UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, November 29, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

PM Kurti interview for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
Visa liberalisation proposal for Kosovo expected to be voted on Wednesday (RTK)
Assembly committee to draft electoral reform soon (media)
Four Albanians attacked in Mitrovica North, receive medical treatment (Klan)
LVV MP: Those who were decorated by Vucic cannot return (Gazeta Blic)
Kurti meets UN Special Rapporteur Savioli (media)
Kurti: Inaction of judicial bodies in domestic violence cases cannot be justified (Koha)
Association will be part of final settlement, according to analysts (RTK)
Veliu believes return of Serbs to work in north was discussed in Brussels (Gazeta Blic)

Serbian Language Media:

Surveys: Low level of trust in politicians (KiM radio)
Vucic: ''If the issue of the status of Kosovo is over for Kurti, it is for me too'' (KiM radio, N1, Beta, KoSSev)
Vucic invites Norwegian King, Crown Prince to visit Serbia (N1, BETA, Tanjug)
Dacic meets Docherty in London (Tanjug)
Request of Thaci’s defence for early testimony of eight foreign diplomats dismissed (Kosovo Online)

International:

Artwork Commemorating Kosovo Protests 32 Years Ago Unveiled in Pristina (BIRN)
Kosovo Justice Institutions Lack Training to Deal with Far-Right Extremism (BIRN)
Sexual violence against men and boys during the Kosovo war (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media

PM Kurti interview for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in an interview with Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung that in the recent agreement between Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels “we have agreed not to implement our decision to introduce fines for drivers with illegal Serbian plates. Serbia has agreed not to issue plates from the time of Milosevic’s regime. We did this, not only to de-escalate the situation, but also to create an opportunity for the immediate start of negotiations for full normalisation of relations between Kosovo and Serbia. This should conclude before spring 2023. This was the real goal of compromise”.

Read full interview at: https://bit.ly/3inwCWa

Visa liberalisation proposal for Kosovo expected to be voted on Wednesday (RTK)

The ambassadors of the member countries of the European Union are expected to vote on Wednesday regarding the latest proposal of the Czech presidency for the liberalisation of visas for Kosovo, according to which, the liberalisation comes into force when the ETIAS system becomes functional, and no later than on 1 January of 2024.

This vote was supposed to take place last week, but was removed from the agenda due to the situation in the north and in light of the unsuccessful meeting of the leaders that was held on November 21.

According to the text that will be voted by the ambassadors, in the period until the effective start of visa liberalisation, Kosovo must aim to conclude repatriation agreements with states with which there are no such arrangements, as well as fulfil the obligations arising from these agreements.

Also, Kosovo will be required to try to further harmonise its visa policy with the visa policy of the European Union.

Voting at the level of ambassadors is expected to be done without prior discussions and in this way, it is possible to continue the relevant legislative procedures that will lead to the final decision on the liberalisation of visas.

At the same time, the Czech presidency in the document recalls the importance that member states attach to the effective entry into operation of ETIAS within the established deadlines, and invites member states to continue their preparatory efforts to ensure compliance with the agreed deadlines.

Otherwise, if the ETIAS system becomes functional within the agreed deadline, namely in November 2023, then the liberalisation of visas for Kosovo will also come into force at the same time.

Assembly committee to draft electoral reform soon (media)

The Law on general elections is expected to be drafted soon and will be sent to the Parliament for approval, said the chairman of the ad-hoc Commission for electoral reform, Abelard Tahiri.

According to him, Kosovo organises democratic electoral processes, but improvements are needed. He said that the last workshop is being held on Tuesday and that soon the law will go to the Assembly for approval. According to Tahiri, the committee has a consensus on the changes.

The head of the OSCE in Kosovo, Michael Davenport said that despite the fact that Kosovo has a law for general elections that provides a good basis for holding democratic elections, needs for improvements are evident.

The vice-chairman of this committee, Vetevendosje Movement MP Adnan Rrustemi, said that Kosovo has made progress in the organisation of elections from year to year, but the recommendations given have shown that there is room for improvement.

