UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, June 30, 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: Let’s try the secret vote; if Haxhiu doesn’t win, another candidate (media)
Osmani will call party leaders to a meeting soon (Indeksonline)
Kurti: Radoicic and his criminals need to be handed over to Kosovo (media)
Special prosecution charges two Serbs for war crimes against civilians (media)
EU: Kosovo authorities were informed about testing on Mitrovica bridge (Koha)
Kosovo Police managed security situation during “Vidovdan” (media)
Inspectorate: No irregularities or misconduct by police during Vidovdan (media)
“Find a job after autumn”, “unblock the budget”; Kurti, Rama trade barbs (media)
Hehir: Specialist Court, a project to appease Serbia (AP)
Draskovic: Serbia must recognize Kosovo’s reality (AP/Pobjeda)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic with Sánchez: Spain’s principled support for Serbia’s territorial integrity (Kosovo Online, media)
Igor Simic: This Vidovdan shown the best what the life of Serbs in Kosovo looks like (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, TV Pink)
A Czech detained in N. Mitrovica on Saturday while taking a photo next to the monument; Elshani: He was suspicious (KoSSev, KiM radio)
Serbs on wanted lists over barricades: How much the word of the EU and U.S. State Department is worth? (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

Suroi: Kosovo threatened by an unresolved conflict with Serbia and technological changes without cultural support; Neziraj of a similar opinion (KoSSev)
Is the EU waiting for Trump to normalize Kosovo-Serbia relations? (Koha)

International:

Balkan Insight’s first despatch: Net closes on alleged Suva Reka killers (BIRN)
‘Our countries needed us: How five Balkan women built BIRN (BIRN)
Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian communities in Kosovo face double burden of poverty and discrimination (PI)
Thousands set up street blockades in Serbia after arrests of anti-government protesters (AP)
Serbia police clash with anti-government protesters in Belgrade (BBC)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Let’s try the secret vote; if Haxhiu doesn’t win, another candidate (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that he is willing for consultations and compromise for constituting the new Assembly but criticized the opposition refusing the secret vote [for the new Speaker of the Assembly] as a means to break the deadlock. “I am always ready for meetings, constructive consultation, for cooperation in trust, and for consensus and compromises. I offered two compromises: first, let political parties delegate their representatives and if they don’t want a secret vote they can vote against the committee, because it cannot be rejected without a vote, we cannot go forward by boycotting … Let us try the secret vote; either Albulena [Haxhiu] wins, or we will propose another candidate,” he said.

Kurti said he was surprised by the position of opposition against a secret vote. “I don’t understand why all this resistance by the opposition parties to the secret vote, knowing that on February 9 the people of Kosovo had a secret, free and democratic vote, and made the Vetevendosje Movement the winner. We have 48 MPs, PDK has 24, LDK has 20, so the PDK and LDK together don’t have as many seats as Vetevendosje. This is a fact, a democratic fact, with which we must all agree,” he argued.

Osmani will call party leaders to a meeting soon (Indeksonline)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani will invite leaders of political parties to a meeting in the coming days, a media advisor to the President told the news website today. “The President expects the parties represented in the Assembly to implement the ruling of the Constitutional Court and to conclude the constitutive session within 30 days as requested by the Court,” the advisor said. He also said that if the need arises, Osmani is ready to address the Constitutional Court for additional explanations.

Kurti: Radoicic and his criminals need to be handed over to Kosovo (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti reiterated today that Milan Radoicic and another 42 Serb paramilitaries involved in the armed attack against Kosovo Police in Banjska in September 2023 must be handed over to Kosovo authorities. He argued that these people were seen even closer to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic which proves that the group was organized and ordered by Belgrade. “Now the same people are even closer to Vucic than his close protection detail. This shows that we were right when we said that this criminal and terrorist group was ordered and financed by Belgrade and that it was not a group of hooligans. These people were trained in Serbia, they got their orders from Serbia, and they carried out an aggression against Kosovo. This is why they need to be delivered to Kosovo. This means that we were right, and it shows everything about the regime in Belgrade,” he said.

Kurti also said that two years ago, in June 2023, his government had decided to declare the so-called Civil Protection and the Northern Brigade as terrorist organizations, a decision that was met with harsh criticism. “However, several months later, it was seen that we were right. In late September, in Banjska in Zvecan, they killed Kosovo police sergeant Afrim Bunjaku. We call for the handover of chief criminal and chief terrorist Milan Radoicic and the 42 paramilitaries that took part in the terrorist and criminal attack in September 2023,” he said.

