UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, February 10, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

EU summit comes out with conclusions, asks Kosovo to establish the Association (media)
EU: Kurti and Vucic's statements, an obstacle to scheduling the meeting in Brussels (RFE)
Kurti: Serbia wants a "Zajdenica" president who would replace our minister (Express)
Assembly Approves Law on State Bureau for Verification and Confiscation of Unjustified Assets (Prishtina Insight)
Vacancy announcement for police officers in the north closes today (media)
KIJ: The government has not managed to approve even half of the draft laws (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Brnabic: Community of Serb Municipalities condition above all conditions (Tanjug)
Slovenia: Our position on CSM (ZSO) is clear, agreements must be respected (Tanjug, Radio Mitrovica sever)
European Council says Belgrade-Pristina normalization urgent (N1)
Drecun: Strategic geopolitical deal with US and West necessary (Tanjug)
Vucic: We highly appreciate Cuba's support for Serbia's territorial integrity (Tanjug)
Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government: We are ready to form the Council of the Serbian National Minority (KiM radio)
UNS: Gracanica Municipality to stop inviting media selectively to events (KiM radio, KoSSev)

Opinion:

A possible new crisis as an indicator of whether the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina is on the way (Danas)

International:

EP Rapporteurs presented reports for Kosovo and Serbia in AFET (EWB)
Ker-Lindsay: Serbia-Kosovo compromise requires either partition or autonomy for Kosovo Serbs (EWB)

Albanian Language Media

EU summit comes out with conclusions, asks Kosovo to establish the Association (media)

27 countries are participating at the summit of the European Union which started on Thursday. The most important topics of discussion are the issue of migration and asylum. Although the summit continues today, the first conclusions of the European Council have already come out. Even though it was not a central topic, Kosovo is also mentioned in the conclusions of the Summit.

In the section entitled "other topics", it talks about Kosovo and Serbia, more precisely in relation to the dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. The document of the European Council underlines the urgent need for progress in the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

"In light of the recent tensions in northern Kosovo, the European Council underlines the urgent need for progress in the normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia through dialogue facilitated by the EU, led by the High Representative," says the document published on February 9.

The European Council welcomes the recent European proposal to put the relationship between both parties on a new and sustainable basis as a historic chance that should be seized by both parties, including with a view to realising their European perspective.

The European Council urges both parties to implement, fully and without conditions, the obligations they committed to in the framework of the dialogue, including the agreements from the years 2013 and 2015 to create an Association/Community of Serb Majority Municipalities,” reads the document further.

EU: Kurti and Vucic's statements, an obstacle to scheduling the meeting in Brussels (RFE)

Officials of the European Union estimate that the public statements of the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia, where they preliminarily present conditions, are an obstacle in the organization of a high-level meeting in Brussels.

A European source told Radio Free Europe on condition of anonymity that "it is this kind of public stance, of both leaders, that they show their terms in advance, which creates the biggest obstacle to setting a date for the meeting" in Brussels.

According to this source, holding the next round of talks depends on whether the leaders from Pristina and Belgrade "agree on the date of the first agenda", without giving details.

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, said earlier in the day that he will go to Brussels when Pristina forms the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority.

This statement came after the European Union's high representative for foreign policy and security, Josep Borrell, said on February 9 that there will soon be a new meeting between the Serbian president and the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, to continue discussions on the EU's proposal for the normalization of relations.

On February 6, Kurti stated that the establishment of the Association is not his priority, but last week he disclosed the six conditions for its formation.

Kurti: Serbia wants a "Zajdenica" president who would replace our minister (Express)

Prime Minister Albin Kurti gave a speech after the tributes in front of the memorial plaque of Mon Balaj and Arben Xheladini, who were killed during the Vetevendosje protests, in February 2007.

In this commemorative speech, Kurti spoke about the request for the establishment of the Association of municipalities with a Serbian majority.

"It has never been more discussed everywhere, whether the municipalities on an ethnic basis were worth it. Therefore, Belgrade so nervously seeks their association. Republika Srpska also started as a Community of Municipalities over Bosnia and Herzegovina. I am convinced that this is not what the Serbs of Kosovo want, but I am convinced that this is exactly what Serbia wants," he said.

