UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, September 27, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Osmani after meeting Biden: “Alliance at the foundation of our state” (media)
Kurti tells UN USG Xu: “ I look forward to continuing cooperation” (media)
Police put security barriers on bridge near Brnjak to prevent smuggling (media)
Over 1 ton of drugs worth around €5 million confiscated in Peja (media)
“Kosovo ranked among countries with highest index for law and order” (media)
Kusari-Lila: “The truth of Radoicic conversation” (media)
Group of Serbs protest in front of police station in Zubin Potok (Koha)
What is it like to be an Albanian in Serbia? (Radio Free Europe)

Serbian Language Media:

Rector Arsic: I hope KFOR’s promise that no one will invade faculties is still valid (NMagazin, Beta, Vecernje Novosti, media)
Local elections in north nowhere in sight – EU's demand for elections to be held "as soon as possible" has faded (Kosovo Online)
Following news of cancellation of training for KP, US Embassy: We have not made any decision "at this time" (KoSSev)
Qerkinaj: Politicians blocking process of shedding light on missings fate, families will not give up (KoSSev, Medija centar Caglavica)
Petkovic: Accusations against Serbia are indicator of retrograde nature of Pristina's politics (KiM radio, Radio Mitrovica sever)
Protest in Zubin Potok over endangerment of Serbian Orthodox Church objects (ZubinPotok.info, Radio kontakt plus, media)
Elshani says police investigates desecration of sacred site near Zubin Potok (Radio KIM)
Lawyer: Health condition of Svetomir Bacevic deteriorated, I requested extraordinary commutation of sentence (Radio KIM)
Vucic, Netanyahu discuss situation in Kosovo, Israel (N1, Beta, media)
Brnabic: After EU institutions form and US elections, I expect shift in measures toward Pristina (Beta, N1, RTS)

International:

A walk through resistance: A visitor’s take from Kosovo’s Reporting House (Prishtina Insight)
New EU line-up, but no quick fix for Balkan enlargement woes (BIRN)

Humanitarian/Development:

“It is all so sad” (Radio Gorazdevac, KoSSev)
Why thousands of Kosovo residents are on hospital waiting lists for years (RFE)
Back in my day … (Kosovo 2.0)

Albanian Language Media

Osmani after meeting Biden: “Alliance at the foundation of our state” (media)

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani posted a photo on Facebook with U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden. “An alliance that is at the foundation of our state. Thank you, President Biden and First Lady Biden, for the hospitality and conversation,” Osmani wrote.

In another post, on X, Osmani shared a photo with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken. “Always great to connect with Secretary Blinken, a steadfast supporter of the people of Kosovo. At the U.S. President’s Leaders' Reception in New York, I thanked him for the U.S.'s unwavering support,” Osmani wrote.

Kurti meets UN USG Xu, “look forward to continuing cooperation” (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a post on X that during his stay in New York he met with UN Under Secretary General and Associate Administrator of the UNDP Haoliang Xu. “Our Government's cooperation with UNDP is strong and shall continue with an emphasis on digitalization and fighting corruption for the purposes of transparent and accountable public administration. I look forward to continuing our cooperation in all municipalities of Kosova for economic development and prosperity,” Kurti wrote.

Police put security barriers on bridge near Brnjak to prevent smuggling (media)

Kosovo Police Deputy Director for the north, Veton Elshani, told Kallxo news website on Thursday that police have put security concrete barriers on the bridge near the Brnjak crossing between Kosovo and Serbia, with the aim of preventing smuggling. “They were put there to prevent smuggling, so at least trucks cannot cross there,” he said.

Elshani said in an interview with Klan Kosova that police will put other security barriers in other areas where smuggling can happen. “There are over 60 illegal routes that were used for smuggling. We have blocked over 25 routes, so we will continue our work as part of legal actions. There is more smuggling of goods in that region. [The security barriers] will not be a problem for the traffic of people with small vehicles because it is not an official crossing. This is done to prevent criminal offenses related to the smuggling of goods,” he said.

