UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, April 8, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti calls on European reps to support Kosovo at Council of Europe (media)
Serbian List won’t take part in vote to dismiss Albanian mayors in north (RFE)
Kosovo asks for explanations from EU about silence to Serbia’s violations (Dukagjini)
Krasniqi: When Serbia violates agreements, EU prefers not to go into details (media)
Stradner: Vucic is the one disrupting stability in the Balkans (Telegrafi)
Former Kosovo FM meets chief of Ukrainian Defence Intelligence (media)
Kosovo part of the European Geological Service (Kallxo)
Learta Hollaj appointed chief of staff for Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Serbian List opposes referendum to recall mayors, blames Kurti (KoSSev, media)
UNS: Serbian List again selectively calling for press conferences (NMagazin, Beta, KoSSev)
PKS: The Serbian List admitted political defeat (KiM radio, KoSSev)
Kosovo seeks a chance to sue Serbia for war crimes by joining CoE (N1)
Blakaj: HLC has no information that Kosovo is preparing a lawsuit against Serbia for genocide (Kosovo Online)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti calls on European reps to support Kosovo at Council of Europe (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said on Sunday that during his stay in Brussels at the conference of the Party of European Socialists (PES) he called on European representatives to support Kosovo on its path toward the Council of Europe, especially at the upcoming vote at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on April 16.

Serbian List won’t take part in vote to dismiss Albanian mayors in north (RFE)

The Serbian List – the biggest party of the Kosovo Serbs – said on Sunday that it will not take part in the vote to dismiss the Albanian mayors of the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo, scheduled for April 21. “The position of the Serbian List is not to take part in the referendum called by Albin Kurti, because he did everything for it to fail,” Serbian List leader Zlatan Elek told a press conference in Mitrovica North on Sunday. He argued that “unimplementable procedures” were set for the April 21 vote, that the voters’ list “do not represent the real situation on the ground” and that the number of Albanians on the voters’ list “has been increased”. Elek did not give any evidence for his claims about the increase in the voters’ list.

Kosovo asks for explanations from EU about silence to Serbia’s violations (Dukagjini)

The Kosovo Government has publicly called for explanations from the European Union about the silence to Serbia’s violations of the basic agreement. The government in Pristina argues that Belgrade’s forming of a group that will try to stop Kosovo’s membership at the Council of Europe is a violation of the spirit of the agreement. “The latest hesitation by the European Union to play the arbiter for the agreement which we reached at the capitol of the European Union, precisely under the mediation of the European Union, should be explained by the European Union. In our internal communications with the [EU] facilitator we have raised concerns about Serbia’s actions and the international silence to these violations,” a government spokesperson said.

Krasniqi: When Serbia violates agreements, EU prefers not to go into details (media)

Kosovo’s Minister for Local Government, Elbert Krasniqi, took to X to comment on Serbia’s attempts to block Kosovo’s membership at the Council of Europe. Krasniqi wrote: “When Serbia repeatedly violates the agreements, EU prefers rather not to go into details & refrains itself from any further comments. But when Kosova is in question they can be as specific as commenting on a government decision on land expropriation, and forthcoming to point fingers. Why?”

When Serbia repeatedly violates the agreements, EU prefers rather not to go into details & refrains itself from any further comments. But when Kosova is in question they can be as specific as commenting on a govt decision on land expropriation, & forthcoming to point fingers. Why?

Stradner: Vucic is the one disrupting stability in the Balkans (Telegrafi)

Ivana Stradner, research fellow with the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), argued in a post on X that “Washington and some countries in the EU treat the President of Serbia as the factor of stability in the Balkans. When, in fact, he is the one who’s destabilizing it… he has learned this from his mentor Milosevic”. According to Stradner, “Serbian intelligence has spent time to 1. convince some figures in the West that Vucic only cares about $$$ and economy is the key. 2. convey the message: “let’s forget about the 90’s and think about future cooperation “, which is music to Western ears. 3. destroy pro-western opposition and boost far-right groups so Vucic looks like a “moderate leader” in the Western eyes (just like Putin did as soon as he came to power). Deception is immensely important for Serbian security doctrine and Vucic has learned how to speak to the West. They also love to target big egos in the West and treat them as useful idiots. Unfortunately, many politicians in the West don’t understand Belgrade. Some (like 🇬🇧) understand it but they can’t do much as they have neither carrots nor sticks. Also, they have no clue what to do with Vucic as there’s no opposition”.

Serbian Language Media

Serbian List opposes referendum to recall mayors, blames Kurti (KoSSev, media)

SL (Serbian List) revealed that it opposes the referendum to recall the current mayors in the north, the head of SL confirmed at yesterday’s press conference at the party’s headquarters, to which once again only select media were invited – TV Most and Kosovo Online. Several other media outlets in the north, including KoSSev, were not invited to the conference, reported portal KoSSev yesterday.

