UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, July 5, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti to Lajcak: Unfair measures make the dialogue asymmetrical (RTK)

Lajcak meets Osmani and Kurti: There is understanding of EU's demands (RTK)

Konjufca: Vucic directly responsible for situation in north; measures unfair (T7)

Davenport: There is an urgent need for de-escalation (media)

EU excludes Kosovo, Montenegro, and Republika Srpska from grants (RFE)

Sunak: I am particularly concerned about situation in north of Kosovo (Klan)

Kearns: Weapons smuggled from Serbia were placed in Serb churches (media)

Haliti: Mayors of northern municipalities can help de-escalate the situation (KTV)

IMC asks MPs to address by law the concentration of media ownership (KTV)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic meeting Lajcak today in Belgrade (RTS)

Diocese of Raska-Prizren: Urgently investigate the dangerous accusation of the British MP (RTS, media)

Sunak: Great Britain condemns attacks on members of KFOR; leaders of Kosovo and Serbia in charge of reducing tensions (Danas, Kosovo Online)

EC President, Serbian PM discuss importance of normalizing relations with Kosovo (Beta, N1)

Michel calls for de-escalation in north Kosovo, continued dialogue (Tanjug)

Jevtic and Sekulic detention extended for another month (RTS)

Serbian List: No indictment has ever been filed against Milan Radoicic (NMagazin, Beta)

International Media:

Opposition Calls for Overthrow of Government Amid EU Sanctions (BIRN)

Lajcak presents a plan to Kosovo, out of 12 points 3 are problematic (euronews.al)

Kosovo: Dutch, Luxembourg PMs urge de-escalation (DW)

Standoff over Kosovo’s Top Prosecutor Hurts Crime Fight, Experts Warn (BIRN)

The leaders of the Netherlands and Luxembourg tell Kosovo and Serbia to normalize ties for EU hopes (AP)

EU wants concrete steps by Kosovo to ease tensions before lifting sanctions –envoy (Reuters)

NGOs Fear EU Measures Against Kosovo Could Hit Civil Society Funds (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti to Lajcak: Unfair measures make the dialogue asymmetrical (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in his meeting with EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, that the EU measures against Kosovo were not fair and that they make the dialogue asymmetrical.

A press release issued by Kurti’s office notes that he “expressed his dedication and commitment to de-escalation and normalization. He emphasized that the government of Kosovo does not contribute to the escalation and that the Police of Kosovo only enforces the law and takes care of public safety. Also, Prime Minister Kurti confirmed that the Kosovo Police stationed in the municipal buildings did not undertake operations in the vicinity of those buildings".

“Regarding the way forward, Prime Minister Kurti said that Article 72 of the Law on Local Self-Government clearly shows the way for early elections in municipalities and that the government strictly supports the legal procedures. Meanwhile, as far as the normalization of relations with Serbia is concerned, the guarantee is the full and unconditional implementation of the Basic Agreement which brings good neighborly and European relations for the two countries.”

Lajcak meets Osmani and Kurti: There is understanding of EU’s conditions (media)

EU Special Representative for the dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia, Miroslav Lajcak, said after his meetings with Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani and Prime Minister Albin Kurti that “there is understanding in the need to move forward in the three points that have been presented by the EU: de-escalation, new elections and return to normalization. We still have to continue the discussions about the concrete steps that need to be taken”.

Lajcak did not want to comment on the sanctions against Kosovo, saying that the EU is not happy at all to be put in a position to decide on measures. "The purpose of the discussion was to get to the point where the measures will be lifted and get to the preliminary points. We will continue our discussions on the concrete steps that will take us there. He presented his point of view, while I presented my views and that is the reason why this meeting lasted,” Lajcak said after meeting Kurti.

He has assessed the meeting as important and according to him it will help to better understand each other's positions.

Today Lajcak will stay in Belgrade where he will meet with the heads of the Serbian state. He said that the EU has measures ready for Serbia as well, in case it does not act in relation to their demands. "The EU has made it clear that there are sanctions ready for Serbia as well and they will be applied if we see that Serbia is not acting with the EU's requirements. My wish is not to have sanctions against Kosovo and Serbia. My desire is to have the two parties in Brussels and negotiate how to implement the agreements reached,” he said.

Konjufca: Vucic directly responsible for situation in north; measures unfair (T7)

Kosovo Assembly President Glauk Konjufca, said in an interview with T7 on Tuesday that the EU measures against Kosovo were unfair and that the international community is behaving as if Serbia has no responsibility for the situation in the north. He also argued that Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is directly responsible for the events in the north. “He publicly called on Serbs to resign from the institutions in November last year … He started all this. The institutions remained vacant and we had only two choices either for Vucic’s option to win or for the option of Kosovo’s constitutionality to hold new elections to win,” Konjufca said.

