UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, November 17, 2022

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: Dialogue with Serbia has never been more transparent (Klan)
New Serbian List MPs sworn in today (Koha)
Krasniqi meets Escobar: Alignment, coordination with U.S. has no alternative (media)
Rohde: Urgent need for solution to avoid escalation; more internal dialogue (Express)
Osmani: Dialogue should be centred on mutual recognition (RTK)
Italian Foreign and Defence Ministers to visit Kosovo and Serbia next week (Klan)
Svecla: Government ready to shelter up to 5,000 Ukrainian refugees (media)
Abdixhiku: Bondsteel should be a permanent military base (Kosovapress)
Haziri: U.S. first signs of reevaluating relations with Kosovo govt officials (Telegrafi)
AJK reacts to the attack on the journalist in the north (Telegrafi)

Serbian Language Media:

Members of the SL verified their mandates: Kurti’s plan prevented (media)
Serbian Assembly Committee for KiM: The security situation in Kosovo unstable and tense (KoSSev)
EULEX chief says his officers can’t replace Kosovo Police (N1, KoSSev)
In North Mitrovica, two Albanians were injured, one of them a journalist (KoSSev, N1, Danas, KiM radio)
Serbia, Hungary, Austria reach agreement on readmission (N1)
Licence plates and diplomacy behind closed doors: What’s on the table in an attempt to avoid a “dangerous situation” (euronews.rs)
Vucic: Serbia grateful to Angola for principled stance on Kosovo-Metohija (Tanjug)
Petkovic: Verifying the mandate of the SL does not mean their return to parliament (RTS)
The signing of contracts with Serbs who left the institutions in Kosovo and Metohija has begun (RTS)

International:

Guessing Games over Franco-German ‘Compass’ for Kosovo Conundrum (BIRN)
Media Freedom in Kosovo ‘Undermined by Political Pressure’ (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Dialogue with Serbia has never been more transparent (Klan)

Prime Minister Albin Kurti assessed today at the Assembly of Kosovo that the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process has never been more transparent, as far as Kosovar institutions are concerned.

"We have been transparent to citizens and the public. We have shown readiness towards the opposition parties, and we have shown care so as not to damage the process or our interests," Kurti said.

"After each meeting, the public is informed about our positions and proposals".

On the question of the PDK MP Ariana Musliu-Shoshi, about the Association of Serb Municipalities, Kurti had the same response as a few days ago: "I don't have a new position. We have answered countless times. I have no new answer. The association did not pass the test of the Constitutional Court, it was declared unconstitutional".

New Serbian List MPs sworn in today (Koha)

The news website reports that today’s session of the Kosovo Assembly started with the swearing in of new MPs from the Serbian List who will replace the MPs that have resigned recently. Milan Kostic, Zoran Maksimovic, Olivera Zdravkovic, Milan Joksimovic, Ksenija Bozovic, Rados Mihajlovic, Nenad Radenkovic, Svetislav Jokic and Biljana Maksic are the new MPs from the Serbian List. Zvelko Velkovic is a new MP from the G1 political party. The new Serbian List MPs left the session after they were sworn in.

Krasniqi meets Escobar: Alignment, coordination with U.S. has no alternative (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi met today in Washington with Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and Special Envoy for the Western Balkans, Gabriel Escobar. Krasniqi thanked Escobar for all the stages of the U.S. unwavering support for Kosovo. He said that the position of the PDK is that Kosovo’s alignment and coordination with the U.S. has no alternative.

“I assured Mr. Escobar that the position of the people of Kosovo, and without a doubt that of the PDK as leader of the opposition, to safeguard and strengthen bilateral and strategic relations between Kosovo and the U.S., is unquestionable and unchanged. When the White House is the address and when the alliance with the U.S. is the way forward, the affirmation and the national and state success of Kosovo is the inevitable destination,” Krasniqi wrote in a Facebook post.

Krasniqi assured Escobar that the PDK will offer all its support and aid to every issue that pertains Kosovo’s national interest. “During our meeting we also discussed the current situation and challenges for Kosovo’s security and the necessity to intensify efforts in the dialogue with Serbia, to reach a Comprehensive Agreement centred on mutual recognition,” he said.

Rohde: Urgent need for solution to avoid escalation; more internal dialogue (Express)

German Ambassador to Kosovo, Jorn Rohde, said in a Twitter post on Wednesday that there is an urgent need for solutions to avoid escalation. After a discussion with civil society representatives from the north of Kosovo, Rohde said: “Thanks to all NGO reps for sharing their views. Our discussion showed the urgent need for solutions to avoid escalation. Also needed is more internal dialogue.”