Special prosecution charges two Serbs for war crimes against civilians (media)

All news websites report that the Special Prosecution of Kosovo has filed charges against two Serbs for war crimes against civilians in 1998/99 in a village in the municipality of Kacanik. The indictment notes that the defendants in cooperation with other members of Serbian police and military forces killed two victims [initials provided].

EU: Kosovo authorities were informed about testing on Mitrovica bridge (Koha)

After several days the European Union responded to Koha about testing done on the bridge over Iber River in Mitrovica, confirming that it is carrying out the testing and that Kosovo’s authorities were appropriately informed. “The EU is currently carrying out a routine structural assessment of the bridge and an urban planning study of the surrounding area given the time that has passed since the revitalization of the bridge in Mitrovica. Kosovo’s authorities were informed beforehand about this,” the EU said in its response. “This assessment does not signal any change to the status quo, but is aimed at making sure that any decision about the future of the bridge will be based on the latest and accurate information and technical data. The EU is coordinating closely with international partners in Kosovo about the future of the bridge. Meanwhile we call on Kosovo’s authorities to refrain from any unilateral action, including the construction of adjacent bridges”.

Kosovo Police managed security situation during “Vidovdan” (media)

Kosovo Police said in a statement with regards to the “Vidovdan” manifestation that it has timely undertaken operational measures to manage the security situation, maintain public order, direct road traffic and border management. “By undertaking the necessary coordination, preventive and operational measures in all police departments and regions, the manifestations have been mainly peaceful and without any major incidents. Based on the information from the police units engaged in the field, there wasn’t any reported case that has affected the progress of the manifestation, except for the escort of 17 persons to the police station for interview, who provoked the event, committed incitement to hatred and possessed clothing with provocative and inciting content, in violation of legal provisions. All police actions have been carried out in cooperation and coordination with the justice authorities, by whose decision one suspect was sentenced to detention on suspicion of the criminal offense of illegal possession of weapons, another was issued a minor offense fine, 4 others were released, while 11 others are in the interview procedure. Kosovo Police uses the opportunity to thank the citizens for the cooperation and understanding shown, and at the same time assures them that KP will continue its engagement and dedication in carrying out its legal duties and authorizations, managing the security situation, implementing the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo to guarantee a peaceful and safe environment for all citizens without distinction,” the police statement notes.

Inspectorate: No irregularities or misconduct by police during Vidovdan (media)

The Kosovo Police Inspectorate (PIK) said in a statement that it monitored the work of Kosovo Police during Vidovdan celebrations in two main locations, in Gracanica and Gazimestan. “During its monitoring activities, the Police Inspectorate did not identify any irregularities or inappropriate conduct by police officers. The overall conduct of officers and the management of the situation were assessed as professional and in accordance with police conduct standards and human rights principles,” the statement noted.

The Police Inspectorate also said that the operational plan of the police was well-structured and efficiently implemented, and it contributed to maintaining public safety and order throughout the commemorations.

“Find another job after autumn”, “unblock the budget”; Kurti, Rama trade barbs (media)

Most news websites report that Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti and Pristina Mayor Perparim Rama have traded barbs today during the laying of the foundation of a kindergarten in a village near Pristina. Rama asked Kurti to unblock the budget for the capital which he argued has left many projects pending. “I publicly call on the Prime Minister to unblock the budget of the capital. Let’s meet because it has been four years since we met for the good of the city. This is a good start to come together and to push forward other and bigger processes and not only these small processes, for the good of the people,” Rama said. In his response, Kurti said that “children are indeed small but no kindergarten is small, and we cannot call this a small project. I have met the mayor several times in my office. €12 million has been allocated in the area of education in the capital. And we are here for education, not for other issues. We have other investments too, but capital investments require other planning. These are multiyear plans that I guess we are going to have to make with someone else. And Mayor Rama should find another job after autumn [in reference to the local elections in October],” Kurti said.

Hehir: Specialist Court, a project to appease Serbia (AP)

Aidan Hehir, professor of international relations at the University of Westminster, argued in an interview with the news website expressed deep concern on how the Specialist Chambers of Kosovo were established and how they are functioning. He claimed that the court is a politically-motivated body and a project that was imposed on Kosovo and to appease Serbia. He criticized the prolonged detention of former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army. “The Specialist Court is a purely political body. It was created with a single purpose: to appease Serbia. Powerful western countries forced the Kosovo government to establish the court despite the lack of any substantial public or political support within Kosovo. The court was imposed on Kosovo by those that were interested to bring Serbia closer to the western sphere and to remove it from Russian influence,” he said.

