Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Needs and desires are simpler than solutions (media)
• Svecla: Average monthly income of officers who protested is over €2,000 (media)
• Albanian PM’s proposal for Kosovo-Serbia agreement published (Klan)
• PDK: The Specialist Chambers must stop political persecution (media)
• Rasic: One third of Serbs fled Kosovo because of the Serbian List (media)
• Reuten: The West must draw a line on Serbia (media)

Serbian Language Media:

• Bilcik: Enlargement top priority, Von der Leyen clearly said EU wants Serbia (The Guardian, N1, Beta, Tanjug)
• Senator Shaheen: The relationship between Serbia and Kosovo worrying (VoA, KiM radio)
• Bishop Teodosije met with the British ambassadors from Belgrade and Pristina (KoSSev)
• The doctor arrested in April in Jarinje released (KoSSev)
• Those wanted for war crimes in Kosovo released in Montenegro (RFE, KoSSev)
• ANEM: 56 cases of threats, attacks on journalists, N1 and Danas targeted the most (FoNet, N1)

International Media:

• Western countries press for reform ahead of Ukraine decision (Politico)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Needs and desires are simpler than solutions (media)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti commented on Facebook on the demands of the elite units of the Kosovo Police who protested in front of the government building on Wednesday. He argued that the special intervention units had an average income of over €2,200 this year and they will now receive an additional €150 more with the hazard pay. He said that by late November, in addition to the increased salary, they will receive a retroactive payment of €1,350. 

Kurti also said that “needs, not only desires, are always many times simpler than solutions. We live in Kosovo where GDP per capita per month is around 460 euros. This year, 2,134 Kosovo police officers or almost 27 percent of them received over €1,000 per month on average. There are 203 Kosovo police officers who this year had a higher income than the President of the Republic (€1,890 gross, coefficient 18), and in June and July, it was close to 700 of them (which of course includes the absolute majority of the members of the police special units)”. 

Svecla: Average monthly income of officers who protested is over €2,000 (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said on Wednesday that “the average monthly income of police officers who protested” in front of the government building is over €2,200. According to Svecla, unlike in the past when compensations for additional engagement were not implemented at all, “we have compensated them without delay”. “There are a lot of demands and there are social categories that face many difficulties during their lives. From nine executive agencies, the Kosovo Police has had special support and focus in order to mobilize in the fight against crime, smuggling, the protection of territorial integrity and sovereignty. From the Kosovo Police, the special units have had and continue to have the greatest support both in terms of finances and with the rise in structure. I thank once again all the officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and especially those of the Kosovo Police for their commitment and sacrifice to a just and prosperous state," he argued.

Albanian PM’s proposal for Kosovo-Serbia agreement published (Klan)

Tirana-based TV station Klan published a proposal by Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama for an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia. Rama sent the proposal titled “Draft-statute on the Association of Serb majority municipalities,” to French President Macron and German Chancellor Scholz in June this year. The proposal contains the framework, legal and political context, different draft-statutes, parties’ red lines, and drafting principles, and has three main objectives: Implementation of the Basic Agreement of 2013, ratified by Kosovo, and the Agreement of 2015, the creation of a framework for self-management with substantial autonomy for Kosovo Serb community, and double protection. The proposal also has four leading principles: the draft statute determines the competencies, organisation, and functioning of the body; the statute will be sent to the Constitutional Court for assessment; the Association must not replace, supersede, or reduce the rights of any community residing in the municipalities; participation is voluntary and open, initially for the Serb majority municipalities.

PDK: The Specialist Chambers must stop political persecution (media)

The Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) said in a statement on Wednesday that it is deeply concerned over the raids that the Specialist Chambers are carrying out against former state officials and members of this party. According to the PDK, the raids are completely unnecessary, tendentious and constitute political persecution.