Osmani: Dialogue should be centred on mutual recognition (RTK)

President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, met with the Speaker of the Parliament of Austria, Wolfgang Sobotka, and discussed furthering cooperation between the two countries, a press release by Osmani’s office notes. Osmani praised Austria’s support for Kosovo and appreciated the fact that Austria was among the early supporters of the efforts of the people of Kosovo for freedom. She expressed her gratitude to Austria for its attentiveness towards the people of Kosovo, especially for the education of young people, when this right was being denied to them in their country.

Osmani said she is confident that Austria will continue to support Kosovo in the completion of the visa liberalisation process, membership in the Council of Europe and other international organisations. Sobotka reconfirmed the continuation of Austria's support for these goals.

Osmani also said that Kosovo continues to remain committed to close cooperation and coordination with international allies in contributing to sustainable peace and security. “Regarding the dialogue with Serbia, President Osmani said that this process should focus on mutual recognition and preserve the integrity of Kosovo's sovereignty and constitutional order,” the press release notes.

Italian Foreign and Defence Ministers to visit Kosovo and Serbia next week (Klan)

Italy’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence, Antonio Tajani and Guido Crosetto, will visit Kosovo and Serbia next week. “It is a very important zone for Italy. Next week, together with Defence Minister Guido Crosetto I will visit Serbia and Kosovo to promote stability in the Balkans,” Tajani said on Wednesday. Crossano said the visit to the region is important because there is a threat of the situation between Kosovo and Serbia escalating in light of increased tensions with the licence plates crisis.

Svecla: Government ready to shelter up to 5,000 Ukrainian refugees (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, said during the ministerial conference “Sustainable management of migration in the Western Balkans” in Skopje, North Macedonia, that the Kosovo government is ready to shelter up to 5,000 refugees from Ukraine and he highlighted Kosovo’s contribution to protect Ukrainian reporters and that 11 of them are currently living and working in Kosovo.

Svecla also reiterated the “Kosovo government’s engagement to work together and strengthen cooperation between countries of the Western Balkans, the European Union, and beyond, to respond to all challenges and to guarantee security and the protection of European and democratic values”.

Abdixhiku: Bondsteel should be a permanent military base (Kosovapress)

Leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lumir Abdixhiku said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that during his visit to the U.S. he met with Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger. “I congratulated him on his reelection. His experience of several decades in U.S. policy has outstanding value. His role in the current administration and his permanent sympathy for the Republic of Kosovo is a great opportunity for us. Transforming the U.S military base Bondsteel into a permanent military base was a topic of our discussion. Congressman Ruppersberger is greatly committed to Kosovo’s path toward the Euro-Atlantic family. His contribution in this respect will be crucial for the future security of our people. I invited Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger to visit Kosovo,” Abdixhiku said.

Haziri: U.S. first signs of reevaluating relations with Kosovo govt officials (Telegrafi)

Deputy leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) Lutfi Haziri said today that the United States of America already gave the first signs of reevaluating relations with Kosovo’s government officials. Haziri argued in a Facebook post that “the advice” from the biggest friend of Kosovo Albanians not to travel is a form of sanction. He was referring to reports that the U.S Embassy in Pristina has advised three ministers of Kurti’s government not to travel to the U.S. while Kosovo is facing a crisis.

“The United States will forever safeguard relations with the people of Kosovo but will damage relations with government officials when they lose their way. The U.S. have already given the first signs of reevaluating relations with Kosovo government officials. ‘The advice’ from the biggest friend of Kosovo Albanians not to travel, is a form of sanction. This is fatal and alarming,” Haziri wrote.

AJK reacts to the attack on the journalist in the north (Telegrafi)

The Association of Journalists of Kosovo has reacted after the attack that took place in the north of Mitrovica where a cameraman was injured.

AJK said in its response to the media, that the cameraman who was attacked is Jetmir Muji from the "Insajderi" portal, while strongly condemning this act.

"The cameraman of the ‘Insajderi’ portal Jetmir Muji, was attacked this morning in northern Mitrovica by a group of local Serbs, while he was shooting for a show.

According to this media, Muji together with the journalist Visar Duriqi, were in the north to prepare a show, when they saw a young man being put into a car by several people. When Muji filmed the event, he was attacked by these people, and he ended up in the Emergency Hospital in the south of Mitrovica," says the reaction.

