UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, September 12, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

President Osmani welcomed by Slovenian counterpart Pahor (Kosovapress)
Albanian President: Full support for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (Klan Kosova)
Djukanovic meets Osmani, talk about stability in the region (Telegrafi)
Assembly to debate on strikes on Thursday; opposition blames Kurti (Telegrafi)
Kusari-Lula calls on teachers to return to work (Telegrafi)
Union leader: We are waiting to meet Kurti (Nacionale)
PDK’s Citaku says classes not starting because of Kurti’s stubbornness (Klan Kosova)
CDHRF calls on government and union to find a solution to end strike (Klan Kosova)
“What happened to beautiful speeches that the children are the future?” (Gazeta Metro)
Justice Minister questions implementation of procedures in Dehari case (Koha)
COVID-19: 4 new cases (media)

Serbian Language Media:

The Brdo-Brioni process: A six-point conclusion on the European path of the Western Balkans adopted (N1, FoNet, Beta)
Rakic and northern mayors say usurpation of private and municipal properties is a threat (Kosovo Online)
KFOR East region Commander: We are conducting the mission in Kosovo in accordance with UNSCR 1244 (Beta, NMagazin)
Serbian Assembly Speaker expects session on KiM to last two days (N1)
Manojlovic: I will be voice of Serbs from Kosovo at Serbian Assembly session (Radio KIM)
What is the "new armature" of the negotiations in Brussels that the West is offering to Belgrade? (Vecernje Novosti, Kosovo Online)
Kosovo Ombudsman says human rights of Dragica Gasic violated (KoSSev)
Serbia receives one billion dollars loan from UAE with three percent interest (N1)
Vucic: We become collateral damage of conflict between big powers again; new framework proposed (Tanjug, media)
Bisevac: Criminalization of northern Kosovo underway, while people move out (KoSSev)

International:

Western Balkans Urged to Prepare for Uptick in Cyber-Attacks (BIRN)
Sharing the Spoils: When Milosevic and Tudjman Met to Carve Up Bosnia (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

President Osmani welcomed by Slovenian counterpart Pahor (Kosovapress)

President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani arrived in Slovenia where she will attend the 11th meeting of the Brdo-Brijuni Process. Osmani was welcomed by her Slovenian counterpart, Borut Pahor. “Pleased to be back in Slovenia for the Brdo-Brijuni Process leaders’ meeting. I look forward to discussing concrete measures in overcoming current challenges and reaffirming Kosovo’s commitment to Euro-Atlantic integration and enduring peace in the region,” Osmani wrote on Twitter.

Albanian President: Full support for Kosovo-Serbia dialogue (Klan Kosova)

President of Albania, Bajram Begaj, said today that he fully supports the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia as the only way to peace, security, and progress in the region. After the meeting of the Brdo-Brijuni Process, Begaj said: “it was very important that we discussed furthering regional cooperation and sending a joint message that the enlargement process is now a geopolitical and geostrategic issue. A faster path of approximation with the European Union is needed now. Full support for the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue, as the only way toward a sustainable solution that serves peace, security, and progress in the region”.

Djukanovic meets Osmani, talk about stability in the region (Telegrafi)

President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic said he met today with his Kosovo counterpart Vjosa Osmani before the Brdo-Brijuni Process meeting. Djukanovic tweeted after the meeting: “Discussion with President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, on bilateral issues and cooperation in the region. Montenegro and Kosovo stand firmly behind the principles of maintaining stability and the European perspective of the region”.

Assembly to debate on strikes on Thursday; opposition blames Kurti (Telegrafi)

The Kosovo Assembly will hold its first autumn session on Thursday and discuss among other issues the strike of civil servants and educational staff. Vetevendosje parliamentary group chief, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said the opposition proposed a parliamentary debate about the general strike of the unions “and we agreed to include this as the eighth point of the agenda on Thursday”.