According to Hehir, the court is serving Belgrade’s propaganda to equalize the liberation war of Albanians with the crimes of the Serbian state, by presenting Albanians as aggressors. “Serbia’s political leaders wanted the formation of this court, because it serves their efforts to rewrite the narrative of the war in the 1990s. Belgrade wants to present the conflict as a war where ‘both parties’ were equally guilty, and to claim that the KLA were ‘terrorists’ that attacked Serb civilians. This court is therefore a way through which Serbian propaganda about the war and the failed policy of reconciliation by the west is disseminated,” he argued.

Hehir said that the consequences of such an approach are very grave for Kosovo’s political future. “An independent Kosovo poses no threat to anyone, and it is a crucial means to maintain regional stability. The biggest threat to peace is Serbian aggressive nationalism. The Specialist Court, in a weird way empowers this nationalism and undermines the stability of Kosovo. The KLA and its leaders were rightfully seen as heroes among the Albanian community in Kosovo. For them to be accused now of being involved in ‘a joint criminal enterprise’ is a bitter blow that has caused great outrage. The Kosovo Albanians rightfully feel that their western allies have turned against them. If important figures like Thaci, Veseli, Selimi and Krasniqi are found guilty, this will probably cause social unrest in Kosovo and will give an impetus to Serbian nationalism,” he said.

Draskovic: Serbia must recognize Kosovo’s reality (AP/Pobjeda)

Serbia’s former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Vuk Draskovic, said in an interview with Montenegrin newspaper Pobjeda, that Serbia must accept Kosovo’s reality and help its membership in international organizations, including the Council of Europe and the INTERPOL. “I have called for Kosovo’s membership in the Council of Europe and INTERPOL, and for Serbia to become a member of NATO,” he said, adding that without honestly dealing with the past and without accepting the truth for Kosovo, Serbia cannot move forward with western integration.

Draskovic said that in 2010 he had believed that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic would lead Serbia toward Europeanization and the normalization of relations with Kosovo. He said that the path that Serbia has chosen is dangerous and based on deception. “I have warned Vucic not to deceive the people with roads, hospitals and schools,” he said, adding that Serbia is experiencing a deep moral and cultural downfall.

Draskovic also said that he had “supported the Brussels agreement in 2013 for the normalization of relations with Kosovo but efforts were sabotaged by the opposition and the Serb Orthodox Church”. He recalled that three bishops of the church had organized a memorial ceremony for three signatories of the agreement and that the opposition had politically attacked Vucic instead of supporting him.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic with Sánchez: Spain’s principled support for Serbia’s territorial integrity (Kosovo Online, media)

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic met yesterday in Seville with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, to whom he expressed gratitude for Spain’s consistent and principled support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Serbia.

"An open discussion on all important topics with my friend Pedro Sánchez. We also talked about signing a contract for the construction of a bridge near Backa Palanka, which would benefit the entire South Backa District," Vucic wrote on Instagram. He is currently in Seville attending the United Nations International Conference on Financing for Development.

The meeting with the Spanish Prime Minister also addressed the current global situation, Serbia’s European future, as well as the strengthening of political dialogue, bilateral relations, and cooperation in all areas of social life.

"We exchanged views on key topics of the Conference, including the reform of the global financial architecture, mobilization of resources for sustainable development, and the importance of climate financing. We agreed that concrete steps and greater solidarity are needed to enable developing countries to have fairer access to financial resources," Vucic added.

He emphasized that it was always a pleasure to speak with someone who understands the principles of international law and sovereignty, and therefore thanked Sánchez for Spain’s unwavering and principled support for Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.

"I believe that in the years ahead we will deepen our relations even further, in the spirit of solidarity, mutual understanding, and the European values we share," Vucic concluded.

Igor Simic: This Vidovdan shown the best what the life of Serbs in Kosovo looks like (Tanjug, Kosovo Online, TV Pink)

A member of the Presidency of the Serbian List, Igor Simic, said today that this year's celebration of Vidovdan was the best way to show what the life of Serbs looks like in Kosovo, stating that they cannot even celebrate a national religious holiday without being harassed by the Kosovo police.