Over 1 ton of drugs worth around €5 million confiscated in Peja (media)

Several news websites report that the Basic Prosecution in Peja has carried out an anti-drug operation this morning and has managed to confiscate drugs worth around €5 million. A spokesperson for the prosecution said in a Facebook post that this is one of the biggest anti-drug operations in Kosovo after the war. Further details are expected to be disclosed.

“Kosovo ranked among countries with highest index for law and order” (media)

Several media report that according to the latest report by Gallup on Global Security, Kosovo has been ranked “among the countries with the highest index for law and order, namely with 91 points”. Kosovo has also been ranked “among 14 countries where people feel the safest to walk along at night”. Kosovo is ranked 12 in the list together with Kuwait, Singapore, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan, Slovenia, the United Arab Emirates, Salvador, Montenegro, Iceland, Luxembourg and Switzerland.

See full report at: https://shorturl.at/vTG0x

“The truth of Radoicic conversation ”, Kusari-Lila: This is how it happened (media)

Mimoza Kusari, head of the Vetevendosje Movement parliamentary group, in an interview with Tirana-based A2CNN, also talked about a recording of her conversation with Milan Radoicic, “the man who has been qualified as the chief terrorist and organizer of the attack in Banjska”.

She said that the conversation with Radoicic was held upon the insistence of Slavko Simic, deputy leader of the Serbian List. “I never had any direct contact with Radoicic, and I didn’t ask for any, nor did I attempt to get any endorsement for the issues that were discussed. [Serbian List] deputy leader Simic insisted that I talk to Milan Radoicic in order to confirm that there wouldn’t be any problems in a process related to the implementation of the agreement on energy. The communication happened here. He took out his phone, and he insisted on calling him and called him. Then how the conversation with Simic was published and how it was used became a topic. There were several cuts of the conversation. It was a violation of the law on privacy, and there were also political connotations added to it,” she argued.

Kusari-Lila said that the whole scenario was prepared by the Serbian List and that then the opposition in Kosovo used it to create an impression that the Vetevendosje Movement was cooperating with the Serbian List. She said that she was threatened by Milan Radoicic in June 2022. “In June 2022, after my last conversation with Simic in my office, after he read a letter which was a form of threat from Milan Radoicic, I sent him out and I ended my communication. There was no other communication on any other matter,” she added.

Kusari-Lila also said that there are three court proceedings about the leaked conversations.

Group of Serbs protest in front of police station in Zubin Potok (Koha)

A group of Serbs protested today in front of the police station in Zubin Potok, the news website reports. They claim that someone is damaging their religious monuments, and they called for international reaction to this. Protesters also claimed that some graves were damaged with bullets.

What is it like to be an Albanian in Serbia? (Radio Free Europe)

With calls “for identity and dignity”, “oppressed yes, but not submitted”, “stop to selective passivization”, and “we want Albanian books”, Albanians in Presevo Valley are seeking equal treatment in Serbia, and are pledged to continue their protests. What rights do Albanians have in this part of Serbia?

Twice in less than two months, Albanians in Presevo Valley have raised their voice against the discrimination which they say they are experiencing everyday in Serbia.

The response of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to their protests? “No one is beating or harassing them. Serbia is a democratic country, and we will continue to act this way”.

In Serbia there are more than 60,000 Albanians who make up the fourth biggest minority, according to the last population census in 2022.

In international reports, the Presevo Valley – a term used for Presevo, Medvedja, and Bujanovac, Albanian-majority municipalities in the south of Serbia – is considered completely isolated and is said to receive attention only in times of elections.

Albanians have only one voice in the Serbian Parliament: MP Shaip Kamberi.

The main demands

The protests, which were initially held in Bujanovac and later in Presevo, called for the recognition of Kosovo-issued diplomas, integration in Serbia’s state institutions, allowing the use of Albanian national symbols and resolving the issue of passivization of addresses. Passivization implies erasing citizens from addresses where they were registered. This step results in the loss of Serbian citizenship and all civil rights – including the right to vote, to own property, to have social insurance and pension and the right to employment. The passivization of address is determined by law in Serbia since 2011. The law foresees that institutions need to check if a resident lives in the registered address. If it is confirmed that a resident no longer lives in that address, a decision is made to passivize it, and the resident is obliged to register a new address within eight days, upon receiving the decision. Although the law foresees the right to appeal, citizens have said that in several cases they could not even appeal the decision because they were informed on time about the passivization. The issue was reported in the U.S. State Department report on human rights in Serbia in 2023. It said that the passivization of address was done disproportionately against Albanians, especially in Medvedja.

