• Thaci’s “tactical retreat” over land swap idea (Zeri)
• Thaci: Daily agendas cannot hamper relations with U.S. (Bota Sot)
• Thaci doesn’t comment Haradinaj’s remarks on borders (Koha)
• Haradinaj: Whosoever touches Kosovo borders will find us there (Klan Kosova)
• Serbian List: Kosovo Army wants to invade north and expel Serbs (Koha)
• Latifi: Tax used as tool for internal political competition (Epoka e Re)
• Bondsteel commander: No changes to our military mission in Kosovo (media)
• “Russia ready to stir up trouble in the Balkans” (Zeri)
• Pacolli: Kosovo and Colombia to establish diplomatic relations (Zeri)
• Awaiting border correction, Presevo Valley stripped of competencies (Koha)
• Masked man paints KLA graffiti on Serb house in Gorazhdec (Koha)

Thaci’s “tactical retreat” over land swap idea (Zeri)

The paper reports that the President of Kosovo Hashim Thaci has begun to make a “tactical retreat” from his idea for exchange of territories between Kosovo and Serbia but nevertheless continues to argue in favour of border correction whereby Presevo Valley would join Kosovo. Political analysts Zeri has spoken to attribute Thaci’s shift to his idea having received no support from political parties in Kosovo and international community.

Most recently speaking at a diaspora summit in Tirana, Thaci said there would be no exchange of territories between Kosovo and Serbia and that partition of Kosovo “can only happen over my dead body.” “No one can take a millimetre of Republic of Kosovo territory, no one can take Trepca, Mitrovica, Ujman or any part of the territory of the Republic of Kosovo,” Thaci said at the same time adding: “Yes to border correction because there is no one in the world that can deny my engagement for realization of the legitimate rights of Presevo, Medvedja e Bujanovc to join Kosovo without undermining the territory of Kosovo.”

Thaci: Daily agendas cannot hamper relations with U.S. (Bota Sot)

President Hashim Thaci has responded to reports speaking about a possible withdrawal of U.S. troops from Kosovo if it persists on the decision on import tax on Serbia. Thaci said such a scenario will not happen and that daily agendas cannot hamper relations with the U.S. “I assure the citizens of the Republic of Kosovo and the Albanian nation that such a thing will not happen and there won’t be a situation where the U.S. would take such a decision. I therefore underline that it is much easier to avoid obstacles and that the will of the political leaders of Kosovo is much greater,” Thaci told Tirana-based Top Channel.

Thaci doesn’t comment Haradinaj’s remarks on borders (Koha)

Kosovo President Hashim Thaci, said during a visit to Prizren on Sunday, that the Constitution of Kosovo will be amended to pave way for the unification of Presevo Valley with Kosovo through border correction. “Border correction, but as an independent state, and with Presevo Valley joining Kosovo,” he said. Thaci also said that “amending the Constitution does not mean the end of the world” because it happened four times while he was Prime Minister.

Thaci did not comment on Prime Minister Haradinaj’s recent remarks about the border, but said that there is no other way but to agree to requests coming from Washington. “Respecting the advice from the U.S. is a clear sign of our orientation as a society, and any stubborn action would put us on the wrong side of history”.

Thaci also said that he would not agree to a land swap with Serbia.

Haradinaj: Whosoever touches Kosovo borders will find us there (Klan Kosova)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Ramush Haradinaj said at the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) gathering in Decan that Albanians respect communities and would not attack the north as suggested by President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic. “I can assure you that the Albanians would never attack the north as stated by President Vucic. We will not attack the North, we will not attack the south or our country, we will not attack anyone. However, whosoever touches Kosovo borders will find us at the border, this should be clear to everyone,” Haradinaj said.

Serbian List: Kosovo Army wants to invade north and expel Serbs (Koha)

The Serbian List commented on Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj’s remarks over the weekend that the Kosovo Army would be present in the north in the event of a threat from the Serbian Army, the news website reports. Serbian List officials said the international community must react and “condemn the use of weapons and threats against our people in northern Kosovo”.

“We hope that following these statements, the international community will understand by the Serbian List is against the establishment of the Kosovo Army and its apparent objective is to invade the north and expels Serbs from Kosovo,” they added.

