UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, August 26, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Prime Minister Kurti’s interview for Welt (media)
They protest for increased wages, but they “risk” current wage too (RFE)
LDK: Asking for lists of strikers is a practice typical for autocrats (Koha)
“As of 2014, 75% of time, primary and secondary education under strike threats” (media)
Bugajski to Lajcak: When will you meet Albanians in Serbia? (Demokracia)
Sinani calls on Lajcak and Escobar to meet Albanians in Serbia too (Kosovapress)
Pendarovski: EU has forgotten about Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo (media)
LDK: Instead of solving demands of the strikers, government is threatening them (RTK)
COVID-19: 188 new cases, no deaths (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Escobar: I am convinced that the Serbs in the north of Kosovo will not see any change on September 1 (NMagazin, Beta)
Lajcak: I appreciate Vucic's sincere effort to support the European solution (RTS)
Vucic: Discussions to be continued, we are fighting for peace (Tanjug, media)
Petkovic: Kurti openly threatens with violence in the north, we will not allow the persecution of Serbs (RTS)
Jeremic: The Parliamentary Club of People’s Party propose a negotiation platform (KiM radio, Beta)
Demostat: Kurti's rigid stance could lead to new elections in Kosovo (N1, Beta)
Association of the Missing: 1,621 more persons from Kosovo have not been found (Kontakt plus radio, Beta, N1)
KP: ''Ethnically motivated cases in the first half of 2022 in decline compared to the same period in 2021'' (KoSSev)

Opinion:

Zizek: Degeneracy, Depravity, and the New Right (The Daily Star)

International:

Number plate row fuels Kosovo's ethnic tensions as Serbia seeks more talks (Reuters)
Picturing War: Macedonian Boys Fetch Ammo in the Thick of Fighting (Balkan Insight)

Albanian Language Media

Prime Minister Kurti’s interview for Welt (media)

Most news websites in Kosovo are covering Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti’s interview for Welt. Gazeta Express covers it under the headline “Kurti asks Germany and NATO for more troops: We have 48 Serbian bases around us”. Klan Kosova quotes Kurti as saying that because of the threat from Serbia and Russia, there is an urgent need for more NATO troops, and Lajmi too carries the same quote from Kurti. In a different headline from the same interview, Klan Kosova highlights Kurti’s remarks that Kosovo will apply for membership in the EU latest by Christmas this year. Nacionale meanwhile covers the interview under the headline “Kurti says he is ready to shake hands with Vucic if he gives up on border checks”.

Read the full interview at: https://bit.ly/3QQL8T1

They protest for increased wages, but they “risk” current wage too (RFE)

The news website reports that the public sector strike for increased wages started on Thursday and that it has triggered a reaction from the central government. Secretary in the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers, Enis Spahiu, told Radio Free Europe, that if an employee joins a strike even for an hour, he/she will not be paid for that hour. He said the strikers have been guaranteed the right to strike, but that they were also informed that they must also implement the legal provisions, which according to him, call for the suspension of assignments from the work contract.

The Law on Strikes in Kosovo notes that “the trade-union organisations, or half of employees of a certain working organisation, where there is no trade-union organisation, have the right to organise strikes, to protect their economic, social and professional interests”.

Article 18 of the law notes that during the process of the strike the assignments, that derive from the work contract, shall be suspended. Also according to the law, the termination or suspension from work because of participation in a legal strike is illegal.

Kushtrim Palushi, legal expert, said in an interview with the news website that according to this article, an employee cannot be asked to be paid while they are on strike.

The Union of Independent Trade-Unions of Kosovo (BSPK) issued a press release referring as threats to the statements coming from the government, namely from the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance. According to BSPK, the threats against them are illegal. “To threaten the peaceful strikers in their right, is a violation of the norm and principles of a democratic and legal state, and above all it is denying the right to strike, in other words it is a very grave mistake,” the statement notes.