Discrimination “bordering racism”

The President of the Albanian National Council – a body that represents Albanians in Serbia – said after the protest on September 23 that the discrimination against Albanians “is bordering racism”. Nevzad Lutfiu argued that “there is not a single Albanian family that has not been touched by some form of discrimination – the right is on our side and we will not keep silent until our demands are met”.

Over the years dozens of Albanians from the Valley have talked to Radio Free Europe about the lack of better prospects in the region. Some of them are paid as if they have finished only high schools because their diplomas issued by Kosovo’s institutions were never recognized.

The issue of diplomas was resolved with several agreements reached in the dialogue between

Kosovo and Serbia in Brussels and with an agreement between Western Balkans countries at the Berlin Process summit. Kosovo has respected the agreements.

Radio Free Europe has talked in the past with several Serbs whose Serbian-issued diplomas were recognized in Kosovo and they could get employed.

Residents of the Valley and heads of municipalities there have asked on several occasions for international mechanisms to visit them and monitor the living conditions there.

They accused representatives of the international community in Belgrade of failing to react to the ways they are treated.

Passivization of addresses, “a form of ethnic cleansing”

A report by the Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia in 2021 noted that Presevo, Medvedja and Bujanovac are hostage to relations between Kosovo and Serbia.

The report also noted that the passivization of addresses “is in essence a form of ethnic cleansing through administrative methods”.

“Albanians have expressed their will for integration, but Belgrade has not shown political readiness. Although there is no tension between the citizens, there is mistrust toward the institutions,” the report noted.

Representatives of the Valley and the state of Serbia have reached three agreements – in 2001, 2007 and 2013 – that foresee the protection of rights and the integration of the Albanian minority, but there has been no movement to implement them.

The EU progress report on Serbia in 2023 noted that “despite the legal obligation to take into account the ethnic composition of the population, national minorities are still under-represented in the state administration”.

The integration of Albanians in the institutions is part of Serbia’s obligations in membership negotiations with the European Union.

Serbian Language Media

Rector Arsic: I hope KFOR’s promise that no one will invade faculties is still valid (NMagazin, Beta, Vecernje Novosti, media)

The rector of the University of Pristina, based in Kosovska Mitrovica, Nebojsa Arsic, said that last year the university received guarantees from KFOR that no one would break into the faculties, adding that he hoped that this promise was still valid, reported NMagazin, citing Vecernje Novosti.

The University cannot guarantee general security, but they are doing everything in their power to keep students safe when in the campus, said Arsic when asked to comment on Kosovo Minister of Interior, Xhelal Svecla's recent comments on Serbian education and healthcare.

"I hope that Svecla's statements will remain just words, because if education is what is a problem for someone, then there is something deeply wrong with that society," said Arsic.

According to him, the University is ready for the start of the new school year on October 1, and will have 13,000 students, of which 6,500 are "passive".

"It is true that the enrollment has decreased by about 10 percent, which is a consequence of the rumors that are spreading about the announcements from Pristina that they will usurp the Serbian education system," Arsic added.

Local elections in north nowhere in sight – EU's demand for elections to be held "as soon as possible" has faded (Kosovo Online)

Elections for new mayors and councilors in the four municipalities in northern Kosovo, according to analysts, are unlikely to be held before their regular schedule in the fall of next year, even though Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic recently stated that their organization and holding are one of the prerequisites for more significant progress in the dialogue process. This is even though the European Union, as part of its de-escalation measures, demanded from Pristina in June 2023 that extraordinary elections be called in the four municipalities in the north – "as soon as possible."

