UNMIK Headlines 29 July
Williamson to present his report today (dailies)
The lead prosecutor of the European Union Special Investigative Task Force (SITF), Clint Williamson, who carried out a three-year-long investigation into allegations of organ trafficking and war crimes in Kosovo will make his findings public today at a press conference in Brussels. Over the last week, media have speculated widely about the possible findings and indictments against former Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) leaders. The press conference is set to begin at 10:30.
Serbia’s EU integration shouldn’t depend on Kosovo political problems (Koha)
The head of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, Marko Djuric, said that his country wants to open the 35th chapter of EU negotiations as soon as possible without additional conditions. “If Pristina is not ready to discuss certain issues to reach an agreement, or imposes unrealistic conditions, that should not hurt Serbia’s European integration”, said Djuric in an interview for the Serb newspaper Jedinstvo. He reiterated that the “Peace Park” on the Mitrovica bridge will remain and that its future will be discussed further during the Brussels talks.
Petrovic: We support the candidate who has the majority (Lajm)
One of the representatives of the Serbian List, Slobodan Petrovic, told Radio Kontakt Plus that it is very important that authorities in Belgrade supported the participation of Serbs in the Kosovo Assembly and government. “Whoever has the majority, we will respond to their invitation to be part of the government. We have a platform that will be the basis for discussion on our participation in the future Kosovo government,” emphasized Petrovic.
Construction works at Kroi i Vitakut stopped (Zeri)
A previous decision by the Kosovo Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning to ban construction in northern Kosovo was enforced on Sunday. Ministry inspectors placed safety tape around two multi-story buildings being constructed at the Kroi i Vitakut neighbourhood, thus preventing any further construction at the site. The construction of the buildings was funded by the Government of Serbia. Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri said the Kosovo government acted in accordance with its competencies and that it will continue to take measures against any action that does not have adequate approval from authorities. The Serbian List reacted to the blocking of construction by urging the international community to closely follow developments in Mitrovica and prevent its destabilization.
Kosovo Army a threat to Serbia (Zeri)
Serbian Minister of Defence Bratislav Gasic said that Kosovo is the biggest threat to Serbia’s security. “This is why we are engaged with international forces in Kosovo, according to the United Nations mandate, keeping the peace and maintaining security of minorities”, Minister Gasic told a Novi Sad-based paper, Dnevnik. He added that the notion of a Kosovo army is dangerous for Serbia and the region and that the Government of Serbia is working actively to prevent that danger. “We are ready to react in an appropriate manner”, said Gasic.
Kosovo Special Prosecution engaged in war crimes investigations (Bota Sot)
Prosecutor Sevdie Morina told the BIRN-produced TV show “Justice in Kosovo” that the Special Prosecution of Kosovo is ready to investigate war crimes. “We have opened cases concerning 23 individuals, all Kosovo Albanians suspected of war crimes. The readiness to work on these cases exists, and it now remains to be seen if we are going to complete these cases successfully. Everyone knows that the Special Prosecution will also deal with war crimes,” she said. Morina added that the Special Prosecution is also investigating 11 cases of terrorism.
Kosovo Islamic Community committed to fight extremists (Lajm)
The Kosovo Islamic Community is committed to fighting against extremism, radicalism, and any group that could damage Kosovo, its security or religion, stated Kosovo Mufti Naim Ternava, on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr. He noted that everyone should work to protect Kosovo against extremism. He called on all imams and all people to be vigilant and not allow any extremist and radical groups to act in Kosovo.