The chief of SL, Zlatan Elek, said that it is the position of the party and Kosovo Serbs – or so he claims, that citizens should not participate in the upcoming referendum scheduled for April 21 to recall mayors in the northern municipalities.

Elek alleged that the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, made sure that the referendum failed.

“The position of SL is that citizens should not participate in the referendum called by Albin Kurti, for a simple reason – because he did everything to make it fail,” said Elek.

Moreover, he recalled the previous events related to the process of replacing the mayor, underlining that SL and the Serbs were constructive:

“In the desire to participate in the referendum process in order to replace the mayors who have no legitimacy, which they proved during the signing of the petitions, despite the fact that even at the time Kurti carried out unilateral escalating moves in the north of Kosovo.”

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/368wext4

UNS: Serbian List again selectively calling for press conferences (NMagazin, Beta, KoSSev)

The Association of Journalists of Serbia (UNS) condemned yesterday that the Serbian List party selectively invited the media to press conferences, stating that two media were invited to yesterday's conference held in North Mitrovica.

In a statement, UNS condemned such a "discriminatory approach" and emphasized that SL, as a political entity with authority, is obliged to treat all media responsibly, regardless of their editorial policy.

Selective invitations to press conferences of the SL, as they assessed, is becoming a practice, because the UNS and their branch in Kosovo and Metohija have reacted in the same situations on several occasions in the last year.

The president of the Serbian List, Zlatan Elek, announced at the conference the position of that political party that Serbs should not participate in the referendum, which will be held in four municipalities in the north of Kosovo on April 21.

"The public, as well as a significant majority of the media, could only be informed about all this through two media outlets. Other media outlets from Kosovska Mitrovica, as well as those from central Kosovo, and media correspondents who report from this area for media houses outside of Kosovo and Metohija, were not invited," the UNS press release stated.

PKS: The Serbian List admitted political defeat (KiM radio, KoSSev)

"Today, we heard from the mouth of the president of the Serbian List, Mr. Zlatan Elek, what we have known for a long time, that the Serbian List experienced its complete political defeat and the end. Although this recognition comes late, it changes a lot," announced the Party of Kosovo Serbs, reported KiM radio.

The statement reads that this acknowledges and confirms that the Serbs do not trust the Serbian List and that the Serbian List never had 99% support, but it was, as it says, "the most brutal lie that this party spread through its media and that it even believed itself."

"Serbs also showed and gave clear signals that they do not accept Kurti's political games such as the petition and the referendum, which the Serbian List accepted and participated in. With the statement of Mr. Zlatan Elek, the Serbian List admits that it no longer has the 'power' to steal elections and blackmail Serb voters," the announcement stated.

From the PKS, they add that it is now completely clear that Kurti will have to continue his political games on his own, since "his political and coalition partner in even two of Kurti's governments, today, by calling on the Serbs to boycott the referendum, actually declared his political 'death'".

Kosovo seeks a chance to sue Serbia for war crimes by joining CoE (N1)

While Serbia is forming a task group to prevent Kosovo's accession to the CoE, Pristina hopes it will join and then seek a chance to sue Serbia for war crimes, reported N1.

Kosovo officials have been announcing the lawsuit for war crimes for years. PM Albin Kurti has raised the issue again, by attending the anniversaries of mass murders of the Albanian civilians in the villages across Kosovo.

President of Serbia Aleksandar Vucic assessed Kurti’s words as ‘threats’ and said Kosovo would use the CoE’s institutions to file lawsuits against Serbia.

Some analysts see Vucic’s words as an attempt to affect the next vote on Kosovo’s entry.

The Kosovo Government established the Institute for War Crimes last year, which works to institutionally solve the crimes committed during the war in Kosovo.

“From an ethical point of view, Kosovo not only has the right but is obliged to initiate a legal path on behalf of the victims and sue Serbia, in order to seek justice and win justice at the international level,” said analyst Artan Muhaxhiri.

One of the largest obstacles to Kosovo’s lawsuit is that only the UN member states have access to the International Court of Justice and are able to file lawsuits for war crimes.

Blakaj: HLC has no information that Kosovo is preparing a lawsuit against Serbia for genocide (Kosovo Online)

Executive Director of the Humanitarian Law Center, Bekim Blakaj, says that this organization does not have any information that evidence is being collected for a lawsuit against Serbia for genocide and that this topic is increasingly being used for daily political purposes and as a bargaining chip, reported portal Kosovo Online in English on Saturday.

"We have no knowledge that anything is being done to gather material, information, and evidence for such a lawsuit, but lately it has been mentioned much more intensively by not only Kurti but also other officials and representatives of the government," Blakaj said for Kosovo Online.

He assessed that the issue of war crimes, as well as genocide, is being used for daily political purposes.

"It seems to me that this topic has always been used for daily political gain. It has always been mentioned more intensively before elections. It seems to me that it is used a little more as a bargaining chip," Blakaj said.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/ys66mcft