UNMIK Headlines 10 June
Tahiri: Deadline, 20 June (Epoka e Re)
The delegation of the Republic of Kosovo and that of Serbia are expected to conclude discussions on drafting a detailed plan for implementation of the 19 April agreement. Deputy Prime Minister and head of Kosovo delegation in these discussions, Edita Tahiri, said for Epoka e Re that these discussions have to conclude prior to Germany’s Bundestag meeting, which will be held on 25th of this month, respectively, before 28 June when the Summit of EU leaders will be held. Tahiri said that during the most recent meeting, the Serbian party denied existence of the so-called civilian protection in the north of Kosovo.
Belgrade conditions dissolving of judiciary with amnesty law (Koha Ditore)
Government of Serbia insists there will be no dissolving of its courts and police forces in the north of Kosovo until certain conditions are met the main one being law on amnesty.
Head of Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo Aleksandar Vulin refuted statements of the Kosovo Deputy Prime Minister Edita Tahiri that Serb illegal structures in the north will be dissolved by September. “For a while now Pristina is using talks in Brussels as one of the topics of pre-election campaign. This is not the case for Belgrade and neither for Serbs living in Kosovo and Metohija”, Vulin said.
At the same time, officials from the Kosovo Government said both Belgrade and Pristina are aware of the obligations they took on through the agreement reached in Brussels.
Tahiri: We will never talk with Serbia about Trepça (Koha Ditore)
The Serb Government has announced new agreements with US consortium “New Generation Power” for investments in the Trepça mine. The announced agreements and the one which has been already signed by Serbia, are considered by the Kosovo Government as illegal and unacceptable with Deputy Prime Minister, Edita Tahiri, and Minister for Economic Development, Fadil Ismaili, both claiming that Kosovo Government and institutions are the only addresses which can decide about Kosovo assets.
Kosovo Government says that it will never talk to Serbia about its mines and Trepça. According to Tahiri, this will never happen.
Minister of Mining in the Government of Serbia, Milan Bekcevic, has announced achievement of new agreements for Trepça. Furthermore, he called on his Kosovar counterpart to find companies to invest in Trepça because this, he said, will be in the benefit of the people in that part.
Kosovo DPM Edita Tahiri says that the statement of Serb minister is fiction as Trepça is a treasure of the state of Kosovo and its fate will not be discussed with Serbia under any circumstances.
Thaçi and Dacic to meet twice within a month (Tribuna)
Sources from the Kosovo Government said that Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi will be staying in Vienna on 16 June to take part in an international conference with the invitation from the Austrian Foreign Ministry.
“This conference will also be attended by Prime Minister of Serbia, Ivica Dacic, but also many other leaders from different countries. It has not been foreseen that a bilateral meeting between both prime ministers will happen in Vienna but of course in the framework of the meeting there could be a greeting or a handshake,” said a senior official from the PM’s office under anonymity conditions.
Also during June, Thaçi and Dacic will be travelling again to Brussels, where under the facilitation of Baroness Ashton they will discuss the deadlock in the implementation plan of the agreement.
Thaçi: Serbs in the north can vote with their own documents (dailies)
Papers quote Prime Minister Hashim Thaçi as saying that Serbs in the north will be able to vote with their own identification cards in upcoming local elections. He told the Serb media that the Serb citizens are not obliged to vote with documents of Republic of Kosovo. In the television show “Slobodno Srpski”, broadcasted in the network of Serb televisions in Kosovo, PM Thaçi rejected the information that in the local elections which are expected to be held in autumn the citizens can vote only with documents of Republic of Kosovo. “No, this is not true. This is only a negative message to intimidate the citizens in the north. The citizens can vote with their actual identification cards, and of course with other personal documents they have,” explained Thaçi.
Barricade “violates” dialogue (Tribuna)
Representatives of political parties in Kosovo consider that normalization of relations between Kosovo and Serbia is impossible without the removal of the barricade on River Ibër.
“Considering all political and security circumstances, that would have to be one of the first actions that parties would undertake”, said PDK’s MP Behar Selimi adding that the removal of the barricade would demonstrate sincerity of the parties in implementation of the agreement.
Representatives of the Serbs in the north of Kosovo think differently. Oliver Ivanovic said the agreement reached in Brussels can be implemented even without the barricade’s removal. “This barricade is self-protection for citizens in the north who fear they may be attacked by someone”, said Ivanovic adding that the blockade of the bridge will be removed once Serb citizens feel convinced that Government in Pristina will not undertake any forceful action to spread sovereignty in the north.
Halimi: Same status as Kosovo Serbs (Epoka e Re)
The leader of the Party for Democratic Action and deputy at Serbia’s Assembly, Riza Halimi, said in an interview for Epoka e Re that he has not received yet any official confirmation for an eventual meeting of Albanian leader of Preshevo Valley with the Serbian Prime Minister Ivica Dacic which is said will happen on 15 July. However, he said that he has information that the Government of Serbia will sit and discuss with Albanian leaders to resolve vital problems that Albanians of the Valley are facing. Halimi reiterated the request for the Albanians of the Valley to have the same status as Serbs in Kosovo.