AGK expresses concern and shock at the attack, at the same time invites the Kosovo Police to urgently investigate the case and identify the persons responsible.

Serbian Language Media

Members of the SL verified their mandates: Kurti’s plan prevented (media)

Today, nine members of the Serbian List technically verified their mandates in the Assembly of Kosovo in order to, as they pointed out, prevent "the dangerous and anti-Serb plan of Albin Kurti to, with the help of quasi-Serbs loyal to him, initiate the process of changing the Constitution in the Assembly with the aim of abolishing the guaranteed rights of our people on KiM", reported portal Kosovo Online.

As the reasons why they made this move, they cited the danger of the abolition of Serbian municipalities, the abolition of Serbian as an official language, the confiscation of monastery and church land, the formation of the Kosovo Army…

‘’Today's strategic decision most directly prevented the realisation of the plan of Albin Kurti and suitable Serbs for him to change the constitution and laws guaranteeing the rights of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija. The intention of Kurti and Rada Trajkovic, as well as others like her, was to vote for changes to the constitution that would lead to the abolition of Serbian municipalities, the seizure of property from the Serbian Orthodox Church, the abolition of the Serbian language, the right to representation in institutions, etc.’’ reported Serbian media.

They pointed out that they will not actively participate in the work of the assembly and that their procedure is of a purely technical nature, and that the decision to leave the institutions by the Serbs in the north remains in force.

"The only goal of our move today is to prevent mandates intended for Serbs from falling into the hands of Kurti and his collaborators, who do not wish anything good for the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija," stated Milan Joksimovic from the Serbian List, reported the portal.

Serbian Assembly Committee for KiM: The security situation in Kosovo unstable and tense (KoSSev)

''The security situation in Kosovo is extremely unstable and tense, especially in the context of the position of the Serbian and other non-Albanian communities. Such a situation is a consequence of the collapse of dialogue, non-respect of agreements reached, unilateral moves and daily systematic institutional, physical and psychological violence against the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija by the Pristina authorities,'' assessed the Committee for Kosovo and Metohija of the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia at yesterday's session closed to the public, reported portal KoSSev, citing the announcement sent to the media.

The information that this parliamentary committee considered was submitted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Security Information Agency (BIA), the Office for KiM and the Office for Coordination Affairs in the negotiation process with Pristina, which, as they state in a statement delivered to the media today, was explained by Acting Director of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, Petar Petkovic.

It demands from Pristina to "stop the terror against the Serbian people" and to instead devote itself to solving the problem in a peaceful way, through dialogue, with, as they specified, "achieving mutually acceptable solutions".

At the same time, they expressed their support for the Serbs in Kosovo.

"The board believes that the Serbian people of Kosovo and Metohija and their elected political representatives will continue to fight for their rights, a safe life, an equal position, and survival through peaceful, democratic means," they said.

The Serbian people, especially in the North, as they state, is presented as a destabilising factor, "and its political representatives are criminalised", and, as they concluded, in this way, a justification is created for the use of force "by the armed formations of PIS"

At the same time, the parliamentary committee called on the international community to urgently stop Pristina in, as they claim, the continuous implementation of violence against the Serbian people, and Pristina to implement the signed agreements, form the CSM (ZSO) and give up the decision on (re)registration.

They had a similar message for UNMIK, KFOR and EULEX, which they called on to fulfill their mandates in accordance with Resolution 1244 of the UN Security Council.

"To provide a peaceful environment for the life of the Serbian people, whose very survival in Kosovo and Metohija is threatened, and to prevent the PIS from using force against the civilian Serbian population and denying them basic human rights and freedoms," concluded the committee for Kosovo and Metohija.

EULEX chief says his officers can’t replace Kosovo Police (N1, KoSSev)

EULEX chief Lars-Gunnar Wigemark told the KoSSev news portal on Wednesday that his police officers have started foot patrols in the north of Kosovo but can’t replace the police.

According to him, the situation is calm but still frail in terms of security, adding that the people he spoke to from both communities voiced fear and showed a lack of mutual trust.

Serb officers quit the Kosovo Police after the commander of Police Region North was suspended for saying he would not issue warnings or fine drivers who failed to replace their Serbian-issued licence plates with Republic of Kosovo plates. Serbs also walked out of the judiciary and parliament.