PDK parliamentary group chief, Abelard Tahiri, said: “There is no other way to start the autumn session; there will be a debate about the ongoing strikes. This marks the third week that children should be in schools, but this is not happening because of the Prime Minister’s stubbornness and the lack of a social dialogue with the unions. The Prime Minister’s stubbornness is damaging Kosovo and children are the most affected. We hope that a solution will be found by Thursday and that classes will start”.

Kusari-Lula calls on teachers to return to work (Telegrafi)

Head of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group, Mimoza Kusari-Lila, said on Sunday that the decision of the Union of Education, Culture and Science (SBASHK) to continue their strike is unreasonable. “There are no more reasons to punish the pupils with lack of classes as a result of the SBASHK demands. For three years in a row, the start of the school year is being postponed,” Kusari-Lila argued. She also said that children cannot be used “as hostages for the objectives of the union”.

Union leader: We are waiting to meet Kurti (Nacionale)

The news website reports that as the strike in the educational system enters its 18th day, no solution is in sight between the institutions and the unions. Rrahman Jasharaj, leader of the Union of Education, Science and Culture (SBASHK), told Nacionale on Sunday that the strike will continue until the government invites them to a meeting and discusses their demands. “The government must know that it is their obligation to meet us. They need to send an official invitation; they need to put it in writing so that the Strike Council can analyse it and express its position. This is not happening now. If Kurti has any grudge, he needs to set it aside, because the educational sector and the civil servants are on strike. We need to meet and discuss. For the time being, there is no development. The strike will continue until the membership decides otherwise. I hope the strike will not go on for long and I also hope the government will reflect,” Jasharaj. He also said that it will be up to the membership of SBASHK to decide if the lost classes will be compensated.

PDK’s Citaku classes not starting because of Kurti’s stubbornness (Klan Kosova)

Deputy leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Vlora Citaku said today that school classes are not starting because of Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s stubbornness. “Whether classes should start or not is not even a question. The question is why is school not starting. The answer lies with the stubbornness of the Prime Minister and his refusal to engage in social dialogue,” Citaku wrote on Facebook.

CDHRF calls on government and union to find a solution to end strike (Klan Kosova)

The Council for the Defense of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) issued a statement today calling on the Kurti-led government and the Education of Union, Science and Culture (SBASHK) to meet and find a solution to end the strike in the educational sector. “The CDHRF calls on the parties to urgently find a solution so that pupils can begin their classes. Otherwise, both parties will be held accountable for the grave and serious violation of human rights to necessary and quality education … In every reaction to date, the CDHRF has said that the strike remains the most extreme solution when all opportunities for an agreement are exhausted and the CDHRF believes that not all opportunities have been used, therefore, 320,000 pupils and their families are suffering unjustly,” the statement notes.

“What happened to beautiful speeches that the children are the future?” (Gazeta Metro)

Director of the Prishtina-based Kosovo Law Institute, Ehat Miftaraj, said in a Facebook post today that it is unforgiving that the start of another school year is being postponed. “What is the fault of 320,000 pupils for their right to education to be denied? What happened to the beautiful speeches of the President, the Prime Minister, and politicians that the children are the future of this country!” Miftaraj wrote.

Justice Minister questions implementation of procedures in Dehari case (Koha)

Kosovo’s Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, told a press conference today that the ministry’s inspectorate has inspected the implementation of procedures in the Correctional Service in the case of the death of former Vetevendosje activist, Astrit Dehari. The latter was found dead in his jail cell in November 2016 at the detention centre in Prizren. Haxhiu said that several violations have been found. “The taking and possession of video footage with the approval of the former head of the Detention Center in Prizren, Destan Zogaj, by officers Ylber Topalli, Burim Buleshkaj and members of the Correctional Service Commission, constitutes a violation of the criminal code and the respective legislation for the protection of data,” Haxhiu said.

The minister said footage from the security cameras were taken by the chief inspector of the Ministry of Justice and correctional officers before the police took them. “So it is surprising how correctional officers and the chief inspector of the Ministry of Justice took the footage before the police. According to the legislation in force, in the event of an action with elements of a criminal nature, the police is the competent authority to take the footage,” she argued.