According to Konjufca, the international community could not persuade Vucic to tell the Kosovo Serbs to take part in the elections. “So what was the state of Kosovo supposed to do? To submit to Vucic’s scenario or to follow what are our obligations and what we need to implement. There was no doubt which was the right path, in fact the international community said the path was right. They said that the elections were legitimate, but the turnout was low and then violence broke out,” he said.

Commenting on the possibility of new elections in the north, Konjufca said there must be a legal way to get them. He said that the mayors of the four municipalities in the north do not have the will to resign and according to him, the only way is to collect signatures. "The only way, as seen by the CEC and the election law, is to collect signatures for their dismissal, which must be collected from the community that lives there and then go to the elections. The Prime Minister, the EU and Serbia have agreed to this," he said.

Further, he added that the situation will never end "if the international community thinks that only Kosovo is to blame and responsible for this situation". "But I think we have to convince the international community and we will win this battle. I think that this, after the liberation of Kosovo, is the most important battle for the character of our state because the state of Kosovo must be a united Republic, while the other option cannot be imagined because it is very bad," he added.

Davenport: There is an urgent need for de-escalation (media)

OSCE Head of Mission in Kosovo, Michael Davenport, wrote in an opinion piece published in CorD magazine that there is an urgent need for de-escalation in the north of Kosovo. “Indeed, there can be no return to anything resembling normality for residents in the northern municipalities until all communities once again participate in public safety institutions there, as well as in the judiciary and in municipal decision-making. This is why the OSCE has called for fresh, inclusive elections to be held as soon as possible. The mechanisms exist for this to happen, provided all communities play their part,” Davenport argued.

“There is an urgent need for both parties in the EU-facilitated Dialogue to reaffirm their commitments to one another and to implement what they have agreed. Understandings reached in Brussels on 27th February and then in Ohrid on 18th March raised hopes among all communities in Kosovo that there was a new momentum leading to normalisation. Those hopes should not be disappointed.”

Read full text at: https://t.ly/EsxF

EU excludes Kosovo, Montenegro and entity of Republika Srpska from grants (RFE)

Kosovo, Montenegro, and the entity of Republika Srpska in Bosnia and Herzegovina have been left out of grants that the European Union has adopted for projects within the Western Balkans Investment Framework. Serbia, Albania, North Macedonia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina will benefit from the investments.

The Western Balkans Investment Framework is a common initiative of EU, financial institutions and donors, aimed at social-economic development and the European prospects of Western Balkans countries. The total amount of the framework is €2.1 billion.

Kosovo did not profit from the grants after the EU introduced penalty measures against Kosovo in late June, as Pristina failed to meet the Brussels’ conditions for de-escalation in the north of Kosovo. Among the penalty measures is the suspension of all EU financial programs.

Sunak: I am particularly concerned about situation in north of Kosovo (Klan)

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, said on Tuesday that he is worried about the situation in the north of Kosovo. He made these comments during an appearance before the Liaison Committee of the British Parliament, where MPs had the opportunity to question him. He was asked if the prevention of the tension of the situation in the Western Balkans has failed. Sunak said that he is particularly worried about the situation in the north of Kosovo.

“The Foreign Secretary (James Cleverly) has told the Prime Ministers of Kosovo and Serbia that they have responsibility for reducing tensions", Sunak is quoted as saying in this commission.

Kearns: Weapons smuggled from Serbia were placed in Serb churches (media)

The head of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, Alicia Kearns, has raised the alarm that weapons are being smuggled into Kosovo from Serbia and are being stored in Serbian Orthodox churches. According to her, transport is done by ambulances and that the British government already has this information.

In the Parliament of the United Kingdom, the alarm has been raised that Serbian churches are serving as places where weapons smuggled from Serbia to Kosovo are being stored.

During a debate on the memory of the Serbian genocide in Srebrenica, MP Alicia Kearns, who is also the chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said that the British Government was informed by KFOR that these weapons arrive by ambulance from Serbia.

"The government is aware - and so are our soldiers who have just returned from serving in KFOR - that there is weaponry that is smuggled in ambulances from the border from Serbia, to Orthodox churches. When our troops are aware of this and try to get permission and catch them, the permission is prolonged too much. By the time permission was secured — 'surprisingly' — an ambulance showed up at the church and took out all the guns again," Kearns said.

Koha news portal sent questions to KFOR regarding the claims. KFOR said it is verifying the information provided there. "We are verifying the facts and will provide a complete answer soon,” KFOR said in a short response.

Kearns asked Britain to stand by Kosovo. "I call on the Government to make it clear that the United Kingdom stands by Kosovo's territorial sovereignty and democracy. To do this, we need to expand KFOR's mandate to ensure a more proactive approach, to combat arms smuggling and militias in northern Kosovo," she said.

