Albanian Language Media:

• US proposes a bipartisan bill to fight corruption in the Western Balkans (VoA)
• Vetting in the judiciary heading toward finalisation (RTK)
• 1,266 new cases with COVID-19 in last 24 hours (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Vucic: Operation Storm is no myth, we do not dream of revenge, we want peace (N1)
• UNS and DNKiM says Radio Gorazdevac journalists should be protected from threats (Radio KIM)
• Appeal of Rexhep Selimi on detention dismissed (Kosovo Online)
• Petkovic thanks Pinter for support and understanding position of Serbian people (Kosovo Online)
• “What is Serbian List really doing in Kosovo institutions?” (RFE)
• Vlajic: There are no grounds for filing criminal reports against Serbs on barricades (Kosovo Online)   

   

Albanian Language Media  

  US proposes a bipartisan bill to fight corruption in the Western Balkans (VoA)

A bipartisan group of U.S. senators introduced a bill aimed at supporting economic development, trade, and fighting corruption, including drafting special sanctions legislation to curb destabilizing activities in the Western Balkans.

The bill, otherwise known as the Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act, was introduced by Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, chairwoman of the Subcommittee on Europe and Regional Security Cooperation, and Republican Senator Roger Wicker.

The initiative comes amid increased concerns in the region due to the war in Ukraine. Senator Shaheen said that US relations with the Western Balkans are crucial in these times, where Russian President Vladimir Putin's intentions to spread malign influence throughout Eastern Europe are evident.

“The new bipartisan bill strengthens trade and investment between the US and the Western Balkans, while at the same time fighting corruption, through the adoption of special legislation for sanctions against destabilizing actors. All these pave the way for a wider Euro-Atlantic integration,” Shaheen said in the presentation of the initiative on her website.

The bill instructs Secretary of State Antony Blinken to provide technical assistance to each Western Balkan country to develop a national anti-corruption strategy.

It also foresees the return into law of two executive orders, which would guarantee powers for sanctions against those who threaten peace and stability in the Western Balkans and who are involved in corrupt acts. It is also aimed at promoting university partnerships, encouraging the engagement of the Peace Corps in the region, the creation of an initiative for youth leadership in the Balkans, and as requested by the Development Finance Corporation to open a previously announced office in the region.

Shaheen led a group of US senators who visited Kosovo, Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in April amid concerns about the impact of the conflict in Ukraine on the Western Balkans. Their visit was aimed at strengthening ties between Washington and the Western Balkans, in the face of foreign efforts to undermine peace.

Vetting in the judiciary heading toward finalisation (RTK)

The vetting in the judiciary is heading toward finalisation and for the process to be concluded successfully the majority in parliament needs the votes of non-majority communities and the support of the opposition. Legal commentators argue that the ruling party, the Vetevendosje Movement, will have to convince MPs to vote in favour of vetting, meanwhile Vetevendosje and government representatives say they are working on this.

Gezim Shala from the Kosovo Law Institute said in an interview for RTK that the majority in parliament must convince other MPs to vote in favour. “It is definitely up to the majority in parliament and the government to hold talks and convince the opposition and non-majority communities to vote in favour of the vetting. If they fail to amend the constitution, according to the procedure which is considerably difficult to achieve, the vetting cannot be done. If there is no agreement to secure 2/3 of the votes of all MPs, the process cannot be completed,” Shala said.

Adnan Rrustemi, Vetevendosje MP and chair of the Assembly Committee for Legislation, mentioned several meetings that Prime Minister Kurti and Justice Minister Haxhiu had with the opposition, and said that they are working with everyone to make sure that the vetting is concluded successfully.  

“Vetting is a social and institutional necessity in Kosovo. As such, it will be implemented either with one or the other option. I hope this will be done through constitutional amendments. I would not understand opposition from any parliamentary group. We are willing to discuss any concern they may have. I believe the vetting will pass but we must hold meetings and explain everything,” Rrustemi said. 

The Ministry of Justice told RTK that they held meetings with political and other representatives about the process. “Upon receiving the final opinion, the vetting process contains new timelines and will continue to be treated with priority, in line with the recommendations from the Venice Commission, in cooperation with all relevant judicial and political actors, as well as in cooperation with our international partners,” the ministry said in a reply.