Haxhiu said the findings of the inspectorate note that there were two contradictory reports about Dehari’s death in 2016. In the first report on November 14 the chief inspector said that Dehari’s death was a suicide, while another report on November 21 said that it was death. She added that the authorities will now have to reveal whether the report was faked and if the chief inspector was not telling the truth.

Haxhiu also said that the report raises doubts about the possible manipulation of evidence and the statements of actors involved in the case and that she will send the report to the prosecution.

COVID-19: 4 new cases (media)

4 new cases of COVID-19 have been registered in the last 24 hours in Kosovo, out of 102 tests performed, the Ministry of Health announced on Thursday. 49 patients have recovered from coronavirus in the last 24 hours, while the number of active cases is 196.

Serbian Language Media

The Brdo-Brioni process: A six-point conclusion on the European path of the Western Balkans adopted (N1, FoNet, Beta)

The 11th meeting of the Brdo-Brioni Process was held on Brdo near Kranj in Slovenia. The President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, stated that a six-point joint conclusion was adopted at the meeting, which reaffirms support for the European path of the Western Balkans, reported N1.

The conclusions call for visa liberalization for everyone in the region, candidate status for Bosnia and Herzegovina and support from the European Union due to the difficult energy situation, if possible, Vucic told reporters.

The hosts of the meeting were the President of Slovenia Borut Pahor and the President of Croatia Zoran Milanovic. In addition to President Vucic, the Albanian President Bajram Begaj, members of the BiH Presidency Zeljko Komsic, Milorad Dodik and Sefik Dzaferovic, the President of Montenegro Milo Djukanovic, the President of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani, and the President of North Macedonia Stevo Pendarovski participated in the summit.

At today's summit of the Brdo-Brioni Process, no joint declaration was adopted because Bosnia and Herzegovina do not want to accept the Croatian position on the importance of "legitimate representation of the constituent peoples at all levels of government in Bosnia and Herzegovina", Croatian agency Hina reported, referring to unofficial sources.

Meetings of the leaders of the Brdo-Brioni Initiative, which was launched by Slovenia and Croatia in order to encourage faster accession of the EU region, have been held every summer since 2013, mostly in Slovenia, recalled N1.

Rakic and northern mayors say usurpation of private and municipal properties is a threat (Kosovo Online)

Serbian List President and Minister for Communities and Returns, Goran Rakic and mayors of Mitrovica North, Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic spoke today with KFOR Commander General Major Ferenc Kajari and Bondsteel and East Region Commander Colonel Christopher Samulski about current security situation, noting it still remains unstable, Kosovo Online portal reports.

The topic of the meeting with KFOR representatives, a second one in the last 20 days included “illegally reconstructed base and usurpation of private and municipal properties by Kosovo special police units in Zubin Potok and Leposavic municipalities”, reads the statement posted on Rakic’s Facebook profile. Rakic also said it was impermissible to usurp private and municipal properties, adding it represents a clear threat and provocation.

“We shall not allow any provocations, neither those by special Kosovo police units nor by Kosovo security forces, because any of their unilateral actions jeopardises peace and stability”, Rakic and mayors said during the meeting.

A minute of silence was also observed at today’s meeting to honour recently passed away member of Hungarian KFOR.

KFOR East region Commander: We are conducting the mission in Kosovo in accordance with UNSCR 1244 (Beta, NMagazin)

The commander of the KFOR East regional command, American Col. Christopher Samulski, announced that KFOR patrols all areas in Kosovo because KFOR's mandate is to ensure a safe environment for all people, reported NMagazin portal.

"Our mandate is to provide the people of Kosovo with a safe and secure environment regardless of ethnicity, religion or where they live. That is why we patrol all areas and stay close to the community," Commander Samulski said.

Kfor, as Samulski added in a video message published on Twitter, has been conducting its mission for the past 20 years in accordance with Resolution 1244 of the United Nations Security Council.

"I am proud to lead well-trained soldiers of various nations. We will continue to adjust our presence and engagement to ensure that local communities can continue their peaceful lives in Kosovo," said Samulski.