The Prishtina-based Council for the Defence of Human Rights and Freedoms (CDHRF) said in a statement that the threats against the strikers constitute a violation of human rights. The Council called on the government to lay down the arms of threats and to find a solution together with the unions. “Union organisation and action is regulated and allowed by law,” the statement notes.

The news website also notes that Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that the strike of the unions has lost its meaning now that his government has submitted the law on wages. Kurti told a press conference in Prishtina on Wednesday that he has been informed about the demands of the employees. “Threatening to paralyse the institutions and public services, now that the draft law on wages has been submitted, and to make conditions with additional demands, is wrong. Now is not the time for strikes, now is the time for work. Now is the time for the unions to give their comments to the draft law on wages,” Kurti said.

LDK: Asking for lists of strikers is a practice typical for autocrats (Koha)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) is calling on the government to address the demands of the strikers in the educational sector and to find a solution. According to this party, the government is exerting pressure by asking for the lists of strikers in the public sector. Jehona Lushaku from the LDK said the government is only furthering the crisis by failing to consider the position of the educational employees.

“Teachers in Kosovo have entered a strike because they are being ignored and categorically rejected by the government in their demands. Faced with the biggest crisis, they are asking for dignity to overcome the crisis. Instead of engaging in dialogue the government has chosen threats and financial punishment against the teachers and the public sector at a time when the crisis in the country is only getting deeper as a result of the government’s failure to act,” Lushaku said.

The news website notes that the Ministry of Finance on Thursday said it has asked for the lists of employees that are on strike and that they won’t be paid for the hours they are on strike. Lushaku said this is a practice typical of autocrats and that it violates democracy. “Asking for the lists of strikers with the aim of suspending their contracts is a low hit and has no legal backing. In addition to being direct pressure and intimidation it also constitutes a violation of democracy, it is a practice typical of autocrats to silence the demands and the dissatisfaction with his governance,” she argued.

“As of 2014, 75% of time, primary and secondary education under strike threats” (media)

Director of the Prishtina-based GAP research institute, Agron Demi, said today that since August 2014, 75 percent of the time the primary and secondary education in Kosovo was under the threat of strikes for different reasons. “The webpage of SBASHK [the Union of Education] has 174 monthly bulletins that inform the public and membership about the activities of the union. Since August 2014 until May 2022, 131 bulletins warn with strikes, imply strikes or inform about the holding of strikes. The reasons are different: the collective contract, increase of wages, the law on wages, the law on educational staff from the 1990s … So since August 2014, 75 percent of the time, the primary and secondary education was under the threat of strikes for all sorts of reasons,” Demi wrote on Facebook.

Bugajski to Lajcak: When will you meet Albanians in Serbia? (Demokracia)

U.S. analyst on the Balkans, Janusz Bugajski, asked EU Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak when he will meet Albanians living in Serbia. His question came after Lajcak met with the mayors of the four northern municipalities in Kosovo. “So, when will you meet with members of the Albanian community in Serbia to listen to their grievances? Does the EU only listen when outright violence is threatened?” Bugajski tweeted.

The news website notes that the Serb Civic Movement “Odgovor” reacted to Lajcak’s meeting with the mayors in the north. “These are not representatives of the Kosovo Serb community, but representatives of the criminal clan of Milan Radoicic, whom you are legitimizing with this meeting. So with this action you are legitimizing organised crime in the north and are encouraging the escalation of tensions,” they said in their reaction.

Sinani calls on Lajcak and Escobar to meet Albanians in Serbia too (Kosovapress)

Deputy leader of the Democratic Action Party (PVD) in Presevo Valley in Serbia, Ardita Sinani, criticised EU and US envoys, Miroslav Lajcak and Gabriel Escobar, for not meeting with the political representatives of the Albanian community in Serbia. “Understandable is the latest meeting with the mayors of the four Serb-majority municipalities in the north of Kosovo, especially given the tensions and the possible escalation of the stability and security. But it is not understandable why there were no meetings with the elected representatives of Albanians in Presevo Valley. This approach can even contribute to sending the wrong messages to circles that are inciting the destabilization of the security situation in the Western Balkans, as is happening now in the north of Kosovo. Albanians in Presevo Valley in particular and those in Serbia in general, as a non-majority community, remain discriminated against and oppressed. This has been confirmed for decades now by different official reports of the European Union and the respective administrations in the U.S.,” Sinani argued.