Four Albanians attacked in Mitrovica North, receive medical treatment (Klan)

Four Albanians were attacked on Monday in the "Car Llazar" square in Mitrovica North. The news for Klankosova.tv was confirmed by the deputy police director for the North Mitrovica region, Besim Hoti.

He said that two of them have received medical treatment. "Four of the attacked are Albanians. Two of them suffered body injuries. The case was initiated as "Serious body injury" - said Hoti.

LVV MP: Those who were decorated by Vucic cannot return (Gazeta Blic)

Asked about the return of Serbs who left the institutions of Kosovo, Vetevendosje Movement MP Arber Rexhaj, who is also a member of the Committee for Internal Affairs in the Assembly of Kosovo, said that the laws that are in force must be respected.

Rexhaj told the news website that the Serb policemen who left the Kosovo Police should in no case return to their workplaces. "Those who were decorated for their actions by the president of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic, should not and cannot return. They (Serb policemen) have challenged the constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo," Arber Rexhaj said.

Speaking about the prosecutors and judges, he said that they might even return through an agreement, which currently does not exist and that, according to him, there cannot be one in the future either.

"A few days ago, Prime Minister Kurti also spoke about this case, saying that he asked the Serbs not to leave their positions, but that he will not ask them to return again," Rexhaj said.

The Serbs who have worked in Kosovo's institutions in the four northern municipalities have "set a new condition" so that they can return to their workplaces - the establishment of the Association of Municipalities with a Serbian Majority.

The Serbs did not return to their workplaces despite the fact that there is now an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia reached in Brussels on illegal Serbian licence plates. The agreement in force is that Kosovo will not implement its decision to impose fines or confiscate "KM" plates. "PR" "PZ" and others, as long as Serbia is not going to produce such signs for Serbs living in Kosovo.

Kurti meets UN Special Rapporteur Savioli (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti met today with the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Fabian Savioli, and discussed the engagement of the Kosovo government to address crimes committed during the war in Kosovo and initiatives for transitional justice.

Savioli expressed his gratitude for the cooperation shown by the government and institutions of Kosovo and expressed solidarity with the victims and people of Kosovo.

Kurti reiterated the commitment of the Kosovo government to face the past and for justice. He said there needs to be rehabilitation and restoration of justice for the victims and survivors, as it is very difficult for families to continue living normally with their losses and suffering.

Kurti also highlighted some of the government’s initiatives, such as the establishment of the Institute for crimes committed during the war, the drafting of the National Strategy for Transitional Justice, as well as the strengthening of the Department of War Crimes in the Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo. He also spoke about the changes made to the Code of Criminal Procedure, which enable trials in absentia for war crimes cases, given that most of the perpetrators of war crimes in Kosovo are in Serbia and Serbia refuses to hand them over to justice.

Kurti also stressed the issue of those who disappeared violently during the war and the families who live in pain and anxiety, not knowing the fate and whereabouts of their loved ones. He reiterated the necessity of opening the state archives in Serbia, since the crimes committed in Kosovo were crimes committed by the state of Serbia.

Kurti: Inaction of judicial bodies in domestic violence cases cannot be justified (Koha)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said today that the inaction of judicial bodies in cases of domestic violence cannot be justified, and that cases of violence must be put to trial and punished. During a discussion on violence, Kurti said the current government has engaged in concrete actions against domestic and gender-based violence.

“This year for the first time, the institutions of Kosovo are organising the 16 days of activism. Our government has engaged in concrete actions against gender-based and domestic violence. On the same day that the campaign was launched, a teacher was killed by her husband inside their home. We cannot allow domestic violence to happen again. Through social activism it is our obligation to prevent domestic violence. We must send the message that cases of violence are put to trial and punished,” Kurti said.

Association will be part of final settlement, according to analysts (RTK)

If a final settlement between Kosovo and Serbia is reached by March next year, then the formation of the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities will be part of this agreement because the parties must implement the agreements reached so far. This is what political commentators said in interviews with RTK, adding that the Kosovo government must not agree to an association with executive competencies.