According to Kurti, Serbia wants the Association in Kosovo, because political pluralism hinders it; because it wants to lead all municipalities with Serbian majority in Kosovo. He says that Belgrade wants a "community president" who will replace the Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rasic.

"Kosovo needs more democracy, and one of the important aspects of democracy is political pluralism. There is absolutely no political pluralism in the Serb community in Kosovo, but it is still emerging with our democratic and progressive government, that's why Serbia is in a panic, they want to bring together as soon as possible 10 mayors of the same party, dictated by them, to announce a president of the community and thereby step on our minister, of our government, the minister from the ranks of the Serb community. This is unfair and wrong, harmful and unacceptable," Kurti stated.

Assembly Approves Law on State Bureau for Verification and Confiscation of Unjustified Assets (Prishtina Insight)

As assembly backs law on State Bureau for the Verification and Confiscation of Unjustified Assets, opposition says it is still concerned about its potential misuse for political purposes.

The Assembly of Kosovo on Thursday approved the Law on the State Bureau for the Verification and Confiscation of Unjustified Assets, after receiving a green light from the Venice Commission in 2022.

The law foresees that all public officials in Kosovo will be subject to verification of assets if there are any suspicions that they were acquired illegally.

In case of a discrepancy between income and property that exceeds the value of 25,000 euros, the Bureau will send the case to court for confiscation.

Verification and confiscation of unjustifiable assets will also apply to family members and third parties of public officials. This means those persons to whom it is suspected that the assets of public officials have been transferred.

The opposition Democratic League of Kosovo, LDK, said that while it supported the law, it was still concerned about its potential for political misuse.

“Let the bureau do it, let it confiscate, but let’s all make sure together that it will not be politicized, that it will not deal with those who barely survive on remittances, but deal precisely with high-level profiles, as we have said, with those whom justice forgot. Our vote is in favour,” declared Doarsa Kica-Xhelilim, a legislator from the LDK.

Serbian Language Media

Brnabic: Community of Serb Municipalities condition above all conditions (Tanjug)

Serbian PM Ana Brnabic said on Friday the establishment of a Community of Serb Municipalities as defined by the Brussels Agreement was a "condition above all conditions."

"If that agreement is not recognised, who will guarantee that any other agreement will be respected?" Brnabic told reporters in Lebane, southern Serbia, where her government held a session to mark its 100 days in office.

"Pristina has no interest in forming a Community of Serb Municipalities but, in my opinion, it neither has a desire to implement signed agreements. It (the Community) is a condition above all conditions, but not in the way it is imagined by some NGOs in Serbia, in Kosovo-Metohija or by any politician, but as a Community of Serb Municipalities that is in line with agreements from 2013 and 2015," Brnabic said.

She noted that the first Brussels Agreement would turn ten years old in April and added that implementation of agreements was completely natural and something that was expected.

Slovenia: Our position on CSM (ZSO) is clear, agreements must be respected (Tanjug, Radio Mitrovica sever)

The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of Slovenia stated that the Slovenian position on the formation of the Community of Serb Municipalities in the north of Kosovo is clear, that is that agreements and obligations must be respected, reported Radio Mitrovica sever, citing Tanjug.

This was the reply when asked by Tanjug whether it was true that the USA and three EU members asked several member countries of the CoE not to place the issue of membership of Kosovo on the agenda of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe until Pristina shows constructiveness in the matter of the CSM.

“The Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Slovenia cannot comment on the alleged diplomatic correspondence,” it was stated in the reply to Tanjug.

European Council says Belgrade-Pristina normalization urgent (N1)

The European Council said on Thursday that Belgrade and Pristina need to urgently normalize relations and welcomed the European Union proposal to resolve the Kosovo issue, reported N1.

“In the light of recent tensions in north Kosovo the European Council underlines the urgent need for progress in the normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia through the EU-facilitated dialogue, led by the High Representative,” the Council said in conclusions from its meeting in Brussels.

It welcomed the European Union proposal “to put the relationship between both parties on a new and sustainable basis as a historic chance that should be seized by both parties, including with a view to realizing their European perspective”.