Wigemark said that some 135 EULEX police officers were working in shifts in the north, patrolling in Mitrovica and other places to show their presence. He said the EULEX police is second in line after the Kosovo Police and added that KFOR is not engaged in law enforcement. There are limits and we coordinate with the Kosovo police and can’t take over their job, he said.

The EULEX chief said the police personnel in all four northern municipalities are working longer shifts and that the public are keeping vigilant.

In North Mitrovica, two Albanians were injured, one of them a journalist (KoSSev, Kontakt plus radio, N1, Danas, KiM radio)

Kosovo Police confirmed to portal KoSSev that in North Mitrovica, an incident occurred today in which two Albanians were injured, one of whom is a journalist.

According to the KP, one of the injured was transferred to the southern part of Mitrovica for medical treatment, while the other is in the Mitrovica KBC in the northern part.

According to eyewitness testimony, citizens helped one of them until the ambulance arrived, reported the portal.

Serbia, Hungary, Austria reach agreement on readmission (N1)

Serbia, Hungary and Austria reached agreement on the readmission of migrants which would include sharing expenses, President Aleksandar Vucic said on Wednesday.

He told a joint news conference with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer that the three countries would invest joint effort to solve the problem of illegal migration following Wednesday’s signing of a memorandum of understanding. “We reached an important agreement on readmission, that is the expelling of those who have no chance of being granted asylum,” Vucic said.

According to him, readmission will be done by aircraft. “That is very expensive. We will share the expenses with Hungary and Austria and have agreed that it will be a fair division,” he said and added that the plan will be implemented by the end of the year. He said the number of illegal migrants this year is almost double what it was in 2021 forcing Serbia to consider a change of visa regime.

Read more at:https://bit.ly/3hJJYfb

Licence plates and diplomacy behind closed doors: What’s on the table in an attempt to avoid a “dangerous situation” (euronews.rs)

In an attempt to avoid a dangerous situation, European mediators have stepped up their diplomatic activities in the last few days, mostly behind closed doors. However, although there is no progress so far, and a series of unconfirmed proposals and solutions appear in the media every day, the analysts do not see any possibility other than another delay, wrote portal euronews.rs.

However, what exactly the EU is offering and what its scope is in the next five days, to persuade the Kosovo PM Albin Kurti to postpone the implementation of the decision on the licence plates, and for Serbs to finally return to the institutions, are still questions without a clear answer. Dragisa Mijacic, coordinator of the National Convention on the EU for Chapter 35, told euronews.rs that this increased diplomacy is not surprising considering that the potential issuance of fines for the licence plates can cause unrest.

Commenting on these increased diplomatic activities, as well as the lack of transparency when it comes to them, Mijacic said that he is not surprised by this, but also that there are indications of the direction in which the talks are going.

“There is no absolute transparency when it comes to negotiations, so we can’t even expect to know what they are talking about now. There are some indications about the direction in which these talks are going. Certainly, the EU has given models for solutions, which is to postpone the implementation of the decision on the licence plates, the start of the creation of CSM (ZSO) and the return of the Serbs to the institutions. Now, whether this is possible under these circumstances, what will be solved first, we cannot assume at this moment. In my view, it is not simple to return the Serbs to the institutions in these circumstances, which means that this crisis will really last a long time and will require much more intensive diplomatic activity,” he said.

Jovana Radosavljevic from the New Social Initiative from Kosovska Mitrovica said that the situation in the north of Kosovo is tense.

“At this moment, any solution or progress, from the perspective of a person living in Kosovo, seems impossible. We are in a situation that is so tense and reminiscent of 2011 and seems hopeless,” Radosavljevic told Euronews.

Radosavljevic opined that the actors involved in this process, especially the official Pristina, and even some representatives of the international community, are not aware of the tectonic changes that are taking place.

“We are talking about a situation where institutions no longer exist. So, we are returning to the starting point and any talks about new proposals or proposals that were considered before the situation of November 5 are simply ungrateful, because we have absolutely two opposite realities. I think that in this situation, we will have to talk from the beginning, of course in hope that there will be no new escalation and incidents in the north of Kosovo,” she said.

Dusan Janjic, director of the Forum for Ethnic Relations, this increased diplomacy means crisis management, whose very realistic outcome might be the postponement of the decision on the plates once again.