Commenting on Belgrade's demand regarding the elections in the north, Kosovo's Minister of Administration and Local Government Elbert Krasniqi stated that he does not see the possibility of them being held before October 2025. He also mentioned, theoretically, the option of holding them in April, according to the Administrative Guidelines developed by the ministry he leads. This would imply repeating the referendum for the recall of the four mayors, returning to a process designed in a way that, under the current circumstances in the north, has no chance of succeeding.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/fj6ua677

Following news of cancellation of training for KP, US Embassy: We have not made any decision at this time (KoSSev)

''We refer you to our statement of August 30, which states: 'The Government's actions will affect the quality and nature of our cooperation with the MIA and its subordinate elements'. We continue to review this issue and at this time we have not made any decision,'' reads the response of the US Embassy to Kosovo, to KoSSev's request to comment on the allegations of the cancellation of training for Kosovo police.

Referring to its findings, RTV Dukagjini initially reported that the US Embassy in Pristina canceled several trainings of the Kosovo police conducted in cooperation with the USA.

The Ministry did not make an announcement about it yesterday, but the Kosovo police did, with a statement that was not formulated as a denial but denied the RTV Dukagjini's findings.

The police took the "criticism of the US embassy" seriously and, as they stated, they are ready to eliminate the "potential misunderstanding", but they claim that, moreover, the training they have in cooperation with the US, which is "the main strategic and key partner of Kosovo", this year reinforced.

KoSSev addressed the American embassy itself with the question of whether the information about the embassy suspending training for the Kosovo police is correct, as well as asking them to comment on the police allegations.

The embassy replied that they have not made any decision at the moment, but that they are revising the issue related to their statement of August 30.

"We refer you to our statement of August 30, which states: The Government's actions will affect the quality and nature of our cooperation with the Ministry of Internal Affairs and its subordinate elements. We continue to review this matter and have not made any decision at this time," was the full response from the US Embassy, reported KoSSev.

Qerkinaj: Politicians blocking process of shedding light on missings’ fate, families will not give up (KoSSev, Medija centar Caglavica)

The process of finding more than 1,600 persons who are considered kidnapped and missing during and after the conflict in Kosovo has been stagnant for a long time. Political obstacles and the failure of politicians to reach an agreement and exclude politics from this humanitarian issue are seriously hindering the further course of the process, said Bajram Qerkinaj, director of the Resource Center for Missing Persons in Pristina, in the "Glas Kosova" (Voice of Kosovo) podcast.

"Everything goes backwards. Politicians are not fed up with bloodshed, they are looking for conflicts every day. If you listen to Vucic, he calls for war, if you listen to Kurti, he also talks about guarding the borders. And who would guard the borders if KFOR leaves? We must find a common language and ensure peace - not just for a few years, but forever," said Qerkinaj, KoSSev reported, citing the Caglavica Media Center.

It is necessary for politics to withdraw from this process and to entrust the solution to expert bodies and the international community, says Qekinaj, considering that only the international community has the capacity to exert pressure on Belgrade and Pristina.

"I am interested in why the politicians canceled all possible processes regarding the finding of missing persons. Not only that the Commissions for missing persons are not working, on either side, but the agreements in Brussels and Ohrid, don't know where they negotiate, do not include a single word about missing persons. Could they descend to our level for one day or one minute, be in our skin, and understand what kind of pain it is while we wait day and night," said Qerkinaj, adding:

"When you talk to the international community, they say: 'Until Belgrade and Pristina come to an agreement, we cannot influence it.' And why are they here?" A strong hand is needed - the countries that freed us, the countries that filmed everything from satellites during the war, the countries that set the borders between Kosovo and Serbia - they need to take matters into their own hands and end this pain of families".

Qerkinaj reminded that for a long time no one from the Kosovo Government has informed the representatives of the families of the kidnapped and disappeared about any activities related to the process of finding them. He added that there was no communication, and no meetings have been organized with the aim of informing the families about what was being done.

"We don't have any information about what is happening on the ground. The resource center learns everything exclusively through the media, although we have repeatedly asked to meet at least once with representatives of the Government to get a clearer insight into what is being done and how it is being done''.