Pendarovski: EU has forgotten about Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo (media)

North Macedonia President Stevo Pendarovski said on Thursday that the European Union has absolutely forgotten about Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. “Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo are absolutely forgotten states, Kosovo cannot get visa liberalization. What kind of Euro-enthusiasm do you want in that population, you want them to be in favor of the European Union?” Pendarovski asked.

LDK: Instead of solving demands of the strikers, government is threatening them (RTK)

The Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), through a press conference, has once again asked the government to find a solution and address the demands of the education strikers.

Jehona Lushaku, from the LDK, has said that the government is deepening the crisis by not considering teachers.

"The teachers of Kosovo have gone on strike as a result of the government's disregard and categorical rejection of their demands. They demand dialogue to face this crisis, while the government of Kosovo has chosen to threaten the strikers," Jehona Lushaku from the LDK has said.

The search for lists of strikers, according to LDK, is a low blow by the government.

"This government, instead of managing crises, creates a new crisis, LDK wants to stop harassing teachers, to find a fair solution for the addressed demands," she said.

According to her, education workers deserve a dignified treatment of their demands and genuine reasonable dialogue and governmental support.

COVID-19: 188 new cases, no deaths (media)

Kosovo’s Ministry of Health said in a statement today that 188 new cases with COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours. Telegrafi news website notes that compared to July and early August, there have been fewer new cases in the last couple of days. There are 2,254 active cases with COVID-19 in Kosovo.

Serbian Language Media

Escobar: I am convinced that the Serbs in the north of Kosovo will not see any change on September 1 (NMagazin, Beta)

The American Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, expressed his belief and hope in Belgrade yesterday that the Serbs in the north of Kosovo will not see any change in their lives on September 1, reported NMagazin.

After last night's talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and EU SR for Dialogue Miroslav Lajcak, Escobar told reporters this morning that his hope is that the Serbs in the north of Kosovo "will not essentially become guests in their own country", that "they will be recognized as legitimate citizens and of Serbia and Kosovo" and that they will "continue to live peacefully", reported the portal.

"That is my expectation and my hope. I am convinced that we can achieve it," said Escobar regarding the dispute between Belgrade and Pristina regarding the Kosovo government's measures on license plates and personal documents.

He stated that at every meeting with officials in Pristina this week, he and Lajcak pointed out the necessity of implementing all signed agreements in the Brussels dialogue.

"All elements of the dialogue must be implemented, including the formation of the Community/Association of Serbian Municipalities. This is the message we very clearly conveyed to the Kosovo government this week in Pristina and during the recent visit of PM Kurti and President Osmani to Washington," the American diplomat added.

Escobar said that "there are no deadlines" for the formation of the Community of Serbian Municipalities, but he added that the US expects that "very soon it will be discussed within the framework of the dialogue".

"This does not mean that an agreement must be reached, but that the ZSO should be discussed, about the possible modalities of implementation," he stated.

He repeated several times that the US is not part of the dialogue, but strongly supports it because "they believe it is a channel for reaching a comprehensive agreement on the normalization of relations that will unlock the European future of both countries".

"The purpose of my arrival is to support the dialogue with the mediation of the EU, in order to find a way for the challenging issues of license plates and exit-entry documents," said Escobar.

He said that last night's conversation with Vucic was difficult "because both sides have to agree to many compromises" and "because there is a big difference in attitudes between the participants in the negotiations".

