Headlines - 19.03.2014

PDK with memorandum to abolish Parliament (Tribuna)

The paper’s front-page report details how PDK leader Hashim Thaci is planning to reach a written agreement with leaders of political parties that would set the date to abolish Parliament and for early general elections. Senior PDK officials have an unfinished draft-agreement in their hands that they will present to other political parties at a meeting that Prime Minister Thaci plans to host soon.

“We are in the final phase of preparing the written agreement. In fact, the agreement contains several points that we believe will be accepted by all political parties. The abolishment of Parliament is one of the proposals, and we will discuss the timelines at the meeting. We hope that other parties will agree on these points,” a senior PDK official told the paper, adding that PDK plans to suggest 15 April as the latest date to abolish parliament and the last Sunday of May for early general elections.

Statutes “barricade” Serbs (Zeri)

Serb representatives in the north said they will not agree to change the recently-passed municipal statutes and reaffirmed their neutral stance towards the status of Kosovo. In fact, certain officials in the north are quoted saying that they took part in local elections after being promised that northern municipalities will not be made to recognise Kosovo’s independence. Authorities in Pristina say that if the statutes of northern municipalities are not changed within a month’s time, the new mayors might be declared “illegal” and extraordinary elections would be announced.

Romania indicates Kosovo recognition (dailies)

Romania will soon join countries that have recognised Kosovo’s independence and will support Albania’s candidate status for EU membership in June. Romanian Prime Minister Viktor Ponta said the issue continues to attract polemics in his country but he also gave signals that the process will conclude soon.

“We talked about Kosovo too. Romania’s final position will be a result of the cooperation between the President, Parliament and the Government. I can speak on behalf of the Government; in all cases the Romanian Government has supported the development of institutions in Kosovo. In Serbia and Kosovo, EU member states will provide their assistance and this will be the best solution. This is the future for the whole region,” Ponta said.

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama welcomed his Romanian counterpart’s position on Kosovo. “The position of the Prime Minister gives us hope that, in the not so distant future, Romania will join countries that have recognised Kosovo,” Rama said.

Moschopoulos: All EU members should recognise Kosovo (Koha Ditore)

According to the Greek Ambassador in Kosovo, Dimitris Moschopoulos, Greece will recognise Kosovo not because it is a good state, but in the interest of peace and stability in the region. In an interview for Koha Ditore, the Ambassador expressed that his country wants Kosovo in the EU and political recognition from every member country, although he cannot say when Greece will recognise Kosovo.

Bazo: KAF with NATO’s blessing (Koha Ditore)

General Jeronim Bazo, chief of the General Staff of Albania’s Armed Forces, said during his visit to Pristina on Tuesday that the establishment of the Kosovo Armed Forces (KAF) requires NATO’s blessing. “This is a very important moment. I am very happy because I am visiting during a period that is interesting and challenging and very promising in the history of development of the Kosovo Security Force,” said General Major Bazo, referring to preparations for transformation of the Kosovo Security Force into the KAF.

Police analysing information on assassination against Ahmeti (Koha Ditore)

The paper reports on the front page that Kosovo police are analysing information about an alleged plan to assassinate Pristina mayor Shpend Ahmeti. A week ago, a citisen informed police that he overheard a conversation between a few men in a Pristina restaurant about giving a sum of money to assassinate Ahmeti and to purchase weapons. These were reportedly businessmen who work in construction, trade and fuel businesses. Ahmeti meanwhile was informed by police and his security measures have been stepped up. Both police and Ahmeti confirmed the information, but they did not reveal any further details.

Kosovo and Serbia agree on permanent buildings at the border (Kosova Sot)

The technical teams of Kosovo and Serbia discussed on Tuesday in Brussels about implementing the Border Management Agreement and technical protocol. A press release informs that the main subject of the discussions was on reaching a conclusion on building permanent facilities at six border crossings: “The final agreement on the locations of these buildings and their design, in accordance with the best practices in the Balkans, has been reached. These permanent IBM facilities will enable a more advanced border check, which will contribute to further facilitating the movement of citisens and goods, and also increase security and neighbourly cooperation.”

Instead of resignation, Muja suspends his mandate (Koha Ditore)

Mayor of Prizren Ramadan Muja decided on Tuesday to suspend his mandate until the Court for Appeals brings the decision on his case. “Convinced on my innocence, I have decided to suspend my mayoral activities in the municipality until the Court of Appeals brings the verdict on my appeal to the Basic Court,” says a notification signed by Muja. The mayor’s advisor, Samir Hoxha, confirmed that Kujtim Gashi will be the acting mayor. The decision was made after a two-day protest by a group of ten people in front of the municipality building.