The resource center for missing persons brings together Serbs, Albanians, and members of other communities, united by common pain and the goal of finding their loved ones.

"We founded an association that doesn't exist in the Balkans because we don't discriminate by religion, nor by whether someone is a Serb, Ashkali or Egyptian - we work together with everyone. That's why I said that we gather more than 2,000 people, and we work with them. Every month, we have two or three meetings, and there hasn't been a single bad word among them."

Qerkinaj said that the families of the kidnapped will never give up searching for their loved ones. He pointed out that the Resource Center formed a board of youth for the younger generations to take responsibility and ensure that the search for truth and justice continues until the last missing person was found.

"Let everyone be convinced that we will not give up and after me the young board that was formed and is already working with us will continue."

At the end of the podcast, Qerkinaj sent a message to the politicians:

"If they are for justice, if they feel like the people who lead the states and this process, to get serious and to exclude politics from the issue of the missing in order to shed light on the fate. As long as politics interferes either in Belgrade, Pristina, Brussels, anywhere, there is nothing, because politics has stopped this process; and we ask that politics not interfere with this issue".

Qerkinaj also had a message for the media:

"Do not abandon us, for God's sake, come when we invite you."

Petkovic: Accusations against Serbia are indicator of retrograde nature of Pristina's politics (KiM radio, Radio Mitrovica sever)

The Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic, said that the "worn out and stale slanders and accusations" against Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic, which Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani persistently insists on, are an indication of the "Pristina's retrograde politics and its inability to exist in peacetime conditions", reported KiM radio, citing the statement

Petkovic emphasized that "the Pristina regime, which in the north of KiM uses the police as an instrument for committing violence and violating the rights of an entire nation, is in its very essence criminal, and that it has no other possibility to cover up its criminal actions than to justify with lies the violent behavior and the fact that they destroy the Brussels Agreement every day and for 11 years refuse to form the ZSO (CSM), which is the basis for establishing the security and survival of the Serbian people in the province, and that is exactly what Pristina does not want at all".

"Serbia, with the measures it is bringing in response to the obvious attempt to ethnically cleanse the Serbian people from KiM, has made an attempt to return things on the ground to the previous state, in order to reverse the trend of destabilization and give dialogue a chance. Osmani has no answer to that except blatant lies and untruths because the bottom line is that Pristina does not want a normal state in the north of KiM, nor does it want dialogue. They despised dialogue the moment they resorted to institutional and physical violence to solve the 'Serbian issue' in KiM," Petkovic said in the statement.

According to him, ''Osmani is clearly irritated by the fact that, at the moment when she and her Pristina colleagues are in New York repeating trite narratives from the nineties of the last century, Serbia is presented in the center of world politics as a country that is in every sense oriented towards the future''.

"This difference in the understanding of politics and responsible attitude towards the future makes a difference between Belgrade and Pristina, and the world sees this difference more and more clearly," said the director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija.

Protest in Zubin Potok over endangerment of Serbian Orthodox Church objects (ZubinPotok.info, Radio kontakt plus, media)

Several hundred people gathered today in front of Kosovo police station in Zubin Potok to protest the endangerment of the Serbian Orthodox Church objects in this municipality, Serbian media reported. A group of Kosovo police officers was present at the entry to the yard of the police station.

The column of people moving in the direction of Holy Trinity Church is led by people holding icons in their hands, the portal added.

The portal recalled the reason behind this protest is an incident that took place in the hamlets of Cesanovice in this municipality, when desecration of the sacred site and icons placed there was committed by unknown persons, and according to the residents of the hamlet by Kosovo special police members.

The protest was organized by an unnamed group of residents.

“The revolt of the people is even greater because of attempts to usurp and appropriate two churches on the territory of our municipality. It is about the Church of Saint Ana in Perkovce, and the Church in the village of Vinarce”, the statement of the group of residents organizing the protest said.

Elshani says police investigates desecration of sacred site near Zubin Potok (Radio KIM)

Veton Elshani, Kosovo police deputy commander for the region north, said the investigation was opened into desecration of the sacred site, based on media reports, Radio KIM reported.He added witnesses were interviewed in this case.

