Headlines - 22.04.2016

Collaku: Special Court will remove all doubts (Lajmi/Tribuna Channel)

Kosovo’s Minister for European Integration, Bekim Collaku, said in an interview for Tribuna Channel on Thursday that, Kosovo stands unwavering in its path toward the European Union despite certain obstacles, such as the Special Court. “Kosovo has assumed a very difficult and complex decision because we are well aware that we did not wage an invasion war against another country and we are fully confident that our endeavor for freedom was righteous. We never doubted our fight and this is why we have agreed to this request coming from the international community to establish an international court that will address allegations made in Dick Marty’s report. It is good that the Special Court will clarify everything that happened in Kosovo and remove all doubts,” Collaku said.

“Major changes, if Vetevendosje member leads the country” (Klan Kosova)

In an interview for Klan Kosova on Thursday, former Vetevendosje leader Albin Kurti said that major changes in Kosovo cannot happen if a member of the Vetevendosje Movement does not lead the country. Kurti said opposition parties, the Vetevendosje Movement, the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) and the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA) were united in their rejection of agreements reached with Serbia. “Vetevendosje was the engine of the opposition. However, we would not have been successful on our own. The AAK and NISMA were powerful partners of the opposition blockade; Vetevendosje, on its own, could not have activated the teargas and we wouldn’t have been able to assemble such a big crowd in downtown Pristina on January 9. However, it seems that after the successes we achieved, we were cursed. After the Constitutional Court ruled that the Association [Community of Serb-majority municipalities] was not in line with the spirit of the Constitution, we believed in the option of a joint list, but we failed”. Kurti said there were four opportunities to send the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) into the opposition. “The first case was when [Behxhet] Pacolli was elected President. If Isa [Mustafa] had not supported [Atifete] Jahjaga for President, we would have gone to new elections. The second opportunity was when Haradinaj returned from The Hague. That was a perfect time to change the political momentum. The third opportunity was with VLAN [the former united opposition front consisting of the LDK, Vetevendosje, AAK and NISMA]. I have this before that if we stood united, we would have been victorious, but we failed because of the greed for power. The fourth opportunity was the opposition bloc. If we had formed a joint list for the next elections, we would undoubtedly win,” Kurti said. Asked if he would run for the post of Kosovo Prime Minister, Kurti said: “I don’t think it is healthy for the Vetevendosje Movement to open the topic of my eventual candidacy for Prime Minister before we prepare the platform for elections,” he said. Kurti also argued that no one should underestimate the threat that Serbia poses to Kosovo. “There is no addressing of the past in Serbia. Serbia is a threat to the Balkans and Croatia is the only country to oppose them. Neither the Albanians nor the Bosnians are at the required level of duty,” he added.

Ahmeti: Alternative still has a chance (Zeri)

Mayor of Pristina and senior member of Vetevendosje Movement, Shpend Ahmeti, told the paper he still believes The Alternative proposed by Vetevendosje to unite the opposition, still has a chance to happen and win the elections.  According to him, the opposition must unite if it wants the removal of the current government.  Ahmeti also didn’t deny his ambitions to lead The Alternative, which he sees as the best thing for Kosovo, but Vetevendosje structures would have to decide on this.  He also said Kosovo very soon will declare early elections, since, the government didn’t fulfill any of the promises made during election campaigns.

Krasniqi: Vetevendosje should have been more tolerant (Epoka e Re)

Head of the National Council at the Initiative for Kosovo (NISMA), Jakup Krasniqi, assessed that overcoming of the crisis among the opposition parties is reached with mutual will and readiness to create something together that would be in the interest of the people and sovereignty of Kosovo. He told the paper that perhaps the coalition between NISMA and the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (AAK) was not the best one but it was the most possible one. According to Krasniqi not all possibilities for Vetevendosje to be part of this coalition are exhausted. “Vetevendosje should have been more persistent and tolerant in finding the issues that would unite opposition,” Krasniqi said and added that there is room for other political parties and individuals who seek substantial changes on governance of Kosovo.

Deda: I refuse to be part of political degradation (RTK)

Vetevendosje MP Ilir Deda said in a Facebook post that he refuses to be part of the political degradation that is killing the hopes of the citizens. He said divided opposition parties will spend more energy on accusing one another than actually tackling the failures of the government. Deda spoke of the need for a “political realignment” to end the 17-year-long way of how Kosovo is governed.

Competition for post of PDK leader underway (Epoka e Re/Zeri)

After Hashim Thaci’s election for the President of Kosovo, the Steering Committee of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) announced on Thursday the competition for the post of party leader. PDK deputy leader, Hajredin Kuci, confirmed that Kadri Veseli will be one of the candidates and added that whomever is interested can apply. “The competition will be open, equal and democratic,” Kuci said. Election of the new PDK leader will take place at the extraordinary election convention on 7 and 8 May. Citing sources in the PDK Steering Committee, Zeri reports that Kuci suggested that a representative from the Drenica region should be part of the new party leadership and that another representative from the same region should take up a minister post in the government now that former party leader Hashim Thaci has assumed the post of Kosovo President. The same source told the paper that PDK MP Nait Hasani said at the Steering Council that this party should be careful with the upcoming special court that will address war crimes allegations. “The Special Court is going to be very grave for the PDK. Ministers have become too comfortable with their posts and they have forgot about the voters,” Hasani was reported to have said.