UNMIK Headlines 21 August
Legal and illegal Serb representatives unite against EULEX (Koha)
Mayors of municipalities in northern Kosovo called on EULEX and the international community on Wednesday to apply the same rules for Serbs as for all other people in Kosovo during the implementation of laws. In a document sent to EULEX, the northern mayors complained about injustices against Serbs. “While Albanians who are suspected of the most serious crimes are allowed to be released on bail, and in the worst case put under house arrest, special rules are applied for Serbs. According to these rules, Serbs are guilty until proven otherwise,” it was said. The document was signed by the four northern mayors, chairpersons of municipal assemblies, leaders of provisional bodies from northern Kosovo and the so-called head of the district of Mitrovica. Northern Serb representatives said they would meet on 29 August and decide what will be their future course of action.
Jahjaga: UNMIK an important mission (Kosova Sot)
Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga yesterday received and officially bid farewell to the UNMIK Deputy Head, Robert E. Sorensen. President Jahjaga congratulated Sorensen for his commitment and contribution to the Mission in Kosovo. At the same time, she welcomed the work done by UNMIK in Kosovo throughout the years and for its symbolic but important role in Kosovo after independence. Sorensen thanked Jahjaga for the cooperation that the Presidency and other institutions of Kosovo have shown towards UNMIK.
Tahiri: No dialogue without mediation (dailies)
Several dailies quote Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri as saying that dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade cannot take place without mediation by the European Union. Tahiri, who heads Pristina’s team in talks with Belgrade, also said: “I believe that dialogue without facilitation will not produce any results. Even with the brokered dialogue, on several occasions, we had to ask Brussels to apply pressure on Belgrade to implement the agreements we reached.”
Rexhepi: No comprehensive government without PDK (Kosova Sot)
Kosovo Interior Minister Bajram Rexhepi said on Wednesday that if the opposition bloc forms the new government without including the Vetevendosje Movement, it would fail in two weeks. “This will happen because the Serbian List will have unreasonable requests vis-à-vis the new government. The PDK does not have the numbers to form the government and yet it still won’t make compromises about the post of prime minister,” Rexhepi said. PDK deputy leader Adem Grabovci said there could not be a comprehensive government without the PDK.
Kurteshi: We won’t back down from our principles (Epoka e Re)
Vetevendosje MP Ismail Kurteshi told the paper on Wednesday that, if Vetevendosje is not included in the new government, it will not be a government of change. Kurteshi said Vetevendosje is not interested to change only the names of the leaders but to change the manner of governing. He also said that if the opposition coalition does not accept Vetevendosje’s conditions, Vetevendosje will act as a new opposition. “We believe that we will gain the support of the citizens, become the leading political force in the country, and govern properly,” Kurteshi added.
Minister Rexhepi meets with head of EULEX (Lajm)
Kosovo Interior Affairs Minister Bajram Rexhepi met with the head of EULEX in Kosovo, Bernd Borchardt. They discussed the security situation in Kosovo. Rexhepi briefed Borchardt about the Kosovo Police operation that resulted in the arrest of 40 people suspected of terrorist activities. Borchardt congratulated Kosovo Police and the Kosovo institutions for their fight against terrorism. Rexhepi and Borchardt also condemned the distribution of anti-EULEX pamphlets in northern Kosovo.
No mortal remains found in “Rudnica 3” yet (Lajm)
No mortal remains have been found since the start of excavations in “Rudnica 3.” So far, 45 bodies have been found in the quarry close to the southern Serbian city of Rashka. Prenk Gjetaj, head of the Kosovo government’s missing persons committee, said he expects the search to be concluded soon. “The search will continue until the entire location has been fully checked,” Gjetaj said.
Over €25 million from Arab states (Zeri)
The paper reports on its front page that, according to data received from the Central Bank of Kosovo, over €25 million arrived in Kosovo from the Arab states in 2013 and the beginning of 2014, while the amount that reached Kosovo in 2012 was over €30 million. Ardita Begu, protocol and communications officer at the Central Bank of Kosovo, said the funds arrived to Kosovo in the form of goods, services, salaries, donations and direct foreign investments. Begu said they do not have information about the final destination of such funds.