UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, August 14, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Abdixhiku: Government has not been able to take a single step in infrastructure (media)
The Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister meets the head of the PDK (media)
Thaci's defense asks court to tell that charges in this case are not related to organ trafficking (media)
Special Prosecutor's Office begins investigations into lack of wheat and oil reserves (Albanian Post)
Experts advise cooperation with EU and US regarding elections in the north (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

Sentic: Citizens and journalists in Kosovo have right to receive documents in Serbian language (KoSSev)
Covic says some Quint states tolerate Kurti’s behaviour (RTS, Radio KIM)
Maric: “Kurti is now promoting the “Great Albanian” idea in North Macedonia as well” (TV Most)
"Kurti is a miracle from God": How is the support group for the Kosovo Prime Minister commented in Kosovo? (Danas)

Opinion:

Are Kosovo and the "lithium trade" connected? (Danas, FoNet)
"Kosovo should get a seat in the UN" and Serbia has committed to that, says Todorovic from YIHR (FoNet, Danas, RTK2)

International:

Serbian Pride Condemns President’s Vow to Veto Law on Same Sex Unions (Balkan Insight)
Pilot Exhibition Explores Enduring Legacy of Yugoslavia’s ‘Fateful Decade’ (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Abdixhiku: Government has not been able to take a single step in infrastructure (media)

The leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku criticised the government for lack of work in the infrastructure of Kosovo while the end of the third year of their governing is approaching.

“Busy organising protests for self-support - guess what - obsessed with discussing the past, engaged in division, insults and disunity - that is, in political dryness - this government has not been able to take even a single step in the infrastructural development of Kosovo,” Abdixhiku wrote on his Facebook profile.

He also wrote about the LDK program. According to him, in the "New Road" program, all capital projects for large cities in Kosovo will be completed within 30 months.

The Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister meets the head of the PDK (media)

The Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkey, Mehmet Kemal Bozay and his delegation started today the official visit to Kosovo. His first meeting took place at the headquarters of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) with its leader Memli Krasniqi.

"I informed the guests about the latest political developments in Kosovo, the positions of the PDK in relation to them and the best way forward for the country, towards Euro-Atlantic integration and maintaining relations with allies through responsible political actions," Krasniqi said.

He thanked Deputy Minister Bozay for Turkey's continued interest and willingness to help Kosovo in all stages of state formation.

"The deepening of cooperation between our two countries in various fields is a function of friendship with our countries and the strengthening of our state", Krasniqi said.

Thaci's defense asks court to clarify that charges in this case are not related to organ trafficking (media)

Hashim Thaci’s lawyer at the trial in the Specialized Chambers of Kosovo in The Hague, Gregory Kehoe, in has asked the court to say that the charges in this case are not related to organ trafficking.

This is because, according to him, several Russian articles were published and reflected in the European media that the accused in this court case were involved in organ trafficking. According to Kehoe, this is false and that while the trafficking investigation is over, someone should say that the indictment has nothing to do with organ trafficking.

He added that he does not know if the Russians are trying to influence this jury, claiming that the accused are involved in this indictment in organ trafficking, while stressing that this is not true.

Meanwhile, the second issue discussed by him was related to the influence on the witnesses, clarifying that in some articles it was noted that the government of Kosovo contacted an Albanian person in Germany, according to whom he was asked to find four Catholic witnesses to testify against Hashim Thaci. According to Keheo, it is understandable that the Office of the Specialized Prosecutor uses mediators, but this, according to him, is interference in the justice process. He noted that he will address in writing these issues, in order for the court to give the necessary instructions.

The session is continuing with the hearing of the 16th witness in a row in this case, code 03879, whose testimony is expected to last 4 to 5 days.

Special Prosecutor's Office begins investigations into lack of wheat and oil reserves (Albanian Post)

The news website claims to have learned from sources within the judicial bodies that the prosecutor, Valdet Gashi, together with economic crime investigators, has started interviewing key persons in the Ministry of Industry, Enterprise and Trade who are responsible for the case of the lack of state reserves while 10 million euro were allocated by decision of the government of Kosovo.

These 10 million were intended for the purchase of wheat and oil and other products provided by law, but close to 300 thousand liters of oil have not yet arrived from the Polish company.