Regarding relations between Serbia and the USA, Escobar said that he and American Ambassador Christopher Hill had a "very good conversation" with Vucic about ways to continue improving the already good relations between Belgrade and Washington.

Lajcak: I appreciate Vucic's sincere effort to support the European solution (RTS)

After the second round of talks with Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic late last night, I hope we are on the right track, said the EU's special representative for dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, Miroslav Lajcak, reported RTS.

After he and the US Special Envoy for the Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, late last night spoke with President Vucic for the second time yesterday, Lajcak wrote on Twitter that he appreciates the sincere effort of the President of Serbia to support a European solution.

"After the second round of talks late last night, I hope we are on the right track. I appreciate the sincere effort of the President of Serbia to support the European solution. Our talks will continue," wrote Lajcak.

The second part of the conversation between Vucic, Lajcak, and Escobar ended 15 minutes after midnight.

Vucic: Discussions to be continued, we are fighting for peace (Tanjug, NMagazin, Beta)

After yesterday’s meetings with the EU special representative for the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, Miroslav Lajcak, and the US special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced he would not give up on vital national and state interests, above all, the interests and the security of Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, reported agency Tanjug.

In a video message posted on his buducnostsrbijeav Instagram profile, Vucic said the discussions with Escobar and Lajcak - which were also attended by the US and EU ambassadors to Serbia, Christopher Hill and Emanuele Giaufret - would be continued late on Thursday.

"We had discussions with Miroslav Lajcak and Gabriel Escobar that were not easy. We will continue the discussions on the Kosovo-Metohija issue this evening after 10 pm," Vucic said.

He said his message, primarily to Serbs in Kosovo-Metohija, was that he would always protect, and fight for, peace and stability.

"Rest assured that also, just like I have promised to you, not for a single second will we back down from our vital national and state interests, above all, the interests of our people and your security. There is no giving up and there is no surrender," Vucic said.

NMagazin portal reported that Vucic said that he hoped for a compromise solution in the negotiations with Pristina in the coming days, but that "about (registration) plates and about some bigger issues such a solution cannot be reached at all".

"We will continue the talks and I believe that in the days ahead we will be able to reach a compromise solution, at least for a small part, since it is clear that such a solution cannot be reached at all regarding the plates and some major issues," Vucic said tonight a little after midnight, in an address on his Instagram profile.

The portal also reported that Vucic will announce tomorrow the name of the mandate for the composition of the new Government of Serbia.

In addition to the mandate, Vucic will also talk about the situation in Kosovo in his address to the citizens tomorrow.

The start of his speech was announced at 10 am.

Petkovic: Kurti openly threatens with violence in the north, we will not allow the persecution of Serbs (RTS)

Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic said that the Pristina representative, Albin Kurti, most openly threatened yesterday with conflicts and escalation of violence in the north of Kosovo, cited RTS. ''Let me be very clear - this is a direct and naked threat of violence, force and conflicts that Kurti invokes in order to occupy the north of Kosovo and Metohija, which he has been obsessed with for years,'' said Petkovic.

''There is no other way to understand his message that no one can prevent the special units of ROSU from intervening in the north of Kosovo and Metohija,'' said Petkovic.

"I have only one message for Kurti - NATO is obliged to prevent any attempt by ROSA to invade the north! If they do not, the Serbian people will prevent ROSA incursions," said the director of the Office for KiM.

To be absolutely clear, Petković added - this is a direct and naked threat of violence, force and conflicts that Kurti invokes in order to occupy the north of Kosov, which he has been obsessed with for years.

"According to the First Brussels Agreement, the Regional Directorate of Police - North is exclusively responsible for police affairs in the north, in which at least 95 percent of the ethnic structure must be Serbs, and whose commander is elected on the proposal of four mayors from the north of Kosovo and Metohija," added Petkovic.

"I especially point out that the so-called ROSU units, which represent heavily armed formations with armoured vehicles, are not allowed in the north of Kosovo and Metohija without the permission of the KFOR commander and four Serbian mayors, based on the agreement that Pristina signed with NATO in 2013," added Petkovic.

