UNMIK Headlines 3 May
Thaçi excuses Serbia for disregarding the agreement (Koha Ditore)
Kosovo Prime Minister, Hashim Thaçi, said on Thursday that the agreement between Kosovo and Serbia has not been violated, namely the part that refers to the implementation plan which, according to the agreement, should have been drawn by 26 April.
Thaçi insisted that the media reports suggesting this point of the agreement has been violated constitute misinterpretation. “It is not a violation, because the meeting of our teams happened last week, before 26 April. Kosovar side has accepted it, also European Union has accepted it at the same time. Regarding Serbia, it requested few more days of consultations,” said Thaçi. “The decisiveness of the authorities in Belgrade is encouraging that the implementation will happen despite the refusal of few individuals that kept that region under pressure and illegality for 14 years.”
Zbogar: No autonomy for the north (Kosova Sot)
EU Special Representative to Kosovo Samuel Zbogar in an interview for the paper stressed that a new stage in relations between Kosovo and Serbia has started and the EU is happy with the progress reached in the six-month dialogue. “I am not saying we’ve reached the end but we have started a very important process”, said Zbogar.
Speaking about arrangements foreseen for the north, Zbogar said that parallel security structures are to be disbanded and integrated into the Kosovo Police or other security structures.
He also added that the competencies for the Association of Serb municipalities are clearly defined in the agreement. “The Association will have certain authorizations based on the Kosovo laws pertaining to economic development, urban and rural planning, education and healthcare. Authorizations of the Association will remain in the level of local self-government”, pointed out Zbogar.
Kosovo Police with no plan for inclusion of MUP members (dailies)
Kosovo Police does not have a specific plan for the inclusion of the members of Serbia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs (MUP), said on Thursday in Mitrovica, Kosovo’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Bajram Rexhepi, and Kosovo Police director, Shpend Maxhuni.
“We are still at the start of this process and for the moment I cannot give a specific answer how the whole process will take place”, said Maxhuni.
In connection with the possibility of arresting MUP members who committed crimes in north Mitrovica and Kosovo, Minister Rexhepi emphasized that people who have prevented rule of law, who have violated security of citizens and who have threatened others should be dismissed and not be given a place at the legal Kosovo institutions.
Serbian gendarmerie “assists” in implementation of agreement (Tribuna)
The paper notes on the front page that both local and international institutions in Kosovo are silent about patrols by Serbian gendarmerie in the northern part of the country.
Sources told the paper that members of the Serbian gendarmerie patrolling in the north are under the direct command of Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic and his deputy Aleksandar Vucic.
The mission of Serbian gendarmerie members is to assist in the management of “powerful individuals in the north that don’t obey the agreement”. The same sources said Serbian gendarmerie started patrolling the north one week before Thaçi and Dacic reached the agreement on the north.
“It is true that they were deployed by the Serbian Government out of fear that the agreement will fail and fearing that the Kosovar side will make unilateral steps in the north. But now in consultation with the parties they will see to the implementation of the agreement,” the source added.
Police refutes reports of Serb Gendarmerie’s presence in the north (Zëri)
Kosovo Police in Mitrovica dismissed reports that members of the Serb Gendarmerie are patrolling in the north. Spokesperson Besim Hoti said that is not true. “These are speculative and misinforming reports aimed at causing panic and concern with citizens”, said Hoti.
Ihsanoglu: I will continue to lobby for Kosovo (dailies)
Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu assured Kosovo leadership that he will personally remain engaged in lobbying for increase of Kosovo independence recognitions with members of the OIC.
Addressing Kosovo Assembly, Ihsanoglu said that the reason behind hesitation of some countries to recognize Kosovo is lack of information. He said that out of 51 Islamic countries members of OIC, 31 have already recognized Kosovo.
“I am convinced that the number of the countries that have recognized Kosovo will continue to increase and Kosovo will take its place at the UN and also gain membership at the OIC”, said Ihsanoglu.
Serb MPs threaten ruling coalition (Tribuna)
The Serb Liberal Party (SLS), the biggest Serb political party in Kosovo and a member of the ruling coalition, has been split in half in Kosovo’s Parliament. Namely, three MPs of the SLS parliamentary group – Biserka Kostic, Boban Todorovic and Milivoje Stojanovic – on Thursday were ready to leave the SLS and operate as MPs without a parliamentary group. SLS leader Slobodan Petrovic, who is also deputy prime minister of Kosovo, confirmed to the paper that there are problems in his parliamentary group but said there is no reason for concern. “It is not serious,” Petrovic said, without revealing further details about splits in his party.
However, the ruling political party – the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) – is concerned by the decision of the Serb MPs to walk out of the coalition. Sources told the paper that Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi addressed the issue on Thursday. The same source also said the three Serb MPs were contacted by foreign diplomatic offices in Pristina in an attempt to prevent a split in the SLS.
“The initiative of the three Serb MPs is to get several other MPs and create their own parliamentary group and enter talks with Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi to ask for a ministry if he wants their support in parliament,” a senior government official told the paper.
Meanwhile, Labor and Social Welfare Minister Nenad Rasic indicated the creation of a new parliamentary group. He did not talk to the paper on the matter, but according to sources he supports the idea for a new parliamentary group.