According to the sources, the officials of the Department of Finance and the Department of State Reserves of the Ministry of Industry, Enterprise and Trade have been interviewed, so far and after interviewing all those responsible and gathering the facts, an indictment will be filed by the Special Prosecutor's Office.

At the beginning of August, two Economic Crimes investigators started gathering documentation at the Department of State Reserves and interviewed the officials responsible for the wheat and oil contract.

By decision of the government of Kosovo, 10 million euros were allocated for the purchase of goods for the state reserve, but in the decision signed by the Prime Minister, Albin Kurti, procurement procedures were excluded. Article 19 of Law No. 03/L-244 on State Reserves of Goods determines that the reserves must be subject to procurement procedures.

Only the location of state reserves remains a secret according to Article 9 of this Law, reports the news website.

Experts advise cooperation with EU and US regarding elections in the north (RTK)

Political analysts and experts in the electoral processes assess that the drafting of the Administrative Instruction for the elections in the four municipalities in the north of Kosovo carries risks and uncertainty. According to them, the most appropriate step is the resignation of the current mayors of the four municipalities in the north, otherwise the risk of a Serb boycott exists.

The Government of Kosovo has formed the working group for the drafting of an administrative instruction for the initiative of the citizens for the removal of the mayors of the municipalities, this instruction has been said to be drafted by September 1.

Mazllum Baraliu, an expert on election processes emphasizes that "there was no need for an administrative instruction and the risk of not realizing this type of request exists and it is not the best and efficient model that Kosovo would need, being under pressure from international demands for elections in the four northern municipalities. This initiative carries risks, it is more procrastinating and more uncertain".

Political analyst Artan Muhaxhiri told Radio Kosova that "the government of Kosovo has taken a positive step. The main issue is in the cooperation with the EU and the USA so that they put pressure on Serbia in order for the Serbian minority in the north to vote and give legitimacy to the electoral process. The government of Kosovo cannot succeed if it ignores the requirements of the EU for the procedures of going to the elections in the north, and we will continue with the negative cycle that currently exists".

On July 10, Kosovo reached an agreement with the EU for the de-escalation of the situation created in the north, which also included the holding of new elections in the four municipalities there. The EU has called for the elections in the north to be held as soon as possible.

Serbian Language Media

Sentic: Citizens and journalists in Kosovo have right to receive documents in Serbian language (KoSSev)

Kosovo institutions often do not respect their constitutional and legal obligations to respond to the parties, respectively journalists, in the language they used in their requests or addresses to those institutions, Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) said, KoSSev portal reports.

The latest in a series of such cases is the response of the Kosovo Interior Ministry to the complaint of Serbian public broadcaster RTS journalist Svetlana Vukmirovic, confirming that she is banned from entering Kosovo, sent to her in Albanian language only.

Kosovo Deputy Ombudsperson Srdjan Sentic said respect for the Law on use of languages and use of the Serbian language in institutions is a paradigm of the situation of the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities.

“There are rare institutions respecting the article 5 of the Kosovo Constitution and the Law on use of languages. Majority of them are institutions violating language rights on a daily basis”, Sentic told UNS.

He also said that the documents must be prepared in both official languages, Albanian and Serbian.

“Communication between the party submitting the request and institution must be in one of the official languages that the party has chosen”, Sentic said, adding legal provisions that guarantee this right.

Covic says some Quint states tolerate Kurti’s behaviour (RTS, Radio KIM)

Former president of the Serbian Government Coordination Centre for Kosovo and Metohija, Nebojsa Covic told RTS that the visit of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurit to Tetovo in North Macedonia, was as he said unlawful, adding authorities there should hold those responsible for this visit accountable, Radio KIM reports.

According to Covic this visit was “unlawful” and that he had experience with those unofficial visits by Pristina officials to Presevo, Bujanovac and Medvedja.

“Those unofficial visits of theirs have always been brought down to noise and major provocations in a sense of something they wish to create permanently and that is “Greater Albania”. However, here another problem arises – who stands behind the project of “Great Albania””, Covic said.

He also said that some Quint states tolerate Kurti’s behaviour and what he called his constant provocations.