The masks have fallen, added the director of the Office for KiM, and now it is quite clear what Belgrade has been warning about from the beginning - that Kurti's only and real goal is to provoke conflict and expel the Serbian people.

"And if someone does not stop this man, he will turn the whole region into a powder keg because he is ready for anything. Belgrade will do everything to preserve peace but will not allow persecution and violence against the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija!", said Petkovic, as stated in the announcement of the Office, cited RTS.

Jeremic: The Parliamentary Club of People’s Party will propose a negotiation platform (KiM radio, Beta)

The President of the People's Party (NS) Vuk Jeremic said that at the session of the Serbian Parliament on Kosovo and Metohija, the parliamentary group of that party will propose the adoption of a negotiating platform for the performance of state bodies and will call on the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, to accept it or, if he refuses, to present his own platform, reported KiM radio.

"Our platform should reflect national unity and receive the support of all political actors. Negotiations on Kosovo and Metohija must be introduced into the institutional framework and finally it must be known who is authorized for what and who does what in relation to Kosovo and Metohija," said Jeremic in Mladenovac, where the municipal committee of the People's Party was founded, the party announced today.

"We will point out that in 2013 the Parliament of Serbia adopted a Resolution on Kosovo and Metohija in which they stated that everything agreed in Brussels must be accompanied by the adoption of constitutional laws, in order to bring everything into the constitutional framework of Serbia. However, not a single constitutional law was adopted, and they handed over the institutions of the state in the north, the judiciary, the police, the power system, and they gave Pristina an international telephone number," added Jeremic, among other things, reported KiM radio.

Demostat: Kurti's rigid stance could lead to new elections in Kosovo (N1, Beta)

The strong position of Kosovo PM Albin Kurti on the introduction of reciprocity measures from September 1 could lead to the fall of his cabinet and the calling of extraordinary elections in Kosovo, especially since the US expects a more "constructive" partner in talks on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, according to a published analysis of the Belgrade research and publishing center Demostat, reported N1.

Kurti's determination to introduce reciprocity regarding the issue of Serbian identity cards and license plates, along with another unsuccessful round of the Brussels dialogue, launched the "shuttle diplomacy" of the EU and the US, whose envoys spoke with Kosovo officials in Pristina in the previous days to prevent the escalation of the situation on north of Kosovo after September 1.

Citing sources from Pristina, Demostat reported that the US wants a "significant advance" in the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, and that to that end they need a "constructive" partner from both sides, which, as stated in the analysis, Kurti is not.

In this context, the statement of the US ambassador in Belgrade, Christopher Hill, should be interpreted that the Serbian side came to Brussels "prepared for talks", unlike the Pristina delegation, which, according to him, was not ready to talk about specific issues.

It is also indicative, according to Demostat, that the US special envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar, during his visit to Pristina, also met with representatives of the leading opposition parties in Kosovo, which defeated Albin Kurti's self-determination in the local elections last November in almost all major cities, primarily Pristina and Prizren.

Demostat's sources from Pristina also assessed that with his unwavering stance on reciprocity, Kurti "raises the price" within that part of Kosovo Albanians who belong to the hard, nationalist core, cited N1.

If new elections are planned in Kosovo, the question remains as to how Kurti's government would be overthrown, with one of the options being the announcement by the representatives of the Serbian List that they will leave all Kosovo institutions if Pristina maintains its stance on the introduction of reciprocity on September 1.

Association of the Missing: 1,621 more persons from Kosovo have not been found (Kontakt plus radio, Beta, N1)

Another 1,621 people from the territory of Kosovo are missing, said Gordana Djikanovic, a member of the Association of Families of Kosmet Victims, reported Kontakt plus radio.

