Headlines - 22.12.2015

Possible renegotiation of agreement on Association/Community (Koha)

Citing unnamed Western diplomatic sources, the paper reports on its front page that, one part of the international community is seriously considering the renegotiation of the agreement on the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities if the Constitutional Court of Kosovo rules that some parts of the agreements are not in line with the constitution. A senior Western official told the paper that this option is not being discussed openly because they don’t want this to be seen as encouragement for the Constitutional Court to deem the agreement unconstitutional. Other diplomatic sources said that even if the court finds that the agreement violates the constitution, the Kosovo government must find ways to implement the agreement without renegotiating it, “but rather by adjusting its decisions so that they are compatible with Kosovo’s legislation and in practice not to change anything from the obligations assumed in the process of dialogue”. In a different article related to the same issue, the paper reports that the Kosovo government has finalized the decree for the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities. Kosovo’s authorities have reportedly notified Brussels of the initial measures for the implementation of the agreement on the principles of the Association/Community. In their report, the Kosovo authorities said the formation of the Association/Community should be conditioned with the full dissolution of Serb parallel structures operating in Kosovo and that Serbia should remove Kosovo from its constitution.

U.S.: Border demarcation agreement in accordance with 1974 maps (media)

The United States Embassy in Pristina announced on Monday that the U.S. State Department has reviewed the Kosovo-Montenegro border demarcation document prepared by the Kosovo State Commission for Marking and Maintenance of the State Border. “We understand the basis for the Commission’s demarcation effort was the 1974 Yugoslav Constitution, which defined Kosovo’s border from the administrative borders of municipalities, which are broken into cadastral zones. This basis of delineation was also used in the 2007 Comprehensive Settlement Proposal of UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari and the 2008 Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo,” a press release issued by the U.S. Embassy states. It adds that following the review of all relevant maps, the State Department has concluded that “the recently-delimited border closely aligns with the border as defined by the 1974 Constitution.” The State Department stressed the importance of the border demarcation agreement adding it is a condition for the visa liberalization process and an important step towards European integration.

Kosovo government welcomes US State Department report (Zeri)

Zeri reports that the Kosovo government welcomed on Monday the position of the US State Department. Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Hashim Thaci said: “This credible report reaffirms that the decision on border demarcation has been fair, professional, legal and constitutional”. Murat Meha, the chairman of the Kosovo government committee on demarcation, welcomed the statement saying that the demarcation process was fair and well-documented. On the other hand, Zgjim Hyseni from the Vetevendosje Movement said that the statement of the US State Department that demarcation is in conformity with the 1974 Constitution doesn’t prove that it is accurate and that a part of territory is not being taken away from Kosovo.

Abrashi: Offer to the opposition remains open (Indeksonline)

Kosovo government spokesman Arban Abrashi told Pristina-based news site Indeksonline on Monday evening that notwithstanding the U.S. Department of State’s report, the government’s offer to the opposition to review the demarcation process remains open. Prime Minister Isa Mustafa had earlier suggested the establishment of a group of international experts that would review the matter. “The government welcomes proposals and ideas aimed at addressing concerns so the offer to the opposition remains open,” Abrashi said.

Vetevendosje: No peace without withdrawal of agreements (Kosova Sot)

Vetevendosje spokesman Frasher Krasniqi told KTV on Monday that the opposition parties would in no case allow the ratification of the current demarcation of the border with Montenegro. “We will do anything that is possible in our civil methods,” Krasniqi said. “Constitutional changes were also approved at the Assembly in 1989; however, there was no peace since then. There will be no peace in Kosovo without the withdrawal of these two agreements,” said Krasniqi adding that the opposition will intensify its protests and the government will not be able to control the situation.

AAK: Experts found irregularities in border demarcation (Kosova Sot)

Kosova Sot carries a press release on the matter issued by the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), one of the opposition parties that is rejecting the border demarcation process. The AAK said in its press release that there are a significant number of experts in this field that are not affiliated to political parties, who found major irregularities in the border demarcation with Montenegro. “Furthermore, Montenegro itself, expressed readiness in several cases to correct the mistakes made,” the press release said.

Opposition MPs Kurti and Haxhiu placed under house arrest (Zeri)

The paper reports that the Supreme Court yesterday decided to change the detention measure against the Vetevendosje Movement MPs Albin Kurti and Albulena Haxhiu to house arrest. Kurti will remain under house arrest until 28 December 2015 while Haxhiu until 7 January 2016. Meanwhile, the Court of Appeal has rejected the request of the defense lawyers against one-month detention for the defendants Faton Topalli and Ismail Kurteshi, both Vetevendosje MPs. The opposition parties through a press statement said that the court’s decisions are political decisions. According to them, the decisions for detention and house arrest are attempts by the government to lose the mandate for the opposition MPs, since according to the rules, failing to attend plenary sessions for six months leads to loss of mandate. The opposition MPs were arrested for their involvement in throwing teargas in the Kosovo Assembly.

Serbian police does not allow Minister Shala to visit Presevo (Kosova Sot)

Kosovo’s Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Kujtim Shala, was not allowed to visit Serbia on Monday. Citing unnamed sources, the paper reports that Minister Shala was planning to visit Presevo, in southern Serbia, but the Serbian authorities did not allow the visit.

Dacic: There is no need to ask the Church for Kosovo (Gazeta Blic)

Serbia’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ivica Dacic assessed that invitation of the President of Serbia, Tomislav Nikolic, to consult with the Orthodox Church regarding the Chapter 35 on Kosovo, is unacceptable. Dacic said the negotiations are led by the Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and that he has discussed the issue with the Church representatives as well as all the other representatives of the society, several times. “Therefore, I consider that invitation to ask the Serbian Orthodox Church is unnecessary,” Dacic said. Nikolic proposed that in addition to the Orthodox Church, the Chapter for Kosovo should also be discussed with the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.