Maric: “Kurti is now promoting the “Great Albanian” idea in North Macedonia as well” (TV Most)

Serbian Parliament MP Ljubomir Marić said today Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti has started to spread the “Greater Albanian” idea towards North Macedonia as well, TV Most reports.

“Albin Kurti has shown that he is not looking for a solution but promoting the “Greater Albanian” idea and now he has stepped outside of his local activities. He is not implementing a solution. That idea is the idea of Enver Hoxha and it is spreading towards North Macedonia. Before that he opened his branch in Tirana. He is imposing himself as a great leader of the Albanians, who is pushing through the small door those symbols of “Greater Albania”, the flag and markings, that’s what is dangerous. And the problem is that the crimes are happening backwards against the Serbs”, Maric said, recalling the anniversary of the crimes against Serb children in Gorazdevac village in Pec municipality.

"Kurti is a miracle from God": How is the support group for the Kosovo Prime Minister commented in Kosovo? (Danas)

Danas daily reports today that the Kosovo opposition and analysts reacted to yesterday's minor protest in support of Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti in Pristina, and among the reactions was a quote from the scientist Albert Einstein - "Human stupidity is infinite".

A smaller number of Kurti's supporters gathered in Pristina yesterday, reported the daily, citing Pristina-based Reporteri based.

The gathering, which was organised by Albert Shabani from Srbica, was held at 2 pm on the main square in Pristina.

The gathering sent a message to the Kosovo opposition to be more "constructive".

"We call on the opposition not to support Serbia, but the state and sovereignty, to bring before the court all analysts who are against the state of Kosovo", it was said from the gathering, reported Danas.

Those gathered shouted and carried banners with slogans - "Long live Kurti", "Long live the Kosovo government", and one citizen said that "Kurti is a miracle from God", reported the "Kos Data" Twitter profile.

Political analyst Blerim Latifi pointed out that this gathering reminded him of Albert Einstein's quote that "human stupidity is infinite."

"Today's gathering in Pristina, where support was given to the government and a request to bring the analysts to court, reminded me of that quote attributed to Einstein: ``Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity, but I am not sure about the universe,'' said Latifi on Facebook.

Opposition member Azdren Shala from the Social Democratic Party believes that yesterday's meeting was initiated by the Government itself.

Shala stated on Facebook that the crowd that protested in favour of the Government, with the demand that the opposition be constructive, should not be seen as a naive initiative of citizens.

"It is secretly initiated by the Government itself. In this way, the boundaries of society are tested to see how long they can withstand the narrowing of democracy. This is the first test," says Shala, as reported by Kosovo Online.

Shala cited the example of Julius Caesar, who, wanting to prove how ready Roman society was to accept him as emperor, ordered a man to shout "Caesar the emperor" among the crowd cheering for his triumphs. The audience, as he states, was silent and did not follow that call, and Caesar realised that it was not the moment to achieve his goal.

He added that yesterday's "stupidity" should be taken seriously. The government, he notes, is testing the limits of society, reported Danas.

Opinion

Are Kosovo and the "lithium trade" connected? (Danas, FoNet)

Political scientist Mladen Mrdalj said in an interview for FoNet agency that the risk of a conflict between Serbia and Kosovo exists, especially if there is a serious "trade" in lithium, which is largely neglected as a strategic element of our geopolitical story, cited Danas daily.

If the West, and above all the Americans, need lithium so much, Mrdalj thinks that it could be speculated whether Aleksandar Vucic will continue to work with lithium, and whether he would use it as a basis for Serbia to enter the north of Kosovo at one moment, and that the Americans then call for the restraint on both sides, reported Danas daily. This way, "lithium for the north of Kosovo" would be extracted, he explained and added that this hypothesis should not be easily rejected.

When asked about the Franco-German proposal for an agreement with Pristina, Mrdalj indicated that it is "hunting in the dark, because there is no specification of who, what and when should fulfil, the ones are waiting for others, and Vucic has already announced that he will not respect some parts of that document."

He thinks that the agreement was just a kind of buying time and assessed that the frozen conflict with Kosovo is more in the interest of Serbia, if it was democratic, liberal, and pro-Western. The European Union (EU) or Kosovo dilemma does not exist for Mrdalj: "Kosovo always, the EU if possible."