He also said that Kosovo Police Inspectorate launched an investigation over suspicion that the sacred site was desecrated by Kosovo special police members.

Several hundred people protested today because of this incident, but also others targeting the Serbian Orthodox Church objects in this municipality.

Lawyer: Health condition of Svetomir Bacevic deteriorated, I requested extraordinary commutation of sentence (Radio KIM)

Health condition of Svetomir Bacevic from Belo Polje, near Pec, sentenced to five years in prison for allegedly committing war crimes against the civilian population has deteriorated significantly, his lawyer Dejan Vasic told the media, Radio KIM reported.

“My client is seriously ill, and the diagnosis indicates it is an incurable disease. Because of this I have written to the Supreme Court requesting an extraordinary commutation of the sentence, so as to allow the defendant to at least die at his home”, Vasic said.

He added Bacevic was receiving health care from Pristina hospital, and assistance from prison staff. Bacevic is staying in a high security prison in Podujevo.

In September 2022 Bacevic was sentenced to five years in prison at the Basic Court in Pristina. He was arrested at the end of December 2020 and remained in detention ever since.

Bacevic is a displaced person from Kosovo and lived in Gornji Milanovac prior to his arrest and was visiting his home village in Pec often.

Vucic, Netanyahu discuss situation in Kosovo, Israel (N1, Beta, media)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic discussed with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York the situation in Kosovo and Israel.

Vucic wrote in an Instagram post that they had “a good talk” about the current geopolitical situation and further advancement of bilateral relations.

The two leaders met on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly session.

Brnabic: After EU institutions form, US elections, I expect shift in measures toward Pristina (Beta, N1, RTS)

Serbian Parliament Speaker Ana Brnabic said she expects a different approach and measures towards Pristina following the formation of new European Union (EU) institutions and the US presidential elections in November.

“If we manage to maintain peace and resist all these terrible provocations, I believe we can expect a completely different set of measures and relations towards Pristina,” Brnabic told Serbian state TV (RTS).

“Albin Kurti is taking advantage of the pause in the work of EU institutions until new ones are formed in order to provoke an armed conflict in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija,” assessed Brnabic.

Even “Pristina’s most loyal allies” now have a different, more critical stance toward Pristina and Albin Kurti, she said, adding that she is primarily referring to Germany.

Brnabic recalled that Germany’s Special Representative for the Western Balkans Manuel Sarrazin said Kosovo could be excluded from the CEFTA, if Kurti didn't change his position and lift the ban on Serbian goods entering Kosovo.

Regarding the current parliamentary session on budget revision, Brnabic said she would try to make sure the Parliament works faster and more efficiently to conclude the session on Friday evening, so a new session on banning lithium and boron mining, requested by the opposition, could be scheduled.

If the opposition wants sessions on lithium and Kosovo, they could agree to shorten the debate on the amendments and have the vote on Friday, with the session on lithium likely scheduled for Monday, before the regular parliamentary session begins, said Brnabic.

She noted that the opposition also requested a special session on Kosovo, but that she is open to discussing Kosovo during the regular session.

International

A walk through resistance: A visitor’s take from Kosovo’s Reporting House (Prishtina Insight)

An old socialist-era premise in Prishtina is offering visitors a unique perspective of Kosovo’s turbulent past with art pieces, photographs, videos, and artefacts displayed as part of BIRN’s Reporting House.

Before entering the Reporting House exhibition hall, an eye-catching jeep awaits visitors. It is the vehicle that renowned war reporter Vaughan Smith used on mountainous and muddy roads all over Kosovo during the 1998-99 war.

Audio recordings have been installed within this car to bring the visitor back in time and simulate a painful wartime atmosphere.

Inside the hall, the exhibition starts with local and international materials from November 1988 Kosovo miners protests, students’ demonstrations, and poisoning of Kosovo Albanian pupils in schools.

Intertwined with artefacts, photos and videos, the “Reporting House” exhibition in Prishtina showcases contemporary works of local and international artists and journalists who explore and reflect on the 1998-99 Kosovo war, its genesis, and the aftermath.