Headlines - 03.06.2013 Serb telecom legalized in Kosovo (Zëri) Serbia has agreed not to prevent Kosovo from getting issued its own telephone code on condition that a Serb operator is allowed to operate in Kosovo. Sources told the paper that this agreement is expected to be made public in the coming days. An official from the Kosovo Government said the Serb mobile operator will work only in predominantly Serb areas but authorities in Belgrade said the operator will either function throughout Kosovo or not at all. “As to who will use it, is up to the citizens to decide”, said an unnamed official from the Serb Government. Belgrade trying to convince Kosovo Serbs to accept agreement (Koha Ditore) Government of Serbia is continuing its efforts to convince Kosovo Serbs to accept implementation of the agreement achieved in Brussels on 19 April between Kosovo Prime Minister, Hashim Thaçi and Prime Minister of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, which enables Serbs in the north to create the association of municipalities. Serb Minister of Justice and Public Administration, Nikola Selakovic, and director of the Office for Kosovo in Government of Serbia, Aleksandar Vulin, stayed in Kosovo on Saturday and Sunday to this end. According to Serb media, Serb officials on Saturday have met with the employees in the judiciary bodies in north of Mitrovica, while on Sunday they stayed in Shtërpce and Deçan. Selakovic said on the occasion that the main aim of Serbia is to create conditions for Kosovo Serbs to live normally and to protect their rights. Kosovo Government said that all the visits of the officials of Government of Serbia at this period of time are in the service of the implementation of the Brussels agreement. Jahjaga invited to the summit in Slovakia (Zëri) Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga has been invited to the summit of heads of states of central and south-east Europe set to take place in Slovakia. The invitation was sent out by Slovakian President Ivan Gasparovic and officials from Jahjaga’s cabinet said she will enjoy equal treatment with presidents of 21 other countries in the summit. Ahtisaari: Serbia has realized there is no EU without recognition of Kosovo (Epoka e Re) Former Finnish President and UN mediator for Kosovo, Martti Ahtisaari stated in an interview for Austrian daily Die Presse that Serbia has understood that if it wants EU membership, it has to accept that Kosovo exists and is independent. He said that the plan that he compiled for Kosovo together with the Austrian diplomat, Albert Rohan, includes the best possibilities for the protection of minorities, especially Serb minority. “I think that what the EU Representative, Catherine Ashton, reached with the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, is very important. This sends the clear message to the parties to implement what was reached in the agreement,” said Ahtisaari. EULEX: Witnesses were endangered (Lajm) After two days, EULEX clarified the decision of the panel of EULEX and local judges to change the measure of arrest for the seven former KLA members known as Drenica Group, from release on bail to 30-day detention. In an official reply, EULEX confirms that “the main reason for the changes of these measures was the danger of the impact of the arrested on witnesses.” “The panel has received the appeal of the special prosecutor and it has refused the appeal of the defense, deciding to apply the measure of detention for the seven arrested,” clarified EULEX. Outdated voters’ lists, possibility for elections fraud (Koha Ditore) The paper reports that the list of voters for Kosovo elections remains one of the serious problems in organizing local elections with around 300,000 persons considered not to be potential voters still being on the lists. The recent clean-up of the lists from 30,000 names seems a minimal step in the process. Member of Vetëvendosje in the Central Elections Commission (CEC), Alban Krasniqi, said the failure to clean up the lists presents an opportunity for misuse of votes while the Democratic League of Kosovo’s representative, Florian Dushi, said the working group is expected to submit final report on cleaning of the lists to the Ministry of Interior in the coming week. No special law for amnestying Serbs (Zëri) Inmates of the Dubrava prison called on Kosovo institutions not to approve a special law to amnesty Serbs in the north and warned of serious consequences if this happens. The inmates said there should be no double standards in the amnesty law and that the legal provisions should apply equally to all citizens of the country.