Headlines - 24.05.2016

Çollaku: Demarcation must be ratified by July (dailies)

Kosovo’s European Integration Minister, Bekim Çollaku, said on Monday that the Kosovo Assembly must ratify the agreement on border-demarcation with Montenegro no later than early July. “If the agreement is not ratified, this will serve as an argument to some EU member states to say that Kosovo has not fulfilled the criteria for visa liberalization. It is not in the interest of anyone to risk visa liberalisation,” Çollaku said. Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Local Government Administration, Bajram Gecaj, said the coalition partners will send the border-demarcation agreement to the Assembly soon.  “It is important for the demarcation committee to convince the MPs that this agreement does not harm Kosovo,” Gecaj said. Donika Kadaj-Bujupi from the Vetëvendosje Movement, said the government must first annul the agreement in order to pave the way for negotiations and new agreement.

Government coalition proposes roundtable for demarcation (Epoka e Re)

Xhavit Haliti, MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), proposed for the next meeting of the Commission for European Integration to invite the Government Commission for the border demarcation with Montenegro in order to be informed on the way that the commission works. Also, some deputies of the coalition government proposed to hold a round table and invite experts, geographers and deputies. Opposition parties on the other hand announced that if the agreement reaches the Assembly of Kosovo to be ratified as it is, they would block the session

Deçan/Dečani residents say they will not respect Court’s decision (Koha)

The paper reports on one of its front-page stories that municipal authorities and civil society in the municipality of Deçan/Dečani will not respect last week’s ruling of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo that leaves two socially-owned enterprises, “Apiko” and “Iliria” property to the Deçan/ Dečani Monastery. Residents of this municipality argue that the ruling of the court was politically motivated and unconstitutional. KFOR meanwhile has stepped up its presence around the Monastery. Deçan/Dečani Mayor Rasim Selmanaj said on Monday: “The Constitutional Court of our state has unfortunately decided to give away the properties of two-socially owned enterprises to the Monastery. This means it has legitimized a decision made during the Milosevic regime in 1997. We will react strongly against this decision”.

Selimi: Serbian soldiers came as usurpers and were killed as such (Insajderi)

Vetevendosje MP, Rexhep Selimi, replied to the statement of the leader of Serbian List, who said that establishment of Kosovo Armed Forces would mean spiting on the graves of Serbian soldiers in Kosovo. Selimi said that Serbian soldiers came to Kosovo as usurpers and they died as such. “If establishing the Kosovo Armed Force is an insult for Serbs, so would the creation of the Association/Community for Serb-majority Municipalities be for 12 thousand people who were killed during the war", Selimi said.

O’Connell: Foreign investors should be supported (Epoka e Re)

The U.K.'s Ambassador to Kosovo, Ruairi O’Connell, said during a round table organized by the Economic Chamber of Kosovo and the Agency for Investments and Support of the Enterprises in Kosovo, that foreign investors are an important factor for Kosovo's economic development. “Foreign investors should be attracted to invest, because they need support and a strong legal state. Investors should be induced to start investing and expand their businesses. This then brings new investors and economic growth,” O’Connell said.

Justice Minister "under ambassadors’ microscope" (Zeri)

The paper reports in a front-page story that the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) proposed former Interior Minister Zenun Pajaziti and Gani Koci for the post of Justice Minister since Hajredin Kuçi announced he will only keep the deputy prime minister post. Citing unidentified sources, the paper reports that Pajaziti and Koci are being vetted by the most influential embassies in Kosovo because of the sensitivity of this department, especially after the special court for war crimes will become operational. Pajaziti denied having received such an offer.

Serwer: One thing not to worry about (media)

Several media have picked up an opinion piece written by Daniel Serwer, US expert on the Balkans, following an article published in The New York Times about radicalization in Kosovo. Serwer writes: “Yesterday’s front-page New York Times piece on radicalization in Kosovo is every diplomat’s nightmare: a well-written, prominent story with solid facts that contradict what his or her government wants the Americans to believe. But there is another two-thirds of the story that got short shrift:

-         the Kosovo government has already reacted vigorously and effectively to the inroads Islamic extremists have made, and

-         Kosovo Albanians as well as their government remain overwhelmingly and enthusiastically pro-American and pro-European.

The article would have been a clarion call to action three or four years ago. But today it is largely old news. The story of relatively high levels of extremist recruitment and Saudi funding Carlotta Gall tells has already been amply documented. The Kosovars themselves have spilled a lot of electrons on the subject, in particular the Saudi connection that is one of Gall’s main, and well-told, points. They figure:

In terms of the number of foreign fighters per capita amongst their Muslim population, Kosovo is in the bottom half of the list of countries, ranked 14th among 22 countries with the highest number of foreign fighters per capita of their respective Muslim populations.

The Kosovo government is claiming there have been no known Kosovar recruits to the Islamic State (ISIS) in the past year or so. To my knowledge, no one is denying that claim.”

Privatisation agency asks RTK to release its premises (RTK)

Privatisation Agency of Kosovo (PAK) has issued a notice to the public broadcaster RTK to release its premises within five days or face eviction by force. The PAK letter, addressed to RTK general director Mentor Shala, says that the public broadcaster is unlawfully using the assets of the socially-owned enterprise “Radio Television of Pristina”. PAK has asked the RTK to pay the rent for the period it has used the premises or leave it. Director Shala said the letter is part of pressure on the public broadcaster and comes at a time when new members of its management are expected to be selected. Shala added it was UNMIK that allocated the RTK in the current premises without the management having any say on the matter.

LDK branch head in Germany sues party leader (Bota Sot)

The head of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) branch in Germany, Donika Gërvalla, has sued the leader of the party and Prime Minister of Kosovo, Isa Mustafa, after the was forcibly prevented from attending the meeting of the LDK general council by the security staff. Gërvalla accused Mustafa, the LDK secretary Ismet Beqiri, and two other persons for physical assault.

UK troops failed to protect Kosovo citizens, court hears (Lajmi/The Guardian)

British troops failed to protect the local population in Kosovo and to properly investigate murders and an abduction after they were deployed at the end of Nato’s bombing campaign in 1999, the high court in London has been told. The widows of two men, and the wife of a prominent surgeon who was seized and has not been found since, are suing the Ministry of Defence, claiming their human rights were violated. The crimes took place in areas where British soldiers were responsible for ensuring the safety of the population, and have not been adequately investigated, their counsel, Kirsty Brimelow QC, says in written submissions presented to the court. Both sides recognise the case involves important issues, notably the extent of the jurisdiction of the European convention on human rights – including a duty on soldiers in control of the relevant areas to investigate crimes effectively. James Eadie QC, for the MoD, argued that the British troops were part of an international force operating under a UN mandate. He referred the judge, Mr. Justice Irwin, to an earlier European human rights court judgment that in such cases the UN security council was the ultimate authority and they were thus outside the European court’s jurisdiction. Brimelow argued that the UN did not have effective control over the international peacekeeping force in Kosovo. The UK retained control over its troops in their policing operations, and they were subject to European court obligations. The case is due to last at least three days.