Arton Demhasaj from the Cohu [Rise Up] non-governmental organisation, said that if a final agreement is reached according to the drafts published in the media so far then the formation of the Association is inevitable because both parties are being asked to implement the agreements reached so far. “The issue of the Association will be included indirectly in the final agreement, which is expected to be reached soon, and this implies the implementation of agreements that have already been reached in Brussels,” he said.

Mazllum Baraliu, university professor, said that regardless of the agreement, the Kosovo government must not accept the formation of the Association, because in his opinion this would undo the state of Kosovo. “The Association must not be accepted, because it is toxic and unfortunately, I must say it will undo the state of Kosovo,” he argued.

Baraliu also said he is not optimistic that an agreement can be reached by March next year, because Serbia is not interested in reaching an agreement.

Veliu believes return of Serbs to work in north was discussed in Brussels (Gazeta Blic)

Former Minister of Interior Affairs and current MP from the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), Agim Veliu, said in an interview with the news website that he believes the return of Serbs to work in the north, including police officers, judges and prosecutors, was reached in Brussels when the agreement on licence plates was reached.

“Although there is no information from the government about the agreement on licence plates, I believe that this element too was discussed between the parties! This is what I think,” he said.

Asked if and how Serbs can return to the institutions in the north, Veliu said: “As far as the formula for the return of those that withdrew from the institutions, it is up to the government to decide.”

Serbian Language Media

Surveys: Low level of trust in politicians (KiM radio)

KiM radio portal reported yesterday that the data obtained from this year's survey by the NGO Aktiv, "Trend analysis - Attitudes of the Serbian community in Kosovo" presented very low satisfaction with the current political, economic and security situation. In the last two years, trust in politicians has further collapsed. The respondents, 67 percent of them, say that there are no political parties or politicians they trust in Kosovo.

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti announced in the pre-election campaign that he would organise an immediate dialogue with members of the Serbian and other non-majority communities, which did not happen, the publication "Assessment of the status of the rights of non-majority communities in Kosovo" recalled.

"In a way, the motto of this government was to establish some internal dialogue with the Serbs who live here, but somehow the mailbox where all the problems of the Serbs in Kosovo should be addressed was lost or the government deliberately put it away, so we don't have an address to whom should we address these institutional problems. I get the impression that the Serbian community is less and less present, not including what happened in the north, in those institutions, even in those bodies that are not executive, which are independent, there are fewer and fewer Serbs. Such a situation has a direct effect on municipalities and local communities, so there are more and more problems that have only been piling up for the last year. In addition to the fact that the government in Kosovo does not solve the problems of the Serbian community, it is somehow strange that the international community that is present here is more and more passive in this matter and becomes only a silent observer," believes the editor-in-chief of Radio Gorazdevac, Darko Dimitrijevic.

The executive director of NGO Aktiv Miodrag Milicevic pointed out the absolute absence of the central authorities for the functioning of key mechanisms for the protection of the rights of non-majority communities in Kosovo.

"The absence of institutional dialogue, including the lack of interest, even among the political representatives of the Serbian community, cannot be good in any case, or good for any democratic process. Unfortunately, we saw how one episode ended recently, with the abandonment of all institutions in the north of Kosovo, and at this moment it is very clear that we have an institutional vacuum for which at this moment no one can say when it will be eliminated from that area and whether it will be possible in the following period and in such a short time to re-establish the functionality of the institutions in the north of Kosovo", Milicevic believes.

"Unfortunately, it seems to me that when the institutions hear that the members of the government do not fulfil their promises when they talk about non-majority communities, they don't actually have some kind of motivation to get more involved in solving the problem. During the research, we established that most of the municipal Return and Communities Offices, which should be the key hub in the process of solving the problems of non-majority communities, are practically non-functioning. Citizens at the local level are not informed, nor do they know that such institutions exist at the local level," said Igor Markovic from the NGO Aktiv.