In this session, Kearns said that Western countries are condemning Kosovo and criticized that they are not doing the same to Serbia.

Haliti: Mayors of northern municipalities can help de-escalate the situation (KTV)

MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), Xhavit Haliti, said in an interview with KTV on Tuesday evening that the mayors of the four northern municipalities can help de-escalate the situation, by resigning their posts.

“We sent the specialized units to guard two persons so that the flies don’t bite them there. Europe and the United States are saying ‘remove them from the municipal buildings and let them work from other locations’. I think the mayors should say they are ready to resign their positions in order to help de-escalate the situation. They know that when elections are held tomorrow they won’t be elected mayors again,” he argued.

According to Haliti, it is possible that Prime Minister Albin Kurti is provoking elections in order to win 2/3 of votes in the Kosovo Assembly. “I think it is possible that Kurti will provoke elections. If he believes that he can get more votes from what he got the first time, and that he can get 2/3 of the Kosovo Assembly, he can try to do whatever he wants. If he continues like this, Kurti could face problems within his party too,” he said.

IMC asks MPs to address by law the concentration of media ownership (KTV)

During their report at the Kosovo Assembly Committee for Administration and Media on Tuesday, representatives of the Independent Media Commission (IMC) raised concerns about the risk of monopolization in the media market, especially by providers of cable services, and the illegal transfer of media ownership without approval from the Independent Media Commission (IMC). In their report, IMC representatives called on MPs asked to address by law the concentration of media ownership.

Besnik Berisha, member of the IMC Board, said: “for example there was mention of a media company coming to the IMC and calling for a transfer of ownership after it completed the procedures at the Kosovo Business Registration Agency. This is against the law [on IMC] because first they need to get an approval from us for the transfer of ownership. This does not concern a single provider of audio-visual services, but several of them”.

Fitim Haziri, MP from the Vetevendosje, commented: “This means that they tried to monopolize the media market. As a committee, are you aware of such actions happening in the past too and if you are aware, we ask you to review all previous actions and to address previous illegal decisions that happened at that time and to undertake measures in accordance with the applicable legislation”.

Mergim Lushtaku, MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK), said: “as members of the media committee, we are interested to prevent monopoly in the media and I believe that the Kosovo legislation has regulated this very well, because this would go to the detriment of media freedom and independence”.

IMC representatives asked MPs to strengthen the legal provisions for the regulation of the media market.

Jeton Mehmeti, head of the committee, said he received a draft of a regulation about preventing the concentration of media ownership, drafted by EU expects, but he also said the issue should be regulated by law. “As a new committee, we have seen the draft and we have analyzed but we have yet to undertake concrete actions to bring it to the public, because we believe that the rules for media concentration should be included in the new law for the Independent Media Commission,” he argued.

Mehmeti also said that if during this year the institutions do not move to address by law the issue of concentration of media ownership, the IMC will send the draft regulation for public consultation.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic meeting Lajcak today in Belgrade (RTS)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic will meet today the European Union's special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina and other regional issues of the Western Balkans, Miroslav Lajcak, the Service for Cooperation with the Media of the President of the Republic announced, reports RTS.

The meeting is scheduled for 11 a.m. in the building of the General Secretariat of the President of the Republic.

Diocese of Raska-Prizren: Urgently investigate the dangerous accusation of the British MP (RTS, media)

The Diocese of Raska-Prizren announced that it received with "deep concern the statement published in several media by British MP Alicia Kearns, who, during her presentation in parliament, directly accused the Serbian Orthodox Church". Kearns claimed, according to the Diocese, that "weapons are smuggled into Orthodox churches in ambulances" through administrative crossings, reported RTS.

As stated on the website of the Diocese of Raska-Prizren, Alicia Kearns stated that "the government is aware, because the fusiliers have just returned from service in KFOR, that weapons are being smuggled across the border from Serbia to Orthodox churches in ambulances."

The Diocese stated that it is a "very dangerous accusation that criminalizes the Serbian Orthodox Church and is already being used by some Kosovo media with the aim of spreading religious and ethnic hatred, which directly threatens our clergy, monasticism and religious facilities", RTS reported.

Read full press release from the Raska-Prizren Diocese at:https://rb.gy/clkmh

Sunak: Great Britain condemns attacks on members of KFOR; leaders of Kosovo and Serbia in charge of reducing tensions (Danas, Kosovo Online)

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said during a debate in the British Parliament that his country condemns the attacks on KFOR members, which took place on May 29, adding that the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia are in charge of reducing the tensions caused in the north, reported Danas, citing Albanian Post.

"We are particularly concerned about the situation in the north of Kosovo. We condemn the unprovoked attacks on KFOR members," he emphasized.