The party also claimed that the focus of the Specialist Chambers has gone beyond its mandate and any institutional control, and that it should stop what it called a persecution campaign. "PDK calls on the Kosovo Specialist Chambers to stop this persecuting campaign and return to their work within their mandate and scope," the statement notes.

Rasic: One third of Serbs fled Kosovo because of the Serbian List (media)

Kosovo’s Minister for Communities and Returns, Nenad Rasic, told TV Dukagjini on Wednesday, that the Serbian List has harmed the Serb community in Kosovo and according to him one third of the Serbs have fled Kosovo because of this party.

Commenting on changes in the SL leadership, Rasic said that “it is tragicomic the arrogance with which the Serbs in Kosovo are being punished” and that Serbian President Aleksandar “Vucic only changed a few names [in the party] which means nothing”.

Reuten: The West must draw a line on Serbia (media) 

Thijs Reuten, Dutch member of the European Parliament, said in an interview with the Guardian that the West must draw a line on Serbia after the latter denied the existence of the Ohrid Annex and refused to sign the agreements with Kosovo.   

“In the past week alone even the staunchest believers in the failed EU-US strategy of appeasement of Serbian president Vucic must have had numerous wake-up calls,” Reuten said. “Vucic denies the existence of the Ohrid agreement, does not really want the Association of Serb Municipalities to be established by Pristina in the north of Kosovo because even when offered to sign a deal on it he refuses to avoid real commitment to normalisation. In Belgrade, he tells Commission President Von der Leyen in her face that he is proud to refuse de facto recognition of Kosovo. And now the latest is that he teams up with far right ultra-nationalist [Vojislav] Seselj for Serbia’s local elections”.

Serbian Language Media 

Bilcik: Enlargement top priority, Von der Leyen clearly said EU wants Serbia (The Guardian, N1, Beta, Tanjug)

Enlargement is a political priority and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen clearly said during her visit to Belgrade that the European Union (EU) wants Serbia to join, said European Parliament Rapporteur for Serbia Vladimir Bilcik.

“What is very clear is that enlargement is very much a priority for the EU. It’s a top political priority for the union in a way we haven’t seen in many years,” Bilcik told The Guardian.

He added that Ursula von der Leyen’s message was clear in Belgrade that the EU wanted Serbia to join but that it must change and must deliver, in particular when it comes to foreign policy alignment.

The timing of Von der Leyen’s visit was also extremely important, said Bilcik, pointing to Serbia’s election announcement and the fact that enlargement would be a top issue on the agenda in Brussels next week. “The ball is also very much in the hands of our partners,” he said, adding that “the partners have to commit.”

Senator Shaheen: The relationship between Serbia and Kosovo worrying (VoA, KiM radio)

Jeanne Shaheen, a member of the US Senate Foreign Policy Committee, said that the US Congress has enough capacity to pay attention to the Western Balkans, despite the crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, and the fact that the US is entering an election year, reported KiM radio, citing Voice of America.

Shahin, a senator of the Democratic Party from the state of New Hampshire, chairing the Subcommittee of the Senate Foreign Policy Committee on Europe, singled out in an interview with VoA "current issues between Kosovo and Serbia" as  "one of the two major security challenges in the Western Balkans, which she recently visited with Senator Peter Welch.

"We know about the intrusion in Kosovo that took place on September 24, when a Kosovo policeman and three Serbs were killed (in the village of Banjska). There is a real concern about that border and how to solve those issues in the future. I had the opportunity to meet with the prime minister Kurti and with the president Osmani, to express my concern about everything that happened," Shaheen said.

She added that she appealed to Kurti to return to the negotiating table and "solve issues with Serbia".

"I had the opportunity to talk to the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, on the phone, to express my concern and appeal to him to do the same - to return to negotiations, because the normalization of relations between the two countries is the only way to resolve these issues," said Shaheen.

Shaheen, who visited the Western Balkans in April 2022 as a member of the US Senate delegation, reiterated that those responsible for the events of September 24 in Banjska "must be held accountable".