"According to the data of the International Committee of the Red Cross for July 2021, there were 1,630 names on the list of missing persons, in July of this year - 1,621 persons. So, in one year, nine persons have been identified, and compared to previous years, this is encouraging information," said Djikanovic at the press conference of her association and the Resource Center for Missing Persons from Pristina, organized on the occasion of the International Day of the Missing.

She added that, "nonetheless", the dynamics of identifying missing persons must be faster because "even if this dynamic is followed, it would take another 187 years to find the last missing person from the list of missing persons from Kosovo," said Djikanovic.

The head of the Serbian Government's Department for Missing Persons, Ljiljana Krstic, said that the process of identifying the missing is "at a standstill", blaming Zagreb and Pristina.

"There were disappearances of Serbs in those territories. We depend on other parties in the process. The last session of the Working Group for missing persons in the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina was held in Brussels on April 16, 2021," said Krstic, reported the radio.

KP: ''Ethnically motivated cases in the first half of 2022 in decline compared to the same period in 2021'' (KoSSev)

The Kosovo Police announced that, thanks to the efforts of this institution, the number of ethnically motivated cases in the period from January to June 2022, compared to the same period last year, decreased. The police state that they recorded only 4 cases with a possible ethnic background, i.e., 0.01% of the total number of reported crimes, cited portal KoSSev.

They cite damage to the Turkish flag, writing graffiti in the Serbian language and two cases against Albanians in Gazimestan as possible ethnically motivated cases, reported KoSSev.

In the announcement, they refer to the protection of religious buildings, as well as the crimes committed in them, stating that thefts are the most common, and that the motive was actually financial in nature.

"A total of 48 cases related to cultural heritage were recorded, of which 30, or 62.5%, occurred in Muslim buildings, while only 18, or 37.5% occurred in Orthodox ones," the Kosovo Police said in a statement.

Of the 48 cases related to cultural heritage, according to police statistics, 77% are "some form" of theft, and 23% are threats, destruction or damage to property, and damage to cemeteries.

On the other hand, for the same period, from January to June this year, the Office for Kosovo and Metohija records on its website as many as 74 ethnically motivated cases that took place in Kosovo, reported the portal.

Opinion

Zizek: Degeneracy, Depravity, and the New Right (The Daily Star)

Opinion piece by Slavoj Zizek, originally published in The Daily Star and covered in Albanian news websites.

A recent crisis in northern Kosovo came and went quickly, because nobody wanted an escalation. But it will return, because Russia is manoeuvring in the Balkan shadows to stoke the tensions that gave rise to it. The mundane origin of the crisis shows how easily a spark can be fanned into a conflagration.

The Kosovo government had announced a measure requiring Serbs living in northern Kosovo to apply for local license plates, replacing their Serbian plates. But Serbs staged protests (with reports of gunfire) and road blockades at two border crossings, pushing Kosovo authorities to delay the measure for a month while they discuss next steps.

Serbia has long had a similar rule for Kosovar licence-plate holders on its territory, and Kosovo was merely trying to apply the same standard. The problem, of course, is that Serbia doesn't recognize Kosovo as an independent state, even though the United States and around 100 other countries do.

Read full piece at: https://bit.ly/3PLpH4k

International

Number plate row fuels Kosovo's ethnic tensions as Serbia seeks more talks (Reuters)

Mediated talks over the status of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo have failed to ease tensions - fuelled by a dispute over car number plates - between Belgrade and authorities in Pristina, Serbia's president said on Friday.

Aleksandar Vucic said hours of talks with European Union and U.S. envoys had failed to resolve major issues that he did not specify, and that he hoped further talks would lead to "some compromise".

After a bloody war in the late 1990s, predominantly ethnic Albanian Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, something Belgrade - with the backing of China, Russia and five EU member states - refuses to recognise.

Belgrade and Kosovo's Serb minority concentrated in the country's north claim entitlement under a 2013 agreement to an association of semi-autonomous majority-Serb municipalities, which Pristina refuses to implement.