UNMIK Headlines 3 November
Ban calls for end to political crisis in Kosovo (Tribuna)
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has urged all political parties in Kosovo to establish new institutions as soon as possible so that they can implement international as well as internal obligations, the paper reports on its second page. Quoting an advance copy of Ban’s latest quarterly report on Kosovo, which it claims to possess, the paper further notes that Ban indirectly said that extraordinary elections should be avoided and that new institutions should be formed based on the June election results. He also said Kosovo leaders need to continue the historic process of normalization of relations with Belgrade. Ban also praised the Kosovo Police and Islamic Community for their actions in relation to religious radicalization. The report has already been submitted to Security Council Member States. Kosovo and Serbia will be represented in the session this month by their respective foreign ministers.
Week of decisions (Tribuna)
On the front page, the paper reports that the President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, expects political leaders to go to her office by the middle of the week and present concrete solutions for overcoming the political stalemate. However, before this happens, the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) need to clearly define the agreement they have with each other, as LDK has indirectly suggested it will give up the post of Assembly Speaker. Sources from the party said that a reflection process doesn’t entail a change of coalition partners. LDK is committed to continuing its agreement with AAK but in light of new developments, it has informed AAK and its leader, Ramush Haradinaj, that the prime ministerial post should now go to LDK.
PDK ready for three scenarios (Tribuna)
Anonymous Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) officials said they are ready for three possible scenarios, which are likely to happen. Those include early elections, a technical government, or the redesigning of the coalition bloc’s agreement, by which they would accept that the post of Assembly Speaker belongs to PDK.
Germany in favor of majority coalition (Zeri)
Zeri reports on the front page that German Ambassador Angelika Viets says that Kosovo needs a new stable government that would have the majority of seats in the parliament. She criticized Kosovo leaders who have been unable to reach a political solution, and said that the delay in forming institutions would also delay visa liberalization for Kosovo. “We are not expecting visa liberalization for the people of Kosovo during the next year,” said Viets.
Not known if UN will support petition for raped women (dailies)
The United Nations has not given any sign of significant support to the initiative which seeks justice for women raped in Kosovo during the conflict. The petition, which collected 120,000 signatures in July, requests the UN to draft a report and establish a tribunal which would prosecute these crimes. The initiator of this petition, Edita Tahiri, has not said when this petition will be sent as an official request to the UN. Additional details were not given by the Office of the Spokesperson for Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. One of that office’s public relations officials, Devi Palanivelu, said that this issue is being considered at the level of the cabinet of the UN Secretary-General. “The UN is informed about the issue and we are currently considering it. As far as the details and results are concerned, we can talk later,” Palanivelu told Radio Kosova. Joel Mermet, head of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Kosovo , stated that it is still impossible to make any assessment. “The issue is now about what you have in that petition. There are many cases in the world where civil society initiates petitions and addresses the UN through official channels. In this case the petition is an individual initiative but still she [Edita Tahiri] is a Deputy Prime Minister and we have to be clear about the status of this initiative,” said Mermet.
Kurti against interference by internationals (Kosova Sot)
The leader of Vetevendosje, Albin Kurti, has rejected any interference by internationals to solve the institutional crisis in Kosovo. In a speech during Vetevendosje’s general council, Kurti emphasized that, if there is interference from outside institutions, then that should come from the people. “Thaci is interested in interference from internationals and ambassadors,” said Kurti.
Bamieh: Independent investigation needed for EULEX (Koha Ditore)
In a front-page interview for the paper, former EULEX prosecutor Maria Bamieh, spoke about allegations of political interference by EULEX in court cases and of corruption by EULEX officials. She said what EULEX does is not justice but pure politics and called for a comprehensive investigation process into these allegations by a special team from the European Commission. “It is not my intention to damage EULEX. I think there should be an international, independent investigation into the way EULEX operated in Kosovo because people currently in EULEX and those who manage it from Brussels are more focused on covering things up rather than addressing them”, said Bamieh.
Rexhepi admits that “Civilian Protection” operates in the north (Kosova Sot)
Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi has admitted that the so-called “Civil Protection” is continuing to act in northern Kosovo. According to him, it has not been integrated into Kosovo structures. The Brussels agreement between Pristina and Belgrade foresees the dismissal of parallel structures, including security structures, and their integration into Kosovo structures, but this is not happening yet.
Security in the north within normal limits (Epoka e Re)
Izmi Zeka, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs, assessed that stability in Kosovo is comparable to that in other European countries. He said that the security situation in the north is also stable.