UNMIK Headlines 10 October
Six special court witnesses transferred outside Kosovo (Koha Ditore)
The paper reports today that at least six witnesses who will testify at the special court have already left Kosovo. They were transferred in different countries, awaiting trials that will start after the establishment of the special court which will address war crimes. The paper claims to have learnt that these protected witnesses are from the regions of Drenica, Lipjan and Shtime. Citing unidentified sources, the paper writes that these witnesses are considered very important to the prosecution, whose testimonies are expected to allegedly prove the alleged crimes of the future accused persons.Kosovo authorities were not included at all in the transfer and protection of these witnesses. Officials in the Special Investigative Task Force (SITF) which is investigating the claims arising from the Council of Europe Report, did not deny nor confirm the transfer of the witnesses from Kosovo.
Next Pristina-Belgrade meeting on 13 October (dailies)
In the context of the continuation of the EU-facilitated dialogue for normalisation of relations between Pristina and Belgrade, Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has invited Prime Minister Isa Mustafa and Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic for an informal dinner to review the progress of the dialogue and the way forward. The dinner will take place on Tuesday, 13 October, in Brussels.
Grenade attack at the house of a police officer in the north (KosovaPress)
An M-75 hand grenade manufactured in Yugoslavia, was thrown into the house of a police officer in northern Kosovo this morning. According to unidentified sources, the incident occurred around 3:30 this morning in Zubin Potok, as the perpetrators and the motive of the attack are still not known. “The explosion was very powerful and worried the residents nearby. There were only material damages,” the source said. The deputy director of the Kosovo Police for northern region, Besim Hoti, confirmed the incident saying that the KP immediately started an operation in an attempt to capture the perpetrators.
Mustafa: Demarcation can be corrected if we lose territory (Telegrafi)
Kosovo’s Prime Minister, Isa Mustafa, through a Facebook post today said that there will be no withdrawal in the agreement on the Association/Community of Serb-majority municipalities nor the agreement on border demarcation with Montenegro. Although, according to him, the agreement on border demarcation can be corrected if someone proves that Kosovo lost some of its territory. Mustafa also said that the Vetevendosje Movement, Alliance for the Future of Kosovo and Initiative for Kosovo are trying to seize power through violence and without respecting any rule of law and democracy.
Police searches the offices of Vetevendosje MPs (dailies)
The Vetevendosje Movement through a press release on Friday said that the Kosovo Police searched the offices of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group MPs in the Kosovo Assembly. The KP also invited for an interview the MPs Albin Kurti and Albulena Haxhiu in regards to the opposition’s actions in the Assembly. According to Kosovo Police spokesperson Baki Kelani, the search was done on the order of the prosecutor. "We confirm that on Friday evening on the orders of prosecutor, the police conducted a search operation in the offices of the Vetevendosje parliamentary group MPs located in the Kosovo Assembly," Kelani said. The Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) Nisma, said they consider the police action in the Vetevendosje offices as pressure and as a calculated political act against Vetevendosje MPs. Media also report that Albin Kurti could be sentenced to 6 months to 5 years in prison if the prosecution considers his actions as ‘causing general danger.’
Opposition parties address the citizens through an open letter (dailies)
The three opposition parties through a open letter addressed to the people of Kosovo said that the eggs, water and tear gas were not directed against the Assembly nor against any state institution, but rather against the wrong decisions of the government. "We consider that our country is in danger. Decisions of the Prime Minister and his subordinates will result in the ethnic division of Kosovo. This is unacceptable for us. Thursday’s developments in the Assembly have been inevitable. We are aware that opposition’s opposing measures in the Assembly yesterday were not regular, but it was the only way to oppose the processes that impede the functioning of the state of Kosovo. Even the opposition MPs stayed in the teargas smoke, committed to protect the state, territory and democracy in Kosovo", said the letter.