UNMIK Headlines 13 October
International frustration with Kosovo grows (Koha Ditore)
Members of the international community are becoming increasingly frustrated with Kosovo’s leadership for not being able to find a way out of the political deadlock, the paper reports on the front page. Unnamed international officials told the paper that they are disappointed with the current political situation but at the same time remain determined not to intervene. “However, if the situation remains unchanged for a while that will be unacceptable for us, and we will change our stance on how we support Kosovo”, said an official from an EU member state.
Jahjaga-Vucic meeting behind closed doors (Lajm)
The President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, is expected to meet the Prime Minister of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, at the Crown Plaza hotel in Belgrade during the next session of the Trilateral Commission. The meeting will take place behind closed doors, Jovan Kovacic, the Serbian representative at the Trilateral Commission, told the Serbian daily Danas. The Trilateral Commission will meet in Belgrade from 31 October until 2 November, and other regional leaders, in addition to Jahjaga and Vucic, have also been invited.
Jahjaga knows the date (Tribuna)
On the front page, the paper reports that the President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, is expected to inform political leaders very soon that they may have another deadline for forming new institutions, and if this final attempt at resolving the stalemate fails, it is highly likely that Kosovo will head to fresh parliamentary elections. Jahjaga already knows how long she is prepared to wait before deciding the future course of action, which may very well include announcing early elections.
Decani Monastery walls sprayed with graffiti (Lajm)
The walls of the Decani Monastery were sprayed yesterday with graffiti containing references to the Islamic extremist group ISIS and the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA). Some of the graffiti appears to be in Arabic, and one message in English says: “The caliphate is coming.” The closest graffiti is around 300 meters from the Monastery building, while other graffiti is spread across other buildings around 500 meters from the Monastery. Kosovo Police and KFOR were informed about the incident and immediately went to the site. Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga condemned the vandalism, calling it ugly and unacceptable. Kosovo Prime Minister Hashim Thaci also deplored the act in a Facebook post, noting that the Monastery has UNESCO world heritage status and that the graffiti goes against the sacred values associated with the fight for the liberation of Kosovo.