The European Council urged Belgrade and Pristina to unconditionally implement fully their obligations committed during the EU-facilitated dialogue, including the 2013 and 2015 Brussels Agreements to form a Community of Serb Municipalities.

Drecun: Strategic geopolitical deal with US and West necessary (Tanjug)

The head of the Serbian parliamentary committee on Kosovo-Metohija Milovan Drecun said on Thursday Serbia was in a situation where it needed a strategic geopolitical deal with the US and the West, reported Tanjug, citing TV Pink.

"Without intensifying the cooperation with the US, the world's biggest power, we cannot count on a promising future," Drecun told Pink TV.

He said Serbia had a foundation for a strategic geopolitical deal with the West as it was in EU accession talks and had the highest form of cooperation with NATO and good cooperation with the US, and also because Germany was its main external trade partner.

"Those are the foundations we need to build upon. A partnership agreement with the US is the missing link. After a conversation with (US State Department counsellor Derek) Chollet, (Serbian) President (Aleksandar) Vucic said discussions about a strategic partnership with the US must be launched," Drecun said.

He added that Belgrade had agreed such partnerships with Russia and China but that the two countries were geographically distant from Serbia and that Serbia must position itself within the region.

Commenting on reports that the so-called Kosovo Security Force was having its snipers trained in Jordan, Drecun said this was a part of Pristina's efforts to strengthen its military forces.

He said the efforts also included the construction of bases and were aimed at occupying the north of Kosovo-Metohija at some point.

Vucic: We highly appreciate Cuba's support for Serbia's territorial integrity (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic thanked Cuban Ambassador to Belgrade Gustavo Trista del Todo on Friday for his exceptional personal efforts towards further strengthening of the traditional friendly ties between Serbia and Cuba.

"We are proud of the 120 years of diplomatic relations between our two countries, and we highly appreciate the principled stance of friendly Cuba on support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia," Vucic wrote in a post on his buducnostrbijeav Instagram profile.

Vucic received a farewell visit from the Cuban ambassador.

Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government: We are ready to form the Council of the Serbian National Minority (KiM radio)

Minister of Administration and Local Self-Government Elbert Krasniqi stated that the Government was ready to establish a national council of Serbs in Kosovo, if Serbia considers it the best example for protecting the rights of communities, reported KiM radio.

Responding to the statements of Serbian PM Ana Brnabic, who said that Serbia is a model for respecting communities, Krasniqi told the media that the Constitution of Kosovo offers Serbs and non-majority communities the most advanced rights in the region and Europe, reported KiM radio.

"We believe that the Constitution and our practice in Kosovo offer the most advanced rights in the region and in Europe, but if Serbia considers it to be the best example and model for protecting the rights of communities, we are ready to listen and discuss the possibility of creating a national council of Serbs and thus we can move forward in this process," stated Krasniqi.

UNS and DNKiM: Gracanica Municipality to stop inviting media selectively to events (KiM radio, KoSSev)

The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) with its branch in Kosovo (DNKiM) is protesting again because, as they claim, the Municipality of Gracanica continues to selectively invite the media to events of public importance.

This Association says that the Municipality of Gracanica did not invite many Serbian-language media outlets to report when the president of this municipality, Ljiljana Subaric, visited the Health Center in Ugljare and handed over medical devices.

The same case, according to UNS, was also when she delivered aid and firewood to a family from Gracanica.

UNS asked the Chief of Cabinet of the President of the Municipality of Gracanica to talk to Subaric about "why she avoids inviting the media to events".

Subaric did not respond to the calls of this Association.

"UNS and DNKiM ask the leadership of the Municipality of Gracanica not to select the media and to invite journalists from all newsrooms to events that are of public interest," they emphasized in the statement.

UNS and DNKiM point out that it is important for the media to have the opportunity to report on topics important for the development of the local community, especially in Kosovo - "where citizens are often exposed to misinformation".

KoSSev portal recalled that selective calling of the media is a perennial problem for the media reporting in the Serbian language. And when it comes to events organized by the Serbian List, as well as local structures, but also when it comes to the central authorities.

For years, KoSSev portal has not received notifications, announcements, as well as basic service information, including sports and culture, from most representatives of local authorities, the portal added.

In addition to not sending information, officials of the Serbian List, and individuals under their control, are not available to answer our questions and deny us information, reported the portal.