Serbian Assembly Speaker expects session on KiM to last two days (N1)

Serbian Assembly Speaker Vladimir Orlic, said he expects a parliamentary session on Kosovo and Metohija, scheduled for September 13, to last two days, N1 reports.

Orlic told TV Prva that he received a report from the Serbian Government on the progress of the negotiation process between Belgrade and Pristina from June 15, 2021, when President Aleksandar Vucic also submitted a report to the assembly, until September 1, 2022.

“From that period until this September, we also received a report that the president of Serbia will come. From the Assembly, he will address not only the MPs, but our people about all these things – what we are all facing, what challenges we will face in the coming period, but also what we managed to do for our people in Kosovo and Metohija”, he said.

Speaking about the atmosphere he expects at the session, Orlic said that he cannot say that he expects everyone at that session to be serious and responsible and to agree on issues such as Kosovo and Metohija.

Manojlovic: I will be voice of Serbs from Kosovo at Serbian Assembly session (Radio KIM)

Serbian opposition Democratic Party (DS) MP Tatjana Milosevic said the best thing in organising a special session on Kosovo and Metohija at Serbian Assembly would be an opportunity for opposition MPs to say how they see the situation there. She also told Radio KIM her party MPs have a number of questions to ask Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic.

Noting that during her decade-long journalist career she visited all the places populated by Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, Manojlovic said she knows the situation very well and also the problems Serbs face.

“"I will try to be their voice in the highest representative body and to say what is the truth and not propaganda, to convey the voice of those people who do not have the opportunity to say it otherwise. The gatherings where Aleksandar Vucic meets with them, for example in Laplje Selo or Kosovska Mitrovica, Raska, or when he invites them to Belgrade, these are not opportunities and these are not situations in which these people can speak openly and honestly about what really bothers them. People who depend on the authority of the powerful, who blackmail them, intimidate and manipulate with their problems - I am their voice in the parliament and I will talk about what worries them", Manojlovic told RTV KIM.

She added Kosovo Serbs want the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia to be respected, that is, for the state of Serbia not to give up part of its territory, but also equal rights as Serbs in central Serbia. Manojlovic emphasised that the Serbs south of the Ibar River also have a need to draw attention to their problems, and not that the state deals only with the problems of the Serbs in the north.

"They feel betrayed by everyone. They feel let down. The authorities in Pristina absolutely discriminated against them, and there is no doubt about that, but they feel that they are also being manipulated by the authorities in Belgrade. Of course, the international community, which does not have the same standards for Belgrade and Pristina. Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija do not have the same documents as Serbs living in Serbia. Why are those who are not members of the Serbian List, a daughter company of the SNS (ruling Serbian Progressive Party), why are they discriminated against?", Manojlovic said, adding those will be the questions that DS MPs will ask President Vucic.

She also said DS will request a transparent report on the financial funds allocated to people in Kosovo from the Serbian budget, noting that many of them live below the boundaries of a dignified life. She added one of the questions would also relate to giving up on natural and other resources in Kosovo, including Gazivode lake, Trepca company, lignite resources but also anything else in which Serbia had invested for decades. According to her, this has nothing to do with status-related issues, but rather with property-legal relations.

What is the "new armature" of the negotiations in Brussels that the West is offering to Belgrade? (Vecernje Novosti, Kosovo Online)

Belgrade based daily Vecernje Novosti wrote that behind the West's intention to resolve the Kosovo issue could be the model of two Germanys after Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said that a new offer, or how he called it, a "new armature" of the Brussels negotiations was presented. According to the daily, it was the request to Belgrade to accept the existence of Kosovo, but not to officially recognize independence, cited Kosovo Online portal.

According to the daily, this was how the public talked about what the EU envoy for dialogue Lajcak brought to Serbia, who arrived "reinforced" by Jens Ploetner and Emmanuel Bonn, emissaries of Germany and France.

