UNMIK Headlines 26 May
President to represent Kosovo at Security Council (Epoka e Re)
The UN Security Council will hold on Tuesday its meeting on the most recent report of the UN Secretary-General on Kosovo. Unlike other times, Kosovo and Serbia will be represented by their presidents. Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Petrit Selimi stated on Sunday that the quarterly report of Ban Ki-moon on Kosovo is positive, since the situation in Kosovo is improving every day. “It is a regular meeting that is held every three or four months. This time, it is expected that the concerned states will be represented by their presidents,” said Selimi. The Secretary-General’s report will focus on the Brussels agreement and non-implementation of some of the agreement’s points.
Court to review murder case of UNMIK and KP officers today (Tribuna)
Today a court will decide whether Florim Ejupi, arrested last week by EULEX, will remain in detention or will be released, the paper reports on the front page. He has already been acquitted of the charges of killing UNMIK and Kosovo police officers in March 2004 and is now facing terrorism charges. The other detainee, Bajram Kicmari, will be kept in detention for 30 days. The murder of the two police officers was reopened after ten years following testimony from a EULEX cooperating witness, a former Kosovo Police officer who has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for the March 2004 killings.
Pula: Election fraud will be punished (Epoka e Re)
The National Election Coordinator of State Prosecutors, Laura Pula, said in an interview for this daily that over 100 prosecutors will be engaged in monitoring the early elections of 8 June. She said that the state prosecution and Kosovo Police will be uncompromising towards any promoters of election fraud. She added that there will be zero tolerance towards anyone who violates the will of the citizens. She said that the state prosecution’s operational plan includes media reporting on the day of elections, as well as interactions on social networks, in order to be informed of eventual abuses.
EU monitors in the field today (Lajm)
Members of the EU observer mission, who arrived in Kosovo on Sunday, have been dispersed to different municipalities in Kosovo to follow the pre-election period and other developments on the eve of elections. The deputy head of the observation mission, Marian Gabriel, said that the teams will be placed all over Kosovo. “Sixty-two additional EU observers will also be coming in Kosovo and our team will also join diplomatic international staff located in Kosovo. I don’t know the number exactly, but around 100 observers are going to follow the election process,” Gabriel said.
Ballots with state emblem also in the north (Epoka e Re)
Members of the Central Election Commission (CEC) said that, unlike in the last local elections, the emblem of the “Republic of Kosovo” will be printed on ballots for northern Kosovo as well. Betim Gjoshi, Florian Dushi and Binak Vishaj, told this daily that ballots will be the same throughout the entire territory of Kosovo and added that there will be no compromise on this issue.
Serbia thinks KSF’s offer of assistance is insincere (Tribuna)
Serbia’s Office for Kosovo said it was terrified by the insincerity of authorities in Pristina who offered assistance to Serbia in overcoming the flood crisis. “At a time when victims are being counted in Serbia and damages from the flooding are being recorded, Kosovo prime minister Hashim Thaci offers assistance from the forces that the Serb people in Kosovo only remember bad things about”, said the office in a statement. It also accused Thaci of using the days of mourning in Serbia to campaign for the Kosovo Liberation Army.
NATO will not reduce troops in Kosovo (Zeri)
NATO does not plan to reduce its military presence in Kosovo this year, despite the fact that the security situation in Ukraine has become an international focus. That is according to a high-ranking NATO official, who added that KFOR’s operation in Kosovo, under the United Nations mandate, is to secure a safe environment for all people in Kosovo. “This mission didn’t change. We are going to adjust our force level based on the reality in the field. This was always a process based on circumstances. And clearly, the conditions for a reduction of our presence have not yet been fulfilled,” the official said.
Beqaj: Isa Mustafa could be arrested (Lajm)
Kosovo Finance Minister Besim Beqaj said the LDK could be left without its leader Isa Mustafa, because he will have to face the law. Beqaj made these comments during a television discussion on Klan Kosova. He accused the LDK of failing to repair roads despite having had a surplus of 18 million Euros in the budget during its leadership of the Pristina municipality, reports Indeksonline.