“The news that the deadline will be extended is quite real, the deadline of 21st is precisely created in such a way, through a delay, back them it was thought that six months would be enough, but now it is not enough, it is obvious that a sustainable solution about the licence plates cannot be expected and surely it will be postponed again until one day when that comprehensive agreement is adopted. That is only one issue, after that, the issue of billing for electricity has also been postponed, now there is another package of problems with the exit of Serbs from institutions,” Janjic said.

Mijacic said that at this moment the most important thing is to stabilise the security conditions in the north of Kosovo. He pointed out that there is a large security vacuum created by the withdrawal of Serbian police officers from the Kosovo police services, and therefore the most important thing is to preserve the peace, which at this moment is not so simple.

“One of the basic conditions for preservation of peace is not to apply the decision on licence plates, to have it postponed, and the second, in my opinion, is an extremely important condition, which is the monitoring of the behaviour of special police forces in the north” he concluded.

Vucic: Serbia grateful to Angola for principled stance on Kosovo-Metohija (Tanjug)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic met with Angolan Interior Minister Eugenio Cesar Laborinho on Thursday, noting that Serbia is particularly grateful to Angola for its principled stance on Kosovo-Metohija and consistent support for Serbia's positions on the issue, reported Tanjug.

"Serbia remains committed to cherishing good relations with friendly countries, which we have built through history through mutual respect and understanding even in the most difficult times," Vucic noted.

Laborinho said Angola was watching the situation in the Western Balkan region closely and noted that his country would always support Serbia on the Kosovo-Metohija issue.

Presenting to Vucic a message from Angolan President Joao Lourenco, Laborinho expressed a desire for Serbia-Angola ties to be given a new impetus.

In turn, Vucic said he hoped Lourenco would visit Serbia soon.

Activities to mark 100 years since the birth of Angola's first president, Agostinho Neto - respected in Serbia as a historical figure symbolising the spirit of the fight for freedom and independence - were a special topic in the discussion, the presidential press office said in a statement.

Vucic and Laborinho agreed there was mutual interest in advancement of the underdeveloped bilateral economic cooperation and other forms of cooperation.

Petkovic: Verifying the mandate of the SL does not mean their return to parliament (RTS)

Director of the Office for KiM, Petar Petkovic told reporters that the reason for the verification of the mandate was the information that the prime minister in Pristina, Albin Kurti, is preparing, as he says, ‘’a hell plan’’ to take revenge on the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija, reported RTS.

"We are talking about the lists of Rasic, Petkovic and Rada Trajkovic, political parties that are absolutely minor, that almost do not exist in Kosovo and Metohija, for which in the last elections somewhere between 0.17 and 0.05 percent of the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija voted, we are talking about representatives of political parties who are at the level of statistical error," Petkovic said at the Palace of Serbia.

He added that the representatives of the Serbian List verified the mandates and immediately left the Assembly in order to keep those seats in the parliament and so that Kurti could not initiate the change of ''the so-called. Constitution of Kosovo'', which guarantees certain rights to the Serbian people in Kosovo and Metohija.

"If the scenario came true that Rasic's people, Rada Trajkovic, Slavisa Petkovic's people, who have no legitimacy and for whom almost no one voted in the KiM, would sit in those parliamentary seats, it would happen that Kurti would immediately start changing the constitution and Article 144, where they would take away the strongest weapon, that is that the Srpska list and the representatives of the Serbian people in Kosovo have," Petkovic said.

The signing of contracts with Serbs who left the institutions in Kosovo and Metohija has begun (RTS)

In four municipalities in the north of Kosovo and Metohija, the signing of contracts between the State of Serbia through the Office for Kosovo and Metohija and the Serbs who left the institutions of Pristina began.

As stated in the announcement of the Office for Kosovo and Metohija, ''in this way the promise made by the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, to our people in Kosovo and Metohija, was being fulfilled, who left the institutions, that the state will take care of each of them and that no one will be left without state support''.

With these contracts, it is added, Serbs who have left the institutions will have regulated all obligations from labour-legal relations, pension, health insurance, etc.

"Payment of these benefits will start regularly and citizens will have the money in their accounts already in December," the announcement states.

"So, all the income they received in the Pristina system, they will now have from their state of Serbia. In this way, the state sent a clear message that our people, who represent the bastion of stay and survival in Kosovo and Metohija, will be protected and taken care of, and have their own country by their side," the announcement concludes, reported RTS.

International

Guessing Games over Franco-German ‘Compass’ for Kosovo Conundrum (BIRN)

Officially, little is known about a Franco-German proposal to settle relations between Serbia and Kosovo. One leaked version implies recognition in all but name.