• COVID-19: 948 new cases, 14 deaths (media)
• Sources: President election session to take place on Friday (media)
• Hoxhaj: PDK has not changed position on Osmani's candidacy (media)
• LVV, PDK appoint heads of parliamentary groups (media)
• Government to discuss confiscation of unlawfully acquired assets (media)
• Haxhiu vows to begin work on judicial vetting process (media)
• Varhelyi hopes dialogue will be priority of new government of Kosovo (RTK)
• Serb accused of 1999 massacre of 130 men arrested in Kosovo (AP/BIRN)
• Kosovo Village Remembers 106 Civilians Killed in 1999 War (Balkan Insight)
• New Government working without programme (Koha)
• Ministry of Agriculture suspends five employees for abuse of power (media)
• Spain beats Kosovo, national broadcaster downgrades visitors (AP)

 

COVID-19: 948 new cases, 14 deaths (media)

Kosovo has recorded 948 new cases of COVID-19 and 14 deaths in the last 24 hours. 821 persons have recovered from the virus during this time.

There are 14,797 active cases of COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Sources: President election session to take place on Friday (media)

Koha quotes sources saying that the Assembly session for election of the new president of Kosovo is expected to take place tomorrow, following the completion of parliamentary committees. Legal experts point out that the Vetevendosje Movement has until 5 April to elect a president as the process needs to be concluded a month before the mandate of the acting president expires.

Koha writes that once the new MPs are sworn in, the Vetevendosje will begin collecting signatures required to call an extraordinary session of the Assembly.

Indeksonline also quotes its sources saying that the likeliest date for the Assembly presidency to schedule session for election of the Kosovo president is 6 April. Political parties have already made their positions known and, according to the news website, Vjosa Osmani has secured enough support to be elected to the post.

At the same time, RTK reports that former head of the Kosovo Judicial Council Nehat Idrizi has sent a letter to Kosovo MPs warning them that the election of the president after 5 April would be unconstitutional.

Hoxhaj: PDK has not changed position on Osmani's candidacy (media)

Acting leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Enver Hoxhaj has reiterated opposition to Vjosa Osmani's candidacy for president of Kosovo.

"Osmani was not a unifying figure but extremely divisive. She built her political career against the principle of unity. Second, she is a party candidate, not consensual to become president of the country," Hoxhaj told a press conference yesterday.

"Osmani's election would put Kosovo in a dangerous situation with the power concentrating in the hands of one party and one leader, Mr. Kurti. It would be dangerous for the Presidency, the Assembly and the Government to be controlled by one party and one person," Hoxhaj warned.

Klan Kosova reports that the PDK MPs will not even be staying in the session when the Osmani's election will be put to vote.

LVV, PDK appoint heads of parliamentary groups (media)

The Vetevendosje Movement (LVV) has appointed Mimoza Kusari-Lila as the acting head of its parliamentary group while the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) has selected Abelard Tahiri for the post.

Kusari-Lila received the majority of votes from the LVV MPs but in order for her appointment to be final, she needs the endorsement of the general council of the party.

Kallxo writes that LVV's has appointed head of its parliamentary group a person that has an active indictment and who is not officially even member of the party. Kusari-Lila has been indicted for her role while minister of trade in 2013 regarding the privatisation of four hydropower companies.

Tahiri's appointment has meanwhile been announced by the PDK in a statement saying that the party also discussed proposals on who will chair parliamentary committees.

Government to discuss confiscation of unlawfully acquired assets (media)

Kosovo’s Deputy Minister of Justice Blerim Sallahu announced that a document enabling the confiscation of unlawfully acquired assets will be sent to the Government next week for review.

In a Facebook post, Sallahu said that the initiative for preparing a draft law on the issue would enrich the legal system and that once the document is approved by the Government, a working group will be set to draft the law.

Haxhiu vows to begin work on judicial vetting process (media)

Kosovo's Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu met yesterday the U.S. Ambassador Philip Kosnett and discussed the importance of the rule of law.

