UNMIK Headlines 18 December
Serbia receives EU negotiations date (dailies)
Serbia will formally start on 21 January next year negotiations for membership in the EU. The decision was taken unanimously by the ministers of 28 member countries in the meeting of the Council of General Affairs in Brussels, on Tuesday. This decision came as a result of the positive reports that EU High Representative Catherine Ashton presented to the Council regarding the fulfillment of obligations from Serbia in the dialogue with Kosovo.
EU Enlargement Commissioner, Stefan Fuele, said that if Serbia approaches membership negotiations with the same commitment as it did the dialogue with Kosovo, it will progress very fast in the integration process. Meanwhile, member countries did not agree to give Albania candidate status even though it was recommended by European Commission.
Ashton’s positive report received negatively in Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore reports that the contents of the reports of the facilitator of political dialogue between Kosovo and Serbia have shocked official Pristina. One Government official, who talked under anonymity, has described the report as “positive and romantic”. The motive for such content, he said to have been the determination that membership negotiations with Serbia are to start by any means. Civil society concluded that the content of Ashton report does not have to do with the reality on the ground.
In her written report sent to the EU foreign ministers, Ashton has evaluated as extraordinary positive the implementation of the achieved agreements in the dialogue and has suggested the start of negotiations for the membership of Serbia. She did not mention at all last week’s failure of prime ministers, Hashim Thaçi and Ivica Dacic to agree about the courts in the north.
“We are surprised from the positive and romantic position expressed in the report of Baroness Ashton. If that situation would have been real it would have been great. We would not need to go to Brussels anymore for the meetings, but it is not like that at all,” said the source of newspaper involved in the Kosovo-Serbia dialogue process.
337 former MUP members, candidates for KosovoPolice (Koha Ditore)
Based on KTV broadcaster, this daily reports that Serbia’s authorities handed over to Kosovo institutions the list of 337 former MUP members, from which 250 to 270 of them will be integrated in Kosovo Police. This written information was sent at the Commission for Internal Affairs and Security by the Minister of Interior, Bajram Rexhepi, who informed that despite all the stagnations, Serbian party handed over the list of former MUP members who have expressed readiness to join Kosovo Police, on 11 December. This written information says that all former MUP members will appear at police stations in the north and commence all the required legal procedures, foreseen for employment at police.
Invitations with Tsar Lazar inscription sent to Albanian deputies in the north (dailies)
Koha Ditore reports that the elect mayor of north Mitrovica, Krstimir Pantic, without taking the duty officially started to implement his promises that he will never work with the laws of the Republic of Kosovo. In the invitations sent to the Albanian deputies of the Assembly for the inaugural session he placed symbols and provocations that reject the statehood of Kosovo. The name of Tsar Lazar, inscription Northern Kosovo, and footnote with Resolution 1244 are some of the elements which have been inserted in the invitation. Meanwhile, the symbols of the state of Kosovo are missing. Government officials say that they have not seen the invitations yet. Albanian deputies said that they are going to review the possibility not to take part in the inauguration session of the Mitrovica north Municipal Assembly
Commission should be created for election reform (Epoka e Re)
Expert of election processes and former head of Central Election Commission, Mazllum Baraliu, said for this daily that President Atifete Jahjaga should be the initiator of the debate on election reforms, not the internationals. Despite from this, Baraliu requested creation of a new parliamentary commission or re-functioning of the former Commission for Changes of Election Law, in order for the reform to end six months prior to the general elections. Speaking about the discussions on the reserved seats for minorities at the Assembly, Baraliu said that these seats should not be allowed any more.
Surroi: Victory of Serb List could create Republic inside Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
Koha Ditore quotes publicist and former publisher of the paper Veton Surroi as saying that the Serb List is creating an entity which in the future could request independence from Kosovo. He said that this situation has been created while Kosovo has entered in talks with Serbia unprepared. Surroi also commented on the results of local elections, saying that the victory of the Serb List in seven municipalities with Serb community could create a republic inside Kosovo.