UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, July 11, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

No date yet for meeting between Kurti and Vucic (Kosovapress)
Prime Minister Kurti meets Lajcak in Greece (media)
Kosovo leaders commemorate Srebrenica massacre (media)
Kosovo-Serbia dialogue EU's 'instrument' for the non-liberalization of visas (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

Selakovic: Policy of withdrawing the recognition of Kosovo's independence alive and active (N1, Beta, RTS)
Europa Nostra meets Kosovo officials, Decani Monastery calls for implementation of CC decision (Radio KIM, media)
Decani Monastery says it is endangered (Beta, N1, KoSSev)
Drecun: I do not know what the optimism of Lajcak was based on; dialogue meaningless without progress (RTS)
Jovanovic thanks Scholz, EP for confirming what his party was already saying (N1)
UNS and its branch in Kosovo condemn Jevtic’s attitude toward journalist, Jevitc denies allegations (Radio KIM, media)
Rakic met NATO Deputy Secretary General (Radio KIM)
Petkovic: Attacks on Serbs consequence of Pristina authorities’ anti-Serb rhetoric (Kosovo Online)

International:

‘March of Death’: Women Recall Harrowing Escape from Srebrenica (BIRN)
Balkans Confronts Another Wildfire Season Badly Prepared (BIRN)
EU, US urge North Macedonia to move forward on EU bid (AP)
Montenegrin Opposition May Help Embattled Govt Survive Confidence Vote (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

No date yet for meeting between Kurti and Vucic (Kosovapress)

There is no official date yet for a meeting between Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, but the third high-level meeting in the EU-facilitated dialogue could take place in the second half of July. Government representatives in Prishtina told the news agency that they are waiting for an invitation for the meeting and that this depends on the facilitator of the dialogue, while the European Union does not mention a specific date and says that they will announce it in due time. A spokeswoman for the Kosovo government said the meeting between the two leaders has been mentioned on several occasions recently but that there is nothing concrete yet. “There are no official invitations yet. If these meetings happen, they will take place in the second half of July. This depends on the facilitators in Brussels, Borrell and Lajcak,” she said.

Prime Minister Kurti meets Lajcak in Greece (media)

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti met today in Athens with the Special Representative of the EU for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak. “In the margins of the 24th @SymiSymposium, @albinkurti and I discussed the current situation in the region and the Dialogue on normalisation. We focused in particular on the next steps needed in order to make progress in the Dialogue,” Lajcak wrote in a Twitter post.

Kosovo leaders commemorate Srebrenica massacre (media)

As Bosnia and Herzegovina marks the 27th anniversary of the killing of more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys by Bosnian Serb forces, Kosovo leaders honoured the victims calling it the most henious crime since World War II.

Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti said "the damage caused by the Srebrenica genocide cannot be repaired but can be recognised by being acknowledged." "In the time we live in, victims are having salt poured on their wounds every time the Srebrenica genocide is shamelessly denied by Serbia," Kurti wrote on a Facebook post. "In times like these, we need to remember that denial is the first step of genocide's repetition. Therefore we need to be cautious and vocal in our commemoration and demand for recognition and humility towards one of the most henious genocides that took place in Europe after World War II," he added.

President Vjosa Osmani tweeted: "27 years after the Srebrenica Genocide, we remember the 8,372 Bosniak boys and men mercilessly murdered by Serb forces. Today, our hearts are with their loved ones. We must all stand united against attempts to glorify or deny these heinous atrocities."

Lumir Abdixhiku, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), said the "Srebrenica Genocide, the darkest mark of the modern history, took place in the very heart of Europe." "Executers have strong legacy in Serbia today; the genocide denier, the EU frontrunner," he added on Twitter. Memli Krasniqi, leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) said what happened in Srebrenica 27 years ago, is "the most horrific genocide since World War II," while leader of the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj, said: "The massacre in Srebrenica and other mass killings in the Balkans, committed by the Milosevic's regime, remain unwashed stains on the humanity's conscience, until justice is served."

Kosovo-Serbia dialogue EU's 'instrument' for the non-liberalization of visas (RTK)

Experts of the political situation in Kosovo consider that the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia is being used as an "instrument" by the European Union for not liberalizing visas for Kosovo.

"Due to the fact that Kosovo is in the process of dialogue with Serbia, this may be the main reason that Kosovo has not yet won visa liberalization. This can be used in the dialogue process as a kind of bait, so that when there is a need, Kosovo will give in somewhere, then the issue of visa liberalization will be used. Therefore, even though formally there is no connection, I think that the EU has used it", said Arton Demhasaj from the NGO "Cohu".

