UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, August 20, 2021

Albanian Language Media:

COVID-19: 2,250 new cases, four deaths (media)
Haziri: COVID-19 situation is alarming; mass vaccination is needed (Lajmi)
“Paris welcomes ‘Open Balkan’ if coordinated with Berlin Process” (Express)
Serbia fails to respect agreements, lobbies against Kosovo recognition (EO)
Serbia invests 6 million euros for parallel university in the north (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Petkovic meets Serbian List representatives in Gracanica (Radio KIM)
Rakic: With unity, we are thwarting plans of Albanian parties (Politika, RTV)
Serbian opposition: Single election list; No to Kosovo recognition, no to NATO (N1)
WHO representative says situation related to coronavirus escalating in Serbia (N1)
Grenell supported Vucic: Hypocrisy of Twitter on full display (Danas)
Woman from Serbia awaits evacuation from Kabul at UN base (N1)
Visoki Decani Monastery limits number of visitors (Radio KIM)
Shava: Zimbabwe to continue support Serbia regarding Kosovo (Kosovo-online)
Petrovic: Serbia stands by Dragica Gasic (Kosovo-online)

International:

Welcome home? ISIS returnees test Balkan countries’ ability to reintegrate (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

COVID-19: 2,250 new cases, four deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded 2,250 new cases with COVID-19 and four deaths from the virus in the last 24 hours. Gazeta Express runs the new figures under the headline “A new day, a new record”. There are 16,341 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo. 154 persons have recovered from the virus in the last 24 hours.

Haziri: COVID-19 situation is alarming; mass vaccination is needed (Lajmi)

Lutfi Haziri, mayor of Gjilan municipality, said today that the situation with COVID-19 is alarming and that mass vaccination against the virus is needed. “To date, 150 people in Gjilan have died from the virus. This is a very grave situation and it calls for overall cooperation; the measures must be respected. The vaccination registry [in Gjilan] confirms that until last night 34,475 vaccines were administered. Vaccination is the only way to increase collective immunity, so I appeal to all citizens to get vaccinated, because we can overcome the infections easier this way. Only through vaccination can we protect ourselves, our families and also our jobs,” he said.

Haziri also called on the central government to provide 24/7 vaccination with a new and more intensive dynamic.

“Paris welcomes ‘Open Balkan’ if coordinated with Berlin Process” (Gazeta Express)

The news website reports that France is more open to the Open Balkan initiative launched by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and North Macedonia Prime Minister Goran Zaev. An unnamed diplomatic source in Paris told Gazeta Express that France supports the objectives within the Berlin Process for a common market and that the Open Balkan initiative offers a welcomed opportunity under the condition that it continuously coordinates with the activities of the Berlin Process. The source also said that progress needs to be made within the Berlin Process before the next EU – Western Balkans Summit on October 6. “We strongly support empowering regional cooperation in the Western Balkans which is key for social and economic development and for closer ties with Europe,” the source said.

Serbia fails to respect agreements, lobbies against Kosovo recognition (EO)

Serbia is continuing its campaign against recognitions of Kosovo’s independence and this is in opposition with the Washington Agreement signed in September 200 between the two countries, the news website reports. Serbian Foreign Minister, Nikola Selakovic, visited the capital of Zimbabwe, and met his counterpart Frederick Shava who said that they will continue to support Serbia and not recognise Kosovo’s independence.

“Zimbabwe was on Serbia’s side when its territorial integrity was attacked by the unilateral declaration of Kosovo’s independence. We know that Kosovo is part of Serbia and when we supported Serbia at the United Nations, we did so because we were aware of the facts,” Shava said. “This is also why we will also side with Serbia in international forums”.

Serbia invests 6 million euros for parallel university in the north (media)

Petar Petkovic, head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, laid the cornerstone of a new building for the Prishtina parallel university in Mitrovica North, several media outlets report. Petkovic said that 10,000 students and professors have waited for this day for 22 years. “Today we laid the foundation of the harmony and unity of the Serb people in Kosovo. This is why we are united today and united will be the Serbian List, the University and the state of Serbia. Only in this unity can our people have a future,” he said. According to Petkovic, the project amounts to over €6 million.

Serbian Language Media

Petkovic meets Serbian List representatives in Gracanica (Radio KIM)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic met with the Serbian List representatives in the municipal building in Gracanica today, Radio KIM reports.

No media address was planned following the meeting, and after Gracanica Petkovic will go to Slivovo village to visit family of Srboljub Peric and donate him agricultural equipment and then proceed to Novi Badovac and visit a three-member socially vulnerable Maksimovic family.

Rakic: With unity, we are thwarting plans of Albanian parties (Politika, RTV)

“Albanian parties are trying to provoke a ‘political earthquake’ by uniting in the local elections on October 17, in municipalities where Serbs make up the majority, and Serbian List is trying to prevent that by calling for unity and responsible behavior of Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija”, President of Serbian List Goran Rakic told Belgrade-based Politika daily.

In an interview published today Rakic said “grouping of Albanian political parties” which according to him “are politically absolutely non-complementary, is a danger for protection of Serbian interests, and not that of the Serbian List, which is the backbone of political struggle for the Serbian people”.

“That is why we all need to be responsible and up to the task. To leave petty quarrels aside, if any, and to leave vanity aside, because this is not the moment where we can allow ourselves to give in and endanger our survival with our irresponsibility”, Rakic said.

Asked whether the expectations of Albanian leaders to win in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo were realistic, he said danger is real, but the only way to thwart the plan of Albanian parties is responsible behavior of all citizens and united support for the Serbian List.