MEP McAllister calls on Kosovo to suspend import tariff (media)

A seven-member delegation from the European Parliament headed by Foreign Affairs Committee Chair and rapporteur for Serbia, David McAllister, visited Kosovo over the weekend and met political leaders including Prime Minister Ramush Haradinaj and Deputy Prime Minister Enver Hoxhaj.

In a press conference after meeting with Hoxhaj, McAllister called on Kosovo government to suspend the import tariff on products from Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. “In our view, tax’s suspension will be the way to success. We have been very clear on this and we reiterated our position during our two-day stay in Pristina,” McAllister said noting that the tariff is a violation of the CEFTA agreement and as a result of the Stabilisation and Association Agreement as well. “We therefore do not think this is a right decision.”

Asked about EP’s position on the possible trade of territories between Kosovo and Serbia as part of the final agreement, McAllister said: “European Parliament considers the agreement will be acceptable only if there is mutual consent taking into account the overall stability in the region and international law.” He also underlined that European Parliament considers that the multiethnic composition of Kosovo should be protected.

Latifi: Tax used as tool for internal political competition (Epoka e Re)

Blerim Latifi, advisor to Kosovo Assembly Speaker Kadri Veseli, said in an interview with the paper that the import tax on Serbia and Bosnia has been turned into a tool for internal political calculations and that it should not be used as pretext for the fall of the government. “One of the main shortcomings of political parties in Kosovo is that they view everything from the narrow electoral interest perspective. This is unfortunately also happening with the tax,” Latifi said adding that the decision to introduce the tax was right but that its significance has now been ‘misappropriated’.

Bondsteel commander: No changes to our military mission in Kosovo (media)

Rou Macaraeg, commander of the U.S. military camp in Kosovo Bondsteel, commented on Sunday on media reports that Washington could withdraw its troops from Kosovo as Pristina is refusing to lift the import tariff on Serbian goods.

Macaraeg told Tanjug that there are currently no changes to their military mission in Kosovo and that such decisions are made by politicians. “The U.S. Embassy in Pristina has very clearly presented our position. KFOR remains committed to our mission as outlined by UN Security Council Resolution 1244,” he added.

“Russia ready to stir up trouble in the Balkans” (Zeri)

The paper writes on the front page that Russia is spending a great deal of money in the Balkans in an effort to prevent the region’s countries joining the EU and NATO. U.S. experts warn that Russia wants to provoke a violent confrontation between Kosovo and Serbia.

David L. Phillips, American foreign policy expert, said Russia is seeking to expand its “malign” influence in the Balkans. “Russia has sold sophisticated arms to Serbia, including fighter planes MIG and heavy armoured vehicles. It wants to provoke a violent confrontation between Serbia and Kosovo in order to discredit the Kosovo project and implicate the U.S. and NATO in regional disputes. The Russian train in Mitrovica was a fierce provocation,” Phillips said. He added that both Russia and Serbia try to undermine Kosovo’s efforts to gain international recognition.

At the same time, Alon Ben-Meir, American professor on international relations, said for the paper that Serbia is the most susceptible country in the Balkans to Russian influence. He said the Balkans is of strategic interest to Russia.

Pacolli: Kosovo and Colombia to establish diplomatic relations (Zeri)

Kosovo’s Foreign Minister Behgjet Pacolli announced that he has received a letter from Colombian authorities informing him of a decree that’s been issued for establishing diplomatic relations with Kosovo. Pacolli hailed the move saying Kosovo will open an embassy in the Colombian capital of Bogota.

Awaiting border correction, Presevo Valley stripped of competencies (Koha)

The paper reports on its front page that “Belgrade has stepped up the process of stripping away the competencies of municipalities in the Presevo Valley region”. Albanian politicians and civil society activists in the region argue that this process is linked to discussions on what is being called a balanced agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. They also claim that any partial solution for that region will not contribute to a long-lasting solution and that it will create circumstances for unrest.

Masked man paints KLA graffiti on Serb house in Gorazhdec (Koha)

The paper reports on page five that a masked person is believed to have painted a KLA graffiti on the house of Milenko Dakic, a Kosovo Serb in the village of Gorazhdec, Peja municipality. Dakic’s son saw the masked person paint the graffiti and he notified the police.

Police later confirmed the information and said a prosecutor was working on the case. The Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo reacted to the incident saying that it was a sign of pressure on local Serbs.