1,266 new cases with COVID-19 in last 24 hours (media)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Health said in a statement today that 1,266 new cases with COVID-19 have been confirmed in the last 24 hours in Kosovo. There are 9,252 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

   

Serbian Language Media 

  Vucic: Operation Storm is no myth, we do not dream of revenge, we want peace (N1)

The central commemoration for victims of the Croatian military operation Storm on its 27th anniversary was held at the main city square in Novi Sad. Serbian Patriarch Porfirije served a memorial service for the victims and attendees were addressed by Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Milorad Dodik, the Serb member of Bosnia and Herzegovina's tripartite Presidency, N1 reports.

The commemoration was also attended by outgoing Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, Serbian Parliament Speaker Vladimir Orlic and many other Serbian officials, Bosnia’s Republika Srpska entity President Zeljka Cvijanovic and representatives of Serbian List from Kosovo with party leader Goran Rakic at helm.

Operation Storm began on August 4, 1995 when Croatia launched a military offensive in the then Republic of Srpska Krajina. Around 250,000 Serbs fled their homes, 1,881 people were killed and, according to the Documentation and Information Centre Veritas, 654 people are still listed as missing.

Vucic said that the operation Storm is not a myth but stressed that “we don’t dream of revenge and of moving the borders”.

“We will kneel for peace”, Vucic said. He also noted this is the ninth consecutive year that the state is in this way marking the pogrom and he added the biggest ethnic cleansing of people.

“There are two reasons why we are here. The first is because of those who were killed and exiled, the other is to remember. It is as if there were no witnesses in Serbia for years to the crimes against the Serbs. This means that we, ourselves, stoned the saddest column in our history. During this time of oblivion Serbia deteriorated”, Vucic said.

“They attack Serbia on a daily basis and it is never enough, no matter how silent we are, we are not silent enough, no matter how much we beg, we never kneel long enough. No matter how much we acknowledge other victims, it is never enough“, Vucic said, adding that “we want peace at all costs”.

Dodik said that, if it were not for one man – Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic – the forgetting of the victims who lost their lives in the operation Storm would have been “epic”.

“We are slowly recovering, aware that we can survive only if assembled and united. I was not born in Serbia, but Serbia is my country, Republika Srpska is my country. Our unity will have to come. To see Serbia and Republika Srpska, to defend the Serbian people”, Dodik said, adding that, when Serbs fled Krajina, they left their houses unlocked, but they locked their homeland in their hearts.

Serbian Patriarch Porfirije said “We bow to their victims (…) our remembering is not about holding a grudge”.

“We remember so no one could say ‘it never happened’. I will repeat a hundred times that we are not holding a grudge (…) we must forgive, God commands us to, but we will not forget, we must not and we cannot”, the Patriarch said.

UNS and DNKiM says Radio Gorazdevac journalists should be protected from threats (Radio KIM)

Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) and its branch in Kosovo (DNKiM) condemned verbal threats to Radio Gorazdevac journalist Milic Petrovic by a son of a police staff member in the village over the article published on Radio Gorazdevac portal and demanded an investigation into this incident, Radio KIM reports.

Petrovic told UNS the person in question requested from him to delete an article posted earlier under the headline “Multiethnic Petition” for Misconduct of Albanian Police Officer in Gorazdevac or Suspension of Commander, Who is Influencing Whom?”. After Petrovic asked why to remove the article, he received verbal threats “that the teeth of all those working in the redaction will be broken” if they do not remove an article in one hour.

After that Petrovic reported the case to the police, and according to him M.B was taken to the police station where he continued threatening.

UNS and DNKiM called to put an end to the pressure and threats to Radio Gorazdevac journalists who are working under difficult conditions and to enable them to carry out their duty unimpeded. They also urged police, prosecution and judicial bodies to deal with the cases of attacks against journalists without further delay. 

Appeal of Rexhep Selimi on detention dismissed (Kosovo Online)

The Appeals Chamber of the Specialist Court in the Hague has dismissed the appeal of the former Self-determination Movement MP Rexhep Selimi on detention, Kosovo Online portal reports.

The Chamber decided to fully dismiss Selimi’s appeal and to extend his detention.

In elaboration of the decision the Court said that risks mentioned before still exist in case Selimi is able to defend in freedom.

Selimi is accused of committing war crimes and crimes against humanity in Kosovo.  