Vucic will speak in front of the MPs about what Serbia's response would be at a special session of the Assembly on Kosovo and Metohija, scheduled for tomorrow, cited Kosovo Online.

According to former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador Zivadin Jovanovic, the possible implementation of the two Germany concept means that Serbia would not recognize Kosovo but should agree to membership in the UN and other international organizations.

"They are counting on tricking Serbia by not having to formally, either in writing or vocally, recognize the independence of the so-called Kosovo, but the entry of a fake state into international organizations would mean that we are losing territory. We should clearly say that we defend the integrity, Kosovo as an integral part of Serbia, a neutral military position, and the right to strategic relations with Russia and China," says Jovanovic.

He asked where that equality in the EU was, if only two of the 27 members - France and Germany - "strengthen" Lajcak.

"It is a matter of promoting German geopolitics, and France is here only as a younger brother, or Germany's second. Because Germany does not have the credibility here that France has. But Macron uses that friendship as a bridge for the expansion of German geopolitics, and that is not a particularly honourable role which France is playing," Jovanovic assessed.

According to the President of the Committee for Kosovo, Milovan Drecun, they would ask Belgrade to accept the existence of Kosovo.

"At this moment, direct recognition is not sought, because it is clear to everyone in the West that it cannot come to that," says Drecun.

And he also believed that a solution like "two Germanys" was in play:

"Thus, the West could counter Russian President Putin and tell him that there is no precedent when it comes to Kosovo and Metohija, but that the issue is closed. Belgrade would be offered a shortened version of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, i.e., that it refers only to four municipalities in the north, a special protection of the SPC and probably acceleration of European integration," Drecun assessed.

Kosovo Ombudsman says human rights of Dragica Gasic violated (KoSSev)

Kosovo Ombudsman Naim Qelaj requested Djakovica municipality to enable Dragica Gasic to use the appartment feely and unimpededly, allow her to renovate it and respect Provision 01-2018 relating to the return of displaced persons and sustainable solutions, KoSSev portal reports.

Gasic is the first Serb returnee to this town. She returned at the beginning of June, 2021 and ever since faced numerous obstacles hampering her right to return.

Citing Media Centre in Caglavica which said it had seen the Ombudsman report on Dragica Gasic, following her complaint addressed to this instituting, KoSSev further reports that Ombudsman also recommended Djakovica municipality “to implement the Law on Use of Languages and that official communication with plaintiff should be in line with the requests of the Law on Use of Languages”.

Gasic filed a complaint to the Ombudsperson against Djakovica municipality on December 10, 2021. In the complaint she said that she had submitted “a request to Djakovica urbanism directorate to renovate the apartment and replace an entry door, however she never received a reply”.

She also described in detail the process of return to her apartment in this town, and attempts of Djakovica municipality “to move her out of the apartment or prevent and impede her to use it without any valid reasons”.

Serbia receives one billion dollars loan from UAE with three percent interest (N1)

Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic said that Finance Minister Sinisa Mali signed an agreement with the United Arab Emirates according to which Serbia will receive a loan of one billion dollars, with three percent interest, N1 reports.

“In January, we have old loan obligations that we have to pay back, and we have to buy a lot of gas and electricity“, Vucic said, adding that the state provides full liquidity and solvency with that money.

During his visit to Abu Dhabi, Vucic met with Sheikh Muhammad bin Zayed, and he also said that when Serbia is in trouble, it can always rely on the Emirates.

Vucic: We become collateral damage of conflict between big powers again; new framework proposed (Tanjug, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said on Saturday envoys of the French president and the German chancellor and the EU special envoy for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, presented to him a proposal of a completely new framework for the Brussels talks and discussions that aimed at leading to a final resolution of all issues related to Kosovo-Metohija, reported Tanjug.

"The discussion was certainly not an easy one at all. The representatives of the most powerful countries, who also said they had the support of the US and Turkey, believe that... in circumstances where there is a war in Europe, no new conflicts are needed and that it is important to find a solution as soon as possible," Vucic said at a press conference after a National Security Council session on Saturday.