Another political analyst, Artan Muhaxheri, told RTK that the European Union is connecting the issue of dialogue with the liberalization of visas, and that, according to him, this should not happen.

"Unfortunately, it is a great absurdity that the visa liberalization process is related to the dialogue, because these should be two completely different categories," Muhaxheri stated.

Serbian Language Media

Selakovic: Policy of withdrawing the recognition of Kosovo's independence alive and active (N1, Beta, RTS)

Serbia’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Nikola Selakovic told Radio Television of Serbia on Sunday that Belgrade has managed to preserve its policy since the beginning of the war in Ukraine despite enormous pressure.

“We took the position of respecting the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine as an internationally recognized state and member of the United Nations, and on the other hand, we condemned what is an armed approach to seeking a solution. We affirm and constantly call for dialogue and negotiations,” Selakovic said.

He stated that Serbia has no problem with staying on the European course and that it would undoubtedly maintain progress on reforms, but also that it will stay on the course of defending its state and national interests, especially when Kosovo was concerned.

Selakovic said that Serbia has obligations that it has undertaken and that, as a responsible and credible party, would implement them, but emphasized that no one should harbour doubts as to whether Serbia would remain on the course of defending its state and national interests, especially when Kosovo and Metohija in question, reported RTS.

He pointed out that dialogue and sitting at the negotiating table have never been questioned in Belgrade.

"If anyone has shown commitment to dialogue, we have shown it and President Vucic. It is just very important that you know what is being discussed when you sit down at the table and whether it makes sense to talk, or you are going to have someone to insult you, humiliate you, and to abuse the fact that you are meeting,'' said Selakovic.

"We need to forget about everyone knowing what we know. Sometimes like parrots we need to repeat what our political positions are because that is the only way we can maintain awareness among our friends and partners about what the situation is and what we are fighting for," Selakovic told RTS.

He emphasized that the policy of withdrawing the recognition of Kosovo's independence was alive and active.

"Pristina is the one that broke the agreements and the one that unilaterally decided to launch a mechanism for its membership in the Council of Europe, and we will not sit idly by," said Selakovic.

Europa Nostra meets Kosovo officials, Decani Monastery calls for implementation of CC decision (Radio KIM, media)

Europa Nostra met with Decani mayor, Bashkim Ramosaj last week and discussed with him protection of Visoki Decani Monastery that this organisation included on the list of the seven the most endangered cultural-historic localites in Europe in 2021, Radio KIM Reports.

“During our visit in Kosovo it was a pleasure to meet Bashkim Ramosaj, mayor of Decan. We spoke about protection of VIsoki Decani Monastery, including regulating the traffic related to the Special Protection Zone, access to the Monastery and Constitutional Court decision on returning the monastery's land”, Europa Nostra wrote on Twitter.

They also met Kosovo Minister of Culture, Hajrullah Ceku and Minister of Environment and Infrastructure Liburna Aliju. The Kosovo officials opposed the decision of Europa Nostra during the meeting to include the monastery on the list of endangered sites and “demanded an apology”. They added they oppose inclusion of the monastery on the list, without, as they said, appropriate consultations with all sides. They also claimed that the monastery enjoys full legal protection in line with international convention, Radio KIM reports.

Meanwhile, Visoki Decani Monastery once again called for implementation of the Constitutional Court decision from 2016.

“Instead of showing inclusiveness, responsibility & readiness for true respect of the rule of law and holy sites of our Church, the #Kosovo ministers chose a confrontational approach which essentially inflicts damage to Kosovo citizens of all communities. An opportunity lost. Sad”, the Monastery wrote on Twitter.

“#Kosovo institutions claim Dečani #Monastery enjoys full legal protection & request an apology from @europanostra. They forget that for 6ys CCourt ruling on the Monastery land is ignored and the signed IMC agreement on a bypass road around the Monastery protective zone is rejected”, the Monastery wrote earlier.

Decani Monastery says it is endangered (Beta, N1, KoSSev)

The Decani Monastery in Kosovo said that the “group referring to itself as ‘the Decani historians’ was constantly engaged in slandering, and that the four armed attacks on this monastery and the fact that it was denied its rights prove that it was endangered, Beta reported.