"Seventeen Serbs were arrested on that occasion, among them a twelve-year-old girl who sang historical songs was harassed, and all those who had any historical motif on them, even a picture of Vuk Karadzic, were harassed and demanded to remove their shirts because of that applique," Simic told TV Pink.

He stated that the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, continues to persecute the Serbian people, adding that he is now not only harassing the Serbs living in Kosovo with the aim of their final expulsion from the areas, but that now they want to send a message to all those who have been displaced or those who would even like to visit Kosovo, that they are not welcome here and will face repression.

A Czech detained in N. Mitrovica on Saturday while taking a photo next to the monument; Elshani: He was suspicious (KoSSev, KiM radio)

On Saturday, in the northern part of Mitrovica, a Czech was detained, his documents checked, and then released at the moment when, with two other friends, he was taking a photo at the monument to Knez Lazar, he told Radio KiM. The police say they were suspicious.

A Czech of the Orthodox faith, who came to Kosovo with a group of pilgrims from the Czech Republic on Vidovdan, was detained in N. Mitrovica on Saturday after taking a picture next to the monument to Knez Lazar.

As he stated in the interview with KiM radio, without any explanation, the Kosovo police stopped him and two of his friends aged 78 and 19, put them in a vehicle and took them to the police station, where all members of the group were interrogated.

"We came with my friend who is 78 years old and a 19-year-old young man who converted to Orthodoxy last year. Yesterday we were in Mitrovica for the first time, walking around the city and taking pictures at the monument when the police intercepted us."

He added that they were treated as if they had committed a crime.

"They separated us into different rooms, as if we were criminals or terrorists, and we came because of the Orthodox shrines. Yesterday we were in Visoki Decani, in the Patriarchate of Pec, and now we are here. We are not interested in Albanians, nor in their lives. We are absolutely not interested in that. But, to see what the people who live here, who have been expelled, are experiencing here, it is a terror," he told KiM radio.

"I've been everywhere, but this is the pinnacle"

This Czech pointed out that he had visited numerous countries around the world, including Russia, Israel, Palestine, Kazakhstan and Moldova, but that he had never experienced anything like this anywhere.

"We were two years ago in Palestine, in Jerusalem, in Bethlehem. We were with Arabs, with Jews, there were no problems anywhere. We were also in Russia, in Moldova, in Kazakhstan, in Bosnia... We were everywhere. But what we experienced here as foreigners, as Czech citizens — is the highlight. For a 78-year-old man to be mistreated."

He said that he admires all the Serbs who still live in Kosovo.

"We were stopped because we were taking pictures next to the monument to Knez Lazar. In what country is it not allowed to take pictures? This is terror against the Serbs, but also against all those who show their support," he stressed adding that they "didn't come for politics, but for religion. Just like Muslims go to Mecca, we come here for Vidovdan. If that's why I have to go to Golgotha, I'm ready."

Elshani: They were suspicious

This Czech and the people who were with him at the monument to Knez Lazar were detained and identified because they were suspicious to the police, Veton Elshani, deputy commander of the KP for the North region, told KoSSev.

"He was taking pictures there, looking, moving around. He was suspicious. The police asked for his documents and saw that he was from the Czech Republic. Then they were taken to the station, verified and released. They did not receive any fines, they were only identified," said Elshani.

Serbs on wanted lists over barricades: How much the word of the EU and U.S. State Department is worth? (Kosovo Online)

“All obligations from the dialogue must be fulfilled,” Western officials have reminded Belgrade and Pristina countless times. Is it now time for Belgrade to remind Brussels and Washington—if they have forgotten—of the guarantees given in 2022: that there would be no criminal prosecution lists targeting Serbs for participating in the barricades in the north? The wanted list issued by the Special Prosecutor's Office in Pristina for 11 Serbs who took part in the barricades confirms the powerlessness of the EU and the U.S. as mediators, analysts say. Incidentally, it also confirmed the foresight of one protest participant who said: “They’ll hunt us like rabbits.”

“The only guarantee we gave is what Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla already said—that the government and police of Kosovo have no lists for arrests. We have no lists of people we are monitoring or prosecuting,” stated Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on December 30, 2022, a day after the barricades were removed, reported Kosovo Online yesterday.

And yet, beyond the wanted list for 11 Serbs, Pristina is now conducting an investigation against around 50 individuals for criminal offenses including “obstructing an official in the performance of duties, inciting resistance, and participating in unconstitutional activities.”