He said the representatives said they wanted to see the problems resolved "because Europe is at war and must defend itself".

In case an agreement or a solution was reached, it would be much easier for them to give a clear response to Russian President Vladimir Putin in terms of the legal precedent of giving independence to Kosovo, Vucic said.

After that, they would say “an agreement on the Ukraine conflict is possible only if the Crimea and Ukraine reach an agreement”, he explained.

"Once again, we have become collateral damage of a conflict between big powers and their unprincipled past behaviour," he said.

He said he had been told that Putin had "put up a curtain" and that everyone must now say what side of that curtain they wanted to be on.

He said he had pointed out that Pristina has been setting up illegal bases in Kosovo-Metohija for its special forces since September 19 or 20 last year.

"There is nothing they (Pristina) have not trampled, no legal norm they have not trampled, and international representatives, too, know that," he said.

"We are not particularly happy, but we have never refused discussions. We will continue discussions," Vucic said, and noted that he had also spoken with the PM designate and ministers in the caretaker government.

"At the session, we spoke about, and made an analysis of, the situation and the position of Serbia and the Kosovo-Metohija Serbs, especially in the wake of Pristina's unilateral decisions," Vucic said.

"We also discussed an assessment of the security situation regarding the (EuroPride) parade," he said, adding that the interior ministry would make a decision 96 hours before the gathering and that the organizers would be able to appeal the decision.

He said the energy crisis and energy security ahead of the autumn and winter had also been discussed at the session.

Vucic: There will be no recognition of Kosovo

Prior to Friday's meeting with EU negotiators in Belgrade, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said there would be no recognition of Kosovo.

"A discussion about the future of Serbia, and there will be no recognition of Kosovo whatsoever! Just now, I am having a discussion with the EU special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue and other regional affairs in the Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak, and the foreign and security policy advisers of the Republic of France and the Federal Republic of Germany, Emmanuel Beaune and Jens Pletter, and I am always ready for compromise solutions, in line with the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia and UN SC Resolution 1244. No surrender! Long live Serbia," Vucic wrote in a post on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram account.

Bisevac: Criminalization of northern Kosovo underway, while people move out (KoSSev)

With its politics, Serbian List drove more young people away from Zubin Potok than the political and security situation did, the only opposition councillor in the Zubin Potok municipality and representative of the civic initiative For Zubin Potok, Milija Bisevac, said in an interview for the Kossev portal.

According to Bisevac, people live on a knife-edge because “they don’t know what will happen next“.

Special Kosovo police force bases were built in Brnjak and Jasenovik in Zubin Potok, with the expropriation of private property, while regular maritime police patrols were established on Lake Gazivode, as well as a special rapid response border police unit, Bisevac told KoSSev.

Bisevac reveals that on March 21st, his civic initiative requested that Mayor Srdjan Vulovic address the residents concerning the daily patrolling of special forces in the area. Furthermore, they reached out to Minister Goran Rakic, who “could ask Prime Minister“ Albin Kurti why he is deploying special force units.

The only reply we received from the mayor was they have no say in it and that they were not informed, Bisevac says.

“They search citizens while armed with firearms, which is not normal in a democratic society. It would be fine if it were regular police, there are police stations, border police, who regularly carry out checks, but now we have a situation where it is done with firearms, Hummers, and heavy machinery“, he added.

International

Western Balkans Urged to Prepare for Uptick in Cyber-Attacks (BIRN)

Ransomware expert Brett Callow tells BIRN that Russia’s war in Ukraine may spur an increase in cyber-attacks.

The countries of the Western Balkan countries can expect an increase in cyber-attacks in the future and should prioritise online account and data security, Canada-based ransomware expert Brett Callow told BIRN in the wake of an unprecedented ransomware attack on government servers in Montenegro.

A major part of the state’s digital infrastructure was forced offline in Montenegro in two cyber-attacks since August 22. That followed an attack on government servers in neighbouring Albania in mid-July, which the government this week blamed on Iran. Kosovo also reported an unsuccessful assault on the cyber network of state institutions in early July.