Opinion

A possible new crisis as an indicator of whether the agreement between Belgrade and Pristina is on the way (Danas)

The statement of the Deputy Prime Minister of Kosovo, Besnik Bislimi, that the agreement on license plates reached on November 23 last year has a deadline of the end of March, at a time when the main topic in the Pristina and Belgrade public is the acceptance or rejection of the European proposal for Kosovo, to political scientist Ognjen Gogic, is a clear indication of the principle - "for Pristina, crises are a way to speed up the reaching of an agreement, while for Belgrade, crises are a way to delay it", reported Danas daily last night.

"Depending on how satisfied they are with the progress of negotiations on the French-German proposal, Belgrade and Pristina will reach to their proven tactics. There is a lot of incendiary material on the ground because the issues that caused crises before, such as plates, the presence of special police in the north, and local elections, have not been resolved, so there is a potential for them to come up again if it is in the interest of one of the parties," said Gogic.

Gogic recalled that Kosovo PM Albin Kurti explained to the Kosovo public in November that the measures against vehicles with KM plates were abandoned because it is expected that the final agreement will be reached in March.

''March is approaching, and an agreement is not in sight, so it can be expected that Pristina will reactivate the issue of plates. The new crisis in the north of Kosovo would serve as a pressure on the Western mediators to intensify their efforts to reach an agreement," Gogic estimates.

Danas recalled on one of the crises last year was caused around the license plates. After pressure from international actors, but also the evident resistance of the Serbian population in the north of Kosovo, the government in Pristina agreed to an agreement by which it was decided that Belgrade will not issue KM plates to new vehicles, and that Pristina will abandon the planned punishment and confiscation.

However, as pointed out by Peter Stano, the spokesperson of the European Union, which was the mediator in reaching this agreement, despite this agreement, Pristina has been allowing vehicles with Serbian license plates to cross the administrative crossings when they enter central Serbia but has prevented them from returning to area of Kosovo.

The absence of a more vocal reaction from the official Belgrade for Gogic meant that Belgrade was not ready to once again resort to erecting barricades in the north of Kosovo and raising combat readiness along the administrative line, but that Belgrade was currently hoping that Pristina would disqualify itself as a non-constructive party in the negotiations with a stubborn attitude towards the formation of the ZSO, and added:

''For now, the biggest obstacle to reaching an agreement based on the Franco-German proposal is the non-formation of the CSM (ZSO). Belgrade has no interest in diverting attention from that issue with some of its destructive behavior. If Pristina's repressive attitude towards drivers in the north were to be added to that, Kurti would undoubtedly be blamed for the deadlock in the negotiations," he said.

The situation further was complicated by the approaching holding of local elections in the North of Kosovo, which have already been postponed once due to, among other things, the protest scene in front of the Municipal Election Commission when its newly appointed members tried to enter it, when shots were also heard in the air, and thrown explosive devices. The reason for calling these extraordinary elections is the exit of Serbs from Kosovo institutions in the North of Kosovo, where all four municipalities have been operating without a municipal president since November 5.

The holding of these elections will be an indicator of whether an agreement on normalization was on the way.

"The local elections will be a barometer of the direction in which the negotiations are going. If the way is towards the agreement, the Serbs will return to the municipal institutions in the elections planned for April. But, if there is no progress in the negotiations, the elections will serve as a trigger for a new crisis," Gogic believes, reported Danas.

International

EP Rapporteurs presented reports for Kosovo and Serbia in AFET (EWB)

BRUSSELS – European Parliament Rapporteurs for Kosovo and Serbia, Viola von Cramon and Vladimir Bilčik, presented a draft report on Kosovo in EP Committee on Foreign Affairs (AFET) on Tuesday.

The draft EP resolution on Kosovo “calls for the full implementation of all relevant agreements, including the establishment of a community of municipalities with a Serbian majority” and expresses regret over the fact that initiatives to include the Serbian community in the political, social and economic structures of Kosovo are still very limited.

The Government of Kosovo and the representatives of the Kosovo Serbs are invited to engage in genuine dialogue to increase mutual trust, according to the document authored by EP representative Viola von Cramon-Taubadel from the Green Party political group.