He is also an opponent of Kosovo membership in the United Nations (UN), but he believes that China and Russia would be against it, even if Serbia agreed to it.

And even if China and Russia would want to trade Kosovo seat in the UN for something, the West would not want to pay for it, Mrdalj is convinced.

He sees the Community of Serbian Municipalities (CSM) as a strong support for Serbian policy towards Kosovo, and that is why it should be insisted on, not only in terms of formal proclamation, but also on the "standards of its success".

If the Albanians accept the formation of the CSM, it will have to be used for the return of the Serbs and in this way, Serbia would be further "entangled" in that process, to find an "excuse that Kosovo cannot be recognized as an independent state".

The referendum on the proposed solution for Kosovo is unnecessary, Mrdalj emphasised, because there is no legitimate basis for calling it, since "there is no critical mass of political parties advocating the recognition of Kosovo as an independent state."

All those who believe that Serbia should recognize an independent Kosovo have the option to collect 100,000 signatures and demand that the Assembly call a referendum. Well, good luck to them, concluded Mrdalj, reported Danas daily.

"Kosovo should get a seat in the UN" and Serbia has committed to that, says Todorovic from YIHR (FoNet, Danas, RTK2)

The program director of the Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR), Sofija Todorovic, believes that "Kosovo absolutely needs to get a seat in the UN" and explains that Serbia has committed to this in various ways, since it agreed not to block Kosovo's entry into international organisations, reported Danas.

In FoNet's series of talks ‘Kosinus’ about solving the problem of Kosovo, she reminded that the UN was created to guarantee peace and human rights.

That is why she does not see why it would not be in Serbia's favour for Kosovo to be in the UN, because she is convinced that it would "certainly mean an improvement in the human rights situation in Kosovo".

Asked whether the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina would be a reality or betrayal, Todorovic replied that "we should be ashamed of some other things, not the fact that we want to talk to people we live very close to."

She assessed that the international conference on the Kosovo problem is certain, but noted that it cannot have any epoch-making achievements, if it is not preceded by a dialogue.

In her opinion, a frozen conflict means a frozen future, and neither side in the negotiations should allow or want that.

Todorovic warned that a frozen conflict is never completely frozen but implies conflicts and violence. As she said, anyone who advocates a frozen conflict to achieve their goals "deeply does not understand human rights and people's needs for a normal life."

For her, the EU or Kosovo dilemma is not a matter of choice, because Kosovo is part of Chapter 35 of Serbia's negotiation process with the EU.

As she explained, the Ohrid Annex on the implementation of the Agreement on the Normalisation of Relations between Kosovo and Serbia and the agreement itself became part of the negotiation process.

According to her, the EU does not want to admit countries that have unresolved conflicts and territorial disputes to its membership.

"My answer would be both the EU and Kosovo, but Kosovo as a functional territory where people are guaranteed basic human rights and where peace finally reigns," emphasised Todorovic.

She believes that the CSM is an "agreed thing" because it is part of the Brussels Agreement, but it should not be used as a training ground for mutual fights and abuses but should be implemented in the best way.

A referendum on Kosovo would be an unnecessary waste of Serbia's resources and citizens' money, since there are already politicians who very clearly define their policy towards Kosovo, and public opinion surveys show how Serbian society is determined, said Todorovic.

Asked about the risk of conflict, she pointed out that we are already in conflict, because there are incidents, disturbances on the streets and injuries in Kosovo.

By the fact that the two negotiators, from Serbia and Kosovo, cannot sit at the same table, they make it clear that they are absolutely responsible for everything that happens, despite the words that they want peace, "because peace is not just a word, but it has to be worked on", concluded Todorovic.

International

Serbian Pride Condemns President’s Vow to Veto Law on Same Sex Unions (Balkan Insight)

After Aleksandar Vucic said he will not sign any law permitting sex unions while he is head of state, Pride organisation reminds him that the government has promised the adoption of such a law 'several times'.

Belgrade Pride condemned Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic’s statement that he will not sign the law permitting same sex unions in Serbia, nor will such a law be adopted while he is President.