By choosing the adviser (Elizabeth Catherine Gowing) to be the prime minister for non-majority communities, according to Markovic, an indirect message was sent to members of non-majority communities that they are not interested in solving their problems.

"Taking into account the fact that the person occupying that position is not familiar with all the problems faced by all members of non-majority communities," he concluded.

Low level of trust in the leaders of the Serbian List

Data from the survey show that the level of trust in politicians and political parties is not low when it comes to only Albanian politicians, but also Serbian ones. Only 8 percent of respondents stated that they trust Serbian List (Srpska Lista), while that percentage was 10 percent last year, reported KiM radio.

"The question related to the position of the Serbs in the political sense in Kosovo is really complex. On the one hand, the president and the Government of Serbia do not want to hear the authentic voices of the Serbs from Kosovo but do so through the Serbian List, which puts pressure on the local population. On the other hand, we have the Kosovo government and politicians from the Albanian community who glorify the fascist collaborator Xhafer Deva at the very start of its mandate, how can we expect them to help and support the rights of some endangered ethnic groups," Dimitrijevic believes.

In the publication "Assessment of the status of rights of non-majority communities in Kosovo" it is stated that Serbs in Kosovo often express the opinion that their political representation does not effectively articulate their needs at the political level, and this attitude is particularly strong in the community of Kosovo Serbs south of the Ibar River.

"Serbs living in smaller communities and enclaves, especially in western Kosovo, have a much greater tendency than their compatriots in northern Kosovo to feel 'left behind' or 'ignored' by politicians," the publication notes.

The continued increase in the number of criminal incidents in the Kosovo Serb communities has fueled a sharp decline in the level of confidence in the security situation.

The research determined that in the period from January 1 to December 31, 2021, a total of 87 incidents occurred in Serbian communities in 25 municipalities throughout Kosovo.

During 2021, NGO Aktiv recorded a total of 24 incidents involving damage, vandalism and/or theft of property belonging to the Serbian Orthodox Church, which mostly occurred in smaller, isolated areas. In addition, cases of desecration of Orthodox cemeteries in Gorazdevac, Orahovac and Kosovo Polje were recorded.

The publication highlighted three key interests that should be improved when it comes to the Serbian community in Kosovo: improving the security conditions of life, especially for those Serbs who live south of the Ibar River. Enable the sustainable return of displaced Serbs and provide security protection for the cultural and historical heritage of the Serbian Orthodox Church in Kosovo.

The survey "Analysis of trends - Attitudes of the Serbian community in Kosovo" which was conducted from June to August this year, included 540 respondents.

The main findings of the survey showed that only 7 percent of those surveyed believe that the situation in Kosovo is moving in a good direction, while 4 percent support the idea of demarcation.

Since 2017, the percentage of respondents of Serbian nationality who have some personal documents issued by Kosovo institutions has increased by 33%, so that today it is 92 percent.

The data show that almost every sixth respondent does not believe that the Community of Serbian Municipalities will be formed, while 55 percent of respondents believe that life for Serbs in Kosovo will be worse in three years.

The assessment is available at: https://bit.ly/3Uf7fDw

Vucic: ''If the issue of the status of Kosovo is over for Kurti, it is for me too'' (KiM radio, N1, Beta, KoSSev)

The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic said that "there is not too much hope, but there is fear of future events", regarding the continuation of negotiations with Pristina.

Vucic told reporters in Oslo yesterday, in his two-day visit to Norway, that if Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said, "that the issue of status is over for him", he can say the same: that "the issue of status is over" for him too, reported Serbian media.

"I base the completion of the status issue on a more important act, which is the United Nations Charter and Resolution 1244. Kurti relies on the force of large and powerful countries from the West and reckons that they will be the ones who will force Serbia to accept something," said Vucic.

He said that "the situation in the north (Kosovo) and everywhere in the province as far as the Serbian people are concerned is literally boiling", and added: "When you put everything together, you realise that it is a systematic persecution, people have a soul, they say enough is enough".