Petkovic thanks Pinter for support and understanding position of Serbian people (Kosovo Online)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic received Hungarian Ambassador to Serbia, Attila Pinter and thanked him for the support and understanding of the Serbian people, especially in Kosovo and Metohija, Kosovo Online portal reports.

Petkovic in particular referred to the latest crisis in Kosovo “caused by Albin Kurti with his illegal and unilateral actions, by which he wanted to abolish Serbian licence plates and personal documents”.

Petkovic also said involvement of KFOR Commander Ferenc Kajári in defusing the tensions in northern Kosovo “was of inestimable importance”.

“We owe a great deal of gratitude to Mr Ferenc Kajári, who is Commander of KFOR and who, in these difficult days, showed great support and understanding for the preservation of peace and stability in the Western Balkans and was personally involved in defusing the tensions”, Petkovic said.

Petkovic warned that danger for Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija is still present because the prime minister of Pristina government “conducts violent and provocative actions targeting Serbs almost every day, and the number of ethnically motivated incidents is increasing”.

“What is Serbian List really doing in Kosovo institutions?” (RFE)

Radio Free Europe in Serbian (RFE) in an article published yesterday said Serbian List (SL) officials often say in public that this political party is the only legal and legitimate representative of Serbs in Kosovo institutions, but their voice is almost never heard in the assembly or government in Pristina, because they rarely participate in sessions or meetings.

RFE added this party, close to the Serbian Progressive Party (SNS) headed by President Aleksandar Vucic, is the only representative of Serbs in Kosovo institutions and a political option participating in the work of central and local institutions.

According to RFE, it is precisely for this reason that on August 3, civil society from the ranks of the Serbian community invited Serbian List to take responsibility and an active part in the work as well as end instability and contribute to peace through institutional channels.

Igor Markovic from Mitrovica North-based NGO Aktiv opined that Serbian List is a “flow-through device” for information coming from Belgrade and that it does almost nothing to protect the interests of Serbs through institutions in Kosovo.

“Serbian List does not use the institutions in which it operates and which it has chosen as a channel for communicating the interests of the Serbian community. Somehow it seems as if the Serbian List is in Serbia and not in Kosovo”, Markovic said.

RFE pointed out that NGO Aktiv is one of the signatories of the press release calling on Serbian List to, in addition to communication with Belgrade, establish an institutional channel of communication with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

According to Markovic, SL representatives did not inform the local population about the decisions of the Kosovo government, nor did they explain to them what they meant, noting people had almost no information.

“The only information that was coming from their legal representatives in the Kosovo institutions were vague and their content had a conflicting character. Instead of being in the Kosovo Assembly (SL), when that administrative instruction was discussed, they did not participate in it. This is a step which should have been used not only for defusing the tensions in advance, but also for better regulation of that area”, he opined.

Markovic underlined that every crisis in Kosovo has a direct impact on the emigration of members of the Serbian community and added that they are under constant pressure of uncertainty.

Radio Free Europe said it sent a question to the Serbian List asking if they would listen to the appeals of civil society to increase cooperation with the Kosovo prime minister and to fight for the rights of Serbs through Kosovo institutions, but until the publication of this text, there was no reply.

RFE also addressed the Kosovo Government with a question as to why there is no greater cooperation with the political representatives of Serbs in Kosovo institutions, but they did not respond either.  

Vlajic: There are no grounds for filing criminal reports against Serbs on barricades (Kosovo Online)

Mitrovica North lawyer, Nebojsa Vlajic said he considers announcements from Pristina on opening an investigation and possible criminal reports against individuals who were at barricades on Sunday evening to be legally groundless, and should rather serve for daily political consumption and intimidate Serbs in Kosovo, Kosovo Online portal reports.

Vlajic added the ultimate goal of such announcements is to force Serbs out of Kosovo.  

“I have the right to stand wherever I want, also on the barricades and next to them. Unless someone has done an active act, he may not be held responsible for anything. Active act includes use of force, attack or preventing someone to carry out an act. If that is not done, the presence of a person on that spot means nothing”, Vlajic said.

According to him this is yet another in a series of pressure exerted on Serbs living in Kosovo, something that Pristina authorities are trying to do in all possible ways.

“This is a classic example of intimidation of the citizens as any other proceeding carried out without grounds. This will not contribute to the trust among people in Kosovo, that is for sure”, he added.