Asked if time is running out to implement what was agreed in the EU-mediated dialogue, she said that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen was in the region this week and that the topic of discussion was economic incentives for reforming countries, which bring them closer to the EU.

"That chance may not be there forever, if we take into account the challenges that Europe is facing, from the war in Ukraine and the Russian invasion of that country, challenges in the Middle East and potential conflicts in the world. And I hope that Serbia and Kosovo can come to an agreement and find a way to live together. I understand that they may not recognize each other, but at least ensure that their citizens do not live in conflict and fear," she said.

In recent months, Shaheen often spoke about the need to prevent the escalation of violence in Kosovo. At the end of June, together with other representatives of both American leading parties, she sent a letter to the administration of President Joseph Biden with the request that one of the priorities should be the deteriorating security situation between Kosovo and Serbia. At the request of Shaheen, the Foreign Policy Committee of the Senate held a session on the situation in the Western Balkans in May of this year.

Bishop Teodosije met with the British ambassadors from Belgrade and Pristina (KoSSev)

The British ambassador in Belgrade, Edward Ferguson, is staying in Kosovo. As part of his visit to his colleague in Pristina, Nicholas Abbott, they visited the Gracanica monastery together, where they met with the Bishop Teodosije of Raska-Prizren, reported KoSSev portal.

"The bishop informed the ambassadors about the worrying situation in which the Serbian Orthodox Church lives with its faithful people in these areas," announced the Diocese.

The bishop, it is added, also expressed his belief that the British government will treat the issues of religious and human rights in this area with special attention.

"And especially the survival and protection of the Serbian Orthodox Church in order to preserve peace and stability in this part of the Balkans," they added.

"The distinguished guests also visited the Gracanica monastery and got acquainted with its centuries-old history, spiritual significance and artistic values," announced the Diocese.

The doctor arrested in April in Jarinje released (KoSSev)

Doctor N.T. who was arrested in Jarinje in April, and then sentenced to 10 months in prison, was released today, his legal defender Milos Delevic confirmed for KoSSev portal.

This man was arrested on April 7, and as the Office for Kosovo and Metohija reported at the time, while traveling through this crossing towards Srbica with two minor children in the car

The Kosovo Police then explained that he did not have the necessary documentation to enter Kosovo, but that he was detained after he insulted police officers and caused physical injuries to one of them.

A day later, his lawyer, Milos Delevic, confirmed that his client, who normally works at a private clinic in Belgrade, had been interrogated in the meantime, that he had been detained for 48 hours, and that he was charged with assaulting an official. He was then sentenced to one month's detention.

However, at the end of June, the Basic Court in Pristina sentenced this doctor to 10 months in prison.

His lawyer then filed an appeal, considering that the sentence imposed on him was too high.

The appeal, after serving 7 months in prison, was accepted today by the Court of Appeal in Pristina, lawyer Delevic confirmed.

"He was released today, he served a sentence of 7 months after the Court of Appeal shortened his sentence by three months," said the lawyer for KoSSev.

"He is in good health and is already on his way to Belgrade," said Delevic.

Those wanted for war crimes in Kosovo released in Montenegro (RFE, KoSSev)

The High Court from Bijelo Polje released Serbian citizen Z.V (62) from custody, whose extradition was requested by Kosovo for the purpose of conducting court proceedings for the criminal offense of war crimes against civilians, the court confirmed to Radio Free Europe (RFES), reported KoSSev portal.

Z.V. has been in extradition custody since October 1, according to the decision of the court in Bjelo Polje. 

Although the High Court decided on October 27 decide extradition of Z.V. to Kosovo, on that day former Minister of Justice Marko Kovac rejected the request for his extradition.

Podgorica based media Pobjeda announced that Kovac explained the decision with the assessment that "there are suspicions of political persecution" and that Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms was violated, with the assessment that it was a "political moment".

After receiving that decision on October 31, the High Court released Z.V, who spent a month in extradition detention.