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/3kpm3zac

Opinion

Suroi: Kosovo threatened by an unresolved conflict with Serbia and technological changes without cultural support; Neziraj of a similar opinion (KoSSev)

In the latest episode of the "PIKË" podcast, well-known publicist Veton Suroi pointed out the two, as he sees it, the most serious challenges that, according to him, can threaten Kosovo in the next decade, reported KoSSev today, citing Koha.

Answering the question of playwright Jeton Neziraj about the biggest internal dangers, Suroi pointed out that the first problem is the unresolved conflict with Serbia, which, as he assessed, is passed on to new generations.

"The first danger is that our society has not closed the conflict. Not because there is a direct physical threat, but because the conflict has become part of our collective narrative and is transmitted to young generations. We do not owe it to young people to live with Serbia as a daily topic."

As another risk, he cited Kosovo's lack of readiness to enter the new technological age, in which, as he emphasized, artificial intelligence and digital transformations will be crucial.

"Kosovo was created as a mental project, but I don't know what needs to be done so that our youth can face the technological transformation without losing their identity and culture," he said.

Suroi expressed concern about the state of education and information, stating that it is difficult to build a sustainable future in a society where 80 percent of students do not understand what they read, where newspapers and authorities are missing, while information comes unfiltered through social networks.

"When anyone can challenge an expert, when there are no reliable sources, and when a Facebook status replaces a book or a newspaper, then we risk entering the era of artificial intelligence as a society without a compass," Suroi concluded.

In the same show, playwright Jeton Neziraj spoke about three key challenges that, in his opinion, Kosovo society is facing today.

The first challenge relates to the attitude towards religion, more precisely to the growing sentiment of religious fundamentalism and the political misinterpretation of religion.

"We should not see religion as something external, but as part of our society," said Neziraj, emphasizing the need for open and honest dialogue with religious communities, without demonizing them.

As another challenge, he mentioned, like Suroi, the unresolved political relations with Serbia, which, in his opinion, continue to block the development of Kosovo.

"Much of the state's energy was focused on the dialogue with Serbia and the unfinished issue of the war," said Neziraj, adding that many internal problems are justified by those relations.

The third challenge, which he assessed as the most complex, refers to the "chaos of values" that affects art, the media, and public life in general.

"Today, it is difficult to distinguish a credible portal from a portal opened in some corner of the room. The same confusion of values applies to the theater and its relationship with the audience," the playwright pointed out.

Neziraj concluded that such social disorientation makes it difficult to plan for the future, especially in the field of culture and art.

Is the EU waiting for Trump to normalize Kosovo-Serbia relations? (Koha)

Opinion piece by Brussels-based correspondent Augustin Palokaj

NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was criticised, and even ridiculed, for the praises he lavished on United States President Donald Trump on the eve of, and during, the NATO summit in The Hague. First, it was Trump who published what appeared to be a private message that Rutte had sent him. In that note, the head of NATO, the former Dutch prime minister, coming from a country renowned for its modesty, addressed Trump as “dear Donald” and stated that “only he” had been able to secure such a great, previously unimaginable, success for the Alliance. The achievement in question was NATO’s decision on a defence-investment plan under which every member state will spend at least five per cent of its gross domestic product on defence, a target to be met by 2035; an interim review is to be conducted in 2029.

Faced with criticism for employing such ingratiating, undignified language, Rutte defended himself by saying that he had merely stated a truth. However odd Trump’s public utterances may sometimes seem, it is indeed the case that only he managed to push such a decision through at the NATO level. All American presidents since Bill Clinton—George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden, included—have demanded an end to the imbalance within the Alliance’s defence spending. Even today, two-thirds of total NATO defence outlays are American; the remaining third is provided by the other thirty-one member states combined. Yet only Trump achieved concrete movement on the issue, aided by a heightened fear of Russia. He did allow Russia to be named as NATO’s greatest threat in the summit declaration, though he refused to let it be called the aggressor in Ukraine.

The stipulation that Allies increase defence spending to five per cent of GDP—more than double the current benchmark—was not the only matter on which Trump claimed, “only I can do this”, or on which others asserted that “only Trump could manage it”. The American president was similarly credited with successes in strikes against Iran and a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, with an armistice between India and Pakistan, and with a settlement between Rwanda and Congo. In that wave of grand achievements attributed to him, he also remarked that he had stopped the war between Kosovo and Serbia. He was not altogether clear, rarely is he entirely so, but at one point he said he had persuaded both sides to make peace, before breaking off mid-sentence with “Serbia wanted to start…”.