The Monastery reacted to the claim of the Ali Hadri League of Kosovo Historians that the decision of the Europa Nostra organization to include the monastery in its list of endangered monuments is “out of place”, reported Beta agency.

According to Ali Hadri, the monastery has always been guarded by local Albanians, that the Kosovo police should be the one in charge of its safety and that the monastery was endangered “only by the malicious policy of monastery prior Sava Janjic”, reported N1, citing Beta agency.

The Ali Hadri League was also against the implementation of the Kosovo Constitutional Court’s ruling regarding the monastery’s land.

“We strongly condemn the position of the head of Decani Monastery, prior Sava Janjic, who demands the implementation of the illegal and unconstitutional ruling of the Constitutional Court of Kosovo, a ruling based on the laws from the Milosevic era, which, as such, should not be implemented because it will produce a domino effect, that is, it will set a dangerous precedent for Kosovo as there are dozens of political churches in Kosovo built by the Serbian state from 1989 to 1999,” said the Ali Hadri League, reported N1.

Drecun: I do not know what the optimism of Lajcak was based on; dialogue meaningless without progress (RTS)

Milovan Drecun, the head of the Parliamentary Committee for Kosovo and Metohija, told RTS this morning, that with the latest unilateral moves related to license plates and violence against the Serbian people in Kosovo, Pristina has called the dialogue into question and threatened it.

The EU's special envoy for dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, said at the forum in Dubrovnik that three or four agreements were ready for Belgrade and Pristina and that he expected the finalization soon, RTS recalled.

Drecun told RTS that Lajcak often ''makes optimistic statements about the fact that some sort of agreement will be reached between Belgrade and Pristina and that the entire process of normalization will be completed by a certain deadline'', but that, none of this has happened in the past period.

"Except that progress has been made in the agreed roadmap for the implementation of the energy part of the Brussels Agreement. I do not know what he is basing his optimism on," said Drecun.

He told RTS that the attitude of Pristina towards the issue of the missing was not encouraging at all.

"They introduced the term 'enforced disappearance', which would mean that Serbia is responsible for the persons who disappeared due to the actions of the terrorist KLA. Of course, this is not acceptable for us. Another wording was offered from our side - 'disappeared by force', Pristina will not accept it, and that is the end of it," he said.

He said the question arises as to what to discuss now.

"I see a political manipulation, a difficult political game aimed at deceiving Serbia," Drecun assessed.

He recalled the last ''ROSU raids in Strpce" and endangering basic human rights such as freedom of movement due to the announced confiscation of license plates...

According to Drecun's opinion, it was very uncertain whether Lajcak would even continue the dialogue within these planned deadlines, and that he did not know on what Lajcak based his optimism saying that we were close to several agreements.

"I understand that he is in a hurry, that the leading Western countries are in a hurry to finish the process of talks, i.e., the normalization of relations, at this stage, in order to immediately move on to the next stage, which is the so-called mutual recognition, which is unacceptable for us," Drecun told RTS.

"Until the implementation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities is started, that is, until it is finally formed, until Pristina is forced to give up unilateral moves, until it gives up its intention to remove license plates from October 1, until the violence stops over the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, so that the dialogue can continue. This way, it seems to me that we will again have an empty story where some meetings will be held, and no progress will be achieved,'' concluded Drecun.

Jovanovic thanks Scholz, EP for confirming what his party was already saying (N1)

Leader of New Democratic Party of Serbia (NDSS) told Novi dan broadcast on N1 that Serbia should not become member of the EU and thanked European Parliament as well as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for saying “clearly and loudly” what his party had been saying over the last 14 years – that Serbia must recognize Kosovo in order to join the EU.

Jovanovic underlined he is not an “anti-European” but that the Union itself conditions lack of Serbian European path because by recognizing Kosovo “we would kill ourselves as people, nation and a state”.

Asked what Serbian authorities could do following adoption of the EP resolution requesting Serbia that in addition to recognizing Kosovo, it also imposes sanctions on Russia, Jovanovic said he doesn’t know, because President Aleksandar Vucic “keeps sending signals to different sides” and that is why he “gave up on analysing” his statements.

He added, the least it can do at this moment is to open discussion on European integration of Serbia.

“For more than 20 years we have been on the European path, and we had never had discussion about it”, he recalled. He also opposed imposing sanctions on Russia, adding that he has “problem with values” with that of the EU in certain segments.