It is the second such decision by Kovac in the last seven days, after on October 26 he refused to extradite M.V. (61) to Kosovo's judicial authorities. His extradition was requested due to suspicions that he committed a war crime on the territory of Pec in 1999, RFE was confirmed in the Ministry of Justice.

And then Kovac referred to the European Convention on Human Rights.

Kovac made these decisions in the last week of his mandate in the Government of Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic, whose mandate ended with the election of the Government of Milojko Spajic on October 31, 2023.

M.V. was arrested in Montenegro on September 25 on a warrant issued by Interpol of the United Nations Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), based on the Memorandum of Understanding between Interpol and UNMIK from 2002, which aims to exchange information, warrants, international investigations, and criminal cases.

After his arrest, one of the leaders of the recently disbanded pro-Serbian Democratic Front, Milan Knezevic, called on the then technical government of Dritan Abazovic not to participate in the arrest of Serbs and Montenegrins displaced from Kosovo.

RFE was confirmed from the High Court in Bijelo Polje that M.V. was released from custody.

According to the decision of the High Court in Podgorica, the Kosovo citizen I.B. (48) is awaiting the decision on extradition to Kosovo while in custody. He was arrested in Montenegro at the beginning of October.

He was arrested based on an Interpol UNMIK warrant on suspicion of having committed a war crime against the civilian population in Kosovo in 1999.

The High Court in Podgorica ordered his extradition custody, which, as stated, is limited until the decision on extradition of the suspect to Kosovo.

Since the end of the war in Kosovo, around 70 people have been convicted of war crimes before domestic and international institutions.

ANEM: 56 cases of threats, attacks on journalists, N1 and Danas targeted the most (FoNet, N1)

Association of Independent Electronic Media (ANEM) Managing Board chairman Veran Matic said on Wednesday that 56 cases of threats and attacks on journalists were recorded from the beginning of the year until the end of August.

He told a media conference on the Serbian media scene monitoring monthly report that, for these 56 cases, the courts handed down four convictions, rejected four criminal complaints finding that there are no elements of an offense, and decided in five cases that there are no grounds to initiate criminal proceedings.

He said the journalists of N1 TV and daily Danas are the most exposed to threats and attacks.

“In September, the daily Danas staff were exposed to multiple threats and attacks. At the beginning of September, the supporters of the conservative movement ‘Ours’ tossed flyers into the hallway of the building housing Danas offices, showing a picture of opposition leaders Pavle Grbovic, Zoran Lutovac, Radomir Lazovic, Aleksandar “Cuta'' Jovanovic, Nebojsa Zelenovic, Miroslav Aleksic and Zdravko Ponos in the company of (Kosovo Prime Minister) Albin Kurti, wearing white caps, along with the message ‘Kurti’s Opposition’,” said Matic.

He said the same flyers were thrown into the N1 TV yard.

He stressed that the monitoring and research results show that, in as many 85 percent of cases, murders of journalists are never solved.

He underlined that there is still no verdict for the murder of journalist Slavko Curuvija, and that a protest will be staged over this outside the Special Court.

“We have had no information on this case since May. The last information I got was that it will be an acquittal,” said Matic.

International Media

Western countries press for reform ahead of Ukraine decision (Politico)

WESTERN EU COUNTRIES UP PRESSURE FOR REFORM, STRESS CONDITIONS FOR UKRAINE ACCESSION: Western EU countries including Germany, France, Spain and Portugal are amping up pressure on the need to reform the Union, just as leaders prepare to open formal accession talks with Ukraine and Moldova next month.

Frankenstein’s monster: Their fear is that without more steps toward reform, but with the momentum for accession building, the EU could slide into a dynamic where it swells to 30 or more members with no coherent plan on how to function efficiently, resembling something like Frankenstein’s monster, or — worse still — the United Nations.

Read more at:https://tinyurl.com/3ck6t2wj