"The first issue discussed was the importance of completing and implementing the functional review of the justice system. It was then underlined that the working group for judicial vetting will soon commence work," a statement issued by the Ministry of Justice said. Haxhiu is also reported to have presented the priorities of ministry in the fight against crime and corruption, strengthening of institutional capacities and review of anti-corruption mechanisms as well as prosecution's capacities in addressing war crimes.

Ambassador Kosnett meanwhile tweeted: "Productive meeting with Justice Minister Haxhiu today. The U.S. is committed to working with Kosovo to fight corruption, reforming existing structures while strengthening Kosovo’s apolitical civil service."

Varhelyi hopes dialogue will be priority of new government of Kosovo (RTK)

European Commissioner for Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi underscored the importance of the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue at a debate organised by Serbia's Embassy in the Netherlands.

Varhelyi said he hoped dialogue would be treated as a priority by the new government of Kosovo noting that the process is of crucial importance for the two sides.

Serb accused of 1999 massacre of 130 men arrested in Kosovo (AP/BIRN)

Kosovo’s police on Wednesday arrested a Serb who is accused of war crimes during the 1998-1999 war, AP reports.

Balkan Insight at the same time writes that the person arrested is an ethnic Albanian who holds Serbian citizenship on suspicion of committing war crimes during a massacre by Serbian forces in the Kosovo village of Izbica in March 1999.

A statement from the prosecutor’s office said the Serb, identified only as M.A., is suspected of taking part in the massacre at Izbice, a village 70 kilometers (40 miles) west of the capital, Pristina. It did not say when, where or how the Serb was arrested.

The Izbice massacre occurred on March 28, 1999, when Serb police, military and paramilitary forces found thousands of ethnic Albanian refugees in a meadow outside the village. They stole money and other valuables before separating the men from the women and children. The 130 men were then divided into two groups and shot dead.

See more at: https://bit.ly/2Oaf7tQ; https://bit.ly/3sK5sco

Kosovo Village Remembers 106 Civilians Killed in 1999 War (Balkan Insight)

Officials and local residents in Pastasel/Pusto Selo, a village in the Rahovec/Orahovac municipality, commemorated the 22nd anniversary on Wednesday of a massacre of 106 civilians during the Kosovo war in 1999.

“This massacre, and many others that we are commemorating these days all over Kosovo, reminds us of the price we paid for Kosovo’s freedom, but it makes us more determined to not make any compromise with freedom, independence and our state,” said Acting President Glauk Konjufca, who paid tribute at the village memorial.

“The Serbian state did not even spare children in this massacre. This shows how monstrous [Yugoslav President] Slobodan Milosevic was,” Konjufca added.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3sFFB5n

New Government working without programme (Koha)

Koha reports that the Government of Kosovo departments have not yet set their respective priorities and as a result the  executive branch is working without a programme.

Spokesperson for the Kosovo Government Perparim Kryeziu said however that the programme will be finalised soon. "The governing cabinet, each member, is drafting sectoral priorities and policies based on their responsibilities," he said adding that the government is planning to organise a workshop at the end of which the programme will be approved.

Ministry of Agriculture suspends five employees for abuse of power (media)

The Ministry of Agriculture led by Faton Peci has suspended five employees working with the Agency for Agricultural Development on suspicion of being involved in violations including bribery and abuse of official duty.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the decision is taken in order to establish law and order in the institution. The suspended individuals were arrested on the same charges.

Spain beats Kosovo, national broadcaster downgrades visitors (AP)

Spain cruised past Kosovo 3-1 on Wednesday in a World Cup qualifier that attracted more attention off the field because of Spain’s non-recognition of the visiting country.

The game in Seville was played in accordance to UEFA etiquette, with Kosovo’s national anthem played before the match. But on television, Spain’s national broadcaster disregarded normal protocol by not mentioning Kosovo as a country and using lowercase letters for “kos” in its graphics.

See more at: https://bit.ly/3wjCvGH