"As far as we are concerned, it is our duty to be with our people, to see how to help our people," said Vucic.

He also assessed that "the Quint will always support Albanians in Kosovo and Metohija, and the Germans are the most prominent in this".

"There are no great expectations from our side. They cannot do anything to me - neither do I have accounts, nor do I have real estate abroad. Blackmailing me with anything is pointless, my presidential mandate is the last one, they can only blackmail Serbia," said Vucic, according to Serbian media.

Vucic invites Norwegian King, Crown Prince to visit Serbia (N1, BETA, Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met in Oslo with Norwegian King Harald V and Crown Prince Haakon and invited them to visit Serbia, BETA news agency reports.

“We talked about the friendship between our peoples and about the traditional values that we share, but also about the many challenges we all face”, Vucic wrote on Instagram next to a photo taken at the Royal Palace in Oslo.

The Serbian President also met in Oslo with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store with whom he discussed the strengthening of political and economic cooperation and plans in the field of energy, infrastructure and investments.

Prior to that Vucic had a meeting with Norwegian Parliament speaker Masud Gharahkhani after which he wrote on Instagram “Today we are opening a new chapter in relations between Serbia and Norway”.

Vucic is paying a two-day visit to Norway during which we will also meet with Norwegian businessmen in the energy sector, it was announced in Belgrade.

Vucic also said his meetings with Norwegian officials had addressed the Kosovo and Metohija issue as well as bilateral relations as a matter of priority, in particular in the energy sector, where he noted Serbia must make significant progress, potentially also with Norwegian help.

"We discussed all important topics, for us the Kosovo and Metohija issue is of enormous significance", Vucic said in a statement to reporters.

Dacic meets Docherty in London (Tanjug)

Serbian Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic and UK Minister for Europe Leo Docherty noted on Monday a mutual interest in and readiness for further deepening and strengthening of Serbia-UK cooperation in all areas of interest to the two countries, Tanjug news agency reports.

Dacic and Docherty met on the sidelines of a London conference on prevention of sexual violence in armed conflicts, the Serbian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

Dacic noted a readiness for continued discussions with UK officials and advancement of cooperation in various areas. The statement said there was also readiness for advancement of cooperation, including in advancement and implementation of measures for prevention of sexual violence in armed conflicts and for providing assistance to victims of such crimes.

Dacic and Docherty also addressed issues in the domain of bilateral political and economic cooperation and current international affairs. The parties agreed there was still ample room for advancement of bilateral cooperation, in particular in the economy.

Request of Thaci’s defence for early testimony of eight foreign diplomats dismissed (Kosovo Online)

A judge for the pre-trial proceeding Nicolas Guillou has dismissed a request of the Kosovo former president and KLA leader Hashim Thaci’s defence requesting that eight former high-ranking foreign diplomats attend the early hearings as witnesses in the case against Thaci at the Specialist Chambers in the Hague, Kosovo Online portal reports.

The Specialist Prosecution on September 30 filed confirmed and amended indictment against Hashim Thaci, Kadri Veseli, Jakup Krasniqi and Rexhep Selimi, consisting of nine counts, charging them with war crimes and crimes against humanity.

International

Artwork Commemorating Kosovo Protests 32 Years Ago Unveiled in Pristina (BIRN)

The art installation of a protester sitting cross-legged on the ground commemorates the peaceful protests of 1990 against the Serbian regime of Milosevic.

An art installation of a protester sitting in the central square of Pristina that commemorates the independence protests against the Serbian regime 32 years was unveiled on November 28, with the mayor of Kosovo’s capital, Perparim Rama, in attendance.

The art installation called “Kembekryq” (in English, “Cross-legged”) by local Kosovo artist Eliza Shala was inspired by Faik Rexhepi, an ethnic Albanian demonstrator who chose a different way to participate in the protests that began in 1990, sitting cross-legged in the street even as Serb police forces chased and beat other protesters. Shala said the artwork aims to represent historical events characterised by wisdom, peace and perseverance that are embodied in this gesture.