UNMIK Headlines 7 September
Krasniqi: ASHAK statement was wrong, institutions to blame (gazetaexpress.com)
Kosovo Parliament Speaker Jakup Krasniqi has reacted to a recent statement by the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Kosovo (ASHAK) which among other things said the European Union was pressuring Kosovo in the process of talks with Serbia and is thus limiting Kosovo's statehood.
Krasniqi wrote on his Facebook account that ASHAK is wrong to blame the international factor and that its reaction to developments in the country is rather late. "The requests you are making from the international community are wrong, because Kosovo's institutions, including the institution consisting of the government and the majority of the opposition, are those who accepted the enigmatic agreement," Krasniqi said.
"If your representatives muster the courage to go back where we were before June 1999, no international leader would oppose this, certainly not the European Union and the United States of America. They want peace and security. They will support any agreement between the prime ministers of Kosovo and Serbia. Therefore, I think that your reaction should have come earlier and it should have been addressed at our political leaders. But better late than never."
Daci: Removal of logo does not damage Kosovo (epokaere.com)
Nexhat Daci, leader of the Democratic League of Dardania (LDD) and former Parliament Speaker, said Kosovo has not been damaged with the removal of the logo from the voting ballots for November elections.
"Theoretically speaking, it should not have been removed, but in practice we need to support this. I have supported the process in Brussels; I support the implementation of the agreements. Elections are part of this process. The state can be damaged by its own people by not taking part in the elections. The state is also damaged by those who abuse the elections process and the free vote. The state can never be damaged by following international rules, constitutionality and laws. Experts who drafted the constitution are saying that the constitution was not violated by the removal of the logo. The biggest Western countries are saying that they don't have such elements in their ballots ... This is a reality that ultimately helps the people of Kosovo and helps wield state sovereignty throughout Kosovo's territory," Daci said in an interview for the paper.
Serbia does not give up on list "Srbija" (koha.net)
Milovan Drecun, chairman of the Council for Kosovo in the Serbian Parliament, said he hopes Sunday's meeting between prime ministers Hashim Thaci and Ivica Dacic will resolve the issue of the name of the united list "Srbija" that will run in the November local elections in Kosovo.
"Kosovo's Central Election Committee (CEC) has warned it will not accept the current name of the list, but the state of Serbia stands behind the list and its name cannot be changed," Drecun told RTS. He also said it was important for the government in Belgrade to encourage Kosovo Serbs for a higher turnout in elections as this is a requirement for the creation of the association of Serb municipalities in Kosovo.
EULEX under the "command" of Zbogar (Tribuna)
Bernd Borchardt, the German official currently leading the European Union's rule-of-law mission in Kosovo (EULEX) could remain without a job. Unnamed sources told the paper about ongoing consultations in Brussels to transform EULEX and to shut down the leading administration of the mission by dividing it into three different units. The same sources said the EU would have three units in Kosovo but not a special mission. "The goal is for the three units to be under the management of the European Union's Representative in Pristina," an official close to the process told the paper.
Thaci: I thank you for the Highway of the Nation (epokaere.com)
Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci met today in Tirana with his Albanian counterpart Sali Berisha. At a joint press briefing, outgoing Albanian Prime Minister Berisha said he appreciates Thaci's visit at the end of his mandate. "I expressed my deep gratitude for meeting him again and for discussing our most important problems," Berisha said. He noted that the Brussels agreement between Kosovo and Serbia is very important as it opens a new chapter for peace in the region and for Albanian-Serbian relations.
Prime Minister Thaci thanked Berisha for his support to Kosovo and for the construction of the Highway of the Nation. "I am in Tirana today in a brotherly visit to thank Prime Minister Sali Berisha for our excellent cooperation through the years. I want to thank Prime Minister Berisha for the work he did for Albanians, visa liberalization, membership in NATO, the integration of Albania and Kosovo, and for constructing the Highway of the Nation," Thaci was quoted as saying.