As no recent, concrete engagement by the American President in Kosovo-Serbia relations has been evident, and indeed the United States has been notably passive apart from its consistent commitment to KFOR, one may assume that Trump was alluding to what is known as the Washington Agreement. That arrangement, outlined in unilateral undertakings by Kosovo and Serbia to the United States, was signed on September 4, 2020, by Kosovo’s then-prime minister, Avdullah Hoti, and Serbia’s president, Aleksandar Vučić.

For the record, the agreement encompassed a raft of topics, many of which had little connection with bilateral relations between Kosovo and Serbia. For example, it required both to designate Hezbollah a terrorist organisation, to open embassies in Jerusalem, to ensure the restitution of Jewish property and to engage in decriminalising homosexuality in sixty-nine countries around the world. It also spoke of deepening economic cooperation between Kosovo and Serbia, of road links between Niš and Pristina, and of railway connections extending to a seaport.

Although that agreement did not put an end to tensions, it was not in itself objectionable, especially once ideas about “land swaps” had fallen by the wayside. Accordingly, when the Biden administration took office, it likewise called for the agreement’s implementation. Trump has more than once asserted that “Biden ruined things” and that he would “fix the mess”. Yet Biden’s team has done nothing beyond giving unconditional backing to the EU’s role as facilitator; the EU, for its part, has used Washington chiefly to exert pressure on Kosovo, pressure that culminated in U.S. sanctions against Pristina, which Albania swiftly endorsed and which Brussels warmly welcomed. The EU’s measures remain in force.

The only visible outcome of the Washington Agreement has been Israel’s recognition of Kosovo and Kosovo’s opening of an embassy in Jerusalem. In other words, Kosovo followed the American line, drawing fierce criticism from the EU, which often rebuked Pristina more sharply for that step than it censured Belgrade for its cordial ties with Moscow.

Trump may now be minded, or persuaded by advisers, to exploit the EU’s failure and to re-enter the process of normalising relations between Kosovo and Serbia. It would be no surprise were he, in his customary style, to announce: “The EU tried for fifteen years and failed miserably; only I can solve this.” EU leaders might then bow and say: “Only you could do it.” If Brussels carries on as it has, such a scenario would not be shocking.

Were President Trump to become involved, it is unlikely that his engagement would occur under the EU-led Brussels Dialogue. He would seek swift, very swift solutions, ones for which he could claim credit as “he could only do this”. Yet, for Kosovo and Serbia, however, any settlement imposed by Washington and excluding the EU would be of dubious value, for both countries, Kosovo in particular, see their future in the Union. However vital America may be, trade with it is minimal compared with trade with the EU. American involvement that sidelines Brussels would simply strike another blow at the Union and magnify its fading relevance, even in an eminently European issue such as Kosovo–Serbia relations, at a time when the EU has become merely a spectator of global developments, crises and problems, left hoping only to dispatch humanitarian aid and praying that conflicts will not drive up energy prices or trigger fresh waves of refugees. EU officials themselves have said that if the Union cannot resolve problems in the Balkans, its own backyard, it cannot aspire to be a significant global actor.

It is therefore time for the EU to wake up in the Kosovo–Serbia Dialogue, just as NATO awoke to the need for greater defence capabilities.

International

Balkan Insight’s first despatch: Net closes on alleged Suva Reka killers (BIRN)

In the next few days an investigation will be launched against a group of Serbian policemen suspected of having killed 57 members of an Albanian family in Kosovo in spring 1999, Balkan Insight has learned from sources close to the Serbian prosecutor's war crimes office.

The slaughter took place in the midst of NATO's air war against Serbian forces in Kosovo, which forced them to withdraw from the province that summer.

The bodies of the dead men, women and children, including a baby aged seven months, from the Kosovo town of Suva Reka were buried in pits in an army base in Prizren before being secretly transported to a new mass grave in the police compound at Batajnica, near Belgrade.

While the existence of the mass grave at Batajnica was uncovered in the spring of 2001, after the fall of the Milosevic regime, those responsible for the murders and the transportation have never been brought to justice – owing largely to police obstruction.

But our sources have revealed that ten men will be charged in a matter of days. This follows a decision by the Serbian war crimes office to go over the heads of the police in the past two years and interview Albanian and other witnesses directly.