UNMIK Headlines 3 June
Serbs waiting for instructions from Belgrade (Koha Ditore)
The paper reports in a front-page story that the Serb minority in Kosovo is waiting for instructions from Belgrade before they decide whether or not to participate in Kosovo’s parliamentary elections on 8 June. Despite highlighting the importance of elections, senior Serbian officials have yet to call on Kosovo Serbs to take part in them. Marko Djuric, director of the Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, said on Monday in Gracanica that Serbs need to listen to recommendations from mayors and members of the Serbian Parliament and the Assembly of Kosovo about their participation in elections. After visiting the Gracanica Monastery, Djuric said, “We heard your reservations about the provisional institutions and the behavior of Pristina and the Central Election Commission (CEC); but we won’t allow their actions to damage the Serbian state and our national interests in Kosovo.” Djuric pledged he would cooperate with the European Union and other international partners to facilitate the sustainable return of internally displaced persons and to secure the highest social, economic and political rights for Serbs living in Kosovo. He also said that the association of Serb majority municipalities would be one of Serbia’s priorities. Representatives of civil society organizations in Pristina that monitor elections said Serbs made a hasty decision by suspending their election activities. Representatives of the organization “Democracy in Action” called on Serb political parties to raise their concerns with the CEC and the Election Claims and Appeals Panel.
Lidington: Serbs should vote on 8 June (Lajm)
The British Minister for Europe, David Lidington, said that the stance of London is that Kosovo Serbs should vote on 8 June in order for the elections to have international legitimacy. Meanwhile, the British Ambassador in Kosovo, Ian Cliff, informed Serb politicians in the north that symbols of the “Republic of Kosovo” will not be removed from ballots and that an election boycott would hurt Kosovo Serbs.
Parties hide funds (Lajm)
On the front page, the paper reports on a study presented by the Group for Judicial and Political Studies, which claimed that the funding of political parties remains closed and nontransparent. Fisnik Korenica from the Group said that the funding in Kosovo does not fulfill international standards, noting that there are no sufficient mechanisms to verify whether donors have been reported or not. “The study shows that every party in Kosovo lacks internal financial control. Regarding external control, presently, the financial statements of political parties are audited only by private auditors,” emphasized Korenica.
Mustafa: I will personally lead dialogue with Serbia (RTK)
Isa Mustafa, leader of the Democratic League of Kosovo (LDK), said in a debate on Klan Kosova last night that he would not enter into a coalition with the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK). Asked who would lead the dialogue with Serbia if he is elected as prime minister, Mustafa said he would personally lead the process.
Germany has no disagreements with Kosovo (Kosova Sot)
German MP and Member of the Bundestag Commission for South-East Europe Peter Beyer told Deutsche Welle that there is no disagreement between the German Government and the current Kosovo leadership. “In the parliamentary groups that are part of the ruling coalition there is no difference in positions towards Kosovo. On the contrary, it was stressed that progress was achieved in Kosovo”, said Beyer.
25 bodies exhumed so far from Raska mass grave (Tribuna)
Forensic teams working at the mass grave in Rudnica, Raska, have so far managed to recover 25 human remains believed to be from Kosovo Albanians who went missing during the 1998-99 conflict. Forensic expert Arsim Gerxhaliu said the exhumations are proceeding at a high speed and explained that a three-member team from Kosovo has been at the site since 23 April. “We are waiting to exhume as many bodies as possible and then send them for DNA tests all at once”, said Gerxhaliu.
Lumezi scores highest for position of state chief prosecutor (Koha Ditore)
The paper reports on page four that Aleksander Lumezi has scored highest in the interviews for the position of state chief prosecutor. Lumezi now leads the list of eight candidates and the new state chief prosecutor will be appointed after the retirement of the current chief prosecutor, Ismet Kabashi. Lumezi currently holds the position of chief prosecutor of the Appeals Prosecution.