UNMIK Headlines 25 May
Haliti: I don’t fear the special court (Zeri)
The Deputy Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo and senior member of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Xhavit Haliti, told the paper on Sunday that he doesn’t fear the establishment of the special court, and that it is in Kosovo’s interest for this court to be created. Haliti said that also some Kosovo Albanians have contributed to the establishment of this court with denunciations and their files. “Dick Marty’s allegations for war crimes do not stand true and it would never be proven that such things happened,’ Haliti said. According to him, if the issue of special court is sent to the United Nations Security Council, this would hinder Kosovo’s integration and recognition by international organizations. Regarding the recent incident in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), Haliti said that it should not have happened and that if Kosovo institutions had prior information and did not prevent it, then somebody must be held accountable.
Vetevendosje: Ethnic division of Armed Forces is unacceptable (dailies)
The Vetevendosje Movement’s Defense and Security Committee held a press conference on Sunday in Pristina, warning that the attempt to create an ethnic Serb unit within the future Armed Forces of Kosovo threatens Kosovo by the tendency for the ethnic division of the Kosovo Armed Forces. “The agreement reached between the Government of Kosovo and Serbia ethnically divided the Kosovo Police. The same model is intended to be applied also to the Kosovo Armed Forces. This is unacceptable for us,” Vetevendosje MP Rexhep Selimi said. The head of the Defense and Security Committee, Shemsi Syla, said that the establishment of a regiment with a Serb command makes the Kosovo Armed Forces dysfunctional. Syla also said that it was planned that this regiment would include all those who have previously worked in the Civil Protection or other parallel structures. Haki Demolli, the Kosovo Security Force Minister, said last week that there would be no special Serb battalion for the northern municipalities.
Two EULEX vehicles attacked in the north (dailies)
Two vehicles of the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) were reportedly attacked near Leposavic on Sunday. EULEX spokesperson, Dragana Nikolic Solomon, confirmed the incident and said that the vehicles were armoured. No injuries were reported. Nikolic-Solomon said investigations into the incident were on-going.
Beg Rizaj buried by fellow KLA combatants on Sunday (Koha Ditore)
The paper reports on its front page that Beg Rizaj, one of the nine Kosovars killed during the Kumanovo fighting, was buried yesterday in Gllogjan, in the Decan/Decani municipality. While Kosovo institutions did not express support for the Kosovars fighting in Kumanovo, Rizaj was buried with high honours by his fellow combatants of the former Kosovo Liberation Army. Members of parliament from the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK), Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and Vetevendosje attended the funeral. Rasim Selmanaj, the mayor of Decan/Decani municipality, said at the funeral that the failure to implement the Ohrid Agreement and the current status of Albanians in the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM) was the reason why Rizaj and his comrades chose what he called different steps.
Re-examination of the Kumanovo dead concludes (Epoka e Re)
Kosovo has concluded the autopsy of the nine people from Kosovo killed in the armed incident in Kumanovo. The Director of the Department of Forensic Medicine, Arsim Gerxhaliu, told Radio Free Europe that the results will be submitted to the Prosecution. “We have concluded our professional job. We have marked and photographed everything. So we have covered every single millimetre as foreseen in the forensic operational standards. We will draft our autopsy reports and we will submit them to the State Prosecutor, according to professional ethics. The same professional ethics do not allow me to comment further. The State Prosecutor will be informed about every single finding on each body,” said Gerxhaliu.
Limaj: Autopsy results should be made public (Epoka e Re)
Fatmir Limaj, leader of the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), has requested the results of the autopsy on the nine Kosovo citizens killed in Kumanovo to be made public. He stated that Kosovo people should know how they were killed. “Expressing all the gratitude for our forensics team of experts, who responded very quickly with the autopsy of our boys killed in Kumanovo, we request the report to be made public immediately. We do not believe in any expertise that comes from Gruevski’s criminal regime, therefore we request for the results to be made public immediately,” wrote Limaj on his Facebook page.
Kosovo becomes member of the SEECP with full rights (Epoka e Re)
Kosovo has become a member of the South-East European Cooperation Process (SEECP) with full rights. The news was announced on Saturday in Tirana by Albania’s Assembly Speaker Ilir Meta and his Kosovo counterpart, Kadri Veseli. “Integration of Kosovo Assembly at the regional institutions and admission of Kosovo with equal rights at the meetings of the other South-East European countries is a historical achievement,” Meta said.