“The strength of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija lies in the strength of all our municipalities, villages and towns, and of course, northern Kosovska Mitrovica has a special weight and significance. Mitrovica is the capital of Serbs in Kosmet. As someone who led the city for three terms, I believe that the residents of Mitrovica will know how to resist these pressures and preserve political strength and unity in the city”, Rakic pointed out.

According to him, it is no secret that Albanian leaders are trying to make the Brussels agreements meaningless, and thus he pointed out, their attempt to seize power in Serbian municipalities will undoubtedly be one of the pressures.

“Even under much stronger pressures, Serbs did not give up, nor did they give up the future in this area. That is why these elections, like the previous ones, but also the future ones, are a test of our determination to stay and survive”, Rakic said.

Serbian opposition: Single election list; No to Kosovo recognition, no to NATO (N1)

Leader of Serbian opposition Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) Dragan Djilas said Thursday that people wanted a single opposition list for the forthcoming elections next year, particularly in Belgrade, adding talks about NATO membership were meaningless and that no politician would recognize Kosovo independence and should instead work on reconciliation and cooperation, N1 reports.

A recent poll suggested the ruling coalition might lose the vote in the capital, and Djilas claimed that some 70 percent of voters supported the idea about a single list.

In an interview with Research and Publishing Centre Demostat, Djilas said there was no reason why all opposition parties that do not cooperate with the ruling Serbian Progressive Party (SNS), and do not agree to deal “with the mafia regime“ would not join forces for the elections.

Serbia holds presidential, Belgrade and some local elections in the spring of 2022, and President Aleksandar Vucic has said an early general vote is possible at the same time.

Djilas said that “as far as SSP is concerned, all elections can be on the same day, Vucic can head all the lists and his name can replace all 250 SNS candidates for the Parliament seats, and he will still lose“.

Djilas suggested that prominent public figures not associated with any party but recognized by the public “for their fight against this evil“ could be on a joint opposition list.

Regarding Kosovo, Djilas said he believed there was no politician in Serbia with substantial public support who would sign the recognition of Kosovo and that instead, it should be worked on “reconciliation of the peoples, on normal life“, on economic, cultural and educational cooperation.

He also said it was meaningless to speak about Serbia’s NATO membership since the Alliance “destroyed the country“ (in the 1999 bombing), and that “thousands of people were killed“.

However, Djilas added Serbia should cooperate with NATO “as we have been doing to make all living in this part of Europe safe“, but reiterated the membership “is really not a topic“.

International

Welcome home? ISIS returnees test Balkan countries’ ability to reintegrate (BIRN)

The recent repatriation of families of ISIS fighters to Kosovo, Albania and North Macedonia poses a tough challenge to all three countries to rehabilitate them back into society.

On July 18, North Macedonia announced that it had repatriated 23 of its citizens who had spent the last few years on the battlefields in Syria and Iraq and been one-time members of Islamic State, ISIS.

Four of the 23 were wanted for terrorism and face trial. Of the rest, five are women and 14 are children.

In a similar manner, in mid-July, neighbouring Kosovo announced that it had repatriated 11 of its citizens from Syria, saying only that the 11 included one woman and her children.

On August 1, Albania repatriated 19 people from the Al-Hol camp in Syria, 14 of whom were children and five women.

While some EU countries have refused to accept back citizens who have been part of ISIS, these three Balkan countries have devised reintegration strategies, and say they expect more such returnees.

But the road from having a strategy to the successful deradicalisation and social integration of former members of terrorist organisations like ISIS is a long one, experts told BIRN.

Despite the potential security threat posed by their return, which all three countries say they are taking seriously, experts warn that these people cannot be reintegrated only by the political centre; the local communities where they live must play an even greater role.

Children most need trauma counselling, and parents need both psychological counselling and monitoring, as well as help to find jobs and a new purpose once they come home.

Security risk still high on the agenda

The three countries say they are already conducting inquiries and carrying out security checks on the returnees who have been placed in specialised centres for now.

Some, like the four wanted men in North Macedonia, have been placed in detention as investigators work on collecting evidence for possible prosecution, North Macedonia’s Interior Ministry said.

The women returnees are also being checked for possible involvement in incriminating or terrorist activities.

The head of Albania’s Special Prosecution Against Corruption and Organised Crime, SPAK, Arben Kraja, told BIRN that the women returned to Albania will be interrogated as part of an ongoing investigation.

“We have an open investigation into the fighters who went to Syria and, as part of that investigation, they [returnee women] will be questioned,” he said.

Kosovo’s Interior Minister, Xhelal Svecla, was equally adamant that returnees won’t get a free pass. “Those who have committed crimes, here or abroad, will be prosecuted,” he said.

Otherwise, the Kosovo government has said that it “is helping them to return to their families so that they can reintegrate into their districts”.

BIRN contacted the Kosovo prosecution on ongoing or potential terrorism charges against Middle East returnees but did not receive a response by time of publication.

None of the three countries knows the exact number of its citizens that are still stuck in camps in Syria or elsewhere, and may be repatriated.

So far, over 80 persons who participated in the fighting in Iraq and Syria have returned to North Macedonia on their own.

In terms of rough estimates, Prime Minister Zoran Zaev last week said that North Macedonia expects no more than 50 more.

Albania, which has repatriated 24 citizens from Middle Eastern battlefields, believes some 30 of its citizens remain in Syria.

Besides 11 returnees in July 2021, Kosovo has already repatriated over 250 citizens from the conflict zones in Syria.

Both medical and psychological help are offered

All three countries are keeping the recent returnees in special facilities for now. Only Albania has disclosed the whereabouts of its holding facility, in the port city of Durres.

The authorities say that in parallel with checking their security risk, they are providing medical and psychological help to the returnees.

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