UNMIK Headlines 19 July
Stability, Belgrade’s key interest in Kosovo (Zeri)
Head of Serbian Government’s Office for Kosovo, Marko Djuric, met in Mitrovica the head of UNMIK, Farid Zarif, and said that stability is Belgrade’s key interest in Kosovo. Djuric told the reporters after meeting Zarif that the topic of discussion was the political and security situation in Kosovo. “I told him [Zarif] that Kosovo Serb representatives will take active part in talks on forming of the new administration and government in the province, that the goal is to support and encourage participation of Serbs in the Kosovo Government in order to resolve at least some of the many problems,” said Djuric.
Constitutional Court, last hope for PDK (dailies)
Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) yesterday submitted to the Constitutional Court its request to suspend election of Isa Mustafa as Assembly Speaker arguing that the Constitution of Kosovo was violated during Assembly’s constitutive session on Thursday. PDK officials that filed the request, Memli Krasniqi and Xhavit Haliti, said they believe there were procedural and constitutional violations relating to Mustafa’s election.
Merkel: Forming of the new Kosovo Government, urgent issue (Zeri)
German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, is quoted on the front page of the paper as saying to the members of Bundestag that the most pressing issue in Kosovo is the forming of a new government following June elections.
Elections remain an option (Tribuna)
On the front page, the paper quotes sources as saying that in case the decision of the Constitutional Court would not be announced by 4 August and would eventually conclude that the session of Assembly’s constitution was anti-constitutional, fresh elections would be inevitable. Kosovo’s Constitution stipulates that Assembly of Kosovo should be formed no later than one month from the date election results are certified. Results of 8 June elections were certified on 4 July.
Serb side delays request for a meeting on missing persons (Koha Ditore)
On 4 July, the Kosovo delegation, through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), asked for an urgent meeting with the Serb side following the decision of Belgrade authorities to stop the excavations into suspected mass grave sites in Rudnica of Raska. The Serb side only replied now to the request for a meeting that was proposed to take place last week. It now suggested the meeting could take place during the last week of July, but according to the head of Kosovo Government’s commission on missing persons, Prenk Gjetaj, this time is not convenient for the Kosovo team because it is considered to be too late.