Headlines - 23.03.2015

Association of Serb municipalities to be included in Serbian Constitution? (Koha)

The paper reports on the front page that the Serbian List is applying additional pressure on Pristina to establish the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities, because Belgrade wants to include the Association in its constitutional amendments. Kosovo government officials, on the other hand, are adamant that they will not accept any condition from the Serbian List that goes against Kosovo’s constitution and laws. Fisnik Korenica, from the Pristina-based Group for Legal and Political Studies, told the paper that Kosovo should not establish the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities without receiving guarantees from Brussels that Belgrade will not include the Association in its constitutional amendments. “This would seriously endanger relations between Kosovo and Serbia and it would preempt the role of the Association in Kosovo. The Association would become a Trojan Horse that would impede the normal functioning of Kosovo anytime that the Serbian List was not satisfied with the political developments,” Korenica said. Vetevendosje MP Albulena Haxhiu said on the matter: “The goal behind the establishment of the Association of Serb Municipalities is to create a Serb political entity with executive competencies that would function as a second tier of government controlled by Belgrade”.

PDK divided on special court (Zeri)

The ruling coalition between the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) and Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), together with the Serbian List, currently do not have the votes necessary to establish the special court that would address war crimes allegations. Some PDK MPs have even begun openly opposing the establishment of the court. A senior PDK official told Zeri that several PDK MPs have declared they would vote against the special court. “The party’s leader, Hashim Thaci, is going to have to step up the pressure on these MPs, in order for the process not to go to the United Nations,” the official said. The constitutional amendments that open the way to establish the special court are expected to be sent to Parliament for approval in the beginning of May.

No decision yet on headquarters of special court (Zeri)

Brussels has yet to decide whether the headquarters of the special court, which will address war crimes allegations in Kosovo, will be in the Netherlands. The European Union Office in Kosovo said the establishment of the special court remains a priority. “The EU encourages Kosovo to formalize the legal framework for the establishment of this court as soon as possible,” an EU Office official said. The Dutch Ambassador in Pristina, Robert Bosch, told Radio Kosova that the Dutch Parliament would discuss this issue at the right time. “I cannot predict the outcome because Parliament is independent, but I hope that they will agree,” Bosch said.

Thaci: Brussels was late with Kosovo (Bota Sot)

Kosovo’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Hashim Thaci, told Kleine Zeitung that Brussels has delayed the process of integration of all countries of the region, but especially Kosovo, and that the entire Western Balkans should join the European family. Thaci highlighted the threat from radical nationalists and fundamentalists in the Balkans, who are abusing this situation to push their own agendas. In regards to irregular migration of people from Kosovo, Thaci said that other countries in the region went through the same experience before getting visa liberalization. “Thanks to an intensive information campaign and increasing cooperation with Austria, Germany, Hungary and other countries, the number of asylum seekers from Kosovo has declined significantly,” Thaci said.

Tahiri: Barricade at Iber to be removed in three months (dailies)

Edita Tahiri, Minister for dialogue, told Kosova Press news agency that the barricade on the River Iber/Ibar, will be removed in three months. “The European Union took the authorization to remove the barricade. They worked on a process of drafting a plan for the revitalization of the Iber/Ibar bridge, when the barricades from this and the other bridges set at that time will be removed. The EU’s plan is ongoing. I have requested a date. They of course were not able to give me a precise date. But in a way, based on their dynamics, it was made known that the process of the revitalization and the removal of the barricade will start within three months,” said Tahiri. She also said that the dialogue with Belgrade would continue, despite the fact that Serbia had failed to implement the agreements or had violated them, time and again.

Governments of Kosovo and Albania to meet today (dailies)

The second joint meeting of the government of Kosovo and Government of Albania will be held today in Tirana. The two governments are expected to sign several agreements with a focus on cooperation in the field of security, border control, education and rural development.

Tadic: Dacic wanted to start a war with Kosovo (Kosova Sot)

The leader of the Social Democratic Party of Serbia and former Serbian President, Boris Tadic, during a lecture for Belgrade students, said that he had problems with his former political partner, Ivica Dacic, because Dacic had wanted to go to war with Kosovo. Meanwhile, Dacic, reacting to this statement, said that Serbia was not able to remain inactive while Serbs in northern Kosovo were being attacked.