UNMIK Headlines 6 April
Thaçi ready for agreement (dailies)
Prime Minister of Kosovo Hashim Thaçi in a meeting with his cabinet ministers said he hoped there will be a stepped-up effort in the coming days from all relevant actors to secure an agreement between Kosovo and Serbia on issues discussed over the last six months.
“Despite the difficulties accompanying this process, which have been anticipated and are completely normal, we hope in the reaching of an agreement and the dialogue remains the only alternative for building good neighbourhood between Kosovo and Serbia”, said Thaçi. “If an agreement is reached, both sides will be winners. If no agreement is reached, both sides will lose”, stressed Thaçi underlining the importance of the time aspect. “We consider that has been delayed for fifteen years should be achieved now and we should not waste time”, he noted.
No re-negotiations (Tribuna)
Sources told the paper that authorities in Pristina and Belgrade have received the final draft agreement which is not all that different from the eight-point proposal published ahead of 2 April meeting in Brussels. This document is to be carefully reviewed by the parties by Tuesday but they will not be able to present any additional proposals or remarks to it. All that is left to the parties now, writes the paper, is to either accept or reject the proposed agreement. Furthermore, Serbia’s Prime Minister Ivica Dacic, sources said, has not managed to secure support from certain EU member states for additional time for re-negotiating the agreement while his Kosovo counterpart Hashim Thaçi has already said yes to the proposal.
LDD joins forces with AAK (dailies)
Nexhat Daci’s Democratic League of Dardania (LDD) decided to join efforts with Ramush Haradinaj’s Alliance for Future of Kosovo (AAK) in a pre-election coalition saying their partnership has a mission and a vision to change the situation in Kosovo. Daci also called members of Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) where he once was a senior official to join LDD and AAK.
Haradinaj: Most leaders want Assembly to elect the president (Koha Ditore)
Leader of Alliance for Future of Kosovo (AAK) Ramush Haradinaj is quoted as having said that majority of political parties, except Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK) and New Kosovo Alliance (AKR), want the president of Kosovo to be elected by the Assembly and not through direct vote from the citizens. “However, they [LDK and AKR] are aware that in the absence of a consensus, the present model will remain in force”, said Haradinaj after a meeting with leaders of main political parties.
US: Assembly of Kosovo not to tackle issue of land in Deçan (Zëri)
US Embassy in Kosovo reacted on the Friday’s debate at the Assembly of Kosovo on the transfer of public and social property during 1998-99. “The United States Embassy is disappointed by the tenor of today’s Assembly debate regarding the conveyance of public and social property from 1989-1999. While an exchange of ideas on issues of importance to Kosovo is healthy, decisions confirmed by competent authorities should be respected. Any Assembly effort to engage in issues outside its legal mandate, including the Decan land case, threatens Kosovo’ stability and the integrity of the institutional system established by the Constitution”, reads the statement issued by the US Embassy in Pristina.