the November local elections. “After more than six hours of technical dialogue in Brussels, we have managed to include 12,000 Serbs in the voters list,” Djuric was quoted as saying.
Belgrade officials said they also discussed the issue of applications by Serb voters living outside Kosovo, most of which were rejected by Kosovo’s Central Election Committee. Veljko Odalovic, general secretary in the Serbian Government, said they would not give up on the applications and that all 40,000 applications should be granted the right to vote.
Kosovo Government officials did not want to comment if applications were discussed at the meeting.
LDK, Vetëvendosje coordinate to block PTK privatization (Koha/Tribuna)
The two biggest opposition parties in Kosovo, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and the Vetëvendosje Movement, are coordinating their actions to oppose the inclusion of the PTK privatization in the agenda of the Kosovo Parliament.
“The moment that the privatization of PTK is included in the agenda of the Parliament, LDK and Vetëvendosje will call for an extraordinary session and for the establishment of an investigations committee that will look into this corrupt and illegal process. Consultations between the two parties are underway and there is mutual readiness for joint actions. In addition to the two parties, some MPs of the ruling coalition and some independent MPs have also expressed their support for an extraordinary session,” sources told the paper.
LDK MP Vjosa Osmani confirmed the coordination with Vetëvendosje.
Tribuna reports on page two that opposition parties have collected signatures of 40 MPs for an extraordinary session on Thursday.
SAA negotiations to start by end October (Koha Ditore)
Authorities in Brussels are aware that the Government of Kosovo wishes to start negotiations on Stabilisation and Association Agreement before elections of 3 November but they note that there are still few more issues that need to be outlined before the talks can begin. Efforts are underway for negotiations to begin by the end of October but their duration cannot yet be prejudged although the scenario foresees their conclusion before next summer.
Krasniqi: I am not a kamikaze (Zëri)
Assembly Speaker Jakup Krasniqi said in an interview for the paper that he is ready to set up a new political party where democratic values will prevail instead of the voice of a totalitarian leader like Hashim Thaçi. He however said his agenda does not include turning into a “kamikaze” that would result in damaging himself and the Democratic Party of Kosovo but stressed that politics has its own reasons. “If I want to remain in politics, I want to do be able to do so with a group of friends in a political entity where the leader does not take the decisions but the party does,” said Krasniqi.
Erdogan accepts Thaçi’s invitation (Zëri)
Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accepted the invitation of his Kosovo counterpart Hashim Thaçi to visit the country on 23 October. His visit will take place on the occasion of a new terminal of Pristina Airport being inaugurated.
Serbia lays its railway up to the River Ibër (Lajm)
Serbian Railways have started to invest in the northern part of Kosovo, while Kosovo Railways officials in charge of supervision of railways infrastructure, “Infrakos,” feel unable to stop this. Serbian Railways general director, Dragolub Simonovic, stated that the train line between Kralevo and Zveçan, is expected to be extended up to the river Ibër. As far as the works on the new train station are concerned, Simonovic stated that works were commenced in cooperation with the Minister for Kosovo without portfolio.