UNS and its branch in Kosovo condemn Jevtic’s attitude toward journalist, Jevitc denies allegations (Radio KIM, media)

Association of Journalists of Kosovo (UNS) and its branch in Kosovo (DNKiM) condemned insult and discrimination uttered by Strpce mayor Dalibor Jevitc against journalist of the Radio Television of Kosovo (RTK) 2 program Bojan Tomic, Radio KIM reports.

Tomic informed UNS earlier that Dalibor Jevtic told him on Thursday, after making a statement to the Serbian public broadcaster RTS regarding police action in Strpce on Thursday “that only he can not get the statement, because he is not a journalist and spreads untruths constantly”. According to Tomic the reason for such a statement was the story on the quality of potable water in Strpce he made two weeks ago.

Strpce mayor Dalibor Jevtic, refuted allegations and told UNS that in his career he has never refused cooperation with journalists in such a manner.

“Difficult days are behind us in Strpce, and the pressure on residents of Strpce and me as their mayor continues for a longer period of time and also institutions and citizens are being used for that (to exert pressure). I wonder if this was the part of the same scenario, because I really do not know what could be the reason for this attack and to put it mildly untruths uttered by Mr. Tomic”, Jevtic said.

He also added that no journalists' association made any statement on the police raid of TV Herc based in Strpce, last Thursday.

Rakic met NATO Deputy Secretary General (Radio KIM)

Security situation in Kosovo is very fragile and stronger efforts must be made to avoid the escalation. KFOR must remain the only guarantor of the peace and stability on this territory, Minister for Communities and Returns Goran Rakic said during the meeting with NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana, Radio KIM reports.

“I also said that unilateral actions could lead to unforeseeable consequences that we may prevent exclusively by swift implementation of reached agreements and establishing the Community of Serb-majority Municipalities”, Rakic said in a statement.

He added all future steps ought to be undertaken must be taken in coordination with Serb people representatives, because, as he said, this is the only way to find the best solution to the problems concerning very much Serb and other non-Albanian communities. Rakic said Serbs in Kosovo have never been nor will be part of the problem, but that their fundamental human rights must be respected.

Petkovic: Attacks on Serbs consequence of Pristina authorities’ anti-Serb rhetoric (Kosovo Online)

Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said Pristina undermines the dialogue and attacks against the Serbs in Kosovo were “consequence of their anti-Serb rhetoric”, Kosovo Online portal reports.

In a post on Twitter related to the remarks of Kosovo MP Mimoza Kusari-Lila on dialogue Petkovic said “the dialogue is being held so that all people in Kosovo and Metohija could live normally. While you undermine the dialogue, bombs have been thrown at Serb houses in Kosovo. This is a consequence of your anti-Serb rhetoric and unilateral acts by Albin Kurti”, Petkovic said.

Media reported earlier that an explosive device, which didn’t go off, was thrown at the family house of Zoran Jovanovic in Mogila village, near Vitina, hitting the window and landing in a yard. Jovanovic lives with his wife and two children in this ethnically mixed village, Kosovo Online said.

The portal added, members of this family were already targets of the attack with property of their relatives living in the same street being set on fire and hateful messages inscribed. The case has been reported to the police, while the previous incident remains unresolved.

International

‘March of Death’: Women Recall Harrowing Escape from Srebrenica (BIRN)

Thousands of Bosniak men walked 100 kilometres across harsh terrain to escape being massacred by Bosnian Serb forces after the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995 - but there were also women and children fleeing with them, suffering the same terrors.

“If dear God decides we should die, let’s all die together.”

These are the words of Fatima Ahmic, who is recalling how she set off with her two sons, Mirsad and Sead, and her husband Hasib from Srebrenica after it fell to Bosnian Serb forces in July 1995.

“I didn’t want to be separated from my children,” Ahmic said.

It became known as the ‘march of death’ – thousands of Bosniaks fled on foot through woodlands from Srebrenica, trying to escape Bosnian Serb forces and get to safety in territory held by the Bosniak-led Bosnian Army. They were mostly men, but dozens of women went too, as well as teenage children.

They walked for around 100 kilometres across mountainous terrain and through dense forests before reaching the village of Nezuk, where the Bosnian Army was stationed. Along the way, many were shot at, ambushed, captured and executed.

Ahmic spent 13 days on the march of death before making it to safety. Her husband and one of her sons also survived; the other, Mirsad, did not. He is now buried at the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, where the annual commemoration takes place. Ahmic lives with her husband in the village of Voljavica, near to the cemetery.