Headlines - 29.05.2017

• Thaci: Meetings with citizens, part of my work (Bota Sot)
• Kurti: We will annul agreement on Association/Community (Koha)
• Poll: PDK first, LDK second and Vetevendosje third (Epoka)
• “Plan to remove majority of current leaders from Kosovo politics” (media)
• Bugajski: No Kosovo government can stop special court (Zeri)
• Mitrovica bridge construction works awaiting elections (Koha)
• Petritsch warns of EU “Balkanisation” (Koha)
• Montenegrin FM: Montenegro has excellent relations with Kosovo (Koha)

Thaci: Meetings with citizens, part of my work (Bota Sot)

President of Kosovo, Hashim Thaci, responded to criticism that he was campaigning for his former party, the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), in his recent visits to several schools across Kosovo. Thaci said he ceased all political activity the moment he became president and that contacts with citizens are not part of any election campaign. “I do not wish to comment on opinions of political parties but I think they should be grateful as I reach out to everyone, all groups,” Thaci said.

Kurti: We will annul agreement on Association/Community (Koha)

Vetevendosje’s candidate for prime minister, Albin Kurti, said that one of the priorities for his party will be the annulment of agreement on Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities as well as the approval of the law on referendum and an anti-mafia law. Kurti said the Association/Community agreement can be “very easily” invalidated through the decision of the Constitutional Court.

Poll: PDK first, LDK second and Vetevendosje third (Epoka)

According to a poll conducted by the Institute for Research and Social Analysis, the PDK-AAK-NISMA coalition will win the upcoming 11 June parliamentary elections with 40.82 percent of votes, the LDK-AKR-Alternative coalition will gain 30.22 percent of the votes and Vetevendosje will come third with 19.45 of votes. The poll was conducted in Pristina, Mitrovica, Peja, Prizren, Ferizaj, Gjilan and Gjakova, with 3,500 respondents.

“Plan to remove majority of current leaders from Kosovo politics” (media)

Several papers quote a report by the Ljubljana-based International Institute for Middle-East and Balkans Studies, as saying that “there is a plan among leading world countries to remove from Kosovo’s political scene the majority of current leaders, including President Hashim Thaci”. The report also notes that because of the catastrophic state of the judiciary in Kosovo, it is impossible to punish perpetrators of war crimes and the heads of organized crime and corruption. “The nest of crime in Kosovo is in the Privatization Agency, the sector of tenders, in public companies and in the control over the Customs,” the report said. According to IFIMES, Kosovo’s authorities have not achieved significant progress in the fight against corruption and organized crime.

Bugajski: No Kosovo government can stop special court (Zeri)

Balkans analyst, Janusz Bugajski, said in a front-page interview to Zeri that no new government of Kosovo will be able to halt the work of the specialist chambers, regardless of its composition. “Any obstacle to the work of the special court or intimidation of witnesses will have a negative effect not only on the government but on Kosovo’s progress towards international recognition and institutional integration”, Bugajski said. He also said that the new government of Kosovo should continue dialogue with Belgrade. “At the same time, Serbia needs to negotiate with Kosovo no matter who is in the government”.

Mitrovica bridge construction works awaiting elections (Koha Ditore)

Mitrovica North Mayor, Goran Rakic, continues not to allow the resumption of construction works on the main River Iber/Ibar bridge in Mitrovica, the paper reports on the front page adding that the works, suspended last month, are not expected to resume until after parliamentary elections set for 11 June. Mitrovica Mayor, Agim Bahtiri, said he spoke about the issue to the EU officials in Kosovo and Rakic and that the work on revitalization of the bridge will be concluded after elections.

Petritsch warns of EU “Balkanisation” (Koha)

Former EU envoy for Kosovo, Wolfgang Petritsch, told Radio Free Europe that it seems that Europe is becoming Balkanised instead of the other way around. He said the EU needs to adopt a new strategy for the Balkans to motivate the transitional period until the new wave of enlargement which, he said, will not be in the near future. “We cannot leave the citizens and the governments of the region wait for ten years so easily”, Petritsch said.

Montenegrin FM: Montenegro has excellent relations with Kosovo (Koha)

Montenegro’s Foreign Minister, Srdjan Darmanovic, said Montenegro has excellent relations with Kosovo. Asked to comment on what Serbian and Russian media presented as “the idea for a Greater Albania”, Darmanovic told Slovak news agency Tasr: “We have excellent relations with all neighbors, including Albania, Kosovo and Macedonia. I think in our region there is a lot of talk during election campaigns in order to attract the voters’ attention. Albania is a member of NATO and it very clearly sees its future in the European Union. The main goal of Kosovo and Macedonia too is to become member states of the EU and NATO. We will be part of the NATO Alliance starting from June 5”.