He pointed out that the British Foreign Minister "already told the leaders of Kosovo and Serbia that they have a responsibility to reduce tensions and prevent further violence."

"Our point of view is that we have to find a way back to the dialogue led by the European Union," Sunak said.

Apart from Kosovo, at the session of the British Parliament, the situation that arose in Bosnia and Herzegovina, after the statement by the President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, that he would secede from Bosnia and Herzegovina was also discussed.

Danas reported that Sunak's reaction followed as part of a response to Alicia Kearns, the chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the British Parliament.

During her speech in the British Parliament, Kearns criticized the United States of America and the European Union for their approach to Kosovo, reported Danas.

EC President, Serbian PM discuss importance of normalizing relations with Kosovo (Beta, N1)

Following her meeting with Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic, President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen stressed the importance of normalizing relations between Serbia and Kosovo.

Von der Leyen posted photos of herself and Brnabic on her Twitter account and wrote that they had a “good meeting.”

“The European Commission supports Serbia’s work towards accession. Our New Growth Plan will help speed up reforms, increase EU investments, bring you closer to the Single Market,” wrote Von der Leyen.

Regarding de-escalation in the north of Kosovo, Brnabic told the media that “the ball is in Pristina’s court,” reported Radio Free Europe.

“The harassment and persecution of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and arbitrary arrests and detention without any evidence, harassment and torture of people who are completely innocent and for whom everyone has proof that they are innocent, from us to EULEX and even Pristina, first need to stop,” she said.

Michel calls for de-escalation in north Kosovo, continued dialogue (Tanjug)

After meeting with Serbian PM Ana Brnabic in Brussels on Tuesday, European Council President Charles Michel called for immediate de-escalation in the north of Kosovo and a continuation of the EU-facilitated Belgrade-Pristina dialogue.

In a Twitter post, Michel said a "clear European Council message on the need for immediate de-escalation of the situation in north of Kosovo and continuation of EU-facilitated dialogue" had been conveyed at the meeting.

He noted that it was "crucial for Serbia to continue reforms to advance on the EU path."

"The future of Western Balkans is in the EU," he added.

Jevtic and Sekulic detention extended for another month (RTS)

The Basic Court in Pristina yesterday decided to extend the custody of Sinisa Jevtic and Ivan Sekulic for another month, reported RTS.

"The special department of the Basic Court in Pristina adopted the request of the Special Prosecutor's Office of Kosovo, for the extension of the detention measure of the defendants S.J. and I.S, so that the detention measure was extended for each of them by one month," said the spokeswoman of the court, Mirlinda Gashi.

Jevtic and Sekulic were arrested on May 31 at Jarinje, and on June 1 they were ordered 30 days of detention.

They are accused of having allegedly committed the crime of "preparing terrorist acts against the constitutional order of Kosovo".

Serbian List: No indictment has ever been filed against Milan Radoicic (NMagazin, Beta)

The Serbian list announced yesterday that "no indictment has ever been filed" against the vice-president of that party, Milan Radoicic, stating that the president of the European Movement of Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija, Rada Trajkovic, "speaks falsely".

"What hurts Rent-a-Rada is the trust that Vice President Radoicic has in Kosovo and Metohija among the Serbian people, even though he has been persecuted for almost five years through various politically staged court proceedings, while it is common knowledge that no indictment has ever been filed against him, as Rada Trajkovic falsely speaks," the announcement stated.

In the statement, Serbian List also stated that Rada Trajkovic, who is also an adviser in the Kosovo Ministry for Communities and Return, also attacks Zvonko Veselinovic, "who has not lived in these areas with his family for more than ten years, has not interfered in any way nor has impact on social processes, nor is a part of political life in these areas", reported portal NMagazin.

International Media

Opposition Calls for Overthrow of Government Amid EU Sanctions (BIRN)

The opposition strongly criticizes the Kurti Government following the imposition of 'reversible sanctions' by the EU and US against Kosovo.

Opposition parties in Kosovo believe that the overthrow of the current Government is the appropriate solution to the present situation, prompted by the tensions in the north of the country and followed by measures imposed by the European Union and the US.

Abelard Tahiri, the head of the Parliamentary Group of the opposition party PDK, made a declaration calling for the overthrow of the Kurti Government, considering Prime Minister Albin Kurti to be isolated.

AAK and LDK, the other two opposition parties, have also demanded the overthrow of the Government.

Tahiri stated, “Foreign policy is suspended; we are led by an isolated, sanctioned PM. We are led by a failed majority.”

According to Tahiri, the EU’s measures are detrimental to Kosovo’s future Euro-Atlantic integration and its state-to-state relationships.

On July 3, the leadership council of PDK approved a 10-point declaration, which included suspending all official communication with PM Albin Kurti and President Vjosa Osmani-Sadriu, except in extraordinary or emergency situations, and called for early general elections.