UNMIK Headlines 5 February
EULEX arrests Delibasic, first MUP commander in the north (dailies)
Dragoljub Delibasic, former commander of the Serbian Interior Ministry (MUP) in the north of Kosovo, was arrested Tuesday by EULEX in the village of Leshak, north of Kosovo. The arrest warrant against Delibasic is reported to have been issued in connection to the crime that occurred on 3 February 2000, where 10 Albanians were killed in Mitrovica North. When the crime took place, Delibasic was the MUP commander in the Serb police station in the north, which was appointed by the Government of Serbia. Delibasic is wanted on the same charges as SDP leader Oliver Ivanovic, also was arrested earlier. Delibasic’s arrest was confirmed by EULEX spokesperson Blerim Krasniqi.
European “Tribunal” for KLA (Tribuna)
Sources told the paper that consultations concluded on the establishment of a European court to address possible war crime indictments against former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army. This means that the ‘KLA war’ will be scrutinized by yet another international tribunal in addition to that in The Hague.
The new mechanism will be modeled on the international war crimes tribunals, like the one on former Yugoslavia in The Hague and on Rwanda. The only difference will be that the Kosovo court will function under European jurisdiction.
The tribunal will be created to exclusively tackle alleged crimes committed by KLA members, described by former Council of Europe rapporteur for Kosovo Dick Marty. The investigation into Marty’s allegations is expected to be concluded by June, which is when EULEX’s task force mandate ends.
Serbia to open polls in Kosovo (Tribuna)
Members of the Serb community in Kosovo will be able to vote in Serbia’s parliamentary elections, but the Government of Kosovo will not allow Serbia to get directly involved in organizing elections. Deputy Prime Minister Hajredin Kuçi denied that an agreement was reached in Brussels that would allow Serbia alone to organise elections in Kosovo. He added that Kosovo Serbs with dual citizenships will be able to vote, either through Serbia’s liaison office in Kosovo, by postal service, or the OSCE.
Court decides: Ivanovic remains in detention (dailies)
The Court of Appeals in Pristina rejected Oliver Ivanovic’s request to be released from detention. Ivanovic is the leader of the Serb Civic Initiative (SDP). With this refusal, the Court confirmed Ivanovic will serve one month detention while facing war crime charges.
Limaj and Krasniqi with a new political party (dailies)
One of the creators of the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Deputy Fatmir Limaj, confirmed that he will no longer be a member of this party. During the RTK TV show “Debat,” Limaj said he has not been a member of PDK since 2012. “I have halted activities with PDK. In fact, I have not been a member of this party since 2012. I thank all those who supported me. Along with Jakup Krasniqi and others, I will appear with a new political offer very soon,” said Limaj. He stated that the present PDK party is not the one he used to know, adding that he is obligated to come up with a new offer, because hundreds of people are waiting.
Çitaku: Visa liberalisation is on the right path (Epoka e Re)
The Minister for European Integration, Vlora Çitaku, stated that the visa liberalisation process is moving according to the foreseen dynamics. According to her, assessing commissions will determine the progress on implementing the criteria. She also spoke about European Parliament Rapporteur Urlike Lunacek’s statement during her visit to Kosovo. “I do not consider it a blow; it was more a surprise, because, first of all, I think that Lunacek’s statement was taken out of the context. I also consider it to be surprising because the European Commission, which is a competent body able to assess the reached progress, did not make this kind of assessment.” Çitaku said that she will meet Lunacek in the following days.
PDK against Pacolli: Approach towards Trepça not serious (Koha Ditore)
First Deputy Prime Minister Behgjet Pacolli will face the Assembly’s Commission for Economic Development regarding his idea for the Trepça mine and issues relating to free economic areas of Gjakova and Mitrovica.
PDK MPs, who are members of the Commission, expressed opposition to the statements and DPM Pacolli’s idea for Trepça to become a public company and be included in the London Stock Exchange. Following PDK’s Shaip Muja’s proposal, the Commission will invite Pacolli to a public hearing about Trepça and economic development. Muja said that Pacolli’s plans for Trepça do not have the support of the Kosovo Government.